The Elevator Game ( Bangpink x Reader )

CHAPTER-15

12:05 AM.

Silence.

The kind of silence that doesn't feel natural. It didn't feel like peace—it felt like the world holding its breath. The only sound now was the soft flick, flick of candles being relit one by one.

Hazel's hands trembled slightly as she struck the match. The small flame kissed the wick of her candle, and she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Taehyung was standing close beside her, his tall frame just enough to block some of the cold draft that slithered in through the cracks in the house.

"You okay?" he murmured, his voice low.

Hazel nodded, eyes glued to the flickering light. "As okay as someone being hunted by an ancient pagan demon can be."

Taehyung chuckled softly, then bent a little, his lips brushing against her ear. "Stick with me, Shortcake. He'll have to get through me first."

Her cheeks flushed—whether from the proximity or the fear, she couldn't tell.

A few steps away, Lisa clutched her candle like a lifeline, her other hand wrapped tightly around Jungkook's wrist. He was alert, candle raised, eyes scanning the hallway ahead of them.

"Okay," he whispered, glancing down at her. "We move together, alright? Slowly. Stay behind me."

Lisa nodded, but her expression betrayed the panic bubbling under the surface.

Meanwhile, Rosé and Jimin stayed close too, back to back at times as they walked through the living room, then into the kitchen, then back again. A rhythm formed—quiet steps, silent breaths, candles steady.

They moved. Room to room. Never lingering.

12:37 AM.

They had split into pairs but remained within shouting distance.

Each time they passed the front door—the place where the papers still rested, slightly curled at the corners from the heat of the candles—they all averted their eyes, as if looking too long might draw the thing closer.

12:58 AM.

Time was passing too slowly.

Hazel's feet were beginning to ache. Lisa's breathing had quickened. Jimin mumbled something about needing water but dared not break the rules.

Still, all candles burned.

1:06 AM.

A faint noise. A creak—soft, like someone had stepped on a loose board upstairs.

They all froze.

Hazel instinctively reached out, her hand gripping the edge of Taehyung's hoodie. He didn't move, eyes trained on the ceiling.

"...It's just the house," he whispered.

"Or it's not," Jungkook replied quietly from the hallway.

But nothing happened.

So they kept moving.

1:13 AM.

They passed through the library. The air here felt colder, heavier. Jimin muttered under his breath that it smelled like mildew and blood. Rosé slapped his arm, whispering harshly, "Don't joke about blood right now."

"I wasn't joking," he replied, eyes narrowing.

Hazel's heart was beginning to pound harder. Her candle flickered as they passed an open window, but it held.