- Chapter 26 :

"Are we there yet???" Namjoon sighed loudly and dropped Yoomi off of his shoulder, turning around and facing the young girl with a tight frown. "Yoomi, it's been a minute!" Yoomi pouted and frowned, sitting on her behind and crossing her arms with a frown. Namjoon deadpanned and looked up. 

It was getting dark outside and he knew he had to find shelter for his sister and himself before the sun completely left their side. After all, the walkers, or sick people as he told his sister, mostly came out at night. 

He picked up Yoomi (forcefully) and draped her over his shoulder before they kept walking, Yoomi singing random songs and Namjoon biting his lips in anxiety as he scanned the drylands. They were between the towns Lithania and Glosine, and so far he'd encountered nothing suspicious, although every now and then he'd heard a creak from a house and run as Yoomi groaned.

He wasn't always carrying Yoomi, but at the same time, he was. They would be walking just fine and the next moment she'd spray her arms out and look at Namjoon expectantly. Namjoon wouldn't even register himself picking her up until minutes later when she'd start humming her random tunes. It had become a habit. At least his arms were visibly stronger now.

"Yoomi, do you see any place to sleep?" He asked. He got no response and furled his eyebrows. When he turned back, he groaned to see his sister asleep on his shoulder. He instead scanned the area once more and his eyes brightened as he spotted a small house, lights shining through its windows.

Namjoon ran to the house, suddenly excited. It had been way too long since he was in a shelter or properly fed as they had just been scavenging food as they went. Yoomi was helpful at that at least, always ready to help when the topic was food. Namjoon looked at the small one-story house, at the blue paint that faded beautifully and at the plants and greenery that seemed to cover the windows, only letting room for light to seep out. 

It was a beautiful home.

Namjoon knocked on the door with his big hand and waited with a smile. It took a minute or two, but eventually, the doors opened to a woman with a surprised expression. She had jet black hair that curled at the ends and beautiful brown eyes that seemed to be endless. She almost reminded Namjoon of his mother...when she was healthy that is.

"What are you two doing out here this late at night by yourselves?" The woman asked, eyeing the sleeping body of Yoomi slung over Namjoon's shoulder. Namjoon smiled at the elder woman and trie explaining, "We're traveling, and we just were wondering if we could take shelter here tonight. It'd only be one night if you wouldn't mind." Namjoon didn't explain about his parents as he didn't want the lady to think they might've been exposed to it, plus she seemed like she knew nothing about it. 

The lady still looked shocked, but nodded faintly and moved to let Namjoon and his sleeping companion inside. 

The door closed behind them.

"This is a beautiful house!" Namjoon exclaimed, genuine. The lady smiled gently and nodded, "Thank you. I haven't had visitors ever since my husband died three years ago." She says it a bit too casually and Namjoon tries to ignore the pairs of shoes sitting around the house. 'Maybe she likes shoes', he tries to think to himself, but he doesn't the fact that the shoes aren't the same size.

Namjoon sets Yoomi down on a sofa as he really looks at the house. It has three visible rooms to him, a kitchen with a small dining table, the living room he was in with no electronics or anything, and another room that was sitting in the darkness cast by the greenery and endless plants.

"What's that room?" Namjoon points at the locked room as the lady looks up from her cooking, eyes instinctively squinting. Namjoon was deciding whether it was due to bad sight or feigning bad sight. She smiled evenly at Namjoon instead, "It's my bedroom. It is a little private, so I hope you wouldn't mind sleeping here on the couch tonight?" She takes a pause. "I can get another pillow or so for your sister too!" She said, a bit too enthusiastically as Namjoon nodded, starting to feel a bit sick in his stomach.

There was something that was just so wrong about this situation, a gut feeling. But he knew this woman was being ever so kind to them and he couldn't say anything. He'd be able to leave the next morning anyway, so he remained silent and didn't cause a scene.

The lady walked to Namjoon and handed him two bags of Denebolian snacks, smiling. "I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Denise and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance!"  Namjoon smiled, a bit less enthusiastically than before and chuckled before taking the snacks, thanking Denise. As she walked back to the kitchen, he wondered why she didn't offer the stew or main courses she was obviously cooking for herself. 

He thought it might be rude to ask after she had offered him food at all, and minded his own business, eating the snacks and saving one bag for when his sister would wake up.

The awkward tension in the house seemed to grow until Denise abruptly stopped working like a robot and turned to Namjoon, smiling. Namjoon noticed that the more and more he saw her smile, the faker he felt it was. "I am going to go to bed now, as it's quite late. You should do the same." Denise said as she made her way to the locked room, concealed by the quiet.

Namjoon nodded. Denise opened the door and turned around, her face half-covered by the shade, hiding half of her face. Namjoon was sure he saw a faint glimmer pass through her eyes and she smiled one last time, almost menacingly.

"Goodnight, sleep tight, and...

don't let anything bite." She then giggled and slowly closed the door. 

Namjoon didn't even notice how fast he was breathing. The lights were still on in the living room but he felt like he was covered in the blanker of darkness. He felt himself sweat as he got up, knees shaking and made his way to the main door. He silently covered the knob with his hand and twisted and pulled. 

The door didn't budge.

Namjoon looked carefully at the door, there was a silver lock on it, in the shape of a head. Namjoon gulped and turned around, tiptoeing back to his sister. Yoomi opened her eyes as Namjoon gently shook her, keeping a finger to his mouth to warn her to stay silent. A haze and curtain of fatigue and sleep covered her eyes but she managed to sit up, looking around at her surroundings confused.  

Namjoon seriously hoped that he was just paranoid and that it was nothing and he was imagining things. Yoomi had no problems at all as she sat on the couch, eating her snacks, still not realizing where she was at all. 

Namjoon suddenly felt a cold gust of wind against his skin as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck lift. He wasn't sure if he was having trauma after his parents and seeing his own mother become a monster, but he lifted his head and looked into the corridor that led to the bedroom nevertheless. He squinted into the darkness but still saw no one.

He felt the need to quench another of his doubts as he rose to his feet and silently made his way to the kitchen, walking closer to the pots sitting on the stove. Yoomi watched him silently from the couch, munching uncertainly on her snacks. She wondered why her brother was so fidgety but didn't say voice her concerns. 

Namjoon took a breath and uncovered the lid that hit the contents of the pot. He looked inside and took a deep whiff of the stew and immediately felt the need to puke. A sharp metallic scent struck his nose and didn't leave as he made a face, scrunching his nose.

Why did this red stew smell like blood? He suddenly stopped, eyes wide....red stew...blood..red...He felt his breathing become labored as he looked back into the stew, seeing chunks. He used a stirring stick to stir the stew around. Namjoon clamped a hand around his mouth as the stick uncovered a chunk of flesh.

Namjoon felt his knees shake as he held onto the countertop for support. He turned around and tried to ignore the tears in his eyes. He looked back at the scattered pairs of shoes in the house and scars and scrapes in the wall leading to the bedroom as he took a small breath, forcing himself to breathe at this point.

He had to get Yoomi out.

He had to get out before they both ended up like the people who had come before them. He always knew cannibals still existed on their planet as they were warned about cannibals in school. He never thought he'd ever meet one though.

When he thought about it, it all made sense. A lonely house in the middle of nowhere and greenery everywhere to mask the windows and let no one in, but also to put out a positive image. 

He walked to Yoomi slowly, only to see her watching the darkness with her bright eyes. "Yoomi, what's wrong?" He said as his sister didn't even look up at him. Instead, she pointed into the darkness, "Brother, was that door open before?"

Namjoon's blood ran cold as he slowly turned around and looked down the corridor in horror. The light from the living room uncovered the open bedroom door, the darkroom on full display. Namjoon clamped his hand on Yoomi's shoulder, "Yoo, get up. We have to go." Yoomi had learned not to disobey her wise older brother's words at this point, knowing he only wanted to keep her safe. 

She got up, picking up the snacks with her and holding them in a defensive way, "The food comes with us." Namjoon made no comment. He instead kept staring into the darkness when he realized something.

Next to him, was a panel full of light switches- three to be more accurate. Two of them were flipped on, signaling they were meant to control the kitchen and the living room. One of them was flipped off...the one to the corridor.

Namjoon held Yoomi's wrist and pulled her with him as he edged to the panel, not turning his back to the corridor. He reached his long fingers out to the light switch and with one last withering breath, flipped it on.

Nothing.

There was nothing there. No lady, no nothing. 

Namjoon stood very silently and did not breathe for even a minute. His hand felt up the silver lock. All he had to do was switch the lock off and then pull the door open and run for it...easy right?

Yoomi sucked in a breath.."Joonie...the vines." Namjoon took a second glance at the green twisted vines when he noticed something he hadn't seen before. There was a lump in the strands of vines. They perfectly covered the walls, but the imperfection stood out.

It stood even more out when the vines parted ever so slightly and a tongue appeared, licking its lips. 

Oh no.

Denise parted the vines fully and jumped out, arms outstretched with a knife in her hands. There was a crazed look in her eyes, a wild bloodlust, and hunger that seemed like it could never get quenched. The knife had dried blood on it, the blade dull as Namjoon wondered(in his panic) how many victims had seen their end due to that knife.

Yoomi screeched as Namjoon undid the lock and opened the door, grabbing Yoomi and jumping out. He yelped as he closed the door right in the face of Denise. However comforting it was to hear the 'thud' of Denis meeting the door square in the jaw, he knew it wasn't enough. 

He grabbed Yoomi's hand as they ran far from the house, far away. They kept running for as long as their bodies allowed them too, not even noticing how far they'd run. 

Why was it that every time someone was his mother or reminded him of his mother, they turned out to be monsters? Were Denebolians always this....psychotic? Maybe he was just meeting the wrong people....continuously. 

"Can we stop running now?" Yoomi cried, out of breath. Namjoon raised an eyebrow, "Yoomi. I've literally been carrying you the WHOLE time." Yoomi opened her mouth to say something, but closed it and grumbled instead.

Namjoon sighed as he slid his sister off of his back. There were back to square 1, no shelter- actually maybe square 2 as they now had food. Namjoon looked back to see that his sister did not carry the snack pack in her hands like he thought she was before. Nevermind...square 1 it is.

Namjoon sighed and sat in the middle of no where, the concrete feeling ground meeting him as he curled up into a circle. Yoomi watched with a pout on her lips, confused at her brother's actions. "Brother, are you feeling well? Perhaps you should have snuck out the stew Denise-" Namjoon held up a hand, feeling like he'd puke if he thought about that house and the stew again.

The fact that Denise could be searching the fields for them made Namjoon want to stand and drag Yoomi all the way through space to Orpheus. "Yoomi, lie down and sleep." He said as he sighed, moving a little to accommodate his sister. Yoomi waited another minute or so before snuggling into her brother's arms, smiling as she fell asleep, the sleepy haze returning to her eyes.

Denise didn't matter, monsters didn't either. Nothing scared little Yoomi as long as her brother was next to her.

When Yoomi woke up, Namjoon was not next to her.

She panicked at first, wiping her eyes rapidly and gasping. She tried to feel the ground, searching for vibrations of any living organisms. It was something most to all Denebolians were capable of doing, as long as they were close to nature and the ground, they felt most powerful.

She felt nothing and frowned. She got up and looked around, her eyes met by a dark sky and cement-like ground. Namjoon would never leave her, it was a fact she believed in with all of her heart.  

She then paused, scrunching up her nose. Had her brother left her due to sleepwalking? It wasn't the first time it had occurred. Once, Namjoon had sleepwalked out of their bedroom- after locking it. After he thoroughly swept through the house, he sleepwalked back up and tried opening their now locked bedroom. When it didn't budge, he began whining that it was the FBI(a special police unit native to Denebola) and that she needed to open up. When that didn't work, he started sobbing saying he needed to pee- all while being asleep.

Namjoon really did put Yoomi into awe. She was half glad she didn't sleepwalk, but half wished she had funny stories like that to tell people. The way people's faces would light up with embers of laughter after talking to Namjoon always made Yoomi feel so cool to have him as her older brother. Namjoon was the best.

But where was her heroic brother now? She got up and began walking straight in one direction. If Namjoon had truly sleepwalked away, he could be alone and scared too. The thought of her brother looking around at his surroundings with wide doe eyes made her smile vanish. She wanted her brother to be happy!

"Joonie?!" She called out, concern ringing through her voice as she surveyed her surroundings once more. Was she dreaming? 

"Yoomi!" She heard a faint call in the distance. Immediately her eyes spun to the direction the sound came from as her legs began moving on their own accord. It felt like hours had gone by when she stopped running, eyes wide as she peered into the ditch right in front of her. Namjoon was frowning, his knee bleeding and eyes red. She wondered if he'd been crying the whole time.

"How did you get there?" She asked, already formulating what must've happened. He must've truly sleepwalked away, right into the ditch! Namjoon confirmed it as he looked away flustered, Yoomi sighing in defeat. 

The ditch was low, very low in fact. It was probably thrice as big as Yoomi. Her heart broke for her brother. "I-I'll go get help! Just wait here, I promise I'll be back!" She said as she gave her brother one fleeting look and then ran off. 

She looked up to see three boulders surrounding the ditch, also symbolizing the way she'd find her way back here. It was finally her time to save her brother!

Yoomi wasn't sure how long she ran, it must've been ten or twenty minutes before she came to a stop, too tired to keep going. She was quite proud of herself though, she used to not be able to run for even one minute continuously, so this was progress.

She took a deep breath and leaned over as she placed her palms on her knees and waited for her breathing to come to a normal pace. 

Yoomi was about to continue on her way when she paused and looked behind her. She felt like she was being watched, the hairs on the back of her neck rising. She bit her lip in fear and kept walking at a slower pace now, looking around. 

She heard a crack and looked to the right, eyes widening as she suppressed a scream. It was four monsters, the same kind that forced them to leave home. Yoomi cried out in surprise and jumped back, turning around to run only to find two more walkers cornering her. She looked from side to side, gulping and wondering what to do.

Namjoon was still stuck in that ditch, she couldn't just leave him.

What would Namjoon do?

What would Namjoon do!?

Yoomi closed her eyes and kneeled down to the floor as she covered her eyes with her elbows. 

Namjoon wouldn't be proud of her, but she didn't know what else to do! Instead of the sickening sound the monsters were making, she heard battle cries....Denebolian battle cries. Yoomi slowly peeked out from her arms to see a bunch of kids, her age and older than her, perhaps Namjoon's age.

They were attacking the monsters, clawing them, jumping on them, hitting them with weird weapons such as sticks, pipes, anything that could be used as a weapon. The few monsters went down quickly at the hands of the ruthless children. Their clothes were ripped in various places but something about the children, possibly their age, made them seem trustworthy. 

Yoomi was helped up by a girl, possibly older than her by a few years as she surveyed Yoomi with a small smile, eyes calming down and softening. "What are you doing out here alone?" Yoomi was suddenly brought back into the world with that question. She stopped focusing on how cool this girl was and suddenly got the brilliant idea to ask for help.

"U-Uh I'm Yoomi. My brother Namjoon fell into a ditch, I need help getting him out!" She said frantically as the girl shrugged, looking back at the children who seemed to look at her as their leader. "I see no reason to say no. Let's go."

It took ten minutes to get back at the pace they were going. Yoomi hoped her brother was okay and hadn't encountered a problem like herself, especially since he was stuck...in a ditch.

It didn't take long until the bunch of kids reached Namjoon. At first, Namjoon was utterly surprised and gave Yoomi an approving nod, followed by a hug when he was pulled out of the ditch by the children, all supporting his weight to pull him out.

He turned to the girl that seemed to be the leader of the small ratchet band of kids and smiled. "I'm Kim Namjoon, Yoomi's brother. Thank you for saving us." He gratefully stated. The girl smiled and held her hand out for a handshake, "I'm Lee Minrei. Nice to meet you Namjoon." Namjoon stared at her outstretched hand. After years of being cursed with bad luck with handshakes, was he finally going to receive one? 

Before his hand met her's though, Yoomi butted in, "Namjoonie, can we join these kids?" Minrei instantly took her hand back as she combed her hair in thought. Namjoon busted a vein and gave Yoomi a dirty look, the latter didn't seem to notice. 

It wasn't long until they agreed and Namjoon and Yoomi had a home- or a family. His IQ and thinking got him to be on the same stand as Minrei as they got closer as time passed. The children were all from Lume, another city, and had the same situation as Namjoon and Yoomi.

They promised to stay together, banding more people and eventually finding a cure to save the people of Denebola and go back to the life they once had.

It was five years later when they were able to settle down in an abandoned complex, creating labs and beginning to collect weapons and create a home out of the complex. It was that same year Namjoon and Minrei began dating, and the same year the walkers attacked the base for the first time.

They thought that they'd be prepared, but they were proved wrong. The ferocity shown by the walkers with their bloodthirsty nature was beyond imagined. The casualties were high, and one of the people that had passed away,

was Kim Yoomi.

It was that year Namjoon became an orphan.

NEXT ON CHAPTER 27 : Alnilam

"Are we actually doing this?" Yoongi groaned as you and Taehyung shared a look, grinning.

"I think it's about time Sir Seal and Teahoong make a comeback!" You high-fived Taehyung as Yoongi looked like he was about to blast you back to Orpheus. Tera seemed to deflate if that was possible and Hoseok, Namjoon, and Jimin made confused expressions.

"Goddamnit, I hate you clowns."

hello loves!!! its been a lONG time i know, but i am back!!!! since school ended i've been on a few trips for some national competition and then a vacation to see family so its been hectic...high school, what else can i say?

as to the ending of this chapter, i left it off abruptly as such because we all know what happens when a loved one dies, pain and grief, and i felt like i didn't need to add that into this chapter as it does come to play later in the books.

we're officially done with Namjoon's flashback! next chapter, we'll be back to normal story, so i hope you've been missing luciel (; 

does anyone play to the edge of the sky? its not a bts game anymore, but its a bts inspired visual novel and i LOVE it. also school starts on september 5th and i am NOT okay....although i guess im kinda excited. my mental health has also been kind of off lately for various reasons so this chapter might be a little worse than my previous ones, so i am sorry if the writing quality has decreased.

random question, but should i do a q&a soon?

let's have som fun now and go through all the names for luciel!!! : luciel, ciel(my favorite one), lu, elly, luce, sir seal, lucia, and assiel <3, hope that clears it for now...and we'll see how many more get added hehe. 

if anyone knows kyle hanagami(the BEST choreographer and my dance inspiration), then know that i LOVE him. please check out his dances to 'fetish', 'it wont kill ya', 'theres no way', and 'find you'. i also recommend those songs to be listened to!

that's all for now loves! i hope you have a great day/night and i'll see you in chapter 27!

-lunar