The ride to the 'den' seemed to take hours, each glimpse of land that glided past the car window looked the same as the last; miles of asphalt lined with trees and decorated with speckled flecks of light that shone down just enough to remind him that it was still daytime. The little old woman, who he learned was named Noni, had sat alongside him in the backseat of the car, her arm wrapped around him, soothing him. He normally didn't like when people touched him, but he was still so frightened, the warmth that flowed from her eased his nerves just enough to keep him from losing his . Namjoon sat in the passenger seat, his feet were propped up on the dashboard like he hadn't a care in the world. There was a driver next to him, whom he had sporadic conversations with, in between blank glances that he threw back the whole ride, which did nothing to calm the impending doom that clouded Jungkook's thoughts.    

   It was midnight when they arrived. From what Jungkook could see, it was a very old dwelling in the middle of a small clearing in the forest. Armed guards stood on both sides of the iron gates that opened as they approached. It was peculiar, from what he saw yesterday, whatever these people were, they could cause great harm with their own bodies... so why did they need men with guns guarding this place, a place he suspected no one searched for.

     They pulled up to the port cochere that extended out from the front of the house and Namjoon promptly exited the car, he walked to the back and opened the door for Noni.

      "Here we are," Noni slid out, turning around to peer back at Jungkook, holding her hand out, "It's okay."

     Jungkook took it and joined her, standing close to her side as the car pulled away. He glanced up several times, first noticing the stonework facade of the building, his eyes stopping on random parts of the exterior in awe; like the strange green moss that framed the doorway, covering sconces that held half-burnt candles that probably hadn't been lit in decades... or the heap of straw stuffed into the dormer to the right, caked in bird poo that suggested it once housed some sort of bird family. Maybe a pterodactyl.

     This wasn't a den, this was a castle with steep-pitched rooves straight out of the Dark Ages where bats would slumber before their nightly hunt. He was sure he would see skeletons and dragons fighting to the death just behind those doors. Noni grabbed his shoulders, jarring him from his daydream.

     "Don't speak, just walk. Okay?" Noni whispered in his ear, she was barely taller than he was. He nodded as she tightened the grip on him, he couldn't imagine he'd have much to say anyway. She led him inside, through the grand double doors to misfortune and woe, he gulped as Namjoon closed the doors behind him, the latch echoing through the foyer would be the last sound he would hear...

     Namjoon disappeared into another room and Noni stopped midway, pulling Jungkook to a stop. He chanced a glance at the menacing-looking stone statue that stood erect next to him, quickly looking away and focusing on the walls instead, they, too, were made of stone; a dark grey jagged surface covering the entire room. Old paintings lined the walls, portraits of men and women in different clothing of the era they came from. Hanging in between were photographs of places that looked as if they came out of a horror film. The whole room was surreal, part of some strange nightmare he wouldn't wake up from. 

     "I'm cold," Jungkook whispered to Noni through chattering teeth, trying his best to stifle the body shivers he was experiencing. It was cold inside, even though the temperature was well over 85 degrees outside.

      "We'll get you into some warm