Horror Island

.Horror Island Backstory: Namjoon.

The sharp cut of winter sends a shiver down his spine as he looks around the temple for anything strange that might enter his field of vision. But apart from the icy night heralding the first snows, Kim Namjoon notices nothing very strange.
« -Are you there yet? »
A deep hiccup of astonishment catches him as he looks behind him, the childlike yet terrified face of his eldest making him sigh softly through his nose as he chases away his bad mood. Seokjin had nothing to do with this situation, if the two younger ones hadn't simply made the radical decision to disappear, they wouldn't be here.
« - Yes. But you're late.
- I had to make a detour, the road behind my house is no longer accessible because of the bad weather last time.
- That's why I told you to come and join me in my home. »
They're both on edge, so Seokjin says nothing more, shoving his hands into his coat pockets, turning his gaze in a completely different direction. The bite of the wind makes him shiver softly as he tucks his head into his thick scarf, looking down at his feet like a child caught in the act.
« - Yoongi isn't here yet either.
- I can see that. »
The night is silent, no owls hoot, and no curious little animals approach them. As they watch Yoongi arrive, Namjoon is overcome by a certain sense of guilt. It was nobody's fault, he just couldn't wait to find the two idiots before returning to the warmth of his thatched cottage.
« - Let's go, Jimin said he'd left the temple open to give us time to look around.
- Okay. »
Seokjin was silent as the big door at his back closed, and he pinched his bottom lip. The temple was maintained solely by Jimin, and yet it was completely spotless not a trace on the floor could be seen. Namjoon was the first to enter, his gaze lost in the gilded decor and the various pieces of furniture added since the last time he'd been here. The sudden sound of something hitting the floor startles him as he turns sharply around.
Seokjin looks apologetic, looking at the poor metal plate, putting it back in its place.
« -Did you hurt yourself?
- No. It just slipped out of my hand, that's all.
- Be careful, Heisukei probably doesn't know that he's suspected in the disappearance of Taehyung and Jungkook.
- I'll be careful. »
Namjoon watches Seokjin return the plate to its place before tenderly taking his hand in his, trying to reassure him and make him forget the hell they're going through right now. His tender smile and benevolence send a shiver down Seokjin's spine, and he clears his throat. When Jungkook and Taehyung are found, he'll tell Namjoon he loves him.
« -Let's go on, I don't see anything here to prove that he's holding them back.
- I never think he was holding them back. Jimin would have known if it was the case.
- You're not wrong. »
The torch flickered as they move forward, the main room was huge, but that didn't make them miss the opening that certainly led to a new room or a cave. The two men looked at each other, a little confused, before looking into the wall. Since when was there any room other than the main one here?
« -Wait. Let's be careful, it could be dangerous, don't you think?
- I wasn't planning on going down alone, you know?
- I hope not, because there's no way I'm not going to help you. There's no reason for me to stay here on my own.
- All right, miss princess, let's go. »
Namjoon's light tone brings a gentle smile to Seokjin's face as he takes his place in front of the man. The corridor is narrow, as if hastily made, and they follow the long winding path down the slippery dirt stairs to a room that smells of rot and damp. The muddy floor seems to be soaked with water as they make their way through the cold molasses, searching for where this most off-putting of places could lead.
The first to yelp is Seokjin, clutching the bottom of Namjoon's shirt, he seems to have set his gaze on something in the distance, lying in the mud with its face twisted. Taehyung seems to have been cowardly abandoned here for well over a month, the worms having already attacked the wound on his neck and obviously the flesh on his face.
« - Oh my... Namjoon, is he...
- Damn it. Jin don't look at that okay? We're going back up. »
Grabbing Seokjin's hand, Namjoon is ready to move forward and retrace their steps. But a new noise passes by, making the time stop for a beat. Seokjin collapses to the ground, the back of his skull cracked open, and while Namjoon rushes forward to attack the assailant he is surprised by the blow to his back. The two shadows seem to look at each other, before a male voice cuts in.
« -Leave them here. I'll take care of little Yoongi in the forest, you go back to the Ivanovich. Our little princess needs your care.
- Yes, Sir Damarro. »
The passing water extinguishes the torch and Namjoon squeals, bringing a hand to the visibly non-life-threatening wound in his ribs. He doesn't have time to recover from the shock, however, before the terrifying sound of a landslide can be heard, and Namjoon quickly realizes that he's been trapped, left alone. With the two bodies of his friends beside him. At first, Namjoon cried his eyes out. The pain in his ribs was nothing to the psychological burn of seeing Taehyung eaten by worms and Seokjin lying on the ground. The wound in his head dripped a trickle of sticky blood. A light passed through rocks too heavy to push and too slippery not to risk his life. He had to live, for Seokjin, for Taehyung. To find Jungkook, perhaps. But hunger settled in his guts, like an army of eels, writhing him in pain, burning his esophagus, and taking what little sanity he had left. It ate him up from the inside out, making him want to eat. Anything, something hearty for his stomach. And he was only aware of his teeth sinking into Seokjin's stirring body when he heard him yelp and moan weakly in pain. His heart stopped beating for a moment and he looked at the older man with wide, surprised eyes.
« -S-Seokjin..? Jin..? »
No answer, just the man's breath flickering in his hands. Disgust and realization slowly made him waver, and he shook his head for a long moment, wiping the blood from his lips as he plugged his ears, so as not to hear the man he'd always loved so dearly give up that last breath of life because of him. Namjoon tried the experiment more than once, biting into foul flesh, becoming rotten with time. He didn't count the days, lost in contemplation of the rising sun and the coming night. Weak as a newborn, he lay down beside Jin. Closing his eyes, nothing invaded him but the feeling of freedom that now overwhelmed him. Hunger had got the better of him in spite of everything.
-x-
The ominous gurgle of his stomach makes Taehyung wince, as he straightens his head from the desk in his room. He can still smell the disgusting rotting odor of the two decomposing bodies, and feel the iron on his tongue. Shaking his head, he looks at the computer screen, where the cave they discovered bears a striking resemblance to his dream. Running his fingers against his face, Taehyung blows out his nose, the persistent hunger making him uncomfortable.
« -One o'clock in the morning? The perfect hour for a good piece of meat. »