a/n: i apologise, in advance, for what's going to happen...
[ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 ]
"The Captain wants to talk to you," the man said, approaching Jeno. The aforementioned boy paused absentmindedly before shaking his head and unburdening himself from whatever thought had plagued his mind.
"Where is he?" Jeno gulped.
"Over there, in the tent." The boy held up a finger, which my eyes proceeded to follow. Jeno seemed to have a similar thought process and also glanced in the direction of the towering tent. The tent flap opened and a bulking man walked out. I could only see his back but the large size of his upper tors0 was enough to make me halt. Once again, Jeno reflected my exact reaction.
Biting his lip and rubbing a hand over his temple, my former best friend stood up and traipsed towards the hulking figure. Although my position in the tree did block my view of the elusive 'Captain', that I'd heard so much about, it did allowed me to easily overhear the conversation. The next thing that Jeno said, shook me to the core.
"Father, I'm sorr-"
There was a loud noise of hand hitting skin and I only barely managed to hold in my gasp, from the new revelation or the harsh treatment towards my former best friend, I couldn't tell.
"What did I tell you?" the grainy voice of the Captain rang out, giving me shivers as though I was listening to nails on a chalkboard. "These experiments are not expendable."
"I'm sorry." Jeno held a hand against the blossoming red patch on his cheek, only barely managing to blink away his tears.
"Sorry isn't good enough, boy," the man spat, spittle firing out from his mouth. From this position. I could see Jeno flinch, shrinking under the unnerving glare of his 'father'. "You're lucky that it was only Test Subject 317. If you had shot our focus, well- you'd have to be disposed of." The seriousness of his tone made me freeze, my heart skipping a beat for the terrified boy below. Was this seriously happening? Was the Captain really Jeno's father? Would he really kill his son for a simple mistake? Were they after Jungkook again? Or Namjoon? Those two were the most powerful, after all.
"Still, punishments have to be handed out to those who make mistakes," the man mused, stroking his chin like one of those evil villains in the movies. "Who shot the creature?"
I bristled a this man's blatant lack of respect towards Taehyung. He wasn't some creature or cattle, he was a person. A living, breathing person who deserved just as much, if not more, respect than anyone in this entire opening. If I wasn't hiding, I would have been tempted to tell the man exactly what I thought but, when I spotted Jeno's face, I hastily changed my mind.
Jeno was never a fearful or timid person, especially not when we used to spend time together. He was one of those people who exuded confidence and self importance and, in a way, it was sort of refreshing. As a person who liked to hide from the limelight and was constantly aware of others judgments, having a person who gave zero bother towards all that trivial stuff , was encouraging. Jeno really had been a good friend and influence despite all of his wrongdoings.
However, in this moment, this boy was not the Jeno I was accustomed to. It was as though he'd retreated inside of himself, a crab, inside its shell. There was a blankness to his face, as though he was trying to keep his features straight, but his eyes revealed his true emotions like a white flag blowing in the wind. They were wide and unblinking, exposing his fear and desire to leave this situation as quickly as possible. Seeing him look so shaken made the terror churn in my stomach and I couldn't help but grab more tightly onto the bark on the tree as though I expected it to return the hug with one of its own. Still, with my body pasted to the trunk, I couldn't help but feel more at ease. My biggest downfall, in this situation, would be if someone was to spot me and the tree did allow me to be more camouflage.
"Father, I will take all the responsibility for the man's actions. He simply thought that he was shooting a duplicate form," he paused, taking a shaky breath. "I should have prepared them better."
The Captain clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he leaned in closer to his son. "You will never be leader. You are weak, just like your mother."
Jeno stood straighter, his fists clenched at his sides as his breathing intensified. It was quite obvious that the boy was only barely keeping his anger in check. No more fear caged the boy; the monster, anger, had come to play.
"Does that make you angry?" The older man chortled, jabbing a finger in Jeno's chest. Jeno didn't even topple, instead optioning to glare down at the man who had dared to insult one of the only people he loved. "You're mother is a waste of space. You should know that more than anyone."
Jeno cursed something intelligible under his breath. "I will get her away from you. Give me a couple of hours and she'll be free."
What on earth did that mean? I couldn't help but try to move closer in attempts to discern something that I may not have noticed before. As I manoeuvred myself slightly, my hand caught on a tree branch, the twig snapping in my hands. I froze, not daring to move or even breathe. Peering through one eye, I quickly tried to spot anyone who may have noticed me.
Nothing. There was no one there.
I couldn't help but laugh nervously, praising my sheer dumb luck. I wiggled my body slightly and managed to get back into my previous position, deciding it wasn't worth the risk to tempt fate a second time. However, as I peeped back around, I paused as my eyes alined up with someone else's.
Jeno's lips parted in shock as he blinked rapidly, wiping his eyes as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. When my body didn't disappear, the boy's face scrunched up and he cast a nervous look towards his father. The man was continuing to babble on about something that neither Jeno or I was paying any attention to. Instead, our focus was entirely absorbed onto one another.
In a split moment I realised what was happening and cursed, punching myself in the leg. I had to be deranged; I had broken Taehyung's one, simple rule. Don't get caught.
Jeno blinked again, glancing between his father and me as if he was concerned that I would be noticed. That was settling, at least. At least he wasn't intending for me to be captured.
"Are you even listening?" The man asked, suddenly shattering the trance we had both been a victim to. Jeno coughed, rubbing his temples as though he was a weary old man coming from a long day at work.
"Yes sir," he replied, straight-faced with his arms clasped behind his back like a soldier facing his general.
"The plan will proceed as followed. I want you to lead the pack, get that cellar door knocked down and seize the target. That's your only job. Understood?"
Jeno nodded hastily, his eyes shifting from side to side. At first I wondered if it was just the pressure getting to him until I realised exactly what this ruthless tyrant had said. Cellar? There was only one cellar in the house and it had that mysterious locked door. The realisation hit me in a second and I couldn't help but gasp despite the dangers it would risk putting me in. They were going to infiltrate the house and the only ones able to able to protect would be Hoseok and Jimin. That's why Jeno looked so panicked; he had realised that the Captain had exposed their secret plan. Their only advantage.
Their was another exchange of words between the two men but I was imperceptive to whatever was occurring below, a result of my whirring mind. My plan solidified in my brain and I hastily glanced around for a quick way out of this tree. I was certain that Jeno wouldn't expose me but that didn't mean he wouldn't try to stop me from warning the others.
As I hastily stumbled from branch to branch, I couldn't care less about being noticed. Either way, I was in trouble and I had to find a solution as quick as possible. The only plausible plan was getting out of this tree and warning the others to retreat from the house. Otherwise, I didn't even want to imagine what would occur.
As soon as my feet slammed against the ground, I was bolting through the forest shrubbery like an Olympic champion at the start gun; quickening my pace to an all out sprint. Even with my rigorous training from Hoseok, Jeno would've easily outran me if it wasn't for the fortunate head start. This was my only chance and I wasn't giving up that easily.
"Hayeon!" I heard Jeno shout from behind. Luckily it was slightly muffled, informing me that he wasn't on my heels. Just yet. "Please stop, I just want to talk!"
I didn't even falter, continuing to fly through the trees with an elegance I didn't know I had. If I paused and he tricked me, it would be the biggest mistake of my life. Plus, the quicker I got back to the house, the faster I could get the others out.
"Hayeon. Please!" The boy called for a final time, his voice muted as he stopped the chase. The last thing I heard, before launching myself into the open gardens of the house, was a final call. "I'm sorry."
I scoffed. He could shove his apology where it belongs.
The sprint never ceased as I clambered the hill bordering the house. Occasionally I tripped, grazing my hands against the harsh ground, before stumbling back to my feet. This operation was paramount; if I didn't get there on time, I'd never forgive myself.
"Hayeon!" This time I wasn't bombarded by Jeno's incessant calls but a voice I was much more accustomed to.
Turning to glance over my shoulder, I spotted the familiar figures of both Jungkook and Hoseok as they came barrelling towards me like raging bulls. Once they were only a few steps away, Jungkook slowed before storming towards me with a face like thunder. Grabbing my upper arms in a tight grasp, he shook me slightly. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you insane?"
He sighed, pulling on my arms once more but wrapping me in our hug, his chin resting on the crown of my head. I couldn't help but laugh nervously. "Quite possibly?"
The boy huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. "What are you doing out here?"
"I was just..." The realisation that I'd stopped running hit me in a second. It only took a brief moment of panic before I started sprinting again, Jungkook spluttering in confusion behind me. He reached out, grasping my hand in his.
"Tell me what's going on. Now."
"We have to get back to the house now. MediHeal are going to attack through the cellar." I gritted my teeth, a sudden stitch overtaking my side. I tried to remember the breathing tactics Hoseok had taught me but my fear was quickly masking any sort of straightforward thinking.
"What cellar?" Hoseok piped, running on my left side.
Of course, I'd realised that Hoseok was standing with us. But, only in this brief moment, did I realise that Hoseok was standing with us. "What are you doing here?" I shouted, startling the boy. He blinked at me in surprise.
"I came to look for you?" He worded it like a question as though this was an obvious answer. In reality, Hoseok had quite possible thrown the entire plan into jeopardy. No offence to Jimin but the two boys had a very little chance of fighting an onslaught of soldiers. Without their key asset, when it came to fighting, we were even more screwed.
"We need to get back to the house asap. There's a door in the cellar that must lead to some sort of secret tunnel. I'm assuming MediHeal is going to use it to snatch you and Namjoon." I directed the last sentence to Jungkook, who paused suddenly.
"But we're not in the house."
That much was obvious but, now that the boy had stated it out loud, it also made my mind freeze. If they weren't after Jungkook or Namjoon, who was their 'primary target'?
It wouldn't be Jin nor Tae, the Captain had revealed that much already, which left Jimin. The sudden awareness thwacked the three of us simultaneously and, before we even had time to comprehend otherwise, we were sprinting again.
When we reached the front door, I instantly knew something was wrong. If Jimin was here, he'd be bombarding us with endless questions and ushering us inside. Instead, we were faced with an unsettling silence.
"Jimin!" Jungkook screamed, stepping over a pile of broken glass. The entire living room had been absolutely ravaged: windows smashed, the sofa ripped to pieces and the picture frames lying forgotten on the floor. "Where are you?"
There was a mumble of response from upstairs. The three of us pushed and shoved as we scrambled up the flight of stairs. When we reached the top, Jimin waved us over.
As my eyes scanned him over, I couldn't help but recoil. This boy was beaten, badly.
He crawled over, pulling his limp body across the carpet in a pitiful pile. His left eye was swollen and bulbous, red, sticky, congealed blood lining the various cuts on his forehead. His shirt was only a slip of ribbons, tattered and ripped from a direct attack. Underneath the remaining white cloth was another array of blood and gore. His arms were wrapped around his guts like he was holding them them in and, to be honest, he was beaten so bad that he could be.
He opened his lips, cracked and chapped. It was only a faint murmur but we heard it as clear as day.
"They've taken Jin Hyung."