Continuing from the foreword...

                It didn’t take her long to get lost or to lose track of the passage of time entirely.  The only important thing was staying ahead of her pursuer.  She could feel them at her back, sometimes close and sometimes far away but always there.  She could even hear them, heavy footsteps stomping after her as they both crashed through underbrush and dodged trees alike.  Sprinting hard, Sunny scrambled through the woods, half blind in the deepening night with only the remnants of daylight and the moon to guide her as she focused on not tripping.

                Her breath burned in as she gasped for breath and she shrieked when another branch snagged at her jacket, adding yet one more tear in the fabric, a snarl of cloth left behind by her passage.  “!” she gasped, stumbling into a tree at nearly full speed, just about knocking the wind out of her.

                Panicked and lost, she clung to the rough surface, brushing her messy hair out of her smudged face, bright brown eyes wide in her flushed complexion.  Where were they?  Shaking against the tree, she scoured the limits of her vision and dry lips, fighting the urge to cry.  She’d already lost her flashlight and even with the double knots, it was a miracle she still had both shoes.  Somewhere along the way, her phone had fallen out of her back pocket; probably on one of the many times she’d fallen, and the only thing she had left were her keys clipped to a belt loop by a carabineer.

                She heard a crack close by, the sound reminiscent of someone stepping on a branch, and had to clamp her hand over to keep from crying out.  Her body shook with quiet sobs as tears trickled down her cheeks, sparkling in the dim light.  When she heard the person take another step, she closed her eyes and bit her lip harder, pretending they weren’t there.  Go away.  Go away.  Go away, she intoned over and over again in her mind.

                There was no stopping the shriek of abject terror when she felt something brush against her, fingers trailing down her arm, snagging in the fabric of her coat, and she bolted.  “Yah!”  The high pitched tone echoed in the shadows and the jacket slid free, another bit lost to the unknown figure.  Sobbing and almost completely blind with tears, Sunny’s footing was unsteady on the slick foliage beneath her, the soles of her shoes sliding on the mass of leaves and grass that gave her little purchase.  “No!” she yelled in denial, hearing the person closing in behind her.

                A glance over her shoulder showed the large figure stampeding after her, appearance otherwise wreathed in shadows and dark coverings.  Towering behind her, they didn’t say anything but Sunny could hear them breathing as they closed in, deep, steady draughts of air.  And they were gaining on her.

                Putting on another burst of speed, she tried to focus on her path, the direction she was going, but it all felt so futile.  She could almost feel the person breathing down her neck and she screamed again when a clawing hand swiped at her back, briefly catching a few strands of her hair before dragging down her spine.  “Stay away!” she denied vehemently, flinging her arm back to try and ward them off.

                The panicked action made her lose her stride, right foot clipping her left calf so that her knee locked up on the next step.  She was unable to correct herself and Sunny tumbled forward, crashing into the ground hard as it rushed to meet her.  Her palms burned when debris dug into them and the breath was driven from her lungs in a burst of air as her chest collided with the surface next, chin bouncing on the ground, making her teeth clack together with a pained sound.

                Desperately gasping for breath, Sunny scrambled to turn over and kick away from the person behind her, losing a shoe in her frantic, uncoordinated attempts to slide over the ground.  Her heels slid uselessly against the surface while debris scraped against the backs of her thighs and she held up her hands to try and ward off the impending blow as her pursuer towered over her.  She ducked her head into the crook of her arm and then felt something solid connect, sending her consciousness fleeing abruptly.

~~~~~~

                Dim light from the overhead hanging bulbs greeted her eyes when they fluttered open slowly, awareness clawing at her like a living thing as flashes of memory tried to intrude.  Sunny’s head ached and there was a dull roar in her ears that matched the pace of her pulse, but above that, she could hear muted sounds of crying and despondent muttering.  Someone else started wailing incoherently and they were abruptly silenced, a sharp smack signaling what she presumed to be a slap.

                Immediately, she tried to sit up from the reclining position she was in, but found her hands to be bound to a chair, hard leather straps pulled tight, biting into her skin.  Whimpering softly, she realized her ankles were hindered in the same manner and only her head was free to move.  Carefully, she shifted to look around and felt her eyes widen in surprised horror.  She wasn’t the only one in a similar predicament and Sunny realized she was one of six persons tied to various chairs in a dank metal and concrete room that looked like it would fit better in a sewer or something.

                From what she could see of the chairs, they were archaic, metal things, all facing the front where she could just make out a figure bending over a table before him, dirty and patched coat resembling that of a scientist’s though it looked like it hadn’t been washed in years.  He was muttering under his breath, though she couldn’t hear what he was saying, not that it mattered.

                She was tied to a chair, with no idea where her brother was, and even more clueless as to why there should be a massive, iron cage here at all.  It rose in front of the leaning figure at the table, dwarfing them in size.  See through bars she could probably fit through lined a solid enough enclosure, the back wall appearing as if there was a section that could be raised for whatever reason.  Another section of the metal fence appeared to be a similar sliding mechanism if the chains linked to the top of it were any indication.

                Where was the lever or switch to open it though?  Granted, it really wouldn’t help her with her current predicament, even if her guess was correct.  She’d been right all along and none of it mattered anymore.

                Bitter tears stung her eyes and she chewed her bottom lip as she quietly tested her restraints again, having no room in which to move.  Her focus on the straps allowed her to realize with a start that she was wearing a different shirt, the scratchy, gray fabric long and loose so that it covered her entire upper body, though her shorts were in tact.  Still, someone had changed her…  The very thought made her shudder with revulsion and she had to tear her mind from the mental imagery, focusing instead on how wrong everyone else had been.

                No one else had believed her when she insisted Suga hadn’t simply run away from home, never mind he often teased that he’d simply leave one day.  After the initial search had found nothing, he’d been written off as a runaway, but Sunny knew better.  For one thing, her brother was too lazy to take such a step and the only reason he went to the woods in first place was for his music; there was a nice little resting area that didn’t require one to walk very far but still gave him plenty of privacy.  Secondly, her brother just wouldn’t do that; nor would he lie to her since she’d seen him the day he hadn’t come back.  He had only packed enough to be gone for the afternoon, insisting he did his best writing in ‘natural’ environments where his thoughts could flow.

                This… structure she was entrapped in was more than proof enough the woods near the city held something sinister.  A small prick along the inside of her forearm where it rested against the handle of the chair made her jump and she realized something had stuck her.  She didn’t think it had been a bug or anything and though she couldn’t see on the sides of her chair, it looked like there was some sort of mechanism on the one in front of her connecting to the armrest on the same side.  Was that a syringe?  It was impossible to confirm further but by the confused and slightly panicked mutterings ahead of her, it seemed her companions were subject to the same discomfort.

                “I’m so sorry, Suga,” she whispered, leaning her head back to stare at the ceiling again, letting her eyes trace the pipework overhead.  “I really did want to find you.”  Maybe the heavy duty pipes meant it was some sort of hidden facility.  Was this where her brother had disappeared?  In this dank and musty place that reminded her of a sewer with the fetid stench lingering in the air.  “I miss you, Suga,” she smiled with a shaky voice, head tilting to the side in confusion when the words sounded tinny and rather far off to her ears.  Everything felt a bit dull.  Had she been drugged?

                Reflexively, she jerked her head up, the action making her slightly dizzy, when she heard a small commotion beginning at the front where the figure was now moving among them, holding a bowl of something in one hand.  She got her first vague look at him while he was bending over another chair, his profile revealing messy, dark hair and an angular jaw line with a smattering of stubble.  He looked to have some sort of glasses on and his attention was focused solely on his target as he dipped his fingers into the bowl.

                It must have been filled with some sort of liquid or something and he reached towards the seated person as if to wipe it on them.  Well, she didn’t really know what he was doing exactly, since she couldn’t see it, but that only made it worse.  Sunny couldn’t keep her body from trembling; she didn’t know what he was doing or why, but she knew it was not going to end well.  It wasn’t even that she was afraid, but rather that it all felt so distant that she didn’t care.  At least not yet.

                To be fair, she really wasn’t sure if that was the fault of whatever was probably injected into her or her own acceptance of the situation.  What exactly had she thought she could do to find her baby brother?  It had been a fool’s errand and here she was, paying the piper.

                She wished Namjoon would have agreed to come with her.  Well, that wasn’t being fair again either.  She’d asked him to help her and he’d asked her for a little more time.  Excuse her if she thought a couple weeks was more than enough time.  So stupid…

                Tears pricked her eyes and she wanted to scream in frustration but found she was unable to make any sound.  In fact, she couldn’t even move more than an inch or two when she tried her bonds again.  Oh …

                And then he was there.  Whoever the hell the bastard was.  He was tall, with dirty, taped-together, black-rimmed spectacles and patchy facial hair on his visage, though there was a peculiar gleam in his dark brown eyes.  A tarnished silver cross swung against his chest and Sunny guessed he had to be some sort of religious nut job as he dipped his thumb into the dark liquid and placed it against her forehead.

                “And ye shall be judged by His holy creature,” he murmured, a creepy smile alighting his face with a dimple appearing ersely in his cheek.  “It is your fate to be spared or found lacking by His will.”

                Great.  A crazy zealot with some sort of ‘holy’ creature, whatever that entailed.  Was it maybe that covered person that had been chasing her?  She felt a chill run up her spine at the thought but then she blinked, focusing on the stranger again.  Her position was awkward in comparison but he was of a similar height to the figure she’d seen earlier; with the strange outfit they had been wearing, she never would have known it was him.  Could he have been her pursuer?

                She didn’t know and was physically unable to muster the ability to ask so she glared at him with furious, defiant eyes, mutely wishing all manner of horrors on his insane head.  He wasn’t the least bit phased by her anger and simply turned around, muttering further ludicrous words under his breath as he disappeared from her sight.

                Sunny couldn’t pick her head up to see him anymore but her hearing was unaffected in this instance and she was acutely aware of him shuffling around, apparently getting ready to leave.  Something else caught her attention though and she blinked in surprise when she felt a tug at the waistband of her shorts.  No... something was tugging at the keys still attached to her shorts, the metal objects clinking together softly.  What the hell was that?

                The unknown thing hanging on her keys failed to matter any further when she winced against the pained shriek of metal crying in protest as some sort of door or gate was opened, a deeper grating sound indicating the stone wall was probably shifting as well.  She listened intently while something hissed and made its slow, cautious way into the room, footsteps heavy with a quiet clacking sound at each step.  Claws maybe?  Its movement was accompanied by a strange swishing sound, like something dragging along the floor.  Or perhaps that was it breathing…?

                For a long moment, nothing happened as she heard the sound of snuffling and little else.  Sunny blanched when it was followed shortly by a horrible crunch, and she was both sickened and terrified by what it meant.  The crunching continued for a few seconds at a steady… chewing pace and then fell quiet as the thing appeared to shift again.

                An odd scratching sound paired with what had to be her keys jingling quietly interrupted the eventual silence and Sunny wondered what was making it, seeing that it was coming from right next to her.  Trying to come up with explanations for whatever was playing with her keys was infinitely better than focusing on the moving monster in their midst, even if it only distracted her from the inevitable.  Her unknown nuisance faded from her awareness when the next prominent sound was one of ripping.  She was certain if her body was able, it would have revolted right then and there, but nausea was not hers to command and she remained physically unaffected by it.  That wasn’t to say her imagination could fill in all manner of gaps though…

                Desperately, she closed her eyes and tried to block out the sounds, flinching at each new interruption that occurred.  Three more times, the creature stopped along its way, apparently paying attention to the equally paralyzed occupants, more stomach churning sounds assaulting her senses when it paused.  The fourth one wasn’t so bad; mostly just sniffling and a strange raspy sound, like a sandpaper tongue sliding over something but the fifth was horrendous.  Over and over again, the terrible crunching and ripping went on and on with savage frenzy, rather like the creature was tearing its target apart…

                She tried so hard to block the sound out that she didn’t even realize when everything finally fell silent.  And then it was there.

                Sunny felt the chair jostle slightly and she squeezed her eyes shut tighter when something pressed a large, clawed hand to her abdomen, the talons arching over her ribs above the shirt.  Its weight was substantial and Sunny found herself having a hard time breathing as it rested against her.  Given her predicament, she couldn’t help but open her eyes and stare in wide-eyed horror at the monster snuffling at her.

                The creature looked like some erse dinosaur or dragon, dusky hide almost perfect as it tentatively at whatever was smeared on her forehead.  The tongue felt just like sandpaper rasping against her skin and when it opened its mouth, she could see bits of flesh still clinging to serrated teeth as rancid breath washed over her face.

                Oh …  It was going to bite her head.  Oh !  Praying it wouldn’t hurt long, Sunny clenched her eyes shut tight again and felt teeth press into both sides of her scalp, sliding briefly against the bone as pressure increased.  The barest whimper escaped the back of as she tried to scream, but then she felt one final tug at her waist band and her keys fell free, the sound of clinking metal loud in the otherwise quiet room.

                Startled, the monster on top of her yanked its head back and hissed, scoring her scalp further with its teeth as the awful pressure against her skull went away.  It was a small reprieve that only led to the creature launching its large, heavy body over her, claws drawing sharply across her abdomen in a savage rake that burned like fire.  With a heavy thud and a disgruntled growl, it was past her, noisily chasing something that jangled in front of it.  Sunny might have screamed then but she couldn’t be sure as unconsciousness claimed her for a second time that day.

~~~~~~

                Gasping for breath, Sunny sat up abruptly, staring around with wide eyes before her senses registered the burning pain in her abdomen and her hands came to cover the wounds defensively.  With a start, she realized she was unbound and all the other chairs were empty…  She directed her attention back to her savaged torso with a quiet hiss and saw two long score marks over her ribs through her blood soaked shirt, a third shorter one parting the skin gruesomely below them.  She hadn’t officially been eviscerated but it was a damn near thing.

                Keeping one arm pressed over her wound, she placed her other hand over her face and took a shallow breath, trying to keep the inevitable tears at bay: she was hurt, she had almost been eaten by a monster, and she was still no closer to finding her brother.  And now everyone was gone and she didn’t know why.  Her hand drifted down to cover before she threaded her hair behind her ear by rote, pursing her lips as she dragged herself to the edge of the seat so she could climb out.

                It was an arduous and painful process that left her gasping for breath by the time she managed to find herself standing woozily next to the chair, clinging to it with her free hand for support.  The room was utterly silent and there were no signs of the terrible creature she’d seen before.  She took a hesitant peek into the other chairs but found no remains or any indication they’d been occupied.  “Hello?” she asked in a shaky whisper, terrified of being heard by the wrong person, but desperate to find someone else.

                What had happened to the crazy zealot?  Where did the monster disappear to?  And what had happened to the people in the chairs?  Sunny was completely confused by all of it… especially when she remembered the sounds before the monster had reached her.  Was that what the zealot had meant about being judged?  Not that it mattered except to make her angry.  Who the hell did he think he was?!  “Stupid, crazy people,” she grumbled under her breath, trying to focus on her anger as opposed to the pain in her torso and head.  Her scalp was sticky from the lacerations but those wounds were tolerable and minor in comparison to the claw marks.

                Gritting her teeth, she limped forward, inspecting the room for anything useful, casting a nervous glance at the empty cage at the head of the room.  The front door was open but apparently the back wall had been lowered again while she was unconscious.

                Moving with care, Sunny found a small coil of nylon rope on the table the crazy guy had been leaning over and quickly ripped the bottom half of her shirt free.  It hurt like hell to move and the cloth was completely soaked through with her blood, but she wrapped the fabric around her torso to cover her wounds and help staunch the bleeding, using the rope to hold it in place.  There was nothing to cut the rope with so she just used the whole length, winding it around her body several times, but it worked better than nothing, allowing her move with both hands free, albeit slowly.            

                A bent pipe lying on the ground gave her some sort of weapon and improvised cane when necessary, even if it was a shade on the heavy side and just over three feet in length making it a useful burden.  Her feet felt weird with only one shoe and she clenched her jaw as she started walking further, exploring the area for a way out.  She was not going to die down here.  Not like this.  Not after escaping that stupid monster the way she had.  With narrowed eyes, she glared through the gloom, weapon at the ready in case she saw anything of the creature.  Try to bite her head off, would it?

                Fear tried to push through the veil of anger she was clinging to when she heard the sounds of fighting in the distance and she pressed herself against the wall defensively, listening to see which direction it was coming from.  Taking a deep breath and swallowing harshly, she edged away from the wall and began heading towards the sound.  Maybe it was someone that needed help?  Or maybe it was somebody here to take that bastard down.  Personally, she hoped it was the latter since as it was, she could barely stand and armed or not, she wouldn’t be much help to anyone.

                Try as she could to find the source though, it was like walking around in a maze bereft of directions or people.  Sounds echoed strangely against the walls, distorting her perception and confusing her more.  And then it died out, just like that, leaving her alone in silence once again.  It was like a physical blow, being subjected to her own isolation once more, and Sunny found she did not like it.  Even though she didn’t know who was fighting, it was better than acknowledging she was completely and utterly alone.

                “Hello?” she tried once more, daring to raise her voice as her steps picked up, hurrying in a randomly chosen direction.  “Can anybody hear me?  Hello?!”  The weapon in her hands grew heavy so she resorted to dragging it behind her, the sound of metal on stone grating against her ears.  It was still better than the silence or the sound of her own ragged breathing and helped her focus on something besides the constant, throbbing pain in her torso.  It vastly outweighed the burning sting of the wounds on her head but everything hurt at that point.

                Finally, she came to a stop and pursed her lips, fighting tears.  There was nothing left.  She was badly injured and lost and she was the only one left…  Or maybe…  Was she dead after all?  Was that why she couldn’t find a way out?  Why everyone had disappeared?  Was she trapped in some horrible limbo because of whatever she might have been injected with?

                It was a thought that terrified her and Sunny dropped the weapon to start running as fast as she could, one hand pressed over her torso wound while the other trailed against the wall.  “Somebody!  Help me!  Please!” she begged, hearing her voice echo back to her, strange and empty.  “Anybody!” she tried again, coming up short, body heaving as she sought to draw in breath.  “Gyah!” she railed, falling to her knees where she was.  “Why!?” she demanded, beating her fists against the cold, dirty cement.  “I don’t want to die…” she whimpered, bringing her balled fists to cover her face as she leaned further over her thighs, crying softly, overwhelmed by the hopelessness of her situation.

                What sounded like a door opening nearby caught her attention and Sunny hiccupped as she held her breath with a hand clapped over , holding still so she could hear better.  Her teary eyes searched ahead and she blinked rapidly when she thought she could make out the familiar sound of someone writing on a chalkboard.  Wincing, she pushed herself to her feet and made her way around the corner to see a wooden door gently swinging open, the scratching sound still coming through the opening before it fell silent.

                “Wait!” she called, rushing to the opening as fast as she could, peering into the dark room with desperate hope.  With a shaking hand, she reached against the wall and located a flip switch, offering a silent prayer before she flicked it.  The resultant overhead lighting hurt her eyes but revealed a room bereft of everything except a single blackboard with writing scrawled on it.  Sunny squinted, having to move a little closer to read the words, and clapped her hand over as she fell to her knees, tears trickling down her face.

You can’t give up yet.

Suga

                Blinking through blurry eyes, she swore the name was actually glowing with little motes of light dancing around it.  “Suga?” she breathed incredulously.  He was here?  It couldn’t be.  “Suga?!” she tried again, stumbling to her feet as new purpose filled her.  “I’m coming!” she cried fiercely, jaw firmed in determination while she pressed one hand to her abdomen and shuffled out of the room.  “Yoongi!” she yelled sharply, the sound of a big sister desperately searching for her sibling.

                She flinched at the barest hint of sound, giving her some sort of direction.  Doggedly, she made her way after it like a bloodhound on the hunt.  “Hold on,” she muttered through clenched teeth, rounding another corner.  “Hold on, Suga.  I will find you!” Sunny vowed, limping down the interminably long hallway, grunting with each painful step.

                The sounds of combat renewing made her come up short again, staring ahead.  This time she knew where it was coming from; straight ahead and around that corner.  But that was where Suga was.  Gathering her courage and resolve, she took a deep breath and charged forward, “Yah!”

                “Ah!  Get back, you damn creature!” an achingly familiar voice yelled above her head, her senses askew as her body was jostled while her perception readjusted, tried to comprehend the change.  “Yah!  Die already!”

                “Suga?” Sunny murmured, having just enough time to realize she was lying down, not running through a hallway, and her younger brother was holding her protectively close, his attention focused on whatever was behind her.  If she was hearing correctly, something large was at her back, making a dreadful snapping sound accompanied by angry hissing which drew her attention.

                “Yah!” she shrieked, pressing herself further against Suga who swung the bent metal pipe again, connecting with the slavering head of the dinosaur dragon monster from earlier, the beast pinned partially under the heavy metal gate, held in place by the weight of another person standing on its back, using all of their strength to keep it there.  “Namjoon?” she gawked in utter confusion, staring at the dark haired male who was lacking his usual sunglasses.

                “It’s not working!” he yelled, stomping on the monster’s neck in a vain attempt to do further damage.

                “Oh !” Suga yelped, playing tug of war with the damn thing when it caught the pipe in its teeth.  “Yah!” he shrieked as the creature lurched forward half a foot, skin scraping back under the gate when it found enough of a grip to lurch towards the pair huddled together.

                “Suga!” both Sunny and Namjoon yelled, watching as he shifted his hold on the pipe to make it more of a brace.  Sunny realized they were in the large cage she’d seen from her initial vantage point and just beyond the bars were the chairs she’d been tied to.  Standing up was a challenge but if she could just get out there…

                “Sunny!” Namjoon growled, struggling with the effort of keeping the door down.  “What are you doing?”

                “Sunny!” Suga yelled, his voice strained as he fended off the monster, able to spare her the briefest of worried glances.

                “Hold on!” she gasped, lurching in pain as sliding through the bars aggravated the wound on her torso, making her vision spin.  Woozily, she stumbled towards the first chair, nearly vomiting upon seeing the partially eaten body still strapped in it.  “Oh god,” she gasped, one hand clapped over as she searched around the underside of the arm, looking for whatever had pricked her earlier.  Stupid immobilizing agent of some kind…

                Frantically, she clawed at the casing with both hands and managed to kick it open with an agonizing blow that sent her to her knees, but the panel was open.  She found an empty vial inside but a panicked glance around showed a couple lying scattered on the floor nearby.  It looked as if they’d been knocked off the overturned table and had been left where they landed.

                “Suga!” Namjoon shrieked, giving them all warning that the gate was slipping again.

                “Mother er!” Suga snarled, crying out in pain when he was pressed against the wall, pinned by the piping that was the only thing keeping him from being chomped on, the other end lodged in the corner of the monster’s jaw.

                “Syringe.  I need a syringe,” Sunny sobbed, fear, panic, and blood loss making her clumsy, though she managed to secure a vial in her hand with stubborn determination.  “Come on!” she yelled in desperation as she was unable to find a syringe.  No!  How else was she supposed to get it into the monster?

                Suga’s pained scream made her look up in fear and she felt her stomach clench as she saw her brother’s face contort in agony, still stuck to the wall by the pipe.  She had to do something now or he was going to die.  Think, dammit!

                Tearing her gaze from her brother, she looked for something to improvise with.  Scanning the surroundings erratically, her eyes landed on the jagged edge of a broken table leg.  It wasn’t a syringe but so long as she got the vial into its blood stream… it should work, right?

                “Gyah!” she growled, giving herself no time to doubt as she lurched forward to snatch it in her free hand.  Gritting her teeth, she hurled herself at the monster partially pinned under the heavy metal gate, stabbing it in the side with vicious intent.  The tip caught on a rib and then slipped free, sliding between the bones as it punctured the skin, making the creature buck and writhe as it swung its head around.  It howled savagely and dragged Suga off the wall in the process, tossing him free of the pipe still wedged in its jaws.

                “Sunny!  Watch out!” Namjoon yelled in warning and she screamed, very nearly falling under the monster’s feet when the head banged against the bars with a thunderous crash.  At almost the same time, the sinuous tail whipped around from the other side and hit the section of the barrier immediately next to her, close enough that she could feel the disturbance in the air from its attack.

                “!” she yelped, freezing in place when the bars bent under the dual assault.  Then her paralysis broke and she rode the angry adrenaline high, pain temporarily forgotten.  “Damn you!” Sunny snarled through gritted teeth, yanking her weapon free before awkwardly slamming the vial into the wound.  The monster bucked and writhed frantically, skewing her aim on the first attempt when she tried to stab it again.  Placing her other hand on the creature’s smooth side for support, she stabbed at the wound with single-minded intensity, reducing the section to a pulpy mass of ruined flesh.

                She flinched away from the monster as it continued to bang its head against the bars, bending them further with each attack.  Distracted by the one end and focused on her task, she gasped when the monster’s tail smacked her in the back, driving her hard against the ruined torso with an attack that assailed her with pain on both fronts.  Gasping for breath, her weapon flew from her hand and she careened off the torso limply, body unresponsive in light of the agony coursing through her, making it impossible to catch herself.

                “Sunny!  Suga?!” Namjoon roared at her, stolidly holding his position.  “Dammit!  Answer me!”

                Sunny blinked in a daze as the shock of what happened slowly wore off, intense pain receding just enough to focus.  She stared at the monster’s tail as it continued to flail, the motion slowing down gradually.  Was it working?  She watched for a moment longer and realized it was becoming even more sluggish.  “It’s working,” she croaked, allowing a pained smile to pull at her lips.  “It’s working!”  Hope blossomed anew as she pushed herself into a sitting position for a better view.

                “Suga, be careful!” Namjoon warned, watching the older male carefully.

                Sunny craned her head around to see her brother standing unsteadily near the monster’s head, the bent pipe clutched firmly in both hands.  It was biting at him doggedly, lifting its head off the ground to snap massive jaws his direction but it took longer and longer between attempts.  She could see the way her brother’s shoulders rose and fell as he struggled for breath, how much energy it cost him to stand up and face the damn thing down.

                “Die you son of a !” he roared, raising the weapon up before he stabbed it down at the creature’s head.  His timing was perfect, striking at the moment between attacks, and his aim slightly shaky, though he managed to drag the tip against the skull until it ran into the eye socket, sinking several inches as it smashed through the soft tissue of the softball sized orb.

                The monster roared reactively, yanking its head away so quickly it left Suga floundering to fall backwards and out of range.  He grabbed the bars as he used them to haul himself to safety before the creature attacked again, the head returning to snap at him blindly.

                “Holy !” Namjoon yelped, holding onto the gate for dear life as it bounced up and down while the monster violently thrashed beneath him.  Heaving against the heavy metal door pinning it in place, the creature beat its head against the floor as it continued to roar, and sputter, and hiss before it stilled, tail twitching and talons grating against the stone.  The creature managed a few final, gasping breaths, clinging to the last vestiges of life, until the body relaxed and everything fell silent.

                Sunny just stared at it, hardly daring to blink.  “Is it…  Is it dead?” she whispered in a small voice, feeling herself pitifully close to tears.

                “I think so,” Namjoon answered hesitantly, very reluctant to leave his post, visibly afraid it would start moving again if he did.

                “Suga?” Sunny asked, turning her teary eyed attention to her younger brother.  He was obviously starved, weak, battered and bruised all to hell, but he was alive…  “Suga!” she gasped, crawling towards him to grab him through the bars, holding his hand and touching his face, his dirty brown hair… him!

                “Hey sis,” he offered a weak smile, wincing in pain and glancing over as Namjoon wiggled determinedly through the bars, having about as hard a time as Sunny had earlier.

                “You guys okay?” he asked, reaching down to help Suga to his feet, taking care to cradle him against his body as he supported as much weight as possible, grimacing at how light and frail he seemed.

                “Define okay,” Suga managed the ghost of a joke before he hissed in pain and clung to the bars as Namjoon squeezed back through again so he could help him from the other side.

                “I’ll take that as a yes,” Sunny laughed once, biting her lip while she braced her hastily wrapped abdomen with one hand.  It looked different from when she had bandaged it herself and it took Sunny a moment to realize she must have dreamt that part.  Well, that would explain her lack of understanding right up until she found herself in Suga’s arms…  Her introspection was interrupted when strong hands pulled her to her feet, drawing out a whimper as the motion aggravated her torso wound.

                “Easy Sunny,” Namjoon murmured, holding her close like he was doing for Suga on his other side.

                Immediately, she reached for her brother, catching his face in her hands as she smoothed his hair back and beamed at him.  “You’re alive,” she sniffed, face crumpling with emotion.  “I knew you didn’t run away,” she admitted around her tears as she stepped in close to slip her arms around his torso, crying harder for how fragile he seemed.

                “Is that what they were saying about me?” Suga asked, his voice just short of hysteria.  “Bastards,” he snorted, clinging to his sister with all the strength he could muster, mindful of her injuries.  “How did you find this place?” he asked, glancing between Sunny and Namjoon.

                “She went looking for you,” Namjoon nodded at Sunny with a shrug.  “And I went looking for her when she was too impatient to wait for me.”

                His words prompted memory to stir and Sunny gasped, “Crazy zealot guy!”

                “What?” the two males asked, caught off guard.

                “What happened to him?” she panted, immediately on alert again as she started to look around, adrenaline already flooding her system.

                “You mean that crazy guy responsible for all this ?” Namjoon asked, craning his head around.

                “Yes!  That guy!” she agreed, clinging to Suga tighter.

                “We sort of… um… I think we killed him,” Suga admitted, ducking his head uncomfortably while he scratched at his face.

                “Eh?” Sunny chirped in surprise.

                “Yeah.  He came out after that stupid monster bolted and was heading for you since all the others were dead,” Namjoon explained with a growl.  “And then Suga here appeared out of nowhere, swinging that pipe like a madman,” he snorted, though the smile he gave was genuine and proud.

                “He was going to hurt my sister,” Suga muttered firmly, eyes fierce as he held to Sunny with a definite, defensive grip.  It would have been more reassuring if his hand wasn’t trembling.

                Sunny sighed in unveiled relief and sagged against Suga, grabbing his head in her hands so she could kiss him soundly on the cheek.  He whined about the affection but she just hugged him, burying her face in his shoulder, not even caring he smelled like something that hadn’t been washed in almost two weeks.  “You are the best brother ever,” she smiled, the words more than just empty flattery.

                “Well, you know,” he chuckled in response, groaning when a wave of exhaustion and dizziness hit him.  “Sis?  Can we go home now?” he asked, voice sounding very small and extremely worn out.

                “Definitely,” she agreed breathlessly, keeping one arm wrapped around his side while she braced her abdomen with the other.  Namjoon wordlessly took Suga’s other side and they started to head out when Sunny paused, her brow furrowed in surprise as she heard jingling nearby.  “It can’t be,” she muttered, staring through the chairs, pointedly ignoring the occupants until she saw it.  “Those are my keys,” she pointed, blinking in astonishment at a much smaller version of the thing they’d killed.  It was about the size of a small cat and it had her keychain dangling from its jaws.

                “Yah!  Kill it!” Namjoon yelped, looking around for a weapon to attack it with.

                “No!” Sunny grumbled, smacking Namjoon’s arm, grudgingly grateful to the little thing.  “Let someone else deal with it.  It’s probably the only reason I’m still alive,” she shuddered, nudging Suga to get him moving while Namjoon hovered protectively around both of them, glaring at the creature suspiciously.

                “Should I at least get your keys?” he asked, frowning at the little thing while it wandered by, jaws clamped over the carabineer.

                “If you can catch it,” she admitted, attention already turned from the creature while she worried over Suga even more.

                Namjoon took a step towards the creature only to glower when it saw him and darted back a step, obviously watching him too.  “Feh,” he grumbled, waving it off as a waste of his time.  “I’ll deal with you later,” he pointed, jogging to catch up to the other two.

                “Hey Rap Monster,” Suga called, voice still low but alert.

                “Ne?”

                “How do we get out of here?”

                “Hah!” Namjoon laughed, gesturing for them to follow him.  “Leave that to me!”

                While they trailed after Namjoon who darted ahead to check the path, only to come running back to hover around them worriedly, Sunny clung to her younger brother, almost afraid to let him go for fear he’d suddenly disappear again.  “What happened?” she finally asked him, unsure what sort of an answer she’d get.

                Suga quirked a tired half-smile and snorted, “Crazy zealot guy.”

                She blinked at the response, though her eyes smiled in understanding.  “And how did you…?”  He hadn’t really escaped exactly but the monster hadn’t eaten him either.

                “Eh…” he grumbled.  “I wasn’t quite as unconscious as he thought I was when he tried to strap me in the chair,” he admitted, hugging her a bit tighter when she seemed to pale at the answer.  “Then I didn’t know how to get out of here without getting caught again so I’ve just been… hiding I guess.”

                “You really are the best little brother,” she hummed in approval, a satisfied smile pulling at her lips.

                “Only because I have a really good example to look up to,” he added in a quiet whisper, pressing his lips against the side of her head tenderly, mindful of the dried blood crusting in her hair.

                Sunny wasn’t even entirely sure she was meant to hear that part but she smiled all the same, warmed by the comment.  They both looked up when Namjoon came pelting back excitedly, waving at them with both hands.

                “I found the exit!  Come on!” he urged, huddling close when he didn’t know which one to focus his attention on.

                Grinning, the trio hobbled along and all of them had to shield their eyes from the morning sun.  Suga in particular seemed entranced by it and they stood for just a moment longer, drinking it in.  Sunny watched a weary but warm smile grace his lips and she held his gaze when he looked down at her, dull brown eyes focused on her.  “Let’s go home, sis.”

                Sunny patted his side with her hand and nodded, flashing him the brightest grin she could.  “Yes, sir,” she winked, just as eager as he was.

                “Anybody know the number for a cab that comes out here?” Namjoon asked in jest.

                “Namjoon…” “Rap Monster…” the siblings sighed at the same time, shaking their heads though the smiles remaining on their faces were reward enough.

                “Fine, fine,” he waved, pointing towards the trees.  “On foot it is!”

                “Do you even know where you’re going?” Suga asked, one brow raised.

                “Hey!  I got us out of there didn’t I?” Namjoon asked, jerking his head towards the structure they’d just left.  His eyes narrowed at the doorway and he ran back to slam the door shut before he nodded in satisfaction and took the lead again.  “Let’s go!”

                Sunny knew the enthusiasm he demonstrated was largely for their benefit and she was grateful.  If not for the over-the-top young man, she might well have been inclined to simply sit down and not move for a good long while.  As it was, it was going to be a long walk back anyway.  Ah well.  It was better than being eaten by a dragon dinosaur creature after all.  And, she had her brother back.

                That alone was worth every minute she’d spent down there.  “Love you, Yoongi.”

                He was quiet for a moment, listening to Namjoon ahead of them, but then his fingers tightened slightly on her shoulder and she heard, “Love you too sis.”

(a/n: Now that you've made it this far, I will say that the only part that of said dream inspiration that had any idol in it was Suga's name on the chalkboard, complete with sparkling motes and everything.  Can anybody guess who the crazy zealot guy was though?  hehe

Regardless, I hope you enjoyed and if you're inclined, please feel free to leave a comment.  If not, thank you for checking it out all the same!  ^_^)