Briar Rose - Taekook

Chapter 18

Kinda short, but I hope you enjoy💕💕

XVIII: Taehyung 

As soon as I push Jungkook into the door, the specters are on me, their nails flashing. I barely have time to shoot upwards to evade their grasping hands. Five of them ram into the door, howling in pain when they touch it. Two dissolve, but the strongest three repel the magic and follow their comrades as they fly after me with alarming speed. I channel more power into my wings, knowing that my reflexes and flying ability are the only two things saving me from getting overwhelmed by the outstretched hands.

Zipping through the sky, I quickly check my surroundings. I need to get all of them as far from the city as possible, which means flying at high speeds for over forty miles. I wasn't sure if my wings could take the strain, but I couldn't risk staying here in the heart of the city. There were too many mortals around to see the action, and some would definitely get killed if we stayed.

Taking a deep breath, I fold my wings and dive, knowing that the specters would follow me. Wind whistles through my ears as I shoot through the abandoned streets and make my way north. Just like I thought, the specters waste no time in chasing me through the sky.

After about 20 minutes of flying over 200 miles per hour, my wings start to tire. Looking around, I can see that there's definitely less light here, and what houses there are are spread apart. We weren't in central London anymore, so this would have to do.

I turn around, just in time to slide my scim through the neck of a specter right behind me. It falls away with a ghostly screech, but I can't savor the vic tory. Two more press an attack from my left, while three round to my right. The rest fly nearby, like a black death cloud, waiting to pounce if one of their kind falls. I can't possibly fight them all.

Then let me go, A sleepy voice says inside my head, and I jerk at the sound. It feels harmless enough, but I know that voice. I'm not fooled. Why hold back? The voice continues. You and I both know that I can kill these demons in a heartbeat. Unleash me, and I can guarantee they won't bother you anymore.

Not interested, I say, countering an attack from the right with my scim. I won't let it take control again. I'm not the same weak vampire as before. The voice laughs, as if it can read my thoughts. We're the same person, Taehyung. There's no need to fear me. I'm part of you. The part you created when you were at your strongest and weakest. I can help you.

I grit my teeth, wiping the sweat off my forehead as I shoot upwards with half a hundred blood thirsty specters following me. It's hard enough fending all of them off without needing to fight myself in the process. I can feel my wings getting tired, and I know they won't last much longer in the sky. I alight on a nearby rooftop, the shingles sliding beneath my feet as I try to get a grip on the slippery tiles.

Get out of my head! I growl, passing my scim through the neck of a specter who gets too close. It falls away with a piercing shriek, dissolving into shadow. But five more instantly take its place, pushing me towards the edge of the roof. I know my only hope is to stay on solid ground. My wings are already strained. I doubt I can even fly at this point.

Even the specters seem to see my moves getting slower, each swing becoming heavier than the last. Half sit on rooftops around mine, observing the fight, and ready to step in once I reach exhaustion. A shadowy hand grazes my right shoulder, and cold, numbing pain spreads up my arm. I bite back a gasp, and press on, whipping my scim through its neck before his hand can flash up to protect it. But my arm is now lagging. In the end, no matter how much skill I possess, the specter's sheer number will overwhelm me. It was now just a matter of time.

I sweep my scim sideways, the sharp blade slicing through five heads at once. I hear an enraged shriek, and duck just in time to avoid getting hit by a throwing knife. Six shadowy figures press at me from the opposite end of the roof, and I experimentally flap my wings, trying to fly into the sky. Sharp pain shoots through my feathers, and I collapse back onto the roof, barely managing to balance myself before I topple off. I don't know how much longer I can go on like this.

If you die here, the voice in my head becomes more forceful, You're breaking your promise with Jungkook. Do you really want that? Do you want him to wait for you every day and night not knowing when you're coming back?

I hesitate, my scim dropping a bit. The voice continues on, seeing its chance. I can help you. I can kill them all for you. Don't you want that? I know you want it. Just let me take control.

My head starts to throb, and I sway on my feet. At the same moment, one specter dives forward, his shadowy claws sinking deep into my sword arm. Excruciating pain shoots up my body, and this time, I cry out. My scim clatters to the ground, and falls off the roof, disappearing far down below on the streets. There's no way I can reach it unless I want to plummet to my death.

The specters around me cackle with glee as they circle me, in no hurry to finish me off. Without a weapon, I'm now utterly defenseless, since I can't touch them without getting frostbite. Jungkook. Think of Jungkook. I don't know whether that was the voice, or my heart, but it didn't matter.

I won't let you take over, I say, heaving myself to my feet. Determination surges through me, and the surrounding specters back away uneasily. They can see the fire in my eyes. They know I'm a dangerous opponent. But I can also feel the boundaries loosening in my mind, shadows creeping into my thoughts. My brain hurts from trying to repel them. I made that mistake once before. I won't make it again.

You will die without my help! The voice insists. Is that what you want? I survey the shadow spirits circling me, their blank eyes fixed on me as they sharpen their claws. I take in the wound on my arm, now dripping with blood and shadows mixed together. My feet are now at the very edge of the roof. One wrong move, and I'll plummet to my death. The nightmare battlefield flashes in my mind, and I instinctively know my answer.

Yes.

But if I'm going to die, I won't let it be at the hands of creatures as vile as specters. I'll choose my own death. I smile as I ignite a small flame in my hand. In the sky, or on the ground, it wouldn't do me any good. But now, on top of a confined space such as a roof, it would be enough.

Using the last bit of strength I have left, I slam my hand into the roof's wooden shingles, which immediately catch fire. It spreads rapidly, completely disintegrating every specter in the front row. They scream in pain as fire burns through their bodies, killing them slowly. Some try to escape into the air, but I conjure up a wall of flames in their path.

They're all trapped on the roof.

With me.

If I'm going to die, might as well take them with me. It would be the first good thing I've ever done with my life. Lucius's army will suffer heavily from this.

No! The voice shrieks in my head. Don't you understand? You're going to die because of this.

Even amid all the destruction and death around me, I manage a smile. If I die, you're going to die with me. I'll make sure of it. Pain racks my body as I feel it trying to take over. In my weakened state, I won't be able to hold it off for long.

One specter, half on fire with an arm disintegrated, makes its way towards me. I feel his shadowy arm reaching out to touch me, and instinctively back away. Too late, I remember that I can't back away. The roof ends at my feet.

My feet give way, frantically sliding on the tiles for a minute, before I plummet. The blazing red of the fire and the specter's shadowy face all fade away above me. I close my eyes, letting gravity pull me downwards. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Jungkook. I couldn't keep my promise. My only consolation is that I managed to stop the monster before it can rise. I snarl at it. I won't ever let you take control again. You won't command me.

Oh Taehyung, I hear the voice one last time. Bold of you to assume you ever had a choice.

Then darkness floods my brain like someone opened an invisible barrier, and I scream, as my eyes turn black.