Nitric Oxide (Eng)

A Miss

The alpha in front of Namjoon falls lifelessly to the floor with a thud. There is a hole in his forehead from a bullet that went right through. Namjoon steps over the dead alpha and raises his machine gun, squinting. Blood-glistening footprints remain on the floor, illuminated by the dim light coming in through the tall, narrow windows.

The sound of fighting and short shots reverberate throughout the warehouse. Namjoon presses up against a row of racks and peers out cautiously, spotting a dark silhouette in front of him. The enemy cannot hear or see him. He stands with his back turned towards Namjoon and focuses on someone else, about to shoot. Kim watches him for a few seconds, then silently walks out from behind his hiding place and stands right behind him. The sound of a dull blow against the back of his head is followed by a pained groan. Namjoon hits him hard a couple more times and kicks the man in the back with his foot, hitting him between the shoulder blades. He collapses on the floor like a sack of potatoes and doesn't move again. His blood remains on the butt of Namjoon's gun, trickling in thick droplets to the floor. The alpha gives the dead man an indifferent look and moves further between the rows.

Without a second's hesitation after the shot, Hoseok jumps forward and kicks the man across from him in the stomach. The alpha wheezes and coughs, staggering slightly, but doesn't lose his balance. Jeon doesn't let up and knocks the gun out of the man's hands. The gun hits the concrete floor and slides towards the wall. The alpha doesn't hesitate and immediately lunges towards Hoseok with an aggressive snarl, pulling out a small knife. Hoseok doesn't have time to point the gun before he finds himself pinned to the cold floor with his shoulder blades by a heavy body. The gun falls out of his hand, rolling to the side, and his ears ring as the back of his head hits the floor. The man above Jeon raises his hand with the knife clenched in it, ready to strike. Hoseok, who is trying to reach for the gun, immediately puts his hands forward, grasping the alpha's wrist and preventing him from plunging the knife into himself. He growls angrily and tries to free himself from Jeon's grip.

Hoseok grabs the man's hand with both of his and tries to pull the knife away from him, but the alpha above him is stronger. He jerks his hand back sharply for another swing. Jeon clenches his jaw, breathing hard and squeezing the man's wrist tighter, but in vain. The alpha pulls his hand out of Hoseok's grip with a sharp movement, and raises the knife, aiming for his chest. Hoseok sees everything happen before his eyes as if in a dream - fuzzy, slow and deafening, as if underwater. His eyes lock on the edge of the knife and he jerks his body to the right, at the last moment, with all his strength. The knife buries itself into his left bicep. Everything goes dark for a moment in front of his eyes. In the darkness, bright red, painful lights start flashing. Hoseok grits his teeth and growls like a beast, trying to reach for the gun lying very close to his right hand.

The pain instantly pierces him, filling his head and preventing him from thinking about anything else. But Hoseok thinks. He thinks that if the enemy strikes again now, he definitely won't miss again. Hoseok thinks that if he doesn't try to reach for the gun, overpowering the searing pain in his shoulder, the end will be near.

Hoseok thinks about Yoongi.

In his head, it's like a glitch in the system. Interference, ringing, and the body feels as if it is no longer under the control of the mind. Hoseok still feels the cold metal in his shoulder, which is rapidly warming up from contact with hot blood and muscle. Every second feels like a whole year. Jeon doesn't hold back and growls in pain, piercing his flesh even more sharply as he feels the man pull the blade out of his shoulder.

At that second, time suddenly begins to speed up.

Hoseok, ignoring the burning pain, jerks sharply towards the gun and grabs the handle. He no longer feels the knife in his body, but feels the hot blood gushing from the wound under the sleeve of his jacket. Without a second's hesitation, he aims the gun at the alpha's throat and pulls the trigger. The sound of the gunshot is deafening for a moment, and scarlet spray scatters in front of his eyes. Hoseok feels someone else's warm blood on his face. The man's body collapses onto Jeon with an unbearable weight and presses against his injured arm, making the alpha hiss in pain. Hoseok is breathing heavily, dropping his healthy arm onto the concrete, exhausted, closing his eyes and trying to recover from the brief struggle.