Last Breath - Part 27
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 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50
"What took you so long?" Minho asked, urgent as Onew walked into the room. The vampire held something wrapped up in what looked like a shirt, and his expression was serious.
"This." Onew said, and he walked to the bed. He laid the t-shirt wrapped item at the foot of the bed, and Minho leaned over to look at it as he uncovered it. A pistol.
"Why?" Minho looked concerned at Onew, and Onew covered the gun once again. "It's for you." he said. "I know where Taemin is, but they'll be expecting us. If we're really doing this, you need more protection than just I can give you. If you really want to do this."
Minho looked between the gun and Onew, truly not so sure. Of course he felt bad for Taemin, and still felt every bit responsible for getting the kid involved, but there was still the truth of the matter. Even saved, Taemin couldn't be safe. Would they be able to take him to another country? Would thinks really be better if they left Korea?
And all of that was only a concern if they, by some miracle, managed to escape with their lives. So far, they'd been lucky. Wasn't it luck? Walking directly into a fight was just plain stupid. Onew was strong, but Minho had seen him lose to just one vampire - and who knew how many would be waiting? Minho barely even knew how to use a gun, and that's when he's not sick...
"We need time," Minho said, "for a plan."
"There is no time." Onew replied, frowning, "based on what Key said...."
"Do you think there's a chance, Onew? We can save him?"
Onew sat down by Minho's side, reaching a hand over his. "If it would change your mind about things, I'd tell you it was useless and we'd be walking straight into our own death." he wrinkled his nose, "But then we'd leave and you'd be depressed whenever you thought of Taemin. That's not all that bad, since I don't think you'd even think of him that much.."
Minho glared at Onew during his brief pause, and Onew smirked back at him.
"It's just that we might as well try. Whether or not we can save him, we can probably at least survive trying to."
"You really think so?"
"Let's say the chance is 50/50. Then, what would you do?"
Minho just nodded, resolute. "We can't run away now." he said.
Onew pulled his hand away from Minho's, sighing, "I can't say I'm surprised. The truth about you is that you're braver than me, all things considered. Since I only do things for myself..."
"Can you say the way you've waited on me since I've been sick is selfish?" Minho asked, and then muttered, "Since you like me better when I'm in pain.."
"Who said that?" Onew asked.
"Shouldn't we go?" Minho asked, frowning at the covered gun on the bed. "We don't have time to make a plan, so we don't have time for a conversation about how selfish you are or aren't."
Onew grabbed the gun for Minho, pouting. "Fine. But as a selfish person, as soon as we're done saving your friend, I want to continue this conversation about myself."
***
"Woww," Daesung said, sitting behind a laptop on a tiny table in the warehouse, "It's really everywhere. The whole video has been on four TV channels now!"
"They'll have seen it by now.." Taeyang's position was knelt on the floor at Taemin's side. The hunter was struggling horribly, though Taeyang had just covered his mouth with tape to silence him for the most part. Even with Taemin's arms tied behind his back, Taeyang had to hold one still. A strap was around that arm, holding a needle inside of it. Drop by drop, his blood slowly flowed into a thin tube that sucked it away from him and into a strange, and small machine.
Taeyang was watching the hunter's wide, tear filled eyes with a hint of concern before he looked to Jiyong. "He won't last before they make it." he said.
"We could take it out." Jiyong said. He sat at another tiny table of the warehouse, steel with steel chairs around it. He sat at it on his own, head propped up on his elbow as he thought, "But I'm just as cool with him dying."
And he was. He'd get the other hunters, and letting one die to do so was kind of a nice fuck you to The Council anyway.
"You think The Council will still be happy with us that way?"
"We'll be giving them quite a few hunters, so if it's through the death of one, there's no problem." Jiyong looked over at Taemin, "Besides, he's kind of cool."
"Then it's mercy?" Seungri asked. He stood behind Daesung, eyeing the laptop up until now, when he turned to Jiyong looking irritated. "He bit me! So what if the stupid council tortures him?"
Jiyong grinned a small grin, "How many times has a human bit a vampire? That might be the best part, you know.." He looked at Taemin, "Too bad. I think I might bond with him in another situation."
"You'd think of bonding again?" Taeyang asked, glancing at Jiyong. Jiyong frowned a little, and knew that Taeyang was thinking of the depression he'd went through after he turned Key. As a human, Key had so often begged him for that day, the day he'd be turned. It was, as Jiyong had long predicted, the worse day of his immortal life.
But if to lose love was to never love again, vampires - in their long lives - would be pretty fucked.
"I'm over it." he said quite bluntly to Taeyang.
Taemin was obviously losing energy. His wild flailing had calmed, his legs moving in exhausted and slow kicks and his arms both still. He kept knocking his head back against the pole he was tied to, trying to take himself away from the nightmare world he'd entered.
Walls moved, his eyelids flashed colors and patterns, and the way the vampires looked to him now made Key's laugh seem like it'd be warm and comforting. Besides that, he'd assured himself that his arms were melding together behind his back, turning him permanently into a true freak of nature.
He was choking on his own spit and sobs, breathing frantically through his nose. Had he begged the others to save him? He couldn't remember, but it didn't matter, because they were going to die anyway. He was going to die anyway.
Taemin's rapid beating heart, his fluttering eyelids and desperate breathing was all familiar to Jiyong, and he knew well that Taeyang was right. The hunter wouldn't live long, certainly not in time for the other hunters to get here. It was all the same, Jiyong supposed. When the hunters lost hope, desperation turning into anger, they'd be easier to take down anyway.
Then, Jiyong was shocked out of these thoughts when the warehouse's doors were pushed open.
Daesung jumped visibly, asking, "They're here already?"
Jiyong narrowed his eyes at the solo figure who stepped through, knowing damn well already that it wasn't a hunter. It was a vampire.
The extremely tall man had short brown hair and especially pale skin, and though he wore less than extraordinary clothes, Jiyong recognized him as an extraordinary person. Before he was to greet the member of The Council though, Taeyang did. He released Taemin to stand up, and he offered no formalities. He just spoke calmly. "What brings you here, Changmin? I thought The Council didn't have time for these hunters right now."
"Funny how we're immortal and never have any time, right?" Changmin asked, crossing his arms. He was looking directly at Taemin's shuddering and weakened body, with a contemplating expression that had his handsome face all screwed up. "We thought of course we could trust Key, but here he's no where to be found, and his idiot sire is trying to kill our hunter."
"Taeyang," Jiyong said, barely containing his aggravation, "Pull it out."
Taeyang glanced at Jiyong, and then knelt once again, taking hold of Taemin's arm and carefully removing the strap that held in the needle.
Jiyong gazed at Changmin, keeping his expression neutral. "Is that all?"
"We want you to take responsibility of the video." Changmin said, looking from Taemin and to Jiyong. "Come out as a vampire. Tell the whole truth, except that we're the ones who asked you to do so."
Taeyang frowned, speaking up, "You want to make vampires a public thing, but you don't want the other councils knowing it was you who did it. Why Jiyong?"
"Because if not him, it would be Key."
"I'm meant to take the fall for my childe, you mean." Jiyong noted, frowning. "But the world isn't going to believe in vampires just because of this."
"One step at a time." Changmin said shortly, and turned around.
"Wait, he hasn't said he'll do it." Seungri said quickly.
"He doesn't have to say." Changmin said impatiently. "I already know."
He looked over his shoulder at Jiyong, said, "Make it good", and walked out.
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Notes: I was in such a rush to post this I forgot to say thanks Claire Price. ^_^ You inspired me on this one.