"I think I'm gonna throw up." Jimin pressed his hand against his lips, staring at the debauched bodies of two of our groups members.

"How was I supposed to know that there's a prowler hiding in the ceiling?" I panted, leaning my head back against the corridor wall.

It was yet another room with trist stone walls and artificial white light, emitting from neon tubes. The lack of windows gave us reason to assume that we were still somewhere underground, the dry heat of the corridor somehow reminding me of something like the staff area of a hotel.

"Prowler??" Jimin echoed, not yet having heard me using that name. I didn't even bother defending myself, for once, way to preoccupied with both catching my breath and grasping the fact that we were now down to two people only. So much for I will get you out of here alive.

Jimin tightened his grip around the gun he had taken from the guard earlier, "Do you think they put the thing in here on purpose? Like a security system."

"That would mean that you can somehow turn it off- how else would the guard have gotten in here?" I stared down the long corridor, which had looked so inviting but ended up being a death trap; The prowler had reached through the grid on the ceiling, like a kraken, piercing through two of our poor companions.

"I mean, I could try shooting it?"

"Worth a shot." I mused.

"This isn't the time for gun puns."

I grimaced, "Boring."

It was silent for a moment, the only sounds down here being our harsh breaths and the occasional ominous clacking emitting from the ceiling.

"Do you have any idea why we got captured here?" I turned my head towards the blond, looking at him expectantly.

Jimin shrugged, "If it weren't for the- you know- apocalypse and all, I would've guessed human trafficking, but why would they deal with humans when there are barely any to go around?"

"I mean, I can see some sick, rich survivors getting bored alone in their secure little bunkers. On the other hand, why would anyone still take money from them? Capitalism is dead."

"I hope all those rich fucks transformed as well." Jimin sighed, "Something about karma or whatever." He turned his head slightly, "If we make it out, do you have a place to go to?"

I smiled fondly, probably with stars in my eyes as well, "Not a place, but yeah, I do."

"Hm. I'll probably go back to the shrine. You could come with me, you know?"

"Shrine?"

"Ah... Shinto shrines. I used to work at one and keep it intact and all. Somehow, those "prowlers" as you call them never come up there. It's a safe place."

I stored that information away silently, nodding along, "That sounds nice. I'll think about it." It got silent again. Both of us busy with our own thoughts - I imagined how Jimin was reminiscing his past of working at that shrine. I, for my part, tried to come up with something to get us out of here. Alive, preferably.

There weren't any hints about how this "security system" was to be turned off, the corridor ahead of us entirely blank and uninformative. Maybe Jimin's idea of just shooting the thing wasn't that bad.

"Oh, shit, Y/N-" Jimin hit my shoulder to get my attention, "Look."

The prowler about which I'd been wracking my brain was going into motion again, tentacle like limbs reaching down to our dead companions again, gradually curling around the corpses to finally pull them up.

"Is it... does it want to eat them?" Jimin realized in horror.

"Maybe this is why we were brought here?" I got up from the ground, joints cracking after having been seated on the hard stone for so long, "To become Prowler fodder."

"That's... I'd rather not end like that. Why would they feed the prowler tho?"

"Well..." I made a very bold step into the corridor. Every nerve in my body was tense, but nothing happened, "Maybe to keep it busy?"

"Are you shitting me?" Jimin got up as well, following my hesitant steps through the seemingly endless room, bone-chilling crunches of bones being eaten whole filling our ears while we walked and walked, "This is crazy." Jimin breathed as we passed underneath the monster, drops of blood landing on my scalp heavily.

The sounds of human flesh being gobbled up like a good chocolate cake followed us up until the end of the corridor, where one of those double doors you always see in western saloons waited for us.

"This was almost too easy." I mused.

"Two people died." Jimin frowned - I couldn't argue with that.

The view that awaited us once we'd climbed yet another set of way-too-narrow stairs, this time made out of ramshackle wood, was equally repulsive and satisfying; Satisfying because I had been right about my guess - we really were in a hotel after all. Repulsive because the large entrance hall we were now standing in was flooded with old, murky water that had painted the entire place in a green-ish algae tint, presumably due to some guest having left on the water tap before transforming into a Prowler. What an oaf.

"Yikes, I fucking hate wet socks." Jimin whined next to me, making long, stork-like strides through the freezing water, as if that could somehow prevent him from getting wet.

The water wasn't even that deep, thirty centimeters at most, but together with the slippery slime that had collected on the ground and the overbearing stench of standing water, the whole experience was indeed worth a yikes.

I strode past Jimin who was trying his hardest not to slip on the algae, dirty water swirling up mud where my feet hit the ground, "Hurry or I'll push you."

Jimin gasped, "You wouldn't dare."

___

"HARGHH!" Jungkook split the guy's head, anger contorting his pretty features, "Where are the fuckin' captives?" He growled, staring the other dude down, who had had the misfortune of being put on-guard by Jiyong today.

"D-D-Downstairs." He stammered, backing off into a corner once Jungkook had pulled his scythe out of his dead colleague. It was true that Jungkook wasn't exactly contributing to the survival of the human race with his latest action, having liquidated what was probably half of all of Japan's survivors in only the last five hours, but at this rate he'd be willing to kill the other half as well, sick and tired of them always getting between him and his really fucking unfortunate girlfriend, "I-I-In the staff area." The poor guard finished wailing, arms held up in front of his face, "Go- Go ahead, I-I won't stop you!" He whimpered pitifully.

Jungkook cocked a brow, "Eh, thank you?" Before ramming his blade into him as well.

He didn't have time for dumbfucks like that, neither for worrying about Y/N's disappointed look once she saw what he's done. Again.

It all didn't matter right now anyways- he'd tear down this entire fuckin hotel if he had to, if that meant he could get her back safe and sound.

Jungkook stormed down the entrance hall, cursing once he had to waddle through the slippery water. He swore he'd kill everyone down here, if only-

"Oh, hey Kook."

"Huh?"

He slithered into a hard stop.

There she was, a petite blond dude next to her, both of their pants rolled up to their knees as they waded towards him, wide smile plastered across her face in innocent joy of seeing him.

"The fuck are you doin' here?"

"Oh, yeah... I got kinda kidnapped again, I'm sorry."

"That's not what I meant, moron." He speeded through the muddy green, almost slipping into the water once, before dropping his scythe to grab both her shoulders, "I was g'nna- go in their and- fuck, Chickie- I was so scared that somethin' bad happened."

"Ohhhh." She finally understood, "Yeah, no, I'm fine. Don't worry, everything went smoothly."

"Tell this to the five people we had to sacrifice." The blond guy chimed up from behind her dryly.

"And who the fuck are you?"

"The only one who didn't get either shot or eaten." He countered very unhelpfully.

"That's Jimin." Y/N explained in his stead, still squished between Jungkook's overbearing arms, "He was also a captive- a very helpful one at that."

"Why is there blood on this guy's scythe?" Jimin changed the topic distressedly, "Scratch that- why does he have a scythe to on him?"

"Jungkook, has a scythe on him to get rid of all the bad prowlers." She said pointedly, squinting up at Jungkook who was slowly starting to realize that she was indeed fine and not in need of further getting-squished-worriedly, "Now, why there is blood on it I'd like to know myself."

She stared at him expectantly, Jungkook only now picking up that she was criticizing him, "I uh-"

"Yeah?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

He glared at Jimin, "He doesn't need to know."

"Okay." The blond threw his arms in the air defensively, "I take it, you two lovebirds need some alone time. Don't mind me." He made a turn towards the exit.

"No, Jimin-! Wait!" Y/N turned towards him, before leaning back to Jungkook, "We two aren't done talking yet, but first we'll get Jimin home."

Home?

Home sounded like a long way. And Jungkook actually had some things to talk to her about. "Things" being a very unpleasant fellow with the name Kwon Jiyong.

"Please." She begged, "Loosing all these people just now was really not fun. Can we at least make sure that he's safe?"

Honestly, she hadn't actually needed to ask twice, as if Jungkook wouldn't agree to any of her requests without a second thought, but it was cute to hear her saying that. Reminded him what it was like to be a nice, thoughtful person. Grounded him, after a day of ruthless... well, killing.

"Okay,if you want it that badly." He grumbled, ruffling one hand through her hair before following Jimin through the muddy waters.

___

thank you for all those nice birthday wishes, y'all are too cute

also i've finally caught up with AOT, man this was a train ride

xx