supernatual/suju is back again
Title: Hell's Bells
Author: hotfruits
Rating: R (violence)
Word Count: 3446
Characters: Kyuhyun, Sungmin, Zhou Mi, Henry, Father Siwon. some!Kyumin.
Disclaimer: Do not own Super Junior.
Summary: Supernatural!AU. Henry becomes possessed by a demon, and the boys must find him before the demon damages Henry's body. The clock is ticking.
Beta'd by littlemelonblue~ thank you hun!
A part of this verse. You don't need to read the first part to understand this, but it could be helpful in explaining some things.
Written for my darling snow_cafe/violin_sonata. Happy 15th Birthday, I hope you can read this all the way from Heaven. ♥
Pulling up towards the run-down bar, Kyuhyun killed the engine of Sungmin’s car and put it into park. Slowly, the group piled out of the car, sluggishly making their way towards the bar’s entrance; they had just finished a job, and Kyuhyun’s migraine was absolutely killing him.
Opening the door for everyone else, Kyuhyun entered the bar last and quickly made his way towards the front, plopping down on a stool. Sungmin joined him in the seat next to his, and together they ordered a round of shots, downing the whiskey eagerly.
Zhou Mi walked over to the pool table, leaning against the wall as he watched the other men play, making idle chat with the pretty bar waitress who twirled her hair, her shorts too short and her low-cut top revealing her breasts.
Henry scratched his head, wondering what to do; he was too young to drink (here, at least, Kyuhyun had no problem getting him drunk in their hotel homes) and he wasn’t too interested in watching Zhou Mi pick up random bar sluts. Stretching his arms over his head, Henry sighed and decided to use the restroom, before figuring out how to pass the time.
***
Hours later and Kyuhyun was drunk, his migraine gone and the ache in his back dispersing. Leaning onto his elbow, Kyuhyun looked over at Sungmin and grinned, watching the pretty boy throw back another shot; Sungmin really was kind of perfect, and Kyuhyun knew the older male was beyond infatuated with him. He was too, with Sungmin, but it was hard to show those feelings when he was sober. It was easier to hold Sungmin close when he was drunk, to brush back those blonde bangs and stare into his dark eyes before closing the distance between them.
“Kyuhyun, stop staring at me,” Sungmin slurred, waving a hand in Kyuhyun’s direction and interrupting the other’s train of thought. “We should, get out of here,” Sungmin’s breathing was heavy, and his eyes were unfocused, blinking every so often.
Kyuhyun chuckled, and stumbled to his feet, bringing Sungmin with him. Slipping an around the other’s waist, he pulled Sungmin close and nuzzled his neck, breathing in the familiar scent of hotel soap and dirt. “Kyuhyun,” Sungmin weakly pushed at his chest, and Kyuhyun tightened his hold on Sungmin in response, “Not here, come on, let’s get Mimi and Henry and go.”
“Mmkay,” Kyuhyun nodded, and reluctantly pulled away from Sungmin. Looking around the bar, Kyuhyun caught Zhou Mi’s eye and gestured that it was time to go. After exchanging numbers with the waitress, Zhou Mi joined them and took the car keys out of Kyuhyun’s pocket.
“Alright, we got Mimi, where’s Henry?” Sungmin asked, his tone bordering on concern as he looked around; Henry was only a year and some odd months younger than Kyuhyun, but he was still the baby of the group, and Sungmin treated him as such. To him, Henry’s safety and well-being came first, and so when a few minutes passed without the boy turning up, Sungmin began to nervously chew on his lip, looking up at Kyuhyun with worried eyes.
“He’s probably in the bathroom,” Zhou Mi piped up, and Kyuhyun nodded, giving Sungmin’s shoulder a squeeze as they walked towards the room. When they opened the door though it was completely empty, except for Henry’s cell phone, which lay broken by the sinks.
Sungmin dashed over and picked it up, his shoulders shaking as he stared at it. “Oh my god, oh my god,” Sungmin began to hyperventilate, looking over his shoulder at Zhou Mi and Kyuhyun. “We need to find Henry, we-”
“Min, breathe,” Kyuhyun crouched down beside Sungmin and gathered the male into his arms, “Don’t worry, it’ll be okay-”
“Guys,” Zhou Mi interrupted the pair, looking at the windowsill in fear. “There’s…sulfur, here.”
“What does that mean?” Kyuhyun asked, although judging by the look on Zhou Mi’s face and the way Sungmin began to sob, he already knew the answer before it even left Zhou Mi’s lips.
“I think a demon took Henry.”
***
Sungmin had cried himself to sleep on the ride back to the hotel, so after Zhou Mi and Kyuhyun got him into bed, they stepped outside, discussing how to handle the situation.
“I don’t know anything about demons,” Kyuhyun admitted as he grabbed a cigarette from Zhou Mi’s outstretched fingers, waiting for the other to light it before breathing in. Exhaling slowly, the smoke filtered out of his mouth and into the cold air, disappearing into the night.
“I know only from experience,” Zhou Mi lit up, his hands shaking as he tucked his lighter back into his pocket, “And I know that the sooner we find Henry, the better chance we have of exorcising this demon and saving him. The longer we wait, the more damage his body will receive and he,” Zhou Mi stopped, choking on his words as he looked away.
Kyuhyun nodded; he knew all about Zhou Mi’s encounter with the demon who had possessed him, and that while demons wouldn’t blink an eye at physical, mortal pain, the host body could still feel it. If the demon who took Henry got shot, stabbed, fell from a building, anything, Henry’s body would take that pain and store it for later, until after they exorcised that demon son-of-a-bitch from his body. Then, all those injuries would come rushing back, and like Zhou Mi, Henry could almost die from it all.
Almost, because Kyuhyun knew they were going to save Henry.
They just had to.
“I know a priest, in Seoul,” Zhou Mi closed his eyes, exhaling, “The one who helped with my exorcism, I’ll give him a call and see if he can come out here. It’s only been a few hours, the demon couldn’t have gotten too far.”
Zhou Mi fished his phone out of his pocket and began scrolling through his contacts. Kyuhyun sighed and dropped his cigarette to the ground, stomping it out before heading back into the hotel room.
“Kyu?” Sungmin’s teary-eyed head popped out from beyond the blankets, and his voice was hoarse from crying.
“Hey Min,” Kyuhyun walked over and joined Sungmin on the bed, wrapping his arms around the other when Sungmin crawled towards him. Usually he wasn’t very good at comforting people, but he knew Sungmin really needed him right now. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered, rubbing Sungmin’s back, “Zhou Mi is calling a priest from Seoul right now, and he’ll come, and we’ll find Henry and it’ll be okay,” Kyuhyun rested his cheek against the top of Sungmin’s head, “I promise.”
Sungmin chuckled sadly, “Kyuhyun, you should know by now I never believe your promises.”
Kyuhyun flinched, his words dying on his lips as Sungmin began to cry again, his hands fisting his shirt.
***
Zhou Mi leaned against the side of the hotel, his phone pressed to his ear as it rang. When he heard a click, he sighed in relief, greeting Father Siwon on the other line.
“Zhou Mi, it’s been awhile, how are you?”
“I’m fine Father, but I’ve got a situation here. A friend of ours has been taken by a demon, and I’m sure the demon has possessed him by now. Are you able to come out here, we’re in Janggok?”
“That’s not too far, yeah. I’ll head out now, it should only take me a couple of hours to get there. Do you know where your friend is?”
Zhou Mi ran a hand through his hair, cursing softly to himself; he forgot that they had no idea where Henry was at the moment, and while Janggok wasn’t as big as Seoul, it still would take them awhile to find the boy.
“Here, give me the name of your hotel and I’ll wait there until you find your friend.”
After telling Father Siwon where they were, Zhou Mi hung up the phone and entered the hotel room. His heart sank at the sight of Sungmin crying, looking so helplessly afraid as he clung to Kyuhyun.
“Guys, the priest will be here in a couple of hours,” Zhou Mi interrupted them, “We got to go find Henry.”
Sungmin untangled himself from Kyuhyun’s arms and got up, wiping at his bloodshot eyes. Kyuhyun joined him, throwing on his jacket as he stretched for a moment.
“I have more experience with demons, so I’ll search for Henry by myself,” Zhou Mi said as they left the room, Sungmin leaving the door unlocked for Father Siwon, “You two stick together. I’ll check out the bars and stuff, you guys keep an eye out for any abandoned buildings or graveyards. If you find him, knock him out, tie him up and call me before bringing him back here, that way I can call Father Siwon and he’ll be prepared.”
“Is there anything else we need to know?” Sungmin asked in a small voice, and Zhou Mi shook his head, insisting that the two take the car.
Helping Sungmin into the front seat, Kyuhyun dashed over to the driver’s side and slid in, giving Zhou Mi a wave as he pulled away.
“Do you really think we’ll find him?” Sungmin asked after a moment of silence, looking out the window as his body sagged against the seat.
“I do, Min, I do,” Kyuhyun reached over and patted Sungmin’s knee, “I know you don’t believe me, and I can’t blame you, but please trust me when I say we’ll find him.”
Sungmin nodded, “I will, thank you Kyuhyun.”
The next few hours were spent driving around, searching mostly abandoned warehouses and a few graveyards. It wasn’t until their eleventh stop that they finally found a clue.
“Look, sulfur,” Kyuhyun pointed towards the entrance of the building, seeing the powdery substance under the light of his lighter. Quietly, the two entered the building, Kyuhyun killing the light on his lighter and Sungmin switching off his flashlight.
Almost immediately they could hear cackling, and Sungmin paused, tensing up; despite how evil and malicious it sounded, that laugh was definitely coming from Henry’s mouth. Taking a deep breath, Sungmin nodded towards Kyuhyun and they continued to make their way into the building, carefully hiding behind walls as they crept along.
When Henry finally came into view, Sungmin clamped a hand over his mouth, muffling his shocked cry. The boy stood in the middle of the room, a golden-colored cup in his hands and two dead bodies slumped on the floor, their throats slit.
“Kyuhyun,” Sungmin whispered, watching in confusion as Henry began to talk to the cup in English, “What do we do?”
“We got to knock him out,” Kyuhyun responded, brows pulled together, “One of us will have to distract him, so the other can sneak up on him and- Min!” Kyuhyun quietly shouted as the other began to walk away, but it was too late; Henry had already seen him.
“Oh, hello there,” the demon greeted Sungmin casually, “You’re a friend of the boy’s, right? Sungmin, is it? Henry is begging me not to hurt you right now,” the demon laughed, setting his golden-cup down on the floor.
Sungmin could see that is was filled with blood, and he took a deep breath, looking the demon in the eye. “Give me back my friend,” he said, his voice perfectly controlled.
“Hmmm,” the demon tapped a finger to his chin, and then shook his head, “No, I kind of like this body. He’s young, attractive, has a muscled built. Much better than the last human I used.”
“Please,” Sungmin stepped forward, his hands on the knives in his pockets; he would never draw them, of course, but maybe if the demon thought it was in danger, it’ll give Henry back.
“Oh please, those silly little blades won’t hurt me,” the demon grinned, reaching a hand into its pocket and bringing out a switchblade. He flipped it open, and then brought it to Henry’s arm, cutting deeply into his skin.
“No!” Sungmin rushed forward and tackled the demon, sending them both crashing onto the floor. “Don’t hurt him,” Sungmin grabbed the knife from the demon and flung it across the room, stupidly taking his eyes off the demon for a moment.
When he turned back, he found himself pinned to the floor and a knife pressed to his throat.
“Idiot,” the demon shook his head at Sungmin, “Not only am I going to destroy your friend’s body, but I’ll kill you too, that way you die knowing you failed him.”
“Henry, please,” Sungmin cried, feeling a small amount of blood trickle from the wound the demon was beginning to cause, “Henry, I know you’re in there, please.”
“Sorry, Henry can’t come to the phone right now, but if you’d like to leave a-”
The demon flopped onto Sungmin, out cold and his hold on the knife loosened. Sungmin coughed and pushed the demon off of him, his hands instinctively reaching for his throat and assessing the damage there.
“You okay?” Kyuhyun asked, pulling a long strip of rope out of his backpack. Sungmin nodded, and together the two tied up the demon, Kyuhyun holding him as Sungmin called Zhou Mi.
“Thank god you found him. See you at the hotel in a bit,” the line ended, and Sungmin slipped his phone back into his pocket as they approached his car. Opening the back door, he helped Kyuhyun ease Henry’s body into the car before taking a seat next to it.
“Min-”
“Just drive,” Sungmin commanded, and Kyuhyun sighed, getting into the car and starting it. They made it back to the hotel just as the demon began to stir, and quickly they brought him into the hotel room.
“Hello,” the priest, Father Siwon, greeted them as soon as they walked in. “Please place your friend in the chair, and tie him up.”
They did as they were told, bounding the demon to the chair as he regained full consciousness. They didn’t even get a chance to ask what the markings were on the floor and on the ceiling as Father Siwon began to speak, reading from a small leather-bound book in his hand.
“Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, et secta diabolica.”
The demon began to squirm around, glaring angrily at Father Siwon as he shouted various obscenities. The priest continued to read though, his voice smooth as he recited the Latin incantation.
“Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei, contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili Nomini. Quem inferi tremunt.”
Sungmin clutched onto Kyuhyun as the demon began to thrash about now, his head whipping back and forth as he screamed.
“It’ll be okay,” Kyuhyun whispered into his ear, holding him close as the demon dug Henry’s nails into the wood chair, breaking a few in the process.
“Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos,” Father Siwon closed the book, and the group watched silently as the demon flung Henry’s head back, before a cloud of black smoke erupted from his mouth. It traveled into the air and disappeared into the walls, and once it was gone, Henry slumped forward, blood dripping from his mouth.
“Henry!” Sungmin cried and rushed over, quickly untying the boy and gathering him into his arms, carefully laying him down when Henry moaned in pain.
“Father, should we take him to the hospital?” Sungmin asked, sniffling as Henry shook, his breathing unsteady.
“I’m calling emergency right now,” the man told him, dialing the numbers into his phone. Just as he began to talk, Zhou Mi entered the room, shivering from the cold air outside.
“How is he?” he asked immediately, joining Sungmin on the floor and brushing Henry’s bangs back.
“I don’t know, Father Siwon is calling emergency though,” tears began to make there way down Sungmin’s cheeks as he hovered over Henry, gently holding the boy’s hand. “Hold on Henry, it’s going to be okay,” he sobbed, “Just hold on, okay?”
“Min,” Henry rasped out, his eyes still closed as he squeezed Sungmin’s hand.
“I’m right here Henry, I won’t leave you, I promise,” Sungmin’s voice shook as he spoke, his crying making it difficult to talk; it killed him to see Henry like this, bleeding and suffering in pain.
The next few moments seemed to last forever until the paramedics arrived, quickly securing Henry on a stretcher before wheeling him out of the room, Sungmin joining them in their van. As they sped off, Kyuhyun, Zhou Mi and Father Siwon got into the car, following the van to the hospital.
When they arrived, the group followed after the paramedics until the doctors took over, and a nurse ushered them into a waiting room. Sungmin quickly collapsed, breaking down again as Kyuhyun sat beside him, holding him as close as he could. Zhou Mi and Father Siwon sat a few seats away from the pair, quietly talking, their eyes darting over towards the room they had brought Henry in every few minutes.
Kyuhyun looked down at Sungmin, his heart aching at the other’s tear-stained cheeks and frightened sobs. He knew that this was extremely hard for Sungmin, and seeing Henry like that must have really shocked him, because up until now, Henry has never gotten seriously hurt; just minor scrapes and bruises, and even then, Sungmin fusses over him and protectively holds him closer, no doubt thanking whoever is out for Henry being alright.
There was a time when Henry had almost gotten stabbed, but Sungmin ended up taking the blow, pushing the boy out of the way at the last minute. He cared for Henry deeply, and would rather get hurt himself, than to ever see Henry in pain.
“Henry is a strong boy, Min,” Kyuhyun reminded Sungmin gently, kissing the top of his head, “He’ll get through this.”
“What if he doesn’t?” Sungmin asked, his tone hopeless, “Henry can’t die, he can’t. I can’t…I couldn’t live with myself if he died tonight.”
“He won’t,” Kyuhyun said, his voice a little more forceful, “Henry won’t die until he’s an old man, Min, the way it should be. He’s not going out like this, he’s not.”
***
An hour later and the doctor finally exited the room, a tired but happy smile on his face. The group stood up, eagerly waiting for the news.
“Your friend is alright,” the doctor said first, and a sigh of relief echoed amongst the group, “We stitched up the cut on his arm, and he had some fluid in his lungs, which we drained. His ribs are broken though, so we’ll need to keep him here for a few days under observation, but all in all, he’s going to be okay.”
“Thank you so much,” Sungmin bowed before the doctor, and the others joined him, profusely thanking him for the good news.
“No problem, and once we get Henry all cleaned up, we’ll wheel him to another room and then you’ll be able to visit with him,” the doctor said, before walking away.
It didn’t take long for the nurses to appear, along with a sleepy Henry on a stretcher. Wordlessly, the group followed them into Henry’s room, waiting until the nurses finished hooking him up to an IV and a heart monitor.
When the door closed, Sungmin stepped over to Henry’s bed and grabbed his hand, careful of the fingers that had been bandaged.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stay until he wakes up,” Father Siwon said, breaking the silence. “It is Sunday today, after all,” he smiled, clapping Zhou Mi on the back.
“Thank you so much Father,” Zhou Mi hugged the priest.
Sungmin nodded, “If you ever need anything, anything, please, don’t hesitate to call. We owe you so much for helping us save our Henry.”
Father Siwon brushed off the praise, but accepted Sungmin’s offer none-the-less, after getting his cell phone number from Zhou Mi. “Call me when Henry wakes up though,” he said as he began to leave, “I’d like to speak with him.”
“Of course, Father,” Kyuhyun said, and with that, the priest left the room.
“Well, this has been an intense,” Zhou Mi looked down at his watch, “Seven hours.”
“We’ve been through worse in less time,” Kyuhyun laughed, taking a seat in one of the chairs next to Henry’s bed. Sungmin sat down as well, and then Zhou Mi, and together the three waited for the youngest member of their family to wake up.
Author: hotfruits
Rating: R (violence)
Word Count: 3446
Characters: Kyuhyun, Sungmin, Zhou Mi, Henry, Father Siwon. some!Kyumin.
Disclaimer: Do not own Super Junior.
Summary: Supernatural!AU. Henry becomes possessed by a demon, and the boys must find him before the demon damages Henry's body. The clock is ticking.
Beta'd by littlemelonblue~ thank you hun!
A part of this verse. You don't need to read the first part to understand this, but it could be helpful in explaining some things.
Written for my darling snow_cafe/violin_sonata. Happy 15th Birthday, I hope you can read this all the way from Heaven. ♥
Pulling up towards the run-down bar, Kyuhyun killed the engine of Sungmin’s car and put it into park. Slowly, the group piled out of the car, sluggishly making their way towards the bar’s entrance; they had just finished a job, and Kyuhyun’s migraine was absolutely killing him.
Opening the door for everyone else, Kyuhyun entered the bar last and quickly made his way towards the front, plopping down on a stool. Sungmin joined him in the seat next to his, and together they ordered a round of shots, downing the whiskey eagerly.
Zhou Mi walked over to the pool table, leaning against the wall as he watched the other men play, making idle chat with the pretty bar waitress who twirled her hair, her shorts too short and her low-cut top revealing her breasts.
Henry scratched his head, wondering what to do; he was too young to drink (here, at least, Kyuhyun had no problem getting him drunk in their hotel homes) and he wasn’t too interested in watching Zhou Mi pick up random bar sluts. Stretching his arms over his head, Henry sighed and decided to use the restroom, before figuring out how to pass the time.
***
Hours later and Kyuhyun was drunk, his migraine gone and the ache in his back dispersing. Leaning onto his elbow, Kyuhyun looked over at Sungmin and grinned, watching the pretty boy throw back another shot; Sungmin really was kind of perfect, and Kyuhyun knew the older male was beyond infatuated with him. He was too, with Sungmin, but it was hard to show those feelings when he was sober. It was easier to hold Sungmin close when he was drunk, to brush back those blonde bangs and stare into his dark eyes before closing the distance between them.
“Kyuhyun, stop staring at me,” Sungmin slurred, waving a hand in Kyuhyun’s direction and interrupting the other’s train of thought. “We should, get out of here,” Sungmin’s breathing was heavy, and his eyes were unfocused, blinking every so often.
Kyuhyun chuckled, and stumbled to his feet, bringing Sungmin with him. Slipping an around the other’s waist, he pulled Sungmin close and nuzzled his neck, breathing in the familiar scent of hotel soap and dirt. “Kyuhyun,” Sungmin weakly pushed at his chest, and Kyuhyun tightened his hold on Sungmin in response, “Not here, come on, let’s get Mimi and Henry and go.”
“Mmkay,” Kyuhyun nodded, and reluctantly pulled away from Sungmin. Looking around the bar, Kyuhyun caught Zhou Mi’s eye and gestured that it was time to go. After exchanging numbers with the waitress, Zhou Mi joined them and took the car keys out of Kyuhyun’s pocket.
“Alright, we got Mimi, where’s Henry?” Sungmin asked, his tone bordering on concern as he looked around; Henry was only a year and some odd months younger than Kyuhyun, but he was still the baby of the group, and Sungmin treated him as such. To him, Henry’s safety and well-being came first, and so when a few minutes passed without the boy turning up, Sungmin began to nervously chew on his lip, looking up at Kyuhyun with worried eyes.
“He’s probably in the bathroom,” Zhou Mi piped up, and Kyuhyun nodded, giving Sungmin’s shoulder a squeeze as they walked towards the room. When they opened the door though it was completely empty, except for Henry’s cell phone, which lay broken by the sinks.
Sungmin dashed over and picked it up, his shoulders shaking as he stared at it. “Oh my god, oh my god,” Sungmin began to hyperventilate, looking over his shoulder at Zhou Mi and Kyuhyun. “We need to find Henry, we-”
“Min, breathe,” Kyuhyun crouched down beside Sungmin and gathered the male into his arms, “Don’t worry, it’ll be okay-”
“Guys,” Zhou Mi interrupted the pair, looking at the windowsill in fear. “There’s…sulfur, here.”
“What does that mean?” Kyuhyun asked, although judging by the look on Zhou Mi’s face and the way Sungmin began to sob, he already knew the answer before it even left Zhou Mi’s lips.
“I think a demon took Henry.”
***
Sungmin had cried himself to sleep on the ride back to the hotel, so after Zhou Mi and Kyuhyun got him into bed, they stepped outside, discussing how to handle the situation.
“I don’t know anything about demons,” Kyuhyun admitted as he grabbed a cigarette from Zhou Mi’s outstretched fingers, waiting for the other to light it before breathing in. Exhaling slowly, the smoke filtered out of his mouth and into the cold air, disappearing into the night.
“I know only from experience,” Zhou Mi lit up, his hands shaking as he tucked his lighter back into his pocket, “And I know that the sooner we find Henry, the better chance we have of exorcising this demon and saving him. The longer we wait, the more damage his body will receive and he,” Zhou Mi stopped, choking on his words as he looked away.
Kyuhyun nodded; he knew all about Zhou Mi’s encounter with the demon who had possessed him, and that while demons wouldn’t blink an eye at physical, mortal pain, the host body could still feel it. If the demon who took Henry got shot, stabbed, fell from a building, anything, Henry’s body would take that pain and store it for later, until after they exorcised that demon son-of-a-bitch from his body. Then, all those injuries would come rushing back, and like Zhou Mi, Henry could almost die from it all.
Almost, because Kyuhyun knew they were going to save Henry.
They just had to.
“I know a priest, in Seoul,” Zhou Mi closed his eyes, exhaling, “The one who helped with my exorcism, I’ll give him a call and see if he can come out here. It’s only been a few hours, the demon couldn’t have gotten too far.”
Zhou Mi fished his phone out of his pocket and began scrolling through his contacts. Kyuhyun sighed and dropped his cigarette to the ground, stomping it out before heading back into the hotel room.
“Kyu?” Sungmin’s teary-eyed head popped out from beyond the blankets, and his voice was hoarse from crying.
“Hey Min,” Kyuhyun walked over and joined Sungmin on the bed, wrapping his arms around the other when Sungmin crawled towards him. Usually he wasn’t very good at comforting people, but he knew Sungmin really needed him right now. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered, rubbing Sungmin’s back, “Zhou Mi is calling a priest from Seoul right now, and he’ll come, and we’ll find Henry and it’ll be okay,” Kyuhyun rested his cheek against the top of Sungmin’s head, “I promise.”
Sungmin chuckled sadly, “Kyuhyun, you should know by now I never believe your promises.”
Kyuhyun flinched, his words dying on his lips as Sungmin began to cry again, his hands fisting his shirt.
***
Zhou Mi leaned against the side of the hotel, his phone pressed to his ear as it rang. When he heard a click, he sighed in relief, greeting Father Siwon on the other line.
“Zhou Mi, it’s been awhile, how are you?”
“I’m fine Father, but I’ve got a situation here. A friend of ours has been taken by a demon, and I’m sure the demon has possessed him by now. Are you able to come out here, we’re in Janggok?”
“That’s not too far, yeah. I’ll head out now, it should only take me a couple of hours to get there. Do you know where your friend is?”
Zhou Mi ran a hand through his hair, cursing softly to himself; he forgot that they had no idea where Henry was at the moment, and while Janggok wasn’t as big as Seoul, it still would take them awhile to find the boy.
“Here, give me the name of your hotel and I’ll wait there until you find your friend.”
After telling Father Siwon where they were, Zhou Mi hung up the phone and entered the hotel room. His heart sank at the sight of Sungmin crying, looking so helplessly afraid as he clung to Kyuhyun.
“Guys, the priest will be here in a couple of hours,” Zhou Mi interrupted them, “We got to go find Henry.”
Sungmin untangled himself from Kyuhyun’s arms and got up, wiping at his bloodshot eyes. Kyuhyun joined him, throwing on his jacket as he stretched for a moment.
“I have more experience with demons, so I’ll search for Henry by myself,” Zhou Mi said as they left the room, Sungmin leaving the door unlocked for Father Siwon, “You two stick together. I’ll check out the bars and stuff, you guys keep an eye out for any abandoned buildings or graveyards. If you find him, knock him out, tie him up and call me before bringing him back here, that way I can call Father Siwon and he’ll be prepared.”
“Is there anything else we need to know?” Sungmin asked in a small voice, and Zhou Mi shook his head, insisting that the two take the car.
Helping Sungmin into the front seat, Kyuhyun dashed over to the driver’s side and slid in, giving Zhou Mi a wave as he pulled away.
“Do you really think we’ll find him?” Sungmin asked after a moment of silence, looking out the window as his body sagged against the seat.
“I do, Min, I do,” Kyuhyun reached over and patted Sungmin’s knee, “I know you don’t believe me, and I can’t blame you, but please trust me when I say we’ll find him.”
Sungmin nodded, “I will, thank you Kyuhyun.”
The next few hours were spent driving around, searching mostly abandoned warehouses and a few graveyards. It wasn’t until their eleventh stop that they finally found a clue.
“Look, sulfur,” Kyuhyun pointed towards the entrance of the building, seeing the powdery substance under the light of his lighter. Quietly, the two entered the building, Kyuhyun killing the light on his lighter and Sungmin switching off his flashlight.
Almost immediately they could hear cackling, and Sungmin paused, tensing up; despite how evil and malicious it sounded, that laugh was definitely coming from Henry’s mouth. Taking a deep breath, Sungmin nodded towards Kyuhyun and they continued to make their way into the building, carefully hiding behind walls as they crept along.
When Henry finally came into view, Sungmin clamped a hand over his mouth, muffling his shocked cry. The boy stood in the middle of the room, a golden-colored cup in his hands and two dead bodies slumped on the floor, their throats slit.
“Kyuhyun,” Sungmin whispered, watching in confusion as Henry began to talk to the cup in English, “What do we do?”
“We got to knock him out,” Kyuhyun responded, brows pulled together, “One of us will have to distract him, so the other can sneak up on him and- Min!” Kyuhyun quietly shouted as the other began to walk away, but it was too late; Henry had already seen him.
“Oh, hello there,” the demon greeted Sungmin casually, “You’re a friend of the boy’s, right? Sungmin, is it? Henry is begging me not to hurt you right now,” the demon laughed, setting his golden-cup down on the floor.
Sungmin could see that is was filled with blood, and he took a deep breath, looking the demon in the eye. “Give me back my friend,” he said, his voice perfectly controlled.
“Hmmm,” the demon tapped a finger to his chin, and then shook his head, “No, I kind of like this body. He’s young, attractive, has a muscled built. Much better than the last human I used.”
“Please,” Sungmin stepped forward, his hands on the knives in his pockets; he would never draw them, of course, but maybe if the demon thought it was in danger, it’ll give Henry back.
“Oh please, those silly little blades won’t hurt me,” the demon grinned, reaching a hand into its pocket and bringing out a switchblade. He flipped it open, and then brought it to Henry’s arm, cutting deeply into his skin.
“No!” Sungmin rushed forward and tackled the demon, sending them both crashing onto the floor. “Don’t hurt him,” Sungmin grabbed the knife from the demon and flung it across the room, stupidly taking his eyes off the demon for a moment.
When he turned back, he found himself pinned to the floor and a knife pressed to his throat.
“Idiot,” the demon shook his head at Sungmin, “Not only am I going to destroy your friend’s body, but I’ll kill you too, that way you die knowing you failed him.”
“Henry, please,” Sungmin cried, feeling a small amount of blood trickle from the wound the demon was beginning to cause, “Henry, I know you’re in there, please.”
“Sorry, Henry can’t come to the phone right now, but if you’d like to leave a-”
The demon flopped onto Sungmin, out cold and his hold on the knife loosened. Sungmin coughed and pushed the demon off of him, his hands instinctively reaching for his throat and assessing the damage there.
“You okay?” Kyuhyun asked, pulling a long strip of rope out of his backpack. Sungmin nodded, and together the two tied up the demon, Kyuhyun holding him as Sungmin called Zhou Mi.
“Thank god you found him. See you at the hotel in a bit,” the line ended, and Sungmin slipped his phone back into his pocket as they approached his car. Opening the back door, he helped Kyuhyun ease Henry’s body into the car before taking a seat next to it.
“Min-”
“Just drive,” Sungmin commanded, and Kyuhyun sighed, getting into the car and starting it. They made it back to the hotel just as the demon began to stir, and quickly they brought him into the hotel room.
“Hello,” the priest, Father Siwon, greeted them as soon as they walked in. “Please place your friend in the chair, and tie him up.”
They did as they were told, bounding the demon to the chair as he regained full consciousness. They didn’t even get a chance to ask what the markings were on the floor and on the ceiling as Father Siwon began to speak, reading from a small leather-bound book in his hand.
“Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, et secta diabolica.”
The demon began to squirm around, glaring angrily at Father Siwon as he shouted various obscenities. The priest continued to read though, his voice smooth as he recited the Latin incantation.
“Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei, contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili Nomini. Quem inferi tremunt.”
Sungmin clutched onto Kyuhyun as the demon began to thrash about now, his head whipping back and forth as he screamed.
“It’ll be okay,” Kyuhyun whispered into his ear, holding him close as the demon dug Henry’s nails into the wood chair, breaking a few in the process.
“Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos,” Father Siwon closed the book, and the group watched silently as the demon flung Henry’s head back, before a cloud of black smoke erupted from his mouth. It traveled into the air and disappeared into the walls, and once it was gone, Henry slumped forward, blood dripping from his mouth.
“Henry!” Sungmin cried and rushed over, quickly untying the boy and gathering him into his arms, carefully laying him down when Henry moaned in pain.
“Father, should we take him to the hospital?” Sungmin asked, sniffling as Henry shook, his breathing unsteady.
“I’m calling emergency right now,” the man told him, dialing the numbers into his phone. Just as he began to talk, Zhou Mi entered the room, shivering from the cold air outside.
“How is he?” he asked immediately, joining Sungmin on the floor and brushing Henry’s bangs back.
“I don’t know, Father Siwon is calling emergency though,” tears began to make there way down Sungmin’s cheeks as he hovered over Henry, gently holding the boy’s hand. “Hold on Henry, it’s going to be okay,” he sobbed, “Just hold on, okay?”
“Min,” Henry rasped out, his eyes still closed as he squeezed Sungmin’s hand.
“I’m right here Henry, I won’t leave you, I promise,” Sungmin’s voice shook as he spoke, his crying making it difficult to talk; it killed him to see Henry like this, bleeding and suffering in pain.
The next few moments seemed to last forever until the paramedics arrived, quickly securing Henry on a stretcher before wheeling him out of the room, Sungmin joining them in their van. As they sped off, Kyuhyun, Zhou Mi and Father Siwon got into the car, following the van to the hospital.
When they arrived, the group followed after the paramedics until the doctors took over, and a nurse ushered them into a waiting room. Sungmin quickly collapsed, breaking down again as Kyuhyun sat beside him, holding him as close as he could. Zhou Mi and Father Siwon sat a few seats away from the pair, quietly talking, their eyes darting over towards the room they had brought Henry in every few minutes.
Kyuhyun looked down at Sungmin, his heart aching at the other’s tear-stained cheeks and frightened sobs. He knew that this was extremely hard for Sungmin, and seeing Henry like that must have really shocked him, because up until now, Henry has never gotten seriously hurt; just minor scrapes and bruises, and even then, Sungmin fusses over him and protectively holds him closer, no doubt thanking whoever is out for Henry being alright.
There was a time when Henry had almost gotten stabbed, but Sungmin ended up taking the blow, pushing the boy out of the way at the last minute. He cared for Henry deeply, and would rather get hurt himself, than to ever see Henry in pain.
“Henry is a strong boy, Min,” Kyuhyun reminded Sungmin gently, kissing the top of his head, “He’ll get through this.”
“What if he doesn’t?” Sungmin asked, his tone hopeless, “Henry can’t die, he can’t. I can’t…I couldn’t live with myself if he died tonight.”
“He won’t,” Kyuhyun said, his voice a little more forceful, “Henry won’t die until he’s an old man, Min, the way it should be. He’s not going out like this, he’s not.”
***
An hour later and the doctor finally exited the room, a tired but happy smile on his face. The group stood up, eagerly waiting for the news.
“Your friend is alright,” the doctor said first, and a sigh of relief echoed amongst the group, “We stitched up the cut on his arm, and he had some fluid in his lungs, which we drained. His ribs are broken though, so we’ll need to keep him here for a few days under observation, but all in all, he’s going to be okay.”
“Thank you so much,” Sungmin bowed before the doctor, and the others joined him, profusely thanking him for the good news.
“No problem, and once we get Henry all cleaned up, we’ll wheel him to another room and then you’ll be able to visit with him,” the doctor said, before walking away.
It didn’t take long for the nurses to appear, along with a sleepy Henry on a stretcher. Wordlessly, the group followed them into Henry’s room, waiting until the nurses finished hooking him up to an IV and a heart monitor.
When the door closed, Sungmin stepped over to Henry’s bed and grabbed his hand, careful of the fingers that had been bandaged.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stay until he wakes up,” Father Siwon said, breaking the silence. “It is Sunday today, after all,” he smiled, clapping Zhou Mi on the back.
“Thank you so much Father,” Zhou Mi hugged the priest.
Sungmin nodded, “If you ever need anything, anything, please, don’t hesitate to call. We owe you so much for helping us save our Henry.”
Father Siwon brushed off the praise, but accepted Sungmin’s offer none-the-less, after getting his cell phone number from Zhou Mi. “Call me when Henry wakes up though,” he said as he began to leave, “I’d like to speak with him.”
“Of course, Father,” Kyuhyun said, and with that, the priest left the room.
“Well, this has been an intense,” Zhou Mi looked down at his watch, “Seven hours.”
“We’ve been through worse in less time,” Kyuhyun laughed, taking a seat in one of the chairs next to Henry’s bed. Sungmin sat down as well, and then Zhou Mi, and together the three waited for the youngest member of their family to wake up.