Nightfall Curse

chapter 18

"Did it work?" Minho leaned over Hyunjin who was still prostrate on the floor.

"Maybe too early to tell?" Jisung said from somewhere to Hyunjin's right. "Hyunjin? Are you really okay? You don't look well."

"Not," Hyunjin rasped. "Really, really not." He couldn't move to wipe away his embarrassing tears yet. His limbs might as well have been super glued to the concrete.

"Can you sit up?" Chan asked. "Bet some food would help. You haven't had anything to eat or drink since you got here."

Hyunjin struggled to sit up, but his muscles trembled uselessly. Jisung scrambled to help him slowly. "Not really feeling it," Hyunjin said hoarsely. "I just need to get back to see Felix."

"Is that really the best decision?" Minho asked. "You should probably stay away until we know for sure that the spell worked. Regardless, you need to rest as well. You're in no condition to be traveling anywhere."

Hyunjin leveled his brother with a sharp look. "I've been a hell of a lot worse." He grasped Jisung's jacket in a death grip as he settled himself upright, wavering and dizzy. "Please, guys. I need to get to the hospital. I can't really explain it, but I have to. I have to talk to Felix."

Jisung shook his head, but Minho knelt down to brace Hyunjin up, hefting him to his feet. "You can barely walk," he pointed out. Hyunjin leaned heavily on his side for nearly a full minute, head bowed, taking deep, fortifying breaths. "Seriously, Hyunjin. I know you love being a badass and all that, but it's over now. You're healing and the rest can wait until you're able to travel. We're not asking for the world here. Only the night. Eat something. Sleep. Then we'll go, if you're really better. I promise."

Hyunjin snorted. "You just said I'm healing. You don't even know if the spell worked or not?"

Jisung dusted his jeans off as he led them all back up the stairs. "There's really no way to tell until you're feeling better. Or not. Unless you can tell a difference now?"

Hyunjin paused and took stock. His whole body still hurt, but it wasn't... it wasn't the same. Felt like he'd been through the wringer for sure, though the cravings were gone. He couldn't decide whether that was because of the spell or his bone-deep exhaustion. The human body could only take so much, after all. Then again, that weird bond experience might have had something to do with it, too. Reset the cravings again, or something. Fuck he had a headache. He resumed his careful trudge up the stairs. "I honestly can't tell. It's like I got the worst hangover of all time. Not the crazy cravings I had before, but it could come back. I have no idea."

"Food, then," Chan said. "I stocked up a few days ago." He opened the basement door ahead of them so that they could file into the main room. Hyunjin shuffled to the kitchen to collapse into a chair at the table. He figured it wasn't worth arguing with the cavalry about nutrition at this point, so he allowed Minho to make him a sandwich and pour him a tall glass of ice water. It helped. He gulped down the whole first glass in seconds, soothing his parched throat. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, coughing. He held the glass back out, ice tinkling in it. Minho took it and refilled it for him.

Meanwhile, Jisung took pity on Hyunjin. He told him all about how they'd found Felix in the bunker; cold, barely breathing. Neither the paramedics nor the doctors seemed to find anything out of place when he'd been brought in. Not like they could detect supernatural illnesses. He and Minho had waited until he was settled into a private room with IV fluids and oxygen. The doctors told them Felix had had a close call. He hadn't responded to treatment for a time, his body temperature refusing to climb, and his vitals unstable for hours. But nothing had changed, and nothing had dipped to critical levels, so Jisung and Minho had left to take care of Hyunjin, figuring all they were doing was wasting precious time since there was nothing else they could offer a possibly human angel.