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writemywaytoyourheart · 1 year

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Bedeviled | Chapter 4: Adumbration

Pairing: demon!jungkook x female reader

Genre: E2L, drama, romance, angst, horror

WC: 8.2k

Warnings for this chapter: strong language, humiliation, depictions of Hell and people in it, despair, anxiety, pain, fear, possible lilapsophobia trigger, cruelty, some tEnSioN if ya know what i mean (winkity wonk)

All sense of time and direction has long since left you.

Fingers cramp as they stay clenched around his arm, pure desperation the only thing helping you hold on.

Your left arm has not ceased throbbing with pain ever since he wrapped his hand around your wrist and physically bound you to him.

You desperately want to ask how much longer this circle is going to last, but you know you will only get a nasty remark if anything at all. There's no way to know until you come to the end yourself.

Closing your eyes again, you try to conjure up any memory you can, but the sounds of screaming and the wind are too loud to block out when one is conscious.

Walking has not seemed like such a task for a long time, your lungs feeling like they've become shriveled like raisins, trying to get air in but then coughing it out involuntarily seconds later, which in turn makes your head start spinning with the lack of oxygen.

And yet he keeps walking.

Walking, walking, walking.

"I can't," you finally whisper, hoping he'll hear you.

He doesn't.

Or he chooses to pretend like he didn't.

You honestly aren't sure how much longer you can walk right now; you have no clue how far you've actually been walking without a moment's rest. You're not like him, you can't just stroll through Hell without physical consequences.

This is all so wrong.

"I can't," you say a bit louder, and this time you know he's heard you. If the feeling of him chuckling is anything to go by.

You think you hear him mutter something, but you don't catch it.

He doesn't stop or acknowledge your words in any fashion, just keeps the pace he's been going at for however long it has been.

"Please, let's stop for a minute," you say weakly, internally begging for him to give you just a moment to rest.

He glances down at you before rolling his eyes.

Is she serious right now?

It takes everything he can not to snap your measly neck right now, wasting his damn time and whining while you're at it.

A gasp leaves you when he suddenly changes direction, going straight to the left instead of forward, dragging you somewhere that you can't see. You can't see anything, haven't for a while. The sound of the tornados still vibrates your bones, but you can't see them. All there has been for a long time is gray fog, so thick that you could only see the debris hurtling at you seconds before it hit you. Needless to say, your eyes have been closed most of the time.

The winds suddenly pick up as he pulls you along, so strong that your free hand gets ripped from his arm and you fly backwards, screaming at the top of your lungs as the only thing keeping you from going into the nearest funnel is his grip on your left arm.

Nothing but gray fog and terror.

And pain.

Pain, pain, pain.

So much pain.

A scream of affliction leaves your lips as it feels like you're being torn in two, the rope in a game of tug of war between the demon and the massive tornado that's undoubtedly right next to you even though you can't see it.

You can't say or think or do anything but scream in fear and torture as your limbs reach their breaking point.

Right before your arm rips itself from your body, you get yanked harshly towards the ground, another pained scream leaves you before you feel the demon grasp your other wrist and the same cold burning sensation shoots through your right arm, making you grit your teeth.

Now he's got both of your wrists, bound in front of you as if you were being arrested as he yanks you close to his face, your trapped hands stuck in between you.

"Still think you can manage, little mortal?"

Your eyes are clenched shut, not seeing his face.

Whole body wracked with pain and shaking from it, you nod desperately.

The demon's face falls into a deep frown, confusion slithering into his mind as he stares at your eyes squeezed shut and teeth chattering from pain no doubt.

You don't hear him say anything else before you start getting dragged again, only able to use your feet as you stumble after him.

Your dress is as good as useless as it flies around without any intention of keeping you covered, part of you wonders with a sudden fear if it's still on you at all. A few more steps and your legs go out underneath you, making your arms flare up with a deep ache as they take all of your weight while he drags you carelessly.

Then suddenly the wind is gone.

You still can't open your eyes even though the debris is no longer abusing your soft cheeks.

JK drags you further into the cave before throwing you to the floor, releasing your bound hands and watching without a single ounce of guilt as you crumple to the ground and cry out at the hard impact on your aching body.

Not moving for a few minutes, you keep your eyes shut as your body shivers slightly.

At least your arms don't hurt from being bound to him anymore.

Everything still aches though, terribly.

When you feel his hand grab at your dress collar, bunching it in his fist, you gasp slightly, startled at the contact. You open your eyes seconds before he shoves you into the wall, the unforgiving stone digging into your back and making you wince.

You can't see his face in the darkness of the cave, but you can hear his heavy breathing before he speaks close to your face, "Could you be more fucking useless?"

You gulp but say nothing.

There's nothing to say.

"As I know you're aware, this is only the second circle. If you think for one fucking second that I'm going to drag your ass all the way to the center of Hell, you're mistaken," he spits.

Not knowing what else to do, you nod.

"What, you're suddenly mute? Use your words, mortal."

It seems to be a mockery but also an actual order, so you clear your throat and croak out, "I know."

"You know what?" His words are laced in a threat that you don't want to feel as he presses you more into the wall.

You swallow your dignity, "That you won't drag me the whole way," you say quietly after a second, voice hoarse from the terrible storm outside.

Clearly, he wanted to humiliate you.

And it worked.

"Remember where you are, human. Choose your actions wisely."

You can practically feel his smirk in the darkened cave before he roughly lets go of your collar and steps back, leaving you to stay sitting against the wall and watching him warily.

After a moment, you bring your hands up to cover your face.

When you eventually take them away a while later, there's an odd glow that lights the cave, an eerie feeling washing over you instead of one of comfort that you might think would come.

To the left, the opening sits gaping and unwelcoming, the gray fog and terrible winds not something you want to ever go back into. Looking to your right, you see the source of the light.

A small fire burns, no wood under it, nothing that would make an actual fire stay alive. It simply sits against the stone floor of the cave.

Gaze slowly traveling up, you see him lying on the other side, stretched out and relaxed in the orange glow. His arms are behind his head, and one of his long legs is bent while the other is stretched to its full length in front of him. His tight black jeans hug the muscles in his thighs, a few rips showcasing the skin underneath.

Your eyes wander up to his shirt that's tucked into his pants, emphasizing his small waist.

You’re finally letting yourself take him in.

The billowy black shirt he's wearing looks like one that you might see a pirate wear, even the chest is laced with a thin rope, exposing some of his skin.

Your brows furrow in confusion.

He had on a different shirt when you first saw him, you know he did.

In this shirt, you can only see the decorative ink peeking out from the wrists and the edges of the chest region.

He wasn't wearing that before.

You could see his whole arms, all of the foul images covering them.

What was he wearing?

Not that it matters, you're just confused and unsure about when his attire changed.

"Enjoying the view?"

You flinch and look at him to see his eyes half open as he stares at you, the usual sleepy smirk painting his annoyingly handsome face.

"N-no," you stammer, looking away.

"Liar," he whispers lowly, making a shiver run down your spine.

Focus, ____.

Don't let him get to you.

"Come here."

You look over at him, glaring in suspicion.

When you make no move to go to him, you see his eyes narrow slightly.

"I said come here."

"Why?"

You see him tilt his head back, looking down his nose at you, but he remains in his comfortable position, lounging against the hard stone.

"I thought we established that you are not the one in charge here."

You scoff, "I don't recall that conversation."

The amused arch of his brows falls, and you feel a darkness settle around you even as the fire glows bright.

"Come. Here."

The tone of his voice is what makes you gulp and finally uncurl from yourself to stand and walk to him.

"No."

You freeze, wondering why he suddenly doesn't want you to move.

"Get on your hands and knees."

Face scrunching in displeasure, you're about to protest.

"Now," he barks, startling you enough to begrudgingly lower to your hands and knees.

A satisfied smile spreads on his face as he watches you from the other side of the fire.

"So, the dimwitted human can listen...splendid."

You grind your teeth, the only thing keeping you from lunging at him is the fact that you know you could do nothing. You can't hurt him, but that doesn't go both ways. He can hurt you if he wishes, and he can leave you stranded.

So, you keep your mouth shut and wait for him to speak.

"Crawl," he says slowly, still smiling.

You are not about to crawl like a dog to the feet of a demon.

Absolutely not.

You will not lower yourself that much.

When he sees you do nothing but glare back at him steadily, a dark chuckle passes his lips.

"So, you will get on your hands and knees, but you won't crawl? Interesting."

He stands swiftly and walks around the fire to be in front of you, the light of the flame behind him now so that you can see only his silhouette.

"Do you want me to hurt you?" His voice is a few octaves deeper than usual.

You don't answer.

"Is that a yes?"

You shake your head.

"Then answer me with words,” he says slowly, as if you're incapable of understanding, “Would you like me to hurt you?"

"No," you grit out.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

You gulp and look at the ground.

"Look at me," he snaps.

You look back at him, not even trying to contain your angry glare.

"You won't crawl to me, but you want me to be nice. I think that comes with a price, don't you?"

When you don't say anything, he bends down and grabs your face, pinching your cheeks and forcing your head to nod. Then he lets go and straightens again, cackling at the look of humiliation on your face.

"I've played nice far too much already, don't you think?"

Once again, when you don't move, he reaches down and makes you nod, his grip rough.

"You are in Hell, little human," He taunts as he straightens once more, "You have no protection here. This is my territory, and you will listen to me or regret it, deal or no deal. Is that understood?"

When a moment of hesitation passes, he whispers darkly, "You know what to do, don't make me do it for you."

You nod stiffly, doing everything you can not to cry.

"Good...Now," he looks down at you as if you're no more than a stupid stone that's lying in his path, "bow."

A chill runs through you at that one word.

You look up at him and shake your head.

One of his brows arches high at your defiance.

"Are you refusing?"

"Yes," you say, unwavering as you stare at him.

When he crouches down to get level with you, you stand.

A brief moment passes when your positions are reversed as he looks up at you, a look of rage on his face as you look down on him.

Then he stands as well, towering over you as you look back steadily.

"You can humiliate me all you want," you seethe, "but I will never bow to you."

The staring contest stretches on as neither of you backs down.

"You're making a grave mistake, mortal."

"I'm well aware," you say back evenly, "Torture me all you want, demon. I will not lower myself to worship you in any way."

A flicker of amusement flashes across his eyes as he steps closer, inspecting your face closely. Small cuts and bruises litter your face and chest, and no doubt your legs. Your hair is now a tangled mess from the wind, framing your face that is still set in determination.

"What makes you think I want to torture you?" His voice is soft now, sweet and warm like honey that drips from the comb. He gets close enough to reach a hand up and cup your cheek, "All I asked was for you to kneel, little girl."

You gulp, feeling your resolve start to crumble the longer he looks into your eyes. It's obvious he's putting a veil over your eyes, luring you into a trance you won't be able to leave once you enter.

Already, ____?

You chide yourself; you know you can last longer than this.

He can't control you, ____.

His unnaturally cold hand touches the warm skin of your shoulder as he carefully puts his fingers under your cardigan sleeve and goes to take it off.

That snaps you out of your jumbled thoughts as you take a step back and smack at his hand, "Don't touch me."

He just watches you, which makes you squirm.

"You humans are all the same," he whispers, a small smile on his face, his dark eyes boring into yours, "So easy."

You're about to snap back when he steps closer until he can whisper in your ear.

"You think you're so strong, hm? Keep letting yourself believe that. I can take what I want when I want, you have no power over me."

A shiver shoots through your spine as he backs away just enough to see your face, his own mere inches away.

"If I wanted you, little mortal, I would have you. Don't forget that."

Then he turns and walks back around to the other side of the fire, proceeding to lay back on the rocks he previously occupied, his eyes closing.

You stand there for a minute longer, watching him warily in case he tries something.

When it becomes apparent that he has no intention of doing anything else for now, you walk back to your spot by the wall and sit down, curling your legs in and resting your head on your knees.

_________________________________

"Yes, yes," JK sighs tiredly, "You will marry her."

"I won't fall in love with anyone else, I'll only love her?" The young man asks hesitantly, not wanting to annoy the demon, but also wanting to be absolutely sure.

The demon looks at him through squinted eyes, a hint of a smile on his face as he lounges on the porch railing, his long legs dangling.

"You will only love her."

"Ok," the man whispers with a smile, "I just wanted to be sure. I'm tired of having commitment issues."

JK gives a single nod.

Fool, summoning a demon for a reason such as this.

Not his problem, that's just another soul under his belt.

These humans are getting more and more desperate for instant results to their problems, no matter the consequences.

Which means it's working.

Perfect.

"So, it's a deal then?"

The hopeless romantic nods and grabs the demon's hand, shaking it up and down gratefully, "Yes! Yes, thank you!"

JK snatches his hand back, looking at the human with disgust, "It's done then. Enjoy your married life."

The man still calls thanks after him as he rolls his eyes and walks away, waving behind him.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

Humans really do think they are already immortal, don't they?

That they will never pay the consequences.

So, why are you different?

___________________________________

When you suddenly jerk awake, you lift your head from your knees and look over to where he was last.

But he isn't there.

You flinch and look around, noting that both he and the fire are gone.

What is it this time?

A groan leaves your lips as you stretch yourself out from the curled-up position you've been in for goodness knows how long. Hands moving to your back, you hiss in pain at the ache there. You hadn't meant to fall asleep, just rest your eyes.

It's maddening not knowing how long you were asleep or how long you've been in the second circle.

And what does he keep disappearing for?

He's messing everything up.

Swallowing thickly, you realize how dry your throat is.

"Oh, geez," you cough and glance around the dark cave, wondering if perhaps there's any kind of water.

A silly thought.

But you haven't been in your right mind since you decided to come to this wretched place to begin with.

Logically, you know there is no water in Hell.

Why should anyone get a drink to parch their thirst in a place that's meant to torment them for the rest of eternity?

So yes, logically you know that.

But your mind is getting muddled and you're really freaking thirsty.

You sigh and press a hand to your forehead, feeling a heat there that's almost uncomfortable against your cooler hand. The headaches have been getting worse, due to the lack of water and sleep no doubt.

Not going to lie, the second circle is worse than you had anticipated.

Of course, no one truly knows Hell until they come here, and those that do, never come out.

The many many books you poured over in the Archive could only guess at the tortures that awaited anyone that went to this God forsaken land.

You thought you were prepared.

Guess not.

You gulp, a gross sticky feeling in your throat from no water.

Of course, you won't die here, not even from lack of sleep, food, or water.

That's the thing about this place, once you come in here, you can't die, nor can you leave. And if you do, you won't be the same.

That reminder has you gulping again, cringing once more at the icky feeling in your mouth and throat.

Remember why you're here.

You nod with your eyes closed and sigh, "I know," you whisper.

"Well, that's new."

You flinch violently and open your eyes to see him standing in the opening of the cave, his dark aura somehow leaking into the small shelter and sending a feeling of dread through you no matter what you tell yourself in your head.

Ignoring his rude comment, you run your fingers through your tangled hair, wincing when it pulls and a pinch shoots across your head.

"Ugh," you mutter to yourself as you try to untangle the knots.

"Need some help?" He asks in mock innocence.

"And what would that cost me? My thumb?" You retort sarcastically.

He snickers and steps further into the cave.

"Nice comeback."

You roll your eyes and keep tugging at your hair.

He's so darn confusing.

One second, he's acting like he's actually going to rip your head off, the next he's joking like a high school bully.

You just need to focus.

Focus, focus, focus.

JK watches silently as your expression morphs into one of irritated pain when your fingers get caught again.

He leans against the side of the cave opening, continuing to just watch you.

You realize this and it begins to make you twitchy.

Which of course, was always his intention.

"Stop staring at me-"

"The end of the second circle is close," he says, emotionless as he looks at his nails.

You look at him suspiciously.

What exactly is his game?

Does he forget that he literally threatened to hurt you if you didn't crawl to him and bow at his feet? What happened to that little scenario that happened not too long ago?

He's so infuriating.

You purse your lips and stand up, "Oh, goodie."

"What? You want to stay in the circle of Lust? I knew it, it's too obvious the way you practically threw yourself at me-"

"Oh, shut up," you snap, dusting off your dress and fixing your cardigan, "Just because you say ridiculous things with confidence doesn't make them true. If that's how you plan to manipulate me, try harder."

Your words seem to irritate him more than usual, which is slightly satisfying, you won't lie.

He doesn't react much though, his expression quickly becoming neutral again before a single second passes.

"You talk a lot of shit for being a mere mortal in Hell with no one to get you out but me."

Probably true.

But you can't help it, he just knows how to get under your skin.

"Are you done being such a strong and independent woman, or should we let you waste more time here?" He asks tiredly.

You walk over to him not breaking eye contact as you hold your hand out and smile brightly, "Oh, I'm quite done. You can take it from here."

You see his jaw tighten slightly before he snatches your wrist and squeezes unnecessarily hard, making it more painful than it needs to be as the cold heat trickles into your arm and travels up to your shoulder, making you grit your teeth harshly.

Refusing to react more than is inevitable, you keep your eyes trained on his and breathe through your nose slowly.

It hurts more than before somehow.

He's definitely doing this on purpose.

"Is there a problem, doll?" He whispers, watching your face with a sick satisfaction.

You shake your head, "Nothing other than you taking forever."

His amused smirk flattens out in a second.

Muttering something that you don't catch, he turns and marches out of the cave and directly into the storm, yanking you along with him.

At first, you think it's going to be much the same as before going into the cave.

Endless miserable walking.

Oh, how wrong you are.

It would have been the same, if you hadn't returned his taunts with some of your own.

After a few minutes of just walking, you see a funnel shape come into view and your heart leaps to your throat. The pounding muscle starts to try and climb its way out when you realize he's heading right for it.

"What are you doing?" You shout over the wind, "It's too close!"

A smirk plays on his lips as he heads straight for the tunnel of wind that doesn't hesitate to rip trees from the ground and fling them across the valley along with the damned souls whose cruel fate has led them here.

When he's a few hundred feet from it, you really start to panic and try pulling your hand away to try and get further from it on your own.

But when your tugging proves to be futile, you start trying to dig your feet into the ground to make him stop.

It doesn't work.

Your feet slip and slide, never getting a good enough hold to ground you at all.

Desperation is the only thing keeping you fighting even though you know what is bound to happen, no matter how much you struggle.

"Stop!!" You shout in a panic, only seeing the back of him as he drags you across the muddy ground towards the roaring storm.

Your voice gets carried away on the wind, never having a chance to reach him or change his mind anyway.

You fucked up, and he's going to teach you a lesson.

"Let me go!" You cry, your free hand grasping your wrist and pulling as hard as you can.

Then you're suddenly yanked into him, flipped around so that you're facing the nearest tornado and his arms are wrapped around you from behind, harshly keeping you still.

Terror strikes your heart when you realize that this has been his plan all along.

To let you go.

No, no, no.

"If you're so capable, why don't you prove it?" He whispers in your ear as you struggle against him, "Why should some pathetic human get to waltz into Hell and demand the Flame of Immortality just because she wants it?"

You gulp, "I-"

"Shut up," he hisses, "You sure can talk, little mortal. Let's see how well your quick tongue can save you. Think you can prove your worth? Think you deserve that Flame?"

"Wait, please don't-"

His grip tightens the more you fight him, "You humans don't even want to work for what you ask for. Pathetic. From now on, you earn your way to the Flame, is that understood?"

You nod.

"Then earn it," he whispers so close to your ear that you can feel his cold breath cover your ear and neck in an unsettling chill.

You're about to beg him not to do it, but it's too late.

He lets go of you and you fall forward onto the ground, fear consuming you instantly.

Not even seconds after you fall, the wind starts to pick up, as if it can sense a new victim has arrived for it to play with.

You turn and grab onto the dead grass, face scrunched in concentration as you clutch it for dear life while he just watches you in amusement. There's not a moment to process anything before you feel your legs get picked up, your dress flying haphazardly around and your cardigan starting to lift.

In that moment of blind panic, you let go of the grass in order to keep your cardigan on, and the wind takes its chance.

Your whole body gets lifted into the air as you screech, arms flailing around as you get higher and higher.

The ground is all too soon far below you as you continue to scream bloody murder.

He's nowhere in sight, doesn't plan on saving you this time.

The wind seems to cackle as it yanks you around, throwing you unceremoniously towards the enormous vortex.

Your cardigan is the first thing that gets snagged, dragging the rest of you with it to get sucked into the cyclone that's hellbent on tearing you to shreds and flinging whatever is left of you into the air only to be grabbed by another, repeating that for the rest of time and more.

You can't stop screaming. The terror never dwindles as you feel yourself being spun around and around thousands of feet in the air.

Not daring to open your eyes, you keep them clenched as you try desperately to get your bearings.

But there are no bearings to get anymore, the only thing on your mind is the fact that you're literally in a tornado.

Then suddenly there are more shrieks floating through the air, the terrorized cries from people around you that are never going to cease.

Focus, ____!

You can't.

You can't do anything but scream.

Scream, scream, scream.

“Scream all you want; it's never going to stop.”

The gravelly voice that suddenly forces its way into your brain fills you with a new terror.

That's not him, that's not his voice.

You can't focus on that though, the tunnel of ruthless wind whips you higher and higher until you're at the top, then it flings you out to fly through the air without anything to stop you from plummeting to your death.

Your arms and legs flail as you shriek, your eyes having opened involuntarily so that you can watch the ground get closer and closer before the next surge of wind snatches you back and the whole thing starts all over again.

As you're being yanked about violently, there's suddenly a death grip on your arm and you open your eyes to see a woman clutching your sleeve, her eyes wide with a fear so strong you almost start to cry for her even though you're in the same situation.

"Help me!" She cries desperately.

You grab her hand as she holds tightly to your sweater. Her hands are so cold it nearly burns your own, but still you don't let go.

"Please, get me out of here," she sobs, tearing your heart into shreds, "Please! Please get me out!"

"I can't," you whisper helplessly, "I'm sorry."

The two of you continue to spin and spin, holding each other tightly.

"You've come to save me, haven't you??" She bawls frantically clawing at your cardigan, "Haven't I paid the price yet?!"

What?

You look back into her eyes, the dread so tangible it chokes you.

"I'm sorry," you whimper before her grip loosens accidentally and she gets ripped from you as you scream, "No!" Your hands stretch towards her, to no avail. She's gone in the blink of an eye as a sob tears itself from your throat.

The second time you're flung from the top of the funnel and start plunging towards the ground, everything goes black before you make impact.

___

The swing was something your cousin made.

Yoongi was older than you, always acted like he was more mature and didn't have time for kid games. But you could always see the small smile on his face whenever you convinced him to play with you and your friends.

He would sit off to the side and watch you play while he enjoyed the breeze.

One day, he came to the special meeting spot with rope and a plank of wood.

All of the kids surrounded him like a flock of birds to a crumb, loudly asking him what it was he was going to do. You hung back and watched quietly as he shushed them before walking over to your favorite apple tree and throwing the rope over a low hanging branch. He attached the wooden plank and then demonstrated what it was; sitting on the plank and pushing his legs on the ground to swing back and forth.

All of you were very confused but delighted at the same time.

You had never seen anything like it.

Yoongi let you try first, much to the annoyance of all the other kids, who impatiently told you to be quick. Your cousin hushed them once again before helping you climb onto the swing and started to push you gently.

It was exhilarating.

It really felt like you were flying, especially when you looked up while Yoongi pushed you, watching the leaves blow in the wind above you, or when you closed your eyes and imagined yourself a hundred feet in the air and looking down at everyone waving to you.

"Oppa! Oppa! Can you please push me?" You squeal as you run up to Yoongi, skirts gathered in your hands.

He's the only one here today.

The older boy smiles down at you and nods, unable to resist your puppy eyes and lisp.

You climb on the plank, gripping the rope tightly in your small fists as he pulls the swing back and lets go, your laughter ringing out around the forest as your skirts blow in the wind. The sunlight shines through the treetops, warming the grass with a sweet golden kiss.

"Apple, you cheated!"

You and Yoongi turn your heads to see your best friend running over, out of breath.

You laugh, "I'm just faster than you! Are you mad that a girl beat you?"

Yoongi chuckles as the two of you bicker endlessly.

___

When your eyes open again, you're met with a rotten pear that's sitting just a few inches from your face.

You blink slowly, just staring at the moldy fruit.

You're not sure how long you sit there and inspect it before turning your head to the left to see tornados in the distance, the roaring still earsplitting even from this far.

What happened?

The last thing you remember is diving headfirst towards the dead grass that just watched you as it blew in the wind, waiting for you to strike the ground and snap your neck along with a million other bones in your body, ready to be the bed your crumpled body would rot away on.

The tiny funnels spin around and around, far less daunting than they are up close.

Tears spring to your eyes when you suddenly think of the woman that grabbed onto you, begging for you to save her.

"I'm so sorry," you mumble as you watch the twisters swirl about with no real destination in mind, no goal apart from dealing out torment.

"Looks like you survived."

You don't turn to him at the sound of his voice.

You don't even flinch.

Closing your eyes, a few tears slip down your cheek silently.

"I won't lie, I began to wonder if I overestimated your desire for the Flame."

You gulp and finally turn your head to the right again to see him sitting on a big rock, manspreading as he leans on his elbows and grins evilly at you.

When you say nothing, just look at him with dull eyes, he chuckles.

"What? Did your tongue get twisted?"

He chuckles at his own joke, not caring that you don't play along.

"You look like shit," he eventually says, looking your body up and down as you lay still sprawled on the ground; your dress hiked up to mid-thigh, dirt, scrapes, and bruises decorating your usually soft skin. One of your legs is tucked under you, bent at an awkward angle, the other straight out on the grass.

Your cardigan remains wrapped snugly around you, a bit twisted and pinning one of your arms down.

You sniff, continuing to stare at him blankly.

He just looks back evenly, unfazed.

One last tear escapes your eye as you look into his dark ones, slipping over the bridge of your nose and falling to the brown grass, the only drink the dead blades will ever get.

He sees it fall, but he doesn't look away, continuing to stare deep into your soul.

That pure soul that he'll do anything to get his hands on.

So fragile, so precious.

He craves it.

All of this will soon be worth it.

He can break you.

"Where are we?" You croak out suddenly, making him snap back to the present, his eyes coming back into focus.

JK leans down, "Where do you think we are?"

You stay silent for a moment, then you mumble weakly, "The third circle?"

Half of his mouth twitches up into a smile as he looks you over once again, "Bingo."

It feels like it's been years and you're only just getting to the third circle...

"How long?" You whisper brokenly.

"I've told you before, it will only take as long as you make it take-"

You shake your head, "How long h-have I been here?"

"In the second circle?"

You shake your head again, "In Hell."

"Ah," he sits back and stretches, "A week."

No.

Has it truly only been a week?

You aren't sure if he's being truthful, so you decide not to take his answer to heart.

He seems to sense that and chuckles lowly before standing up.

"Get up."

You sigh deeply, the ache in your body strong enough for you to consider ignoring him and closing your eyes to sleep.

"Were the tornados not enough to knock some sense into that useless brain of yours?" He growls.

You glare at him, then wince when he reaches down and grabs the front of your dress and lifts you to your feet roughly.

You stumble and catch yourself.

"At least pretend to have something rattling around in that skull," he snaps.

You don't snap back, just scratch an itch by your right eyebrow.

He scoffs and turns to walk past the small stone wall that you hadn't noticed before. It's almost up to your chin, an ugly gray that seems more lifeless than any stone you've ever seen before.

You never thought of stones as full of life, but compared to this...

Keeping your eyes on his back, you watch him walk into the foggy area past the wall. When it looks like he is about to go out of sight due to the fog, you hurry to catch up.

As you walk, the only thing you can really see is his back. The ground is covered in the smoke-like substance as well as everywhere that's more than six feet around you.

It isn't long before you step on something and a loud crunchy squelch makes you flinch and step back, horror seeping into you at what it might have been that you crushed under your foot.

After a moment to gain your courage, you look down, but still can't see what it is because of all the fog coating the ground heavily.

A rotten stench suddenly invades your nostrils, and you slap a hand over your mouth and nose.

Please, don't let it be a disembodied limb.

You close your eyes and pray as hard as you can as you try not to gag.

"Why did you stop?"

His gruff voice rings out and you use your free hand to point down where the offending smell is wafting from, your eyes still shut tightly.

"I stepped on something," you whisper from behind your hand, clearly horrified.

You hear him walk closer, then he sighs loudly.

"Look."

You shake your head.

"Don't be stupid, just look."

"No."

You don't trust that he won't make you look at something beyond gruesome.

"It's just a fucking peach," he snaps, clearly irritated.

You peek one eye open and glance down to see the fog has lessened and there's a peach that's rotting right where you stepped.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh," he scoffs and turns around, "Stupid."

He keeps walking briskly, almost out of sight by the time you run after him.

"How was I meant to know what it was?" You ask defensively.

He doesn't respond, just keeps walking a bit too fast for your liking.

Your legs are really sore, it hurts to walk, let alone quick enough to keep up with him.

"What circle is this?" You ask after a long stretch of silence.

"Guess."

"I can't see anything, so I can't really guess."

"Oh well," he mumbles, still moving like he's got somewhere to be.

You look up at him, noticing how he doesn't push his hair out of his eyes even when it obscures his view.

You gulp and look away.

After a while of walking through the mist in dead quiet, your thirst comes back in full force and your stomach starts to growl lowly.

What the heck?

You look down at your tummy in confusion.

This is not the time for this.

You haven't been hungry in a while, why suddenly now?

He doesn't seem to notice, not reacting to your stomach insisting on you feeding it in the most annoying way possible.

A moment later, it hits you.

What is that smell?

For once, something actually smells...dare you think it...

Good.

Most definitely the culprit for alerting your stomach.

You turn your head, looking left and right to try and find the source of the sweet smell, but you still can't see anything.

Again, he doesn't seem to be smelling anything, just keeps walking and staring straight ahead.

What in the world is going on?

"Wha-"

Shh...

You cut yourself off suddenly, deciding not to ask about what you might be smelling.

Something feels off, more off than the whole being in Hell thing.

"What?" He hisses, not bothering to look at you.

"Nothing."

The demon stops in his tracks, and you stumble to a stop yourself, watching him carefully.

He glances at you, a weird flicker in his gaze for a moment.

"What?" You ask, a bit too defensively.

He turns so that he's fully facing you, then he walks closer until he's way too close for comfort.

You don't step back though, just tilt your head so you can see his face.

"Huh," he mutters, examining the look in your eyes.

After a long minute, he glances down and you see him staring at something in the small space between you. Looking down, you see him holding an apple that's practically glowing with a vibrant blood red.

The intensely sweet smell wafting from it reaches your nose and you gulp.

He raises his eyes to your face again, the tiniest hint of a smile on his face.

"Want some?" He asks casually.

Too casually.

You shake your head.

"Why not? Aren't you hungry?"

Your eyes narrow at him before you glance down at the beautiful fruit.

Why is it so pretty?

Nothing here is pretty.

Shaking your head slowly, you look back at him.

"Surely you must be a little hungry. You haven't eaten anything for a while, and yet you say you don't even want a small bite?"

"No," you say as firmly as you can, which isn't saying much.

"Come on," he drawls, taking a step closer.

Suddenly, the sweet smell is overbearing, almost making your stomach twist with nausea.

"I'm fine."

When he moves to take another step, you slip around him and start walking quickly.

crack.

You flinch back and grab at your forehead, hissing in pain.

What did you just run into?

When you open your eyes, there's nothing but the constant fog.

"You can't go any further."

You turn to him, a look of confusion painted on your features as you rub your head.

He walks to you slowly, a smirk on his face as he tosses the apple up and down, catching it effortlessly before doing it again.

"Sure you're not hungry?"

"Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Do you want that Flame?"

You gulp, then nod.

He reaches you, then holds his hand out with the glistening apple.

"Then eat it."

You shake your head, "No."

"Then you're stuck here."

"What are you talking about?"

"In order to go further into the third circle, you need to indulge in your cravings."

What nonsense is he saying?

He steps close enough for you to feel his breath when he speaks again, "Eat it."

"I don't want to-"

"Then you don't want that Flame. There's no other way around it."

You gulp and look down at the apple he holds between you.

Unsure if his words are true, you hesitate.

What will happen if he's lying, and you eat it?

When he lifts it towards your mouth, you back away until you hit the invisible wall keeping you trapped from going any further.

The look he gives you is indecipherable, it kind of looks like he wants to kill you and laugh at you at the same time.

He walks up on you quickly, trapping you where you are.

You squish back against the barrier and gulp, keeping your head turned so that you aren't looking at him.

He has no business looking the way he does.

"Look at me."

You almost shake your head, then decide against it and slowly look at him.

"I know you're starving," he whispers, getting closer and lowering his mouth next to your ear, "Just let go, let yourself have one little bite."

You squeeze your eyes shut, not enjoying the goosebumps that spread over your skin.

His lips brush against your ear as he practically groans, "There's so much you want, I can feel it."

A small whimper escapes you, much to your dismay.

"Just a small taste," his voice is so low it practically rumbles through your bones.

"I can't," you whisper.

"Yes, you can."

You shake your head.

He moves back just enough to take a bite of the apple, the loud crunch echoing in your ears. You watch as he chews it, then swallows, keeping eye contact with you the whole time. Forcing yourself to look away and get your head on straight, you fight the urge to take a bite of the juicy fruit on your own.

Your stomach is killing you, both from the hunger and from the sickeningly sweet scent still filling your senses.

"Your turn."

It takes a lot of effort for you to shake your head a little, not strong enough to verbally deny it.

A small sigh leaves his mouth, and you look at him to notice he's gotten closer again. Watching in confusion, you see him take another bite of the apple, but this time, he holds the small piece between his teeth, not actually eating it. He tosses the rest of the apple over his shoulder.

You figure out what he's doing a second too late.

He grabs your face, pinching your cheeks harshly, "It's really not that hard, doll," he mumbles around the apple between his teeth.

To fight him is useless, his grip is too strong as he forces you to open your mouth and places the small bite of apple on your tongue, dropping it directly from his teeth to your mouth.

"Don't fight it," he whispers as you squirm, trying to lock your jaw before he can force it closed.

Too late.

The overwhelming sweetness coats your tongue, instantly filling your stomach as if you've just eaten an entire buffet before the piece has even been chewed. Then it feels like a bucket of water is dumped down your throat, quenching your thirst within seconds.

Don't swallow it!

The taste of rotten fruit fills your mouth, and you gag.

You spit out the slightly chewed apple, coughing up a lung as you grab at your throat and fall to your hands and knees, tears sliding down your cheeks whilst the demon standing over you chuckles darkly.

"Good enough."

Your body quivers uncontrollably as you stay on your hands and knees, trying your best not to throw up.

You didn't swallow it, you're fine.

You're fine.

You repeat it over and over again in your head until you start to believe it.

When you finally open your eyes again and look to the right where the barrier used to be, you see that the fog has cleared and a few hundred feet away sits a small river of what appears to be some grayish brown sludge.

What makes your heart stop though, is the sight of people drowning in it, covered completely by the slime as they reach around blindly. Falling from above is more of the thick slime but in the form of a vile rain, the putrid smell is a million times worse than the rotten fruit from earlier.

A shaky hand covers your mouth as you stare at them while they cry and try to reach out for anyone near them. None of them are too far from each other, but the sludge is covering their faces, making them blind to what is around them.

What's even worse, is the creature walking along the edge of the river and striking at the blinded people, who scream in pain and fear.

You look away and cover your ears, pushing hard against your skull to try and block out the suffering wails of the sinners trapped in the river.

Your heart pounds so loudly you can hear it in your head, which starts to pulse achingly, the bruises and cuts on your legs become increasingly more painful to the point where you almost cry out.

Calm down, ____.

"I can't!" You cry, tears falling from your eyes as you push your palms impossibly harder into your ears, the sound of the others screaming still not becoming any quieter.

Get me out, get me out, get me out.

You're okay.

"No, no, no," You croak out, shaking all over, "Please, please, please."

Remember why you are here.

...

You cough tearfully, but finally start trying to breathe.

You can do this.

You're stronger than you give yourself credit for.

Knowing that covering your ears is futile, you bring your hands to cover your face instead. Just for a moment you sit there, then you wipe your eyes and look over to see him standing there, watching the sinners howl with a look of twisted fascination on his face.

Your bottom lip trembles and you shove your hands back over your face so you can cry. Your legs feel like they're being held down by massive weights even as you sit on the ground, your bones feel brittle; ready to crumble at any wrong movement. The skin all over you feels like it's burning, as if the cuts have suddenly become terribly infected.

I am not going to give up.

I will not.

a/n: hnnnnngnngn sorry it's a day late, this app hates me :(

Tag list; @kookxin @butterymin @telepathytae @kooliv @highoffbaddecisions @meanum @smitssharon02 @kmpac @ggukkieland @jjanjankook @sugaslittlekookies @hobispriteu1306 @kimchibrat @slowlydeliciousjiminie @screamertannie @i-dont-give-a-fok @hopefulrascalstatesmantoad @ohyeahjk @babycandy111 @ttipa @ggukcanim @era-genius @katlumiiine @xmochiloverx @sopikooo @berryonasummerevening @jamlessstars @bangtannie7 @idkjustlovingbts

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