Last Breath - Part 49
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Whether Onew hated it or not, Minho thought the snow was pretty. He spent the taxi ride like his last, staring out the window. The snow was no longer falling, but blankets of it had covered the now icy dangerous streets, so the ride was slow, too.
It seemed like a good day, although a scary day. He'd see Taemin, and it would be nice to have him back, without a doubt. Still, something was bothering him, as much as he tried to ignore it. It was those nagging thoughts of the future, where they'd go and what would happen..
If he'd ever see his family again.
He thanked the cab driver and paid him as usual, climbing out of the car in a pretty much empty library parking lot. There were just enough cars to show him that the place was open, that of course and the lights that were on inside.
It being a snow day, Minho wasn't surprised when he walked inside and saw no one was there. He looked toward the bookshelves, assuming surely there was a librarian among them. He moved over to a computer, deciding to check whether or not Taemin may have sent another mail. It was always possible he couldn't make it, after all. Minho frowned at the top as he stripped off his accessories, his earmuffs, his scarf, and then his green coat. He'd been dressed by Onew again, who had been sure the snow was out to murder him.
He was hanging his coat on the back of the chair when a librarian appeared from the back room. She was an older woman, maybe in her late fifties, glasses on her nose and a conservative outfit. She looked straight at Minho and smiled, "I didn't think anyone would come to the library on a day like today."
Minho smiled a little, "I'm meeting someone here." he announced.
"Well, my other staff called in sick, do you mind helping me with some heavy books back here?"
"Ah.." Minho nodded, "I don't mind." he said, and looked to his things. "Is it okay to leave this here?"
"Of course it is." she said, smiling calmly.
Minho smiled back at her and hurried back behind the desk. She merely gestured towards the back room. He was noting the dim lighting as he neared it, and asked, "Do you need help changing the light bulb?"
He was just at the doorway when he turned to see why she wasn't answering him. She watched the space behind him until he followed her gaze, and he quickly stumbled backwards. The tall, well built body that now stood there was all too familiar.
Minho hurried backwards until he was in the sunlight that shone from the doorway before he froze, "How did you know I'd be here?"
"Following your brother." Siwon said simply, confirming Minho's fears. "You can come here to see him if you'd like."
Vampire or not, Minho barely hesitated. He rushed forward again, and Siwon stepped aside for Minho to enter the small room.
Minseok was no longer bound by ropes. Instead, they were tied around Taemin, who was tied very much in the same position he'd been in, even having the very same tie gagging him.
Minseok was lying on the floor, facing the ceiling, his eyes closed and skin pale. Minho had never realized until that moment how easy it was to tell when the person you were looking at was dead, and not only asleep.
It was unbearable. Like his heart had been sliced apart, and he wasn't even aware of the way his body was responding. His mind completely off, he dropped down onto his hands and knees and his eyes tore away from Minseok. He shut his eyes but it didn't contain the heavy falling of tears one bit. They made wet spots on the cheap carpet beneath him, and his stomach lurched, and if it wasn't so empty in preparation for the 'linner' that he was supposed to be soon having with his brother, he would have thrown up.
"Why did you do this?" he was asking, but barely even realized that he was. "How could you?" and "I'd have died for him, so why?", the words were all interrupted by sobs and incoherent mutterings. Minho shook uncontrollably, unable to breathe, unable to function at all.
Taemin stared at him with red eyes, already dry from crying them out and tired from his extreme lack of sleep. He felt every bit of sympathy for Minho, but there was nothing he could say, just as nothing Minho could say would make anything that happened to him any better.
When Minho heard Siwon move behind him, it's like something snapped, and he threw himself forward, closer to his brother, protective of the body that he'd left behind. He grabbed onto his brother's hand, squeezing it tightly with both of his own. Siwon was quiet and unmoving again, and so after a moment, Minho spoke, this time fully aware of his words, or at least the meaning of them. What exactly they were, he didn't know. Just that he was apologizing, over and over again, because he'd been told to stay away from him - because he knew this might happen - because it was every bit his fault and so unbearably so that he wanted to just die, and he would in a heartbeat if it would bring Minseok back.
He was still talking when he was vaguely aware of the librarian joining the room, asking if she could eat the other one now. She was a vampire too, Minho realized, and he'd be angry if he could be anything but sad.
He backed away from his brother, keeping just one hand on his, as he choked on his own sobs and thought he'd found something in his empty stomach to throw up.
Siwon wasn't going to let him though.
The vampire knelt down at his side and put his arms around him, but Minho's reaction was instant. He struggled in the grip of the larger man, jerking and screaming, "Don't touch me!"
Siwon held him tight, but scowled at the words, "Be quiet or I will allow my friend to murder yours."
For one horrible moment, Minho didn't care. He couldn't care, not about anything. But he looked over to Taemin and deeply inhaled, trying for his sake to at least be quiet.
Taemin dropped his head, sorry to be used against Minho, sorry that even though he called himself a hunter he couldn't save Minseok, sorry that he'd said the words beforehand that Siwon had used against him...
Even his dry, hurting eyes managed to cry another tear.
Minho was still trying to get control of his sobs when lips pressed into his, and Siwon might have been better off to stab him. He grabbed the back of the vampire's hair and pulled and only then he managed to escape the vampire's mouth did he punch him square in the jaw.
In return, Minho was given only a second of hesitation before Siwon grabbed his wrist and twisted it, making him cry out in pain, but he was quickly silenced once again when Siwon's fist collided with his jaw, and his consciousness slipped away.
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