Chapter 5

Both of them spent the rest of the night cuddling with each other. Eventually Taehyung dozes off but Jungkook was still wide awake.

His eyes sparkled as he see the manuscript laying on the nightstand beside Taehyung.  He reaches over Taehyung's sleeping body for the manuscript and begin reading again...

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As the wind picked up outside, the friends gathered inside the cabin, making themselves at home.

"This place is so cool! Let's move the furniture and clear a dance floor!" Chimmy cheered and dove into a chair, knocking it backwards and revealing a wine-colored stain on the floorboards beneath.

"Is that... blood?" Jhope gasped loudly. 

"Forget it, man. It's probably, like, wine, or chili sauce." V snickered. 

"Wait, V , where'd your shirt go?" RJ asked.

"I dunno. It's hot in here." V shrugged, scratching his golden abs, which rippled slightly with every movement.

"Excuse me, but are none of you even moderately concerned about this possibly sanguine stain on the floor?" RM intervened in between.

"I'm sure...It's just chili sauce. V is right. Lots of people camp here, and I bet somebody spilled their food." Jungkook said trying to calm him down.

" That's what I'm saying! Oh man, now I'm craving chili..." V spoke but RJ cut him mid sentence. 

" Guys, forget about the stains! Check out these cool doodads!" RJ gestured at a rack on the wall containing several rusty tools and shackles.

"Those are not doodads! Please, no one touch them. They look filthy." RM told.

"I've seen worse." Suga stuck another cigarette between his lips and flicked open his lighter.

"Suga, could you please do that outside? I don't want to get killed by an axe murderer or lung cancer." RJ asked.

Suga shrugged and turned to the door, then froze.

" Huh. Did you guys see these locks?" Everyone gathered around the door. They observed that the side of the door frame was almost completely covered in locks.

"What the heck? Who needs this many locks on their door? And why?" Jhope squeaked. 

"Maybe the original owner was, like, a puzzle fiend? He could have been practicing picking locks." Chimmy tried to calm him by patting his back.

"Puzzle fiend? Chimmy, we're not talking about Rubik's cubes here." Suga muttered. 

"Well, there has to be some sort of plausible explanation for all this excessive security." RM shrugged.

"Maybe...There are wild animals in the woods. That seems like a pretty practical reason for all the locks. And if that's the case, we're safe in here." Jungkook hummed. 

"You would think that the booking site would have mentioned it... But it's possible." RM sighed.

"Enough about the door guys. We drove all the way out here, so we might as well enjoy ourselves." V spoke and lifted the beer cooler from the floor and set it in the middle of the chairs around the fireplace.

"I just want to crack open a cold one with my boys." He grinned widely. Everyone joined him by the fireplace, cautiously at first, but they quickly relaxed.

After a few rounds of beer and plenty of jokes, the room was filled with mirth and laughter.

"...And I told her, I don't even have a horse!" RJ sassed.

"Oh, that is classic RJ!" Chimmy chuckled. 

"You always have the most uproarious anecdotes to share." Jungkook grinned.

Everyone laughed heartily. 

"See? This place is dope. I told you all that you just needed to chill." V shrugged.

"Okay, you're right. Maybe this place isn't so bad after all." Jhope hummed.

"But you know what would make tonight really frickin' sweet? Games!" Jungkook squealed.

" Yeah, that's a great idea! How about Truth or Dare?" Chimmy grinned widely and clapped his hands while bouncing in his chair. Suga raised an eyebrow inquisitively while rolling a cigarette.

"Oh... I was thinking we'd play a video game, but I guess that works too..." Jungkook sighed.

"Cool so I'll start! And I pick..." V gazed around the room, meeting each of his friends' eyes. A tense silence hung in the air.

"Chimmy" V grinned giving his infamous boxy smile.

"Who, little old me?" Chimmy squeaked out.

"Yes, you. Now come on, truth or dare." V ushered him to speak.

"Hmm... Dare." Chimmy smirked.

"All right, I dare you to run all the way to the lake and back... alone." V winked at him.

"You call that a dare? Easy peasy." Chimmy chuckled and stood up, threw open the door, and sprinted out into the night.

"He's certainly got moxie, I must say." RM muttered. 

"Damn, bro! I never knew Chimmy was such a beast when it came to Truth or Dare!" RJ squealed. 

"V, are you sure that's a good idea? It's dark out, and we don't know what's in these woods..." Jhope said in a worried tone.

"Don't worry Jhope, Chimmy can handle himself. He's like a wily little fox. He'll be fine." V assured him.

"Well, if you say so..." Jhope said, still a bit uncertain. 

The friends continued their revelries, giddy and full of life as they sat by the fireplace.

If only they had known that it was not to last....

Chimmy took off running from the cabin, the cold wind making him shiver. As soon as he made it into the trees, he stumbled on a loose shoelace and almost tripped.

"Oops! Safety first." Chimmy was tying the laces on one of his shoes when the wind howled and strange crunching noises echoed through the forest, seeming to answer him. He shivered again, but not from the cold.

"I've gotta stop talking to myself... It's not like there's around to hear... I hope." He barely finished his sentence before he felt a gloved hand press against his mouth.

"Mmph" His shouts were muffled by the killer's grip. Chimmy was shoved to the ground, and he looked up to see a masked figure raising an axe above their head...

"No! Please don't do this!" He cried in extreme terror.

"Goodbye, Chimmy..." The murderer smirked.

Chimmy's face registered shock as he heard the killer's voice, and he let out one final scream as the axe came down.

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After ten minutes, Chimmy had still not returned. Fifteen minutes ticked by, then twenty...

"You guys... I'm really worried about Chimmy. The lake's not that far, and he's been gone too long!" Jhope whined. 

"Hey, chill. He's probably squatting ***** in the bushes so he can watch us freak out." RJ tried to calm him down.

"But what if—"

---

Taehyung grunts beside Jungkook, fast asleep. Jungkook look at the clock and realize it's past midnight.

He reluctantly close the manuscript, then turn off the light, thinking about what he has just read before drifting into fitful sleep.

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