#they dont bite they judge | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

theothernads · 9 days ago

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• ── ❛❛ 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝟎𝟎𝟕 ❞ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⋆

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.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ִֶָ࣪☾. 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒: In a world where vampires exist, the city of Seoul is not safe. With the most notorious in the Facility 007, everyone thought that the city would be kept at bay with murders being stopped and for terror to stop haunting everyone in the night. That's what you thought when they were captured and stopped the vampirism from spreading by biting normal humans. However, you made a mistake in assuming that these seven would give up, and you underestimated their desire for power and control when you were invited for an internship to said Facility 007. It should have been easy enough. But one myth and night changed everything, and now, you have to figure out how to play your cards right if you want to take them down.

── ִֶָ࣪☾. 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: vampire!Enha×f!reader. ❀ .⭒ֶָ֢⋆.

── ִֶָ࣪☾. 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: biting, violence, chainsaws, blood, fighting, lots of death, Enha are MEAN ASFAWK, handcuffs, vampires (duh), needles, and violence <3

╰┈➤ don't proceed if you don't like that.

ִֶָ࣪☾. 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 20.6k ☰ ִֶָ࣪☾. 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐘: ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ

— ִֶָ࣪☾. [𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒]: okay. So. I have returned with the fic!! It took a while to edit and I'm not even that satisfied with the outcome BUT, I know people are waiting so, I decided to just put it out and let yall judge! I... um. Yeah. I did enjoy writing this one actually. I have a new idea for a Hoon fic but MAFIA. BUT NOT THE CRINGEY KIND 😭. Anyway, hope you enjoy. And yes, the word count did go up somehow💀. Anyway, pls let me know how you like it/dont like it.

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ REBLOGS, LIKES+ COMMENTS are appreciated<3

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FACILITY 007.

The most highly guarded prison to accommodate the most notorious vampires to ever roam the streets. Each prison was made with soundproof walls, ropes at the ready, and a seat built into the plain walls, reminding prisoners of their inevitable sentence.

These vampires made the news within hours; their trademark were black masks that covered the cheeks and nose with narrow gaps where the teeth would be of a horrid creature.

Each of their kills were brutal and malicious, with people drowning in their own blood, limbs left at awkward angles, and sometimes, the bodies were too unrecognisable to even have an autopsy performed. And for any of it to go on the news.

The hunt for them was hasty—they were picked up on the CCTV in town when it all happened, and the police were already staged there. In all honesty, you expected more precision and flair in their crooked plans, but you had been proven wrong when leather cuffs were latched onto their wrists as Seoul's personal mark of retaliation.

They scared you, of course. But, for your mother, it was a light at the end of the tunnel for her research. Instead of killing those vampires (which you strongly insisted on), the authorities handed them over to this research facility, all locked up, studied, and examined down to the T. They were homed in the West Wing, whilst you and your mother stayed at the East Wing, where the labs were situated.

Now, where do you come in?

You hated those no-good vampires, and there was absolutely nothing to persuade you to ever go near one…

Except.

Except your mother offering an insightful internship at her facility to gain experience since you were in the final year of your biomedical course. There were perks that came with having a crazy scientist as your mother. And, you accepted it with a single breath.

It was a little hypocritical when you agreed to it, but experience was a dream that barely came by commonly.

What you didn't accept is the part where you had to go to the West Wing and administer drugs directly to said vampires. The drugs, as much as you know, suppressed their strength or any traces of vampirism that lived in their bodies. It made it easier to handle their abilities where the Facility only had humans working.

Your mother already had an excuse precisely stitched.

"If you ever want to study something, you cannot be standing away from the microscope,” she had said to you over a bland tomato sandwich.

“You can if you have other colleagues,” you had argued back to her, making her narrow her gaze with that authoritative, motherly fire.

“Then you will never understand your specimen. Nor become a real scientist.”

Which leads to now.

It was a gloomy day in Seoul, the temperature enough to induce a shiver up your spine, but not enough to convince you to wear a coat. The West Wing was a maze—a cream and monotone maze that only had emergency buttons every few metres. Your footsteps echoed and broke through the icy air lingering in the air. But, the loudest thing was your heartbeat. It beat the silence.

The thick drum of each beat sent you breathless; you wouldn't be surprised if the vampires saw you coming from the way your heart was practically singing to them.

You clutched the thick, brown file to your chest as you entered the elevator, swallowing down the apprehension that came with your first official job without your mother.

Another ding, and the elevator soared up, adding to your nausea.

It's fine. You were fine and you would ace this task even if you weren't being graded. Just go in, administer the drugs, get out, and then repeat about seven times. Then, you could sprint out of there.

Easy.

The grey doors opened revealing the long hallway and the double doors at the end, two guards stood with thick, black guns and a face of certain security. Violence wasn't your thing, but seeing guns in the arms of (hopefully) capable guards eased the anxiety stinging up your spine.

When you walked up to them, you fished out the lanyard beneath your white lab coat and beamed a polite smile at them. ��Intern Song Y/n here.”

The one on the right glanced and the one on the left pressed a secret button at his waist. The buzz of the doors rang through your ears, and you pushed through with another tide of silence. It was even creepier here.

It wasn't dark—no—it was even brighter here, cream walls lined with the normal emergency buttons, and there were only two single doors opposite each other, locked and with keypads. The silence waited and lingered over you, but was knotted with something tense and anticipating.

Okay, right or left? It didn't really matter when each door had a monster strapped behind them and could easily strip you of your blood. You opened the file and saw the first name.

Lee Heeseung—the oldest of the lot, observant and critical, but insanely quiet. He was restrained with a single rope around his torso, leather cuffs around his arms, and a single chain around his ankle.

Great, you were practically meeting the ghost of the group. You always thought to yourself that having chains was better for the arms, but apparently they could use those as weapons. You had to agree. They were monsters but it didn't mean said creatures couldn't be resourceful.

To the left you went. After showing the guard your ID, you popped in the code and entered the lab. The chill breathed down your body, the hum of the equipment thrumming steadily over the metal table and counters. The door slammed shut behind and you flinched.

“Fuck these stupid doors,” you said to no one but yourself. Hastily putting the file down on the middle table, you caught sight of the blinds over a large plane of glass where light peeked in from behind it. Without hesitation, you sauntred to the blinds and pulled, the secrecy lifting to reveal what was behind.

You almost jumped once more when you spotted the lone figure sitting with a hung head, black locks falling over his eyes, totally still as if time didn't affect him. The ropes around his torso and the metal chain around his ankle told you that you had met the older vampire.

Lee Heeseung.

You don't know what you were expecting but this creature was much more depressed than you anticipated. Of course, no one likes being trapped in a windowless room, but you thought he would have his red eyes on you already. Or maybe he's asleep? You can't blame him.

Your thoughts were broken when a door slammed behind you and another heartbeat joined yours with careful footsteps.

You whipped your head around, prepared to hit the intruder with your fists, but relaxed when you saw a familiar male.

“Taehyun, gosh, you scared me,” you said in exasperation. The male walked over with his brown, floppy hair, white lab coat and a small smile of satisfaction.

“Mission successful.” he nudged you in the arm once close enough. In return, you nudged him back and breathed, glad that it was your fellow friend rather than a stranger with fangs.

“What you doing here?” you asked, walking away from the window. Taehyun glanced over his shoulder before joining you with a playful smirk.

“Supervising. It's your first time administering the suppressants, right?” He grinned.

“Yeah. And your smile is not helping,” you said, observing him and his smile. As if he knew something you didn't, and he probably did since he has always been in the West Wing ever since you started your work here. You want to be like him, to fearlessly exit the elevator without a speck of apprehension. To be confident, really.

Taehyun leaned on the table in front with his elbows before noticing the anxiety soiling all the fun that came with being a scientist. “You're nervous.”

“Great observation, Terry.” you muttered before he laughed again.

“Look, it is simple. Heeseung, from what I know, doesn't really speak to me, and he is tied up the most among them,” he said, looking at the table as if was going through a mental walk-through of it.

Simple. That's what you told yourself all of last night, but you underestimated the anchor of your anxiety. It was much heavier and it completely left your skills stranded in the middle of what felt like a vast ocean. And you didn't know how to lift it with your bare hands. You sighed and cleared the sweat on your palms by wiping it on the sides of your coat. Taehyun chuckled under his breath, and you glared daggers into him.

“Shut up, will you? Not everyone is experienced.”

“Just go in,” Taehyun said as he straightened himself before you. Then, his eyes drifted over your shoulder and tensed somewhat. “Hey, he's expecting you anyway.”

When he said that, your heartbeat spiked so hard, but not as hard as your head snapping to the glass behind you.

Heeseung was awake, and those dark eyes behind his locks still managed to cut right into your gaze and chop it into ten pieces. There was a permanent frown on his lips, skin glittering under the fluorescent lights, fists curled between his lap. But even as you dared to stare, you couldn't miss the intrigue bleeding into his gaze, then consuming him fully as he lifted his chin with a slow precision.

You swallowed hard, feeling as if your whole body had clicked into a safety lock just by simply being visible through the glass. And still, he stared.

“See, I told you he is expecting you!” Taehyun patted your back, jolting you out of that tense state and making you huff.

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“Okay, so, go in and administer the drug first. Then, the blood drink should be fed to him through the straw. He is not like the others, since he keeps his fangs to himself.”

“Keeps his fangs to himself?!” you exclaimed incredulously as Taehyun led you to the door with a steady hand on your back. You currently held a blood bag with a plastic opening that could pass as a straw, and a syringe with a safety cap over the needle.

Taehyun nodded as if it was a normal breakfast routine, grinning down at you. That didn't help in the slightest but it was too late because you were in front of the sliding door already.

“Do the others bite?” you inquired once more, trying very hard to stall. He caught on and sighed as he crossed his arms with mirth. The genuine worry sparkled in your gaze. To keep your confidence up, he gripped your shoulders firmly.

“Don't think about it. I'll tell you the answer after you do this.”

Damn, a stupid bargain. With a huff, you faced the door, breathed once for the anxiety to dissipate as if it was as light as dust being carried away by the breeze.

The door slid open and you entered, closing it behind you before registering the utter silence in here. There was no equipment in here, so no hum, and it sounded as if Heeseung didn't breathe. So, it was just you.

The room was a plain grey and you faced Heeseung with the most tense shoulders known in mankind, all the advice that was given flying out your body.

His eyes never left you, head slightly turned with attention. Your files were right: he was insanely observant. He's probably judging how fast your heart was skipping its scheduled beats.

Whatever, you don't have all day. You have six more vampires to take care of after him.

With an inhale, you stepped forward a few steps until you stood before him, the syringe at the ready. You didn't know if you should introduce yourself.

Did Taehyun introduce himself? Does he know you're different?

All those questions flooded your brain as you screwed the cap off, facing the criminal before you. This time, his chin was lifted more, staring shamelessly. You swallowed again before digging for a small plastic packet with a wipe.

“You're different.” his voice made your shoulders jump again, but you nodded once, stoic.

“Thanks?”

“Not Technician Kang,” he reiterated again. You nodded again once, gesturing for him to tilt his head. Heeseung blinked once, the attention sharpening and slicing your skin, but he did as you asked, exposing the right side of his neck.

“I am not Technician Kang, you're right.” you wiped the side of his cold neck before bringing the needle to his skin and letting the sharpness sink deep in.

Heeseung didn't react much, but his jaw clenched, as if this routine was nonsensical—annoyed. When the drug flowed into him, his veins splayed out like a map, black, winding up his neck and disappearing under his black shirt, and he shifted, rolling his neck.

You took the syringe and tossed it into the green waste bag tied to your lab coat. Next, the blood bag in the large pocket of yours. This was going perfectly. Minimal speaking and you were nearly done.

What a success.

“But you know who I am, right?”

Damn it, you thought too soon.

“Who doesn't?” you replied, trying to ignore the slight tremble as you opened the small straw to the blood bag. Heeseung narrowed his gaze but the smell of blood hit him, and he scowled when you brought it closer. Confused, you held it away slightly.

“Something wrong?” you asked. Heeseung's gaze pinned right into the blood bag, as if that was the next annoying thing.

“You still insist on feeding us those… animal leftovers,” he muttered with disgust. You looked to the label and saw it was cow blood that he was straying away from. Gosh, he was picky about blood? You hid the awkwardness down below and sighed.

“Well, if you don't want to drink it, you won't get anything else,” you explained, but you were so sure he knew that already. Heesseung sighed deeply through his nose, the frown deepening before he lifted his chin in defeated acceptance. With that, you led straw to his chapped lips.

The blood rushed through the straws, the bag emptying with alarming speed to satiate his hunger.

You could guess the facility kept them on the cliff of starvation. Not enough to send them insane out of hunger. It was a little cruel but in your head, it was compensation for all those crime scenes decorated with blood and organs that should never see the light of day.

You put the empty bag in the green disposal bag once done and stepped back with your anxiety shifting away a little. It wasn't as bad as it seemed.

Heeseung stared again, licking his bottom lip, savouring whatever would last him until next time. You just gave a tight smile, then regretted it, and quickly walked away, out the sliding doors with the burn of his gaze etched into your back.

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The next Vampire afterwards was Nishimura Riki, who existed just opposite Heeseung.

Taehyun let you in, already having the blood bag and suppressant drug at the ready on the table. This was kind of the last thing on your mind, and you swiftly turned to him.

“So, do the others bite?” You asked again, remembering the bargain he made. Taehyun huffed but there was no sign of avoidance either.

“Well, from what I know, Jake seems to have inhibition problems. Sunoo, too. Jay, Jungwon, and Sunghoon seem a bit more… controlled, but you never know,” he explained with a shrug.

You don't understand how he is so chill about it. Just the thought of one of them biting you was enough to send a storm to stir in the very cavern that was your mind and thoughts. All conflicting thoughts flashed past each other until it felt as if they were on the verge of striking your brain with lightning.

You shook your head slightly to jostle your head right before snagging the blood bag and syringe into your pocket. “Doesn't really help, Terry.”

A humoured laugh escaped him as he walked over to the similar blinds from the other room and pulled it with one, firm tug.

The curtain lifted to reveal another figure with jet black hair falling over his eyes, sharp eyes already finding yours to make you breathless, and elaborate knots tied around both hands. The additional ankle chain was easy to spot, too. The bindings shouldn't have given you so much composure, but how could you stop yourself when the anxiety sunk a hole in your chest.

“So, you ready?” He asked from behind you. Instead of giving an answer, your mind clutched at any information regarding Riki.

You know he was the youngest of the lot, but he easily could go from zero to a hundred. It was go big or go home for the youngest vampire, exceeding all boundaries of peace to pursue any shadow of violence and make it his own. Sarcastic and mischievous, too.

“I think so. He's not a biter so…”

“I don't know. Riki is a little unpredictable,” Taehyun added with contemplation. You sighed and waited for Taehyun to lead the way to the sliding door. Once before it, you forced the composure to calm the storm. They could probably sense your emotions, the little jumps in your fear, and if they could wield that, you wouldn't be helping yourself.

Determined, you slipped into the room and welcomed the ultra silence this time before shutting the door.

Riki's feline gaze followed you with every step you took closer, scanning, and then a cruel smirk graced his lips. You don't know what's so funny—you preferred it if he was depressed and acted like a normal, contained prisoner.

“New heartbeat, I knew it,” he purred quietly as you got another sanitising wipe, ignoring the fact you knew he could probably pick it up.

“Congrats. You guessed right,” you said with a tight tone of no-nonsense. Riki slumped his shoulders, smirking as if it was a funny situation he found himself in.

“Could hear it for a while. Let me guess,” he said with a bored tone as you got the wipe out. “You visited Heeseung hyung.”

Strange. He knew who else was on the floor with him. You thought that your mother never told them of their locations, keeping only two on each floor. The thoughts sparked and stung your nerves, making you stiffen slightly in caution.

Riki smiled again, empty and sinister.

“I'm guessing yes.”

Not answering his correct assumption, you went to wipe the left side of his neck when he blanched back, making you halt, annoyance igniting your chest. Riki simply turned his face to the left, exposing his right side.

“This side please,” he demanded quietly but you could tell he was amused.

You didn't sigh nor huff, and you swiped the wipe in the correct area before doing the same as before, and sinking the needle into his flesh to release the drug.

Riki grunted softly as black veins appeared out of the blue, revealing its path over his neck, travelling underneath his skin. He released a breath, leaning back.

Next part—feeding him through the straw, to which he obliged much quicker than his elder brother. He didn't even take a break and departed with a sigh, collecting the last of it with a lick of his lips.

“I see you're not picky with blood,” you mumbled, disposing of the used bag. Riki scowled.

“Well, I don't want to die, do I? It still tastes cheap and flavourless,” he grumbled, meeting your gaze from where he sat, that same intrigue consuming his dark eyes, and forcing you to move away.

“Fair point.” You nodded before heading to the sliding door that was the exit. Before you fully left, Riki straightened himself, that same interest curling around his sharp gaze and cutting into your thoughts.

“You might want to control that heartbeat. The others might want to take it right out that pretty body of yours.”

You left much quicker that time, and even slammed the door shut before even thinking to release a breath.

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“See, that wasn't so bad.”

“Taehyun, he said the others would rip my heart out,” you reiterated with a slightly pitchy tone, brows furrowed in worry.

Taehyun chuckled again for the hundredth time in your distress. Currently, you and him were on your way to the second floor, where the next two vampires were situated and locked away. The files were stuck to your chest, holding them as if you were being watched.

“I told you he's unpredictable. I also wouldn't believe a word he says,” he replied as he stepped out the elevator, greeting the similar sight of two guards arming the double doors leading deeper into the facility. With no choice, you tagged along behind him.

You don't want to believe anything these vampires say, but they're cunning and deceitful. Telling a lie and truth was probably as easy as breathing, their perception of it blurry in the lines.

They probably don't care about the differences if it means gaining something out of it. Like blood, you think. Which meant being confident and rigid with your instructions was the most important thing right now. You weren't the one locked away in a box of a room with your thoughts being the only other companion. Control was something you had if you knew how to use your own strengths.

Once identified, you and Taehyun sauntered deeper in until having to make the same decision of left or right.

“So, which one first?” He asked, turning back to you.

Well, you flipped open the file to the table marked ‘2nd’ and scanned down the page. If you go right, you would meet with Park Jongseong—another silent creature, but well-spoken with a tipping temper that could go one-eighty within a second.

If you go left, Kim Sunoo would be waiting for you—his bloodlust knew no end, usually impulsive and seemed proud of his tendencies. Danger at every corner, really.

“Let's go right."

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Just like normal, the lab was chilled, silent with the hum of machines in the background and the grey blinds pulled at where the huge, glass window was. Taehyun went to the fridge whilst you pulled the blinds.

With a tug, you lifted the barrier to reveal a sitting figure, again with jet black hair, a leg crossed over one another with a single ankle chain, and his hands were bound on his lap. He leaned back against the wall, head slightly tilted as if time had started to remind him of his long isolation here.

Even then, you saw the sharp gaze through the strands of his hair, and the curiosity simmering with a careful heat, as if waiting for the right moment.

You forced your eyes away and Taehyun came with the blood bag, syringe, and a comforting smile.

“You ready?”

“As ever.”

Once again, you slipped into the quiet room, everything still except your steady heartbeat. You purposely kept the beats under a limit, not wanting these vampires to dig their mockery into anything you may not be able control.

Jay was like Heeseung: his head was slightly turned and stayed fixated as you walked closer. You dug out the sanitary wipe as he dragged his eyes over your features.

“Another round of drugs,” he stated, something hard weighing his tone. You didn't feel bad, and just nodded. Jay rolled his eyes underneath his bangs and let you clean the side of his neck curtly before sinking in the syringe.

As before, black veins travelled up underneath his skin, the black liquid illuminating his veins to you. He hissed and snapped his gaze to you.

“When will you stop giving those… drugs?” He muttered, fighting through the discomfort. You paused, not really having an answer because you're simply an intern.

“I'm just an intern helping out,” you finally said, and a twinkle of realisation swept over his gaze. Okay, maybe you shouldn't have revealed that. But what would he do with said information? It's not like he can spread his epiphany to anyone beyond the prison.

“So, you're new?” Jay said with a slight scoff.

“I am.” You agreed, getting the blood bag and nearing the open straw near his lips, but within a second, his bound hands snapped to your wrist, and you nearly jumped.

The storm in your head struck your heart, the beats now unstable and harsh, knocking the wind out of you as you attempted to tug your arm back. Jay curled his fingers tighter.

He smiled ever so slightly, letting his nose dip to the pulse beneath your wrist, as if he was listening to the apprehension crawling back up your nerves and screaming out to him.

“Jongseong—”

“Smells better than that… bag of disappointment,” he cut you off, dragging his nose further up your wrist. You swallowed hard, nearly squeezing the blood bag and spilling the contents. The voice in your head tried to ice the anxiety and panic, settling it back down.

“Too… bad,” you mumbled before snapping your hand away and he faltered for a second, something hardening in his eyes. Without waiting, you held the straw to his closed lips.

Jay contemplated, eyes stuck to your fingers, but he relented, shoulders slumping as he parted his lips. It was as if he stalled enough for you to glimpse the sharp fangs glinting under the light before he took the straw in, a silent threat clear enough to warn you of what he truly was. Staying motionless, you let him finish the bag and he departed with a click in his jaw.

Though, he didn't speak again. He only analysed over the relief cooling your features, the way your anxiety didn't quite sink away with your blood. It remained in the edges of your heartbeat, enough to speak to him.

When you disposed of the bag, you left without a word and with his gaze clawed in your back.

You need to wear gloves.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Kim Sunoo was awake. Too awake for your liking. There was no clock within the rooms, but he didn't need one. It was as if every tick of a second was taken account of all in his head.

You bit your bottom lip, chewing it in contemplation as you stared through the glass where Sunoo sat, this time with hands bound behind him, a single chain coiled around his ankle. His black hair rained over his eyes, and he smiled when he saw you scan him over.

It wasn't the friendly smile, of course, but knowing, insane. As if he had you all figured out, but he was building up a wall of his own defenses in place.

Taehyun returned with a blood bag and syringe, placing it in your pocket without asking. “You good?”

You hummed in agreement, nodding. “All of these guys love to stare.”

“They're not normal, remember? And you're new, so its natural,” he explained, guiding you to the sliding door and putting in the code. Made sense, but it didn't do anything to ease the bewilderment clouding your lungs with thick clouds.

Your breath came out with a small quiver.

With a slide of the door, you were in, and was consumed by his hum. Brief hum. The first of the lot. You glanced over and brushed the hair away from your eyes before approaching like before.

“Gosh, not that blood bag again? I would love for something richer,” Sunoo began as you stood before him. When you gave no reply, his jaw tightened, but his smile widened as you ripped the sanitary wipe open. As long as you willed things to go your way, then it will be okay.

Except, the universe hated you and wanted to shit on your smooth-ish day.

Just as you were to make contact with the side of his neck, Sunoo stood with an audible sigh of relief. You jumped back, faltering in disbelief.

He shook each leg as if they were cramped and bolted with tension, and then rolled his shoulders within limit.

The exasperation crawled back into your heart and swelled there, and Sunoo noticed it with the perk of his head.

“I'm sorry, but being bound makes one… squirm,” he said cheekily. You certainly didn't appreciate it, but you honestly were too busy remembering if Sunoo was a biter or the restrained one. You stood awkwardly with the wipe, eager to get it over and done with.

“Fair enough,” you muttered, sending Sunoo to grin and his pupils to dilate ever so slightly.

“I am glad you understand. But alas, you are here to drug me again, no?”

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes and nodded with a tiny, tight smile, keeping up with the courtesy. Sunoo's smile remained as he heard the pulse of your heart skip again. To your dismay, he simply leaned down, exposing his neck with the tilt of his head, expecting you to be jolly with it.

You weren't. Obviously. He was taller but you had to make due with what he had, even if you wanted to protest.

Swiftly doing the same job of cleaning, injecting, and disposing, you retrieved the blood bag, popping open the straw as Sunoo sat down with resignation, something hardening to stone beneath his mischief.

There were no complaints as he drank the blood, and your muscles grew antsy, hands faltering a little making the straw jostle. Sunoo bit into the straw before licking his lips of whatever was left, examining the way your eyes strayed to the sliding door. He grinned.

“You can leave now,” he taunted under his breath, but you heard it and disposed of the bag with teeth grit.

“Yes. Thanks for the cooperation,” you curtly replied.

“Enjoy it whilst it lasts,” he whispered as you left through the doors, the buzz indicating the lock jolting into place.

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“How many more, Terry?” You groaned, bumping your head with the file repeatedly. The elevator moved up steadily as Taehyun pressed the third floor with familiarity. But at your sulky tone, he laughed.

“Three more. I'm surprised you started complaining this late.” He mused.

“I've been complaining the whole time.”

“Well, you better hold it because the last dude is on the fourth floor, completely alone,” he explained. The elevator doors opened with a ding and you followed with questions breaking past the dam that was supposed to be your calm. You rushed to his pace.

“Alone? Why is he the only one up there?” You inquired, already flipping through your file.

“The higher we go, the more caution we need. The last dude is probably written in your notes somewhere. Forgot his name,” Taehyun said as he flashed his ID to the guards. You did the same before entering the deeper hallway, the cream corridor decorated with two main doors. Taehyun sighed and stretched his arms upwards.

“Left or right?”

Good question. You flipped your file to the ‘3rd’ tab, and then read down the page hastily.

On your right was Sim Jaeyun—quiet and calculating, someone who was like the dark horse. Only existing in the shadows but a plan crafted by him meant perfect execution and skill.

On your right was Park Sunghoon—a no-bullshit vampire, even more calculating and a violence that he hid all too well, knowing he craved dominion over his actions.

Again, no good way.

“Left it is.” You sighed.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

The blinds were pulled as if on instinct and there he was sat, leather cuffs bound around his wrists and the standard chain around his ankle. Of course, he didn't stare immediately, but you thought you saw his head slightly itch, as if he heard something new. Something new to prey on.

“Okay, you know the drill. I should just leave you alone.” Taehyun placed the bag and syringe into your large lab coat pocket.

“Don't you dare,” you shot back at him before guiding yourself over to the sliding door.

Taehyun did a fake salute before you went in, and the door slid shut behind you as always. The silence didn't shock you as much, but you still expected to hear at least one of them breathing a little loudly.

But no. Their breaths were all timed, in sync, and connected.

The stranger thing with Sunghoon was that he didn't speak. Not as you wiped his neck, not when you injected the drug, not when you let him feed off the animal blood. It was incredibly unnerving, and the lack of words or comments sent your stomach tightening in discomfort. It ate at your nerves.

When you were done, his gaze ran over your figure once before he looked down again, but you knew his ears were alert, keeping note of your heartbeat.

Even Taehyun was surprised as you and him left Sunghoon's suite. He blinked rapidly.

“Man, he was easy.”

“I would rather he talked. The whole time, I felt like he was going to rip my arteries out,” you countered. Taehyun smiled nervously as he punched in the code to Jake's lab suite.

“That would be interesting for me, you know?”

“Shut up, Terry!”

As routine, Taehyun went to retrieve the blood bag and syringe whilst you lifted the blinds to reveal a dejected Jake.

With his fringe containing his gaze, he kept a neutral expression with his hands also bound by the same leather cuffs, and a single chain to his ankle. Though, his body was ridden with tension and expectation despite the stillness sweeping over him.

“Okay, nearly done. You're doing great,” Taehyun said. Agreeing with a hum, you went in without a word, and you walked up to him with no hesitation this time. Jake glanced. You froze.

Cold and dead. That is what came to your mind first when Jake's gaze flickered to you, and it had the same ability to dissect your skin and trigger every goosebump.

With a second to gather yourself, you got the syringe and twisted the cap off. Jake shifted.

“What a pretty heartbeat,” he murmured as if he was in a trance. Oh gosh, maybe vampire Riki was right about one of them just seizing your heart. You just gave a look before wiping his neck, burying your tremble.

“Fresh. So fresh,” he whispered again, and you prepared the syringe, wishing you could just pause your heartbeat so they would stop pointing it out.

With no reply, Jake let the corner of his lips tilt up. “And you know it.”

Your hand nearly shuddered but you forced yourself to sink in the needle a little more harshly than intended. Jake grunted loudly, almost recoiling, but with your hasty actions, the drug emptied out into his system, the black veins appearing in a simultaneous flow up his neck.

You would apologise, but your throat was sewn shut, and you grasped the blood bag wordlessly, holding it to his lips. Disbelief and repulsion became stone in his eyes, but he drank, fangs flashing as he closed his lips around the straw.

His words, admittedly, did bother you. They were so targeted, well-thought, and now you knew that Jake constructed his words just as well in the deeper shadows of his mind. Not too slow, not too fast. Just enough to rattle whatever foundation your confidence was set on. He was made to break those pillars holding you together.

The blood was finished and Jake sat back, fists resting on his thighs. He smirked again as you stood straight, maintaining distance.

“Gosh, I would prefer your pulse on my lips instead,” he said as if it was a confession meant to please you.

It did the opposite and you had no strength to even reply because you headed for the door with another gaze marking your back.

And you left.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Taehyun led you to the fourth floor, this one being brighter and guarded with three men instead of the usual two. You mentally counted this vampire to be the last.

“More guards?” You stated as the men let you into the bright corridor. Taehyun hummed in agreement, hands in pockets.

“We had to. According to what I heard, this dude's bloodlust is on another level. But… he's weirdly talkative,” he replied as he took you to the door, punched in a code and entered with you close behind.

This time, you flipped the file open to the last page and read through with urgency.

Finally, Yang Jungwon. The last vampire and supposedly the leader, the one seen always at the crime scene with a cunning smile and a skill built for hunting blood. He was intelligent, twisting, but it seemed that he didn't work well enough now that he was caught and locked away..

As Taehyun did the normal, you went to the blinds and pulled them up. As soon as you did, a figure stood right at the glass, tall, arms crossed over slightly as leather bounds coiled his wrists, the chain at his ankle, and his blonde hair barely concealing the dark eyes simmering with something intense. You yelped when you were forced to face him, and he smirked as he swept his eyes over the alarm tightening every muscle. Your pulse raced.

So much so for keeping control over it.

Taehyun, on hearing your startled sound, came and sighed when he observed how Jungwon was standing, waiting. He was ready to scare you, and you let him.

Embarrassed, you gulped hard and took the blood bag and syringe from Taehyun. Wordlessly, he led you to the sliding door. Before you went in, he held your arm gently.

“Careful. Keep calm,” he whispered. It was oddly strange to hear his seriousness, but you nodded and slipped into the prison room, exhaling.

Silence didn't greet you this time. It was broken by Jungwon making a hum sound, feet padding along the floor.

“Your heart practically jumped out your chest,” he mused, grinning only slightly to no one but himself. You swallowed hard, trying to keep all corners of your composure together. If you didn't get a hold of yourself, he would just hold it over your head.

Taking a few steps in, you observed him circling once, and then back before he stopped and stared more intensely than the moment at the glass.

Your features burned and tingled as he took in each inch of you.

“You're… new. Familiar, but new,” he muttered, mentally noting it as he stepped closer. You didn't move.

You're doing your own analysing.

“I'm an intern,” you replied quietly. Jungwon parted his lips in realisation, an epiphany that dawned on him like moonlight. He tilted his head in fascination.

“Right, right. Your impatience resembles another scientist here. Hm, and the same eyes, same type of scent,” he muttered again, walking himself through some thoughts that you unfortunately couldn't pinpoint.

Then, he turned again. “Your mother is the senior scientist here. Oh, I mean… researcher.”

You didn't expect him to guess so quickly or to even pay so much attention to your mother, or you. At your silence, he clapped once, mocking.

“I'm right. Yes, of course. Your mother decided to drug and feed us like experiments. Makes me wonder what she will do next…” he walked closer to you, and you didn't move back despite his brooding height.

“Maybe, she will keep us, take our blood, keep our blood, and well… research our DNA, maybe try to locate the exact origin of our… monstrosity.” He smiled again with something slow and precise. As if he was about to pounce. “But, let me tell you something, Intern Song.”

Jungwon strode to you so quickly that you almost jumped back, but the tension locked you in place. He leaned down slightly, tilting his head as excitement sparked alive in his gaze. It easily melted whatever assurance you scraped together. How annoying.

“We don't… just own this monstrosity. It is not… simply carried in our genes. No…”

He let his face close in around your neck, and you turned away slightly, clenching your fists.

“We embody this, we own this monstrosity. We are it.” He breathed, and then closed his eyes when he inhaled your scent and senses the pulse jumping in your neck.

“So, tell your mother… to quit her prying.”

Finally, you broke away and stepped back and relaxed only a fraction since his chain limited him. Then, you glared.

“We are only taking your blood and keeping you here because we need to reverse your effects on those you have bitten.” You gripped the sides of your lab coat.

He didn't look surprised, but more pleased. As if he found what he was looking for and he was spot on. And now, you were humiliated that you let him get to you.

“I see.” He simply shrugged and walked back to the bench built into the wall. That was your sign to get this over and done with. Determined, you stepped towards him and retrieved the syringe hastily, and he watched with a callous gaze, analysing again as if he was building some mental profile of you. You wished so deeply to punch him, but you simply wiped the area on his neck and injected him with the suppressant drug.

Like the others, black lines travelled through his veins, decorating his skin, and Jungwon silently endured it, shutting his eyes briefly before they fluttered open again, silence gripping his muscles suffocating them.

Wordlessly, you got the blood bag's straw open and nudged it towards his lips, but he took his time to glance down, stare at your fingers and wrist, before taking the blood.

He drank slowly, you noted. Much slower than the others, as if he enjoyed this type of blood. He didn't exude the same disgust like the others. You could tell he was thinking, though. Scheming away and it was all locked away in the dark place of his mind.

When he finished and you were busy disposing of it, Jungwon straightened his back, letting his eyes strayed to your neck, your collarbone slightly hidden beneath the lab coat, and then to where your heart resided. Slightly hasty, but soft. You were annoyed.

“You know, Intern Song, you can't cage monsters for long,” he began saying, letting his head tilt. That same anchor of unease hit you in the middle of the chest as your gaze returned to him.

He smiled, leaning forward but his chin flitted up to you with something hidden and proud. “Because we all have to face them at some point. They always manage to… sneak past every type of defense at the most unexpected times.”

You ripped your attention away from him and walked to the sliding door to hear his voice suddenly right behind you. Whipping your head around, Jungwon already loomed over you, ropes straining against his wrists, the chain to his ankle taut as his gaze hardened.

When did he even move? Even the chains were silent in his presence. A shudder consumed your heartbeat.

“Goodbye… until next time, of course,” he murmured, muscles almost twitching to get closer and break the restraints’ boundaries.

Each breath got caught in your chest, and you rushed out his cell, locking him in behind you. Even then, another gaze was burned into your back, adding to the six others that had already marked you.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

The next day was busy as always. With autumn nigh and here, more and more younger students were chosen to tour the facility, specifically the East Wing for the laboratory research held there.

The West was undoubtedly too risky to explore, especially with criminals residing within them. You wouldn't wish the experience on anyone; the vampires’ silent schemes were hidden yet their aura echoed and sunk into your bones, making it hard to forget.

With the clouds latched onto the city of Seoul, you walked with Soobin, another gentleman like Taehyun, to where the reception would be. Before the small tour, you read some facts and data on the place, preparing yourself for any questions related to your own experience here.

“How many students?” You asked him as he pushed up the bridge of his glasses.

“Well, five of them were chosen. Smaller means more containment,” he said with a small smile. Which was true. It kept your own sanity strung in place if anything happened. God forbid, it did.

When arriving at the main area, you and Soobin introduced yourselves before setting off with the students. Three girls and two boys with pens and notebooks in hand, and with a visitor ID hanging around their necks.

First, it was showing them the labs, without going inside. Soobin took the lead, explaining how they tested and repeated the routine all in order to figure out how certain cells would react with chemicals.

Then, you took the lead of explaining how the facility was strict with their routines, keeping the environment locked away from contamination and such.

It was pretty simple until a student raised his hand nervously. Soobin, delighted, smiled and let him speak.

“Um… can't you show us something different? It's also where the vampires are kept, too, right?” He said, spreading his hope to the other students who also straightened their postures in expectation.

You gave Soobin a panicked side-eye, and he returned it with equal measure before blinking back at the students. He clamped his hands together, smiling sheepishly.

“Um… well, I can show you one room, but don't touch anything.”

The students nodded obediently and Soobin began to lead the way with you by his side. As much as your questions threatened to break out, you followed along until he reached a room and punched in the code, taking the students in.

It was a clean room, grey walls but what shocked you was the weapons encased in glass, sparkling under individual spotlights within the case, and the iconic black masks caged in another glass row.

There was a range of weapons—a metal hacksaw with sharp edges protruding on the frame, glittering with violence; a mace where the ball at the end of the chain had metal thorns jutting out the surface, almost making your skin crawl from the promised murder it could commit; a metal bat with barbed wire wrapped around the weapon itself, metal edges hanging off the frame.

It wasn't even the worst part because your eyes finally laid on the chainsaw, the metal shining under the spotlight, the stories and previous blood of victims almost ingrained under the surface.

You swallowed hard, but the students seemed to enjoy it, mumbling amongst themselves of how ‘insightful' it was.

As much as you were also curious to know why these were here, you couldn't contain the unease clamped around your chest, weighing it down.

It didn't matter now because Soobin clapped his hands together and smiled at the students to bring their attention back.

“These weapons were used to commit the heinous murders by the vampires,” he began, walking along with you to the hacksaw. Underneath, the metal label had the number ‘07' engraved in it, like a knell that you mentally heard when you stared for too long.

“I heard of a myth,” a boy said behind you. “That there's a blood moon that they ready themselves for.”

That was new for you. Despite working here, you never bothered to dig deeper into the vampire and their lore, their past. Well, you never bothered because killers weren't worth your time and you didn't care. So, you found yourself glancing at the student with equal interest as the others.

When everyone turned to him, he smiled sheepishly.

“It's just some reading I did before coming here. I read that every two hundred years, these vampires get stronger in their abilities than last time.” He glanced around the group. You tensed.

“So, they were weak to begin with?” A girl asked with a slight scoff, as if she didn't believe that murderers could possess any type of weakness.

“Well, I don't know exactly. It's all just theory. Well, it's believed their bloodlust grows stronger as well as their abilities.” He answered thoughtfully.

You tried to recall any type of information—one thing these vampires could do was release venom to turn normal people into a more unstable version of them. Not quite the same, but their sanity would loosen until it was hard to find the ends of it and tighten it all over again.

So, if their abilities included bloodlust, venom, and any other personal powers, it basically meant these creatures would be unstoppable if they reached a certain threshold.

And for these vampires, you have no idea how much strength they have preserved underneath their psychotic surfaces, but you honestly didn't want to dig past and see.

And for the patients in the private part of the East Wing, from what you know, they haven't completely turned. They were teetering on the edge, but the lab scientists were all trying to pull them back before they fall into vampirism. That was the whole goal for your mother. To find their fraying sanity and sew it together again.

Soobin, intrigued, hummed along and nodded. “I think I reason about it but honestly, I don't know if these vampires actually have that… ritual.”

“It would be useful to study,” another student said, and quite honestly, you had to somewhat agree and disagree.

Having them under the facility's roof was already dangerous enough—you didn't want to wait for an opportunity for them to power up and supposedly find a new path to wreak irreversible havoc.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

The whole week went by and gladly, you weren't asked to administer the drugs again. Your mother still thought it was a valuable lesson, but you kept some details to yourself. She seemed so chill about it, and you didn't want to reveal how easy it was for you to drown in the anxiety of it all.

Right now, though, you glanced outside to the chilling night, the moon concealed behind the murky clouds. The light was prominent, almost glowing behind the blanket of misty water.

She was still out there. As if the moon was holding her breath, concealed for a reason, waiting to bestow her moonlight on the world below.

Shuddering to yourself, you entered the lab with those annoying plastic glasses and your hair tied back. The lab was bustling, as usual, with your mother at the centre of it.

She was standing before this rack of small vials, the dark blue liquid still, waiting to be given, and she wrote fervently in her notebook. When she saw you, she smiled and ushered you over.

“You look oddly excited,” you noted. She waved you off with her hand.

“Just my life's work,” she replied in equal retaliation, reminding you her stubborn genes definitely passed to you. She noticed you scanning her notes and moved it closer.

She pointed to the patients’ names. “They were all bitten so, are being turned as we know it. But, with our drugs, we managed to delay it.”

You nodded because you knew this. “Okay? So, what's the news?”

Her turmoil returned with the crease of her brow.

“Whatever cells were infected with the venom, we managed to stop its process, but today, I was overlooking their conditions and it seems that the cells are being turned again. As if… the venom just overrode the drugs given.” She glanced at you with worry. That didn't sound good.

“It could be a mutation?” You suggested but she shook her head.

“Venom doesn't behave like a virus or bacteria. It can't… change itself, but it can interact with patients' DNA and induce change. But how likely is that to happen to all the patients there?” She explained with confusion laced in her tone. “And besides, my drug should work in finding the infected cells and stop the venom changing them. But, it's like the venom is immune to it.”

Definitely not good. If the constricted drug didn't work anymore, it meant having to make a new one. Not only that, but when you tried to connect the dots, it either meant someone wasn't administering the correct dosage or someone put more venom into their bodies to shatter all use of the current drugs.

But how likely was it that all the patients had the same exact change? Not likely at all. And now, your suspicions clutched at your nerves, chewing on them.

She shut the file with a slam and gazed at the blue vials before her in little circular tubes, pointing at them.

“I made a stronger dose. Taehyun is testing it on some blood samples,” she said with a pensive sigh. You nodded along and, at that moment, Taehyun returned with a sealed box and a file underneath it. With a desperate gesture to him, he came to where you and your mother were and probably with news.

She beamed at him with expectancy, but he simply sighed with a sheepish smile. That was the code for an unsuccessful finding.

“I gave the stronger dose as asked, but…” he opened the file with an easy flick. “The drug was killing normal, healthy cells as well. So.”

She touched her temples again, stress seeping through her and catching you and Taehyun in its grasp.

“Great. So, we can't even use this one either.” She muttered, moving the multiple blue vials aside. Taehyun nodded solemnly whilst your gaze wandered to the window, to the moon that peeked out in the corner, a pink tint blushing across the surface. You squinted, but the sound of your mother mumbling brought you back.

Something bubbled in the back of your mind.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

6 PM.

You were engrossed in your notes, scribbling away in your book as your gaze flickered from the computer to your words.

The thought of those patients suffering from possible vampirism and the strong venom brought you back to one moment: the students you and Soobin toured last week, and the conversation of the blood moon.

Sure, it was a myth, but myths were usually born with a small seed of truth. You just needed to get an actual sense of it.

Hence, you were hunched over the computer, finding any type of useful Internet search.

As said before, the blood moon happened every two hundred years where the vampires usually gained strength until becoming unstoppable. Natural abilities would develop vastly, their desire for blood would consume and bury their sanity, and their venom… would work quicker and harder to turn a person.

Bingo.

Hastily staring out the window, you glimpsed the deeper blush of the moon, light bleeding through the clouds and making your hunch even more believable. You have no idea if your mother will believe you with this… shaky basis, but an explanation was an explanation.

And you had to deliver.

Packing up your things, you recalled your mother leaving with Taehyun, but you don't know where. Taking your little notepad, you set off to find the pair.

The halls were scarce, but you still waved as people passed you to do their business. After asking a few people, you ended up in the West Wing, the familiar cream halls hushed and eerie, your shoes rhythmically tapping along. Apparently, he came here to do the normal drug rounds about thirty minutes ago. You wished he didn't because it meant having to retrace your footsteps to the vampires. They all gave you the creeps. Evidently.

Whatever. Get in, and then get out. Simple mantra to follow.

After going through the first three floors, you ended up at the fourth, punching in the code and entering the chilled and thrumming lab.

Taehyun stood with his back to you, sorting through some papers and turned when he heard you come through the door.

You were glad the blinds to Jungwon's window were closed. If you had him staring, you're sure he would be able to read your lips.

“Hey? You look eager,” he said with a smile, returning to the documents. Rushing over, you held out your notepad and flipped to the scribble of notes you had enthusiastically collected.

“I might know why those patients are turning to vampirism more rapidly,” you began saying, and then looked around the lab to notice your mother wasn't even here. Your shoulders deflated. Taehyun noticed.

“She went to a meeting. But, go on with the theory,” he said, leaning on the counter with his elbows. It would have been helpful to explain it once, but her responsibilities must have been stretching your mother four ways. You straightened yourself.

Enthusiastic about sharing your ideas, you went to read out your notes when the lights knocked out and darkness flashed through the room in a blink.

You gasped, glancing up to look for Taehyun who also made a few footsteps, worried and cautious. Your muscles tightened, as if there was a physical knot within.

“Tae?” You uttered, squinting as the dim safety lights peeked from the ceilings. It was barely helpful because Taehyun was a mere silhouette rather than a being with colours and facial features. He stepped towards you.

“This is weird. We should get out of here,” he said with a sharp edge of caution.

“Agreed,” you mumbled, glancing up from your notepad only to jump slightly.

That's when you saw it, or… him.

Another dark figure standing dangerously close to Taehyun's back, head tilted, but the sparkle of his fangs instantly shot you with panic. You reached for Taehyun.

“Terry—”

Upon the looming figure behind him, he turned and the figure lunged, tackling Taehyun until his back collided with the table.

A startled scream escaped you as the familiar blonde attempted to claw Taehyun in the neck, but your friend kneed the vampire in the thigh, sending him with a stumble. Taehyun breathed hard but he wasn't done as he charged at the vampire with limbs ready for fight. Adrenaline flooded his system as he landed another punch at the creature, a low growl escaping him.

You realised you couldn't stand there and do nothing, not when the adrenaline hitched up your chest like spikes digging into soil. The refrigerator was in the corner and that's where you went.

With your heart slamming in your ribs, you hauled it open and the bright light stared back at you, stacks of syringes in packets ready to be used. There was no time.

Snagging a syringe, you peeled it open and took it out, swiftly unscrewing the cap over the thin needle.

Just one of these should do the trick. When you kicked the fridge shut, a loud crash shot through the room as Taehyun was thrown over the table and to the hard floor, and the vampire easily hovered over him, fist drawn back with a promise of malice. Taehyun yelled out in pain, hands fumbling to shield himself in a panic.

That was it.

Wasting no time, you dug the syringe into the vampire's neck, pushing the drug all the way in.

A snarl escaped him as he rolled his neck, black veins fading in and travelling up his skin. It was enough for Taehyun to crawl away with sharp, ragged breaths, towards the door.

The syringe remained in his skin, as if it didn't bother him. What faltered your very thoughts was how he simply stood, anger rolling off him like you threw a stone into a still lake, forcing ripples to drift outwards.

The fear froze up your legs, and you tried to force yourself to move, but you could only take a simple step back.

Then, he turned and Jungwon's frown dug into his face, his hand plucking out the syringe, and within a single breath, he crushed it into pieces.

Shit.

Why wasn't he weakening? Since when did he escape? How was he so strong?

And you remembered the blood moon, the pink tint that swallowed it and your breath shook as well as your heartbeat.

His gaze twitched, as if he heard it, too. Jungwon took a step forward. You took one back.

That's when the lab door shut with Taehyun rushing out in a panic, leaving you alone with… him.

Great. Alone. Defenseless.

“You think that will hurt me anymore?” He said lowly, stalking you with a practiced slowness, as if he knew there were no cuffs to restrict him, as if he tasted liberation. Breath hitching, you turned to run, but he was quicker.

He swiped your arm and yanked you close to him, and you yelped, bumping into his chest with trembling breaths. Tipping your chin up with a bruising grip to your jaw, he leaned down, enough for you to spot the crimson blood in his eyes.

“Here's what's going to happen,” he murmured darkly, drinking in the fearful whimper that fell from your lips. “Since your… friend left you, you're stuck with me. Meaning…”

His nose just about grazed your neck to hear the marathon your pulse was running at. “You're going to help me get my brothers out. And… well, you're great leverage.”

Your hands fumbled, clawing at his wrist, but he flexed his grip, and you let out a cry when his strength grew inhumane. You felt like your jaw would break. He scoffed.

“How did you—”

“I think we both know the answer to that. And, no more questions. We have much to do,” he interjected, letting go of your jaw only to drag you along with him to the door.

As he did, an alarm blared, red lights circling the room, and a robotic voice yelling “lockdown”.

Metal shutters fell down the door, sealing it shut, but Jungwon rolled his eyes at the hindrance.

“What are the procedures in the lockdown?” He asked with a slight shake to your arm. When you didn't reply, he snapped his eyes to your stunned form, and glared.

“What. Are. They?”

You snapped out of the terror gripping your lungs, a shaky breath leaving you. Besides, there was no choice with the way he was burying his nails into your arm.

“All doors… and windows are sealed shut, lights stay like this. And there are cameras in here and outside to oversee anyone. Guards will be at their stations,” you replied quietly as he contemplated silently. After a few seconds, he straightened himself and dragged you along with him to the door.

With a harsh shove of the shoulder, the hinges flew and the door broke open into the hallway, hitting the opposite wall. You flinched, but Jungwon paid no mind, acting as if it was paper.

The hallway was the same, the red light circling in the dark corridor, the ends of the hallway shadowed with darkness as if there were things hiding in there. Shutters were closed at the next door as well, but his care ceased to exist.

When approaching the next door, he put a strict finger to his lips directed at you. You didn't need to be told twice and you clenched your jaw obediently.

Leaning his ear to the door, he closed his eyes briefly, stayed, and then opened them once more. Crimson. A much darker shade and you had to stop yourself from tugging your arm away from his grip. You're afraid he might rip your veins out if you do.

He obviously must have heard something because he gripped you out in front of him, now holding your shoulder, and with one hand, he clenched his fists and crushed the metal as if it was cardboard, and tore it away, flinging it to the side

The terror flooded your chest, forcing your breaths to come out ragged, your heart thundering in panic.

“You better stop panicking. It's too tempting,” he mumbled behind you. With one last shred to the shutter, it was enough for the normal door to show

Again, he shoved the door off the hinges, silence chilling the other side where the elevator stood not too far. The guards should be here, the three that guard him. You kept that to yourself.

An eerie stillness hummed in anticipation, the very sound wrapping around you like metal, chilling your nerves. Jungwon walked you forward a few steps with slow caution.

Within a second, a bullet rang out behind you with a shrill shriek, hitting somewhere on the far side when Jungwon swiftly dodged it, annoyance flooding him.

Jungwon wasted no time and shoved you to the floor, rolling you away from the danger as you grunted from the pain rippling up your hip. You sat up, the ringing making a home in your ears.

Another bullet.

Jungwon rolled his shoulders, craning his gaze to the two guards on his left, and the other on his right.

He took the right first, lunging with an insane speed that you barely knew when he flew. He clutched the young man's collar, ignoring the scream, and threw the guard at the others.

In response, one guard caught him with a stagger, but the dude who wasn't burdened with a person clicked his gun and aimed like a mental routine. It wasn't enough.

Jungwon pounced, snatching the gun only to smash it into the head of the dude with a sickening thud that hurt your own head.

Dude number one dropped. The other two scrambled away, but Jungwon scoffed, anger crawling up his shoulders and fists.

You shakily breathed, getting to your feet with haste, hating how the trembles anchored your legs. It wasn't the time to be choked with fear. The exit was right there for you to seize.

You headed for the stairs at the side. The elevators didn't work in a lockdown annoyingly enough, but the grudges could wait until later. You would love to have a talk with the head of security. All these useless thoughts were grounding you to whatever hope was left in the dirt of it all. Of making it out alive.

Another sickening crack rang out, a scream, and then the sound of a man gurgling, as if choking for air.

The sounds alone made you sick, but you coaxed yourself to reach the stairwell. As you pushed it open, a sudden hand grasped your nape and whirled you around with a cruel hand. You cried out, meeting with the same malicious gaze, his blonde hair messy but his stare was sharp all the same. Only now, the restraint was running thinner, close to snapping.

“You're not running. Unless you want to end up like those three,” he threatened as the anxiety bled into your nerves. With no reply, he pushed open the stairwell that was bathed in a fading red light and darkness. You followed the grip on your upper arm, swiftly stepping down and trying not to trip like your heartbeat.

Arriving on the third floor, he slowed again and closed his eyes as if trying to distinguish something that you couldn't hear. When he opened them, he pushed you through the doors first.

You stumbled into the hallway, meeting the two guards standing before a shuttered door with shaky breaths. They glanced at you, and when you tried to tell them about Jungwon, a person blurred past before you could comprehend.

The guard barely knew what hit him and a fist knocked his jaw out of place. He fell back.

The second guard stood no chance when he raised his gun only to be pummelled in the stomach with a forceful kick. You flinched as his back collided with the wall, a thunderous echo making it clear his spine was rearranged. Jungwon didn't spare a blink as he took the guns from each writhing guard sprawled on the floor for his own. He beckoned you with a sharp look and you reluctantly approached him.

Jungwon brushed his knuckles before ruining the doors like paper once more. The metal flew as he swung it to the side, and he dragged you with him.

Upon the next dark hallway, you saw two figures, tall with scarlet eyes that glowed stronger than the red warning lights. In other words—more trouble.

Sunghoon and Jake stood whilst you shuddered as their gazes spotted and scrutinised your figure with recognition that felt like thorns to your skin.

“You're here.” Jake glanced to an approaching Jungwon. He hummed in response as if obvious.

“Yeah. Was a little late because someone here tried to drug me again,” he sneered and all their gazes pointed to you again.

Gosh, it was simply a procedure. Considering the drug didn't even work, he was being awfully salty right now. He had a lot of it despite the lack of blood he would have normally consumed.

You didn't need their judgement right now, not when they could so easily kill you. You lowered your gaze slightly and Jungwon let go of you, but this time, you stayed in your spot.

You had to stay smarter than sorry.

“Do you think Sunoo and Jay are out?” Sunghoon spoke for the first time, and the coldness in them sent chills to freeze your spine. Jake made a sound of possible agreement.

“They could. But we said we would meet them there.” Jake sighed, his fangs glinting at you in a threat.

“Even if they're not out, she knows the codes anyway. Or we can break past the doors,” Jungwon murmured, running a hand through his hair.

Through all this, one thing that you caught was the fact that they planned this. About meeting each other, breaking out the prisons—it was all initially planned and webbed together in a way that was unpredictable. You felt stupid for thinking this myth wouldn't exist when it was the only plausible explanation for their dramatic strength. Ripping through metal shutters, escaping the coded prisons; no drug could have foretold that.

A new question simmered in your head: did they plan to get into this prison then? But why? What would they achieve with that?

You were clutching at straws, loose ends, and it made your heart skip a beat. All three of them glanced and you felt like crawling into the ground. Jake licked his lips.

“One bite?”

“No, hyung.” Jungwon scanned over the fear fluttering over your eyes with intrigue and restraint. “I doubt she would survive even a small cut. She wouldn't be so useful then, would she?”

Jake rolled his eyes and grumbled: “fine.”

Whether that gave you relief or more anxiety, you had no idea. You tried to calm your heart with a deep inhale and exhale.

“No point of loitering here. Let's go.”

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Like before, when you and the other three arrived on the second floor, the guards were taken out so swiftly that you couldn't even react, nor warn them of it. They forced the security doors open, metal decorating the floor and forcing you into the hallway with two doors that would have Sunoo and Jay locked in.

Sunghoon barged into the left with no problem, and Jake to the right. And in the midst of all this, you wondered if your mother was okay, whether Taehyung (despite him abandoning you) was surrounded by safety. No more deaths, you told yourself. Both of them were smart. Much more than you, a simple intern. It was the only thing keeping you from sinking into a hole of panic. But the edges were fraying, your feet were slipping.

Jungwon remained standing behind you when his head perked up curtly.

Footsteps. Hurried and heavy, filled with metal and hostility.

The sound reached you as well, and you turned to the doorway with broken metal edges and failed security.

“For Hell's sake,” he muttered before zeroing in on the multiple armoured guards with guns, helmets and radios buzzing to life, all approaching strategically.

They only flooded the doors and when they saw you, one of them put a hand up to the others behind him. Jungwon easily shielded himself with you and, despite your struggles, he kept you in one place, a malicious sparkle glinting past his eyes like a tide.

“Release her. Now.” One dude yelled, pointing his gun in your direction. Your heart jumped. Jungwon tilted his head, not moving you an inch.

Oh, man, you were about to die today. Tugging away again, Jungwon gripped your nape with his free hand, and your breath hitched, pain tingling in your skin. The grip was a display of power, control, that he would make the decisions.

You froze again.

“Release her, otherwise we will be forced to shoot,” the man shouted again as a threat. A chuckle slipped past Jungwon.

“Feel free. I mean, I could bite her for a quicker death, if that's what you guys want?” He mused, challenging them even more by lowering his lips to your neck. You recoiled hard but didn't get anywhere with your nape caught in his grip.

The man and the guards all froze, obviously caught in a dilemma. Jungwon smiled again, lifting his chin with pride. “There we go. Now, if you don't mind, we will keep her safe as long as you keep away.”

“We?” The main guard repeated in a low voice. As he said that, two figures emerged from each side, silent, predatory. You watched as the vampires, none other than Jay and Sunoo, joined the group, a hunger visible in their stares and straight lips.

You had the slight hint that you were inevitably screwed. Possibly more than you thought.

A wave of apprehension crossed over the guards drowning them entirely, and you were afraid these vampires could sense it.

Sunoo hummed in approval. “Gosh, Jungwon, let me get a bite from one of them. Their heartbeats are too enticing past that poor excuse of an armour.”

Jungwon chuckled, gripping your nape harder, forcing a whimper to catch in your throat, tension locking all your muscles.

“Sunoo, let's control ourselves. We have much more to do.” Jungwon glanced at his brother, who smiled only a little but it was full of that same insanity you had witnessed a week prior. That he was picking apart these soldiers just to play with them.

Jay cracked his knuckles, eyeing them silently. “Let's get it over with.”

That was when Jungwon swung you behind him, and you stumbled to the floor. You grunted, landing on your knees, and when bullets rang out like a cry of oncoming violence that whistled in your ears, you abruptly shielded your face.

The guards lunged, guns aimed at the ready. But the vampires dodged easily, and they practically flew to the men, eyes glowing red with morbid intent.

The first guard was crushed into the ground, a hand pinning his throat to the floor as he gasped out in terror. Sunghoon grinned.

Jay clicked his neck and dove head first, fist flying for a man's shoulder, and the other colliding past the visor and into his face. Screams ripped from his throat and others, but it was simply a sound of succes to him. If he had a heartbeat, it would have been thriving from how alive he felt.

Sunoo strode in, then progressed into a run as he leapt to the wall at his right, catching the men off guard when he pounced, and swung his claws at them; fabric ripped and the men backed away, tripping over each other, but Sunoo grabbed the opportunity and jumped atop some of them before punching through the helmet, denting the metal itself. The man screamed in half terror and pain, limbs flailing aimlessly, but soon fell limp to the ground. Sunoo hummed.

Jake easily went into the heat of the storm and swiped a gun, power surging through him as he turned the metal, clicked it and let the bullets fly.

With the mean wearing vests, Jake snarled and aimed for the neck instead. As time slowed down for him, he briefly froze, aimed, and fired.

The bullet ripped through the uniform and the smell of blood flooding out skin tickled his nose. But there was no time to dwell.

Jungwon's speed advantaged him greatly, moving in a coloured blur and testing his knuckle's ability to endure each cracking punch. When bullets grazed him, his eyes snapped to the perpetrator, and he lunged, clutching their throats and tightening the grip until the squirming body turned limp and void of light.

The smell of death pervaded the air, and you couldn't handle it. You knew they were criminals, but seeing it first hand was embedding a new type of trauma into your heart.

They were distracted, though.

Shakily looking to your right, the emergency exit was lit green, but with a shuttered door over it. The keypad next to it glowed like an opportunity and you saw your chance.

Pushing yourself up, you buried the trembles and anxiety down where it was hard to remember, as if it was a fleeting emotion that didn't exist.

You got to your feet, jaw clenched so tightly that you thought your teeth would turn to dust.

As soon as you reached the keypad, you flipped the plastic cover up and began to search your brain for the codes.

All fire exit codes were the same as the codes for the normal doors. The ones that now had ripped metal defending them.

This was the second floor. And if you remembered the pattern of Taehyun's fingers…

“0203..?” You whispered and began to put the numbers in despite the sounds…

Sounds.

There were none. None of struggling, screaming, or bullets. Your whole body locked into place, unable to move for a moment.

You turned slowly and a hand seized your throat, ripped you away from the fire exit, and you shrieked. The next thing you knew, your body met the ground, your throat still contracting with panic, blood rushing with nerves.

When you opened your eyes, you saw the five of them standing over you in a circle, knuckles tinted with fresh red, barely a scratch on the surface of their skins.

Jungwon looked pissed.

“You don't fucking listen, do you?” He sneered ruthlessly, fists clenched. His voice alone sent another wave to rock your heart. Your breath hitched, holding back tears of pure anxiety.

“Hey, relax. It's not like she can outrun us anyway,” Sunoo said with a permanent smirk of mischief.

Jay tilted his head in consideration. “One bite—?”

“Oh for Hell's sake, no!” Jungwon snapped at the older one, who simply shrugged, used to his temper.

“Gosh, let's just go. Riki and Heeseung are waiting,” Jake said, rolling his eyes with impatience. With a huff, Jungwon hauled you up by the arm and looked to one of the opened doors leading into the prison labs. Within two seconds, he blurred in like the wind, then out but returned with something slender and long. Trembling, you glanced to see him circling rope, the same type that was used to restrain them, around his palm, his gaze unmoving, merciless when it returned to the apprehension thrumming in yours.

You recoiled in refusal but a few hands gripped your shoulders whilst Sunghoon and Jake held out your arms. The panic spiked in you.

“S-stop, wait—”

Jungwon didn't listen and when he came closer, Jake and Sunghoon quite literally crushed your wrists together as you struggled. It was a losing battle from the start.

The rope came around your wrists a few times until he made something intricate and caged you within it. Tears lined your eyes, heartbeat spiking that you didn't care if they heard it anymore. They let go of your shoulders but Jungwon kept a hold of the end of the rope by looping it around his palm once or twice.

“Now, you won't run.”

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Going down to the first floor, the guards were practically useless because they were knocked out when Jay and Sunghoon dislocated their jaws and probably their internal organs as well.

Sunoo crushed the metal shutters, revealing the normal door and shoved it off its hinges to the dark hallway with two doors still closed.

“We'll take care of it,” Jake said before nodding to Sunghoon. They both disappeared into a separate doorway, and you looked around discreetly.

You can't run with Jungwon keeping your hands on a leash, the guards were knocked out, there were now seven vampires free. If you even attempted another escape plan, you would be asking for a death wish.

Another spike of panic hit your heart, and Sunoo glanced. Jungwon raised an eyebrow at the older one before glaring. “Don't even ask.”

Disbelief swept over Sunoo, a petulant pout appearing briefly. He crossed his arms.

“Oh come on, what are you keeping her for anyway if not for a snack? Do you know how long we had to snack on that animal shit?” Sunoo glanced at your lowered head and trapped hands. Jungwon scowled.

“As much as I also had to have the same blood.” He sighed, head flickering back and forth to hear for any intruders.

“Then, one bite. Just a scratch—”

“Hyung. She is the daughter of that crazy scientist that keeps testing us,” he said. Jungwon tugged once on the rope and you winced, pain tingling in your skin. “So, she could be helpful as leverage, and she probably knows the in and outs of the building.”

“And, after that?” Sunoo prompted, causing Jay to snort behind you. It wasn't the least bit amusing to you, but Jungwon gave a cold smile.

“We'll see.”

That alone sent prickling anxiety to sting your spine and you shifted uncomfortably. Now, you had a deadline—one before they bit you and God knows what.

The doors slammed open again, causing you to flinch and snap your gaze up to spot the last two vampires: Riki and Heeseung.

The oldest one lifted his gaze again in recognition when he saw you, but you honestly didn't have the guts to meet anyone's gaze. Riki smiled and sauntered over, rolling his wrists and neck.

“Finally free. And fresh food—”

“I got first dibs,” Sunoo interrupted and disgust rolled over Riki's face.

“No way, that's not even fair. I wasn't here to even call—”

“That's enough, both of you.” Jungwon snapped his gaze to his fellow brothers. They shut up, but the war of their petty fight continued with their sharp gazes. Slowly, Jungwon's gaze panned to your avoidant eyes.

“Now that all of us are in one place, our plan can continue,” he continued. Heeseung shifted, rolling his arm about to loosen the rigidity sleeping in his skin.

“Yeah, well. We need to get rid of those pesky guards. No doubt they're waiting below with the guns at the ready,” Heeseung mumbled and the others murmured in dejected agreement.

“If they're going to fight with their weapons, we need ours,” Riki scoffed, crossing his arms. Jungwon tugged on the rope to catch your attention. You glanced reluctantly.

“Where are our weapons?” Jungwon asked with an unyielding tone.

You could lie. They know you're a simple intern so, maybe if you just weave a white lie, you wouldn't be aiding them in any more violence. The idea alone sent your heartbeat to race in readiness. Heeseung caught it; swift and drumming in anticipation and he frowned more.

“Don't you dare lie.” He said darkly, causing all of them to loom over you like threatening clouds that were about to drown you in blood or something. With that idea out the window, you swallowed hard to gather your voice.

“... E-East Wing. Ground floor.” You dropped your gaze to the ground.

“And, the cameras,” Jungwon said, flickering his gaze to the black lens focusing on them silently. The others looked as well, faces thundering with disdain for the over-technical facility.

Gradually, he lifted his chin again to the others.

“As long as those cameras are looked at and work, they will send more of their men,” Jungwon said, curtly tightening his palm around the rope. Jay smirked.

“So, we need to get rid of whoever is in the control room.” He glanced at you again, and the scrutiny ran down your head, past your lowered eyes and then your lips. With a tug, Jungwon lifted your gaze.

“You wouldn't happen to know where that is, would you?” He purred, making your skin crawl, but managing to shake your head.

“I'm o-only an intern. I don't know.” You clenched your fists harder in the bounds.

“Great,” Sunghoon muttered before picking up a piece of scrap metal and hurling it at the camera with a whoosh. It hit the target with a swift slice, and the camera jostled and broke until it sparked, hanging by the wires.

“And we need to get those… those humans to turn completely,” Jungwon muttered, contemplating his control and the exact route to reach that destination.

“They're still here? Then, we can just bite them again. Our venom will work completely,” Sunoo suggested, licking over his fangs at the thought of biting into fresh flesh again. Heeseung nodded.

“It will. Especially tonight.”

You grit your teeth.

You knew these vampires were strong. Stronger than ever. The blood moon would make sure they carved their power and control into everything. But, how do you even go about defeating them?

You rewinded everything these past few weeks and days, down to the hours before the facility broke into chaos. Then, it hit you like a fleeting arrow.

The trial drug your mother was working on. The one where Taehyun claimed it killed normal body cells as well. One would have to assume these vampires still had healthy and normal body cells to that of humans, but it was worth a shot. The only hard part was baiting them to go into the East Wing labs on the second floor without them deciphering your plan and making their threats real.

“I doubt they kept those humans,” Riki snorted, crossing his arms. You perked your head up slightly.

“You mean the patients in the East ward?”

They all snapped their gazes to you, intrigued but some were cautious, building up their own defenses.

“Patients?” Heeseung repeated slowly, almost as if the idea of these people being healed was a ludicrous idea.

“Yes. It's… one of the main reasons that people work at the facility,” you replied quietly, fighting through the hope that considered sparking away and setting your mind on edge. They didn't believe you. You knew it, but your stare remained before Jungwon sighed.

“We need to split, so more ground is covered.”

The split ended up being so that Jungwon, Sunoo, Sunghoon, and Jake went to get the weapons and take out the man in the control room; Heeseung, Riki and Jay would go with you to the East ward.

Despite all this, you hoped your mother would still be hiding in the lab, thinking of ways to shut down these vampires once and for all.

Or incapacitate them if death wasn't a door discovered meant for these vampires.

Concern ached and clutched at your nerves when you thought about Soobin, Taehyun, and your mother in the path of safety.

You grit your teeth as Heeseung held the end of the rope, Jay behind you, and Riki leading everyone. The hallways were still basked on emergency red light circling the area, and you wondered if the moon out there was the same furious colour.

As all three cautiously stalked through the corridors, you began to speak.

“You guys knew the Blood Moon would happen tonight…” it wasn't a question but a statement, something accusatory. Heeseung tightened his grip on the rope, not sparing a single glance.

“Why wouldn't we?” He kept following Riki, who turned back once.

“I thought it was a myth.” You mumbled again and Jay scoffed behind you, walking closer to your back.

“Myths always have some kind of truth behind it, an event that makes it real,” he said with something certain. Of course. They have probably never told anyone that they keep track of the moon, waiting to bloom with strength. Smart because no one saw it coming. Not even the Facility.

“Why? What story?” You pressed again and Heeseung tugged you abruptly, and you stumbled to him and his eyes simmered with annoyance.

“You ask too many questions.”

“Nah, let me explain,” Riki took, sounding pleased, over as he continued walking. Heeseung scanned your blinking eyes over once more before following.

“Since your institution probably won't take this seriously, I'll say it.” Riki threw a glance at you. “It starts with our parents. They made a deal with the devil. God knows what, but we were born.”

Jay made a sound of slight disagreement. “You know that the deal was made so we would survive in that… village. It was small, but sickness always hit them.”

“Yeah, yeah. Plagues and stuff. But, our parents made sure they would keep us alive. Hence, the deal,” Riki turned the corner, eyeing the dark corridor that led to the East Wing. Still abandoned and circling with red lights. Heeseung spotted the camera, and walked, tugging you along.

“Clear. The cameras aren't making that fuckass sound,” he muttered to the others and you were led along.

Jay continued behind you. “We were kept in one, large cottage. Cosy, but they didn't let us go out even once.”

“Like your mother,” Riki snickered in sarcasm, and you ignored the jab.

“We were kids, we didn't know why. We thought they were protecting us,” Jay said again, something hardening into betrayal underneath.

“But, you guys were turning?” You finished off and Riki shrugged.

“Not exactly. We didn't feel anything of the sort. Not until Jungwon hyung went out into the forest one day,” he explained, piquing your interest as you and the others disappeared into the darkening halls.

“Jungwon went out without permission, but when he came back, he was covered in blood, mouth to toe. But he wasn't crying,” Jay picked up.

At the thought of a young Jungwon basically drowning in blood made your stomach curl a little, all appetite fleeing your body. Riki chuckled slightly.

“Don't forget how he dragged a human back to the house,” he replied, deepening the horror into your skin.

Your steps slightly faltered but Heeseung tugged harder on your chafed wrists, and you winced. Jay gave you a nudge forward.

“Right. The first of many.” But Jay wasn't speaking out of revulsion—it sounded like reverence, as if it was a blessing in disguise. “And from there, it was like a domino effect. Jungwon first, Sunghoon and Jake, then Sunoo and I. Then, Heeseung hyung and Riki. Each one of us turned and so, our bloodlust grew. It's pathetic how our parents didn't protect us, but protected the village from us.”

Their parents knew but didn't even bother to tell them. Did they know before or after? Did they ever try to stop them? What happened to that village?

All those questions returned to the surface, wanting to be picked and answered, but your voice had shrunk upon hearing the origin of all their violence.

“Hey, our parents made us like this, and I'm grateful.” Riki shot an impish look at Jay, who rolled his eyes.

“Well, I can't lie and say it wasn't liberating. It was. It felt like we had no walls to keep us in. And each of us have different abilities. We only learned that later.” Jay glanced at the curiosity fluttering in your eyes.

“So, you didn't have those to begin with?” You looked over your shoulder briefly, but kept walking. In response, he shook his head.

“Why do you think we have the Blood Moon?” He replied slyly.

“To kill as many people as you can?” You remarked with a jab that made Heeseung huff, tugging you more in a sharp warning. You silenced yourself, but Jay chuckled.

“One can say that. But what's the point of killing when we can share the curse? It's liberating, Intern Song, and I feel upset that you can't see it,” he murmured, his voice suddenly hovering too close, eyes burning over the curve of your shoulder and neck.

Your heartbeat spiked and he grinned in silence. Whatever Soobin and the students had said about them achieving high strength wasn't fake after all. Clearly. And the urge to get the trial drug and stop these vampires grew beneath your anxiety like a scar never fading. Not only that—they wanted more people to turn and embrace the horrific fate that was immortal bloodlust.

“You're lucky, Intern, you get to witness one of the most important Blood Moons,” Riki said as he began to tear apart the metal shutters shielding the door. He tossed it aside whilst you pondered over your plan.

As soon as he did, the plan to take out the guards was swift, each one taking less than ten seconds to make them drop to the floor, breathing or not. Seeing so many of them still and limp brought something heavy to tug on your throat and cry. But, there was no time to breathe.

Heeseung was already dragging you along with the rope, not bothering to stop when you had to sidestep the dropped guards with baited breath.

The walk up to the second floor was hasty but you followed anyway, your own plan growing beneath the dirt. More metal shutters were put in place on the next floor but Jay kicked it down until the dark lab hallway was present. The familiar doors were still barricaded, but your focus was on the door at the end, the one that held the research lab.

“Take us to the humans,” Heeseung said beside you. Without argument, you led them towards the end and then slowed with shaky breaths.

If you were correct, there are probably guards behind the doors and it meant an opportunity to buy time and unlock the cupboard. You glanced between the two doors and all three of them narrowed their gaze in suspicion. The way they stilled at your contemplation, trying to pick the edges apart for the truth behind it.

Heeseung tugged you back harshly until you bumped into his side and a hiss escaped your lips. There was no care in his scarlet eyes as he lowered his face, exhaling with an unstable composure on the verge of snapping.

“You're hesitating,” he sneered darkly. Your gaze flickered, to him, to the wall, and then to the ground before he yanked on your hands again. You winced, glancing again.

“Which damn door?” He snapped now, impatient and with warning. Taking a shaky breath, you turned your head to the ward door. If you took them in there, you know you could easily step away from the action and into the lab room, carrying out your own plan.

“There.”

Riki was already ripping down the door, and opened it. Heeseung pushed you inside and darkness shrouded the room. The hum of ventilator machines remained, a slight blue hue from the emergency lights keeping the room from complete pitch black.

Your breath caught in your throat as the three vampires saw the curtains pulled around the patients, their gazes scanning, but hungry. It was as if they had reached a point of achievement.

Jay took the first step towards the first curtain before him and began to tear the fabric away. As soon as he did, a man in armour stepped out, gun aimed and ready to shoot. Jay recoiled with visible annoyance.

Heeseung snarled and tried to keep his grip on you, but you pushed him towards Jay, causing them to stumble into the wall.

Rage flashed past Riki's face and he lunged for you only for another guard to step out the curtain and catch him in motion. They crashed to the floor, and the ward room became a tornado of instant chaos.

A guard fell when Jay swiped his leg beneath the dude, forcing him to fall onto his back with an aggravated yell. The gun was swiped and Heeseung caught it, opening fire at the other few guards popping out the curtains in defense. Even Riki was warring with violence, using only his hands to claw at the dude that tackled him, digging his nails into the neck of him. A scream ripped his throat, but he didn't care. It all passed him like the wind. Blood coated his fingers and the floor, but his attention was needed where more guards were charging at him. He rose with a newfound darkness storming his eyes.

That was your chance.

You stumbled back, and broke into a run to get to the adjoining door leading to the labs. Like before, you flipped open the plastic covering to the keypad, punched in the code like muscle memory and watched as the metal shutters lifted and the sliding doors came into view. Your heart was thundering.

You tried your best to open the door with your bound hands, and you instantly slipped in and shut it behind you, putting in the same code so that the shutters swallowed the door again.

A grunt left you as you bumped into a counter, breathless, hopeful, but also overwhelmed. You had the chance to actually take a breath after being suffocated by those vampires’ demands and internal hunger. Not only that, but the fact they could have sunk their fangs in and drained you of life was also another reminder that hammered into your brain with no aim. There was no guarantee that the others haven't gotten their teeth messy. More persuasion to hit these vampires where they won't see it.

You clutched your shirt at your chest from the pure adrenaline coursing through and weighing each breath down more than normal.

“Y/n?”

That motherly voice came from the side in the darkness followed by more footsteps, hushed whispers and some metal clinking together. Stunned, you straightened yourself to squint into the darkness. From the other room approached your mother, Taehyun and Soobin, worry stitched into their eyes, and then relief as they hurried to you. Some guards came, but retreated once they saw it was you.

Instantly, you ran to her, the tears you locked away returning as you dug your face into her shoulder. Her grip was strong when she hugged back, distress locked into every muscle. You were just glad she was alive and breathing.

“Oh gosh, your hands,” she exclaimed, lifting your bound wrists. Soobin gasped slightly whilst, Taehyun instantly grabbed scissors, the huge ones, before returning to you. Time ticked on but he deftly worked through them. The knots were annoying to work through, but when your hands fell free of the restraints, you hugged Taehyun as well.

He stiffened, a slight warmth rushing up his cheeks but he smiled softly, hands patting your back in reassurance. That you were back in the grounds of safety. He pulled you back by the shoulders.

“Where were you? I'm so sorry for abandoning you. I was going to go back but—”

“No need.” You wiped your eyes and looked at your bewildered mother. “I know how to defeat them. Well, it's a possibility.”

All three swiftly followed you deeper into the lab, to the adjacent room where the fridges remained shut and locked, science equipment sterilised and on display, and the dim emergency lights still blue and thrumming.

“You said that the trial suppressant was killing healthy cells as well. Normal ones.” You gestured to your mother. Realisation struck her just as hastily and then, concern. Her steps were careful when she approached, as if she wanted to disagree. You didn't understand in the slightest.

“We can't just kill them. The Facility built this on the basis we research them,” she countered eagerly, making you shake your head in vehement refusal, wanting to shake the sense into her.

“They bound me! And, they're going to keep getting stronger if we don't stop them. Those guards can only hold off so much,” you explained with equal desperation. When she still floated in silence, you glanced at Soobin who fiddled with a pen, but he wasn't exactly shocked. Just unsure.

“Soobin told me that these vampires get stronger with every Blood Moon.”

She grimaced. “That's all a myth, honey.”

“No, it isn't. Those monsters admitted it. And it's the only reason that the patients are converting back to vampirism after steady weeks of testing. I was going to tell you but…” you sighed, holding onto the counter at the landslide of thoughts suffocating your head. All three went silent, distant guns and movements making your nerves jump. Time was slipping away from you no matter how much you wanted to capture it.

“Please. Listen to me. We need to kill these vampires before they even think of turning anyone else,” you said again, and even held her arm as her gaze flickered and jumped between the conflict raging furiously within her. “I know their plan.”

With a defeated exhale, she nodded and your shoulder slumped with relief. But even then, uou wouldn't allow yourself rest if the mission wasn't done.

Soobin and Taehyun said they would guard outside; your mother was preparing the syringes, making sure to quickly line them up; and you were in the fridge, checking for the trial drugs’ blue liquid.

You were conscious of the time again, the lack of it anchoring deeply in your chest. What worried you more was the fact that there were probably more dead bodies out there. Their personal cemetery.

“Have you found them?” She asked from behind you. A distant scrape, bullet and tear echoed in the distance, but you swallowed down your anxiety.

“No.” You shoved boxes out the way as you looked down the icy box. Another scrape.

“It should be at the bottom. I left it there,” she said, shuffling behind you with plastic and glass, hastily tinkering.

Following her instructions with your chest curled in knots, you stacked all irrelevant boxes until you found the glass one with blue vials down below.

Bingo.

You hauled it to the counter before frantically stacking everything back, and shut the fridge.

“You found it?” She breathed, coming beside you. You nodded, taking one into your hands and feeling the weight of it all within your palm. As if you held the world by just your fingertips, too. Maybe it was knowing you had the capability to end the spread of bloodlust and corrupted immortality. All by your human hands.

She picked up the remaining in the rack and returned to her station, wearing gloves eagerly and opening the screw of one.

“I'll help,” you declared calmly. Rushing to the gloves on the other side of the room, you failed to notice the shriek of metal, a hungry growl of a machine, something menacing on your path. It was stupid how easily your composure dampened. The only thing in your head was getting those vials into those vampires and stopping them.

Another nefarious growl roared in the lab, running through the surfaces and up your bones. It was so close, your silicone gloves forgotten mid-pull.

And then, the ravenous metal sliced, a blood-curling scream echoing out after and capturing your muscles in ice.

Your breaths felt heavy, every part of you screaming to not look, but you did anyway.

Your knees weakened, hands fueled with tremors as you held yourself by the counter to see your mother trembling in place, her hands cupping her bloodied side. There was so much of it. You couldn't even tell what was her skin, what was fabric, heart thundering in panic, as if trying to weave something out of pure denial.

You had to look away because it was fake. Clearly. And only then you saw the four figures looming behind her, still, calm as if this was normal. None of this was normal.

She parted her lips, trying to say something, but you saw the exact moment the light escaped her eyes and her body dropped, her bloody hand sliding off the counter and nudging the remaining vials. The thud was a single knell in your ears.

The denial hit you hard.

She wasn't dead. She wasn't. She was your strong mother that had a head of steel and tackled every problem with her own constructed weapon. She wasn't one to just accept death. You waited for her to speak, maybe stand and stumble over to you.

But when her body slumped on the floor, standing in her place was a chainsaw, the metal still but coated with copper and red torment.

And Jungwon holding it, blonde hair a mess, his black mask returned to the lower half of his place, but his scarlet eyes pinned you to a place.

You couldn't breathe. Your legs weakened and you whimpered, dropping to your knees in denial, harsh, ragged breaths falling past your lips in large gulps, hot tears blurring your vision like a constant tide you were drowning under.

It wasn't real. You were dreaming. And your mother wasn't dead. She was just there.

The heavy tug on your sternum pinned your breaths, your lungs, until it felt like your own body would collapse in on itself. You were doubled over, tears drenching your cheeks before you knew it.

Footsteps.

You couldn't hear them. You saw them before your blurry gaze, and when you looked up, you sobbed, unrestrained.

All seven of them looming over you like a miserable promise. Sunoo held the hacksaw, head tilted in sick curiosity and you swore a smirk flickered behind the narrow gaps of the black mask; Riki held the metal bat with barbed wire and thorns, a bloodied smile worn; Jay held the spiky bludgeon, the ball attached to a chain, emotionless; and Jungwon in the middle of it all, holding that metal monster with ease, familiarity.

Recognition.

When he reached out to you, something in you snapped, and a shriek tore past your lips as you scrambled back, hitting the cupboards behind you. Your skin flared. As if them getting near brought thorns to prickle your skin and render you in pain.

A flash of annoyance rekindled, but he simply took a step forward, making your heartbeat rage terribly. You knew they heard it.

“Get up,” He demanded just as darkly as before, as if he hadn't ripped your mother away from the world. You shook your head, your sobs growing hastily.

Jungwon's gaze narrowed and Heeseung's hand snapped to your arm, hauling you up forcefully and keeping you near.

Breathing was hard for you now, and you continued to cry, all thoughts weighing down like stones planted into the planes of your skull.

“Shut her up,” Sunghoon said with distaste behind that monstrous mask. A hand clamped over your mouth, effortlessly silencing your sobs to hiccups and whimpers. You couldn't even find any of your strength to resist, exhaustion sinking into your bones.

Her screams haunted you, the look in her tearful eyes. More tears arose, knocking at the walls of your eyes, and you couldn't deny the truth of it anymore. That denial dissolved into solid grief, the type that binded deep in your lungs, making each breath sting and seize your chest.

They all walked closer and your whines grew loud and panicked. Heeseung tightened the grip on your mouth, pressing your head back into his chest, refusing to free you.

Your pulse drummed desperately, as if urging yourself to struggle, but you couldn't. The vials were still on the counter where your mother was slaughtered, taunting you. It irritated you to no ends that your solution was right there, silently mocking you for being caged and surrounded.

The mere thought crushed all your composure again, and again until it was just dust.

“Intern Song,” Jungwon said calmly as he stood right before you with dark, crimson eyes, the colour almost a display of your mother's innocent blood staining his sanity.

Apprehensive whines left your body, and you couldn't hold it together. Everything felt wobbly, loose. They managed to destroy everything holding you together. Heeseung pressed his palm to your lips even more.

“I need you to listen, and listen well,” he continued, ignoring you. His gaze flickered over your hazy and teary eyes, the sight fueling a darkness within, making him smirk.

“You need to do a job for us,” he said with another pur. You shook your head with muffled sobs and Heeseung sneered, stilling your head. Jungwon smiled coldly and it sent something heavy to curl in your stomach. Sunoo smiled, tilting his head. It only looked worse with those black masks.

“There's a reason why we haven't killed you, lovely,” he said with a false sweetness. The others shifted, but it was Sunghoon that appeared at your side within a swift second. A shudder seized your spine.

Sunghoon leaned down with that air of control. “You're going to help us make a serum… a venom.”

This time, your breaths halted, eyes creasing in confusion. It didn't make any remote sense. Even in your state of grievance. They could just bite people and get it over with. Why do they need you?

They saw the mental questions arising and Jake scanned you over with mirth.

“You see, only us seven can turn vampires in one go. Anyone we turned cannot do it to the same ability,” Jake explained as he flexed his knuckles, his dead eyes boring into yours. You glanced away.

“And we need it done quickly. With the Blood Moon, we have become stronger and need to spread… our curse. The serum can be quicker if the humans do some of the jobs for us,” Jay continued, and all of them held that expectation in their straightened postures and cold gazes.

Riki finally stepped forward, the bat resting on his shoulder as if he was carrying an old friend. You whimpered.

“And you're going to help us do that,” he finally said before they all pinned you with their gazes.

The tears remained but your sobs had been buried by the pure striking shock of what they wanted you to do. Obviously you can't do that. To even go against why you accepted the internship at the facility in the first place would unravel all your sanity, your reasoning. The only things you had left to keep. Deciding to do good wasn't just a personal thing—you were confident when you knew what the destination was, when knowing that your aid contributed to something positive. Even if a fraction.

Not to mention that your mother worked so hard, putting all her time and sleep into helping those patients regain their old life. For you to break that legacy would be ending her work, betraying her. And now, with her body lying a few feet away, the refusal caged the offer from ever reaching you. You didn't even blink in contemplation.

Jungwon ground his teeth, dropping the chainsaw with a heavy clunk. A flinch broke through you, but he didn't care. Heeseung released you wordlessly only for Jungwon to slide his hands through your locks and yank your head back. You cried out abruptly, hands clawing at him in a weak attempt to unfurl his violent grasp.

It didn't work.

“I don't think you heard us clearly,” he muttered dangerously, tugging your strands back further as you whimpered, more tears slipping down your cheeks. “You will make the serum, and you will do so without me asking once more.”

“A-and… if I don't?” You managed to croak out, fighting the storm of emotions. Jungwon tilted his head until his nose grazed your trembling neck again, holding you there.

“Then I will bite you. Right here.” Jungwon physically prodded his fangs in warning at the side of your neck, and you tried to push his chest. He remained, and chuckled with that same control he rediscovered and kept in his grasp. “And I will turn you into what you hate the most. A monster.”

He pulled away only a little but it was still so close. You couldn't process it. Everything was frozen, woven in a deep web of problems. And the solution? You couldn't even figure it out. It was all loose, tangled.

Silence gripped your throat, eyes searching his but it was just stone hard and unyielding. And exuded power that he wouldn't be denied.

Pain tingled up your scalp as he tightened his hand, and you winced again, then shook your head.

“Don't m-make me—”

“You don't tell us what to do,” Jungwon snapped, yanking on your hair again, sending another crack of pain through your head. A hoarse cry left your throat.

Riki rolled his eyes, his bat swinging down with slight force and striking the back of your knees. Another burst of pain sprung up your buckling legs, and Jungwon wrapped his free arm about your waist as you struggled to deal with the dilemma and pain. Your hands braced with no choice on his chest and another wave of indecision submerged you.

It was clear he didn't care. Those cruel, crimson eyes were waiting, but the patience was quickly dissolving, and so was your time.

“Will you do it or do you need another reminder?” Heeseung remarked darkly behind you.

Looking at your choices from every angle, there was barely a route where you escaped safely. If you run, you would get bit; if you go along with it, you would be aiding these notorious criminals into turning the city into their own personal army; if you don't do anything at all…

“Well?” Jungwon pressed on, causing you to snap back to reality. You had to keep yourself alive. The small spark melted your hopelessness, but it was something.

You won't stop fighting for yourself, nor your mother. But if you had to fight, you couldn't get yourself killed before the battle even started.

With a defeated slump of the shoulders, your gaze lowered and he smiled, loosening the grip on your hair, but not completely.

“Smart girl,” he purred before he let go and Sunoo approached, lowering his mask deftly. Defensive, you stepped back.

“What are you—?”

Sunoo dismissed your words easily, like dust. He grinned in anticipation. “Don't you remember? I got first dibs.”

The initial panic climbed up your chest, and you stumbled back again. Jake grumbled as well as Riki.

“I wanted a taste,” Riki muttered. You weren't listening to them anymore because you glanced at Jungwon.

“You said if I agreed, I wouldn't be bitten!” You exclaimed with ragged breaths, backing up until you bumped into Sunghoon. His hands latched onto yours like cuffs and you abruptly yelled.

Jungwon shrugged, picking up his chainsaw again, but a smirk curled ever so slightly at the corner. “I said I wouldn't bite you. I never said anything about the others.”

Why did you ever trust his word?

Sunoo strolled over with a skip in his step, the anticipation thrumming through him like waves that did nothing to calm your frantic struggles. You shook your head with trembling breaths, begging.

They all watched like it was the most normal thing ever, as if this was a sick routine.

“Sunoo, please—”

“Oh, it'll only sting a little,” he teased, cupping your face and forcefully exposing your neck. In a desperate attempt, you kicked at him, but his hand gripped your thigh and eased it down harshly.

“Tsk, tsk, I'm not turning you. Just want a little… snack,” he whispered, removing your hair and the lab coat that seemed useless now, and he inhaled deeply.

This can't be happening. None of this was real. But no matter how many times you denied the situation, the more your body felt crushed under it all.

Especially when Sunoo prodded his fangs, humming like he inhaled a sweet song, and you shrieked. Sunghoon held you too easily by the arms, and Sunoo kept you in place by the jaw.

There was no preparation that could make you endure the pain.

Nothing at all.

The moment Sunoo's fangs broke through your skin, a sudden explosion of pain struck through your neck and shoulder, an agonised cry leaving your tight lungs. All your muscles flexed, tightened and a thousand painful knots curled into your flesh.

That was only the surface, the mere opening of your flesh, not even enough to draw blood. But it was enough for tears to coat your eyes again, your head to thrash, nails digging crescents into your palm.

“Stop—!”

Sunoo boldly sunk his teeth all the way in and an immediate dizziness consumed you, your head losing strength, pain sweeping over you like the heaviest tide in a hurricane. At this point, voices blurred and your knees buckled. You couldn't think past the barrier of your vessels cracking, and allowing his intruding fangs to disrupt like a visitor you never asked for. A thief for your blood.

Pain ignited and struck you once more, hitting you with one, hot bolt of pulsing pain through your neck and shoulder.

You couldn't comprehend thoughts, words. Everything twisted and kept you oblivious except the fact that Sunoo greedily took your blood, each motion sparking more agony to tighten and bolt your muscles. You think he hummed, and then delved in deeper.

Keeping your eyes open was a strain you were falling under.Your body fell into the arms of someone. You forgot who. But it didn't matter. Sleep and rest felt more embracing, warm, and away from the roots of reality.

The darkness, for once, was something you gladly fell into.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

The first thing you registered was the heavy ache crushing down on your neck, rippling from the bite spot and then reaching up your head and shoulder.

Everything was muffled. Silent, even. Too silent.

Peeling open your eyes, clean, grey walls shone in your surroundings, the stillness corrupting your thoughts despite the pain.

The ground was cold, and not far ahead, there was a window with a grey barrier drawn down, and the striking realisation flashed through you.

The prison cell.

With a burst of energy born out of panic, you shifted your body only to hear and feel leather and metal near your hands. Horror weighed deep in your chest at the leather cuffs around your wrists, and when you peered down at yourself, the chain coiled around your single ankle.

This was worse than you thought. Everything was going down hill, and breaking. Your sanity was unravelling from all the stress sinking into your bones, and your throat felt dry.

Shakily breathing, you fought through the web of pain gripping at every nerve and stumbled to your feet; the agony straining your neck worsened, and you weakly groaned.

The window was cold as you stumbled to it, hands landing with a thud, a futile display of fight, determination. If there was anyone listening, you didn't care. Your forehead landed there, exhausted.

“Let me g-go,” you whispered, weakly banging the glass once more, the movement sending another shot of pain to ripple from your neck and everywhere.

It wasn't just the bite spot. No. Everything was drowning. Your mother was dead as you know it, and her body was probably going to be swept away like litter; you don't know where Soobin or Taehyun were.

They were probably as good as dead.

And the other scientists? Their fates were undecided. How did it even come to this?

Tears welled in your eyes at the thought of trying to take down these vampires after everything that happened.

A rustle sounded, and the blinds went up to reveal Jungwon holding the strings with a controlled stare, as if he knew he held power over you.

Heaviness weighted in your chest, forcing your hands to weakly tap the glass again.

“Y-you monster,” you whispered but you were sure his hearing caught it. The words didn't go missed by him. He tilted his head, pinning your gaze with pleasure or amusement.

“I know. I don't need a reminder, Intern Song,” he spoke through the glass mockingly. The spark of anger twinkled in your eyes, the way your brows creased.

His gaze snapped to your neck, the dry blood staining the agonising wound, and his pupils dilated slightly before meeting your teary gaze again.

“Now you know,” he began saying, leaning closer to the glass to display those blood crimson eyes of his. Your fists clenched as you steadied yourself on the glass, teeth grit, not being able to help the frustration twisting your face and chest. “How to be kept like a mouse in a facility, to be controlled and experimented upon.”

“We're not the s-same,” you remarked in a contempted murmur, breathless. Jungwon smirked at that, leaning his shoulder on the window after crossing his arms. The controlled demeanour, the time spent to taunt you—it all infuriated you. You wanted to strangle him.

“Exactly. We're not the same, Intern Song. Isn't that why we were kept here? I'm simply returning the favour so you can help us with something,” he explained so easily. Another spark of pleasure lit up his face when he glanced at you. “And that's helping with the venom. Like you agreed to.”

“Before your stupid b-brother bit me,” you retorted again, making him snap his cutting gaze to you.

“It's only natural, you know? It's what happens when you deprive us of what we are truly meant to consume,” he countered sharply, leaving no room to argue. Speaking of his brothers, you failed to see any of them in the lab room, and your worry returned to the surface. He sensed the sudden spike in heartbeat.

“Don't worry. They're just… having a snack here and there.”

Tremors ran up your back, gripping your chest and making each breath ragged, shaky, and filled with anger. You grit your teeth, banging your cuffed hands on the window even more.

“You won't get away with this!” You yelled but it lacked the anger you wanted to give. It sounded desperate, as if you had lost the fight already. Jungwon didn't even blink and shrugged.

“You're not convincing anyone. Even yourself,” he said before walking to the side door, opening it and the room suddenly shifted to become unsettling and suffocating.

His steps were easy, silent as he stalked you, and you stumbled back a bit. The chain pulled taut when you tried to distance yourself too quickly, and you fell back onto the ground, wincing when your spine tingled with pain.

The shadow of his loomed over you like a reminder of your entrapment, taunting you even more. Jungwon knelt down as you curled away but he gripped your cuffed ankle, yanking until you held yourself up by the forearms. You groaned in agony, the sensation radiating from your wound and up your skull.

“And, Intern Song, I only have so much patience with your words and actions. Quite frankly, you have exhausted me with all your escape attempts,” he said with a dangerously low voice that cut into you to prove the point. When you glanced at the ground, he pulled on your hand with a silent threat, making you meet his gaze.

“Anymore of that, and I will let each of them drain your blood until you can barely speak. Do you understand?” He warned, expecting an answer. A nod was all you could manage, but he violently shook your hand, and you cried out weakly. “I said. Do. You. Understand?”

“Y-yes,” you uttered hastily. Jungwon tilted his head, as if satisfied, let go of your hands and began to walk towards the door that led to your freedom. Before he exited completely, he turned to you over his shoulder. You tensed.

“Enjoy your time in Facility 007.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━˚₊‧꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱‧₊˚━━━━━━━━━━━━━

— ִֶָ࣪☾. [𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒]: so, do yall want a part 2(?). Hope you enjoyed!!

REBLOGS, LIKES+ COMMENTS are appreciated<3

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tinyshyteacup · 2 months ago

Text

Tw: cussing, angst, carbohydrates

Part 1

Words of Command - Part 2

You stand just a little to the side of the elevator, arms wrapped around yourself for comfort, eyes fixed on him.

The Soldier—or—Bucky—or was it Soldat? hasn’t moved. Not more than the occasional shift of his weight, the twitch of that metal hand, the faint flick of his blue eyes every time you breathe too loudly.

Steve and Tony have stepped back to whisper, but you can feel their attention lingering.

Watching.

Judging.

Worried.

Your voice is small when you try again.

“Excuse me…Soldat?”

His gaze whips back to you. Immediate. Unyielding.

That dead-focused, razor-sharp intensity tightens your chest, but you keep going—gentle, slow, like you’re talking to a scared animal that might bolt.

Or bite.

“Do you… understand me?”

There’s no answer.

But he stares, and something in the corners of his eyes shifts—like he’s searching, trying to find something inside the words.

Like he knows he should understand.

But doesn’t know how he's supposed to respond.

You try again.

“Do you speak English?”

A pause. Then “…Handler.”

Soft. Gravelled. Russian-coated.

But he looks at you longer this time. Tilts his head ever so slightly.

Then—halting, broken “Yes ... Handler... I speak ... english.”

His voice is scratchy from disuse, like sandpaper dragged across silk.

You blink, startled. “You do speak…english ...cool. cool. cool.”

His face doesn’t change, but something flickers behind his eyes—like he knows he got something right.

Tony mutters under his breath to Steve, “Great. She’s got a new puppy. One with a kill count.”

Tony’s voice cuts the moment in two, sharp and dry.

“Alright. Fine. He stays. For now.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “But only under strict rules.”

He points at you. “You’re now—congratulations—his unofficial translator, wrangler, emotional support human. You don’t leave him alone with anyone unless Steve’s around."

Tony paces before continuing.

"You don’t give him any new code words. And if he starts twitching like he’s about to go full ‘Nuclear-powered meltdown’ in the kitchen, you run. Got it?”

You blink. “I—I didn’t agree to any of this—”

“You talked to him,” Tony interrupts. “He responded. That makes you the most useful person in this room. Sorry, Cap.”

Steve just nods, gaze serious. “We’ll keep him close. And monitored.”

Tony turns back to Bucky. “You break anything, you pay for it. With labor. I’ll teach you how to vacuum or something.”

“Vakum?"

Bucky repeats, confused.

He turns back to you like he’s waiting for confirmation.

You swallow. “Um… yea ...yes. You… do or we do, I dont know”

He nods, stiff but obedient. Like a soldier again. Your stomach knots.

Tony sighs. “Great. He’s trained and housebroken.”

The others drift off. Steve to talk logistics. Tony to complain to JARVIS. You’re left behind… with him.

You stand in awkward silence.

Bucky doesn’t look at you the way a man does. He looks at you the way a soldier does—alert, aware, waiting for purpose.

But something softens in his stance when you step a little closer.

“Do you… remember your name?” you ask gently.

He’s quiet for a long time. Too long. Then he shakes his head.

"Soldat.”

“Not that,” you murmur. “Your real name.”

His brows knit like it’s painful. His mouth opens—closes. Then just a almost imperceptible shake of his head.

You nod slowly. “Okay. That’s okay.”

He watches your expression like he’s trying to memorize it. Trying to learn how to interpret softness. Gentleness. Safety.

The hallway outside the security room smells faintly like ozone and recycled air. You’re wringing your fingers in front of you, stealing glances toward where Bucky—no, Soldat—sits motionless on a bench near the elevator, eyes tracking every flicker of movement like a wolf in a den of mirrors.

Steve watches him too. But not with fear.

With sorrow.

“He’s so…” you start, unsure of how to finish the sentence. “Still.”

Steve sighs, deep and rough. “That’s how he was trained. Hydra carved the hesitation out of him. Left only reaction.”

You glance at the grime and dried blood on Bucky’s face.

His hair is stringy, tangled.

His hands both metal and flesh are blackened with dirt. The metallic arm catches the fluorescent lights—dull, but still somehow menacing.

“He needs… a shower,” you say scrunching your nose slightly.

Steve looks over. “Yeah. He does.”

“I could… he could use mine”

Steve's mouth twitches into the smallest smile. “You’re braver than you look.”

You fidget. “Everyone deserves hygiene ... its a basic human right.”

Steve nods slowly. “That’s true.”

The elevator ride up to your room is silent—oppressively so.

You keep sneaking glances at him.

He doesn’t blink much. Doesn’t fidget. Just stands with his shoulders squared, metal hand curled tight at his side like he’s expecting orders or a trap.

His boots are caked in filth.

His face still bears the shadows of too many nights in the street.

You whisper, just loud enough for him to hear

“You’re safe. No one here will hurt you.”

His eyes slide to yours. Brief. Intense.

Then he nods—just once.

Your room in Stark Tower isn’t large, but it’s lived-in, Tony had allowed you to shift in when you where between apartments in the city, and he didn't seem in a hurry for you to find somewhere else.

Warm lamp light glows from the corner. There’s a little potted succulent on the windowsill. That your honestly not trying to kill.

A pile of books beside the bed. A tea mug forgotten on the nightstand. The air smells faintly of vanilla and lemon.

Bucky walks in like a soldier clearing a room. Silent steps. Eyes scanning corners. He doesn’t relax, but he stops moving once you speak.

“I thought… you could shower in here. In the bathroom. It’s clean, and there’s towels—soap—uh—just, everything.”

He stares at you blankly.

Then… something clicks.

Without hesitation, he starts pulling off his clothes.

You let out a squeak and spin around so fast you nearly trip over your own feet.

“Oh! Holy shit ...Um—okay! Privacy! You can—just—I’ll wait out here!” your voice cracks at least twice.

Behind you, clothes hit the floor. The dull thud of boots. The click of the door shutting, then the soft muffled hiss of the shower turning on.

Your face burns.

You press your hand to your chest.

There’s a naked super soldier in my shower… Oh my god… holy cow...wait ... is that arm waterproof?

A soft knock draws you from your internal spiral.

You open the door just wide enough to peek out—and there’s Steve, holding a bundle of clothes, grey sweatpants, a simple t-shirt, hoodie, and socks.

He raises a brow at your pink face. “Everything okay?”

“Fine! Totally fine! He’s… uh ...showering.” You hesitate. “He stripped. Like, immediately.”

Steve snorts softly, amused. “Yeah. That tracks.”

You take the clothes and thank him in a whisper.

He turns to leave but glances back over his shoulder. “He’s not trying to scare you.”

“I kinda figured.”

Evening hums low outside your window. The sky’s painted in the soft indigos of a city winding down. In your room, the overhead light is dimmed, replaced by the golden warmth of a bedside lamp.

The tower feels quieter now—like even its bones are holding their breath.

Bucky sits on the floor at the foot of your bed, his back straight, legs folded.

He’s wearing the clothes Steve brought. He hasn’t said much—not beyond, "Yes" "No" and “Handler”

Your starting to hate that word.

You’re sitting nearby, cross-legged on the bed, watching him with a quiet ache in your chest.

His hair is damp from the shower but already beginning to dry in unkempt waves, tangled and wild like a forgotten sea.

There’s something about it that doesn’t sit right with you—not because it’s messy, but because it wasn’t his choice.

It was neglect.

“Would you like to brush your hair?” you ask gently, holding up the comb you keep in your drawer.

He doesn’t move.

Not a flinch.

But his eyes flick to the comb. Then to your face.

Then back to the comb.

No understanding.

No hostility.

Just… frozen confusion.

You realize it a second later, It wasn’t a command.

And he doesn’t know how to process choice.

You try again, slower. “It’s not an order, Soldat. It’s something people do for comfort. To feel clean. To feel… themselves.”

He watches your mouth like he’s decoding a language that doesn’t belong to him.

One second.

Two.

Three.

Then “...You brush?” he says, the words clipped, thickly accented. His voice scratches like gravel dragged over concrete.

“No, not me. You. For you.” You hold the comb out to him carefully, showing him. “You can brush your own hair. If you want.”

His brow furrows. You don’t think he’s ever been asked if he wants anything before.

“I don’t… remember.”

That is the closest thing to a sentence he’s given you.

The words nearly break something inside you.

“Then…” you whisper, “Would it be okay if I helped? Just for now?”

A breath passes. His metal fingers twitch against the floor.

Then he nods—once.

You ease down from the bed, kneeling behind him. His broad back dwarfs you, but he stays very still. Every muscle tense, like he’s waiting for something to go wrong.

You gently set the comb on your lap and take out a small, circular compact mirror from your drawer. You flip it open and set it on the floor beside him, tilting it so he can see your hands reflected when you reach for his hair.

“It’s... so you know you’re in control. You can stop me at any time. Okay?”

“Understood, Handler.”

That word again.

The first pass of the comb is tentative. Gentle. You start from the ends, working up in soft, practiced movements. His hair snags in places—clumps still matted from god only knows how much neglect. You’re careful. Patient. Like you’re brushing knots of memory, not just strands.

His breath is steady. But not relaxed. It’s like he doesn’t know how to be during this.

When your fingertips graze his scalp, he flinches—but doesn’t pull away.

In the mirror, you watch his eyes track your every movement. His jaw is clenched, but not from pain. From effort. He’s fighting an instinct you can’t see, but you feel its tremble under your palms.

And then—almost imperceptibly—his shoulders lower. Just a little.

After several minutes, you offer him the compact.

“Here. Want to hold it?”

He stares at it like it’s some delicate alien thing. You nudge it gently into his flesh hand.

He holds it like it might shatter under the wrong pressure. Turns it. Sees himself.

He frowns.

Not in disgust.

Not quite.

More like... he’s seeing a ghost in the reflection and doesn’t know what to do with him.

Then he looks at you.

And in that single look—there is confusion.

And something almost like wonder.

“You… don’t have to do this,” he murmurs. “it's not protocol.”

“I don't mind,” you say, voice thick with emotion. Despite the smile you offer him.

The Tower’s kitchen is lively at this hour—typical, not at all surprising.

Clint is hunched over a bowl of cereal, watching something on a tablet, probably a terrible reality show. Natasha lounges sideways on one of the bar stools, legs crossed at the knee, flipping through a glossy black dossier with quiet intent.

Sam is leaning against the fridge, arguing with Steve about something that sounds like football but escalates fast enough to involve several gestures and a thrown grape.

Then there’s Tony.

Leaning across the counter in a charcoal t-shirt, sipping an espresso as if he invented the machine.

Because well ... he did.

You step into the room, barefoot and slipping between them with muttered "Excuse me's", sleeves pushed up to your elbows and hair a little tousled from where you’d tied it up lazily.

You hover near the fridge, mumbling something about making pasta. No one really pays you much mind—

Until they notice him.

He appears in the doorway like a shadow that forgot to blend in.

The Winter Soldier.

Bucky.

He doesn’t speak, doesn’t announce himself, doesn’t stomp. He just is—standing in the doorframe, silent and still, eyes flicking from person to person like he’s assessing threats. Or calculating exits.

You glance back at him, offering a smile, and he responds not with words, but motion.

He follows you.

Not close enough to touch. Just behind. Always behind. Like a ghost dog, cautious but fiercely loyal. His bare feet make no sound against the polished floors. He stands when you stand, moves when you move.

You’re pouring water into a pot when you hear Clint whisper

“Is that who I think it is?”

Natasha doesn’t answer. But she puts her file down. That’s answer enough.

Tony's voice cuts through the tension like a scalpel made of sarcasm.

“Well well, look who’s lurking in my kitchen like a Soviet-themed Dracula.”

Bucky doesn’t flinch. His gaze flicks to Tony, then to the coffee machine, then back to you. The moment doesn’t register as an insult—because to him, it’s just noise.

“Didn’t realize the Asset came with a tracking chip,” Tony adds, lifting his espresso.

You turn slightly, cheeks flushed, fumbling the box of pasta.

“He’s just… hanging out” you say over your shoulder. “It’s okay.”

Tony blinks. “Yeah, I see that. Very Terminator-chic. Adorable. Kind of unsettling.”

Sam raises an eyebrow. “You sure he’s not about to snap a fork in half?”

At that, Bucky shifts. Just a little. Not threatening. But present. A statement.

Natasha leans in, narrowing her eyes. “He’s not looking at any of us. Just her.”

You glance back at him. “Soldat?”

His head turns toward you instantly. Eyes locked. Waiting.

“…You hungry?”

There’s a pause. He doesn’t nod. But his lips part, like he’s trying to answer in a language he forgot.

“Da,” he rasps.

Tony claps once. “Fantastic. Our newly adopted murder machine has a preference for carbs. That’s going in the file.”

As the pasta boils and the kitchen returns to a fragile rhythm, Bucky remains near you. Close, but never hovering too much. Watching your hands. Taking in the way you hum under your breath. Your calm presence seems to dull the sharp edges in him.

When the steam rises and you lean over the pot, he shifts slightly to keep you in sight.

Tony catches it and, for once, doesn’t make a joke.

Instead, he murmurs to Steve, “It’s like some sorta twilight zone imprinting. Is that normal?”

Steve shrugs. “Nothing about this is normal.”

You hum softly to yourself, cheeks warm from the stove’s heat as you serve up a big bowl of sundried tomato pasta with crumbly cheese and herbs.

You’ve made enough for everyone—even Tony, who pretends to be above “home-cooked carbs” until you set a plate down in front of him.

“Looks like someone’s gunning for our hearts,” Sam jokes, taking a forkful. “I mean—she made pasta, and the Asset isn’t killing anyone. That’s two wins.”

You smile timidly, brushing hair behind your ear. “It’s nothing, really. I just thought... maybe it would help.”

Bucky sits rigid at the end of the bar, back straight, legs parted just slightly in a posture that screams tactical readiness more than dinner guest. His eyes never leave you.

He eats slowly, methodically. Like every bite is a foreign ritual he’s relearning. His spoon clenched tight in his metal hand. His expression unreadable.

The others are trying.

They talk softly.

Laugh a little.

Tony throws in occasional dry commentary to cut the tension.

You start to relax.

Sam tosses a crumpled napkin at Clint, who bats it away with a grin.

“Real mature,” he mutters.

Then Sam turns to you. He points his fork in your direction, mock-annoyed. “And you—you better not be trying to replace me as the favorite cook.”

You laugh, turning away to get another serving. Sam stands up dramatically, crossing over to nudge your shoulder with exaggerated playfulness. “I mean, who told you you could just waltz in here and become the team’s comfort cook?”

It’s lighthearted.

But it’s too much.

Too close.

Too sudden.

There’s no warning.

One second, Sam is jokingly reaching out to gently nudge your arm—

The next, metal slams against flesh with a sickening crack.

Sam is thrown backwards across the kitchen, crashing into a barstool that shatters beneath him.

Gasps. A plate clatters to the floor. Someone shouts—Natasha, maybe—but it’s drowned out by the low, inhuman growl that echoes from the center of the chaos.

The Winter Soldier stands between you and the others.

His body is coiled, one foot slid slightly in front of the other in a combat stance. Left arm bent, metal fist clenched so tightly the grooves in his knuckles press white-hot into the soft light of the room.

His right arm—the flesh one—is stretched in front of you, shielding.

His face is a mask of violence.

Emotionless.

Focused.

Predatory.

He sees a threat.

He’s eliminating it.

“Soldat!” Steve yells, standing up. “Stand down—!”

Tony’s hand flies to his chest, activating the arc reactor with a sharp whine. “You have got to be kidding me—”

Sam groans from the floor, coughing. “I’m okay—Jesus—he’s got an arm like a truck—”

But Bucky doesn’t flinch.

Doesn’t hear them.

Only you.

He turns to check you—slowly, like he’s scanning for wounds. Eyes scanning your arms, your shoulders, your face.

Then he turns back toward the others, every muscle wound taut. A silent protector. A guard dog whose chain has snapped.

Clint inches forward. “Uh—he’s not gonna stop, is he?”

Tony’s voice is sharp now. “Tell him to stand down. He’s keyed in on you, not us. You have to do it.”

You blink. Your breath has caught in your chest.

Then slowly, trembling, you step forward, touching the inside of Bucky’s flesh arm—just above the wrist.

“Soldat,” you whisper, “It’s okay. I’m not hurt. I’m okay.”

His head tilts slightly. You see something shift.

“I need you to stop,” you say, your voice cracking. “Stand down.”

He blinks.

The tension bleeds out of his shoulders like breath leaving a body. He straightens slightly, fists unclenching. The tremble in his chest dies down.

His eyes drop to the floor.

"Understood, Handler,”

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