I wake up and take notices that it is not a dream, although the roses arranged around me on the bed I’m lying on tells otherwise. I remember feeling the pain of being jabbed in the neck by Jonghyun and the pain in my heart when I knew Jonghyun was the one did it. It happened very fast in one go and I am not very sure of what is happening now. I look at the clock placed on the bedside table and the hour hand points at four. I am sure I talked with Jonghyun at two in the afternoon. Jonghyun must have jabbed me with a drug that makes me sleep for two hours, without I know the reason.
When I look around the room, wondering why it is so noisy at some distant outside, and there’s nobody inside the house, I am taken aback by a figure standing next to the mirror. I think I know her. She’s a doctor. The last time I saw her was when Jonghyun and I solved a case regarding medical lawsuit on a company producing non-certified pacemakers.
“Dr. Ji Eun. What are you doing here?” I ask her. She looks very pale in this dark room.
“Hey, Sabrina. Good to see you again,” she says. I notice a crack in her voice, thinking that she has been crying. I confirm it when I see her puffy eyes with her tear-streaked face.
“Hey…are you okay? You’ve been crying,” I ask her gently, feeling pity towards the girl. She looks really sad.
“I’m okay,” more tears come out when she tries to say she is okay.
“You’re here all this time? How long have I been sleeping?” I ask her for confirmation.
“Yes. I was here for the whole 26 hours you had been unconscious,” she says. My jaw falls. That long? What is the purpose of Jonghyun doing that?
“You mean today is already another day?” she nods and I resume, “Where’s Jonghyun? What’s up with all this roses surrounding me on bed?” I ask her.
She comes nearer to me and sits down right beside me. I could see that she is really sad. I wonder why.
“Jonghyun put all this roses to cover your smell. He doesn’t want the other vampires know that you’re here,” she says with a cracking voice.
“What vampires?” I ask, feeling uneasy to the pit of my stomach. Ji Eun sniffs, and I ask again, “What vampires Ji Eun?!” I start to lose control on myself.
Ji Eun tears strolls down like a downpour. She holds my hand and that is the first time I notice her very cold hands. It is icy and I am informed immediately on what she is actually.
“You’re a vampire as well, aren’t you?”
She nods. She takes out a gun from the drawer of the bedside table and puts it on my palm. I look at it, wondering what she wants me to do. Shoot her?
“What is this Ji Eun?” I ask.
“Jonghyun made that especially for you. It uses silver bullets,” she gives me a small box, “Use it wisely. He trusts you,” Ji Eun says.
I accept those things nervously, and at that brief moment, I make the sense out of it. The roses. The distant noises. The gun. I blame myself for not noticing the war has already started.
“The war has started, hasn’t it?” I ask her. She swallows.
“A few hours ago,” says her, “There’re a lot of them. And I come here to help as well,” says Ji Eun.
Upon hearing that, I jump out of bed and runs towards the door, only to have my way being blocked by Ji Eun.
“Jonghyun said don’t go out. Do it from here,” she says. I glare at her and she grabs my wrist. Damn, vampires are strong. I can’t defeat her. She brings me to the window.
“Do it from here. He trusts you. You can shoot your target from distance, can’t you?” she asks me and truthfully, I could feel the challenge she puts on me. Fine, challenge accepted.
I pull the curtain aside and through the transparent window, I watch a view very scary, but quite familiar to me. Vampires are flying everywhere. Fires, swords, arrows, knifes, daggers are all over the place. It is like an arena, where people are playing to win, where vampires kill each other to save their own lives. I have an instant dislike at the view.
War is destructive. War is killing. When I was young I thought I will never get myself into one, but now I have to kill to live. I have too. War is destructive. War makes people inhuman, except that this war involves mostly non-human. Therefore, should I say that it is ethical to be inhuman here?
An arrow shots through my view and I know almost immediately that it belongs to Ji Eun. One vampire goes down. She jerks her hand and another arrow appears and she quickly aims another target. Seeing her swift action, I realise I should do the same. Help them. Help Jonghyun. Save Jonghyun. My child needs a father.
I try to remember again. Three ways to kill vampires: burn them, cut their bodies off and shoot them into their hearts. I aim and once I fix my target, I shoot. One down.
“You’re one hell of a shooter,” Ji Eun says as she aims another target. The arrow flies and another vampire is killed.
“Look who’s talking,” I say as I aim for another one. Another vampire turns into ashes and I start to like how inhuman the game is. There’s no rule. Kill and keep killing. You’ll win.
I saw the hemisphere electric shields everywhere on the ground. That must be Hyun Joong’s work. They shoot from inside and the bullets fly out, hit squarely in the vampires chest. I could see Seraphina with bow and arrows, freely shooting. Her skill is nothing compared to Ji Eun but at least she poisons the vampires with dead men’s blood. HyunA, Uee and Minzy are using guns, and their ability to control the weapons in such a short time shall be complimented.
“Nice strategy, the shield I mean. They can kill vampires but no vampire can touch them. Or else they will burn to death,” I aim another shot. When you aim the gun, you shoot it, that is what it takes to survive.
“Jonghyun’s and Hyun Joong’s work. Humans are not as fast as vampires, it will put them at a great disadvantage if they have no protection,” says Ji Eun. Her arrow hits other vampires squarely in the heart again.
“Where’s Jonghyun?” I whisper to myself and searching for at least only his shadow. I don’t know. Somehow, I’m a bit mad at him for not letting me join the war since it began.
I could see Taemin, stares madly into other vampires’ eyes and those vampires quickly burn to death. Taemin looks fearless. Although his eyes can burn, but he keeps a silver dagger at his hand. In case it takes too long to burn the other vampires, he stabs the dagger straight into the heart of the others.
“How do you know when the war is coming?” I ask Ji Eun.
“So Eun can see premonition. She met Psychic Jung once and she used that memory to see the prediction on when the war is coming,” says Ji Eun.
“And I actually didn’t know that it is coming this soon?” I say while shoot another vampire furiously. Ji Eun stops her action when she hears that.
“Jonghyun wants us to spare you,” says Ji Eun. And is that a sound of jealousy that I heard?
“What is your connection to the three families?” I ask.
“I am a Lee. Lee Ji Eun. They are all my childhood friends actually,” says Ji Eun. I curse, no wonder when we solved the case at the hospital, Jonghyun and Ji Eun seemed to hide something from me.
“You like him, aren’t you?” I ask her and shoot another vampire. The anger that swells inside me makes me a better shooter.
“But, he likes you,” her arrow hits another vampire. Her anger is taking control as well.
“Now that I know you like him, let’s protect him together,” I say, without knowing how to do it.
“But, he wants me to protect you,” she says and another vampire burns from far.
“My child needs a father, Ji Eun,” I say, and she freezes immediately. She looks at me, eyes widen in surprise.
“Does he know it, Sabrina?” she asks.
“He doesn’t. I want to tell only by the end of the war,” I say. She looks frustrated and again, tears fill up her eyes.
“You should tell him earlier, Sabrina!” says Ji Eun.
“Why?” and both of us hear a scream so familiar to us. From far, we could see Lee Minho falls to the ground.
“Oh God!” I shout, “He’s not dying, is he?” I ask, feeling so scared. As soon as I ask, a vampire appears at our window and I quickly recognize the white, glimmering wings.
“Ji Eun, save them. I’ll take it from here,” Jonghyun says. Ji Eun quickly nods and opens a cabinet in the room. She takes bottles of crimson red liquid out with her.
“Oh God! Jonghyun! What have you done?” I tug at his collar furiously.
“I only do what is supposed to be done,” he says and I look at him. He looks okay. No bruises except for a few scratches on his face, neck and hand.
“Let’s go,” he lifts me up and it takes me a while to realise that I am flying. He brings me to the war, to the arena of war. Hyun Joong comes immediately after I touch the ground. He builds a shield around me and I am safe in the hemisphere.
“Now, shoot them from here. Don’t step out, understand?” he says. I nod. He is about to go.
“Jonghyun! Wait! I have something to tell you!” I catch his wrist. He looks at me and then strokes my hair, down to my chin.
“Later, okay?” he says, and quickly leaves. I am taken aback by his action but I decide to remain professional in this state of war.
I could see him with his silver sword. He is flying very fast and cut the neck of vampires furiously before they could do anything to him. In one go, three vampires fall into the lake and they burn into aches. I hate war. It is cruel. I see the lake. The supposed to be clear water has now filled with red liquid. There’s no swan, no duck. Perhaps they are hiding for their own safety. I hate war.
Nearby, I could see Hyun Joong with his sword. Chopping of vampires head. The other vampires try to attack him from his back. I quickly aim my gun and shoot. I could see Hyun Joong gives a smile to me and resumes his attack to the others. Vampires die anywhere around me now. And each time a vampire shouts or falls onto the ground I check with worry whether or not it is from our side.
Lee Minho flies again, after he completely heals. That is fast it think. I know the cure. I know whose blood it is. Only one blood can cure vampires. I know but I can’t do anything, can I? Ji Eun pulls another arrow and another vampire dies. When the other vampires shoot her with their arrows, she quickly draws out a sword from her waist and prevents all the other arrows form reaching her. The vampires from our side have their own defence. We help to defence them as well. When they are killing other vampires, we become their eyes, watching whoever wants to attack from their backs. And we human, kill those vampires. I hate war.
So Eun’s arts of throwing the shurikens has never faded. She throws it right into the chest of the other vampires and they die. Burn into ashes, and the end. Hyori with her bow and arrows. Nobody could see her arrows. Those are fast and our eyes couldn’t see them until they are planted on the other vampires’ chests, bringing another death. Uee seems to be their eyes from the ground. And she shoots her bullet, coated with the dead men’s blood to any vampire that tries to get closer to Hyori and So Eun. One inch nearer and if not died, the vampires are weaken, make it easier Hyori and So Eun to kill their prey. I hate the deafening sound. I hate the sound of my own gun, but I have to guard Jonghyun and Hyun Joong. I hate war.
Key’s touch could kill, if not his breath. Once he touches a vampire and it is gone, the heart stops and the vampires turn into ashes. And he keeps a dagger with him in case there’s a sudden attack. Taemin is killing near him. Taemin uses anger to weaken the other vampires before kills them with his eyes. Seraphina is their eyes. She protects Key and Taemin with her bow and arrows. My sweet sister kills. My sweet sister changes a lot. I shoot another vampire who tries to attack Hyun Joong from his back. I hate war.
Onew kills with his double dagger. He seems fearless. He is angry. He kills a lot of vampires. The Onew that use to be very selfless is killing. One vampire dies. Another one in the next second. And another one in the next second. Onew is angry. I hate war. The once lovable Jiyeon is protecting her husband. She kills with her gun. She kills any vampires that try to attack Onew and Seunghyun. Seunghyun uses his nails to burn. The smells of smokes and blood come into my nose. I am tempted to kill more. I hate war.
Minho is cruel. He uses his poisonous nail to weaken the other vampires before he send them to death by pulling out their hearts out, crashes them. But, he wants to save us, right? Ji Woo doesn’t use her deadly nail, not at all. She doesn’t want to create another string of vampires with curse bonded to each other. Just Jonghyun and Siwon is enough to create war. She uses knives instead. I don’t know that she has a thing for knives. She throws knives and they chopped off the vampires’ head or go straight into their hearts. Sooyoung is their eyes. She has been very good with guns. She shoots and shoots like I do. Enemy dies. We’ll be alright. I hate war.
HyunA and Minzy are in the same shield. HyunA seems to be protecting Ji Eun and Lee Minho. But, Minzy is killing all by herself. They used to be funny. They used to be humorous. But, not in this time of war. They shoot and shoot. They reload their guns and they kill again. More vampires fall onto the ground with red blood and burns into ashes. The sky is getting clearer but is getting darker because the twilight is approaching. We seem to be winning this war. I hate war. I try to find Jonghyun again.
He is fighting with a vampire. A vampire that seems so familiar to me. Siwon, my godfather. He is not Siwon. He is the Evil Choi. By nightfall, we must win. I raise my gun and try to shoot Siwon but Hyun Joong shouts, stopping me from my deadly action.
“The curse can kill Jonghyun, if you kill Siwon. Please don’t!” he says. I remember. Anger makes me think irrationally. I don’t want to be furious. Jonghyun can get killed. Jonghyun burns something, like and amulet, or whatever, a stone? Siwon seems furious. He attacks and attacks. Jonghyun is injured, but Siwon doesn’t dare to kill him as well.
“Tell me how to break the curse!” Siwon shouts.
“Even if I don’t tell you, what can you do me?” Jonghyun bravely challenge the evil vampire.
“I kill them all! I swear I’ll kill them all!!!” he screams.
“Siwon! Wake up!!! I know you’re in there. Come on!” Jonghyun says while avoid himself from getting injured even further. Jonghyun tries to bring Siwon out of the possession of the Evil Choi.
“He can’t give a damn on what you’re saying Jonghyun!” now Siwon indeed sounds like the Evil Choi. His spirit has taken over Siwon’s body. I could see Seraphina raises her bow and arrow and shoots directly to Siwon’s leg. He screams in pain, while Jonghyun’s face scrunches in pain. The curse is not broken. They are bonded. Jonghyun feels the same pain that Siwon experiences. Jonghyun gets himself to the ground while Hyun Joong takes control of the weaken Siwon. I hate war.
Seraphina runs out of her shield towards Jonghyun. She crouches down beside him. Seeing that, I run out from my shield as well. We are at advantage. No one wants to hurt us. The other vampires are defeated. It is the battle between Siwon and Jonghyun.
“Jonghyun oppa. I’m sorry I have to poison him, I just want to weaken him. I’m sorry you have to suffer the pain. But, Minzy unnie have something to tell you,” Min Yee says. Jonghyun nods and smiles at her while struggling with the pain inside him, the pain that the curse promises to give if one of them is hurt. The pain that reminds us that if one of them die, the other will die as well.
Uee, Minzy and HyunA is now out of their shields. They surround us and Minzy get hold of the situation.
“Minzy, I’ve burnt the amulet that raises the spirit up. But, even it was burnt, the spirit is still very powerful inside Siwon’s body,” says Jonghyun with laboured breathes.
“It is not only the amulet. It is Ji Woo. She has the soul of the Evil Choi,” says Minzy. Jonghyun looks at them with a smile.
“So smart. You observed well, Minzy. Then how are we going to weaken the spirit?” Jonghyun asks her, struggling within his breathe.
“We have no choice, accept to poison Ji Woo as well,” says HyunA.
“Exactly, things have to be done in a very cruel way,” Uee says. I hate war.
“Then, do it, while I play with the Evil Choi. Seraphina, be ready, I’ll signal you,” says Jonghyun and he soars to the sky again. I am clueless but I could see Ji Woo comes as Uee calls her. The moment Ji Woo touches the ground, Minzy and HyunA quickly slash her with a knife, coated with the dead men’s blood. Ji Woo is surprised, and Minho is taken aback. But, they understand the look in Minzy’s, HyunA’s and Uee’s face. Things have to be done this way. I hate war.
Shades of red start to decorate the western horizon. It is twilight. It will be night soon, but before that we have to face the fierce red radiance. I hate war.
Jonghyun takes out his sword and have a fight with the Evil Choi. The curse is still bonded. If one dies, the other will die as well. I hate war.
“Seraphina! Key! Do it!” Jonghyun says. Do what? I am really clueless of what is happening.
Siwon is fighting to take control of his own body. I am still clueless. Seraphina brings a bow and an arrow to Key. Key pulls out the arrow from its case and I could see the arrow is shining under the red light of the falling sun. The arrow is wet, glimmering with the salt and lime. Kill the spirit of the Evil Choi. Key has to do it faster. But, too late. Evil Choi is getting control over Siwon’s body again and flies towards Key.
“Key!!!” Jonghyun shouts. He darts forwards and prevents the Evil Choi from harming Key. The arrow is been shot. Jonghyun takes Siwon in his arm and spins him around. The arrow hits Siwon at his back. Key did his job. The arrow gets into Siwon. The spirit of the Evil Choi is killed instantly.
“Jonghyun…” Siwon stares into Jonghyun’s eyes and both of them falls on to the ground. For a while, all of us are frozen on our spot, too shocked to even move.
“Jonghyun…” Siwon says with tears. Siwon is back. Jonghyun smiles and his face then scrunch in pain.
“You don’t feel the pain, do you?” Jonghyun says while pulling the arrow out of Siwon’s body. Blood gushes out. I hate the sight. I hate war.
“How come I don’t feel the pain?” asks Siwon. Jonghyun smiles. His face is full with sweat. He struggles to breath. With hands shaken, he takes out a small glass bottle, filled with crimson red liquid and brings it to Siwon’s mouth.
“Drink this, Siwon,” says Jonghyun. Siwon drinks it. He heals instantly. Siwon smiles to the miracle. But, Jonghyun doesn’t look okay.
“Jonghyun, are you, okay?” I hear Siwon asks. All of us hear that. Siwon half screams as he asks.
“It h-hurts,” says Jonghyun, gasping for air.
Siwon sits up immediately after Jonghyun says that. He places Jonghyun slowly on his lap. I could see blood gushes out from Jonghyun’s chest. The arrow goes through Siwon and pierces through Jonghyun’s chest. I hate the sight. I hate war.
“Damn, Jonghyun! What have you done to yourself?! Why don’t I feel the pain? Why am I not dying as well?! God… Guys! Help me out!!!” Siwon screams. All of us get back to our sense. We start to surround them. Jonghyun slips in and out of consciousness. His breath is out of control. He tries to smile.
“The war is over. The…c-curse is b-broken. You’re s-safe,” he breathes again, gasping for air. I look at him with eyes widen.
“But, how…?” Siwon asks while wiping the sweat off his face. Hyori and Ji Eun are trying to stop the bleeding. Tears swell in my own eyes. I hate the sight. I hate war.
“Your soul…it’s n-not belonged…t-to your body. The curse is b-broken. You’re safe,” Jonghyun says while smiling. Siwon frowns. He looks at everybody else. The others look very worry.
“Damn! Damn! You took it out from my body right? When the arrow pierced right through me?” Siwon asks and he starts and to cry, “Why, Jonghyun? Why?!!!” he shouts.
“Live, Siwon, p-please…” Jonghyun struggles to say. His lips are getting paler. The bleeding has been stopped though, but he is dying away. I hate war.
“Hey, hey. Jonghyun listen to me. You’re okay. You’re not going to die. You’re okay,” Hyun Joong strokes his head.
“Sabrina…” he says my name. I quickly snatch his hand.
“Jonghyun…please. You’re not going to die,” I say, grabs his hand firmly. He smiles.
“You have your dad, Sabrina. Siwon…he is g-going to take c-care of you,” Jonghyun says while grabbing back my hand. He gives something to me, he is passing me something through the grab. Tears slide down from his eyes. I cry as well. I hate war. Jonghyun almost closes his eyes.
“Jonghyun!!!” I scream. His eyes shot open, but his breathe is getting more laboured, “You can’t die!!! Our child needs you!!! I need you!” I scream. He looks surprise. But, he smiles and strokes my hair.
“Key…he is going to take c-care of you…and the child,” he says with very much difficulty.
“No, hyung!!! You’re not going to leave us!” Key shouts. Jonghyun smiles and more tears are streaming down his face.
When the last tears stroll down, his eyes closed and I can’t hear his breath anymore. His grip on my hand loosens and I could see the necklace he took from me yesterday. I shout his name. The last shades of red light disappear. The sun goes down. The bright moon takes place. I hate war!
Ji Eun tries to bring back his pulse. Hyun Joong gives a mild electrocution but it’s useless. Ji Eun begins to do a chest compression to bring back the pulse. She does a few times and checks again. No pulse. She does it again. Still no pulse.
“Come on, Jonghyun wake up!” she repeats it again and again.
Ten minutes. Hyori can’t take it. She pushes Ji Eun away. She tries to do the chest compression again. She breathes into his mouth. She checks the pulse again.
“Wake up, son!” she says. Jonghyun is lifeless. Useless ten minutes. Hyori seems to give up and cries harder.
“You can’t just give up!” I push Hyori aside and try to bring back the pulse. I have to do it. For me, for our child. Jonghyun can’t die. Not now, at least. Five minutes. It is not working. I breathe into his mouth. I punch his chest. And punch again. I don’t care whether he will have broken ribs. He has to come to life.
“Wake up, Jonghyun!” I punch his chest. I punch again. And again. And again. I hate war! I stop and I cry. Maybe I can’t bring him back. And it’s real, it’s not a dream. I hate war!
“Hyung! Wake up! Jonghyun hyung!” Key just can’t accept. He tries again. Tears are streaming down his face. Maybe Key can bring him to life. I just let Key do whatever he wants, as long as Jonghyun can wake up again and tell me that he is going to be with me forever.
“Hyung! Wake up! You promise to protect us! You promise to stay alive!” Key does the chest compression and he does it again.
“Stop it, Key,” I say at last, with tears and sobs. I know it is the end. Jonghyun is gone, like the sun is gone.
Onew and Taemin pull Key away from Jonghyun. Key struggles to be freed. He’s desperate, like me. I want to see Jonghyun alive.
“Let him rest in peace!” Onew shouts, tears are wetting his cheeks. Key starts to calm down.
I cry. Tears are streaming down like downpours. I feel like I couldn’t breathe. I start to feel dizzy. The image starts to become darker and darker. I wonder if it is because of the night. The last thing I see is the bright full moon, before everything turns into pitch black.
__________
heaDeVil^23
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