White Noise - Part 30
Notes | Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31
32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | Epilogue
"Okay.." Sungmin said with a sigh, "They're officially an hour late."
He and Taemin were sitting together on the couch, and Sungmin had just interrupted the silence that had followed a semi-awkward discussion about whether or not computer animated characters could be "hot"...
"They are?" Taemin asked worriedly, "I didn't know there was an exact time."
Sungmin nodded, "Well I didn't want you to worry until you needed to. They said if they were an hour later than expected, we should go to the meet-up spot."
"The meet-up spot?"
"In front of The Council. That way, we can see if they get dragged in.. and maybe stop it."
Taemin pouted, "An hour seems a little late for that."
"True." Sungmin said with another sigh. "But if they come home and we're gone, that's where they'll assume we are."
"What are we waiting for?" Taemin asked, standing.
"A cab, first of all. Go get dressed in real clothes while I call."
Taemin (who had showered and changed to pajamas after his work out) nodded, and was fast to disappear to the bedroom. He was pulling his hair back in a ponytail when Sungmin stepped in the doorway, looking frustrated. "We have to go to the payphone. My cell got cut off."
"Yours too?" Taemin asked, pouting. "I don't want to steal money again.. It'd be nice if we could kill a vampire who had a lot of cash~."
"We'll worry about money later. Get armed."
"I already have two~." Taemin said, grinning at Sungmin.
Sungmin pouted, looking genuinely hurt.
"Just joking... too dark?"
"I have two arms." Sungmin said, shuffling out of the doorway.
It was silent as they "suited up" so to speak. Taemin, because he felt bad about his not so appropriate arm joke, and Sungmin because he had a bad feeling and really just wished Jay and Jungmo would pop in.
But they didn't.
Sungmin and Taemin descended down the stairs of their apartment building together, both concealing weapons beneath their jackets, and Taemin keeping a hand on the switchblade in his pocket. He felt safer that way, somehow, despite the fact that the gun he was hiding was probably more effective. Then again, he still wasn't really sure about how well he could shoot it. Practicing shooting in a city wasn't exactly an easy thing to do... Jungmo and Jay really should have taken one of the two guns they had left with them, but apparently they were almighty and Taemin and Sungmin were useless without firepower (so Taemin was thinking bitterly).
When they stepped out of the apartment building, Sungmin immediately noticed much too many cars by the sidewalk. He glanced down towards the known vampire hotspot, and voiced his concern aloud, "It's only a couple of hours until sunrise.. why is it busy this late?"
"Let's move." Taemin said, more out of fear than out of a sudden amount of maturity. He and Sungmin turned, walking together towards the street corner. As they did, they heard the obvious footsteps behind them. They both turned, and looked, and saw two other men following behind them. They were young men, dressed in seemingly nice clubwear.
Sungmin muttered "stay calm" as he and Taemin turned forward, but Taemin's hand was already shaking on the switchblade in his pocket.
They had just reached their destination, pausing at the payphone, when the men made their move, the nearest of them reaching out to Taemin's arm - and Taemin's reaction speed was worthy of praise, even if - Sungmin thought - the reaction was a cowardly jump away.
Sungmin was fast to move between Taemin and the man that reached out, even if one of his arms was stuck in a sling. He was reaching into his jacket to get his gun when, what he now assumed was a vampire, took the low road and grabbed his casted arm, jerking him closer (painfully) by it. Sungmin screamed and, weapons forgotten, took his own cheap shot - a knee into the vampire's privates, which at least made him let go.
Taemin had to turn on the second vampire now, who of course - like a true man - reached to grab Taemin's ponytail. Taemin let him get his hand on it, flipping out his blade and stabbing it through the vampire's outstretched arm. So the vampire hissed, letting go of Taemin's hair and jerking his hand back. "You are hunters."
Taemin wasn't listening though. He quickly turned on the other vampire, who had backed off long enough for Sungmin to pull out his gun, but not long enough for Sungmin to take aim. The vampire grabbed Sungmin's gun carrying arm as well as his broken one, clenching them in tight fists. So, Taemin stabbed him in the arm too, which was definitely good enough to make the vampire let go - and Sungmin's gun lifted to the vampire's eye level, before he shot.
As he collapsed to the ground, the other vampire snarled and moved forward for an attack, but Sungmin was ready for him too - and quickly shot.
Only after the vampire fell did Sungmin turn to Taemin, grinning. "I can't believe you did that. You actually.. moved. I mean, no, you actually helped!"
"They weren't all that scary." Taemin said, frowning down at them. He certainly looked shaken, but he breathed evenly, "They didn't even tell us how they were gonna torture us and all that rararaa..."
".. huh?" Sungmin asked.
"Nothing.. a-are you okay?"
"Now that you mention it, ow, but, at least we took care of that." Sungmin said, stepping to the payphone. As he put in change and dialed, Taemin looked around nervously. "Sungmin.." he said. "What if someone heard the gunshots?"
"I just have to make this call, Taemin."
Across the street, Taemin watched a group of six or so moving down the sidewalk. Two women, four men, all dressed in nice going out clothes and - suddenly looking their way.
"Sungmin, we have to go." Taemin said quickly.
Sungmin looked over his shoulder at the group, scowled, and hung up the phone before anyone answered. "Get out your gun." he told Taemin.
***
Onew ran like hell from The Council building, eyes sweeping the streets for a taxi. He spotted one sooner than expected, the car running and a driver inside. He ran so fast to it that he collided with the back door, falling back onto the sidewalk beside it.
The door quickly swung open, and someone too familiar stepped out to check on him. "Are you o--" Jungmo paused, gazing at the fallen vampire. "Oh."
Onew scrambled to his feet, pushing Jungmo. "Get inside!"
Jungmo climbed in, only cause he had no choice, and Onew squeezed in next to him, pulling the door shut. "Drive!" Onew yelled at the driver, an older man who looked a little more than confused.
"Where?" the man asked.
"Just go!!!" Onew growled, and so the cab moved forward.
"What an unfortunate coincidence." Jungmo said, and Onew could see him touching something shiny and silver at his side. He looked at the two he shared the backseat with, the hunters Jungmo and Jay, not that he remembered their names or anything. Taemin's friends, he considered them.
"Why are you hanging outside The Council?" he asked with a scowl.
"Meet up spot." Jungmo answered briefly.
"Meeting who?"
"You have a lot of questions for a vampire on the run who jumps in a cab with hunters." Jungmo said, raising a brow. Jay nodded in agreement.
Onew looked at the cab driver, wondering his opinion on the word 'vampire'. He seemed nonchalant. Jungmo shortly explained, "He knows us. So, you.."
Onew scowled, "It's a long story. Where is Taemin?"
"We don't know. That's why we were at the meet up spot. If they were worried about us, they should have been there."
"Do you need to go back and wait for them?" Onew asked, looking out the window.
"No, the sun will be up soon. They're probably back at home by now.." Jungmo didn't sound like he believed that at all.
"Check the hospital." Onew said.
Jungmo raised a brow at him.
"You aren't stupid. Something obviously happened to them. Check the hospital." Onew tapped on the cab driver's seat. "Hospital."
The driver nodded.
"Suddenly you're cool with hunters?" Jungmo asked.
"Suddenly I don't know what the fuck to do." Onew said emotionally, crossing his arms. "A vampire stole my bond with Minho."
"You're not bonded?" Jungmo asked, and Onew caught his tightening grip on his shiny silver thing, and tensed up until he saw Jay's hand move over the weapon. He looked over to Jay, contemplative. "No. I'm not bonded. But I want to save Minho."
"Or you want revenge." Jungmo accused, and Onew just scoffed. "Whatever. I need to save Minho, and I don't know how to do it on my own."
"You're lucky you ran into us." Jay said softly, "There's someone who we want to save at The Council too."
Onew frowned, not appreciating the suggestion that he'd have to help them to receive their help - but then again, appreciating the suggestion that they were willing to help. Even if they were stupid hunters and he wasn't sure what they were good for...
"Is there anywhere you need to go?" Jungmo asked him.
"What?" was Onew's reply.
"Well, you might be stuck at the hospital at this rate." Jungmo said, checking the time. "Sunrise isn't even an hour away."
Onew wrinkled his nose. "I guess I'll get stuck then."
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