With their hands tied up by some pieces of cloth, Jungkook and Namjoon were thrown into the filthy and incredibly dark cell under the L building and locked up there. The cell was not empty though. At least 10 other people were inside, including a child, and everyone looked bruised. These were probably all people who tried taking advantage of the commotion to escape but had been caught.

They barely registered the situation when someone pushed Jungkook hard enough to fall to the ground. It was one of the ex-convicts Jungkook had recently recruited and he was shouting with anger:

E: “You piece of ! It’s your fault I’m here! You lured me and others with your ing deception and you have the nerve to try to escape on your own?!”

J: “I’m sorry.”

E: “ing scum!” the ex-convict shouted again as he kicked Jungkook hard. “I hope I get to see your bloody corpse before I die…”

Two other men approached Jungkook with the intention of violently letting out their anger on him, even though they had been brought there by other recruiters and they held a grudge against the recruiters in general, not personally against Jungkook.

While this happened, a woman with her young child, who was standing close to her leg frightened, came to Namjoon in tears and spoke with despair in her voice:

W: “Doctor, what are we gonna do? We can’t die here! At least, Jisoo, she’s only 6! Please, doctor! Can’t you talk to the higher-ups and convince them to spare us?”

Namjoon felt despair overwhelm him, because all the people around him would surely die and he couldn’t do anything to help even a single one of them, but then his mind cleared up because he remembered something and someone that had always made his dark thoughts dissipate.

N: “I can’t do anything. But there may be someone who can and who will.” Namjoon said, making the men about to attack Jungkook stop and making everyone focus on him. “However, if anyone hurts Jungkook, that guy will probably execute you himself.”

Hope started spreading inside the dark cell, but it didn’t reach Jungkook. Even though Jungkook knew who Namjoon was talking about and even though he didn’t doubt that Taehyung would definitely come for Namjoon and free others along with him in the process if it wasn’t inconvenient, Jungkook didn’t think it was possible for Taehyung to make it back to the commune on time. Not unless he had clung onto the van without being noticed and rode like that back to the commune or if he managed to stop another car on the road and make its driver bring him straight to the commune.

Then Jungkook realized that, with a bit of luck, Taehyung was definitely capable of that. But, before hope managed to form inside Jungkook’s mind, the door to the cell suddenly opened and the leader entered along with lieutenant Wonsuk who held a lit candle so that the leader could see who was inside.

While Jungkook, Namjoon and Taehyung had tried escaping, the leader had intervened and managed to take control over the community, getting most of the people to calm down, drop their weapons and stay still and quiet in the public square. Meanwhile, the hunters and the guards that weren’t drugged, including those who had the day shift, were sent to catch those trying to escape and bring them back to the cell under the L building.

With the people gathered in the public square, lieutenant Yang was given the task of making a headcount and seeing who was missing. During this time, a guard came and whispered to the leader that the cell under the L building was getting full and there was another batch of 6 captives coming, so the executioner wanted to know if he could start reducing their number. The leader wanted to see who was in the cell before that, so he left lieutenant Yang with the instructions of continuing the headcount and maintaining order as he set off towards the L building along with lieutenant Wonsuk.

Leader Oh scanned the faces of those inside the cell and snorted when he saw Jungkook.

O: “You had this coming ever since you snuck into my room and tried to threaten me with a knife. However, if you had not continued to be so selfish and reckless, if you had obediently stuck to your duties or at least obediently let yourself be turned into meatballs to feed the hardworking people of this community, none of this would’ve happened… Don’t you feel bad for causing so many losses? Including the lives of all these people here and the ones who will join them in a short while…”

J: “I do. That’s why, if you’re gonna execute someone, start with me.”

Leader Oh weighed the request for a moment, then said:

O: “Very well. I’ll give you that as a reward for your service thus far.”

Then the leader spoke louder and addressed someone behind him as he turned to leave the cell:

O: “Execute them all. Start with him and then one by one till this cell is free of betrayers.”

Various cries were heard inside the cell and people moved forward to beg for the leader’s mercy, but they were pushed back by two of the men that had come into the cell in the leader’s and the lieutenant’s place. Jungkook was grabbed and shoved out of the cell as Namjoon yelled his name and unsuccessfully tried stopping it and then the cell was locked up again, leaving the people inside in complete darkness and despair.

Seconds after that, a guard had come into the soundproof, underground place where the cell and another room were located and shouted his announcement:

G: “Leader Oh! Lieutenant! The community is burning! Various things exploded one after the other, the fields, the shacks and many things are on fire. The people are panicking worse than before and lieutenant Yang can’t keep them under control!”

O: “What the hell… Come, Wonsuk!” the leader ordered the lieutenant as he started leaving the underground place, then he turned and addressed the men holding Jungkook: “You three carry on here like nothing’s happening. Understood?”

Both men said “Yes, sir!” right before the leader, the lieutenant and the guard had gone outside, then they pushed Jungkook towards a door which they opened, revealing a nearly empty room made solely out of concrete. There were some lit candles inside the room so Jungkook could see it clearly. Splatters of blood covered the floor, the walls and even the ceiling. In the middle there was a large, vertically-positioned log with many cuts on one of its ends and many bloodstains all over it. Next to it stood the executioner with a big ax in his right hand.

E: “Funny how we’re meeting again in these kinds of circumstances, ey, Mr. Recruiter?” the executioner said as a malicious grin spread across his face.

J: “You’re here? But… I thought…”

E: “Well, sometimes, getting “transferred” puts you on the other side of killing.”

The executioner was one very strong ex-convict Jungkook had recruited several months ago. At one point, the leader said he had been transferred to the other commune, which lead Jungkook to think he had done something that pissed off the leader and that he had been killed. This had been the first time one of Jungkook’s recruited members had been “transferred” and he barely functioned during the following days because of the guilt he was feeling at the thought of having led someone to their death, even if that someone had been a murderer. But now this person he thought was dead was standing in front of him, looking very eager to see Jungkook’s blood cover various parts of that room.

The two men holding Jungkook abruptly pushed him inside, one then exiting the room and closing the door behind him while the other one gave Jungkook another strong push to make him end up on his knees in front of the log. He then pressed his foot onto Jungkook’s back with a lot of force to make him bend down and keep him there in place. The very next second, the executioner stepped on the side of Jungkook’s head, pressing the other side of it onto the log.

E: “I’m actually thankful to you, Mr. Recruiter. When you said your organization provides work opportunities, I never thought my job would be something I enjoy so much.”

J: “How many people have you killed here?”

E: “Not sure. I lost track between 30 and 40.”

Jungkook felt like he couldn’t breathe anymore and his eyes started filling up with tears. It didn’t matter that he was going to die really soon, he just wished from the bottom of his heart that he could undo at least some of the horrors that had taken place within that commune in a God forsaken valley surrounded by mountains.

E: “Any last words?”

J: “None that you need to hear.” Jungkook firmly said, although he was crumbling on the inside.

E: “Okay then… Once again – thank you very much.”

The executioner raised the ax and Jungkook closed his eyes just before the room lost several sources of light and a voice inside him shouted:

               J: I’m so sorry! For everything…

Then Jungkook heard a cut and another cut. He felt liquid sprayed onto him and he heard two loud thuds and sounds of chocking. He opened his eyes and, with the light coming from only one candle out of the four that had been lit inside that room, he saw the executioner on the ground with widely opened eyes full of fear and a slit throat, gargling up blood while more blood came out of the cut on his neck.

Jungkook didn’t even get to properly process the horror of that sight when he felt someone grabbing his arm from behind and cutting the cloth that held his hands tied together. He wanted to turn and see who it was, but he was yanked up into standing position. As he managed to not lose his balance, he saw a man with his back turned towards him, heading for where the lit candle was.

J: “Taehyung?”

Taehyung took the candle and turned towards Jungkook. With the light from the candle illuminating the front side of Taehyung, Jungkook could see that he was covered in blood and his eyes looked like they were made of fiery ice. Taehyung looked more frightening than the executioner had looked. And it hit Jungkook twice as hard because Taehyung’s face had been one he felt endearment towards and now it had changed so drastically.

T: “Grab the ax and let’s go.” Taehyung said as he moved towards the door with the candle in one hand and a blood covered knife in the other.

Too many things washed over Jungkook all at the same time. He felt himself loosing strength as well as the ability to think, so he fell to his knees with limp arms, a hanging mouth, eyes staring into the void and nothing coherent happening in his mind. But a deep voice from behind him pierced through the darkness and hit him like a punch in the face:

T: “Jungkook. Don’t you want to live?”

It brought Jungkook back to his senses. Dying there wouldn’t do anyone any good. He wanted to live and, if he continued living, maybe he might right some wrongs or do enough good to erase some of the guilt. So he got back to his feet, picked up the ax and followed after Taehyung.

When he stepped out of the room, he noticed another body with its throat slit. The other man that had taken him to that room was now lying dead just outside of it. Jungkook didn’t allow himself to dwell on it and continued following after Taehyung who pulled out some keys and opened the door to the cell in which Jungkook had previously been in.

T: “Joon!” Taehyung yelled after opening the door and as he stepped into the cell causing a small commotion inside.

N: “Taehyu…” Namjoon said as he came towards him, but couldn’t finish because of the shock from seeing his friend covered in blood like that.

After feeling relief that Namjoon was there and still alive, Taehyung noticed in his eyes what he was feeling, so he told him in an emotionless voice:

T: “You were wrong. I’m no hero. I’m just trouble. But I’m getting you out of here alive, understood?”

With the hand holding the knife, Taehyung also grabbed Namjoon’s sleeve after cutting the cloth tied around Namjoon’s wrists and started pulling him out of the cell. The other people inside yelled and begged for him to cut the cloths that were holding their hands tied together, but Taehyung carried on while ignoring them. However, as they followed after Taehyung and Namjoon and exited the cell, Jungkook used the ax to cut those cloths and free their hands, one at a time, even for the ex-convict that had kicked him, even if it took up precious time.

T: “Jungkook! Come on! We don’t have time for that !” Taehyung yelled after turning around and seeing what Jungkook was wasting time on.

J: “Go on ahead!” Jungkook yelled back and continued what he had started.

Taehyung felt himself slightly boiling with anger, but he still stood in place and just kept switching his focus from Jungkook to the exit and back again. Finally Jungkook finished and the entire group restarted moving forward, towards the exit, following after Taehyung who held the only source of light in his hand. He stopped at the exit to scan their surroundings for a moment, then suddenly shouted:

T: “Run!”

Taehyung started running, pulling Namjoon after him and, although he hoped that everyone would run in different directions to not attract so much attention, the whole group came after him as he ran through the chaos and the flames that had engulfed the commune.

During the previous days, Taehyung had made preparations for several trouble causing incidents with the help of things Jungkook had brought for him from the city and with the help of various things he has stolen from several places within the commune. He had made those preparations with the intent of causing this kind of chaos when he would have figured out a proper plan of escaping with Namjoon and Jungkook, but things didn’t go according to any shadow of a plan. They had to suddenly make a run for it after the hunter tried to kill Jungkook in the forest and they had been caught.

So, after the van came close enough to the commune, Taehyung let go of its back doors and jumped off it before he ran through dark areas to follow after the van and see where Namjoon and Jungkook were being taken. They had been taken inside the L building and, from what Taehyung could tell, most people from the community were in the public square, lieutenant Yang and the leader doing a headcount probably because some had used the commotion caused by the intruder ambush scenario to try escaping.

Because of these factors, Taehyung thought it was safe to set most of the buildings, shacks, barns, fields and other things on fire without risking too many human lives. He ran around quickly to activate all the things he had set up and, soon enough several explosions preceded the fire that has started and the utter panic and chaos that followed. Within this context, Taehyung almost leisurely made his way into the L building, stopping and hiding just when the leader, lieutenant Wonsuk and the guard had exited it, then went straight to the basement door and didn’t waste a fraction of a second with moral conflicts in getting to the people he wanted to free.

As the group ran with Taehyung in front, they came face to face with Leader Oh and, when the latter laid eyes on Taehyung pulling Namjoon after him, he suddenly understood who had been behind many of the recent events.

O: “You…”

T: “Out of the way!” Taehyung ordered as he stuck the knife to the leader’s neck, close and strongly enough to cause a shallow cut.

Leader Oh thought for a moment, then stepped out of the way with a look of superiority in his eyes.

During this time, Jungkook’s senses picked up on a threat, so he looked around and spotted a hunter in the distance, pointing his arrow in their direction. Jungkook didn’t have time to think, just act, and he ran to push Taehyung abruptly enough for him to fall on the ground, just in time for the arrow to miss him. However, the arrow hit Jungkook in the upper side of his chest and he fell on his back letting out a cry of pain.

T: “Jungkook!” Taehyung shouted as he wanted to move towards him, but the leader suddenly grabbed him by the hair and yanked Taehyung’s head towards him while pulling out a knife he intended to use in the same way Taehyung threatened to use a knife on him.

This happened in the blink of an eye and Taehyung didn’t have time to react, especially while he was in a state of shock over what happened to Jungkook, so his life quickly flashed before his eyes right when sirens started being heard, distracting the leader for a second, and someone suddenly hit the leader on the back of his head, knocking him out. Lieutenant Wonsuk looked like he couldn’t believe what he had done, but it was too late for regrets.

The group of people that had been behind Taehyung had fled when the arrow hit Jungkook and they thought they were also in danger. But, seeing what had happened to the leader, some of them who had enough resentment to make them ignore the risks, came back to kick and hit the unconscious leader before they picked him up and threw him in a pig stall, with his face in the manure, cursing at him as they locked him up inside.

Jungkook was on the ground and gritting his teeth from the pain as Namjoon was inspecting it, managing to stay unbelievably calm and focused given the commotion around them and the fact that it was his friend that had just been injured. He very gently and slightly tried twisting the arrow shaft to determine if the arrowhead had impacted and was embedded in any bone. It was not and, judging by the location of the wound, it had definitely not touched the heart. However, it still may have hit a major blood vessel or pierced the lungs, which would cause death in a matter of minutes given there were no operation rooms or surgeons nearby.

N: “Taehyung! Help me take him to the medical office.”

Taehyung was ready to execute, but lieutenant Wonsuk beat him to it, picking Jungkook up and taking him to the medical office in the L building while moving Jungkook as little as possible. After all 4 of them were inside, lieutenant Wonsuk told Jungkook to not die then left because he had also heard the sirens and, given his role in the organization, considered it in his best interest to not get caught.

N: “Light all the candles.” Namjoon said to Taehyung as he moved with haste to get everything he needed ready and cleaned with antiseptic. “This is gonna hurt, Jungkook. You have to bear with it and try to not move at all.”

Jungkook groaned in response and Namjoon started cleaning near the entry wound, then making it larger so that he could slide a finger in and probe for the depth of the wound, the position of the arrowhead and the type of tissues it had damaged. Jungkook was harshly biting his lip, trying to not scream or move because of the intense pain.

N: “It’s not a major blood vessel. You’re not having trouble breathing, so it most likely hasn’t pierced your lungs either. However, given the limited tools we have here and the location of the wound, I’m gonna have to push the arrow out through your back. It’ll be safer that way and you should be fine provided you don’t develop a serious infection, but antibiotics will help with that. It’ll be even more painful though and you’ll still have to not move.”

J: “Do what you think is best.”

N: “Alright. Taehyung, help me turn him on his side.”

After Taehyung helped him turn Jungkook on the side he wasn’t injured on, Namjoon started cleaning the arrow shaft and lubricating it. Taehyung just had to hold a candle so that Namjoon could see what he was doing properly and hand him the things that he needed when he needed them. When there was no practical use for one of his hands however, Taehyung kept caressing Jungkook’s head as he spoke to him:

T: “You have to survive. You have to survive this, Jungkook. I’ll do anything you want. I’ll help you find Seokjin. Anything. Just please power through this and live on, okay?”

N: “We’re starting. Taehyung, you keep an eye out too for when the arrowhead will become visible under the skin on the back. Jungkook, stay strong.”

Namjoon slowly pushed the arrow and Jungkook couldn’t keep on fiercely gritting his teeth. He screamed from the intense pain, but managed to otherwise not move. When the arrowhead became visible under the layer of skin, Namjoon stopped pushing and went behind Jungkook to make incisions near the arrowhead and then he started pushing the arrow out again. Jungkook screamed again and Taehyung held onto him tightly as he kept repeating encouragements and:

T: “You have to survive. You have to survive, Jungkook. Please…”