Midas Touch ➸ Taekook

- Thirty-eighth -

The icy wind shook the branches of the trees without interruption and the greyish air in the sky made the landscape seem sinister. Taehyung shivered, the chill of late autumn seeping into his bones. He pulled his coat a little tighter around him, then looked up at the large, gloomy gateway in front of him. He heard footsteps behind him and soon Hoseok and Jimin came to stand beside him, their eyes also riveted on the metal doors.

"When you told me we had a mission in Louisiana, it's not really what I had in mind..." Jimin breathed without looking away.

"Neither did I..." added Hoseok, a trail of white mist escaping from his lips.

Taehyung sighed again, not really pleased too by the turn of events. After this discussion with Logan, Taehyung had concluded that it would be better to split up for greater efficiency: Logan and Yoongi would follow the trail of the mutant they had sniffed out on Bella Dona. They'd been gone for several days now, and Taehyung couldn't bear to stay cooped up waiting for them, his negative thoughts about Jungkook overwhelming him more and more every day. So he decided they'd go for a walk around the cemetery, to try and get some more information.

"I know." He finally replied. "But we don't really have a choice."

The three friends sighed, then walked resignedly into the cemetery. It was deserted, and there was a coldness about it that made them shiver. Clearly, they would have preferred to be anywhere but here.

"Well, I think we'd better split up." Taehyung said, with what he hoped was some spirit. "Hobi, go and talk to the guard: he might have seen something. Jimin and I will go and inspect the grave."

"Right on!"

The two friends watched the young man run off, then exchanged a brief glance. Jimin gave a small smile, to give them both courage, which Taehyung shyly returned.

Jimin could see that the man he now considered his best friend was not feeling well at all. Taehyung tried to hide his pain, but it was no use. His reunion with Jungkook had affected him much more than he wanted to admit.

He'd thought a lot about what Yoongi had told him, and he understood Taehyung's reaction. It was natural, and in his place he would surely have reacted in the same way. Yet he felt it was just an excuse. He didn't think that Taehyung was still angry with Jungkook, but rather... that he was afraid.

The two friends walked for a long time between the tombs, having no idea where the one they were interested in was. The cemetery was large, and they were beginning to seriously regret not following Hoseok. They hadn't really thought things through on this one...

"Fuck..." muttered Taehyung, who was finding it hard to hide his annoyance.

"Taetae!" Jimin suddenly exclaimed. "I think I've found it!"

The young man turned and hurried to join his friend. A sigh of relief left his lips when he realised that it was indeed the grave they were looking for.

"Well done, Jiminie..."

The said boy smiled victoriously as Taehyung knelt down to examine the grave. He let his gaze wander over the stone, looking for the slightest suspicious detail, but in all honesty, he found nothing. Everything was clean, nothing out of the ordinary, and there was even a bouquet of flowers at the foot of the stone. A bouquet perhaps brought by Jungkook.

Taehyung bit his lip. He couldn't help wondering what had happened. Jungkook was a liar, a manipulator, a thief, but... he couldn't see him being a murderer. Especially murdering his own wife? Why would he do that? When now that she was back, they were stuck together? And above all... what kind of relationship did they have?

"There doesn't seem to be anything." Jimin observed.

Taehyung gasped slightly, suddenly drawn out of his thoughts. He sat up suddenly, clearing his throat nervously.

"Hm. That means back to square one."

"I hope Hobi was luckier than we were."

To back up his words, Jimin sent him a message. It didn't take long for the reply to arrive, reducing the little hope they had to nothing.

"So, what do we do now?"

Taehyung let out a long, almost despondent sigh.

"We're waiting to hear from Logan and Yoongi."

Jimin, clearly frustrated by their lack of results, sighed and crossed his arms. His pout was reminiscent of a child deprived of dessert. After a moment's hesitation, he began pacing around the grave, muttering low reproaches. His plaintive voice pierced the silence, adding to the already oppressive atmosphere of the cemetery. His footsteps crunched on the damp gravel, and his agitation seemed almost out of place against the solemnity of the place.

"Why can't we find anything...?" he moaned, the plaintive in his voice contrasting with Taehyung's serious expression, who was still scanning his surroundings vigilantly.

As Jimin continued to walk in circles, his movements suddenly slowed. He had come to a halt behind the tombstone, his eyes staring at something on the ground. His features, previously marked by an almost comical exaggeration, froze in an expression of astonishment. He raised his hand hesitantly, then called to Taehyung in a trembling voice.

"Tae... come and see."

Taehyung approached quickly, worried. When he rounded the grave to join Jimin, he stopped short, his breath catching in his throat. In front of him, the earth had been turned over, dug out as if someone - or something - had climbed out of the grave. The gaping hole in the centre almost seemed to pulsate with an unhealthy energy. But what chilled Taehyung to the bone was the gravestone itself: the entire back was covered in dried blood.

Thick, irregular drips formed a macabre picture, as if the liquid had been poured on purpose. The metallic smell wafted through the air, stinging their nostrils.

"What the hell happened here?" murmured Taehyung, barely audible.

Jimin, livid, didn't answer. At the same moment, Hoseok came running in, looking out of breath and frowning. He slowed down when he saw their frozen expressions, then stopped dead in his tracks when he looked at the scene in front of him. His face paled instantly.

"What the..." He began, his voice barely more than a whisper.

His eyes went from the gaping hole in the earth to the blood staining the back of the tombstone.

"What happened here?" he asked, his tone more urgent this time.

Jimin, still white as a sheet, shook his head, unable to answer. Taehyung, for his part, took a deep breath to gather his thoughts.

"We don't know exactly," he replied, his eyes dark, "but it must have something to do with Bella Dona's 'resurrection'."

"My God... do you think it's her blood?"

Before Taehyung could answer, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He quickly pulled it out, glancing at the screen.

"Ah, it's Yoongi." he announced as he picked up the phone.

He barely had time to bring the mobile to his ear before his friend's voice rang out.

"We've caught the guy." he said matter-of-factly, his voice deep and tense.

Taehyung was silent for a moment, absorbing the news.

"Where are you?' he finally asked, the tension in his voice betraying a strange combination of relief and apprehension. "So that we can join you."

"I'll send you the address."

Taehyung hung up, and it wasn't long before he received the famous message.

"We're off." he ordered, turning around. "Ah, and pick up one of these bloody rocks. Logan might be able to tell us a bit more about this blood's owner."

~🌻~

I'm sorry, I'm aware that Taekook is taking too long to arrive. I didn't want the plot to be bad, but I may have overdone it a bit. One more chapter and Taekook will be back....😖