Chapter 5

They all looked at the old wooden house that stood in front of them. Jin knocked and the door opened with a creaking sound. The man stood there as he looked at each one of them. He had rough hair and his clothes were dirty and some parts were ripped. Suddenly his eyes landed on Jungkook.

"Oh, my little friend is back," He spoke in a weak and broken voice. Jungkook took a step behind Jimin.

"And he brought his friends!" The man started laughing. "Now we can all be friends!"

The man called them in. "Keaton will be very happy to meet Jungkook's friends," he said before he disappeared.

"Be careful, he's probably getting something to knock us all out with," Jungkook said.

To Jungkook, the place was just how he remembered it. The dark walls, making the place seem gloomy and the cobwebs covering each corner, and there it was....the painting. He walked towards it, it was a painting of the Hollowen. Its skin was stuck to its body with no flesh underneath, revealing its muscles, ribcage, and it's bones. It stood there with its mouth wide open as if ready to pounce at anyone to tear them apart with its sharp teeth. Jungkook shivered and turned around to find everyone exploring the tiny room. He saw Keaton return with a tray.

"Why not we all have a cup of tea?" he asked.

Everyone looked at each other nervously. He set it down on a table and stepped back and looked at all of them and they all stared back.

Jin picked up a cup followed by Hoseok, but the man didn't flinch at all, he was staring at Jungkook.

It was as if Keaton had lost any connection towards them, except Jungkook. Jungkook nervously looked at Jin who was looking between the two.

Jin took the opportunity to knock Keaton out. He threw his tea behind, attacking him with the cup. Keaton grabbed Jin's hand but his gaze didn't move from Jungkook. Hoseok threw the tea on his face and he screamed, stumbling back a little.

"Torch?" Jimin whispered, looking at the girls.

Soomin handed her torch to him and he ran towards Keaton hitting him on the head with it. He looked at Jimin wide-eyed and as he fell to the ground. They all looked at Keaton who lay lifeless in front of them.

"Jungkook, you know where the weapons are?"

Jungkook shook his head.

"Okay everyone, look around for Hani and weapons and if you find something, call out," Jin ordered before everyone left their ways to explore the house.

𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗸𝗼𝗼𝗸'𝘀 𝗣𝗢𝗩

Jungkook stood paralyzed for a second.

'𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘪?' The name repeated in his mind like an addictive tune stuck in his head.

"Jungkook, where's the basement?" someone called breaking his line of thoughts.

He quickly walked over to the two girls who were waiting for him.

Jungkook headed towards the basement with Soomin and Emily behind him. As soon as they stepped into the basement they could smell the strong smell of chemicals and the humidity was high in the small room. It was just like how Jungkook remembered it, to the left sat a table with many bottles of chemicals and to it's right was a glass door.

To the right was a huge cage and a lonely chair.

"That's where Keaton kept me locked up," he pointed at the cage.

"This is where I saw them turn into Hollowen," he stood behind the glass door. Lowering his head he quickly moved away. "That back door is how he released them."

He paused but none said a word.

"This!" he said as he picked up a bottle that contained a green liquid.

"Is that your blood?" Emily asked.

"It's that chemical," Jungkook shook his head

No one asked 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 because they all knew what they were dealing with, or they 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 they knew.

"That's my blood over there," he pointed to another smaller bottle that didn't have a lid.

Soomin picked it up.

"Who's blood is this then?" Emily asked, picking up another bottle.

Jungkook shrugged.

"Guys!!" It was Jimin's voice. "I found her!"

They all ran out to find Jimin. He was in one of the bedrooms. It was a big room with a bed resting in the middle and two bedside tables that had a lamp on each side. It looked like something you'd see in a horror movie. On the right was nothing more than a table with books scattered over it and on the left sat an old wooden wardrobe where Jimin was standing holding onto Hani's limp body. He carried her and lay her on the bed. Her t-shirt was all dirty and her jeans had mud over them. Her arms were full of scratches and bruises.

Jungkook furrowed his brow as he thought.

'𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘪? 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳.'

"Hani," Soomin whispered. "Someone get water."

Kate took out her water bottle and handed it to her. She sprayed some on Hani's face and she flinched. They sat her up as she opened her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Minji asked.

"I think so," she said quietly, after a while.

"Thank goodness," Emily spoke.

"One thing I don't understand," Jin started. "You said, Keaton would either feed people to the Hollowen's or turn them into one, but why did he keep Hani in here?"

He was looking at Jungkook who had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What happened after they took you, Hani?" Minji asked, ignoring the question Jin asked.

"I can't remember much," Hani started. "But, they dragged me to this house and tossed me onto the porch and left. I got up and tried to get away when one of the creatures came back so I ran back to the house and this man opened the door and knocked me out and I don't remember after that."

'𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳,' and he took the chance.

"Duckling?" Jungkook whispered, watching as Hani's eyes immediately shifted to Jungkook and he was right! Everyone just stared at them in silence, while they stared at each other in confusion.

"I know that," Hani spoke softly, but it was as if she was still trying to figure out who he was.

Jungkook smiled. "Of course you do."

"What's going on here?" Jimin interrupted. "Do you know each other?"

There was silence.

"He's my cousin!" Hani jumped up then winced in pain, and clutched her leg.

Jungkook's smile grew wider. "So, you didn't forget, impressive, especially for a forgetful duckling like you," he said.

"I'm not forgetful 𝘯𝘰𝘸," Hani said.

"What's my name then?" Jungkook asked and he noticed that everyone was staring at them with confused expressions.

Hani didn't notice all that and continued to think of his name, and at last, shrugged in defeat. Jungkook didn't really expect her to know, because they were young when they met, but he needed something to tease her with, after all, she was his cousin.

Jungkook shook his head. "Jungkook."

Hani smiled. "I remember.....you were so mean to me all the time," Hani said making a face at him, which he only laughed at.

"Ok so, can we get out of this place first and then you can have a proper reunion?" Hoseok asked and Hani blushed after realising how quiet her friends had become. Jin ordered them to get back to finding the weapons while Soomin stayed with Hani.

"Also, look for papers with information about the Hollowen, it may be important," Jungkook had said before he left for the basement with Jimin. Jungkook was looking under the table when Jimin spoke.

"How close are you with her?"

"What?" Jungkook asked, banging his head on the table as he tried to get out.

"Who? Hani?" he asked.

Jimin nodded.

"I'm her first cousin, you idiot!" Jungkook spat.

"I know that!"

"Then why are you coming at me like that?"

"I'm just asking," Jimin quietened.

"Are you two together?" Jungkook asked.

"No, not yet."

"Then why are you being so protective, I'm like her older brother so that's still my job," Jungkook teased.

Before Jimin could answer, there was a loud 'boom' sound.

'𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦-'

They all ran out of the basement.

"What happened?" Hoseok called.

"I don't know," Jimin said.

"It's alright guys, we're okay!" Kate called from upstairs.

Everyone went upstairs to see Jin holding a huge weapon in his hands and a big hole right next to the window.

"Wow! You did that?!" Jungkook exclaimed as he looked outside the big hole. "That's so cool!!"

It was as if Jungkook's inner child had been unleashed.

"It'd be cooler if they were easy to use," Jin said.

"They seem like they do a lot of damage though," Hoseok said, examining one of them.

Jungkook took one. "So how do you use it?" he asked while Jin sighed.

"It's not something everyone can do," he said as he picked up another one.

"Are you calling me weak?" Jungkook asked. "Look at this!" he said as he pulled up his half sleeves even higher, revealing his biceps that were covered in blood.

Jin shook his head with a smile and continued. "So you see this, you gotta pull this lever all the way up till it loads in and then you shoot," Jin explained.

"That's easy!" Jungkook said as he started pulling the lever. He hadn't even pulled halfway and it had gotten so hard. He was wrong!

'𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺!'

Jungkook felt a sharp pain growing in his right arm and he dropped the weapon.

"Ddeang it," Jin whispered under his breath. "Get the first aid kit out," he ordered Jiwon as he examined the blood that had started pouring out through the bandage.

"Is my Jungkookie hurt while trying to intrude into my house??!!"