The Gifted (Txt x Itzy)

六十一

"Where's Se Jin?" Jisu turned and looked around the room, as if the girl could be duct-taped to the ceiling. Ryujin kicked a vine, "Definitely not here. Maybe we should search the rooms."

Yeji sighed, "Back to square one." As they made their way out of the room, a man's desperate hand caught Taehyun's ankle. Without thinking, Taehyun grabbed the man's hand and the earth solidified into a spear and stabbed down. The man lay his eyes, fogging with pain, on Taehyun, who was horror struck, clothes flecked with blood. He croaked out something soft, but Taehyun caught it and he felt like a knife had stabbed through his heart. Even as the man's muscles loosened and his hand fell to the ground, Taehyun stood there, frozen, the dead man's fingers still curled around his ankle, the word he muttered out ringing in his ears.

Jisu ran up to him when she saw him. "Taehyun- Are...are you okay?'

"Yeah, yeah," Taehyun said absently, forcing his body to follow Jisu, but he couldn't take his eyes off the man.

That one word.

"Monster."

-

Se Jin was found in a supply closet. "There you are," Jisu let out a soft sigh of relief, smiling as if the girl was her sister or someone close to her heart. Se Jin tugged at Jisu's fingers, and Jisu held the younger's hand in hers.

"There they are!"

The ten simultaneously let out groans.

"You guys go to the exit and we'll find the other kid," Yeonjun said hurriedly as the twins dashed off to intercept the waiting men. "Sure," Jiu replied and ushered a blabbering Se Jin off. As Yeonjun turned, Yeji seemed like she wanted to say something, maybe a "good luck" or a "stay safe", or at least a small smile.

But all she did was stare at his back as Ryujin tugged her away.

-

They made it down three corridors before they were stopped by a girl standing in their way.

The girl's lips quirked up slightly, "Nice try, but you're not leaving this place with the kid."

"We're not just here for her," Jisu said, "We're here for the other gifted."

The girl frowned gently, then tilted her head back and laughed, "Wait, you actually thought there was another kid?"

"It's a boy, isn't it? We saw the video, the child was a boy," Taehyun pointed out.

"Tsk, tsk," The girl tutted, "I had expected...well...smarter people. You're really dense. Had it not occurred to you that the video may have been fake? You'd be surprised at how skilled child actors are nowadays."

Simultaneously, their stomachs turned.

"Ah, well," The girl turned her palms over, revealing two lime-green serpents coiled around her wrist, their tails fusing into her skin. Everyone stared horror-struck at the rather disturbing view. They unwrapped slowly, showing their full 40-centimetre body and their fangs, dripping with venom. Before any of them could react, the snake on her left hand bit into her skin and the other hissed at them, glowing green markings gleamed on her cheeks and she shot towards them.

She was like lightning, her right snake slashing at Taehyun's cheek before he could move, and he fell to the ground groaning in pain as his body convulsed, then bit at Jisu who stumbled backwards as she collapsed, paralysed. Ryujin thrust her hands out but the girl barely flinched, instead returning the favour with a fist to her nose and a fast pierce to her arms.

"Stop," Yuna commanded, but the girl simply smirked and her snake reached out and tore at her arm. Yeji gasped and tried to shield Se Jin who started to stagger off when the grinning girl lunged forward and flicked out a dagger, which she plunged into Yeji's abdomen, and to finish off her snake latched onto her skin and injected a last dose of venom.

As they all lay on the floor, bleeding and holding their injured areas, the girl released a relishing sigh. "Se Jin," Yeji croaked, "Get out of here."

The girl rolled her eyes and swiftly put her weight on Yeji's arm, the horrid sound of bones cracking filling the air, Yeji screaming in agony. "Now, " The girl said as she bent down to Se Jin, who amazingly did not waver, "Are you ready to go home, little sister?"

AN: Ahahaha, guess who isn't studying and instead is writing. Also, I'm publishing a new book, check it out if you want :)