Treasures of The Damned

29. A True Friend Stabs You In The Front

Instantly, Yunho was in front of her, checking on her as he ran his fingers gently along her arms, sides, and legs just to make sure no shards of glass had hit her. She was the one with a mortal body, after all.

"Are you okay, Briar?" Jongho asked softly, looking worried as he wrapped his arms around her gently, to which she nodded, only looking shaken up.

There was nothing said for a few moments, before Briar pressed slowly nuzzled against Jongho's side. She hadn't felt comfort like this in a long time.

After all her uncles died, her cousins helped her with her birth certificate, and she could live on her own, she hadn't felt the touch of anyone around her.

Jongho pressed his lips together for a few moments before humming softly. "Come on, we should get out of here, quickly. If this light fixture got thrown down and landed right in front of you-...Hongjoong must be near."

"You're not going anywhere, my dear Jongho..." Hongjoong's voice rang out around them, but as they looked around, they couldn't see him.

"Where is he?" Yunho whispered.

"I don't know, I can't find him-..." Jongho muttered back, startling just as Briar cried out in pain, holding her head.

"Briar! Briar, what's going on?" Yunho called out to her, looking worried.

"Thank you for reminding me, dear Jongho. Briar has a chip in her brain to keep her alive." Hongjoong smirked as he emerged from the shadows, where Yunho had approached mere minutes ago.

Briar couldn't even move as Hongjoong got closer, holding onto her head with another cry as white-hot pain flashed through her entire body.

She could hear Jongho and Yunho talking, no...arguing with Hongjoong to stop everything. But everything sounded so far away. Like she was listening while underwater.

"Come on, Birdy. You know you want this night to end. Let me help you end it...let me in. Let me take control." Hongjoong's voice rang clear in her head, even when he could hear her arguing with her two Uncles.

"Get out of my head-..." Briar muttered, but even her voice sounded far away. "Get out of my head!"

Yunho looked back at Briar when she cried out, and he paused. "What are you doing to her?! You're hurting her!"

"Well. She deserves it. She's killed three of your brothers already."

Briar's cry of pain stopped all conversations as three pairs of eyes fell on her. She was still holding her head, her face pained, but she slowly stood up, swaying.

"I have been...through enough of your shit...today. Get out of my head or so help me gods above I will curse you to eternal damnation." She hissed, her eyes still squeezed shut. After a few moments, the voice in her head eased a bit, and Hongjoong chuckled.

"Wow. I didn't think you'd be able to do it. But you did." Hongjoong then turned to look at Yunho and Jongho. "You're both good. Trust me. Good. But you two can't gaslight me hard enough. You're not convincing enough."

"Leave her alone, Hongjoong. I can't believe I ever looked up to you before."

"It's more like looking down," Jongho muttered to Yunho softly, who couldn't help but chuckle. "You're right."

Hongjoong snarled at the two members in front of him, before his eyes flit over to Jongho. "Enough." His eyes seemed to glow red, and Jongho froze up, staring blankly at Hongjoong.

"Get Briar. And kill her. Finish this off, once and for all." Hongjoong snapped to Jongho, who simply nodded his head before turning to Briar and Yunho.

Briar yelped in surprise when Jongho started walking towards her, his eyes glowing red.

"Jongho no! What're you doing?" Yunho reached out for Jongho's arm, but before he could get far, Hongjoong was there between them, holding Yunho back with a strong arm.

"You can't help him. He's now full of the same bloodlust I have. There's no way Briar will ever survive against him." Hongjoong purred and smirked.

"Are you kidding me?! Let him go! He's done nothing wrong! He's the baby of the group!" Yunho still struggled, watching as Jongho took a single step forward before pausing.

Briar yelped softly, looking scared and worried as she took a step back as well. "Uncle Jongho-...please-..." she muttered softly. "You know you can fight it. You've fought it before..."

Jongho stared blankly at his niece for a few moments before he shuddered and took a single step back. "I can't...I can't fight him-..." He spoke softly, looking at Briar with scared eyes. "Please...I can't fight him, he's too strong..."

"I- I don't know what to do, Uncle Jongho..." Briar replied, taking a slow step forward and holding a gentle hand out for her youngest Uncle.

"Kill her, Jongho. Now. I'm not giving you any other choice."

"Jongho don't do it! He'll kill you either way!"

"I don't have a choice! She needs to die!"

"Why! Why do I need to die, Hongjoong? For your own sick little game? For a little fantasy you have? Because you made a deal to trap people in here?! Why?"

"Because. You don't deserve to live." Hongjoong snapped back, glaring at the girl who loved him, who looked up to him all her life. "You were never supposed to live. Your father made the wrong choice when he chose to save you and your father. He should have just saved Logan."

Briar let out a small cry of pain, not saying anything for a few moments as she stared at Hongjoong. "You don't mean that-..." She whispered after a few moments, her head bowed. She didn't move when she felt someone move closer to her until her chin was gently lifted by Jongho.

Her youngest Uncle looked so sad...so confused. "Briar. Please...I need you to kill me. That's the only way he won't have me under his control."

"You're not dying, Jongho! No one else is dying tonight!" Yunho called from where he was still being held back by their leader.

"Yunho is right, Jongho. You're not dying. You're my strongest member. I need you alive to keep killing them."

There was nothing else said from the youngest member as his eyes flickered red once more and he stumbled back for a few moments before pouncing at Briar once more.

In a rush of panic and adrenaline, Briar looked around, saw a broken part of the hanging lights next to her, grabbed it, and held it above her head for protection.

Oil splattered all over her face as Jongho's chest ran into the sharp part of the metal rod, and he glanced down at her as his eyes flickered back to their pretty gray before he smiles faintly.

"A true friend only stabs you in the front...never in the back..." He whispered before his lights went out, and he fell limp on top of Briar.