Spiders, Spinners, Symbiotes (NewJeans, ILLIT, IVE)

17: Everything Burns

"so you're okay?" danielle asked her computer screen, facetiming haerin.

"mhm." haerin sniffled. hyein rubbed her shoulder, burning carnage. "i'm so so sorry." haerin cried into her hands.

"that's okay. it wasn't you." danielle tried to comfort.

"yes it was! i killed all those people! i did it!" haerin panicked. "why do you always see the best in me?"

"because you're the best person i've ever known. now, it's late. please, sleep it off. i-" danielle paused. saying "i love you" to haerin was a reflex that she needed to get rid of now that they were broken up. "i... hope you feel better tomorrow."

"thank you dani. good night."

"good night."

danielle hung up, sprawling out onto her bed. she had a pit in her stomach that she couldn't quite get rid of.

deciding to take her own advice, she slept it off.

—
haerin let one more tear fall as danielle hung up. hyein wiped her tears, once again, burning her.

"so, how do you wanna do this?" hyein asked.

"do what?" haerin said.

"sleep. do we need to keep you contained even when you're asleep? do i need to sleep beside you so carnage doesn't come back out?" hyein asked.

"um... how about this. we take your room, i sleep on the floor. this way, we both still have our space, but you'll hear it if shit hits the fan."

"alright, sounds good."

—
danielle was suffering from a bad nightmare tonight.

"STOP IT HAERIN!" hyein yelled over the sounds of people screaming.

yujin jumped behind haerin, combining her tendrils into a giant hammer, clobbering the back of haerin's head.

"i'm... i'm begging you. stay down." yujin stepped on haerin's back.

"i think we all know i won't." haerin smiled up at yujin.

haerin grabbed yujin's foot, and slammed her on the ground. she groaned before getting up, meeting haerin's terrifying eyes.

"good effort. i'll give you that." haerin collected her tendrils into a giant blade, stabbing it into yujins stomach. she brought her entire arm upwards, slashing yujin's torso in half.

"NO!" gaeul screamed.

minju bit gaeul's shoulder, and gaeul absorbed the chemical. she brought her head back, and spit it at haerin.

haerin simply stepped out of the way.

"out of all the symbiotes, you're the most useless. your entire power is spitting." haerin said.

she shot a few tendrils at minju and gaeul's head, and tightening her grip. their heads popped.

leeseo charged in. wonyoung charged in. haerin clocked them both and cut their heads off.

hyein rushed over to leeseo's body, trying desperately to heal her.

"wake up leeseo. oh god, please wake up." she said through teary eyes.

"why aren't you more worried about yourself? that was always your issue hyein. always wanting others happiness over your own. she's dead. let it go." haerin walked up behind her.

"DONT GIVE ME THAT! YOU DID THIS!" hyein screamed back at her.

"sure. but who was watching me? who was supposed to make sure that carnage didn't take over again?" haerin mockingly pointed at hyein. "that's right! it was you! if you had done a better job, your precious friend would still be here." haerin laughed. "you're right. i did this. i may have cut her head, but you! you killed her!"