The Crimson Castle was so eerily familiar it forced shivers down Minho's spine every time he walked along its halls. They were so barren, so cold, and nothing like the Sun packhouse – he wished he could say it was comfortable, because, really, he was with his own kind.
It was anything but comfortable. He may have been a vampire, but his people were the Sun Pack, prejudiced against him as most of them may be. He missed the loud, vibrant discussions and the brawls, where here there were only cold-faced, elegant people breezing along the halls, speaking in monotonous tones that threatened to bore him to a second death.
He was not made for a place as cold as this – but he had to smile, had to pretend that this was the best place he'd ever been, that the vampires' culture interested him to no end, to share their hatred against the werewolves, despite his heart being surrounded by a pack of them right at that moment.
It had only been a handful of days, and each day it grew harder and harder not to flinch away from Chan when he drew near, or say anything suspicious – do anything suspicious. However, that wasn't his only problem.
He had yet to find Jeongin.
He only had a couple of hours left before the wolves got there, he knew, and he had to get Jeongin out before Hyunsik was forced to come in. He would be a valuable asset out on the battlefield, and he could probably save many lives out there.
The situation was looking bleaker and bleaker with each passing moment, and he was no closer to finding him that he'd been the first day, despite the fact that Minho was allowed to roam the halls, though he was aware of invisible eyes that followed his every move, following him along the stone hallways of the ancient castle.
He pretended to be looking for nothing, simply admiring his surroundings, though he kept his ears peeled for anything that might give anything away. He definitely found it strange that he hadn't heard a single thing about Jeongin's whereabouts – or heard the boy himself in the days he'd resided here.
For all intents and purposes he should've been able to, with his keen hearing. Unless... unless the Vampire King had hidden him somewhere so far beyond the main halls that nobody would have been able to hear him.
His gut sank, because how would he be able to find a place like that without appearing like he was looking for anything at all? He chewed on his bottom lip as his eyes swept around the hall, but he was the only one there, yet the invisible pair of eyes still followed; he knew he wasn't making it up. They were always there.
It was probably some kind of spell meant to keep him under tight surveillance wherever he went. It would be tricky, wouldn't it? Freeing Jeongin without alerting Chan that he really wasn't on his side.
He closed his eyes for a moment before he continued to walk at his leisurely pace, though he was sure his movements looked the slightest bit more urgent, no matter how hard he tried to conceal it.
Time was running out.
He didn't know how long he'd been walking, but he was truly – genuinely – lost. It seemed that he'd wandered into some darker part of the castle, one even more devoid of anyone than anywhere else. Looking around, his eyebrows furrowed as panic settled in his chest.
Where was he? He didn't think he'd ever come down this way before, and he had to meet with Chan soon – he had to lure him into the throne room, where Jisung would eventually show up in... five hours.
He only had five hours left; the thought terrified him. In five hours, all of this would be over. In five hours, he and Jisung would be able to live happily together, go somewhere without fear of being followed or hunted, and he would be able to leave his pack without a single worry that they would all be massacred in his absence.
Only five hours...
Footsteps up ahead caught his attention and his eyes widened as a vampire – even more regal looking than any of the ones he'd previously seen, two other vampires – bigger than what was natural; obviously, there was something strange about them – lumbering behind him, and yet, unlike any of the guards he'd seen walking along these halls, they did not carry swords.
Something about them settled a coil of dread in his stomach, and it was an instinctive response to their imposing frames to duck into the nearest hallway. He observed as they walked by, almost oblivious to his presence in the shadows of the hallway, but they did pause.
They turned their noses up, as if... sniffing the air around them. He closed his eyes and pressed himself as close to the wall as he could possibly go, biting his lower lip to avoid making any noise. Eventually, they slowly started moving again, and Minho's eyes widened as they finally passed him, gaze settling on the mangled flesh that peaked up along their necks from the bottom of their clothing.
Those looked like fang marks. Many of them. Their constitutions... His eyes widened as he stumbled backwards. Why did they give him such a distinct feeling that he'd been staring at a werewolf and not a vampire?
The realization forced a gasp from his lips, thinking of Hyunsik – Hyunsik, who had also once been a werewolf. Yet these... looked more like beasts than humans, with arms too wide, shoulders too hunched, hands too large...
His foot caught on a loose stone behind him and he went crashing down into the furthest wall, mouth drying. He knew that those... things must have heard the ruckus. He could hear them rushing back towards him, and his wide eyes darted around, panic seizing him, forcing any logical thought from his head, desperately thinking of an escape.
Jisung needed to know—he needed to know—
The wall gave out behind him. He let out a cry as he stumbled backwards into another hallway, this one hidden from view, barely managing to gather his bearings before the wall slid back into place in front of him, trapping him in this secret room.
He stood, slowly, eyes taking in as much as he could, from the dense darkness that marked the hallways, almost too dark to be normal. That's when he heard the faint whimpers coming from somewhere nearby – or perhaps not... nearby, but close enough for Minho to hear.
Biting his lip, he stared between the wall and the opposite direction, where he could vaguely make out the walls of a hallway leading him down somewhere. He had a feeling he knew what he would find at the end of this tunnel.
He walked away from the wall that had lead him there.
~#~#~#~#~#~
He walked, and he walked, and he walked, and the tunnel never seemed to get any shorter, his destination never drawing any nearer. It was like he was lost in this abyss he now walked, surrounded by nothing but pure darkness.
Truth be told, he did not know what would be waiting for him on the other side. Fear settled in his chest, each step echoing forebodingly around him.
Eventually, the tunnel did come to an end – though it had felt like an eternity had passed since he'd first started walking. He looked down at his watch – it had only been... thirty minutes, apparently. It was ridiculous, he thought, that thirty minutes had dragged on for so long he'd thought he'd been walking for hours.
Something wasn't right, here. Something was very, very wrong. Just as he debated turning back, a small speck of light appeared ahead of him in the darkness, and his steps faltered, before he sped up, running at full vampire speed until he reached it.
His eyes stung as he finally emerged from the darkness, pale, flickering candlelight assaulting his vision. After the momentary disorientation finally receded, he could finally observe his surroundings. There were many cells, each one lined with tight metal bars that gleamed like silver, the stone floor stained with blood that had long since settled and been wiped away.
What was this place? His eyes narrowed on the single cell that was different than all the others – the door was thicker, made of solid silver, the only way to see through the cell being the small square near the top of the door.
He swallowed thickly as he approached with small steps; he had a feeling he knew what he would find, if the faint whimpers were any indication. He hoped – and dreaded – that it would be Jeongin.
As he peered in, hesitant and slightly afraid, his eyes, already semi-accustomed to the dark, settled on the figure that lay curled in on itself in the far corner, silver shackles gleaming in the dim candlelight.
"J... Jeongin?" he whispered, scanning his body, which seemed littered with injuries and dried blood. The form jerked slightly at the call of his name, and after a handful more moments his head snapped up, as if it had only registered then and there who was talking to him.
His eyes were wide and terrified, filled with tears. Minho's fists clenched at his sides. "Minho...?" The boy's voice was hoarse – he couldn't be treated very well down here, could he? –, barely above a whisper, and his heart squeezed.
He nodded, smiling as reassuringly as he could. "Yes, Jeongin, it's me." He wondered if he would be able to break the door down; would it attract too much attention? For the first time, he noticed that the invisible eyes on his back had finally gone away. Perhaps this was his chance.
That's when Jeongin's eyes snapped over his shoulder, his face paling even more if that was even possible. "Minho, watch out!" he cried, and Minho didn't have the time to even whip around before a hand grabbed the nape of his neck and slammed him painfully into the heavy door.
Pain blossomed in his frigid body, though it bled away quickly enough. The moment a voice spoke, right next to his ear, his entire body tensed, the blood in his veins stilled and froze.
"It would seem that you were not honest with me,darling."
A/N: Yes, I didn't update yesterday sorry~ I wrote the chapter, but I worked on schoolwork until 9 PM and I really wanted to edit this chapter so here we are ;)
We're so close to the end y'all I can't believe it
Lots of love,
~Emilie