#Warning:
-Violence
-Blood
-Angst
-Death

Third Person’s P.O.V.

Namjoon was going berserk at the headquarters, Hoseok was out with the Chief’s troops patrolling around for hours to look for any trace or evidence that’d give him even the slightest hint of where Taehyung, Jungkook or Byun could be but still no such luck.

The news was out.

The accident that led to the disappearance of a convicted terrorist, a colonel and an officer was the headlines everywhere.

But only a handful of people were aware of the disappearance of two more…Jin and Soo were nowhere to be found as well.

“There must be something, right? They couldn’t have just vanished, right? There must be some proof…we should…we have to-” “Jimin” Namjoon put his hands on his shoulders as he watched Jimin pace around their living room, his face contorted in fear and breath anxious as he stared up at him “we are trying…please trust me…”

And Jimin let his apprehension take over as tears spilled down his eyes “I-I am just…so so scared” he sniffled as Namjoon pulled him close “they were just starting to settle together…and-and now…oh god Joon, what are we going to do?”

Namjoon gulped having nothing to say for the first time, he didn’t know what he was going to do…he had been trying every way he could think to search for any possible leads for even the slightest hint of information but everything seemed to hit a dead end after a while.

“For now, all we can do is hold on to hope.”

But Namjoon knew that every failed minute was a greater foreboding to everything that could have gone wrong…a premonition of them never being found ever again.

A couple more days passed in failed attempts, the media coming up with all sorts of theories and sinister ideas which put greater fear in the hearts of Hoseok, Yoongi, Jimin and Namjoon.

“Shut it off…fucking idiots…what the fuck do they even know huh?! They’re just making shit up!!” Hoseok grumbled cursing at the news through the screen and Yoongi sighed to himself as he watched the other walking away to get a shower before his gaze moved towards Namjoon on the other couch.

“So, what do we do? It’s been days Namjoon” he watched the other sit with a lowered head, his shoulders slumped and he could almost see the exhaustion in the other, proving the fact that Namjoon hadn’t been sleeping at all.

“I have a news but I don’t know what to make of it”

Yoongi’s brow creased at the words as his attention grew sharper “what news?”

“There was an accident in an old mill some couple hundred kilometres away from the river, it was a minor news and the county sheriff had reported that the ratty abandoned building must have collapsed on its own. But I had my doubts so I called the sheriff and asked him to send a unit to check the site one more time…well, the bad news is they said they found nothing, almost nothing…and that’s the good news because I have a feeling that they're not telling us everything…that is, if we can call the other thing a good news at all…”

Namjoon picked his head up, the dejection clear on his face and Yoongi could tell he was rambling as an effect of how troubled he actually was “the hospital nearest to that site reported about a man who had been in the mill during the collapse and sought information about that the guy because they couldn’t identify the guy but the actual good news is…he is alive.”

“You think…could it be?” Yoongi felt just as restless at the news, his mind a pool of questions as well.

“I don’t know what to think…so I’m going over there tomorrow morning” Namjoon let his head fall into his hands “how did it end up this messed up?”

Yoongi’s eyes fell to the floor, the silence terrifyingly heavy around them as they tried to think of what they were going to find out next.

“I’ll come along with you” Yoongi asserted.

“There’s no telling what-” “We check everything…no stones unturned” Yoongi asserted again only to see Namjoon nodding to his words.

“Hoseok will be busy tomorrow, he has been trying to track Rayden and his men but still no luck as such either and he wants to go out with the search unit again to check the riverbank” the general spoke as if in an afterthought but the insinuation to keep the information to himself was rather clear and Yoongi knew why Namjoon wanted it to be so.

“We can tell him about this after we come back” Yoongi spoke knowing how affected Hoseok actually was with the whole situation, he had been blaming himself for not being able to save Jin and Soo, and Yoongi had seen how he turned cold every time Namjoon told him not to lose his temper like that because they were trying everything they could.

Namjoon nodded quietly before heaving up from his seat “I’ll get going then.”

“Get some sleep Namjoon, I know it’s not easy but if they’re out there then we are their best chance…” Yoongi watched Namjoon halt in his steps, the grim mood rising as he stood there unmoving for more than a moment before he spoke.

“You know what’s eating me up…I made the same mistake Yoongi” his words had the weight of the burden he felt in his heart “I put too much responsibility on Taehyung again, I shouldn’t have…Axel won and we lost…we lost again…”

And Yoongi couldn’t say a word as he watched Namjoon quietly leave before he too felt the weight of grief and regret take over himself as he sat there frozen and thought how cynical it all had been and how foolish they had been to think that the happiness they had seen Jin and Taehyung share would stay…and yet even for a moment everything had seemed so perfect that it felt terribly easy to believe it was their forever…that they had won…

He let his head rest against the back of the couch, teary eyes pressing close as he breathed out a deep sigh and desperately tried to keep away Soo’s giggling face and grumbling whines from flashing through his mind.

“Can you hear me? I need some answers…it’s very essential…”

Namjoon frowned standing by his side but he realized he had to give the other some time to cope as he watched how badly battered Jungkook looked. The day they had come to the hospital to check on the guy who had been rescued from the debris of the collapsed building, they had found a wounded Jungkook lying in a coma and it took the boy three more days to finally open his eyes.

Namjoon was bursting inside though for more information but he didn’t want to push the other to talk too much because he could see the struggle Jungkook was facing to even breathe right “we are going to transfer you to another hospital tomorrow.”

“The sheriff wants to talk to you if you feel up to it…I don’t understand what is going on but the man seems dead set not to acknowledge the fact that it wasn’t just an accident…there were corpses discovered but they want to keep it all hush hush” Yoongi walked in after he had spoken with the officials at the hospital to arrange to move Jungkook the next day although he could see how disoriented and lost Jungkook looked lying on the bed, his right leg put in a cast, head swathed in bandages and it seemed as if he was stunned by whatever he had survived.       

“I don’t think he’ll be able to talk to anyone for now” Namjoon thought out loud and turned about to head outside, intending to speak to the sheriff himself when he felt weak fingers clutching at his arm.

“Is Ji-n okay? Did they m-make it out?”

“There’s no news” Namjoon answered instantly realizing that unfortunately Jungkook seemed to have no information either.

“H-He kill-lled him.”

The words made both Namjoon and Yoongi huddle closer “who killed whom?”

“Jungkook, can you tell us what happened?”

“Did they kill-” “B-Byun…hurt Jin…”
Jungkook’s chest rose as he tried to gulp enough air to utter the words “Taehyung k-killed him…”

“Taehyung is alive? Where are they?”

“What about Jin and Soo? Were they in that building too?” Yoongi felt his insides twisting to learn the answer.

“They shot him…I…I d-don’t know…” his gaze met with Namjoon’s and they could see how regretful and troubled and confused he looked “I t-tried…I-I…”

Jungkook fumbled trying to speak what had happened but he had no idea where to start or how to explain everything. He remembered things in hazy snippets but his brain wasn’t sure if he should believe that all of it had actually happened.

It seemed like a nightmare he had just lived through…enough to put fear strumming through his very bones.

“It’s ok” Yoongi tried to help him relax knowing the boy needed time to explain everything to them “rest now…we’ll talk when you feel better Jungkook.”

And yet Jungkook knew not how to explain it all…even days later when he finally found enough strength to speak properly, they saw him choking over the words he sat down to express everything that had happened.

…Jungkook’s Flashback…

“Ah…dammit” I struggle to breathe as I drag my body over the mud and gravel, Taehyung is nowhere to be found.

I am soaked to my bones, and utterly disoriented and I think something is broken because it fucking hurts everywhere. I roll over and face the night sky trying to breathe, I have no idea where I have washed up, I have lost all connection with Namjoon and Hoseok…scared to think in what condition Jin and Soo are…and I’m sure Byun has escaped…everything’s a mess…

I have to look for Taehyung.

“Arghh!” My teeth grits as I try to move, hand flying to my right shoulder. There’s a small shard of broken glass that sits jabbed into my flesh…fuck! It hurts bad as I pluck it out…

I force myself up, struggling on my feet to stumble in the dark as I try to figure out where I am. I check along the riverside, tracing for movement if any for Taehyung, I remember him pulling me out of the sinking car but then everything kinda turned blurry. I have no idea how I even managed to wash up here.

“Taehyung…?” My voice is shaky and hoarse as I strain my eyes in the dark trying to find him, till my ears catch something behind me but before I can react there’s a noose around my neck and my breathing is close to being cut. I thrash trying to turn around, my hands instantly going to my neck as I try to get the cable around my neck to loosen.

I had a feeling those bastards would try something like this.

“If you’re on our side Jk, Byun is willing to let you live” the words are a hush behind me and I realize it’s none other than my father’s most trusted henchman, Rayden.

“Wh-What does he want f-from me?”

“Well, for now he wants to talk to you” Rayden informs before dragging me towards a black van.

It’s a no brainer that Byun would want me on his side for something, he isn’t someone who would just get sympathetic on anyone…although growing up I have seen that Byun is oddly sentimental about a few particular things…and no one will probably ever believe me but there were times when I accompanied him to ‘run errands’ with him and he’d park the car at odd places where he could see a blue-haired boy going to school.

I found it really odd in those days but dared not question why we were following a teenager around because I knew he couldn’t be a target…now I realize who it was…

It was my father who had ordered me to put a bullet in that same boy’s head a few years later, although the plan to kill his team and crush his ideas about exacting revenge on one of world’s most powerful terrorist organization was intricately charted by Byun himself.

The truth is Byun could have killed Taehyung if he wanted to…it wouldn’t even be a difficult task for him to do…he could have even done it that the day when my father shot me but he hadn’t…he had actually tried to kill Jin, Taehyung was the one who intercepted him and got shot instead…but Byun had immediately stopped shooting when he saw him getting hurt…

And something even more striking has been going on in my head for the last few months, since the time we had begun with these infiltration missions and the more I think about it, the more it startles me…what if Byun knew I won’t be able to kill Taehyung that night at the dockyard?

What if this whole plan was simply a game he had been playing with Taehyung? A game to prove that his greed for revenge would never be fulfilled…? A game to prove that he had actually won over Officer Kim’s wish to keep her son from becoming the man his father was…?

A game to prove that despite everything, Taehyung had chosen the same path of violence and blood that Byun had…?

It’s the reason I think Byun is unreadable…unpredictable…I can’t tell what he wants…

It feels as if Byun likes to watch Taehyung suffer…it’s probably his own damaged way of making his presence felt to the other…after all, he killed the woman he loved because she went against him…and I fear he’s planning something similar for his son…

Taehyung did end up right where his mother did not want him to be…she had kept everything hidden from him only because she wanted him to have a normal life…she had wanted him to live…things which are very difficult to do if you’re a target of Axel…

Although there’s a thing called fate…and it’s a wicked mastermind who enjoys the maze of its own games…

And a game as we all know needs a winner and a loser.

Yes, I am more than sure that Taehyung is alive…very sure that he knows Byun escaped…and very very sure that he’s gone awol to plan something big…

Because the truth is…to kill a monster, you must become a monster.

“Walk” there’s a gun pressed to my head as we reach the desolate hideout, one of Axel’s old, abandoned shelters. The building used to be a cotton mill, and it was the basement that was designed to be a weapon’s stack.

I have been here before with Byun…for work…

I hear steps follow behind me, my limping pace a tad slower as we trudge through the deserted stony floor to head into the basement. It’s damp and mouldy, yellow lights spaced at intervals till we are walking into one of the echoey cells.

Rayden steps inside before me and just then all my strength fails as I hear Soo crying, her wails more annoyed than helpless. My eyes move instantly to trace the inside of the cell to see no Jin in there, and my heart skips a beat as I feel my throat going dry.

“Where is Jin?”

“So, your partner left you to die alone eh?” Byun’s voice is a cold scoff.

“Where is Jin? What do you want from them?” I ask trying not to lose my mind at the moment. I watch him take a lazy breath as he takes in my presence before he speaks, the calm in him unhindered still.

“I am going to get out of the country…but before that I got some work to do”

My blood turns cold as fear begins to surface and I move instinctively towards him feeling restless to the extreme to see him hold a crying and flailing Soo.

“Don’t do anything hasty Jungkook…you see, we could use each other if you are smart enough. I really wanted to meet her before the sentence would be carried out” he smiles at Soo while talking to me as he caresses the back of her head trying to calm the sobbing child.

“Why pull her into this? She’s just a child…” my frustration is overtaking me at the moment “I’ll do whatever you want…just-” “Really?”

I felt an odd threat lurking behind the calm in his voice as he said the word…honestly, I wouldn’t think twice before committing a crime if it’d mean I can get Soo out of any danger…my conscience isn’t that clean anyway…I’ve gotten my hands bloody for ugly jobs so many times already, what’s one more time? Especially for someone so precious…

“You will kill Seokjin if I tell you?” His eyes come to set on mine, icy gaze piercing into me…and I fear if he can tell how my heart quivers with agonizing pain even at the thought of doing such a thing.

“W-What?” My voice is brittle.

“You see, I don’t intend to hurt her…she’s my blood too…and I am quite the sentimental man” he walks closer and Soo’s eyes catch me, her little hands instantly reaching out for me and the sight made me want to cry right there “actually I was thinking about taking her along…a child always puts you on a softer spot before curious accusing eyes you know…”
“NO!!” I blurt, my brain taking decisions on its own.

“Okay so what do you suggest I do?” He waits for my response looking amused “here’s what it will be…you have two options…”

My heart thumps loudly to even try to think of a way out of this dangerous situation we are trapped in.

“I shoot Seokjin, I shoot you and I leave taking the baby with me or…you shoot Seokjin, I leave and you can have your life and this little doll too…or you can give her back to Taehyung…if he is alive that is” his voice completely explains that he is well aware that Taehyung is still alive, and he is merely trying to play with us.

“I-” I try to think of something but apparently my mind is numb since has said about me killing Jin “I can-nnot”

“Cannot what?”

He too knows he is playing with us…he doesn’t intend to let us free anyway. So, I try to do what I am best at.

“If I kill Jin, even if you spare me…Taehyung won’t…n you know that”

He breaks out in a knowing laugh, patting at Soo’s back who still squirmed to get to me, demanding for my attention “and your father always thought you were stupid.”

My gaze falls at Soo, her teary eyes looking at me with so much hope and I suddenly feel my insides flip as my nerves got more tensed to see her in Byun’s arms crying to be let free.

“You seem really fond of her” his voice shakes my thoughts as I look at him again “but I’ll tell you secret today Jungkook” his smile is eerie, so calm and guiltless that it doesn’t suit his face “people like us don’t really have a heart…and it’s the reason we crave so much to have someone who’d give it to us…”

The words run through me like electric as I trace the truth ringing in them.

“Those who say we’re all born the same, they lie…some of us born to become scavengers, we need to steal to have what is not given to us…and that’s the reason we never have enough of what we want…”

The weirdest thing is that I don’t want to understand what he is saying…but I do…I get what he means…and I know I am a scavenger too…I have always had to steal a little bit of everything to survive…to feel human…to feel worthy enough to call my existence as living.

“I know you better than your father did Jungkook…and that’s the irony of it…” he chuckles walking towards me “I know you aren’t stupid…a survivor never is” he stares, a look of deep understanding on his face as he hands Soo to me and the child instantly clings onto me “tonight I am giving you a chance to survive again…and maybe even a chance to not be a scavenger anymore…”

He sighs looking at me with stern emotionless eyes now.

“The odds though are ridiculous I agree” he shakes his head, mouth curving into a crooked smile “I am asking you to kill someone who is dear to you…and you are right, even if you kill Seokjin…Taehyung will probably take your life in return”

An odd silence looms over him as he goes silent for a bit, looking as if lost in his own twisted thoughts.

“The thing is Jungkook…a scavenger can rarely beat a predator…you know why?”
What is he trying to say now…?

“Because a predator knows its prey, he takes aim and never hesitates to kill…always ahead in the game than the scavenger…and trust me when I say this…if that night, it was Taehyung’s gun aimed at your head you wouldn’t have survived…”

For some reason I am beginning to understand now what his agenda is…

“So, if you want to become a predator…you need to be smarter than your prey…even better if the prey doesn’t realize that it’s the prey…that would be top game.”

He casually nods to himself as if he was assessing his own words but the smirk he gave me dripped with malicious intent “so what do you say boy…?” He walks back, his hands swerve gesturing around as he grins “think you can succeed doing what you couldn’t do that night at the dockyard? Are you brave enough now Jungkook?”

He wants us to kill each other…this is one of the games he so loves playing…

Well nevermind, I have only one agenda for tonight, I am getting Jin and Soo out of danger…and if needed I’ll sacrifice the life Jin allowed me to have…he shot Kai to save me, not even caring that he could be shot next…maybe it’s time I returned the favour…

“You want me to kill both Jin and Taehyung?” I inquire, the severe maliciousness in this man startles me to a degree I can’t really comprehend and trust me when I say I’ve seen twisted people…I have seen the worst there could be but Byun is by far the most terrifying, not because he is cruel or ominous…but because he has no sense of limit to his thoughts or actions. I let Soo relax against me, her sniffles still shaking her little body as I try to think of the shortest way to get away from here.

“I want what you want Jungkook” his weird calm is making me feel really uncomfortable for some reason and he smiles warmly as he says the next words “I want to see him lose.”

This man needs to die…Taehyung was right to want him dead…he was right, Byun will kill everyone just to suffice his weird wish to win this game he has been playing through the years.

But the problem is, how do I save Soo and Jin, and kill this psycho?

My gaze floats around, looking for a possible escape as I plan to attack him and try to imagine what could be the possible outcome if I just straight up punch him and break out of here. I realize it’s too risky a bet, he might shoot me…he might shoot Soo as well…

The walkie-talkie buzzes on and a sudden voice comes up to warn about Chief’s units already setting up a thorough search by the riverbank, police cars patrolling to trace for the fugitive as well as for the two officers who had gone missing after the accident.

Namjoon must have ordered the search, but the fact that they couldn’t find Taehyung yet made a sliver of doubt and worry rise at the back of my mind.

I had been telling myself that he must have escaped, I was almost sure that he couldn’t have died…but it has been a while now already…if he survived then he should have managed to return to the headquarters…or look for Jin…did the accident really kill him?

“Remember what I ordered for?” 

I watched Byun smile at me “that’s my ticket out of here…so you better get your job done before that Jungkook.”

The moment he finishes the sentence a loud explosion tears through the place, the shabby walls shuddering as the lights flicker overhead and Soo curls her arms tighter around me, breaking out into a fresh sob.

I checked at Byun’s face and for a fraction of a second he looked just as startled as me before his expression morphs into one of cold rage.

“I’m sorry but I guess we have to cut short our chat” he comes close to pull Soo away from me and my arms instinctively become protective.

“I’d rather if she’s-” “Not your decision boy” he bites out the words, coming closer to snatch the sobbing child when a horde of guards fill in the room “I’ll return her to you after I get what I want, till then-”

Another explosion startles us, this time it’s much closer and I feel my ears ringing as I try to hold my footing from swaying because of the way the building seemed to tremble.

I note their startled concerns and take the chance to bolt towards the door.

A guard tries to stop me and almost on instinct my fist plunges into his solar plexus, making the man double over and I pull out his gun from the holster on his side before I slip out of the door, ducking away as I hear guns cocking at my back. Soo cries at the top of her lungs and I know it’s going to be very difficult to hide if she keeps this up.

“Hey…hey…Soo…quiet…quiet please..” I let her cling onto me, trying to calm her down as I scurry through the damp shadowy passageways. I peek through the other storerooms and mildewed cells hoping to find Jin somewhere among these cells but am only met with stacks of blotched old stuff piled around in almost every corner.

Another explosion erupts and the entire building rattles, dust floating around and it became even more difficult to see my way through the haze and shadows.

“Shh…I’ll get you out…you’ll be fine…”

Soo coughs and chokes on her sobs and I hold her a little closer as I follow the hint of light my eyes caught at the end of the passage, my lungs filling with dust as well and I feel myself suffocating. But the next explosion throws me at a wall, the building rumbling and I realize it’s going to collapse on me if I don’t get out of here fast.

There are sound of bullets being fired at another corner of the building, pained wails and fearful shrieks abruptly rise and fall as I find myself praying to get out of here and find a safe place.

But the moment I step out of the passageway into a stony clearing, I feel rain pelting against my skin and a terrifying sight before my eyes.

A bloodied Taehyung struggling madly against a bruised Rayden, who brutally pummelled the already wounded soldier. But what made me freeze was an almost unconscious Jin lying on the wet stones, blood splattered on one side of his abdomen and Byun standing above him with a gun aimed straight at his head.  

“Ah…we were waiting just for you Jungkook” Byun grins at me and almost instantly I hear Taehyung.

“No! Get back…go away! Take her away!” He screams at me before I watch Rayden coil an arm around his neck and drag him back, throwing him down to throw kicks at him.

I gulp not understanding what to do, my eyes going back again to Jin, should I run away?

But Byun will kill him…I can’t let that happen…no way…

I take a step towards Jin, and Byun instantly aims his gun at me “don’t do anything stupid Jungkook”

“Let them go” I voice aiming my gun back at him now, resolute in my decision to not leave.

“What an idiot” he chuckles pressing a foot onto Jin’s bullet wound and my heart threatens to explode as his scream tears through. Taehyung pushes off of the ground, bolting towards Jin as he loudly curses at Byun to stop and pulls out a gun to aim at him as well.

“Ah so this is how it’s going to be eh?” Byun speaks pulling another gun to aim at Jin while I hear a gun cocking behind Taehyung as Rayden aims the weapon at his head.
It was a face off…one that had been long overdue to be honest and we stood absolutely alert and still.

I had my gun aimed at Byun, while Soo stayed coiled in my other arm, Taehyung had his gun aimed at Byun as well, Rayden had his gun aimed at Taehyung’s head and Byun had his arms extended, one aiming at me and the other at Jin.

“I gave you a choice Jungkook…but you chose to be stupid” Byun spoke still chuckling and shaking his head “however, I have nothing personal with you…so I’ll give you another choice…give me the kid…now”

The moment he spoke the words Taehyung’s gun snapped at me, eyes murderous as he panted heavily “I’ll kill you if you take a fucking step…”

“Let me at least finish” Byun speaks tsking under his breath and another agonizing wail tears through as I watch Jin slipping further into his unconsciousness.

“Stop hurting him!!” Taehyung threatened loudly, gun zapping to aim at Byun again. It was evident that Jin was in danger, he seemed to have lost too much blood already and he was barely moving at all. He needed to be taken to a hospital asap, or it might get too late.

The fear of watching him die right before my eyes made pain twist and claw into my insides and all air seemed to flush out of my lungs as I tried to look for a way to escape…need to get Jin out of here…I can’t watch him die…I can’t…    

“Let him go, I’ll do whatever you want me to do…just let me take him to a hospita-” “I thought you were better than this…I didn’t expect to see you begging” Byun taunted Taehyung, cold eyes focused on troubled ones and I could see how Taehyung was really at the edge of breaking now as he struggled to hold his flurried breathing.

“I don’t care…just let me-he’s hurt…what the fuck do you want?!” Taehyung’s words were rushed, his voice breaking and I saw the gun shaking in his grip.

“Okay then” Byun speaks cold unaffected eyes still set on Taehyung while a sinister smile tugged at one corner of his mouth “you can take him”

Taehyung doesn’t waste a second as he instantly takes a step towards Jin.

“Ah wait…I’m not done…you can take him in exchange for your little girl”

And I watch Taehyung literally pale before him, while I feel my throat going dry as I understand that Byun is intentionally playing with us…with Taehyung. He knows exactly how to ensure that Taehyung will be hurt and he seems to be enjoying watching him breaking bit by bit.

“N-No…no T-Tae…” Jin mumbles, eyes drooping shut as his breath stutters and he coughs out blood, groaning silently. I can tell he doesn’t have much time…we’re going to lose him if we delay any further and I think Byun knows that too.

The sight of Jin slowly edging closer to death does something to me and I feel all my senses recede to the back.

I take a couple steps towards Byun “I will give her to you”

Taehyung’s shaky hands holding the gun aim at me again “back the fuck off…you’re not-” “Jin will die…is that what you want?”

I can’t hold back the anger in my voice and it was the first time that I watch Taehyung looking at me with fear and helplessness pooling in his eyes, it was so evident to see that he could not think straight anymore.

“Kook p-please don't... save her please...”

We hear a weak whimpering cry and watch Byun heave Jin’s almost lifeless body up, the pain and weakness making Jin droop and tremble, his feet not having the strength to hold himself up.

“You better take a quick decision…his pulse seems to be falling fast”

I don’t even have to think anymore as I hasten towards Byun, intending to get Jin out of his grasp but before I can do that, I feel a gun going off and a bullet lodging into my back, and immediately after another bullet jabs straight into my leg.

Taehyung rushes to me, snatching Soo to himself as I roll over to watch him fuming at me. I guess he actually thought I was going to hand Soo to Byun…I just need a chance to get close enough to Byun, so that I can take a sure shot at his head.

Taehyung looks at me with disgust teeming in his eyes but doesn’t say a word as he turns towards Byun now, gun aiming at him again.

“Fine” he bellows out the words, his eyes look fierce and mad “I’ll play your game…you want me to watch them die…well I’ll make it easier…I’ll kill all of us…end it all right here…!!”

His hand moves in record speed, gun moving to aim at something in the distance.

The shot echoes as the bullet goes to hit against another set of mines he must have set up and instantly there’s a loud explosion, a part of the building collapses to become mere rubble on the ground. I groan struggling to use the distraction to edge nearer to Jin but both Taehyung and I freeze to see Byun press his gun at Jin’s right rib.

“You think that would scare me? Well, my turn I guess...”  he scoffs cocking the gun at Jin's back and I don't even think before aiming my gun at Byun as I pull the trigger.

A shrill shriek is all Jin gives out before his body goes limp, eyes momentarily meeting Taehyung’s before they turn unfocused while Byun stumbles back cursing, blood spilling down of the side of his chest.

Shit! Jin’s going to die…he won’t make it…no please Jin…no…

In the very next second Taehyung lunges at Byun without a thought, bare arms punching at the man without mercy. He uses Byun’s gun to shoot at Rayden, one bullet in the head is all it takes to silence the man before he shoves the gun at Byun’s head only to feel Byun press a pistol at his neck.

“Kai was right about one thing though” Byun grin’s like a mad man, his mouth bloodied, teeth stained red and face distorted with the hits he had just taken “you have what it takes to become Axel’s heir…you have what it takes to kill a man without remorse…it’s instinctive in you, isn’t it?”

Taehyung cocked the gun, very ready to pull the trigger as he tried to think how he was going to save Jin if he himself was to die by Byun’s gun.

“The trouble with love is…” Byun’s speaks in a leisurely way “it is the root of all your strength…as well as your weakness” his voice is a taunt to how cruelly he has ruined everything “I killed your mother and you led a team of innocent people to their end, if he dies…how far will you go this time for your revenge?”

“He won’t die! Shut up!!” Taehyung fumes, grasping at the weapon Byun held against him.

“You’re a convicted criminal…a terrorist…a father who had failed to be there for your child…deny my words all you want…but you cannot deny who you are Taehyung! You are my blood!! Everyone you love will die around you…because love isn’t meant for people like us! I pity your poor dead mother…she tried so hard…but look at you! You turned to be exactly like me!! The truth won’t change even if you kill me!!”

His cynical laughter filled the silent darkness before it got abruptly cut off when I hear a gun go off, multiple shots fired as I realized what was happening.

Taehyung had emptied an entire mag into Byun’s head, and it was a gruesome sight as blood rushed out to flow in a thick stream and mingled with the rainwater, the stones slowly drenched in the dark red hue.

Taehyung looked dazed as he picked himself up, half crawling and dragging himself towards Jin.

Soo wailed loudly as she sat clutching at her Appa’s barely breathing chest, her little arms soaked in Jin’s blood as she tried her best to wake him up and cried louder because he wouldn’t respond.

I struggled to stand but failed and dragged myself to get closer as well.

The building behind us continues to collapse in parts, the entire scene around a massacre as defiled corpses lay on the rubbles and the ground reeked of blood and death, rain trying to wash away the ruthless reality of revenge and hatred.

But it has finally come to an end…Axel is no more…

I try to stand but fail, the bullet has probably lodged into my bone…

Taehyung has most likely forgotten about me as I watch with hazy eyes him carry Jin to a car he managed to break into and start…but if Jin survives then I wouldn’t blame him.

My eyes begin to close as I realize that I too had lost a lot of blood as well…I feel my body floating, as if someone is dragging me somewhere but I can’t really feel anything anymore. I guess this is what dying feels like…no burdens…no fears…no pain…only an airy existence…

It is a frightening thought isn’t it…that everything that is so important to us, the things on which we spend our every living minute…the ones who are our very breath can be taken away in the fraction of a second?

It’s okay though…I won’t regret if I die tonight…Axel is finished…no more will they ever torment anyone…no more will they trap young boys and ruin their lives…no more will they make others lives miserable…it’s okay…despite everything I had the chance to live the way I had wanted to…even if it was for a short while, I could get away from their clutches and be just myself…I had friends…I had people who cared about me…I learnt what it feels to love…I lived my share…it’s all I could ask for…

And all I want is for them to be happy and safe…even if I am not a part of it anymore…yes, that’d be my last wish...

…flashback ends…

“Who brought you to the hospital?” Yoongi’s voice cut through as Jungkook finished telling him everything. They were currently in the headquarters, it had been a week more after Jungkook had been brought back and was currently living with Hoseok and Yoongi.

“I am not sure but I think Taehyung did…he must have brought Jin there as well, he needed urgent medical assistance…I think he left without a word intentionally” Jungkook spoke, his mind lost in thoughts as he tries hard to remember.

They still had no news about Taehyung, Jin or Soo and feared the worst that Jin probably didn’t make it and Taehyung had gone back to being the short-tempered man who hid himself away from other eyes because he didn’t like being among others when he feels lost. Namjoon had enquired with the officials if they had heard Taehyung accessing any of the safe houses but had been met only with more disappointment.

“I found something weird, though it’s about Byun” Hoseok spoke, voice contemplative as he seemed lost in thoughts “you said Byun wanted to get out of the country…but there was no evidence of the transit he had ordered rather there was something else”
Jungkook looked at him with wide curious eyes hoping he’d continue.

“Do you know that all of Axel’s assets are supposed to go to Kai and Byun’s heirs? Everything they had acquired over time actually belongs to you and Taehyung…and it’s worth millions of dollars.”

Jungkook was shocked but not too much…it wasn’t difficult to guess that Axel had loads of money stashed somewhere…you don’t control such a powerful organization without money.

“Well, I’m sure many more such news will come up now that they have opened the investigations on Axel again” Jungkook spoke, casually shrugging “I’ll let the officials decide what to do.”

They sat silently for a while, Yoongi by Jungkook’s side as Hoseok sat thinking what could be done for acquiring answers and Namjoon sat before the computer, checking through stuff, an unmindful action because his mind was gripped with the same anxiety as of the others. Byun’s death had already been confirmed from the evidence they had managed to gather from the ruined site of the old mill, Axel’s end proved to be a huge news as it brought about varied reactions from all sections of the society.

The officials at the headquarters had profusely commended all of them for their brilliance and dedication to work for justice. Although Col. Taehyung and his entire family seemed to be MIA, it was still a very proud moment for all of them. But if anyone saw the victorious team now, they would only trace apprehension and anxiousness on their faces. So, when a new mail popped up among the notifications Namjoon very uninterestedly clicked on it, believing it to be some random stuff for work. 

However, his entire demeanour changed the moment he read the first line and he sat up straight, peering into the screen to get a better view.

“I think it’s alright to believe that they are all well…and safe” everyone turned to Namjoon only to see the man beaming while his eyes stayed fixed on the screen “Taehyung just sent me an email, it says they are safe…but I think we won’t be seeing them anytime soon”.

“So, he just vanished and now he says he’s never coming back?” Hoseok’s voice is low but accusing as he rushes across the room to huff over Namjoon’s shoulder to check the email “what the fuck is he even thinking?!”

“Why are you getting angry? He clearly said they are happy there” Jungkook assured, his heart utterly at peace to know that all of them were safe and well, and finally he felt like he could breathe right.

The last encounter with death had taught him one thing for sure…that what he really wanted for Jin was to be happy and safe, it was the same for Soo as well…and right now he could feel the bliss it brought over him. He wasn’t annoyed to think that he wouldn’t see Jin as often as he did, he wasn’t cursing at Taehyung for taking the decision to take Jin away without informing anyone. He was simply glad to know that they were doing better.

And although it seemed to have slipped his understanding but this was the first step of the closure for Jungkook to accept to move on and to look at life beyond what he thought he wanted and rather acknowledge as it unfolded in its own way for him.

He too went to peer at the screen over Namjoon’s shoulder and joined the others to read it.

General Namjoon,

I know you might want to kill me for vanishing without a heads up but let me explain…I had my reasons to do what I did.

I almost lost Jin, he’s been in a coma for this entire time and the doctors there gave up on him…so I had to take him elsewhere. He woke up yesterday…not in a good shape yet but yeah…he’s alive.

Soo’s had it worse than me I guess, she won’t stop crying…cried herself to sleep every night the last few days. I saw her smile after two weeks when Jin hugged her back today.

I want to say that things are all better now and we’ll be back soon but I don’t think that’s going to happen. It has all been too traumatising, I want them to live in peace from here on. I want Soo to grow up without facing anything that I did.

I am not coming back, that was my last mission anyway and I have decided that I rather prefer living in a small town where no one knows me as a soldier…a major or a colonel...I can live here as I used to, only this time I am not hiding.

We can be happy here…although Jin thinks it’ll be a little boring without you all, I too agree with him…so make sure to visit us often. All of you stay out of danger, and if ever you need any help then just call me up…but only if it’s very very important…I might have pledged never to get back into business but I am a soldier after all…I’ll be there if you need me to be there.

Well, that’s it I guess…my mission is finally done General, I have avenged all their deaths…I feel like life gave me a whole new chance and it’s time I focus on living the best I can. I think I owe it to Jin more than anyone else…

This will be my last official mail, I’ll return my badge to you…and I request you to tell the higher ups no shit threats is gonna make me attend their interrogation or answer any question from the media, so they better stop trying to find me.

No more missions for me…I’m officially signing off now.

Colonel Kim Taehyung,
Over and out.

á na márië.

[A\N] The next chapter will officially be the end of this story✨

🙃

Borahae💜