Duty and Death

Shadows of Sacrifice

The warehouse was quiet, almost too quiet. The others were scattered around, each lost in their own thoughts, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. my instinct had kept me alive this long, and they were screaming at me now.
I stepped out of the room I shared with Jungkook, the cold concrete of the floor biting at my bare feet. The place was a fortress, but that didn't mean it was invulnerable. We were safer than we'd been in a long time, but safe didn't mean untouchable. I knew better than to believe in happy endings.
As I walked down the dimly lit hallway, I spotted Hoseok sitting at a makeshift table, his head buried in a map. His brow was furrowed in concentration, and for a moment, he looked just like he did when we were kids-serious, focused, determined to protect me no matter the cost. It made my chest tighten with something I couldn't quite name.
"Hobi," I called softly, breaking the silence. He looked up, his eyes softening when he saw me, but the tension in his jaw didn't ease.
"Hey sis," he replied, his voice gruff with exhaustion. "Can't sleep?"
I shrugged, leaning against the wall. "So,things not sitting right with me."
Hoseok sighed, rubbing his temples. "We're doing everything we can, Hyejin. I know it's not perfect, but we've come this far. We just have to be careful."
I nodded, knowing that he was right, but still feeling uneasy. "Yeah, careful. But we need to be ready for anything. This shit isn't over, Hobi. We're not out of the woods yet."
He looked at me, really looked at me, and I could see the worry etched into his features. "You know I'll do anything to protect you, right? Whatever happens... I've got your back."
The weight of his words hit me harder than I expected. I knew he meant the,pm, but that only made the unease gnawing at me worse. The way he said it, like he was preparing for something... it didn't sit right with me. And it didn't help that the thought of losing him, or anyone else, gnawed at the back of my mind.
"Don't go getting all dramatic on me," I joked, trying to lighten the mood, but the tightness in my chest wouldn't go away. "We've survived worse."
"Yeah, but we're playing with fire, Hyejin. Sooner or later, one of us is gonna get burned."
The seriousness in his tone made me pause. Hoseok was right. We were living on borrowed time, and deep down, i knew that the odds were stacking against us.
But I couldn't let him see that. I had to keep it together—for all of them. So I just smirked and punched his arm lightly. "We'll just have to make sure it's the other guys who get burned, not us."
He chucked, but it was a hollow sound, lacking the usual warmth. "Yeah... let's hope."
As I walked back down the hallway, I couldn't shake the feeling that this uneasy peace wouldn't last forever. Something was coming, something that could shatter everything we'd fought so hard to protect.
I just prayed that when it did, I'd be ready to do whatever it took—even if it meant marking the ultimate sacrifice.