Hell Is Better With 𝒀𝒐𝒖 - Sequel to Welcome To Hell

Chapter 13 - The Chase

Donghyuck ignored the pain in his feet as he clambered through the forest, his hands gripping the trees occasionally in support. Nonetheless, he pushed through the pain and ran into the direction that the blue eyes were.

And there he saw him. His hair was dark, along with the rest of his other clothing. Donghyuck couldn't see the man's face, or his characteristic blue eyes, but he had an odd feeling he already knew who the person was.

From Donghyuck's frozen spot against a tree, his breathing erratic after the intense run distracting from the situation at hand. He tried his hardest to steady it, and keep it as quiet as possible.

He thought if he should approach the stranger, watching as the man searched his view, if he had lost sight of his targets, as if he was searching for them. Donghyuck assumed Renjun or Jeno had left his line of vision, the unknown man attempting to move his body as he searched from his spot from behind the tree.

Donghyuck's eyes widened as he lost his balance, the pain in his bare feet finally catching up to him, some leaves below his feet giving him away almost immediately. The man looked over at Donghyuck, their eyes locking for what felt like eternity. Donghyuck read the expression on the blue eyed man's face, shock clear in his wide eyes, and opened lips.

Donghyuck took a few steps towards him, the stranger immediately breaking their eye contact, turning and running into the opposite direction, Donghyuck happily running after him. He was determined to come to the bottom of this, but the pain in his feet said otherwise. He ran after the stranger before realizing he began to spawn away, his body disappearing from sight slowly but surely. The pain Donghyuck felt in his soles slowed him in his tracks, watching the demon leave Earth as his body gave up, his breath heaving. He knew there was nothing more he could do as the demon began his respawn, and his feet thanked him for that.

Donghyuck leaned his body weight against the nearest tree, his chest heaving from the intense chase and his feet throbbing from the pain. He didn't know what to think about it, but he knew he needed to head back to the group before anyone began to worry. There was no time to be dramatic, or to be caught up in the situation.

Donghyuck began the walk back to the group, his feet protesting, but he was extra cautious with each step to help. His mind raced with the last few minutes playing on repeat, the sight of his beautiful blue eyes shining from the view at the top of the waterfall, and when they locked eyes, especially.

It felt as though his stomach did somersaults each time he thought of the eyes staring back at him, but Donghyuck shook the feeling away. He was confused, shocked, and slightly afraid, but put his emotions on hold as he came into the clearing where the watering hole laid.

Renjun and Jeno's laughs brought Donghyuck back to reality, a fake smile rising on his face as he joined the group back in the warm waters, and tried his hardest to keep his thoughts in a cage, to not let any signs of pain or thought rise on his face.

°°°

"I don't know how you manage to always be so clumsy, Hyuck." Renjun's sweet voice filled the room, Donghyuck smiling at his best friend's care. Renjun attended to the small and few wounds on Donghyuck's bare feet inside his bedroom, Donghyuck laid on his bed.

Jeno stood to Renjun's side as he cleaned the wounds and dressed them with some bandaids, before standing to watch who he assumed to be just a clumsy friend. Donghyuck thought about what they'd say to the real reason he hurt his feet, but he didn't dare to say anything.

Donghyuck had decided not to tell Renjun or Jeno, wanting to get to the bottom of it on his own. There had to be a reason the man was watching them, could it have been because Renjun or Jeno? Donghyuck didn't know, but what he did know was that he wouldn't be troubling his friends with the information. He knew he at least wanted to find out more information before bringing it up to them, or at least think and process it in his own first.

Renjun's eyes twinkled as he checked his work, Donghyuck eying his friend in appreciation, but also worry. Jeno noticed the expression on the mortal's face, his hands on his hips.

"Is anything bothering you, are you just in pain, Hyuck?" The worried elder demon questioned, Donghyuck watching his dark eyebrows furrow above the bright red eyes which he shared with his best friend. Their eyes alone brought back the memories of the same, beautifully bright and shiny colored eyes he saw in the forest today.

Donghyuck wiped the back of his hand against his forehead, a small yet forced smile rising, "I'm fine. They're just sore and a little uncomfortable." Donghyuck watched the worried expressions of the two demons before adding on, "It's nothing. I swear."

Renjun sighed, sitting beside the mortal on his bed, "I wish Jaemin could've stayed the night with you to help out if you need to walk anywhere. It's a shame you both need to study.." He sounded genuinely apologetic, Donghyuck's heart strings being pulled left and right. He felt bad withholding the information from his beloved friend, but felt it would be for the best. He tried to push the thoughts back once again, to focus on making it through this one last conversation without the two demons catching on to his nerves.

Donghyuck nodded, "Yeah, but it's fine! I've got this, and we both need to get some good studying in which wouldn't happen if he was here." Renjun chuckled, nodding as he looked down.

The room was quiet for a moment before Jeno laid a hand on his lover's shoulder, standing over him as his eyes peered down, "We should head back before we grow too weak." Renjun nodded, knowing they had spent quite a bit of time on Earth and needed to head back, but it pained him to leave his friend on this particularly memorable day. It had been so great, he felt so alive. Renjun didn't want it to end just yet.

Donghyuck could see the slight sadness, pushing Renjun to head back, "You should go, Junnie. I don't want you guys getting stuck here, it's not worth risking." Donghyuck sent a supportive smile at the demon who sat to his side on the edge of the bed who smiled back and agreed. Donghyuck waved the two away, who slowly disappeared from the room just a moment after giving their final goodbyes for the day.

Almost immediately after the two left, Donghyuck felt like he could breathe easier as he didn't need to force a fake happiness on himself, as if he wasn't drowning in his own thoughts. With his hands folded together neatly across his stomach, Donghyuck shut his eyes, desperately wishing he could just slip into a peaceful sleep.

It had been a great day, even with the unexpected situation with the blue eyed demon. It was the first time since Renjun's death that the friend group had  gone anywhere outside the four walls of their different bedrooms. It almost felt like a normal day, almost.

With the swimming, and his unexpected chase after the stranger, Donghyuck was exhausted. His whole body was exhausted, but yet his mind wouldn't turn off. He knew he was supposed to be studying, he knew that his finals were quickly arriving and he desperately needed to study, but just couldn't find it in himself to do so. He was so, so tired. And rightfully so.

The chase replayed in his mind, never allowing him a moment of peace in his own mind. So many questions kept him up, questions of who the man could be and if it really could be Jeno's brother, Mark was it? What could he have wanted, and why as he been watching the group?

Donghyuck sighed, reaching to his bedside table to turn off the lamp. God, did he just want to sleep. He was tired of the unknown floating in his head, just wanting to sleep and hope that the blue-eyed demon wouldn't follow him to his sleep as well.

Donghyuck decided as he laid on his bed, staring up at the dark ceiling above his bed, that during his next visit to Hell he would attempt to confront the Sin. His stomach turned at the mere thought of it, especially because Renjun had just invited him to come visit him in Hell the next day. Donghyuck wasn't sure he'd be able to successfully visit Hell without curiosity getting the best of him, it had to be done. He was going to do it, if not for him and his own curiosity, but for his best friend, Renjun.