Chapter Eight

Nightmare

 

      Light cast down upon an open window, and the empty vision left by the absence of sun flooded through the open shadows that were cast over the dank, stone room. The once blackened stones flooded with soft grey color, glimmering upon the look of scratch marks, lodged into the stone. The deep marks formed the shape into that of a giant claws. There weren’t many places where the markings didn’t reach, looking as if a wild animal had been released in the midst of a frenzy.

 

      There was no sound. No breath. No movement. But a huddled up creature, lurking in the corner, covered in black rags that once resembled clothing. There wasn’t much left of the rags, and what could have resembled clothes had been torn and clawed.

 

      The sound of a creaking door, caused the creature’s eye’s to dilate, but it didn’t move. It was frozen to the ground; chains were intricately wrapped around the base of its neck, and cuffed around its wrists, sinking in the ground and the wall.

 

      Footsteps echoed against the ground, walking closer. With each step against the ground, a part of the creature slowly came to life. First, its eyes blinked, the fur on its face had grown long, but the inhuman eyes shone bright scarlet. Another step and its fingers slowly clenched, its claws weakly digging into its palm.

 

      The creature was still half asleep when the footsteps stopped. Its eyes just barely processed the legs, standing straight in front of it.

 

      “It’s been a long time, Ji Hyun.”

 

⚉—•♚•—⚇

 

      Daehyun blinked. It was slight, but the motions were vivid in his mind. His arms crossed over his chest, Youngjae walking in front of him and ignoring his presence. That didn’t matter much to him, as at the moment, he would prefer the silence.

 

      Something was following him. Something…insidious.

 

      His lips curved into a calm smirk, ignoring the familiar seed of doubt that was growing in his gut. He never minded getting on Zico’s bad side, since the little punk was all bark and no bite…but that was before the little punk managed to catch him off guard and gnaw into the supple flesh that ended up being on lowering levels of indestructible – no thanks to Bang Yongguk.

 

      “If you want, I could send back up. You could use another pair of hands to pick your up when you fall.” Yongguk had said.

 

      Daehyun scoffed. He wasn’t nearly so helpless to need help. Powers or not. This was his grudge and he would see to it that Zico’s blood is splattered and mixed with P.O’s entrails when he was done with them.

 

      Anger?

 

      Was that anger??

 

      Daehyun’s fist clenched. The rage and humiliation was boiling over and the inferno was just moments from erupting. What was wrong with him?

 

      “Not that I mind you being silent…in fact that may just be my Christmas dream come true,” Youngjae began, causing Daehyun’s eyes to slightly widen. “That night…what happened?”

 

      Daehyun paused, and found that Youngjae had in fact led him into an empty room in the library. Being four in the morning, finding an empty study room was all too easy. Why the boy felt the need to arrive at four in the morning was beyond him.

 

      The anger seemed to fade when he met the boy’s gaze. His lips slowly raised into a calm smirk.

 

      “I’ll tell you what happened.” Daehyun began, taking a step forward, which Youngjae calmly noticed as he glanced down and his eyes flickered right back to the smirking bodyguard. “You passed out. Like. A. .”

 

      Youngjae’s eyes narrowed, feeling the horrible surge of irritation and a tinge of regret for even bringing the situation up again. He wanted to move past it. He wanted Daehyun to never bring up the event ever again. He wanted to retain what little dignity he had left, and yet here he was, unable to let it go.

 

      Elsa would not be proud.

 

      His fist clenched. The smallest memory continued to haunt him. The ear-piercing sound of a gunshot would waken him from deep sleep. The memory was twisted. The only detail he has to go on, and each time it haunts him differently.

 

      It was annoying.

 

      “I heard you broke your hand.” Youngjae stated, promptly ignoring Daehyun’s last insult as he glanced at the bandages around Daehyun’s hands. Arguing would only give Daehyun what he wanted, as to what that was, Youngjae didn’t really know, but he would be damned if he’d let him of all people best him. “Pretty flimsy bandages for a broken bone.”

 

      “Adjust your sources then. I’m fine.” Daehyun replied, taking another step forward as he trailed his fingers up Youngjae’s arm. The boy’s eye twitched, knowing that the man was trying to get under his skin. He couldn’t let him know that it was working. He couldn’t let him know that he was about ready to tear the skin from his arms.

 

      “Who was shot?” Youngjae slowly asked, and Daehyun’s hand came to an abrupt halt. His eyes were shadowed by thick black bangs, so Youngjae found himself unable to process the exact reaction.

 

      “Who told you that?” Daehyun asked, his voice not missing a beat, his eyes rose to meet the boy’s, and whatever it was that caused the pause, was gone. Daehyun’s head tilted, taking a small step back. It was slight, but Youngjae caught it.

 

      “No one.”

 

      “You have quite the twisted imagination. There was no gun.” Daehyun replied, and Youngjae shook his head.

 

      “No. You got shot.” Slowly, Youngjae lifted his hand near Daehyun’s chest. The other’s eyes only watched it rise, fingers just inches away from his chest. Daehyun’s eyes narrowed as the boy managed to correctly pinpoint the placement of the shot that had pierced through him as if he were some stuffed toy, unable to heal as he should have.

 

      “If I got shot here of all places, do you really think I’d be able to stand up and look as good as I do?” Daehyun asked, glancing down to where the gunshot had pierced. The boy’s knowledge of anatomy became increasingly convenient.

 

      Youngjae’s brows furrowed, and the doubt plastered over his face in an instant. His palm shot up to his head, the pounding began to cause his entire body to sway. There was something wrong with him. How hard was he hit?

 

      Daehyun’s eyes narrowed, carefully watching as Youngjae’s balance began to worsen as moments went by. He let out a sigh of defeat before steadying the boy’s body. Youngjae didn’t seem to really notice Daehyun’s presence, as his legs suddenly collapsed from beneath him. Daehyun watched as Youngjae’s body crumbled to the ground, not caring enough to catch him a second time.

 

      Youngjae found himself unable to stand back up, no matter how hard he tried or how humiliating it was to fall to his knees in front of the sadistic who had no place in protecting anyone.

 

      Daehyun tilted his head, slowly kneeling down next to the boy. He sighed, already feeling the extra work pill onto his shoulders. If only Yongguk would just tell him where the stupid unidentified object was, it would make things so much easier. He wouldn’t have to babysit a teenager or deal with said teenager’s not so civil enemies. He wouldn’t have gotten shot and he sure as hell wouldn’t have to deal with the repercussions of his decaying power.

 

      Even his memory wipe was starting to fade away. A ing memory wipe. A child could preform those. HIMCHAN could preform those. ing embarrassing.

 

      Daehyun rubbed his temples, grabbing the boy roughly by his shirt, lifting him up with a single hand and wrapping the boy’s arm around his shoulder so he could pick him up. Daehyun’s arm hesitantly wrapped his arm around Youngjae’s waist, placing him in a weak standing position.

 

      “Put me down.” Youngjae ordered, and Daehyun glanced towards him, not fully listening.

 

      “Can you walk?”

 

      “No.”

 

      “Then no.”
 

      “I have to study.” Youngjae hissed, urgently as he weakly tried to get away.

 

      “You have to sleep.” Daehyun said without much emotion.

 

      “I don’t need sleep.” Youngjae retorted, and Daehyun rolled his eyes before locking them on Youngjae’s weak frame.

 

      “If you can stand on your own, and walk to that door,” Daehyun nodded in the door’s direction, before looking back to Youngjae. “I’ll let you go. If fact. I’ll quit. You’ll never see me again.”

 

      “Seriously?” Youngjae doubtfully retorted.

 

      “Seriously.”

 

      Daehyun let him go, and surprisingly enough, Youngjae didn’t completely collapse. The dizziness didn’t seem to wear off and Youngjae looked about ready to pass out, but still, determination seemed to drive the boy on. His steps were clumsy, without much direction. Daehyun crossed his arms, watching the other take slow steps, advancing towards the door.

 

      Letting out a sigh, Daehyun uncrossed his arms and swiftly walked towards Youngjae before lightly tapping the boy’s arm, causing whatever amount of balance that had managed to work for him, suddenly fail. Youngjae’s form collapsed to the floor, causing the contents of his bag spill to the ground as he managed to catch himself from hitting his face against the hardwood floor.

 

      “You cheated.” Youngjae gasped out.

 

      “Cheating implies there having been set rules, Jae. I didn’t break the rules if there were none.” Daehyun said, glancing down to what fell out of his bag. It was mostly just books that looked far too heavy for Youngjae’s scrawny arms, and pencils that were almost dead from being sharpened too much. Daehyun rolled his eyes again before a white bottle of pills caught his attention.

 

      Youngjae didn’t seem to notice as Daehyun knelt down to pick them up, glancing at this with a look of disinterest. The words ‘Modafinil’ immediately gained his attention. It was only when the bottle was in hand that Youngjae took notice, causing the boy to make a clumsy attempt to his feet, only to collapse back to the ground. Daehyun barely spared the bottle a glance as he looked towards Youngjae.

 

      “Give them back.” Youngjae stated, and Daehyun raised a single brow.

 

      “You want them even though they are making you into an uncoordinated mess?”

 

      “I’m fine.”

 

      Daehyun’s lips formed into a straight line before his expression became one of amusement.

 

      “Okay, Jae-Jae.” He began, tossing the pills into the air and catching them all the same. “They are yours, if you can reach up here with your amazing balance, and take them. If not, I’ll toss them out the window and see if you’ll still want them then.”

      

      “Why are you doing this?”

 

      “Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just avoiding future pains in my . I’m not saying I’m physic or anything, but I see your wobbly form, limping across the room to be a very big annoyance I should crush out now.” Daehyun smirked. “By all means, if you can guarantee that your escapade with drugs wont come back to haunt me, then by all means, take them.”

 

      Youngjae looked up, contempt suddenly filling his eyes as he attempted to stand. The ice seemed to thicken as he noticed the lack of reaction in he standing man’s face. If anything, he seemed to enjoy Youngjae’s contempt.

 

      “I really hate you.” Youngjae finally said, his voice just as cold as anything else.  Daehyun only shrugged, shaking the bottle just out of Youngjae’s reach. He stared at them for a moment before reaching his arm out clumsily and missing the bottle. The other’s lips twitched, causing the once calm Youngjae to stand, and lunge for the bottle. At this point, it wasn’t even that he wanted it. He just didn’t want to lose another part of his life to the man put in place to protect him.

 

      The plan didn’t go very well, as Youngjae’s body gave out half way through, and he found himself losing every bit of coordination that he once had. His frame crumbled, and Daehyun instinctively found himself catching the other by the arm. Youngjae’s head crashed into Daehyun’s chest, and even with the blow, Daehyun’s form didn’t move back and took the full force of the hit without any complaint.

 

      The moment their bodies came in contact it was as if a spark suddenly lit inside the elder, and his knees began to shake. It was as if the spark had been forced back into him, making him feel an emotion indescribable.

 

      His eyes widened as the burn spread over his skin. Youngjae’s very presence was making him burn. He looked down just as the boy got ahold of his weakened form before separating completely and gripping onto the wall to hold his balance.

 

      Ever since he met the whiney, spoiled human, everything felt wrong. And pieces of Daehyun felt like they were floating away, disappearing into abyss. They would painfully return later, but the pieces felt jagged and broken. Like a puzzle trying force the piece backwards.

 

      Daehyun’s eyes narrowed on the boy. He didn’t know what this kid was, but the longer he was with him, the more Daehyun began to feel like dying. It wasn’t an angst filled, depressing desire to die, but sometimes he began to stop in the middle of traffic, his minding wandering off to a place it hadn’t ever been. If his body were broken to pieces…if it were to break apart and be crushed against the pavement, then would it heal?

 

      The thought of bringing his suspicions onto Yongguk or Himchan crossed his mind, but cross was all it did.

 

      If there came a day when he needed someone to know that his strength was failing him, that would be the day he finally submits to his knees, kneeling like some coward ready to submit to the spark that only ever burns.

 

⚉—•♚•—⚇

 

      The rest of the day passed just as Daehyun could expect, with Youngjae friendless and studying without anything but books to keep him company. There were books and Daehyun himself, who had stuck to playing his DS as loudly as he liked. The scowl that he received only seemed to make the time pass quicker, and the amusement to only grow.

 

      The pills in his hand hadn’t disappeared, and Daehyun made sure they were out in the direction that only Youngjae could see. Taunting hadn’t been a big part of his life until recently, so Daehyun found that he had missed out on such a key part of life. Making another’s life miserable.

 

      “Give them back.” Youngjae had asked after a couple hours of silence (besides the sound of a single DS).

 

      “If you want them, take them, by all means,” Daehyun’s lips curled into a smirk. “Jump on me like you did before. We all know how much I enjoy the ing of a drug addict.”

 

      Youngjae opened his lips to speak, but then thought better of it and was immediately silent. To throw wood into a dying fire would only make the taunting continue to flare. And Youngjae was tired of looking at the man.

 

      It wasn’t until hours later that Youngjae agreed to leave. The moment Daehyun drove the boy home, just as the sun began to set, did Daehyun feel something was amiss. The car ride only expanded on the feeling that something was wrong. Something was livid and Daehyun felt a feeling that was so familiar that it almost caused Goosebumps to form upon his skin. Something dark was haunting him, and his grip tightened on the steering wheel.

 

      He heard the sound as ear piercing as nails scraping against steel, long before he felt the aftermath of its blow. His grip tightened along the wheel, his skin turning white just as he felt his car pivot and stop, causing both of them to lurch forward in their seat.

 

      The sound of the engine abruptly dying made Daehyun close his eyes in annoyance.

 

      “You’re a driver, you know that right.” Youngjae stated, having hit himself roughly in the face with the book he had been pretending to read.

 

      Daehyun glanced towards the boy with a single shrug. driver or decent driver, he didn’t know much about cars, but something seemed wrong with the way it stopped. It didn’t feel like a natural crash of breaks. It felt like something had forcefully brought it to a stop.

 

      And now, whatever it was, it had forcefully brought Daehyun into another conflict that he had no interest in.

 

      He let out a single sigh, glancing through the fog outside his windshield, towards the empty road before finally stepping out of his car. Youngjae was still scowling at being ignored, but other than that, the rich burden had the decency to be silent.

 

      The first thing Daehyun noticed as he stepped outside was the chill. Cold never affected him too much, but this chill he felt to his very bones. His fingers twitched at his side, and he made a silent cut towards Youngjae, the rich , who got to sit inside a warm car while his sister’s money paid his way through his privileged life while he had to labor outside in the cold….five days before Christmas.

 

      He grumbled as he opened the hood of his car.

 

      Sure, he didn’t usually give two s about Christmas, but he did give two s about having it taken from him. Where’s his vacation? Better than that, he’d like to deck the halls with Youngjae’s guts. Red. Like Christmas and blood. And eventually green, like Christmas and rot.

 

      Daehyun sighed and closed the lid of the car when he found that he hadn’t a clue what he was looking at. But the sight of scratch marks, along his car suddenly got his attention. He raised a brow, placing his fingers against the deeply embedded marks, finding them to be the distance of his fingers spread. The markings had succeeded in ruining the black paint of his car.

 

      He scowled. He didn’t normally give two s about his car, but only he had the right to destroy it. Not some other lion . Only him.

 

      His hand hovered over the markings as he followed where they led him, passing the passenger door where Youngjae stayed, scowling as he read his book. The indent of the claws seemed to deepen the further he followed them, before he got to the back of his car. The entire bumper was hanging from a small piece of his vehicle, looking as if some ferocious animal had torn it from its place. The claw markings were so deeply embedded into the vehicle that he could see the inside of his trunk.

 

      Impressed, he let out a small whistle, looking out over the buildings and the distance that was visible to the fog. There were no cars or people or civilization in sight. Whatever it was, it had chosen a good time to take him down.

 

      “What clever little beastie.” Daehyun murmured, glancing around as the adrenaline was soaring through his blood. “But a beast is all you’ll be…and even that will be unrecognizable when I’m through with you.” Daehyun smirked, turning around to glance towards a tiny movement in a darkened alleyway. “I’ll be sure to smoke lots to commemorate ripping you apart.”

 

      He glanced to the side just as Youngjae came out from the car, scowling as he closed the door. “What the hell is taking you so long?”

 

      Daehyun’s eyes widened, having forgotten that Youngjae was even with him. He could feel the rumble of the growl long before he heard it, and he quickly found the adrenaline in his body light like a rocket, long before he could control its course.  His arms found their way around Youngjae before he could help it, and he quickly threw both of them out of the way of the oncoming predator. Quick had always been something Daehyun was proud of, so now wasn’t any exception as he gracefully landed on his feet, thirty feet away.

 

      He met Youngjae’s wide, beady, and surprised eyes before breaking the contact and watching as the beast demolished his car. The pieces of glass broke and shattered over the awaiting pavement.

 

      Daehyun’s lips curled up at the sight of it, a part of him found the site of it to be familiar, but the larger portion of himself found the annoyance of his possessions being demolished by someone who wasn’t him, to be absolutely unbecoming. His arm dropped from holding onto Youngjae, who had frozen still with shock. This was for the best, as a frozen Youngjae was easier to handle.

 

      “What an ugly thing you are,” Daehyun took a cigarette from the pocket on his coat, which fit nicely against his form. He lit it in one before placing it in between his lips. “Forgive me for smoking prematurely, but the thought of flaying the ugly hairy skin off your disgusting bones is giving me a raging-” Daehyun paused as he watched the beast growl in anger. The rage in its red eyes was more than apparent, and it illuminated around its figure so brightly that he almost had to look away.

 

      It body was completely covered in fur, and it was much larger than any normal hellhound that Daehyun had ever seen. He hadn’t really seen many millions, but this one had to of been the ugliest of them all. Its claws weren’t its most prominent feature, as its bones were sticking out from its fur, so grotesque that it was almost difficult to look at. The fur didn’t cover everything, and he noticed swiftly that there were patches of bones that the fur didn’t cover.

 

      The rabid nature of its form was the most prominent feature of a hellhound, but other than that, there wasn’t much resemblance to it and a dog. The muscles bulged out from its face, veins seemingly the most visible, but they were empty, pumping nothing through it. Its teeth were probably what needed the muscle on its face, as they were bigger than its very face, and looked as sharp and deadly as any other hound.

 

      “Are you a boy or a girl? I can never tell with your kind, but even more so with you.” Daehyun mocked, taking a long drag from his cigarette, subtly standing in front of Youngjae’s form, that had frozen in farther at the site of the beast. “You really are ugly. You know that right. Well. I’m sure you do. Just look at you.”

 

      The growl of the beast echoed on the walls, so loudly that they caused Youngjae to hold his hands over his ears in an effort to escape its shrill cry. Daehyun remained visibly unaffected, as if he had heard the voice of a siren’s song, rather than the growl of a beast.

 

      “Are you seriously taunting at a time like this?” Youngjae exclaimed over the growl, his anger clear in his voice.

 

      “Relax, Jae,” came Daehyun’s slightly gruff response, cigarette still in between his lips, as he reached into his coat and pulled out a surprisingly long dagger. “I’ll give you its tongue as an earlier Christmas gift.”

 

      “That’s literally the worst Christmas gift…ever,” came Youngjae’s reply.

 

      “How about Hanukah where I bring you back seven body parts,” Daehyun smirked, spinning the dagger in his hand. “I’ll give you its last as a sign of good will.”

 

      “There is so much wrong with that sentence that I am actually able to almost ignore Bigfoot over there,” Youngjae muttered slowly, causing Daehyun to let out another out of place smirk.

 

      “You hear that, Beastie,” Daehyun took a step forward as the Hellhound took one to the side, its back bent forward like a cat read to pounce. “Lets deck the halls with your entrails.”

 

      “I have no idea what’s going on, but I find myself almost rooting for the hellhound.”

 

      “Ouch, Jae, ouch.”

 

Author's Note

You know what the funny thing is, I finished this chapter December 18th....

I thought, I earnestly thought, I uploaded it. I feel super stupid.

Anyway, plot develops, relationships thicken (in a bad way) and Daehyun is still an .

Yippee.

Next chapter will be out sooner I think....I hope...If I don't pull what I did here again. Ahaha...ha

Anyway, thanks for waiting, thanks for reading, and I am genuinely surprised if you waited. ^-^