The house was good example of the degenerate form that'd become the world. Dust and soot caked everything in a thick layer of black, and the couch and the walls squeaked— alive, and undeniably infested with a creature unbeknownst to the temporary inhabitants... The corpse laying next to the front door was just the final touch, and it'd been rotting for quite some time, filling the house with its horrific smell.
Two pairs of eyes glanced around the room. One figure shivered.
Is that a box full of heroin over in the corner?
Neither of them wanted to know— the pair, for once, blessing the darkness that blanketed the city.
(Y/n) and Eden knew the ins and outs of Anarchy— finally. Strictly speaking, they had to. The psychos running around the territory behaved like animals— taking out people like it was a sick game. And, like this sick game it had indeed become, they ran. They ran to stay out of the violence. They ran for their parents all the way back in America. They ran for hope...
Hope that was quickly dwindling.
(Y/n) looked over at her sister, who froze. When Eden made movements like that, (Y/n) knew to do the same.
She froze herself, listening.
The sound of pattering feet outside made the two girls scramble to each other's sides, looking for a hiding place. They normally never had problems like this. When there was a threat for the White Lotus in a certain area— people always stayed away. Far away.
The smaller insanity was scared of the bigger. But apparently, not this time.
At that moment, the sound of running feet came to a stop somewhere near the house.
"They've probably come for the heroin," Eden whispered.
But (Y/n) shook her head, because no, no one would be that stupid. Coming for drugs during a threat for the White Lotus? Absurd. It didn't matter how insane everyone seemed to be. They all still had one thing firmly planted in their corroded minds— and that was the fear of the faceless name.
Minutes passed, where the girls could hear a bit of stumbling, but it only seemed to get farther away.
Stealing herself, (Y/n) bravely— or stupidly— walked up to the front window and moved the shade ever so slightly to look outside.
The smoke smudged everything, and the darkness swallowed the rest. But with the three flickering streetlights still at work, she could just barely see a figure stumbling around, sword in hand. They were short, and maybe it was a crimson red in which their hair was dyed, but in the lowlight, she couldn't be certain... Not that it mattered. All that did was the weapon in hand and which way they were going.
Distracted by the frozen figure, (Y/n) missed the second figure... The one that was stalking right in front of the window. It was only when her vision was abruptly cut off did she notice the threat that loomed right in front of her, and her heart shot up her throat like a bullet stuck in her esophagus.
Swallowing the lump that'd formed in the back of her throat, (Y/n) was frozen. Frozen in fear and in the knowledge that if they hadn't noticed her yet, then they would if she moved.
Eyes wide, they slowly slid up, body unmoving.
No face.
His back was facing her.
Relieved, she almost melted into a puddle but kept her composure, continuing to watch.
"What is—" Eden tried whispering, but (Y/n) hushed her faster than she could think before looking back out the window in fear.
No one seemed to hear the younger. That alone was a good sign.
"Having trouble Jiminie?" His voice suddenly boomed, causing her to jump and almost topple over.
The figure stepped forward a little, before beginning to walk away from the window altogether. When (Y/n) could finally see the other person again— it finally hit her as a flashlight's beam landed on his precarious figure.
She knew that man. Or, well, used to. Park Jimin, a person of great renown, even to this day. It was funny how once someone became a celebrity, they were always a celebrity, even when society collapsed. Not only that, but Jimin had, at one point, been her good friend.
But not anymore.
From the talk she'd been hearing, he'd changed. Greatly.
"Taehyung, I told you to stop fallowing me around," Replied Jimin in a low growl, words slurring as his figure stumbled and then stopped.
She froze, staring at the back of the figure for a moment before slowly turning to look at Eden. Through the darkness, she could just barely see her sister's shocked expression. They both knew the stories... The ones about Taehyung.
(Y/n) slowly turned in horror to watched the scene unfold before her.
"Damn..." Taehyung laughed oddly. It was the kind of laugh that sent a chill down your spine. "You're as high as a kite. Where'd you get the pot?"
After a bit of silence, Jimin replied with a simple, "Just leave me alone."
(Y/n) knew that his wishes wouldn't be met.
"Leave you alone, Jiminie? Ha... You're so vulnerable though..."
She shivered at the lust in his voice. It was clear what Taehyung wanted. It was always clear what Taehyung wanted. He was a well known twisted soul who wanted one thing.
"You're sick..." Jimin slurred. "We were friends... I've spared you so many times."
The incoming reply was careless.
"Yeah?"
The next thing (Y/n) knew, Jimin was lying in a crumpled heap in front of Taehyung. Why he'd used his fist instead of his bat was beyond her, however, she watched Taehyung rip Jimin's sword away from him and toss it to the side.
"Damn, have you been drinking too?" He laughed. "Didn't it occur to you that you may be—" He grabbed Jimin by the shirt and lifted him off the pavement. "Too vulnerable?"
That was when Jimin woke back up, and Taehyung simply dropped him, watching in delight as the other's head hit the pavement in a sickening fashion.
It wouldn't matter what Jimin did now. He had dug himself a grave. No one would be able to fight properly with alcohol and THC in their system— not even him. And so, the horror began as Eden joined her at the window.
Jimin was obviously trying to fight back, however, not only was Taehyung stronger, but the punch combined with the effects of marijuana and alcohol had sent him for a loop. And so, as Taehyung took out a knife, there was nothing Jimin could do.
One cut to the cheek— two cuts to the arm, one to the chest. Taehyung started rapidly slashing at different areas of the smaller's body— his arms, legs, a few times at his sides... They weren't very deep— but they were enough to make him feel pain. Or what pain Jimin could feel through the effects of the THC.
But even if the pain was number slightly, he was bleeding too much. The alcohol in his system was making it worse, (Y/n) watched as life drained onto the pavement.
At this point, Jimin had given up, and cries shot through the air that made Eden quake beside her. (Y/n)'s eyes burned and chest tightened, stomach churning at the sounds and the violence. Tearing her eyes away, her vision blurred, and she pulled Eden away from it as well, forcing the younger to sit down as she covered Eden's ears and hugged her close.
What an attempt it was to block out Taehyung's delighted laughter and Jimin's screaming cries. A pitiful attempt. She knew Eden could probably still hear everything.
However, after a bit more of the insanity, something suddenly cut it short.
A gun shot.
The sound sliced through the air, halting the commotion and causing everything to come to a stand still. For the first time in forever, everything seemed to go completely silent— and it was unnerving.
She blinked, staring at the rotted room numbly.
'Remember Eden... Remember her safety,' Her mind spoke, and she slowly let go of her sister.
It was time to see what was going on outside.
One glance over the scene told her Taehyung was down, rolling on the ground while holding his side. Jimin's figure on the other hand, sat still, but the rapid rise and fall of his chest plainly showed that he was still alive— panicking. Blood was pooling everywhere in a thick, scarlet mess, and approaching it all, a figure in mask.
(Y/n) couldn't help but gasp, quickly looking down at Eden who was slowly uncovering her ears.
It was a legend... One of violence and fear. They'd been hiding in its shadow for so long, each time an area— having been cleared out because of its threat— was safe enough to hide in, they would move and lay low until it the threat was found elsewhere. They'd been doing that ever since it first showed up. However, never had they encountered it— seen it. After a while, they didn't expected to. It was something she and Eden had begun to take as just that, a legend— something to never be beheld.
But now?
"The White Lotus..." Eden whispered so quietly that (Y/n) almost missed it. She hadn't even noticed her sister had joined her at the window until then.
But whoever the White Lotus was, she now knew they were male— no woman was built like that. He was tall, dressed in a fine tuxedo with his black hair perfectly clean and styled. He carried a pistol and his black mask was perfectly just that— black. He was pristine— clothes spotless— and far cleaner than any person she had seen in a long time; and as he walked menacingly towards the scene, she couldn't help but think he looked like how she imagined each Shadow would.
Throwing an arm over her sister and holding her close, they watched the man seize Taehyung by his coat collar and easily lift him up.
"So... The White Lotus lives," Taehyung managed, making conversation with the masked stranger before chuckling. "Huh... Never thought we'd meet like this. I was really hoping I would get to spill some of your blood before I was taken out."
That's when the masked man slowly brought Taehyung's ear up to his masked mouth and seemed to whisper something. A few moments of silence past, in which nothing was heard and the sounds of distant chaos ruled out. But then something happened. She watched Taehyung closely, and noticed... Noticed his shaking, and in the lowlight, the sudden horror dawning on his face as the figure slowly put him back down.
Everything the White Lotus did surprised her. That's all she could say about the unknown man as she watched him sign something to Taehyung in sign language before moving on.
Next was Jimin.
But instead of shooting him or— maybe— threatening him like Taehyung, the figure simply picked up Jimin delicately— ignoring the cries of the other. Then, he looked at the house... The house that they were in... And began walking towards it.