𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 || 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐜𝐤/𝐍𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧

14

The next morning Donghyuck woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door. Immediately Donghyuck sat up, half-asleep. He had fallen asleep on the couch, apparently, stumbling to his feet and to the door. He hoped that it would be Jaemin, unable to get in because of the locked door. When he looked out the peephole, though, he was surprised to see someone unfamiliar. Visitors never were a thing they had to deal with, so he was on edge as he observed the person standing there.

“Who is it? Is it Nana hyung?” Jisung asked beside him, trying to look out the tiny peep hole as well.

Donghyuck shook his head.

A girl with long black hair and a face Donghyuck was sure Korea would love was standing out the door, biting at her bottom lip and tapping her feet. She didn’t seem to have anything in her hands, but Donghyuck was too wary to be unarmed. Holding the gun Jisung handed him Donghyuck opened the door part way.

“Who is it?” he asked, trying to make his voice as threatening as possible. His voice sounded scratchy and tired though, more than anything else. “What do you want?”

“I’m Irene, and the two guys behind me are Taehyung and Jungkook. We’ve been looking through all of these trailers to see if anyone lived here.” She sounded incredibly relieved that he answered the door, but also just as nervous. “We… Well first, do you know a Na Jaemin?”

Donghyuck's eyes widened and before he could properly answer the door was being thrown open, Jeno appearing by Donghyuck's side. He had no clue when he’d gotten there, but he wasn’t surprised to see the cold way he ran his gaze over the strangers.

“Is Jaemin with you?” he demanded, stalking outside.

“Whoa, whoa.” The female backed up quickly, holding her hands up in surprise.

“I asked you if Jaemin is with you! How do you know him?”

“Jeno, calm down please.” Donghyuck said, placing a hand on his chest and pushing him back before he could get in the female’s face.

It was strange to him how neither she nor the two guys behind her didn’t move to stop Jeno in his tracks, but Donghyuck supposed they were trying not to start anything. That, at least, was welcome.

“T-There’s something you need to know. The day before yesterday we were driving a-and—”

“Can you get to the fucking point? Do you know where Jaemin is or not?” Donghyuck would have said the same thing if Jeno hadn’t; they were too impatient to listen to long stories.

“We… know, but…”

“Your friend’s dead.” Jungkook spoke up quietly, sensing their growing frustration.

Jeno's face went pale and Jisung blinked rapidly, shaking his head like he was dreaming.

“W-What?”

“Seulgi, Jimin, bring him out.” Taehyung spoke up, turning to open the door to the back of their van.

Donghyuck could only stare as a girl and boy came out of the car with a blanket wrapped around something. Taehyung went over to help and together they brought the bundle in front of them, setting it down. They backed up, watching the three of them warily.

None of them moved, except for Jeno who stumbled back, and then forwards. His movement spurred Donghyuck and Jisung's, coming up behind him as he sunk to his knees by the bundle.

“This can’t be Jaemin.” Jeno spat, reaching out to take a hold of the blanket at the top. But when he pulled it up he jerked back in surprise, accidentally yanking the blanket off further.

Jaemin's pale, lifeless face rested on the blanket, eyes closed. There was a scratch along the side of his head and small one on his cheekbone. A dark bruise on his arm had Donghyuck's stomach dropping, thinking that a walker had taken a hold of him. But when he checked his body for bites he found none, only several black and purple bruises along his side, like he’d gotten in a fight. He also noticed that it looked like some of his bones were broken, covering his mouth to keep from yelling out in anger and despair at the sight.

“Walkers didn’t kill him?” Jisung spoke up thickly after they checked his body, and an awkward pause made Jeno look up sharply for an answer.

“No,” Seulgi said shakily, wiping at her eyes. “It was our fault. We’re so sorry.”

Jeno stared at her with wide eyes. Before Donghyuck could even think of how to react to her words Jeno had lunged at the closest person, Taehyung, knocking him over. “You killed him!” he screamed, hands wrapping around his neck. “You killed Jaemin!”

Donghyuck couldn’t bring himself to tell him to stop, staring at Jaemin. When he touched his cheek it was chillingly cold, and strangely stiff. Just like Chenle and Renjun he thought in despair. Jisung fell against Donghyuck, silent tears running down his face. Donghyuck held him close, wishing that he could do the same.

When Donghyuck looked up again he saw that Jeno had been pushed off by Jungkook, Taehyung backing up quickly. Seulgi helped pull him up, fussing over him and checking at his neck to see if he was okay.

“How did it happen?” Donghyuck rasped, wanting to know if he should be angry at them like Jeno was. He was just so tired though, hardly able to get the words out.

Irene spoke up then as if she had been waiting for the question, wringing her hands and chewing at her bottom lip. “We were driving along the road the other day when we accidentally hit him. We didn’t—usually there isn’t anything on the road so we weren’t—I wasn’t paying attention and… I thought he was a walker but we heard him… crying out. The other bruises are from some leeches, we didn’t plan to hurt him, honest. He told us where he lived and how to find you when we promised to get him back to you. But along the way he—along the way he kept repeating something, and that we should tell you in case—” Irene looked traumatized, uncomfortable especially under Jeno's lifeless gaze.

“His last words.” Jeno said slowly, “What were they? What did he want to say to us?”

“He said that he was sorry for making someone named Jeno angry and for hurting everyone by leaving first.”

Jeno closed his eyes and looked away, dropping his head in his hands. The first sob had Donghyuck pulling Jisung closer, wondering if this would only end when all of them were dead.