#bcgoct17

Most people at the university saw them as a very unlikely group of friends. Just seven misfits living together for the sake of cheaper rent, a circumstance which eventually lead to a much deeper friendship.

Seokjin and Namjoon started off with the house, splitting the ridiculously high rent of the large four bedroom home just between the two of them for several months until they were sure they found roommates who they wouldn’t want to kick out within a month of moving in.

First came Jungkook.

Namjoon had been friends with Jungkook since the year previous when he was the younger’s floor RA. Joon had dormed on campus before he moved to live with Seokjin, and quickly developed a soft spot for his younger resident. When Jungkook realized that Namjoon wouldn’t be living in the campus residence halls the following semester, he had to admit, he was a little hurt. He was on the shier side and enjoyed having formed such a close relationship with his RA, and quite honestly wasn’t sure he could handle living in the dorms without him. One day over the summer he had asked Namjoon what his plans were if he wasn’t going to live in the dorms anymore, and the second he heard about the house he and Seokjin planned on renting, he was sold.

Namjoon was a bit surprised; Jungkook was young and living on campus was one thing, completely wanting to move out and away from his family was another. But the kid seemed sure of it, seemed determined to get out and live on his own. He insisted to Namjoon that he had a good job on campus, worked a lot of extra hours and would be able to keep up with the rent. So after a few long discussions with Jin, the two finally decided to let the younger move in with them.

Yoongi and Hoseok were the next two to move in; the almost cliche friendship between the music major and underground dancer was like something straight out of a Step Up movie. They had been friends since high school, and at the time were living in a shitty little apartment together off campus.

Yoongi had sat next to Jin during his junior spring semester philosophy elective, and the two quickly became friends. Sure, maybe they only talked so often because Yoongi was constantly dozing off in class and asking Jin to explain what was going on, but Jin didn’t mind. He was amused by his new, spaced out friend.

One day after class he overheard Yoongi grumbling something on the phone to Hoseok about how their landlord was threatening to kick them out, and Jin took the opportunity to propose him and his friend a new place to live. Yoongi and Hoseok were more than eager to take him up on the offer.

The last to move in was the couple: Jimin and Taehyung. Taehyung was best friends with Jungkook and had mentioned to him one day that he and Jimin were thinking about finding their own apartment off campus and living together. Jungkook however had an even better idea-- there was still one whole empty bedroom in the house he was currently living in, and he was sure his roommates would be glad to cut their shared rent even further. Jungkook asked Jin and Namjoon first before bringing the idea up to Tae and Jimin of course, and the older two didn’t have much of an issue with it. Jin seemed a little hesitant at first about letting a couple move in, mumbling something under his breath about not wanting to hear them fucking all night, but Namjoon just brushed him off. If Jin could bear with the amount of girls Hoseok was constantly bringing home, living with a couple wouldn’t be much different. Plus, Yoongi had mentioned he was already friends with Jimin, and if Jungkook already knew them as well they would fit right in.

So that was how it came to be: seven unlikely friends, sort of misfits in their own ways, but friends nonetheless.

Given that, it shouldn’t have been so shocking that such unlikely friends would find themselves in such an unlikely situation on Friday October 13th.

Jin was friends with one of the main founders of the biggest frat on campus, Delta Psi (friends with… tutored in microbiology… practically the same thing, right?). After the frat boy’s first well earned ‘A’ on a big exam Jin was guaranteed an invite to every party the frat threw from that day forward, even being told he could bring as many friends he wanted.

The next party the frat was scheduled to host was going to be on Friday October 13th.

Friday the 13ths weren’t always special, but when the notoriously superstitious day happened to fall during the spookiest month of the whole year, people wanted to take advantage of it. Of course any sane college student would make up even the slightest excuse to party either way, so Delta Psi decided they would throw a bit of an early Halloween celebration to commemorate such an occasion.

Jin had mentioned the party to Taehyung just four days before it was scheduled to happen. He knew that Friday was also Jimin’s birthday, so he wouldn’t have been surprised if the couple already had plans.

“Or even if you guys just want the house to yourself,” Jin added with a slight chuckle. “We’re all going to the party, so you two can be as loooud as you want, no holding back,” he teased with a wink, causing Taehyung to roll his eyes and punch his older friend on the shoulder. He told Jin he’d think about it, because truth be told he and Jimin didn’t really have any special plans for his birthday yet.

Taehyung knew his boyfriend well, and he knew he didn’t usually want to make a big fuss over his birthday. Despite that, the year previous Taehyung and the others had dragged Jimin out for a proper bar crawl on his 21st birthday. They all insisted that the only way to truly celebrate turning 21 was to legally get blackout drunk.

That level of drunkenness was certainly achieved, because Jimin couldn’t even remember the night from the moment after Yoongi opened a bottle of tequila to pregame at the house before heading out to the first bar.

But turning 22 wasn’t as special as turning 21, so Taehyung figured maybe his boyfriend would just be down to spend the night out at a party where the attention wasn’t solely focused on the birthday boy.

He brought it up to Jimin the same day Jin had told him about it as the two were getting into bed for the night. Tae was absentmindedly toying with a piece of his lover’s hair as the smaller boy shifted around, trying to comfortably snuggle himself into his boyfriend’s broad, warm chest.

“Jiminie,” Taehyung mumbled into Jimin’s hair, pausing to breathe in the familiar scent of their favorite shampoo. “Did you wanna do anything special on Friday?”

The mention of Friday, his birthday, got Jimin to stop stirring momentarily. He rested a hand on Tae’s chest and moved back a bit to look up at his face.

“Well I don’t particularly want to do anything…” he replied honestly, narrowing his eyes. “Why? Did you… you didn’t plan anything did you? Because you know after last year-” Tae chuckled and silenced his boyfriend with a chaste kiss on the lips.

“No no baby, not at all,” Taehyung defended, squeezing the hand he had rested on Jimin’s waist gently to relax him. “Jin told me today that Delta Psi is throwing another banger on Friday. Using Friday the 13th as an excuse for an early Halloween party or some shit like that,” he chuckled, amused by the way Jimin’s nose scrunched up at the mention of a party.

“So I already have to deal with the fact that my birthday’s happening on a Friday this year, but now a bunch of airhead frat boys are using the stupid date as lame justification for a party?” Jimin raised an eyebrow, and Tae had to bite back a grin.

“Well when you say it that way…” Tae mumbled, scratching the back of his neck with the hand not caressing the soft skin under Jimin’s t-shirt. Jimin rolled his eyes.

“Is everyone else going?” he sighed, and Taehyung nodded in response. “Alright alright. I mean, as long as I get to spend the day with you, that’s all that really matters to me.”

Taehyung couldn’t help but smile, giving into the sudden urge he felt to lean in and press their lips together.

“Don’t worry baby, I’ll make sure this birthday is a million times better than last year’s,” he assured, snaking his arms around Jimin’s waist before they both fell asleep.

The rest of the week drifted by, and before everyone knew it it was finally Friday. The group’s house was was already buzzing with excitement from it being Jimin’s birthday, but now later into the night the excitement shifted over to the party.

“Come on guys, if we get going now we’ll get there right around 10!” Jin called up the staircase. He, Namjoon, and Yoongi were all sitting in the living room waiting for the others to finish getting ready. Yoongi always seemed to be the first to be ready for a party, his already half empty flask in hand as he lounged on the couch next to Namjoon.

The group was planning on walking to the party, as the frat house it was being held at was only a little over a mile away. Walking was better than having to worry about a designated driver anyway, and it gave them some time to start sobering up whenever the decided to finally head back home.

About a minute after Jin called for the others, Jungkook and Hoseok came bounding down the stairs loudly arguing over something.

“Where’re the love birds?” Namjoon interrupted their dispute, laughing quietly as he watched the two who had just joined them start to wrestle one another.

“Don’t know, probably fucking,” Hoseok grunted, trying to maneuver out of the headlock Jungkook was holding him in and focus back on their conversation.

“What’s all this about?” Jin chuckled, dodging out of the way as Jungkook picked up Hoseok and acted like he was going to throw him across the room. Hoseok always underestimated his younger friend’s strength, and it was moments like this he was reminded Jungkook frequented the campus’s athletic center just as often as he personally frequented the dance studio.

“Kookie said he’s going to hook up with a girl tonight before I am,” Hoseok panted, finally turning the tables and shoving Jungkook against the wall. He pinned one of his leg’s in between Jungkook’s in a position he could easily knee him in the crotch if needed, and held him down with an arm across his neck.

“I didn’t say that,” Jungkook grumbled with an eyeroll, only giving Hobi a moment of dominance before easily flipping their position. “I said if I tried I could, it’s definitely not happening.” Yoongi snorted, taking a quick swig from his flask.

“Sounds like you’re trying to insinuate a bet, kid,” he chimed in, holding up his drink as if to give cheers to the two still fighting.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying!” Hoseok exclaimed before the two suddenly went tumbling to the floor with a loud thud, limbs tangling together in the process. The sound of all five of their boisterous laughs quickly filled the space of the tiny living room, drifting upstairs so that Jimin and Taehyung could hear.

“Hear that? They’re already having fun without us,” Taehyung teased, coming up behind his boyfriend to lightly press a kiss to the exposed skin of his neck right above the collar of his t-shirt. Jimin sighed and gave a small eye roll, turning to face Tae.

“Sorry sorry I just…” he gave a another, slightly louder sigh, running his fingers through his messy, faded orange hair. “Maybe I should stay in tonight… but… I don’t know... you could still go without me,” he mumbled shyly, eyes falling down to the space in between their two bodies. Taehyung instantly frowned, hand reaching up to gently cup Jimin’s face.

“Jimin, why on earth would I go out tonight, on your birthday of all days, without you?” he questioned, using his hand to force Jimin to look up and make eye contact with him. He could see worry in his lover’s eyes, a sort of hesitation that usually wasn’t there.

“I know I know but,” Jimin paused as he tried to think of the right words. “I’m getting weird vibes. Especially after last year,” he mumbled with a shrug. “And I know it probably seems silly but I just don’t want to-”

“Today is supposed to be about you, Jiminie,” Taehyung kept his voice soft but stern as he cut him off. “And if staying in tonight is really what you want to do, then fine, that’s what we’ll do. But I promise you this birthday is going to be better than last year, and I know you’re going to have an amazing time if we go out and you spend the night surrounded by your best friends,” he insisted, an assuring smile shining through as he gazed into Jimin’s eyes.

How could Jimin say no to that beautiful, boxy smile?

Jimin broke out into a grin himself just from the way Taehyung looked at him. His deep brown eyes were so full of love and admiration... Jimin completely reciprocated all the emotions felt between them in that moment, and was completely won over. He giggled quietly and stood on his toes to deeply kiss his lover, but it was less of a kiss and more like two smiles being pressed against one another.

It was then that Namjoon rudely interrupted their moment, kicking in their already cracked open bedroom door. The two were startled and jumped apart, an intense blush creeping over Jimin’s cheeks.

“Ugh gross. At least you two weren’t fucking like Hoseok thought,” Namjoon pretended to gag, jumping to the the side to evade the way Taehyung lunged at him with a fake punch. Jimin smiled as he watched the interaction unfold, going over and slipping his small hand into Taehyung’s and lacing their fingers together.

“Come on, everyone’s waiting,” Namjoon chuckled and nodded towards the stairs, already out their bedroom door and in the hallway. Tae and Jimin followed hand in hand.

“Finally,” Yoongi groaned loudly once he saw the three emerging at the top of the stairs, sprawling out further over the couch like he was suffering. “I’m already almost out of whiskey, I’m going to die if we don’t get to this party soon.” He went into a fake coughing fit, clutching onto his flask as if it were his life support. Jin rolled his eyes, swiftly snatching the small metal container out of Yoongi’s hand.

“You don’t need to bring that, there’s gonna be more than enough liquor at this party to keep up with your alcoholic tendencies.”

Yoongi tried to protest but quickly gave up, seeing as everyone else was already making their way towards the front door. He got off the couch and caught up to the them, swinging an arm over Hoseok shoulders as they began to walk down the dimly lit street of their peaceful neighborhood.

Sometimes, at times like this, the street they lived on seemed so tranquil you almost wouldn’t be able to tell there was a lively college campus and a full street of frat houses less than two miles away. Their house was located just far enough away that they were never bothered by any school related rowdiness, and they all enjoyed living in such a simple, quiet neighborhood. It felt good to get away from the wildness that could come with going to such a popular university, but living the way they did gave them all a sort of sense of refuge away from it all. Their cramped house and makeshift little family provided them with a sense of security, and it was these moments where they could just wander down the middle of the street with nothing but a comfortable silence hanging between them that they were thankful they had all come into each other’s lives.

By the time they arrived at the frat house it was already overflowing with people, and the music was being played so loudly it felt like the entire property was vibrating. Each of the boys always had slightly different motives when attending parties like this, and quickly went their separate ways-- they knew they’d find each other again at some point when they were ready to walk home in the early hours of the morning.

Jin and Joon usually stuck together, and tonight was no different. They were both just there for free beer and to chill, so they went to the kitchen, snagged whatever they wanted to drink, then wandered around until they found a group of friends to hang out with.

Yoongi was always the most predictable. The second he stepped foot through the front door he was making a beeline for the basement, where he had been told a group of his friends was waiting for him with a packed bowl with his name on it. The whiskey he had drank before was still warming his entire body, but he was itching for some THC and the wonderful floaty feeling that came with it (really at that point, he was ready to put any substance into his system to lose himself for the night).

Hoseok usually wouldn’t attend a party unless he already knew there was a girl there who wanted to get in his pants, but tonight was a little different. He and Jungkook had actually ended up making the bet on who could get with someone first, so from the moment he arrived Hoseok had his eyes peeled for a girl who looked ‘easy’.

It didn’t take long for Jungkook to begin following Hobi around like a lost puppy. He had seemed cocky about the bet at first, but once actually arriving at the party he felt intimidated. Eventually Hoseok started to feel bad for his younger friend, as it was becoming clear to him that Jungkook wasn’t as confident as he made out to be earlier at the house.

“Alright kid, listen,” Hobi huffed, shoving two red solo cups into Jungkook’s hands. “Just go up to a girl who looks kind of bored, offer her the drink, and chat her up,” he paused to pat Jungkook’s cheek, maybe a bit too roughly. “You’re cute, use that boyish charm of yours and win someone over,” he teased with a wink. Jungkook rolled his eyes and mumbled something about not needing help, and his cheeks heated up slightly. A part of him however was thankful Hoseok was pushing him in the right direction, giving him a quick nod before disappearing into a crowd of people.

Taehyung could tell Jimin was anxious from the moment they got to the frat house. He had no doubt that memories of the previous year’s birthday were flooding his mind, and the amount of people crammed so tightly into one space certainly wasn’t making it any easier. Tae gave Jimin’s hand a gentle squeeze and pulled him into the kitchen where all the alcohol was.

“Come on, let’s make some drinks and go outside, yeah?” Tae kissed Jimin’s temple and picked up two plastic cups, quickly dumping an absurd amount of the strongest liquor he saw into each and adding a splash of mixer. Jimin watched as Tae made the drinks, unphased by the amount of alcohol in them-- he figured he’d probably need it to get through the night. Within a few minutes the two were outside, sitting around a blazing firepit with a small group of people they recognized form some of their classes. It was much quieter in the backyard, so Tae assumed it’d be a good place for them to get going until they had a decent amount of alcohol pumping through their veins.

The rest of the night went on just as any other party they’d ever attended would. They drank, hung out with their friends, and had a good time. Just a typical college party, going exactly the way anyone would anticipate it to. At some point during the night however, something changed for the group of seven boys, and suddenly things were far less ‘typical’ than they would have ever imagined.

None of them were aware of when exactly things took a turn, and they never would be.

It was around 2am when Jin felt it first. The abrupt dizziness that overcame him was not characteristic of his usual drunken state, and also came with a wave of tiredness. He felt like if he were to lean over on Namjoon’s shoulder, he could fall asleep right in the middle of the commotion of the party surrounding them. He was out of it, and was thinking to himself ‘something doesn’t feel right’ for far too long before finally shifting his zoned out gaze to Joon. His friend looked just as out of it.

Alarms were blaring in Jin’s mind to say something, get up and start looking for the rest of their friends and head back home, but his mind was processing all these sudden thoughts much too slowly. It felt like full minutes had passed before he finally was able to simply move his hand to grab onto Namjoon’s shoulder. Joon’s reaction was delayed, not that Seokjin noticed, and it took him a moment to make eye contact with his older friend.

“The… the others… let’s go,” was all Jin was able to get out. He wanted to say so much more, he wanted to voice all the panic flooding his mind, but his brain felt like it had turned to jello and all his thoughts were having difficulty moving through the thick substance. Jin could hardly even tell, but Joon was having a very similar experience. Namjoon was barely able to nod as the two stood up to search for the rest of the group.

The entire world seemed to tilt to one side as they stood, and they had to brace themselves on each other to get their bearings. They wanted to ask if the other was okay, they both had the mutual thought… but both were quickly losing the capacity to even form words.

Namjoon and Jin found all five of their friends in similar states to their own.

Namjoon had found Hoseok and Jungkook upstairs in a bedroom that appeared to be the designated room for hook-ups. Hoseok was sitting on the bed, his hands roaming over the body of the petite girl perched on top of him, but his face was vacant of emotion and his eyes weren’t anywhere near the half naked girl in his lap.

Jungkook was sitting on the opposite end of the bed to Hoseok getting… a bit more attention from the girl who’s head was in between his legs than Hoseok was. Along the same lines as Hoseok, by the look on his face you would have never been able to tell he was receiving a blowjob. If he weren’t so impaired, Joon would have certainly had more of an adverse reaction to what he walked in on, but with how much he was struggling to simply hold his own train of thought to find his friends, he couldn’t be bothered to do more than smack them both on the cheeks and tell them it was time to get going.

Now.

The girls they were hooking up with were very disgruntled by Namjoon’s intrusion and seeming disregard for their entire existence, but all Joon cared about for the time being was getting his friends out of the frat house.

Jin went to the basement first, because he knew that was where he’d find Yoongi. He was correct in his assumption, going downstairs to find his younger friend sprawled over a tattered couch surrounded by his obviously high friends. Yoongi looked like he was fighting to stay awake, head snapping up every time it lolled over to the side. Despite his tiredness he was still clutching onto the bong they had been using as if it were his lifeline, his other friends too high at that point to care he was hogging it without actually using it. Jin walked over to him and pried the glass from Yoongi’s sweaty hands, setting it aside on a table before taking Yoongi’s hand and pulling him to stand. Yoongi was trying to say something to him and Jin could tell, probably some sort of protest, but his words were just one big slurred mess.

Jin and Namjoon met outside at the front steps, instructing the three inebriated friends they’d dragged with them to stay there and wait. They still needed to find Taehyung and Jimin, Joon having not seen them upstairs and Jin not seeing them in the basement.

They ventured back into the cramped house, the world feeling as if it were moving too quickly around them as they tried to make their way through the masses of bodies surrounding them. Everything sounded like their ears were filled with water and the lights which were already dimmed for the sake of the party were much too bright.

After stumbling through the kitchen and going out to the backyard, they finally found Tae and Jimin. The couple was lying together in a hammock across the patio, Jimin on top of Taehyung with their limbs tangled together.

When Jin went over and nudged Tae’s shoulder, he responded slowly. Jin would have probably noticed the delayed reaction if he wasn’t having such trouble processing his own senses himself.

“Get up… leaving,” Joon grunted when he came up by Jin’s side, pushing lightly on Jimin’s shoulder. After another stretched out minute of thinking they all realized Jimin was unconscious in Tae’s arms, and such a realization to Taehyung was sobering.

Seokjin and Namjoon almost fell backwards at the speed with which Taehyung was out of the hammock and standing, carrying his boyfriend bridal style and expectantly looking at his older friends.

“Let’s get going.” Tae’s voice was shaky but he barely noticed it. He was fading as fast as the others, but he was vaguely aware that all of a sudden his entire purpose in the universe was to get Jimin home safely.

While he couldn’t properly voice the thought, Jin realized it would be better to walk around the perimeter of the house rather than try to go through the bustling party with Taehyung carrying Jimin. Instead of saying anything he just grabbed Namjoon and Tae’s sleeves, tugging them in the direction of the gate leading out of the backyard.

Once back out front, Namjoon went over to the three still sitting on the front steps as Tae and Jin began heading to the street. They were all sitting there with the same vacant expressions of their faces, and fighting to stay awake. Joon mumbled something incoherent and motioned for them to get up and follow, and after struggling to understand what he was getting at for two minutes too long, they got up and followed him towards the other three.

The walk home was like a fever dream. They were stumbling beside each other in a huddled group in the middle of the street, occasionally needing to stop one another from falling forward.

The worst part of the whole thing? The wordlessness.

The lack of communication between them might have been the most detrimental part of it all. They were each stuck in their own heads, telling themselves, ‘It’s just me, everything is fine, we just need to get home, I just need to sleep it off.’

It wasn’t even purely the fact that they were each convinced the fog in their minds was something they were only personally experiencing-- they probably wouldn’t have been able to voice an intelligible thought if they could think one.

A pair of headlights rounded a corner a few blocks down, following them from behind.

None of them noticed.

Jungkook was probably the odd one out here. While all of the others were solely focused on making it back to the house, using every ounce of their little remaining energy to keep from falling asleep right there in the middle of the street, Jungkook was hyper aware of everything going on-- and that was the scariest part for him.

He was aware of the haze clouding his mind to the point the simplest of thoughts were increasingly difficult. He was aware of the blood pounding in his ears so loud it almost hurt, yet at the same time was dampened by the way the functions of all his senses were diminishing. He was aware the entire world was spinning and blurry, feet knocking into each other as he was so disoriented he could barely move one in front of the other. He was aware of his heart rate, so fast it was almost as if it were vibrating in his chest. He was aware. He was way too aware, and it scared him even more that he couldn’t find any words to express his panicked state.

He knew he didn’t drink this much. He knew this wasn’t right. Every lucid part of his mind was screaming ‘Something is wrong, something is wrong, something is wrong!’ over, and over, and over again.

The headlights were drawing closer.

Yoongi went down first. He and Hoseok had been walking with their arms around each other, and when Yoongi suddenly collapsed under his own weight it was enough to drag Hobi down with him.

It was then that the headlights behind them stopped. It was time to wait, and watch.

What was happening in seconds was perceived as hours to those still standing. Tae tried to turn around when he heard the sound of bodies hitting ground, but shifting his vision caused him to trip over his own two feet. He crashed down, landing like deadweight on Jimin who was still out cold. Jungkook’s eyes widened, the screaming voice in his brain growing louder.

’Something is wrong! Something is wrong! Something is wrong!’

Jungkook and Jin watched helplessly as Namjoon leaned over to try and reach Yoongi and Hoseok, but that was all it took for him to collapse in a heap on top of them.

The youngest and the oldest made eye contact, holding each other’s gazes as their minds worthlessly tried to form some sort of cohesive thought. They just needed to say something, one of them just needed to think enough to--

Jungkook went down. Jin hadn’t even caught it at first, the delay of his perception so slowed he didn’t realize it happened until his eyes shifted down to Jungkook’s body which was now joining the others on the asphalt.

The headlights approached and pulled up besides them. The man driving was impatient. This was taking too long.

Jin staggered forward a few steps towards the van that had driven up to the side of the street. Oh how badly did Jin want to be thankful, did he want to show this stranger who had found them at such a dire time how grateful he was he stopped for them.

The man got out of the car, and Jin was hit over the head with something hard.

He was finally ready to begin setting up his game.

The walls of the room were cement bricks like you’d see in an unfinished basement, painted a pure intense white. They harshly reflected the LED lights hanging from the ceiling, flooding the room with an unnecessary amount of light. The floor was completely bare, plain concrete, and there were large metal doors on two walls opposite each other.

Hoseok woke up first.

Absolutely nothing felt right from the moment he began regaining consciousness. He couldn’t move, and he couldn’t remember much of anything after arriving at the party. As he started to come to, he became that aware something was in his mouth; it was oddly shaped and he thought possibly made of metal from the very vague taste he could get of it, bitter and foreign.

He tried to move his head, as if to roll over to the side, but it was no use. That was when he realized he couldn’t move his arms and legs either-- his wrists and ankles were bound holding him spread out like a starfish. The more he became aware of himself, the more he became aware of everything that was wrong. Whatever position he was in, he was upright, and he could only tell that from the way his legs and feet tingled with numbness, presumably from his blood rushing down to them.

It was like he was hung up, mounted on a wall like a hunter’s prized game.

He tried to open his eyes and he wasn’t sure what hurt more: the feeling of the layer of crust covering them ripping apart as he attempted to do so, or the bright white light that filled the room suddenly flooding his sensitive vision. The light itself nauseated him to the point where if he could, he might have doubled over.

Hoseok could barely make out whatever contraption was fixed on his head and partially shoved into his mouth out of his peripheral vision. He had to blink several times, long and slow before his eyes could even begin to focus on anything surrounding him. Once he started to glance around, the contents of the room he was in made him wish he had never opened his eyes.

The first thing his eyes settled on was Jungkook, or at least... his body.

The youngest member of the friend group was dangling in the center of the room directly in front of him with a thick rope around his neck fashioned into a noose. His neck was at a noticeably unnatural angle, and his back was to Hoseok.

It was probably better that way.

Hoseok had to blink a few more times, his brain refusing to comprehend the sight before him. He frantically attempted to look around the rest of the room for answers, maybe even answers he didn’t want, or maybe some sort of proof this was just some kind of fucked up dream, but his range of view was limited with the heavy metal device holding his head in place.

From what he could make out, four of his other friends were each slumped on the floor in four separate corners of the room: Yoongi and Namjoon were in the corners across from him he could tell, but the two in the corners closer to him were just out of sight. He had to assume it was Jimin and Seokjin, because a second later he realized that past Jungkook there was a table closer to the further wall. Taehyung was strapped down to the table with what looked like old fashioned medical restraints, and hanging above him were some sort of absurd blade-like weapons that looked like they were taken straight out of a medieval museum.

The four in the corners looked limp and lifeless, but if he focused hard enough Hobi could tell that they were still breathing. Thick, metal chains were fixated to rings at each corner of the room, and the end of each chain attached to what looked like collars around their necks.

Hoseok’s head was spinning, and this time it wasn’t from the lingering side effects of whatever drug he had been slipped at the party.

This had to be a dream, it had to be, he refused to believe otherwise. He had just gotten too fucked up and the alcohol was messing with him. This was all just some completely fucked up lucid dream.

Every part of him told him not to look at Jungkook, like he knew that if he looked at him again the sickening realization he didn’t want to admit to himself would hit him like a ton of bricks.

He looked anyway.

It was as if some part of him had expected something to change, had expected the body hanging before him to disappear like this all really was a dream… but it wasn’t.

Jungkook’s skin was waxy and taught, and Hoseok couldn’t pull his eyes away from the rope wrapped around his crooked neck… Hoseok was thankful he couldn’t see the younger’s face, if thankful were even a conceivable word in any aspect here.

Hobi tried to cry out. He tried to scream and yell, anything to get someone’s attention, to wake one of the others up. His attempts were pathetic; whatever was filling his mouth was making communication near impossible, but he tried anyway. His muscles strained and flexed as they pulled against the restraints pinning him to the wall, but it was no use. He had never felt so useless in his entire life.

Tears had began to well in his eyes from sheer frustration, but just then, two of his friends laying on the floor began to stir.

When Yoongi started to wake up, the first thing that hit him was his pounding headache. He was never one for hangovers, so that was his first clue that something was wrong before he even opened his eyes. What further pulled him into consciousness was Jimin’s sudden screaming from across the room. Yoongi groggily began trying to sit up, hands flying to the heavy weighted, collar-like brace around his neck. Visions of the night before started to flood into his mind, but he soon realized there was a distinct cut off point where everything became blurry and he couldn’t remember anything after it. He vaguely remembered someone offering him LSD... He never thought he’d try hallucinogenic drugs but-

“Yoongi? Yoongi please tell me you’re awake, god please wake up.”

Yoongi didn’t even realize he was still half rolling around on the floor with his eyes closed until Namjoon’s voice cut into his own thoughts. Yoongi finally peeled his eyelids open, his eyes shooting right past Namjoon and to Jungkook’s body hanging in the center of the room.

“What the fu… did I fucking take the LSD last night? Is this real? Am I still fucked u- OW WHAT THE FUCK?”

Namjoon cut off Yoongi’s rambling with a sharp slap to the cheek.

“Fucking pull yourself together Min, take a look around you. This isn’t the time for your idiotic drug addict bullshit,” Namjoon hissed, getting back up walking more towards his own corner of the room. Yoongi was still trying to wrap his head around everything as he slowly stood upon shaky legs, taking a moment to take in his surroundings.

Jimin looked like he was in physical pain from how hard he was trying to hold back tears, having realized it was impossible for him to reach Taehyung with the metal collar chaining him to the corner of the room. Taehyung was strapped down to what looked like a table you’d see in a doctor’s office, only much dirtier and dingier than what would be in any sane modern day medical facility. Jin and Namjoon were both pacing, Joon occasionally trying to communicate with Hoseok, who Yoongi realized was bound to the wall opposite the side Tae was more towards. Yoongi couldn’t even begin to explain whatever apparatus was bound to Hoseok’s face, and he could feel his heart lurch at the sight of his friend in such a helpless position.

That was when reality really started to set in for Yoongi, because that was when his eyes once again made their way towards Jungkook. It was at that point that Yoongi doubled over, vomiting up the little contents that had been in his stomach all over the concrete floor besides him.

Taehyung didn’t know what was more terrifying: the huge blades hanging above him, or not being able to see enough of the room to fully get a feel for what was going on. There was a restraint similar to the ones on his wrists and ankles over his neck, and it was so tight it was almost a bit difficult to breathe and made turning his head impossible. He could just barely see the body hanging in the center of the room out of his peripheral vision, but from the mumbles and cries he could hear coming from his friends, he could tell he didn’t want to see it in the slightest. What was making his heart hurt the most was the sound of his boyfriend’s sobbing, which he recognized far too easily. He wanted to hold his lover and tell him everything was going to be okay, that they’d find a way out… even if he wasn’t too sure in those statements himself.

Taehyung hated feeling powerless, and everything about being strapped to that table made it probably the worst possible position he could have been put into.

“G-guys I…” Taehyung was surprised at first by the hoarseness of his voice, but then again, he really had no idea how long they’d been out for, so it probably shouldn’t have been such a shock. “Please… please can someone… can anyone please just t-tell me what’s going on?” His voice was shaking as he spoke. Being unable to see anything clearly other than the menacing blades hanging above him, he felt so out of the loop. He could hardly make out the jumbled conversations going on between the others, but thought hopefully they were in better positions than he, and maybe knew what was going on.

“They probably can’t, but I can.”

Everyone jumped slightly at the sudden voice, then immediately froze. It sounded as if it were coming over a shoddy speaker system, like you’d hear in a department store that probably had the money for better equipment but chose to not spend it.

“What’s going on you fucking cock sucker, what did you do to Jungkook?” Yoongi spat, looking as if he were ready to lunge at the anonymous voice addressing them. The others all visibly winced at the mention of the elephant in the room; of course Yoongi was the most ballsy and would demand an explanation right away while all the others were still having difficulties facing reality. Seokjin rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, be a dick to the one who’s probably behind all this. Min Yoongi, everybody,” he grumbled, shooting a glare towards Yoongi’s corner of the room. They all knew Yoongi was the most stubborn of the group, but this really wasn’t the time for him to be showing it.

“Oh don’t worry, I have plenty of answers for you,” the voice chuckled. “Actually, I also have a set rules, and this is going to be a fun little game for us all.”

Okay, now he had their attention. Jin, Namjoon, Yoongi, and Jimin all nervously looked between one another, a thick tension suddenly filling the room.

“Last night at your stupid little frat party, a student at your university I am currently mentoring assisted me by slipping you all Ketamine at some point after your arrival. Honestly you all made this a bit too easy for me; I told him I was looking for a group of 6-8 people with already relatively close relationships, and he knew you seven would be the perfect participants.”

It was sickening how obvious it was that this man was amused by all of this just from his tone of voice. If their heads weren’t already spinning from the situation as a whole, they most certainly were now. Just the thought that someone who had been at the party with them last night, one of their peers, maybe even a friend was working with the horrible man doing this… all of their stomachs were churning.

“Now, I take a lot of pride in my games, and they usually require a lot of elaborate setup. I guess my student misjudged your one friend’s weight and didn’t give him a high enough dose and well uh…” he paused and sighed, almost as if fiending disappointment. “He woke up much too soon, right in the middle of my preparation. Brat put up a hell of a fight, I’ll give him that, but I couldn’t have him ruining my game so early on. It’s bad enough I had to suddenly make last minute adjustments to account for one less player, so I decided to just take care of him right then and there. I figured he’d make a nice little reminder for you that I make the rules here.”

Player. God the way the used the word ‘player’ was enough to send another bought of fear coursing through their veins. Namjoon squeezed his eyes shut, having to squat down and put his head in his hands. The thought of Jungkook fighting to protect his friends was too much, and Joon didn’t even want to listen to whatever else this monster had to say.

“But anyways, let’s get right into the fun stuff,” he continued, voice perking up a bit like he was excited for what was to come. “The first game you’ll play involves your friend on the wall.” Their eyes drifted over to Hoseok, who looked like he was visibly starting to panic. “All of my traps and games will result in either life, or death, with no negotiation.”

Before he could even go on, they all began looking between one another again and shifting uncomfortably-- especially Hoseok and Taehyung in the most helpless positions. They couldn’t even convince themselves at this point this was all a joke; Jungkook’s body was serving exactly the purpose it was intended to.

“However, through cooperation and teamwork, you can all possibly get out of here alive… just don’t let the stress get to you too quickly. Our first few games are timed, so try to stay level headed, alright boys?” He spoke as if he really had pure intentions of helping them all escape with the advice, and his false kindness made them all feel even more sick.

“Once I am done speaking, a timer will begin counting down 30 minutes. My invention currently attached to your friend’s head is spring loaded and secured to both his upper and lower jaws from inside his mouth. After 30 minutes is up, if you four on the chains have not succeeded in disarming the device, his mouth will be permanently ripped open. Think of it like a... reverse bear trap.”

Hoseok made a strangled sobbing noise. Yoongi, Jimin, Namjoon and Seokjin felt like their stomachs were tied in knots.

“To disarm it, you will need to use the items I’ve left for you on the table underneath your friend in the middle of the room.” Their eyes shot to the table under Jungkook which they hadn’t even noticed until mentioned. “You should see a scale and two knives. The scale is connected to the timer counting down for the reverse bear trap to go off. Fill the scale with a combined pound of your own flesh, cut off your bodies with the knives, and the device unlocks.”

Yoongi hunched over like he was going to start throwing up again.

“Don’t even bother trying to approach him, or your friend strapped to the table yet. I assure you there is no other way to free them from their confinements, so I suggest you don’t waste your time.” Again, his ‘advice’ did nothing but anger and upset them all more.

“Once the device is either disarmed or goes off,” he paused, and they could practically hear him smiling at the thought of his invention being put to use. “Your collars will unlock and you will be allowed to roam freely. Another 30 minute timer will begin however, this one for your friend on the table. I like to call his ‘The Pendulum’.”

He sounded so proud of his clever little name for his trap, and the shift of focus to Taehyung made Jimin’s stomach lurch.

“The blades above him will begin slowly swinging and lowering. If you don’t free him soon enough, well… they won’t stop until they’ve hit the the table.” He was interrupted momentarily by Jimin trying to hold back a cry, but he went on speaking anyway.

“The key to unlock his restraints is inside of your friend with the peachy hair.”

Yoongi, Jimin and Seokjin’s eyes all flew to Namjoon, who immediately went pale.

“I guess he could try purging it back up, but it’s honestly probably been too long since I lodged it down his throat. It’s most likely at least to his small intestine by now.”

Now it was Namjoon’s turn to double over, feeling as if he was going to be sick. They all already knew where this was going.

“You’re allowed to use the knives already on the table if needed, but do whatever you wish to retrieve the key.” He paused and chuckled again. They all felt like they were going to explode if they heard that chuckle one more time.

“Once your friend under The Pendulum is either freed or killed, there will be a break before any more timed traps. I will speak to you again then.”

There was another interruption in his speech, as if he were pausing for dramatic effect. He let the reality of the situation weigh heavily on all of them briefly, but they would never be near ready to process the severity of any of this ‘game’.

“Alright boys, I would say let the games begin but uh...” the ominous voice chuckled darkly, and the five pairs of eyes which could immediately went to their young friend’s body still dangling right in front of them like some sort of fucked up carnival prize.

“It appears they already have.”

There was a loud clicking noise coming from near Hobi; the timer had begun.

Something inside of Yoongi shifted. He didn’t think twice before going over to the table in the center of the room and picking up one of the knives.

“Do you guys think this is going to be easier if we do it for each other? Or on our own?” His heart was racing as he looked towards the other three who were supposed to be helping, but they were all standing there, unmoving.

“Y-yoongi you’re seriously gonna-” Jimin began, but Yoongi was quick to cut him off.

“Stop wasting time and get over here! Do you fucking see Jungkook?! Does it look like we have a choice?!” Yoongi tried to keep his voice steady and harsh, but he failed and it cracked. All the panic he was feeling was showing no matter how hard he tried to suppress it, hands shaking as he held the knife. Yoongi couldn’t even look towards Hoseok, he just wanted to focus on freeing him. He knew that if he looked over and saw the fear in his best friend’s eyes, his heart would break and he wouldn’t be able to concentrate.

“He’s right we… fuck we have to,” Jin choked out, some common sense starting to come over him. He went up to the table near Yoongi, and Namjoon did the same. Jimin stayed back, almost as if he were paralyzed in his corner of the room.

“I-I remember some major arteries I learned in anatomy… The best way to do this is probably to focus near our shoulders and the backs of our thighs…” Yoongi was racking his brain for more information, suddenly really regretting sleeping through half of his required science course sophomore year. “They’re fleshy but don’t have huge arteries…. I think….” He added the second part in a whisper. “We should stay away from our calves and biceps… too much bleeding…” His voice got even quieter, clenching the blade tightly in his hand.

“Do… do you want one of us to-” Namjoon hesitantly reached out for one of the knives, but was interrupted by Jimin finally joining them at the table.

“Stop it! You aren’t seriously going to… to do that to him are you?!” Jimin faltered, but Namjoon grabbed the knife and ignored Jimin’s words.

“Yoongi, take your pants off and we’ll focus on a shoulder first, that way we can use the pants as tourniquets maybe? Cut them up into strips?” Jin was trying to think rationally like Yoongi, but Jimin was clearly growing too anxious and he began crying again. He was far too overwhelmed to come to terms with everything going on. Yoongi nodded at Jin’s words and began undoing his pants with shaky hands, Namjoon and Jin waiting to cut up the material. Jimin watched in horror as the three began cutting up the clothing with the knives, in disbelief over what they were about to do.

“Are you gonna fucking help or not Park? Hoseok doesn’t have much time,” Yoongi’s voice cracked again. Jimin blinked a few times, clearly having the most trouble out of the four trying accepting reality. After a moment, he slowly began helping ripping up strips of fabric.

“Joon, w-will you… fuck I don’t think I could do it to myself but we… we have to…” Yoongi ran his hand nervously over one of his own shoulders trying to mentally process… how the fuck does one willingly go about cutting off a piece of their own flesh? Namjoon’s eyes widened a bit, nervously glancing over to Jin.

“Namjoon if you can’t… maybe I could…” Jin let out a heavy breath, running a hand hastily through his hair.

“Fuck please just someone do it,” Yoongi’s voice broke again as he held out his shoulder. “W-we have to start or… or we won’t… we won’t finish…” he choked out, not even wanting to consider the possibility of Hoseok’s potential outcome. Namjoon wordlessly passed the knife over to Jin, not sure he could be the first one to go.

Jin gripped the knife firmly, using his free hand to steady Yoongi’s arm. Yoongi looked away from his shoulder; he could usually handle pain pretty well, but he knew this was going to be on a whole new level, and he didn’t want to see a second of it. He didn’t need the mental image of one of his best friends slicing off a piece of his own arm burned into his mind for the rest of his life. Namjoon offered his hand to Yoongi, and he took it and squeezed it, hard.

“Jimin, tie off the top of his shoulder with a piece of his pants. We can use the rest of the fabric as a bandage after I… um…” Jin let his words hang in the air, nodding towards the pile of fabric they had cut from Yoongi’s jeans. Jimin’s breath hitched in his throat and he hesitated, but did as he was instructed.

Minutes had passed, too many minutes. They were all spending too much time thinking, and not enough time doing.

“A-alright Yoongi are you rea-”

“Seokjin please just fucking do it,” Yoongi’s voice was strained from how hard he was clenching his jaw in preparation for the pain to come. Jimin tightened the knot of the makeshift tourniquet one last time before giving a subtle nod to Jin.

As he first began to press the blade of the knife into the pale skin of his friend’s shoulder, it was much more difficult to cut than Jin anticipated it would be. He told himself it had to be some sort of mental blockage; there was no way it was any harder to cut through human flesh than it would be to cut any other sort of meat, right? He took a deep breath, shaken from his thoughts by the pained hiss Yoongi let out.

“Fuck fuck fuck please just get it over with fuck please,” Yoongi choked out. Namjoon winced quietly from how hard Yoongi was grasping his hand, but of course he wasn’t going to complain.

“I’m going I’m going,” Jin replied shakily, continuing to make the cut, but this time applying a bit more pressure.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Jimin stammered, peeling his eyes away from the rush of blood dripping down Yoongi’s arm. Yoongi knew exactly what Jimin meant, he could feel it: the oozing blood making it’s way down over his forearm to his fingertips, dripping onto the floor.

Eventually Jin did it, throwing the piece he’d cut off onto the scale as fast as he could-- he didn’t think he could stomach to hold it for much longer than he had to. Namjoon immediately released Yoongi’s hand, grabbing more of the ripped up pants to quickly fashion a bandage for his friend.

“Fuck that hurt just as much as you’d fucking think it would holy shit holy fuck,” Yoongi groaned, stumbling slightly from the severity of the pain. Jin had to try and hold him up as Joon worked on stopping as much of the bleeding as he could. Jimin had to force himself to tear his eyes away from the gaping hole he had just watched his friend gouge into his other friend’s own flesh, instead glancing at the number on the scale.

It was more than he expected, but it wasn’t enough.

Time was ticking away and they all silently knew it, wishing they had a way of knowing exactly how much was actually left.

Once Joon felt he had wrapped Yoongi’s arm up as best he could, Yoongi took a step back and shook out his arm as if it were a much less severe injury. He looked over at the scale hopefully, mouth immediately hanging open.

“That’s it?! Jesus christ it felt like you cut my whole goddamn arm off!!” He cried, throwing his unharmed arm up in frustration. Jin frowned and ran his hand through his hair, shaking his head in disappointment.

“Yoongi I did what I could it’s…” he paused and licked his dry lips nervously. “It’s a lot harder than you probably think.”

Yoongi grumbled something to himself, pacing back and forth and few steps.

“Well? Who’s going next?” He asked bluntly, eyes jumping between the other three. They all glanced around nervously at each other before looking down at the ground, realizing none of them were prepared to volunteer to go next. Yoongi gaped at them, eyes narrowing slightly.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” He scoffed, picking up one of the knives and glaring at them. “I swear to god if one of you doesn’t offer yourselves I’m just gonna-”

“Yoongi stop, this is exactly what he wants,” Namjoon held his hands up in defense. “He wants us to get mad, turn on each other. But we need to stay as calm as we can and focus on-”

“Your focus should fucking be on saving your friend’s life Namjoon,” Yoongi spat, eyes filling with rage fueling from his frustration.

“Yoongi, he’s probably right,” Jimin barely whispered, keeping his eyes low and away from Yoongi’s fury filled ones.

“Oh, so now you have something to say Jimin? I don’t see you jumping up to help get Hoseok out of that-”

“Guys please stop,” Jin cut Yoongi off, but it was no use. The stress of the situation was finally getting to a breaking point, snapping something inside of Yoongi. Before Seokjin could say anything else, Yoongi, Namjoon, and Jimin were all bickering around him, and Jin ended up getting in on it too. Insults and harsh words were flying about, getting so lost in the argument even more time slipped away from them.

At some point Yoongi’s eyes flicked over towards Hoseok, who looked void of any and all emotion from his position on the wall. He looked as if he had  accepted his fate.

“Guys… guys!” Yoongi raised his voice, finally putting an end to the fighting.

“If one of you doesn’t just volunteer just… just fucking start on my leg or something… we’re running out of time!” His voice sounded strangled, so unbelievably desperate to get his best friend out of that… thing. There was a moment of silence, only filled with Yoongi’s heavy breathing from how worked up he was.

Yoongi and Hoseok’s friendship went back even before university. They grew up in the same hometown and attended the same high school, both sort of outcasts in their own ways who naturally gravitated towards one another. It wasn’t surprising to anyone that they’d decide to go to the same college as well, like two peas in a pod, never straying too far from one another.

Bile rose in Yoongi’s throat at the thought of getting out of that place, and not being able to take Hoseok with them.

“You’re right Yoongi,” Jin mumbled, rubbing a hand over his face. “Here, why don’t you guys do my leg instead. I guess the back of the thigh like Yoongi said would-”

There was another audible click from near Hoseok.

It’s a part of human nature to turn your attention towards any loud or unanticipated sound, and that’s exactly what all four of them did out of pure instinct. In return, they all got to witness the reverse bear trap in its full glory.

What they saw was nothing they would have ever willingly watched.

The amount of blood that flew towards them was part of what startled them the most, splattering so far it was almost impressive in a sickening way.

And the sound… oh god the sound… the crack... It was nothing compared to the sound of a regular bone breaking, there was more… more ripping.

Jimin immediately screamed and began sobbing, burying his face in his hands to shield his eyes from the horrific sight before them. Yoongi fell to his knees, every ounce of willpower in his body to keep going completely drained away in a matter of seconds. Namjoon and Seokjin stared at one another, trying to do anything but listen to the sounds still coming from Hoseok, a heart wrenching realization washing over them all that this death was not quick, or painless.

Their time to react to Hoseok was brief, shaken from their short -lived grief with another click, this time from Tae’s side of the room.

The blades began swinging.

Taehyung had stayed quiet through the whole ordeal of attempting to free Hoseok. By what he was able to hear he could only imagine everything that was going on, and there were silent tears streaming down his cheeks. He squeezed his eyes shut when the blades above him started moving, hope of being saved diminishing by the second-- if they couldn’t handle what they needed to do for Hobi… Taehyung had to admit to himself that he wasn’t sure they’d be able to do it for him either.

Part of him tried so very hard to hold onto the tiniest little bit of hope that Jimin would make all the difference.

It was then that the collars around their necks suddenly unlocked, just as they’d been told they would, and Jin, Namjoon, and Jimin all took them off and threw them as far as they could into their respective corners. Yoongi’s brows furrowed, hands reaching up and fiddling with the thick metal.

“What the… mine… mine isn’t coming off.” His voice sounded pathetically weak from the emotions caught in his throat as he tried to push Hobi out of his mind. Despite how badly he wanted to give up, he knew this was no time to quit… he still had four other friends and his own life to help save.

“Hey what the fuck?!” Namjoon yelled, looking around the room for whatever source their kidnapper had previously addressed them from. “You said that after that thing went off-” Yoongi stood up and waved his hands as if to shush Namjoon, though his face was still slightly twisted in confusion as his fingers tried to work around the metal constricting his neck.

“Just don’t fucking worry about this stupid thing right now I can still help… We can’t let time get away from us this time.” Yoongi swallowed around the lump in his throat as his eyes accidentally found their way to Hoseok’s now almost completely limp body, tearing them away to shift his focus to Taehyung.

The moment Jimin was out of the collar and able to walk around, he was by Taehyung’s side. Jimin started sobbing again and buried his face in Taehyung’s chest, which caused Tae’s heart to shatter into a million pieces.

“Baby, please,” Tae’s voice was strained, wanting nothing more than to be able to caress Jimin’s cheek in that moment. “Please, if you stay over here by me how will you even be able to help get me out?” There was a sad attempt at playfulness to his tone, an attempt which miserably failed.

Jimin sniffled a few times before standing up, backing away from Taehyung and going against every fiber of his being telling him not to leave his side. Jimin realized the blades were most certainly descending, and it wasn’t even safe for him to stay so close. He leaned in to press a quick yet passionate kiss to his lover’s lips before walking back over to the other three. They were mumbling to each other huddled near Yoongi, since obviously he couldn’t move around as much as the others.

All of the emotions, fear, worry, and tension that had once filled the room so thickly they made it difficult to breathe were now gone. Everyone’s brains were so fried from overstimulation and exhaustion that it would take too much energy to do anything other than focus on doing what needed to be done.

“S-sorry I-I was just-” Jimin began sputtering but Seokjin cut him off.

“Don’t worry Jimin it’s fine,” he spoke flatly, staring at Yoongi with a look Jimin couldn’t quite read. Namjoon was pacing back and forth next to them, one hand running over his face and the other tightly wound into his own hair. Jimin frowned, a feeling of uneasiness settling in his stomach; clearly the other three had been discussing their next move extensively in the short time he went over by his boyfriend.

“Jimin we um… we’re gonna need your help more this time,” Seokjin licked his lips, trying to think of the right words.

“We… we uh…” Yoongi coughed, not ready to say out loud what had already been decided. “Namjoon said he wants me to try and cut the key out of him.”

Jimin’s eyes cartoonishly widened. There were so many words being left unsaid between the group… so many realities no one wanted to even begin to accept.

“N-Namjoon are… are you sure?” Jimin didn’t even know why he bothered asking something so obvious. He knew his older friend well enough to know this was most definitely a decision he felt sure of, and Jimin could tell by the way Namjoon was anxiously pacing.

Namjoon knew that there were very few ways this could end for him, and if saving one of his friends was one of the results, he wanted it to end that way. His heart felt heavy with the knowledge he hadn’t done enough to save Hoseok… that none of them even had the chance to do anything for Jungkook… he wasn’t going to let Taehyung fall victim to the same fate.

“Come on, we’re wasting time,” Namjoon breathed, going towards the table they had only deserted moments before. He accidentally looked at Jungkook’s face while he approached, wincing audibly. The other three solemnly followed him, each still having trouble themselves ignoring their young friend’s body hanging right before them.

Seokjin explained to Jimin that it was going to be the two of them to hold Namjoon down, and Yoongi was going to do all the dirty work.

“He’s probably going to try to flail a lot… it’s going to be hard,” Jin stated, looking into Jimin’s eyes for any sign of hesitation. Jimin was visibly scared, but Jin wasn’t sure if it was over what they were about to take part in, or knowing how the potential result of the following event was going to either save or kill his boyfriend.

The group of four settled on the floor, Namjoon lying shirtless between Seokjin and Jimin, and Yoongi kneeling to one side of Namjoon’s torso. Jin had both of his arms wrapped securely around Joon’s legs, and Jimin had his arms under Joon’s shoulders to hold his arms tightly above his head. Yoongi clutched the knife firmly, not even knowing where to begin.

“Yoongi, you’re wasting time,” Namjoon’s voice sounded heart breakingly defeated. A small part of him was still trying to convince himself that the quicker they did this, the quicker they’d get Taehyung out, the quicker they’d be told what to do next in order to escape, and maybe if it all happened fast enough they’d be able to get him to an emergency facility before he bled out.

A larger part of him knew that was very unlikely.

It was Namjoon’s words that shifted Yoongi into gear. He had already lost two friends today, and if they didn’t do this to Namjoon, that would undeniably make four.

Yoongi knew that by doing this they could get Tae out, and saving one life was better than losing two.

Yoongi did everything almost robotically, mind numb at that point to everything going on. Jimin couldn’t look, just holding Namjoon’s arms as tightly as he could and not focusing on the pained sounds coming from his friend. Unfortunately in such a position Jimin was vulnerable to Namjoon’s clawing and grabbing hands, which were obviously instinctively trying to stop what was happening to him. Jin actually watched, death grip on Namjoon’s legs unfaltering.

Yoongi thought maybe if he focused his vision solely on what was directly in front of him, he could try and convince himself he was working on a farm or some shit and gutting an animal. Within moments of beginning the task couldn’t even kid himself.

Who in their right mind would do something like this to an animal without putting a bullet through it’s skull first? Even slaughterers treated their meat more humanely than the way Yoongi’s trembling hands were digging through Namjoon’s insides.

In hindsight, Namjoon wondered why he hadn’t asked them to just kill him first.

Yoongi’s only reaction to finding the key was the parting of his lips, and Jin looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to make the cut necessary to fully remove it.

It dawned on Yoongi, sitting on the cold cement floor with his hands literally inside of his friend’s body, that the final cut would be the most fatal one. If he took the key out of Namjoon’s body, any and all hope of saving his life even if they got out quick enough would be gone. Yoongi hadn’t opened any of his internal organs yet, but he could feel the hardness of the key as his fingers pressed against the walls of Namjoon’s intestines.

He needed to cut open his intestinal wall to remove the key.

A stifled sob came from Jimin. Seokjin ripped his eyes away from Namjoon’s insides to see what had caused the sound from Jimin, realizing the younger had been watching the blades which were slowly lowering towards his boyfriend this whole time.

And they were getting close.

“Done.” Yoongi’s hands were trembling as he held up the key, the small piece of once tinted gold metal now coated in a thick layer of blood. Jimin abruptly let go of Namjoon’s arms, snatching the key from Yoongi’s fingers and running over to Taehyung’s side.

Jimin’s hands were shaking almost as bad as Yoongi’s as he fumbled with the key in the locks of Taehyung’s restraints, the slippery blood making the task all the more difficult. The moment every restraint was removed Taehyung rolled off the table, the blades mere inches from his body by that point; if he had sat up just the slightest bit they would have gone right into him.

Jimin and Taehyung collapsed onto the floor in each other’s arms. Tae didn’t think he’d ever held his lover so tightly than he did in that moment, Jimin’s smaller body wracking with sobs.

Seokjin and Yoongi stayed silent, the tiniest of waves of relief coming over them knowing nothing for the moment was time sensitive.

Freed from his confinements, Taehyung stood up (after giving Jimin a moment to collect himself) and was finally able to see everything he had missed from his position on the table which had obscured his view.

He felt like he was going to faint as his eyes jumped around the room, thankful Jimin was by his side to catch him as he stumbled. He saw their centerpiece first: Jungkook’s body. Taehyung had been able to see it from the beginning, barely out of his peripheral vision, but fully coming face to face with it now was like nothing he could have ever began to prepare himself for. His eyes then made their way just past his youngest friend to Hoseok.

The horrifying sight before him of his friend’s mutilated face was almost enough to make him wish he were still strapped to the table.

It was when he finally looked over to where Yoongi and Seokjin were still kneeling on the floor that Taehyung felt sobs bubbling up in his throat.

The image of Namjoon lying on the floor, unmoving, abdomen crudely ripped apart, surrounded by a pool of his own blood, was one which would haunt Taehyung’s dreams for the rest of his waking days... but more so from the knowledge that Namjoon had put himself in that position willingly to save Taehyung’s own life.

Taehyung’s head was spinning, and Jimin had to hold an arm firmly around his boyfriend’s waist to keep him upright. Tae had so many questions, yet he already had answers for many of them. He had been conscious the whole time on the table, he heard everything that had gone on perfectly clear… he just didn’t want to admit any of it was really happening.

Three of his closest friends in the whole world were dead, and there was absolutely nothing he could have done to help save them.

The anguish of such a realization was like a knife directly through his heart, and actually caused him physical pain (which was probably more so from the fact that his body was currently going into full blown panic mode). His hand reached up and clutched at his chest as he glanced towards Yoongi and Seokjin on the floor near Namjoon. He usually looked to his older friends for guidance, but he had never seen them look so weak and defeated in his entire life. It was mortifying.

Yoongi stared into the space in front of him, completely detached from the world around them. He clenched his hands into fists then flexed them all the way out, repeating the action several times. The thick coating of Namjoon’s blood on his skin was starting to dry, and he was mindful of the way it made his fingers stick together. He felt dirty, and it wasn’t from the copious amounts of blood stained all over his body.

There was so much mourning to be done between the four, so many emotions they would never be able to properly handle or release, but the solemn mood was cut far too short. There was a sound coming from the further side of the room where Hoseok’s body was still mounted on the wall. One of the industrial metal doors, both of which had almost been entirely forgotten about until that moment, made a sort of whirring noise like lock mechanisms were being opened.

The group of four looked at each other curiously. They knew their kidnapper said they would receive further instruction after a short break, so no one was sure if approaching the door was a good idea.

A heavy silence hung over them for minutes and no one moved, almost as if all the mental and physical exhaustion had paralyzed them.

“Should… should we open it?” Jimin’s voice was barely above a whisper, even more strained than it had been before from the sobbing that had overcome him when he finally got to Taehyung. Seokjin stood up.

“He’s gotta say something if we go in there… right?” He proposed, nodding for the couple to follow him since Yoongi was still bound to his corner of the room. The room seemed even more eerily quiet than it had ever been as the sound of Jin’s boots scuffing against the concrete echoed around them. Taehyung gave Jimin’s hand a reassuring squeeze before pulling him along to follow Jin.

The door was uncomfortably close to Hoseok’s body, and it took all of their willpower to not look at it. Jin grabbed onto the wide handle of the door, thankful once he realized that opening it would block their view of Hobi’s body. He lugged the door open, and four hearts immediately dropped at the sound of a timer somewhere in the room starting, a sound they were sad they recognized and had heard too many times already.

“What the fuck!” Yoongi suddenly screamed and three pairs of eyes looked over to him, stomachs tying into knots over the new site they were faced with.

In Yoongi’s corner of the room, where the chain his collar was attached to connected to the wall, two horrifyingly large blades had projected from the corners of the walls parallel to the floor. Yoongi was now standing, realizing his chain was shortening and he was being pulled towards the blades which were perfectly level with his neck.

He was being dragged in to be beheaded.

Before anyone else could say anything over Yoongi’s distraughtness, a bone-chilling voice filled the room again.

“Ah, I see you triggered the next timer! Did you enjoy your break?” His voice was sickeningly sweet, but not enough of a facade to begin mildly fooling any of them. Yoongi was moving at a sluggish pace, but it didn’t matter to the other three, they had already all too painfully learned that time really was of the essence.

Jin and Jimin were staring at Yoongi with gaping mouths, but Tae was getting impatient waiting for further instruction. He wanted to know how to get Yoongi out, and he wanted to know now.

Taehyung let go of Jimin’s hand and stuck his head into the room through the door which Jin had just opened, but was immediately confused by what he was faced with. The room was small and simply contained a folding table with some sort of tank on it. It was about the size of a 20 gallon fish tank, filled almost halfway with what looked like razor blades. Only razor blades… what looked like probably hundreds of razor blades… and also filled to the very brim with liquid.

“Your friend will continue to move at this pace, and I’m actually not sure how long it will take for his head to be removed.” Seokjin and Jimin snapped out of their trance and joined Taehyung, trying to hear whatever their kidnapper was attempting to explain to them over Yoongi’s confused cries for help.

“His collar can only be removed with a key, a key which lays at the bottom of that fish tank. But if you-”

Taehyung didn’t wait for any further instruction, stepping forward and going to plunge his hand directly in. He could handle a bloody hand if it meant saving Yoongi. He needed to do something, he needed to be of some sort of help, still feeling powerless from not being able to do anything previously.

Seokjin stopped him, grabbing Tae’s arm and roughly yanking him back.

“Let him finish talking you idiot!” Jin scolded, and the voice just laughed.

“Ah, so eager, but your friend is right,” he explained, chuckling darkly. “The liquid filling the tank along with those razors is my own personal concoction, but what you mainly need to be worried about is the high concentration of cyanide. Anyone here take chemistry?”

They could hear it in his voice, that smirk again. He was being smug, he knew exactly what he was doing, and he was loving every second of it.

It was all part of his game.

“You need to maneuver around those razor blades carefully. Even the slightest nick will allow my wonderful mixture access to your bloodstream, and keep an open wound submerged too long and well…” He paused for another chuckle. That fucking chuckle.

“Cyanide suffocates from the inside out, starving your blood cells of oxygen. Let those oxygen lacking cells become too numerous and get to your brain? Cardiac arrest and a coma are sure to ensue, usually within moments. A  beautifully painful way to go from when I’ve witnessed it occur.”

Taehyung already felt like he was suffocating, choking on a lump stuck in his throat. If Seokjin hadn’t stopped him…

“So I suggest taking your time retrieving that key!” His voice was almost sing-song-like. He stayed quiet for a second, long enough for Yoongi’s loud mouth cursing up a rage filled storm in the other room to ring through their ears once more.

“But not too much time.”

There was no time to think strategy, not with the unknown element of how long they really had to save Yoongi. For a split second Seokjin considered how eager Taehyung had been to stick his hands in the tank at first, but now knowing what was at stake, Jin knew his younger friend would not be fit for the task. Tae was impatient, and would undoubtedly try to go too fast and cut himself up on the razors.

“I’m doing it,” Jin stated, stepping up to the tank and dipping his hand in. It wasn’t a question; Seokjin felt that out of the three of them he’d perform the best at this sort of thing, and a subconscious part of him also knew he shouldn’t ask the couple to separate themselves so soon after being reunited.

“Seokjin wait please! I wanted to-” Jin wouldn’t give Tae time to speak, plus he already had his hand in the liquid almost elbow deep.

“This isn’t up for debate, please just be quiet and let me focus,” Jin mumbled. His fingertips began delicately pushing at some of the more superficial blades, testing to see how easy or difficult this was going to be.

Difficult. He determined very quickly it was going to be difficult.

“Jin, please be careful,” Jimin whispered, one hand anxiously clutching onto the fabric of Taehyung’s t-shirt. He was fully aware of how stupidly pointless it was for him to say, but the silence hanging over them as Jin attempted to focus was deafening. Even Yoongi had gone quiet, having heard all of their kidnapper’s instructions and being able to partially see what was going on past Tae and Jimin’s bodies blocking his view of Seokjin through the doorway of the small room.

Now it was Yoongi’s turn to feel helpless. For a control freak like him, being in a position where his fate solely lied in the hands on others was mind numbingly difficult to process. He was also a realist however, and gave up his frantic yelling the moment he began to realize he had no choice in the situation at hand.

All he could do was wait, choosing to keep his back to the blades he knew were gradually inching closer to his neck.

After the first full minute, Tae couldn’t handle it. He stepped forward away from Jimin and went up to Jin’s side.

“Seokjin please, maybe I can help. Just let me try and-”

“Taehyung shut up!” Jin snapped, not nearly intending on sounding as harsh as he did, but he was really feeling the pressure and didn’t need a presence so close to his side making things more stressful. Jimin reached out and pulled Tae back towards him closer to the doorway, snaking his arms around his boyfriend’s waist to keep him in place. Taehyung’s body immediately felt compelled to relax into Jimin, so used to usually just being able to melt their bodies together into one, but there wasn’t a single cell inside of him at the moment with the ability to relax even if he wanted to.

Jin hadn’t ever concentrated so hard on a single task in his entire life. It seemed there was no way to do it correctly, his fingers fearful of accidentally applying too much pressure or making a wrong move.

“Guys… how’s it looking?” Yoongi’s voice was a surprise to all, but Jin didn’t shift his focus away from his hand inside of the tank. Jimin and Taehyung looked back at their older friend, and Jimin’s eyes widened when he realized how close Yoongi was getting to the blades.

They both turned back around towards Jin. Yoongi was moving faster than they previously thought, and was getting too close for comfort.

The couple didn’t say anything, realizing Yoongi probably hadn’t been facing the wall on purpose. They didn’t want to give away on their faces or in their voices the hopelessness that had come over them when they turned to look at him, but Jimin’s eyes widening the slightest was enough. All the answers Yoongi needed were embedded in the silence from their lack of response.

Yoongi’s knees began shaking slightly, and he was actually kind glad the two had turned back around. He was the type of guy who still needed to hold onto some sort of pride in any situation, even if it was the most miniscule amount. He would have felt humiliated if they had seen the look of defeat that had washed over his face.

It was the look of someone so weak and beaten down, they were ready to accept their doomed fate.

Taehyung’s mind was racing, facing an internal dilemma. Should he tell Jin how little time their friend had left? Or would that just pressure him too much more? Before he could even answer his own questions, Jimin spoke up.

“Jin… Jin h-he’s close,” Jimin whispered so quietly he wasn’t even sure Seokjin would be able to hear his words. Jin’s movements stilled, thoughts reeling as he took in a deep, long breath.

Neither Taehyung nor Jimin expected what their older friend did next.

Seokjin plunged his second hand into the tank, both hands immediately diving into the mass of razors.

“Jin what are you doing!” Jimin cried, both he and his boyfriend stumbling forward to try and pull Jin away. It was too late, Jin’s face contorted and he hissed in pain, sealing his own fate as his hands worked their way deeper into the tank.

“Back up,” he hissed, fighting against the two grabbing at his arms and forcefully digging his hands further and further down.

“Jin please,” Jimin choked on a sob, but Tae already knew Jin had made his decision. The determination on his older friend’s face as he searched through the pile of blades for the key that would free Yoongi… Jin knew exactly what he was doing. Taehyung willed himself to step away and give Jin room, gripping Jimin’s arm and taking him back with him.

“Give him the space he wants,” Tae’s voice was strained and Jimin’s eyes scanned over his boyfriend’s face in shock. He couldn’t believe Taehyung was expecting them to just stand there and let Seokjin do this to himself, but Jimin could tell Tae wasn’t happy about the decision either. Tae looked like he was clenching his jaw so tightly it must have hurt, and his expressionless face had turned to stone. Jimin reached a hand up to cup Taehyung’s jaw, pressing his own face into the crook of his lover’s neck so he didn’t have to look at Seokjin.

Another full two minutes had gone by, one since Jin began searching more aggressively. It felt like both of his hands were on fire from the burning sensation of the chemicals rushing into his self-inflicted wounds, and he knew there was absolutely no going back now.

30 more seconds. It seemed like the razors were indefinite. No matter how hastily he grabbed handfuls of them, feeling the way the unforgiving slivers of metal dug into his palms, every time he moved them to the side more would just fall back down into the small ditch he was making.

30 more seconds. Jin couldn’t even see his hands. Maybe it was because his vision was starting to go blurry. Their kidnapper was right, it had only taken minutes from the first small cut for him to begin feeling the effects of the toxins entering his system.

45 more seconds. Jin could hear the couple nervously mumbling to each other, Jimin sounding more and more distraught, like sobs were catching in his throat with every breath he took. Jin was starting to lose feeling in his hands, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

He forced his hands the rest of the way, the remaining blades scraping into his skin hardly even eliciting any sensation. Through bleary vision he almost missed the reflective shine of the key, but thankfully noticed it and directed his hands towards the more desirable piece of metal. His weak fingers struggled and grasped it clumsily, but with great effort he was able to retrieve it and toss it out of the tank in Taehyung and Jimin’s general direction before collapsing onto the floor.

The effects of the poison were hitting him hard. He felt like all of his limbs were aflame but numb at the same time, and it felt like his face and chest were being crushed by a thousand tons. His whole body was trembling as it went into shock, and he began writhing. Taehyung and Jimin just watched momentarily, horrified. Jin’s hands were completely mutilated and oozing blood all over the floor surrounding him.

“Fucking get him out,” Jin was barely able to choke out, feebly nodding towards the key on the ground near Jimin’s foot.

The couple was frozen from the trauma of their eldest friend’s state for only a second, Tae scrambling to grab the key and yanking Jimin out of the room. He didn’t want to look at Jin any longer anyway. They had to hurry, they had to save Yoongi, they didn’t have any time to-

Jimin was screaming before Tae’s brain could even begin to process what they returned to the room to see.

This couldn’t have been happening, there was no way the universe could be this unfair to them. Jin had just given up his own life trying to save Yoongi’s… how could there have not been enough time?

Jimin broke down, falling to his knees and covering his face with his hands as his entire body shook with sobs. Taehyung couldn’t pull his eyes away from Yoongi’s head, which was now separated from the rest of his body. It didn’t even look real, save for the appallingly large pool of blood surrounding the portion of Yoongi’s body pulled into the corner.

“He didn’t even say anything, he didn’t even call for us…” Tae was speaking more to himself, not eve sure Jimin could hear him over his crying. Taehyung was stunned. It had to have been slow, it had to have been painful... They’d seen the rate the chain had been drawing Yoongi into the corner…

Taehyung laughed. His laugh was usually melodious, warming like a cup of hot tea on a cold winter’s day. But now it was a laugh void of any and all emotion, simply a cover up, a pained expression of the thought that had popped into his head.

Taehyung knew his older friend too well. Of course Yoongi would go quietly. Even at times like this his ego was far too large to want his friends to see him in such a weakened state… even in his last few moments.

Tae dropped the now useless key, the small piece of metal clinking against the floor too softly to be heard over his boyfriend’s sobbing. Taehyung somberly walked over to Jimin, crouching down and wrapping his arms around the smaller boy.

What more could he do? If you had asked the couple two days ago, they would have both eagerly told you they were all the other needed in the whole universe.

But now they only had each other, and they both felt nothing but emptiness.

Jimin had stopped crying within minutes. Every part of him just felt so unbelievably deadened, he was all cried out. He let Taehyung pull him in closer, their limbs tangling together on the cold cement floor, Jimin half on top of Tae’s lap, just holding one another.

Everything inside of Taehyung was building, bubbling up like a Coke bottle filled with mentos then tightly sealed off. He could feel it in his face and throat; that embarrassingly weak feeling when you know you’re about to cry but still try to hold it all in anyway. He sniffled, burying his face in Jimin’s neck.

Taehyung hated feeling weak.

He was supposed to be the strong one. He was supposed to be Jimin’s rock. He was supposed to hold their world together when it felt like everything was crumbling down around them.

But what did it even mean to stay strong at that point?

Jimin had gone through this with Taehyung before, moments where Tae was clearly trying too hard to put up a front that he was invincible. Jimin obviously didn’t expect such resilience from his boyfriend; Jimin knew what it meant to be human and to be vulnerable. He knew sometimes he had to coax it out of Tae, had to convince him it was okay to show those emotions he was so desperately trying to subdue. It was okay to be weak in front of him, and that’s what Jimin was there for.

Jimin reached a hand up and tangled his fingers gently in the hair at the base of Taehyung’s neck, massaging the soft skin lightly. He didn’t really need to say anything, as there was nothing to even be said at that point.

What Jimin felt when he felt the first sob jolt its way though Tae’s body, could possibly be described as relief.

“I’m here Tae, you still have me Tae, you’re always going to have me Tae,” Jimin mumbled the words into his boyfriend’s temple, using his entire being to hold Taehyung together as he fell apart beneath him.

A small part of Jimin was afraid he was making a promise he couldn’t keep, and it showed in the way his voice cracked while he spoke.

After everything they had just been put through, Jimin wished that that moment would last forever. He didn’t want to know what would come next, he didn’t want to get up just to be forced back into the reality of the room filled with death. If Jimin could spend the rest of his life on the floor with Tae, tightly holding onto each other like they’d shatter into a million pieces if they let go, he would.

A clicking noise came from across the room. The second door had finally opened.

“Tae… Taehyung,” Jimin cupped his lover’s cheek in his hand and guided his tear stained face from the crook of his neck. “T-the other door just opened.” Jimin’s voice was barely a whisper, he didn’t want to get optimistic in the slightest. He didn’t even want to consider the possibility that the door could lead to their freedom, as there was no room left for hope here. Tae sniffled a few more times, wiping his cheeks and eyes with the palms of his hands. Jimin lovingly used his thumbs to wipe away the few stray tears he missed.

“A-are you ready?” Taehyung asked the question even though he knew neither of them ever would be. They were both leaving the same thoughts unspoken.

Who was to say what would lie beyond that door? And who was to say either of them would survive whatever they might have to face…

Jimin nodded, standing up once Taehyung laced their fingers together. They both took a moment to absorb everything around them, saying silent goodbyes to their friends. With heavy hearts, they approached the newly unlocked door, hand in hand.

Taehyung was the one to open the door, but they were both a bit surprised by what they were faced with.

Could they be considered surprised at that point? What had they even been expecting? The outside? No, that would be too simple compared to every elaborate detail put into this whole ordeal. Their kidnapper himself? No, he was probably too cowardly to actually partake in any of his own dirty work, which was why he remained anonymous behind hidden cameras and speaker systems.

But they were in fact surprised, because when Taehyung gingerly pulled open the heavy metal door, the first thing they noticed was that this new room was filled with natural light.

It certainly wasn’t much, but it was enough to make their hearts swell at their first glimpse of the outside world in who knew how long. The room was about the same size as the room they were already in, but this one had small rectangular windows lining the tops of the walls close to the ceiling, allowing for a tiny amount of sunshine to seep in. The positions of the windows hinted to them they were underground, maybe in a basement, but also gave them a teasing sense they were inching closer to escaping.

Tears welled in Tae’s eyes at the realness of the sunlight. What time was it? What day was it? How long had they been in that horrible, horrible room?

Jimin tightly squeezed Taehyung’s hand, pulling him from the swarm of questions swirling through his mind. Tae turned to the side to look at his boyfriend, heart dropping at the terrifyingly pale look of Jimin’s face. Tae had been so overcome by emotion just from the sunlight that he hadn’t even looked at the rest of the room. He followed Jimin’s gaze, eyes landing on the table before them.

It was the same kind of table that was under Jungkook’s body in the main room, the one which had the scale and the knives intended for them to butcher one another with. It was the same kind of table that was in the other side room, the one which had the tank filled with poison Jin had fallen victim to. But this table only had two, simple items on it.

A handgun, and a single bullet.

There was also another door across the room, but it wasn’t a prison-like industrial one as all the previous had been. No, this was a plain wooden door, one like you’d find in any average house or apartment... a door which reminded them too much of home.

But then their focus was back on the table, the gun, and the singular bullet. Waves of nausea came over them at what it could possibly mean, but they didn’t need to consider it for themselves much longer, because before they knew it an all too familiar voice was addressing them once again.

“Congratulations, your freedom lies right beyond that last door.” He sounded almost disappointed in a way, like he didn’t want the game to come to an end. “I’ve been watching you two, and I had a feeling you wouldn’t leave each other’s sides.”

The death grip they had on each other’s hands only tightened, and Taehyung pursed his lips. Tears were brimming and threatening to spill onto his cheeks once again.

“I regret to inform you that I will only be unlocking the final door when that bullet puts an end to one more life.”

Taehyung was shaking, ears refusing to hear the words being spoken to him.

“Please,” he choked out, not even sure if he could be heard by their kidnapper. “Please don’t make us do this, haven’t we been through enough?” If the man could hear Taehyung’s strangled pleas, he chose to ignore them and kept talking.

“The death may not be committed by suicide. I am watching.” There was a lightness to his tone that was completely unnatural, the levels of fucked up someone had to be to say those things incomprehensible. “There will be no time limit. A shot through the skull will be the least painful, in case you had any doubts.”

The silence that followed his instructions was ear splitting. The couple stood motionless, hands still locked together like vices, staring at the gun in front of them.

There weren’t words in the dictionary to describe the emptiness inside of them, the heaviness of the grief weighing them down, how broken and defeated they felt... They had been through so much together, and not just in the last 12 hours. Jimin and Taehyung were soulmates, and they had known that from the moment they fell in love.

But suddenly they were star-crossed lovers, doomed to go on with life without the other by their side.

“Kill me, Taehyung.”

Jimin’s voice was so quiet, Taehyung almost missed what he said. Once Tae was able to register the statement he wasn’t sure what hurt more, the words themself or the ease with which Jimin spoke them.

Another bout of silence came over the room, thick and uncomfortable and begging to be broken. Everything Taehyung could possibly say in that moment refused to come out, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly.

“Taehyung, you have to kill me.” Jimin repeated himself, unsure if Tae heard him the first time. Taehyung did, he just refused to acknowledge any sort of reality for the time being.

“Jimin I absolutely cannot do that there is no way-”

“You have to. Taehyung you have to and you will.”

Taehyung had never heard Jimin speak so firmly and confidently, even through the defeat laced in his tone. Tae felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest at Jimin’s decision as to how this was going to go.

“Listen to me Tae,” Jimin’s voice was still somewhat shaky but he chose to ignore it, stepping in front of his lover to take hold of both of his hands in his own slightly smaller ones. “You should know by now that I can not live without you. In fact, I probably wouldn’t still be alive if you hadn’t come into my life two years ago.” Tears were welling in Tae’s eyes and he just continually shook his head, refusing to come to terms with their situation. Yet at the same time, he knew Jimin was right. When the couple met two years ago Jimin was at a very low point in his life, and it was partially in the way Taehyung helped him through such a rough patch that they fell in love.

“You are stronger than me. You have always been stronger than me,” Jimin went on, reaching a hand up to catch the tears that were falling from Tae’s eyes with his fingers. “If you are the one to leave this place, life will go on for you. And I know you don’t want to admit that right now, especially… especially without the others,” Jimin’s voice cracked at the first actual out loud acknowledgment of the other’s deaths. “But it will. You are truly the most resilient person I’ve ever met, and you’ll keep going. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it’s going to be, but you’re Kim Taehyung and I know you’re going to find a way.” Now it was Jimin’s turn to let a few tears fall from his eyes.

“You have to be the one to live Tae, and you have to do it for me.”

Taehyung felt like he was falling, like the whole world was crumbling around him, yet he still found solace in his lover’s eyes. The way Jimin held his face, the way Jimin gently wiped away his tears, the way Jimin still somehow managed to have a smile on his face… His entire life was falling apart, but Jimin still managed to find a way to keep Taehyung grounded.

Yes, Jimin was smiling. He couldn’t help it. Even at such a dire time Jimin was so unbelievably fond of Taehyung, his heart so overwhelmingly filled with love for him… how could he not try to enjoy their last few moments together?

“Jimin, you’re asking me to shoot you,” Taehyung felt like he was suffocating, unable to process the words he had just said.

“I’m asking you to save yourself Taehyung. And I’m not even asking you to, I’m telling you to.” Jimin sniffled, turning his head to the side to wipe his eyes on the back of his hand.

Taehyung fell apart, giving in to every single emotion that he’d been trying so hard to suppress up until that moment. He pulled Jimin into his chest so tightly he practically smothered him, but Jimin didn’t mind in the slightest. He needed to feel Taehyung’s warmth one last time, he needed to feel his lover’s body pressed against his own.

In that moment, they were one. They weren’t two lovers in each other’s arms, saying goodbyes they never thought they would have to. They were a single entity, two halves of a whole unit unable to function without the other, but when they let go they wouldn’t be pieced back together ever again.

Jimin was the one to pull away from the embrace, craving to look into Taehyung’s eyes. He stared, taking in every last detail of his lover’s face; from his red, puffy eyes, to his tear-stained cheeks… the only thing he wished was that he could see his favorite boxy smile one last time. Nonetheless, Taehyung had never looked so beautiful to Jimin, and Jimin hoped he could hold onto the memory of his beauty into the afterlife.

Jimin leaned up for a kiss, pressing their lips together with such passion everything almost felt right. It was a kiss so deep and filled with love, for a split second he almost forgot where he was or the circumstances of their position. Taehyung reached up to cup a hand behind Jimin’s neck and draw him impossibly closer, trying to ignore the heartache that came over him as his brain reminded him this would be the last time he’d feel Jimin’s soft, plump lips moving against his own. Jimin broke the kiss, going against every part of him telling him to not to do just that.

“It’s time, Tae,” Jimin whispered, moving his hand up to comb his fingers through Taehyung’s tangled hair one last time, like he had done so many times before. The gesture was so familiar and warming, Taehyung knew Jimin had full intentions of doing it in the most comforting and affectionate way possible… but every ‘last’ hurt more and more.

Taehyung sniffed and shook his head, but he knew Jimin’s choice had already been made, and there was no other way this was going to end. Of course he would fall in love with the most selfless person on the face of the planet.

“We have to Taehyung, you have to get out of here. Please don’t stay a second longer than you have to. Just do it, and as soon as that door unlocks get out of here, you have to leave. You have to leave and you have to run and you have to promise me you’re not going to look back, not for a second.” Jimin used every ounce of strength left in him to keep his voice as steady as possible, keeping his eye contact with Taehyung firm. “Promise me that, Tae.”

It was truly impossibly for Taehyung to feel any more pain than he already was, so he just nodded his head.

“Okay Jimin, I promise.” The words felt like acid, foreign and wrong, buring Tae’s throat as he spoke them. He never thought he would have to say this type of goodbye to the love of his life.

Jimin gave Taehyung’s hand a squeeze, turning around and taking a few steps towards the table. Tae followed without letting go of Jimin’s hand. There was still an uncomfortable tension hanging between them, growing even heavier as they stood before the table in the center of the room.

“Do you… do you uh… know how…” Jimin couldn’t find the right words. Nothing was right in this situation, nor would anything be ever again.

Tae actually recognized the handgun, all of a sudden wishing he was blissfully ignorant and knew nothing about firearms. It was a Glock 27, the pumpkin spice latte of all guns, basic in every sense of the word.

And the bullet. The fact that there was only one bullet… Taehyung didn’t want to think that there was a chance he’d need more than one, praying Jimin wouldn’t suffer.

“Yeah,” Taehyung mumbled, trembling hands reaching out for the gun and bullet. He felt compelled to share the story that popped into his head, but this wasn’t the time for an anecdote about how his father taught him all about gun safety on a camping trip when he was 16. Taehyung released the magazine and slid in the bullet, hating the way his hands so easily remembered how to work the parts of a gun under such circumstances. He locked the magazine back in place, looking towards Jimin with tear filled eyes.

Taehyung felt the urge to kiss Jimin again; he wanted to do nothing more than pull his boyfriend in for a kiss and never let it end, but at the same time he knew they had already had their last kiss. Anything more would just make the pain intensify.

Jimin cautiously laced his fingers in between Taehyung’s once more, giving Tae a final opportunity to feel the way they fit together like two puzzle pieces. They molded together so well Taehyung knew he would never find someone whose hands fit into his own as perfectly as Jimin’s did, and his heart ached at the thought.

“I love you, Taehyung.”

“I love you too, Jimin…” Taehyung felt another sob bubbling up in his throat. “And I’m going to love you forever.”

Jimin almost audibly winced from Taehyung’s words, and he let go of his boyfriend’s hand. He knew that if he didn’t do so Taehyung would let them stand there forever, and Jimin knew he had to be the one to speed up this process or Taehyung would never get out of this torturous place.

Jimin walked over towards the door leading back to the room where all their friends bodies remained. For some reason he felt the need to be closer to them, his legs guiding him there on their own.

It hurt Tae to watch Jimin walk away. It hurt Tae even more to hold back all of the words he felt catching in his throat, but he knew he shouldn’t say anything else. He shouldn’t make it any harder to do what was about to be done.

Jimin kneeled down on the floor in the doorway, resting a hand on the cool metal of the frame. His eyes glanced around the room, fully desensitized to the disfigured bodies surrounding him.

’At least I’ll have you guys.’

He kept the thought to himself.

Jimin could hear Taehyung’s footsteps as he approached him from behind, able to tell from how loud and heavy they sounded that Tae was struggling to come closer.

For Taehyung, the click that rang through the room when he pulled back the slide of the handgun was almost like a shot through the heart in itself. Jimin sucked his bottom lip in between his teeth at the sound, fully knowing that bracing himself would be useless.

Taehyung rose the gun as he drew nearer, arm feeling as if it were being weighed down with bags of bricks. He stopped when he was about a foot away from Jimin, pressing the muzzle of the gun against the back of his head.

He wanted to say one last ‘I love you’, he wanted to apologize, and he had to clamp his free hand over his mouth as he almost let out a sob. He knew it would be worse for Jimin if he gave some sort of indication it was about to happen.

So Taehyung just pulled the trigger.

The sound of the gunshot alone was so ear splitting it hurt, but it was the silence that resonated afterwards that hurt Taehyung the most. Then Jimin’s body fell forward onto the concrete before him, and the sound it made as it hit the floor almost made Taehyung vomit.

He would never forget that sound, or sight.

Taehyung dropped the gun, unable to stop himself from staring at the gaping wound in the back of Jimin’s head. The bullet seemed to have went clean through from such close range, and in the most fucked up way possible Taehyung felt a slight sense of relief.

Jimin’s body was completely motionless, and Taehyung hoped it had happened quick enough that he didn’t feel any pain.

Taehyung was reminded that he had a promise to keep when he heard a click from across the room behind him. The final door had unlocked. He forced himself to look away from Jimin and darted across the room, dodging around the table, then swinging open the wooden door.

He was faced with a set stairs leading up, confirming his suspicion they had been in some basement this whole time. More importantly he was outside, holy shit he was outside. He sprinted up the steps, taking them two at a time, heart racing as he frantically looked around.

Trees. Nothing but trees. He was in the woods.

Taehyung started running. He ran until his legs arched and his lungs burned, but even then he didn’t stop running.