SHATTERED INNOCENCE

chapter 12

Taehyung’s breaths came in shallow, panicked gasps as he navigated the mansion's corridors.

The opulent hallways, which had once seemed grand and impressive, now felt like a maze designed to trap him.

His small frame trembled with fear as he darted past rooms, each one a potential obstacle in his frantic escape.

His heart pounded furiously in his chest as he stumbled into a study room.

The silence was a sharp contrast to the chaos in his mind.

Taehyung’s eyes fell on a large painting partially obscuring a hidden door.

With trembling hands, he pushed the door open, revealing a dark staircase leading into the basement. The musty smell of decay wafted up, and a cold draft sent shivers down his spine.

Despite the terror gnawing at him, Taehyung descended the staircase. The basement was a nightmarish expanse of shadows and sinister noises.

The walls were lined with grim cells, and the prisoners inside shouted and clawed at their confines, their madness palpable.

Taehyung’s eyes widened in horror as he witnessed the deranged prisoners, their eyes glowing with a wild hunger.

Overwhelmed, Taehyung’s sobs grew louder. He felt like a lost child in an incomprehensible nightmare, yearning desperately for safety.

The basement seemed to close in on him, the darkness pressing heavily against his fragile sanity. His only thought was to escape, but the basement was a labyrinth of despair.

Unknownst to Taehyung, Jungkook had returned to the mansion, expecting to find him peacefully asleep.

When he entered their room and found it empty, a flicker of unfamiliar panic gripped his chest.

He immediately checked the security cameras, his gaze moving quickly across the feeds with growing urgency.

The footage showed Taehyung running down one of the mansion’s long hallways, his small figure darting nervously between shadows.

Jungkook’s heart raced as he tracked Taehyung’s frantic movements. Before he could issue a search order, one of his men burst into the room, his face pale and anxious.

"Boss," the man panted, "someone's entered the basement."Jungkook’s blood ran cold at the news. Without a word, he stormed out of the room, his mind fixated solely on one thought:

Taehyung had ventured into the one place he was never meant to find.

As Jungkook and his men reached the basement entrance, the cacophony of mad laughter and anguished cries grew louder. The basement was a chaotic whirl of shadows and desperation.

Jungkook’s eyes scanned the area, and his gaze landed on Taehyung—a small, trembling figure amidst the madness.

Taehyung’s eyes met Jungkook’s, and pure terror registered on his face. He recoiled, stumbling backward.

“No! No, please!” he begged, his voice breaking with fear. “I don’t want to be here! Please, Appa!”Jungkook’s expression shifted from anger to concern as he took in Taehyung’s state.

The boy’s desperation and fear were palpable, his small body shaking uncontrollably. Jungkook’s heart ached at the sight of Taehyung clinging to him with a desperate need for safety.

Without hesitation, Jungkook scooped Taehyung into his arms. The boy clung to him, his cries of “I want to go to Appa!” muffled against Jungkook’s chest.

The basement's madness seemed to pause, the prisoners and guards watching in stunned silence.

Jungkook carried Taehyung out of the basement, his demeanor a mix of icy resolve and unspoken tenderness.

As they emerged into the relative safety of the mansion, Taehyung’s sobs began to quieten. Jungkook placed him gently on the bed in their room, his movements both authoritative and gentle .

As the storm outside battered the windows, Jungkook wrapped Taehyung in blankets, his gaze softening as he watched the boy find solace in his arms.

The night passed with Jungkook holding Taehyung close, his own heart wrestling with a newfound protectiveness.

The basement’s shadows lingered in Jungkook’s mind, a grim reminder of the cruelty he had cultivated, now tempered by the fragile innocence of the boy who had intruded into his dark world.

I hope you all like it....