MONSTER AT THE END OF THE ROAD

That morning, as I was on my way to the kitchen to have some breakfast, I heard a noise. It was coming from one of the smaller training rooms. I hesitated.

It sounded like someone was…crying. I took a cautious step towards the sound. I poked my head into the training room and spotted Tao, with his back to me, his head resting against a punching bag. His shoulders were shaking, ugly sobs escaping his mouth, as he punched the bag with a clenched fist. My first thought was that something bad had happened but no one had left the mansion today - as far as I knew.

I ducked out of sight before he saw me. He was obviously going through some personal issues and I doubted he wanted me to walk in on him right now. I’d make him some cake later and ask him if everything was okay.


I was in the kitchen making some coffee when Minseok walked inside.
‘Morning! Would you like some?’ I asked him.
‘Sure, thanks. Do you know if there’s any pie?’ he asked already opening the fridge.
His face brightened when he found it.
We settled down next to each other on the counter. I took a bite of buttered toast, and watched as Minseok devoured a slice in two bites.
‘Hey, um, do you know if everything’s alright with Tao?’ I asked nonchalantly.
‘Is that the tall dude who always carries a big ass sword around with him and drives like a maniac?’ he asked taking another huge bite.
‘Yeah, that pretty much sums him up,’ I said with a smile.
‘Well, I don’t really know him that well but he seemed fine. Why?’ he asked curiously.
‘No reason,’ I replied turning my attention back to my breakfast and hoping he didn’t pursue the subject. He didn’t.
‘So, I heard there was quite the commotion a couple a days ago,’ commented Minseok through a mouthful.
I grimaced and made a non-committal noise.
‘That bad, huh?’
‘Not really, I mean, if we don’t count the whole it being a trap thing. Or the flying bullets. Or the fact that they stabbed Tao with a tranquiliser, oh, and shot both me and Channie,’ I made a small pause. ‘It could have been worse.’
Minseok laughed softly. ‘You guys were lucky.’
‘Tell me about it,’ I said ruefully, ‘although having an angry grizzly on our side didn’t hurt.’
‘It must have been one of the weaker teams, because if he’d sent one of the A teams you’d all be locked up in cages right now,’ said Minseok matter-of-factly, ‘I assume you’ve seen Jongin’s second form by now (I nodded at his questioning look), well, both mine and Sehun’s are just as powerful and Luhan’s is downright magical, yet only two of us made it out.’
I stopped eating and stared at him for a second. I couldn’t help myself; I had been really curious about it ever since Jongin had mentioned it, but I hadn’t had the courage to broach the subject again.

‘Jongin, told me about Luhan. That he had the gift of telekinesis,’ I said carefully.
Minseok shot me a vaguely surprised look but didn’t comment.
I continued. ‘He said Luhan hid his ability from Yifan; but that he found out about it anyway.’
Minseok looked out the window so I couldn’t see his expression. ‘Yes, he found out the day we escaped. I think Yifan had always suspected.’
‘What happened?’ I asked him.
He paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and rested his half eaten slice of pie back on his plate. He gave me a long look that I returned unflinchingly – which, for the record, wasn’t easy, I mean, damn, why were all these guys so good looking? Was it a genetic thing, or something? It just didn’t seem fair on other men.

Finally he looked away a small smile fleeting across his lips before he began talking.
‘It happened when we were trying to get through the last door…to freedom. I won’t go into details about how we managed to get that far, you can ask Jongin about that if you want. It was an automatic door but we’d hacked the system so it was open. We were half way down the corridor to the door when Yifan and his men came chasing after us. There was a nasty fight but we were almost through the door. I went through first with Jongin fighting beside me. Sehun was through next then…’ his voice caught slightly, ‘…then Luhan was caught. Yifan had skewered him through the shoulder with an iron rod.’ He stopped, and sighed. ‘He changed back into his human form. A bunch of guards were trying to tie him down with iron chains. He was shouting for us to run…the doors started closing which should have been impossible, but then I realised it was Luhan doing it. Sehun dove between the doors again just before they shut completely - he didn’t want to leave Luhan behind,’ he paused, and a look of deep sadness passed over his face, ‘Jongin and I were separated from the others inside. I could see Luhan lying on the ground his face contorted as he struggled to control the doors…the pain must have been unbearable,’ he whispered the last part.

‘Isn’t iron like,’ I swallowed, ‘…poison to you guys.’
‘It should have been impossible for him to control it,’ said Minseok looking out the window again, ‘but he did it somehow.’
He paused for a second before resuming his story in a steadier tone.
‘Sehun was throwing men off Luhan like they were nothing but I knew it was a matter of seconds before Yifan blew that door to hell. I could see that Luhan was close to fainting…there was blood running down his nose from the effort.’ He stopped and looked down at his hands with a sad smile on his face. ‘To be honest, until the day I found you guys in the woods, I didn’t know if Jongin…I didn’t know how he was going to react when he saw me.’
I gave him a confused look. ‘What do you mean? I’ve never seen him happier – all he ever spoke about was wanting to find you so you guys could go rescue the others.’
He sighed. ‘I’m glad.’
‘Why wouldn’t he be anything but happy to see you?’ I asked feeling lost.
‘I…I had to drag him away. Jongin didn’t want to leave without the others. He fought me all the way to the edge of that cliff, and I dragged him over the edge with me into the sea. The fall and the current separated us.’ Minseok looked at me uncertainly and the vulnerability in his eyes made me want to hug him. ‘It was the right thing to do…wasn’t it? If we’d been caught we would never have had another chance to escape – Yifan would see to that. And I thought, even if Jongin hates me now, he would come to understand that it was the only way. At least, this way we could get outside help. Come up with a plan.’

He swallowed and looked down at his hands unseeingly. ‘I know my decision was right, but…sometimes, I can’t help but think that I acted like a coward,’ he whispered. ‘And I wonder if Jongin doesn’t think the same; even if he doesn’t say it. I abandoned them. I should have stayed. I should have stayed with them.’

I searched for the right words to comfort and reassure him when something behind me caught Minseok’s attention. His eyes widened slightly. I swung my head around to find Jongin standing in the doorway with a shocked look on his face.
‘Is that what you thought?’ asked Jongin in a gruff voice. ‘That you’re a coward? That I would…that I would think that?’
Minseok looked away then back at him, his expression wiped clean of all the sorrow that had been there just seconds before, he flashed a grin. ‘Of course not! I was just messing around. Chicks dig this stuff, the more pathetic you seem, the more they like you.’

He winked at me and made to step past Jongin, but the latter stepped in front of him.
‘I would never ever think of you as a coward. You did what you had to do,’ said Jongin fiercely, ‘You made the decision that I didn’t have the guts to make. Don’t do this to yourself. Haven’t you suffered enough?’

Minseok just smiled sadly and left the kitchen. Jongin stared after him with a dejected look on his face. I slipped my fingers through his and grasped his hand.
‘Don’t worry – we’ll get them back. It’s going to be alright,’ I said reassuringly.
He looked down at me startled – like he’d forgotten I was there – then he smiled but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He pulled me into a tight hug and rested his head against my shoulder.
‘Yes, it’s all going to be alright,’ he said.
I knew he didn’t believe what he was saying but that was okay. Because I believed it enough for the both of us.


I was sitting on the edge of the indoor swimming pool, my legs hanging over the sides, as I gently kicked my feet in the water. The boys were all out so I was having some alone time, it wasn’t all bad when you had stuff like this pool, and a giant library, to keep you entertained. A shadow fell over me and I looked up in some surprise.
‘Hey, what’s up?’ I greeted Tao with a smile. ‘Thought everyone was out.’
He crouched next to me with a smile.
‘I was but I’m back now. How would you like to go get some of your stuff from your apartment?’
I went still and stared at him trying to figure out if he was kidding. ‘I thought Junmyeon said it wasn’t safe.’
‘Well, he told me that they’ve given up watching your house, he’s had people checking. He thought having some of your own things around you might make you feel more at home. So, if you like, I’ve been told I’m allowed to take you there. It’s up to you, though.’
‘Are you kidding!? Of course, I’d like to go,’ I said excitedly, already making a mental list of things I was going to bring with me. ‘When are we going?’
‘I’ve got some free time now, if you’re ready,’ said Tao fiddling with the hem of his jacket.
‘Yeah, sure. Let me just get my shoes.’


He was driving like a maniac which was the usual, but he was being really quiet which wasn’t the usual. He was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel repetitively.

‘You ok?’ I asked him.

‘What?’ he asked giving me a wild look like I’d just sprouted antlers.

‘It’s just…you seem a little tense lately. Is everything alright?’

‘Yeah, of course,’ said Tao giving me a tight smile before turning his eyes back to the road.

Oooook, I guess that pretty much answered my question, but best let sleeping dogs lie. He was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel again. For a while I was quiet, just thinking about my apartment, when my attention was caught by the scenery outside. I frowned.

‘Tao? I think we’re going the wrong way?’

‘Hm?’

‘I said, I think we’re going the wrong way.’

‘I’m going a different way to make sure we’re not followed,’ he said without looking at me.

‘Oh, right,’ I said feeling a bit confused.

Suddenly, I realized that in my haste I hadn’t told Jongin that I was going out. He was also out but I better let him know where I was - just in case he got back before me. I took my mobile from my bag and began texting him.

‘What are you doing?’ Tao asked me.

‘Just texting, Jongin,’ I said without looking up.

Suddenly, my mobile was ripped from my hands, I gasped and looked up to see Tao chucking my mobile out of the window. I stared at him in shock trying to process what had just happened. A horrible thought started taking shape in my mind – one I couldn’t believe…didn’t want to believe. I looked out the front window, and took in a shaky breath.

‘Stop the car.’

He didn’t answer me.

‘Tao, stop the car. Stop the car. STOP THE CAR. NOW,’ I screamed.

‘Casey, calm down. Don’t make this harder than it has to be,’ he said calmly.

I looked at him in utter disbelief. I felt a knot form in my throat, not from fear (although there was some of that too), but mostly from betrayal.

‘I trusted you. They trusted you,’ I said feeling more hurt for the others who had known him for years rather then for myself. ‘You were like family to them – how could you?’

‘They’re not my family,’ he said angrily, but I noticed how he choked slightly on the last word.

‘You were family to them,’ I shot back at him.

‘You don’t know anything,’ he spat, ‘so don’t you dare judge me! Just do as you’re told and no one needs to get hurt.’

‘No one needs to get hurt!? Are you even hearing yourself?’ I snapped at him.

He tensed but only said, ‘Don’t be difficult. This is for the best.’

I gave him a disgusted look. ‘Best for who? You? Do you have any idea what Yifan will do to the others if he catches them!? He’s going to imprison, torture them, turn them into lab rats – ‘

‘SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!’ he shouted with a wild look in his eyes.

I swallowed my bile down and closed my mouth. I had to get out of here, somehow. This was going to be my only chance of escape but I couldn’t exactly jump out of the car at this speed.

My mind raced as I tried to figure out what to do.

‘Don’t try anything, Casey. I don’t want to hurt you,’ said Tao, like he could read my mind.
I knew I should probably keep quiet but I couldn’t help myself. I had to ask.

‘How long have you been working for Yifan?’

His mouth tightened and he shot me a warning look. I thought about the others and how they would feel when they found out about Tao’s betrayal, and a surge of anger rose up in me. I lunged for the steering wheel and turned it as hard as I could.

Tao swore as the car spun out of control, for a second I thought we were going to crash, but the road was wide and deserted and he managed to get the car back under control.

But I didn’t let that deter me as I grabbed his hair, scratched and hit him until he was forced to pull over rather than risk capsizing the car. As soon as we stopped I threw the door open, and half fell out of the car in my haste to get away, but he grabbed my foot. I kicked him in the face as hard as I could and he swore colourfully but his grip loosened just enough that I managed to pull free.

I dragged myself out of the car, stumbling up to my feet I quickly broke into a sprint. I crossed the street but there were no cars coming that I could hail down. There was a cornfield on the other side of the road – maybe I had a shot at losing him in there – I ran in that direction. But my hopes were quickly dashed when a pair of arms wrapped around me, jolting me backwards violently.

I screamed and tried to break his grip.

‘Enough, Casey! If you don’t behave I’m going to have to knock you out. This is my last warning,’ he said sounding annoyed.

I swung my fist backwards and punched him in his most sensitive parts – just like he had taught me, which made me want to cry even more. Tao let me go instantly bending over in pain. I turned around and kneed him in the face. He crumpled to the ground.

I raced back to the car but was horrified to find that he had taken the car keys with him. I screamed in frustration and punched the wheel but then my eyes landed on his phone. I had known his code for a while now – Chen and I had been using it to change his screensaver to pictures of naked men.

I scrolled through his contact list until I found Junmyeon and pressed the call button. Suddenly Tao appeared on the other side of the driver’s window. There was blood running down his nose and his eyes widened as he saw me holding his phone. I threw myself to the other end of the car and opened the door trying to get out but he was already dragging me back in. He ripped the phone from my hands and ended the call. I kicked, punched and bit with all my strength but he overpowered me easily. He held my arms over my head, and his body on top of mine prevented me from moving any further. I drew in a ragged breath as a sense of helplessness descended over me.

‘Seems like I taught you well,’ said Tao breathlessly, and there was a hint of pride in his voice.

‘Not nearly well enough,’ I shot back feeling tears fill my eyes.

I felt him reach for something in his glove compartment. He caressed my hair away from my face gently. ‘Don’t cry, Cas. It’s going to be alright.’

‘No, Tao, please. It’s not too late. Don’t do this.’ I pleaded.

He smiled bitterly and murmured. ‘It’s always been too late for me.’

I felt a prick on my arm and then everything went black.

Notes

This has been a long time coming lol I'm just trying to write too many things at the same time >_< Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed that little twist *cue evil laugh* and let me know what you think. Were you shocked at Tao's actions? Did you see it coming? If you like this story please comment and/or subscribe.
Lots of love,
Ange
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P.s. HOW AWESOME IS MONSTER!?!?!? I love their visuals, outfits and the concept. And, of course, the mv and the song are just perfect. Also, dancing is on point!<333

GIFS ALL AROUND!!!!