The darkness cleared as soon as it appeared, though Bam Bam had no memory of when the day returned to normal, nor did he remember being cast on to the street, trying his best to calm down the distressed couple. SinB managed to take care of the latter part of the task, but he couldn't shake off a feeling that he was missing something. And he hated not knowing everything he could.

Yugyeom forged ahead, apparently unfazed by having to walk as opposed to driving to the hospital. Those... people that they had fought before were no where to be found at this point in time, the field empty as far as the eye could see. He could hear SinB behind him, her voice calm but on the verge of panic as she tried to calm the husband and wife, who refused to identify themselves. Bam Bam was shuffling nearby, unsure of what to make of the days events. Yugyeom tried to shut out his surroundings to focus on the most important task at hand - saving these two people, and that meant finding a hospital. He and his friends already tried using their phones to find out where they were and where the nearest medical centre was, but to their dismay, they had no signal. That left Bam Bam more frustrated than ever, his connection to finding out what the creatures were completely gone from his fingertips.

As the hours stretched, the sun blazing down upon them, Bam Bam was certain they weren't even in Korea anymore. They had taken time to rest, mainly for the woman who was dehydrated and clearly in a lot of pain. SinB had taken to cleaning her wound on her head, and was glad to find that it wasn't a deep gash but rather a scratch that was easily taken care of. They also found that she was just experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions - a false labour of practice contractions, made evident as she didn't recall her water breaking and the pain had also subsided after an hour of travelling, never to return again. Her husband, however, was a different story. Though ecstatic to hear his wife and his unborn child was going to be okay, his back was a completely ghastly sight to see. 

He had no idea who or what it was that left the deep gashes in his skin, only knowing that it looked like claw marks and the bleeding only slowed down, not stopped. The trio did their best to eleviate the pain, gathering all their bandages in their emergency kit and wrapping his body up. But it wasn't enough. They didn't have anything to cleanse the wounds, increasing the chances of infection. The bleeding kept going, soaking the bandages, but they couldn't change them. He was growing paler by the minute but refused to leave his wife's side and take the boys's offer of carrying him. Bam Bam prayed that they would find a hospital quickly, remembering why he hated going for actual hunts. He forgot that sometimes he couldn't save everyone. That was the worst fact about being a hunter.

Just as everyone's legs were about to give way, the man's complexion deathly pale, Bam Bam saw it. As bright as day, and clearly a sign sent from God himself, a hospital emerged. He could have cried then, the answer to their problems. He made a run for it, sprinting as hard as his legs would allow him, feeling as though they would split. But he would make it. The only problem was that the hospital wasn't getting any closer. It didn't matter how fast or hard he ran, it never got any bigger. He stopped, frustration seeping into his vision, painting everything around him red. A hallucination. He could have scoffed at how terrible the world was being. Of all the things that the world could have tricked him with, it had to be of the one thing that could have helped the couple, the one thing that meant he would be saving them. Nevermind a life out of the ongoing hunt, that dream was too far out of reach. But to make him think he couldn't even help people, that he was doing his job wrong... He had never despised the universe more. 

Foot steps pounded behind him, accompanied by someone shouting his name. Bam Bam glanced back to see Yugyeom jogging to catch up to him. The disappointment must have been very clear in Bam Bam's face, because immediately, Yugyeom placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly. SinB and the woman held on to the man. The woman, though clearly weakening with every second, stood strong and held up her husband as he became dangerously pale. In his delirium, he began to mutter, but no one seemed to make sense of his words other than his own wife.

"Ji-hoon... Ji-hoon, gwenchanayo..." she said weakly. His head lolled to his shoulder, resting on his wife.

SinB, now close enough to hear him a little better, heard him mutter, "Tae-hee..." over and over again. She assumed it to be his wife's name, and she couldn't help but feel a sting of pain. In his state, his mind was surely foggy and was most likely supposed to be muttering absolute nonsense. But he held on to his wife's name like it was the only thing keeping him sane. The only thing keeping him alive. SinB made a promise to do whatever she could to help him, whatever he could do make sure that he lived. 

She hadn't had time yet to tell them what the event they witnessed was. Bam Bam and Yugyeom were surely confused, but they had more important tasks at hand. They had to get this couple to the hospital. Or at least some form of shelter. Blocking out all thoughts of their current moment, she thought of the best way to formulate an explanation to the hunters. Her mind would focus on that rather than the pain and desperation on Tae-hee's face or Ji-hoon's blood painting her arms. 

It was all supposedly myth, the process of Rebirth. She'd heard about it when she was growing up, and heard the term come up occassionally through the snarls of Heriodias in the cage as she was fighting the Nephaelem. But she never thought that she would witness it one day. Hell, she didn't even foresee herself being free in general, but this was too much. Somehow, Herodias had managed to revert back to a child, and grow up learning and absorbing in the new world. It was devastating to know that she had done this, that she was familiarising herself with a modern South Korea and being able to gain more control. What's worse, those creatures from the field had been affected by her power.

"Up there!" Yugyeom cried out. 

SinB looked up to see Bam Bam sprinting toward a hospital. It was real this time, at least that's what Yugyeom had hoped. But as he jogged closer, the building grew larger. He could have cried if he weren't dehydrated. He looked back to SinB, and quickly rushed over and carried Ji-hoon all by himself. He jogged to the hospital, ecstatic to know that they could finally save him.

As soon as Bam Bam step foot over the threshold, he knew something was wrong. The lights were dim and there was no one present that he could see. But he couldn't have worried about that just yet. He had to help the couple. He helped Yugyeom settled Ji-hoon down onto a vacant hospital bed. He hoped, with all the times he had stitched himself and his friends up, that he could help him. Bam Bam ordered his friends to hunt for gloves, dental floss, a needle and something to steralise the tools and wounds. SinB had taken it upon herself to search for a professional. Ji-hoon had lost a lot of blood. 

Meanwhile, Yugyeom had brought all the supplies Bam Bam had requested, and began helping him with the impromptu operation. They busied themselves with closing the wounds up, choosing to worry about finding iron supplements afterward. It was a slow process, to which Bam Bam growled at. He splashed the wounds and needle with alcoholic disinfectant, and stitched the dental floss through his skin. Ji-hoon was so dizzy he groaned at the stings, but was unable to form any other sound. Bam Bam wished he had asked for some anaesthetic cream to help numb the pain. The gashes on his back were almost done, and Bam Bam sighed with relief. They could save him. Once he was done stitching him back together, Bam Bam and Yugyeom slathered antispetic cream all over his back, and them covered him with bandages. He wasn't sure if it was the type of medical attention that he should have received, but he knew nonetheless that he had helped. Tae-hee came up to them, iron supplements in hand. She only had eyes for her husband. As she brushed passed Yugyeom and Bam Bam, she paused and uttered thanks to them, tears in her eyes. Before they could reply, she had joined her husband's side, looking relieved that he had survived the trek.

They decided to leave them alone, reunited and safe, in order to search for SinB. They found her in front of the elevator, having found no one who could help. She furiously pressed the button, impatience eating away at her logic. Bam Bam may have had prior experience, but they eventually had to get professional help for Tae-hee and Ji-hoon. Nearing tears, SinB stopped bothering with the buttons and began to claw at the elevator doors themselves. She screamed, punching the doors that refused to budge. Please, please, please, please, please, she begged in her mind. Yugyeom caught her arm and drew her away from the elevator, and she collapsed in his arms in a crying mess. Of all the ways the day could have went, it chose this route. She already felt like she had failed; Mingyu had refused help and just wanted to live out his life, she was the only one who knew what had happened back with the darkness, and she couldn't even find someone who could heal Ji-hoon. When she finally managed to piece herself together, Bam Bam had disappeared and Yugyeom was left comforting her. She detached herself from Yugyeom's arms, and muttered a thanks. He didn't say anything back, but he gave her a reassuring nod. 

Meanwhile, Bam Bam had wandered a little too far into the hospital. It seemed completely deserted, strange as he was pretty sure they weren't in the middle of nowhere, and also because it was a hospital. There was no way the staff could have all evacuated with the patients. An uncomfortable feeling crawled across his spine and neck, as if someone were breathing down it. He shivered, immediately drawing to the conclusion that they needed to leave. Now. 

Running back the direction he came from, Bam Bam thought on how they would escape. The transport had to be done via stolen car. They had no way to go back to where they came from; he didn't even know where they were. The twists and turns confused him, and he realised that in his panic, he ran deeper into the heart of the hospital where everything felt... animal. The hair on the back of his neck pricked. A low growl startled him, but he was careful not to make any sudden movements. In his peripheral, he saw a man, strapped to an operating table, black veins bulging out. His eyes glowed like an animal's in the dark. His teeth were bared, snarling and he was straining against his restraints. The veins in his muscles darkened, the blackness spreading over his entire body. Cold sweat ran down Bam Bam's neck, as he slowly backed away... and crashed straight into the tools with a loud crash. 

The patient screamed a battle cry and began to thrash. The pounding became louder and louder, the man very obviously aggravated by the young hunter. It wasn't until Bam Bam realised that the pounding was coming from all around him that he realised a cabinet was locked. The man on the examination table usesd his entire body to fight the straps that bound him to the table. He lifted his head and slammed it straight down, a sight that Bam Bam flinched at. 

Slowly making his way to the locked cabinet, he saw that down the corridor were multiple rooms with people with black veins pounding away at the doors. They hadn't succeeded yet, but it was a matter of time before one figured out how to either unlock the door or to crash through the glass. Bam Bam bent down, ignoring the raging patient on the table, and unlocked the cabinet. Stuffed inside was a terrified doctor. She was rocking herself back and forth, tears streaming down her face. Other than Bam Bam, the doctor was the only one to not be infected by whatever had caused the others to behave like a savage animal.

The doctor's caramel hair stuck to her cheeks as she cried, her white coat once pristine was crinkled and splattered with blood. Her nametag told Bam Bam her name was Kim Yubin. Her patient, Bam Bam assumed he was hers, violently forced his arm to break through the bonds with limited success, but his face contorted with rage and his eyes reddened, mad in every sense of the word. He seemed to be more aggressive at the sight of the doctor. She flinched but Bam Bam held her up.

Before anything could happen, Bam Bam fled, dragging Yubin behind him. He didn't think it through, he had no plan, uncommon for him, but his instincts took over. Seeing as he had no idea what the creatures were, the fight or flight behavioural instinct made him choose flight before he was even aware of it. Yubin was still crying, obviously still in shock, but he didn't know what to do. Letting his legs take over while his mind ran over the possibilities of how to kill the creatures, he found himself running right past Yugyeom and SinB, who called out to him. He ran back, Yubin running a hand under her nose. Immediately, SinB helped to comfort the doctor while Bam Bam caught his breath. 

"More," he hiccupped. "There's more of them."

Yugyeom's eyes darkened. SinB looked terrified as Yubin regained her composure.

"I... I don't know what happened. One minute, he... He..." her voice cracked before she could say anymore. "He locked me up... Those... Those people... How do I help them?" She sobbed.

SinB decided to tell them. She couldn't keep it in. While she didn't know if there was a cure, she knew that whatever information she did have would be able to help the boys figure out how to help.

"It's her mark. Herodias."

Bam Bam and Yugyeom looked at her. She told them everything she knew. That Herodias had somehow managed to go through a process called Rebirth, and that she was regaining power starting from the beginning of life. The blackness that clouded them earlier that day was the final step; unleashing her power so that when she was born again, she could gain them back but more suited to the new environment. And those rabid creatures... those poor and innocent people had been infected by her unholy touch. 

At the final words, Bam Bam's ears pricked. Unholy touch... Unholy... 

If lightbulbs occured in real life, one would have appeared right above his head at that moment. "Holy water," he said, causing the three to look at him. ''You said her 'unholy touch'. We just need to touch them with something Holy. Water, oil, we always have some on us," Bam Bam said. He could have laughed, been driven mad by the revelation. But that elation quickly died down when he realised that their supplies were back at the car. The car they had been ejected from. 

"Well, lucky we have a Nephilim on our side," Yugyeom's voice broke through the darkness of Bam Bam's thoughts like an Angel's Grace. They looked to SinB, who shook her head, destroying whatever optimism had just been created.

"Half Angel. I'm technically a forbidden creature," she told them. 

"But that doesn't mean you can't do anything," Yugyeom tried to argue. "You have Angelic blood in you. That should be something, right?"

SinB shook her head again. "I'm not sure that that's how it works. But the Angel side of me is tainted by something that isn't pure. I'm sorry, guys, but I'm not gonna be able to do anything." She felt terrible and useless. 

A gasp drew their attention toward the doctor. Yubin looked horrified as she stared at her own hand. Trembling, she lifted it so the rest of the group could see as the blood drew away from her face, her eyes the size of the moon. Bam Bam followed her gaze and cursed. Coursing through the doctor's wrist was a black vein, spreading and darkening as time dragged on. Yubin shrieked and stumbled backward, afraid of what she would do.

Thinking fast, Yugyeom shoved SinB behind him, shielding her with his body as Bam Bam ran to the water dispenser. It wasn't Holy water, and neither of them knew how to make it so. They weren't even sure if it would work. Yubin ran off into the hospital. Looking down at SinB, Yugyeom told her to stay put and help him. He ran off, tearing down the halls following Yubin.

He didn't have to run very far. The eerie silence was replaced by horrific, violent cries of outrage, and he quickly realised that Yubin had set free her fellow animalistic friends, despite being terrified of them only minutes before. He spotted the first of the group, and ran away before he could deduce how many there were. Yugyeom wasn't sure if he had been seen, only that he had no backup or a way to kill them. 

Yugyeom ran straight into SinB. Before she could ask what was happening, he grabbed her wrist and ran back to Bam Bam.

"What the hell?" She shouted.

"She freed them. The damned doctor freed the others!"

SinB cursed as she followed. The stumbled into the room that Bam Bam was in, where he hunched over the water jug. He looked up, brows furrowed.

"They're free," Yugyeom stammered. "Bloody hell, they're free."

SinB bent down to catch her breath as the hunters developed a strategy. Bam Bam had figured that if he managed to bless the water, it would turn into Holy water, and would then be able to purify the people. All they had to figure out was how to make the water pure. While praying over the water had been the first suggestion, Bam Bam knew that it wasn't as simple. It had to be more direct. 

A web of black stole SinB's attention. Quickly, her guard was up as she stood up carefully and slowly. "Bam... Step away from him."

Bam Bam looked at her with confusion before turning his attention back to his friend. On his neck, was a bulging vein, a startling midnight black as it contrasted against Yugyeom's pale skin. Bam Bam froze. It was only one vein, but it was only a matter of time before he too succumbed to the disease.

"Yugyeom... How close did you get to her?" Bam Bam asked.

"Close enough," he said abruptly. He had already figured out what had happened. His mind was cloudy, and adrenaline suddenly pumped into his veins. Though he didn't feel aggressive, he knew he would soon.

A low growl forced the trio to look behind Yugyeom. About thirty people had gathered and were watching the three intensely. Hunched over in front was Yubin, her beautiful face contorted by anger and a snarl that disappointed to show animal teeth. They locked their gazes to Yugyeom, sensing that he was one of them. The boy stayed frozen. Watching fearfully as the blackness began to spread. Yubin straightened and lifted her arm.

A glare blinded Bam Bam as she did so, but his attention didn't linger as Yubin hissed in sudden pain. Bam Bam looked back around her wrist where the sun had bounced off something and shone in his vision. As Yubin shifted, he saw that around her wrist was a bracelet with the Crucifix hanging off as a charm. An idea formed in his head. 

"Yugyeom..." Bam Bam was steadily keeping an eye on his friend's darkening veins and the bracelet simultaneously. He knew his friend was still sane, still human. But he had to get close to Yubin's wrist. He had to get her bracelet. 

Yubin growled at the group, but didn't advance as Yugyeom, an infected patient like her, stood in her way. Bam Bam slowly walked up behind Yugyeom, wary that SinB was doing the exact opposite. His hand shifted to his side as slowly as possible.

An echoing shot screamed through the hospital walls. The people rushed forward, savagely growling and snarling, grabbing at Yugyeom, who somehow managed to stay normal. It was fading though, he began to stumble his tall frame assisting the difficulty he had in standing straight. Bam Bam kept his gun out, clutching his tightly in his hand as he surged forward toward Yubin. He heard SinB yell out a warning. But he was committed. He grabbed the doctor's and slammed her into the ground.

The others screamed at the audacity of this young man to injure one of them. He wrestled her as she clawed at him, but he didn't let go of her wrist. Slamming it into the ground, he ignored her nails and used all his strength to stay above her as the others grabbed at him. He managed to slip the bracelet off and allowed himself to be carried away. 

Yugyeom had began fighting against the others, desperate to stay himself. He kept repeating it over and over in his head. However, he found that he didn't need to put up much of a fight. Like he could, they were able to tell that he was one of them. The moved out of his way, meaning no harm to him. They backed off as he reached Bam Bam.

"Got it. Take me back to the water," Bam Bam gasped as he was freed. Yugyeom nodded, unable to form a sentence. He wanted to, dear Lord Almighty, how he wanted to. But he found he was unable to. Stumbling back, Bam Bam knelt over the water jug and began to pray over the beads, speaking as fast and clear as he could. He prayed that his desperation would be heard. He needed to save these people. After about five prayers, he placed the bracelet into the water. There was no sign that anything had changed, but he had to believe that it did. Forcing Yugyeom down, Bam Bam dipped his finger into the water and touched the water to his friends neck, where the veins had originated. Immediately, his friend seized, screaming in pain. He thrashed, around, writhing in Bam Bam's touch, signalling the others to prowl around him. They had begun to adopt for animalistic features, walking on all fours, lips curled back to reveal their canines. (Unfortunately for them, their teeth remained human.)

To Bam Bam's relief, the veins began to turn grey. Yugyeom stopped fidgeting and calmed down. Slowly, the veins began to disappear. Bam Bam could have wept with joy if there weren't more people to be saved. Bam Bam tipped a little bit of the Holy water onto the floor and watched as the people splashed their hands into it and immediately crashed down in pain. The two watched as they struggled, the touch of the Holy water just enough to cleanse them. Soon enough, the veins had disappeared, and the people began to calm down and weep. Bam Bam caught sight of Yubin as she lay helplessly in her small part of Holy water.

"Are there others?" He asked. 

She looked up startled. Her makeup had run from the tears, but she was no longer angry or upset. Rather she was relieved that she and the others around her were no longer the creatures they were a few moments ago. "A few more. All in this hospital. They just showed up out of nowhere... A few patients in here started going wild..."

She didn't need to explain anymore. Bam Bam already knew. Somehow they managed to quarrantine themselves. He didn't know how, but they did. He hoped there weren't anymore out there that he had to face.

Bam Bam walked back to SinB, ignoring the joyful cries of the people he had just saved. "We need to put this into the fire sprinklers. That way everyone in this hospital that has been infected can be cured. Yes there are more," he said as he saw SinB open to ask the question. "I don't know how many, I don't know if there are any out of here. But we have to save these people." 

SinB nodded as he handed Yugyeom the jug. He watched as they ran off to complete his task. Bam Bam glanced back at the cured. They were looking at their arms, afraid that the black veins would reappear. He knew that they wouldn't. They were cleansed, newly pure. Herodias couldn't touch them again. He looked back to Yubin.

"Doctor Kim. There are some patients in a nearby room needing some assistance."

Geo sat in uncomfortable silence next to Youngjae, who was still closed off since the incident from before. It didn't seem like he was angry, exactly, more... tense, awake, always on guard and cautious of everything in his surroundings. Youngjae, the sunshine-always-happy hunter who was the only one who even accepted friendship from her, the only one who treated her normally, had built a wall around himself from Geo, and ignored her attempts to make small talk. Her headache had eased, but she still felt violated from the sudden outburst and mind intrusion from her. She thought that she was gone; she was a better fighter and thus won the control. But apparently, it wasn't enough. She wondered if it would happen again on the trip, or worse, in the bunker where she would be surrounded by hunters and would surely be killed. Even just sitting in the car with Youngjae felt like a chance with death. He was deadly silent, reserved but the vibe he gave said 'if you even put a molecule out of line, I'm slicing your head off'. It didn't even seem to matter that she was the one with the plan to save the world, once they found Jungkook they'd have enough hybrids to complete it or find another way.

According to the map on his phone, they were about 5 metres away from their destination. They only had to endure the discomfort for a short amount of time before they could return. Youngjae knew a quick shortcut between Jungkook's home and his own bunker, so the three wouldn't have to be in each others' company for very long. He didn't say it out loud; he didn't feel like speaking to her, mainly because he didn't trust himself to not kill her. He didn't like being angry toward her, but he couldn't go back to being nice after that little episode. The only explanation he could come up with was demon possession, but surely Mark would have known. She also wouldn't have been able to walk past the bunker's door which had a line of salt on the inside. But there was nothing else that would explain it. And it wouldn't be the first time a demon tried to trick them that they were there to help them.

Youngjae thought back to Hyuna. Ridiculously intelligent and beautiful, she befriended Youngjae during his early days with the guys. She never said she was a demon, though she never said she wasn't either. When they found out what she was, she pressed Youngjae into making them allow her help. The seven of them came to trust her after she saved their lives countless times from other demons; betraying her own kind cemented their trust in her. Hyuna would come to their rescue whenever demons attacked them, and killed them with her weird demon killing knife. She even gave it to them when she was being hunted by Kris, the King of Hell, and had to go incognito. Hyuna was the first demon that they could trust, the first demon that they managed to view as one of their own. But, as demon nature, she betrayed them as she was working with Lucifer the entire time to get Jackson to be his vessel. She was crafty, targetting Youngjae who was the nice hunter, the rookie who trusted too easily. It made it so much easier for Lucifer to manipulate them, and Jackson came so close to hosting the Devil. They never blamed him, but Youngjae felt guilty for the entire ordeal. 

"You have reached your destination," the navigator's voice said, the first noise in ten minutes of driving. Youngjae looked out the window and saw an apartment building. It seemed to house only one bedroom places and it was relatively small with only 13 stories. He didn't know what he was expecting to find Jungkook living in, but for some reason it wasn't this. It seemed as if all his expectations were dashed, everything he believed was rudely destroyed. He felt the same as when his mother cleaned his room whenever he was out and tried to put it back the way it was but it just wasn't the same. 

Geo came around and stood just behind Youngjae, as if she were scared of him. He could have scoffed at that if he wanted to; if anyone was going to be scared it would be him. He had reason to not trust her, he had more than enough reasons to tie her up and drive her back to the bunker and let someone interrogate her about what she was and what she was doing. But he knew better. Jinyoung would have too much power in being right. Youngjae wouldn't let that happen. He walked straight to the apartment lobby doors and scanned the names next to the buzzers. He recognised Jungkook's name on floor 4, apartment 7. But he couldn't just ring and expect to be let up. No, he had to figure out a way to get in. Youngjae gripped the handle and pulled as hard as he could, despite every instinct telling him it was stupid to do so. He attempted to enter the building this way for several minutes before finally giving up. He turned to Geo and sighed. She wasn't looking at him, rather the ground at his feet. 

"Could you... Uh... Could you do like... A little witchy thing to... Um..." He managed to get out, swallowing the lump in his throat. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, wanting to ask her correctly, without any animosity. "Could you please help me to get in?" 

Youngjae didn't look at her, which made her only feel worse. She didn't know what to tell him about what had happened before. She considered telling him the truth, but decided against it. It would only make him more agitated around her. She nodded, not wanting to speak to him before approaching the front door. Geo checked her surroundings, ensuring that no one would witness her. She sensed a security camera and, without looking at it, disabled it under her breath. She heard the faint spark of it malfunctioning beyond repair and began working on the door lock. The closed her eyes and imagined the mechanisms of the door, feeling its movement under her palm as she enchanted it to open. It was a simple spell, one that she'd been familiar with for over 300 years. It took less than 3 seconds for her to open the door and she looked back at Youngjae with a smug look before she remembered that she should be fearing him. She hoped he hadn't noticed; it really wasn't her fault, it was habitual for her to look smug around people who she felt doubted her. She mentally scolded herself and made a note to try not to make the face until she died. 

"Well, there we go," she gestured, opening the door. "After you." She tried to make it sound as polite and genuine as she could, but she felt that the sentence still sounded sarcastic. Youngjae nodded coolly, walking right past her and holding the door open for Geo to walk through. She ducked under his arm and turned back to him, waiting for orders.

He looked at her with confusion, wanting to assume authority but unsure if he was going to be able to. Instead, Youngjae remained silent and walked straight past her to the elevator. Geo hurried after him, even though he held the door open for her. The journey to the 4th floor was only a few seconds long, but to the two, it had felt like hours. It was as if their newfound friendship had never been discovered, Youngjae had never been an open-minded Hunter and Geo was a decent witch. Youngjae didn't know what to think or feel besides betrayal and loss of a new friend, so he kept his mind focused on Jungkook. 

Ding! The silver elevator doors slid open revealing a small corridor about two metres wide and just as long. There were only two apartments on the floor, both on the right of the elevator. The apartment on the right was revealed to be apartment 7, Jungkook's home. Behind him, Geo gasped. Instincts kicked in and he grabbed the gun at his hip, spinning around and aiming it straight at Geo's forhead. Her eyes widened with fear, suddenly realising that she was dealing with a very powerful, very strong, very pissed off hunter. One of the best, she reminded herself. She seemed to have forgotten about that fact.

Swearing under his breath, Youngjae drew back his gun and looked at Geo apologetically. She had shrunk away from him previously, and was reluctant to draw closer to him again. He tried for a smile at her but he knew it looked too forced. Making sure that the gun was fully concealed again, he motioned her to exit the elevator. She was still on edge but followed him closely just in case anything happened, even though the apartment was less than a metre away from the elevator. 

Youngjae paused outside of Jungkook's door. Lightly pressing his ear against the wooden door, Youngjae listened carefully for any noises coming from inside, suspicious or not. Geo hung back, watching and reaching out with any of her senses to detect if anything was wrong in the atmosphere. Youngjae made a psst sound, gaining Geo's attention. His eyes shifted from the door to her, indicating that he was going in and she should follow closely. She looked at him sceptically, and attempted a mental conversation. They weren't close enough for that, however, and after a minute or two of the both of them trying to come up with a silent game plan, Youngjae gave up and mouthed What?

Geovanna rolled her eyes and motioned with her hand for him to come closer to her. He obeyed, fast-walking to her in a crouched stance. Thankfully no one from the apartments came out into the corridor, or anyone from the elevator stopped at that floor, otherwise the witch and the hunter would have a lot of explaining to do. Once Youngjae reached her, Geo leaned down as he stubbornly insisted on staying in the hunched position.

"We can't just break in. We need to politely knock or something," she whispered, glancing around her. "If he isn't in there, or worse, it's the wrong apartment, we'll definitely be looking at some from of police confrontation, and we're too pretty for jail!"

Youngjae looked at her like she had become a mad woman. "We're not going to go to jail. And if we do, break out, it's not difficult, trust me, we've had to do it before." Before she could question him, he continued, "and we're a little beyond knocking on the door politely; we didn't ring the buzzer so he's gonna ask how we got in!"

"Youngjae, breaking in will startle the other tenants!"

"Well, then do it quietly!"

"I'm not going to break in, we're gonna have to just knock on the door, pretend we live here and hope he doesn't know his neighbours!"

Youngjae was preferring his own plan on knocking down the door as opposed to doing something as stupid as what Geo suggested, but before he could protest, she got up and approached Jungkook's door. She seemed to psyche herself up, jogging on the spot, waving her hands, and finally, resting her hand on the door frame and bending over with a hand over her stomach as if she had a stitch. Geo looked to Youngjae and mouthed for him to join her. When he did, she used her free hand to pull him down and rest his hands on her shoulders, staging them to look like she was in a hurry and he was comforting her. She cocked her head to the door, indicating him to knock. The wooden door rattled as his knuckles came into contact with it, three knocks echoing to the inside of the apartment. Geo felt the air shift, from a busy day to a pause in all activity. Confusion and curiosity filled the air and she heard faint footsteps from inside the apartment rush closer to the front door. Time to start panting. Hopefully Youngjae plays along with me, she thought.

The door opened a few centimetres, revealing a small portion of the apartment owner's face. An eyebrow raised up, and a low voice greeted them with a polite single word: "yes?"

Youngjae sighed in relief, "Thank God! My sister, hey, it's okay Soojung, it's okay! My sister, she's such a forgetful person, she locked us out of our apartment downstairs." Geo almost kicked him, but kept up her panting as he continued, "Anyway, we know we haven't met, we just moved in, but our apartment is right under yours. If it is okay with you, could we please just use your balcony to just climb down? It really would help!" 

The boy didn't say anything, only stared at them for a while, examining their situtation and trying to find anything that may be off with their story. Geo started to ease off the panting as exaggerating it would seem too fake and stood a little straighter, her hand on Youngjae's shoulder and looking at him with an apologetic look. Although hers was an expression of genuine regret, his was an actor's face of forgiveness. Behind his eyes, Geo could see that he was still guarding himself, waiting to see if she was going to lash out agian, waiting for the time to kill her.

The door closed and the two heard the latch moving, the boy opening the door to welcome them. It was a quick job and soon the door was open wide. Centred perfectly by the door frames was the apartment owner, a tall, charming and handsome boy. Youngjae immediately recognised who he was and congratulated himself for having found him. Geo, on the other hand, had temporarily forgotten what it was like to function properly. She had been around a fair share of good looking guys before - hell she just spent a week with the Hunters of Seoul who were more than easy on the eye - but this one hit her like a truck. Smooth, pale skin that had a lovely contrast with his dark hair that framed his face very well. Intelligent large brown eyes examined the two with great detail. He was simply dressed with black jeans with a plain white top and a cream knit cardigan that carried a quiet confidence and subtly elegance about him. Jungkook smirked at her, as if he knew what was going through her mind.

"So you two are just gonna... Climb over my balcony to go down into your own?" He asked with amusement. "I gotta say... Sure beats waiting for a locksmith." Jungkook lead the way to his living room, allowing Youngjae and Geo to look around his apartment. He had only just bought the place, it had seemed, with large packing boxes everywhere and very few furniture pieces. There was a mess of tools and wood in the middle of the dining area with an instruction booklet laying on the side. 

"Did you just move in?" Youngjae asked.

Jungkook looked back at them and flashed a small smile. "Yeah, just a few days ago. Haven't had time to meet my neighbours. You're my first!" He stopped by his balcony and turned back to them. 

"Well, normally we would offer some kind of house warming present like food or... Help with furniture building, but my dear dongsaeng here has made that quite tricky for us," Youngjae ruffled Geo's hair in a big brother style, chuckling to himself as he watched her lose balance. He walked to the balcony and peered his head outside, wondering what they had to do next. They didn't live downstairs, so obviously he had to stall having to go down there. But Jungkook's attention wasn't to him, rather it was focused on Geo.

Jungkook approached her carefully, looking at her with kind eyes. "Are you sure you're even able to get down there? I mean, I know I shouldn't judge based on appearance itself, but you're awfully short."

Geo stared at him, unable to form an articulate sentence for fear that she would accidentally blurt out something embarrassing. "Yeah, nah, yo-it's fine," was all she said, before clamping shut. Youngjae rolled his eyes and supressed a laugh. Oh, he was so going to about it later.

"Why, ah, why don't you guys just stay here for a while? Maybe... Cool down a bit? I noticed you were a little out of breath out there," Jungkook laughed. "Besides, it's good to meet my neighbours, huh?" He flashed a grin at Geo.

She nodded in response, looking to Youngjae for some form of guidance. His leg was already on the other side of the railing, but as soon as he heard the offer, he immediately took it back. "That would be great, actually. Thanks, man." Youngjae said in a light tone.

When Jungkook had disappeared somewhere else, Youngjae let out his laugh. "Oh, man! You're such a smitten kitten, aren't you?" 

Geo punched his arm, shushing him. "'Can we climb down your balcony?' What if he didn't offer us to stay here for a bit? Were you just gonna break in downstairs?"

"Of course not. I thought you'd come up with something to make us stay. Flirt with him, maybe ask to stay for a bit, but no. You just let me get to the balcony."

"I had a plan before but- There you are!" Geo said cheerfully as Jungkook came back into the room with two plastic cups of water. He handed them to his new visitors, chuckling.

"Sorry I don't have actual cups but they're lost in my boxes." Youngjae waved his hand no worries! while Geo continued to look dreamily at Jungkook. "So," he said, turning to her, "your name is Soojung? That's a nice name," he smiled as she beamed brightly.

"Uhh... Thank you. Hey, oppa, we forgot to introduce ourselves! This is my oppa, Youngjae," she said.

Jungkook looked to Youngjae and smiled politely. "Hi, Youngjae. By the way, I'm Jungkook. So, what is there to do for fun around here?"

Youngjae drained his cup, and wiped his mouth from the water droplets. He hadn't realised how thirsty he was. "To be completely, honest, all the two of us do is study and eat. Well, she eats, she's got such an appetite."

"Really? You're so small, how much could you possibly fit in you?" Jungkook joked.

"You know how a python can eat an entire pig?" Youngjae answered. Geo punched his stomach as he howled with laughter.

The handsome boy laughed at the two of them on the verge of bickering. "So you can handle quite a large amount of food, huh? What else does your appearance deceive of you?" He raised an eyebrow and smirked at the intended innuendo. Geo blushed a faint pink, a pretty look for her. 

Youngjae rubbed the part of his stomach that Geo had punched. She hadn't hit him hard, quite lightly in fact, but for some reason, it hurt him. It didn't seem to ease even as the minutes ticked by, but grew stronger in its intensity. Geo had noticed something was a little off in him, putting a hand on his arm to stablilise him. "I'm... I'm fine, Soojungie. I'm..." He doubled over in pain, his stomach roaring with fire that wanted to be let out. 

"Oh my God! Youngjae. Youngjae!" Geo screamed, shaking him. He was still alive, still conscious, but something was obviously happening. His skin was too hot for her to touch, his voice raspy and raw despite not screaming. "YOUNGJAE!" She cried. 

Geo looked back at Jungkook, who was strangely calm. "What are you doing, call the ambulance! Something's wrong with him."

Jungkook looked at her expressionlessly. "I know," he whispered. 

"Youngjae, oh my god, please don't make me take you back like this!" She cried. If she did, or if she returned to the bunker without Youngjae and without Jungkook, she was a dead witch. She was so consumed with checkng on Youngjae she didn't notice the air around her had shifted; much like before when she was so focused on Jungkook she hadn't thought clearly and hadn't realised that her surroundings were slightly off. She saw it now, although it was too late. And it was definitely too late for her to confront Jungkook as he snuck up behind her and closed off her breathing. Geo fought, but her strength diminished by the second, and soon she lay in his arms unconscious and barely breathing.

"Hunters," he spat. "They never learn."

Kris had suffered the entire day waiting hand and foot on Lucifer's every word. Every bone in his body, every instinct told him to disobey Lucifer, to try to fight him, but he was bound to the returned King. Everything Lucifer commanded, no matter how irrelevant the instruction, Kris's body made sure it was done. And to think, he thought, this is the Angel who used God's command of Free Will the most. Under any other circumstances, he would have laughed at the irony. But he had a feeling that if he showed any other emotion other than fear, he would pay for it with a yank from the chain around his neck. Kris could feel how raw the skin where the chain rubbed against his neck was, any extra friction would end in blood. 

Lucifer's return spread through Hell like wildfire. And as soon as word got out, loyalties very quickly and obviously changed. As the King sat in the throne watching at the high ranking demons pledge endless loyalty, he remained expressionless. The demons' auras trembled with fear, yet another ironic factor Kris would have laughed at in other situations; demons were human soul twisted due to their sins. They weren't supposed to give off any aura, much less one of fear. He noticed many of his former subjects, particularly the ones that he regarded the most loyal, sneer at him and his weakness. At his action at yet again allowing hunters to pass through the Gates of Hell. At helping them. There was no doubt they disapproved of his constant contact with them. They never hid it, and it was almost guaranteed that they were thinking he deserved whatever Lucifer was doing to him.

"Oh gosh, enough with this constant loyal talk it's just so.... blah!" Lucifer demanded. At once, the courtroom went quiet as they watched the former King restored to glory fluidly leap from the throne. He tugged at the chain, forcing Kris to jerk forward. 

Lucifer stood in the centre of the throne room breathing in the air. "You guys really let this place go to the dogs," he glanced back at Kris and smirked. He yanked the chain, Kris's neck chafing, causing a dog-like yelp. "Like I said. The dogs."

Lucifer squat in front of Kris, pouting. His eyes screamed murder, a strange look in the normally stoic and calm Mark. His hand rubbed Kris's head rather harshly as he leaned in and whispered, "Good puppy." His breath was warm on Kris's neck, but the victim didn't shiver. Instead, he kept his gaze down as the demons laughed and jeered.

In the corner of his eye, he saw the broken form of Krystal, who every one ignored, despite her being dead. He couldn't help but feel sad for her. For her dying under the false pretence of finding happiness after losing her friend. For her never knowing the truth. She had died believing her fellow hunter was Lucifer instead of the Angel who lead her to her end. Despite her deathly paleness and her twisted neck, she could have been sleeping. But he knew better. He may not be the Grim Reaper, but he could feel it when she died. He knew she was truly gone. 

Kris looked back to Lucifer, who followed his glance. He almost choked with laughter. "Oh, I always knew you were a softy. How you ever got to be the King is beyond me." Lucifer slapped him loud enough for the sound to echo through the stone. "Don't think I forgot about your last betrayal, ." 

He grabbed the chain and yanked on it hard, the chains cutting in to his skin, drawing blood. He felt the warm red sticky liquid drip down his neck as Kris continued to pull. "I am going to have so. Much. Fun." He spat the last word and with a final yank, Kris yelped like a servant, confirming to his former subjects his weakness. 

Yugyeom dreamed he was battling a demon. It always started out the same way and had been doing so for the past eight months. When he realised that the nightmare was recurring every night, it had somehow stopped being one and started being just a regular dream. Instead of the events going on exactly as they had before, Yugyeom tried out different tactics and exercised techniques he wished he could do to a real demon. Sometimes it worked and the demon was defeated. Other times, however, the demon gained the upper hand and Yugyeom gasped to life in the real world as his dream self perished. He thought of it as a way to train without actually doing so. He remembered many of the moves he did, and wrote them down, storing them for a real fight in the future in which he could be able to amaze his hyungs and finally feel like he was a worthy hunter. 

In this particular version of the dream, Yugyeom had managed to trap it in a Devil's Trap drawn on the ceiling of the warehouse they fought in. He was tying the beast up with rope, the demon roaring at his captor, his black eyes making it seem like it had holes in its head and Yugyeom was looking at the black wall behind it. When he was done, the hunter grabbed a flask of Holy water and threw it on the demon. Steam hissed as the demon yelped in pain, cursing the young boy. Yugyeom dashed more water onto the monster, the skin steaming and red at the contact. The demon growled in anger, its black eyes glaring at Yugyeom, who swallowed the fear that never quite went away when he looked into a demon's eyes. An overwhelming sense of despair overcame him, making him tighten his grip on the flask. He began the exorcism chant as he splashed more of the Holy water on the creature. As the flask emptied, Yugyeom drew closer to the demon and drew out Hyuna's knife. Before the demon could recover from its attack, Yugyeom made a slash but the demon dodged the fatal attack and ended up with a cut on its cheek. It screamed out as the wound steamed and drew the demon's blood out. Yugyeom almost threw up, but he swallowed the lump in his throat and closed the gap in between them.

The demon looked up at the hunter who smirked at it. It spat. "This really isn't a way to treat guests, hunter."

Yugyeom raised the knife and slashed down, continuing the exorcism. The demon's lips curled back as the knife moved downward, aimed at its chest. "You're going to be too late," it said before opening its mouth wide. Yugyeom barely had time to register what it was doing until a column of black smoke poured out of the man it inhabited. By then, it was too late, and he could do nothing to stop his momentum and not stab down. The man didn't even have time to realise what was happening before the knife plunged deep in his chest.

The youngest hunter woke up in cold sweat, afraid of what he had just imagined. He had never been outsmarted before in his dreams; that's why they were called dreams. They always went his way. He stayed in bed for fifteen minutes more, trying to calm his racing heartbeat and come up with a rational explanation to why he killed an innocent man instead of a demon. When he stumbled upon the idea that if he had killed the demon while it was still in the man's body and he would die anyway, Yugyeom shut out his thoughts and got out of the bed. Once they realised they'd been possessed, and they discovered what destruction had come from their hands because of the demon, they would often kill themself or be sent off to a mental instituition where they suffered every day and wished for death. Killing them while the demon possessed them was kinder. Or so he told himself. He shook himself, he was not going to allow himself to think that way. Not now, less than two days after the events at the hospital. He couldn't think too deeply about it, he needed to rest, to recollect himself. When they returned to the bunker, everyone but Youngjae and Geovanna had returned, and Jae Bum almsot killed them for taking on the creatures at the hospital without backup. SinB had gone to her room exhausted. Jackson was still resting after his visit to Hell. 

Yugyeom stumbled into the common area where Jaebum and Bam Bam were discussing a story in the news. They barely looked up as Yugyeom walked by them to get to the breakfast - cereal and coffee. He poured himself a bowl and a cup before joining his friends.

"-- all I'm saying is until we hear back from him, we might as well check this out," Bam Bam said, pointing excessively at a story on his tablet. "Come on, what more evidence do you need that this is a case worthy of us?"

Jaebum waved Bam Bam away. "There's nothing here that says that it is, Bam Bam."

"What are you guys talking about?" Yugyeom interjected. Bam Bam slid his tablet over to Yugyeom with a bit too much energy, forcing the maknae to lunge forward to make sure it didn't fall off the table edge. He shot Bam Bam a look before turning to read the article on the screen. Before he read the words, he saw a photo of a young man around his own age, with perfect bone structure and facial features. Yugyeom instantly felt jealous that this boy existed, but knew that if he ever brought up being insecure about his appearance, societal pressure would tell him that boys don't do that. His resentment shifted from the boy to society, wondering why the notion of making girls feel better about themselves was more necessary than making everyone feel better about themselves. He brushed off his feelings and read through the article.

"Teenage Boy Found Dead with Missing Heart

Doctors are baffled at the news of the death of Vernon Choi, 18, whose body was discovered in his room on July 29 2016 by his younger sister, Sofia. His heart was torn out and was placed next to him. Coroner, Ho Hyunju, has identified that the boy had the beginnings of fourth degree frostbite before having his heart forcibly removed."

Yugyeom looked up from the screen puzzled. He saw no idea of how Vernon's death would be a possible case for them to investigate. After he read the first paragraph, the word 'murder' and 'instruder' collided together in his head. Sure, it was a little strange for him to have frostbite, especially of the fourth degree, especially in the middle of summer as it was now, but that was the only thing strange about the case. Of course the name of the coroner stood out; Ho Hyunju was Jessi noona, a fellow hunter, but that didn't mean that she always got bodies relating to the world of the supernatural. 

"How do you have the time to find this stuff, Bam Bam?" Yugyeom asked. He was still tired, reeling from whatever miracle had happened at the hospital. Both his friends ignored the question as they went back to the main topic at hand.

"So? What do you think? Is it for us, or what?!" Bam Bam's voice had gone high pitched the way it did when he got too excited. 

Jaebum looked at him sceptically before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Did you think this was a case simply because Jessi noona is involved?" Jaebum asked. "Because, you know she also gets regular cases, right?"

But Bam Bam's enthusiasm did not waver. It was part of his charm and the very thing that made Yugyeom happy to call him his best friend. "Read between the lines, Leader Im," he said, taking back his tablet. "Dead plant in his room, frostbite in July on his waist and arm only, as well as his heart being forcibly removed. What here says it isn't a case?"

Jaebum sighed and pinched his nose bridge. "There's nothing there to suggest that there is. What makes you so confident?"

"You just want to save all your energy on the more important task at hand," Bam Bam argued. 

"Exactly. We kind of need a lot of energy to, you know, make the world safe by locking Herodias up again. You should be resting, your little battle at the hospital is a clear sign that Herodias is growing stronger. We all need to gain our energy, especially you, Yugyeom and SinB. We shouldn't be wasting time on a case that will probably end up being a freak accident," Jaebum said. Before Bam Bam could make a valid point, Jaebum cut him off: "Yes, I know we have completed majority of the first portion of the task. But until Youngjae comes back with good news, we should try and see if we can come up with phase two; what do we do with them? You're forgetting that we aren't the only hunters in the city. We've got tons of people who could cover this. Call Gikwang and Junho, maybe they'll know what to do."

Bam Bam's cheeks puffed out as he pouted and looked at his tablet dejectedly. His shoulders sagged as he sat back down and played with his cereal. Jaebum did his best to not pay attention to him, but whenever he asked a question about what to do, Bam Bam would mumble an answer. After three minutes of the awkward and negative atmosphere, Jaebum sighed and said, "Alright, let's hear more about the case."

The younger boy's eyes immediately lit up. He looked at the article and said, "So, according to the research that I made -"

"Seriously, where do you find the time? Did you even sleep? How did you manage to research it?" Yugyeom asked. 

"I did my research when I read it," Bam Bam said bewildered, as if he couldn't understand why he would ask the question. "Anyway, according to other reports, Sofia said that he was acting normal when she went to speak to him earlier that night around 2am. When she left him, acting fine. And then she went to check on him again later around 3am, the time around his death."

"Two things wrong with this already. Why was he awake at 2am and why is that considered normal behaviour? Also, why is his younger sister awake at that time as well?" Yugyeom questioned the facts.

"Overachiever and she usually checks up on him," Bam Bam answered. "Anyway, The second time she went to his room, she didn't go in, but she did overhear him talking to a girl."

Jaebum raised his eyebrow. "An overachiever with a girlfriend is newsworthy? Seriously? Society has changed, why on earth is that an important fact?"

Bam Bam smirked, ready to unleash his knowledge. "Because he was calling to a girl, his childhood friend, and she answered." Yugyeom and Jaebum waited for him to explain. They still didn't see how this was worth knowing or reporting. "The girl's name was Zhou Jie Qiong. Ring any bells?" Bam Bam asked in a suspenseful manner.

Yugyeom instantly straightened. "Zhou Jie Qiong? As in the girl who died of a freak accident like two years ago?"

"The very one. And the guy who was with her at the time of death?"

"Some guy named Hansol, right?" Jaebum asked, wondering where his friend was going with the story.

Bam Bam smiled brightly. "Or, now known as Vernon Choi. The guy in the article. As in the guy who died and his sister said he was talking to a girl named Jie Qiong, his dead friend." He emphasised the deaths of the people, slowly, as if talking to a child and trying to teach them manners. He smirked. "Now do you think it's a case?"

Jaebum's mouth hung open in shock. "You couldn't have said all that before? We've been awake from three hours, two and a half of which you tried to force that case on me, and now you bring that up?"

Bam Bam shrugged. "I told you that you needed to read between the lines."

Jaebum glared at Bam Bam before looking at Yugyeom. "Do you need to hang around here to keep SinB company, or do you think she's fine to socialise here by herself?" 

Yugyeom, who had long forgotten his cereal, which was now soggy, turned to Jaebum. He thought for a while what his day might entail. He made his choice on what he wanted to do. "What do you have in mind, Leader?" He smirked. Jaebum raised an eyebrow (he had never quite approved the nickname, but it was starting to be the name he responded to the most) and took a deep breath before giving the two instructions.