Kill Our Way to Heaven (Jikook) ✔

Chapter 51

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 51
"ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ"

The first thing Jimin noticed when he reached consciousness again was the warmth underneath his fingertips. It wasn't like the warmth in Hell he was used to by now. It wasn't like fire or scorching tar, it was like the warmth radiating from a human's skin. He didn't realise how much he had missed that since the warmth has disappeared from himself. He was continuously cold, his skin pale and his blood flow non-existent, constantly was he on the brink of death. But now he felt alive, even if it was derived from whoever was around him.

With heavy eyelids, Jimin looked up at whoever he was holding. He soon realised he could see nothing. It only took him a moment more to remember what had happened before he had lost consciousness. He had been pulled under by vicious creatures only for them to let the heat of the tar burn into his organs until his eyes couldn't take it anymore. They were broken beyond repair. There was nothing left of them except the two empty craters in his face.

He could feel the ash in the air burn into his open wounds, forcing him to quickly close his eyes again. Behind his eyelids, there was nothing but black. He could only rely on his other senses now for survival.

The air was still thick with smoke, Jimin could taste it on the wind. His breathing got rougher with every movement, slightly out of exertion but also out of fear. He was still in Hell and he couldn't even see right in front of him. He wouldn't pretend that it didn't scare him. He just simply felt around sporadically, trying to gather clues as to where he was and what was going on.

It was only then that he realised the tar that used to swallow him up had now solidified. It was frozen, clean and cold underneath him. He could feel the charred remains of people arising from it. Their bodies were all cold and burnt, their skin rough under his fingertips. Some were melted together, but they were all dead, motionless and devoid of any heartbeat or breathing.

Hell wasn't supposed to kill people. It would just torture, hurt, tear and pull until a person's soul would break. Then, far beyond that breaking point, they were revived only to go through the same destruction again. It was an endless loop of self-abuse, and it never stopped. Like an ever-turning wheel, Hell was alive and always kept tearing into new souls, grinding them up into food for the mouths of evil.

But Hell was dead now. It was dark and cold to the touch. All the cursed souls inside it were forever trapped in a frozen moment, their bodies and souls charred by whatever immense heat Jungkook had emitted.

Jimin couldn't even imagine what had happened. But with every broken body he touched, the image got clearer. Demons, humans and sinners were all dead. Their bodies were burnt but ice cold like the ground beneath him. It was as if death had come and reaped them all, only leaving behind a cold shell as a reminder of what once was. It scared him to feel so much death and destruction around him, only to think there was more beyond his reach. After all, there was nothing but silence surrounding him, no sign of life whatsoever. 

There was one shape, however, which was different. One shape held warmth. It held the force of life and a soul as he recognised in any human being. Jimin couldn't help but let a smile form on his face when he let his fingers graze over the person's chest. There was a pendant there, something cold like silver with engravings reminding him of a small feather. He just knew the person underneath his fingertips was Jungkook. He had made it out alive.

The more he felt, the more his perfect fantasy got broken apart. It was indeed Jungkook, Jimin could tell that much. But he could feel charred skin, burnt features and torn blisters. Layers and layers of the human had been destroyed by Hell, and for once Jimin was glad he couldn't see. The angel could feel his bottom lip tremble at the thought of the younger being so scarred. He let his own burnt fingertips drag over the human's face, but he didn't budge underneath his touch. He was still unconscious.