Chapter Thirty Five

Namjoon POV

It was late in the night, probably close to 2 in the morning. Jin slept on the large couch across from Yoongi, looking peaceful at last. He was worn out from the past couple of days and nobody could blame him. I had seen a news article just a couple hours ago, of a car crash that happened just up the road from here. It involved a group of people, one of which was shooting a firearm out the window at the other vehicle. The vehicle, a truck, had swerved into oncoming traffic and had collided head on with another car. Upon investigation by police, it was determined the driver had died instantly, as his truck's airbags had failed to deploy. The driver was later identified as Cride Maxton, the man who had helped us escape. He died as a result of helping us….

I sat on the stool next to Yoongi, my hands clasped in front of me, and my head down as I was deep in thought. I was overcome by grief for that man, how he was trying to do the right thing. He paid the ultimate sacrifice. I sighed and looked up at Yoongi's sleeping form. He still looked rough. Bruises and cuts littered his arms, neck, and face. He was very thin and was still running a high fever. I reached out and took his hand in mine, squeezing lightly. I knew that our ordeal was nearly over. Jimin, Tae, Hobi, and Kookie were safe at least, hopefully with BigHit.

"Hey," A low and weak voice said and I looked up at Yoongi, his eyes blinking hazily. I smiled and scooted closer to him.

"Hey, you're awake." I said, patting his shoulder gently. He looked around, clearly dazed and confused.

"Where are we?" He grimaced as he tried to shift. "Jin?"

"Jin's here, he's asleep." I said and gestured to him on the couch. "A lady was kind enough to let us crash here." He nodded slowly and looked up at the ceiling. "How are you feeling?"

"Cold." He muttered as a shiver ran through him.

"You're burning up." I sighed, reaching out to feel his forehead. He closed his eyes and groaned lightly.

"Everything hurts."

"Just take it easy." I said quietly and I watched as he opened his eyes again, shifting to lay on his side. "Why were you so upset over Jess?"

"I thought she was a different Jess."

"From where?"

"Before Cride and his goons." His eyes blinked slowly, struggling to remain open.

"Ahh." I sighed, sitting back on my stool again. Someone who had him before he was sent there. No wonder he looked to be in such rough shape. I knew Yoongi had fallen asleep again as he stopped answering my other questions. That's when I noticed Jess standing in the doorway behind the couch, watching me quietly.

"He's ok?" She asked, stepping out into the dull light from the lamp. I nodded, rubbing my eyes tiredly. "Your manager is on his way."

"Really?" I looked up at her, surprised. She nodded with a smile. "Oh wow, finally."

"You guys have been through a lot."

"I know it." I sighed and leaned my head into my hands. It had been so long since we'd seen home, or anything familiar. We'd been through so much in this time as well, I wasn't sure how the boys would take it. We'd need to heal and recover for a while.

"They'll be here in the morning." She said and reached out, setting her hand on my shoulder. I tensed automatically before I could stop myself. She let go immediately. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok, it's a reflex now I guess." I looked over at Jin as he shifted in his sleep.

Taehyung POV

They had found Namjoon, Jin, and Yoongi. Somehow they were all together, while Kelly had told us he'd be alone in Texas. By whatever circumstances, I was beyond grateful. The tight ball of anxiety beating in my chest had finally begun to ease. From what I'd been told, our head manager was already on his way there. He'd arrive sometime in the morning, and we'd be able to call them. I noticed, however, that while the ball of fear was dissipating, a new one was forming in its place. Were they in as bad of shape as we were?

"They'll be here tomorrow, Hobi." Jungkook was pacing in our room. Jimin was awake and sitting up on his bed, his legs over the side as he watched him.

"How did they find them?" Jimin asked, his frame still stiff.

"A lady called in and said she had them."

"It wasn't Kelly?" Hobi tried to sit up, but needed help from Jungkook. He crossed his legs and rubbed his eyes.

"Kelly has pretty much vanished. Don't worry about her." I said and Jimin met my gaze. He knew that I hadn't trusted her.

"No, it was a different lady. Jess." Jungkook continued to pace. He was full of panicked energy, anxiety eating away at him.

"Hey, come here." I said, motioning him over. He obeyed and I stood in front of him, setting my hands on his shoulders. His once muscular frame was now thin and weak. His body felt like a shaking live wire, alive with energy. His large doe eyes looked at me, full of worry and anxiety. Dark circles under them showed his exhaustion.

"We haven't seen them in weeks." He said, shifting his weight as he looked at me.

"I know. But they're safe now. We're all safe." I looked over at Jimin as he slowly lay back down in his bed. "You should lay down, take a break. Pacing in circles will do nothing to help them."

"I can't just sit around, hyung." He sighed, looking down.

"You're exhausted." I said and he looked back up at me. "We've been through a lot, we should all try to take it easy. You especially." I squeezed his shoulder and he swallowed hard, nodding.

"I'll try." He said and I turned him around, walking him to the couch. He sat down and I handed him a blanket. We had eaten, were safe in this room, and the others were soon to be here. I understood Jungkook's anxiety, I had my own. But I also knew that the healing process would be a long one. We couldn't work ourselves up. Kookie lay down with the blanket and rolled over onto his side with a sigh. I looked over at Hobi as he lay down as well.

"Get some sleep, Tae." He said quietly. I looked over at Jimin, who was already asleep. I nodded and moved to the second couch with another blanket. I flicked out the light, the only light now being the sun's soft glow behind the closed curtains. I lay down carefully, my body still sore. Soon, we'd all be together again.