Fear {Taeil // NCT au}

eight

Hope.

It was the one thing that had kept them going so far, but with each passing minute it seemed to become harder to remain hopeful of ever finding a way out of the mansion.

Another room. Another boarded window. To Tamsin and Taeil it felt like they were stuck in an endless circle and Tamsin wondered how much longer she would be able to last before she'd lose her mind. Being trapped inside the haunted house was affecting her. Physically, she was out of breath, bruised from her run ins with the supernatural. It was also taking a toll on her mental health.

Since things had gone south, Tamsin had been stuck in a cycle of worrying about Yuta and her other friends, and her own fears. She still had no idea if everything they were going through was real, or if it was just a nightmare she wasn't waking up from. And the worst thought of all; was she going to die? When would it happen, and how? Would it hurt? Death scared her more than anything and the thought of leaving her friends and family behind was one that filled her with dread. She wasn't ready to die yet.

Taeil only had one thing left on his mind. If anyone was going to make it out of there alive, it was going to be Tamsin and he would do anything in his power to make sure of it. He wasn't going to let anything bad happen to her, even if it meant he had to sacrifice himself to achieve it. It wasn't that he didn't value his own life, it was just in his nature to care more about others than he did about himself.

With that mindset, Taeil had been leading the way around the house, Tamsin following closely behind him. Although they had practically reached the point of thinking it was of no use, they still checked every room for a way out of the forsaken place they found themselves stuck in. Even though it seemed pointless, they weren't going to give up without a fight. It was what they had promised the others and it wasn't like they had much else to do.

Taeil had barely even opened the door when groans of the undead filled the air and he was grabbed by his shoulders, getting pushed back into the hallway. He bumped into Tamsin, knocking her down to the floor, before being pressed against the wall. He placed his hands on the zombie's chest, desperately trying to keep him at a distance. The zombie's teeth gnashed violently as he tried to bite Taeil. The terrible hunger the monster had was paired with almost animal like sounds, as he continued to hiss and snap at what would hopefully be his next meal.

Snarling in his face, Taeil grimaced as the zombie's breath hit his nostrils. The smell of rotten flesh and coppery blood made it hard for him to stay focused as he turned his head to the side, away from the stench.

Tamsin could tell Taeil was running out of time and had to act fast. She reached inside the small pouch that hung from her belt, her fingers wrapping around the small weapon she was looking for as she pushed herself up to her feet.

"Taeil!" She exclaimed loudly, grabbing his attention.

He twisted his head in her direction and watched as she moved behind the zombie, stabbing him in the neck. The zombie let out a screech, momentarily loosening his grip on Taeil, giving him a chance to escape.

"Run!" Tamsin shouted, pulling the scalpel from the zombie's neck as Taeil managed to slip away from his hold.

They both ran as fast as they could, trying a few doors along the way but none of them budged. Each time they tried, they gave the zombie an advantage and with his unnaturally fast pace, it was only going to be a matter of time before he'd catch up to them if they didn't come up with another plan in the next few seconds.

Tamsin noticed the lamp up ahead and looked down at the scalpel she still held in her hand. It was far from a solid plan, failing meaning they could get bitten, but it was the only option she could think of in that moment.