Black & Silver // ATEEZ

Fire

Byeol

"My temperature is normal again!" I told Wooyoung as the thermometer read a solid 98.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

"That's great!" He said from next to me. We both were on the couch watching a K-Drama, and during the commercial break, I decided to check my temperature once again. It was Tuesday evening, about five days since I had first gotten sick after the flop movie evening.

"So now can we get ice-cream?" I asked with huge eyes. Wooyoung just raised his eyebrows at me.

"You're kidding, right?" He deadpanned.

"But I'm not sick anymore—" I was saying playfully when Wooyoung's and my phone rang at the same time. I picked mine up and checked it.

"It's Seonghwa," We said at the same time. He was group calling me, Wooyoung, and Yeosang.

"You pick up," I told Woo while setting my phone back down, and he did so.

"Hyung—?" He was cut off suddenly by a panting Seonghwa.

"Wooyoung! Yeosang! Byeol, do you know the guitar shop next to the bookstore?" His rushed static-y voice asked.

I exchanged confused glances with Wooyoung as he got to his feet. I did the same.

"What?" Yeosang's confused voice said through the call.

"Ah, forget it. I'll send you guys the address, get there as soon as you can!" And with that, he hung up.

We didn't waste a single second. As soon as the line got cut, Wooyoung went to the door and put on his sneakers at lightning speed. Parallel to him, I ran to the coat hanger and grabbed my jacket, slipped it over my arms, then threw Wooyoung's to him. He caught it just in time as he finished tying his laces together. He grabbed the car keys, I grabbed the house keys and my shoes (I'd wear them in the car), and we both rushed out. I locked the door while he started the car, and once I got in and buckled my seatbelt, he pulled out of the driveway.

"Take a left here," I said as I brought up the address that Seonghwa sent to my phone.

"How far away is it?" Wooyoung asked with his eyes set on the road.

"Uh, about seven minutes," I said. "Turn right at the next signal, then it's straight down the road." I turned off the maps and started wearing my shoes. 

We stayed in silence for a moment.

"What do you think happened?" Wooyoung said after a while, pursing his lips.

"I have a hunch, but let's hope it's wrong." I said, stealing a glance at him. I think we were thinking the same thing.

"Me too." He whispered, speeding down the road.

We reached the guitar store in no time. Wooyoung parked in a small alleyway next to the brick building and we quickly got outside.

"I'll hold the car keys," I told Wooyoung as we started to walk to the building.

"Why? I can hold it," He said with furrowed eyebrows. I bit my lip.

"I-I dunno, Woo, just..." I took the keys out of his hands and slipped it into the back pocket of my jeans. Before he could further question me, we turned around at the sound of my name.

"Byeol!" Seonghwa's voice yelled. He, Kimmie, and some tall, pink-haired guy were running to us from the bus stop down the block we just passed.

"Yunho-Hyung?" Wooyoung mumbled, but didn't say anything more after taking in their anxious expressions.

"Guys! Wait, Yunho-Hyung?" We turned to the other side as Yeosang jumped off his bicycle, leaning it against a tree. I figured this pink-haired dude was named Yunho— probably from their old friend group. He had a thin silver necklace with two silver leaves as the pendant. "What happened?"

"What's that?" Kimmie pointed at the second floor of the three-story building, not answering Yeosang just yet. There was some grey smoke coming out of an open window.

"Come on, the stairs are this way!" Yunho pointed to the alleyway we parked in. There was a set of spiral stairs going up to a door on the side of the brick building. Next to the door was the window where the smoke was coming from.

The six of us filed into a line and ran up the creaking, metal stairs. The smell of rust filled my nose as my mind raced with scenarios of what could've happened. Yunho opened the door, which was unlocked, and we all ran into the apartment. I think there was the faintest hint of smoke in the air.

"Mingi? Mingi!" The Yunho guy shouted as we looked around.

"In here!" A deep voice sounded from further inside the apartment, coughing. We passed the living room, kitchen, and rushed into a smoke-filled bedroom. There was a small fire that started from a candle on the carpeted floor, spreading quickly.

Seonghwa ran in and pulled a blanket off of one of the beds. I helped him place it over the fire in one corner and Woo came stamping over it. Kimmie, Yunho, and Yeosang did something similar on the other side of the room while Mingi kept the fire from spreading anywhere else with the fire extinguisher in his hands.

After a lot of fire extinguisher substance, smoke and some coughing, the fire was finally gone. There was soot all over the floor, but none of us cared as we just paused and took a breath, calming down.

I let out a sigh, trying to make my pounding heart slow down. The fire was out, it's okay. The seven of us in the room are safe.

"What happened?" Yeosang was the first to recover. He was leaning on the ladder of the bunk beds, rubbing his face with his hands. 

"Jongho got taken." The man who I assumed to be Mingi said as he set down the fire extinguisher and used a piece of cardboard to swift the smokey air out the window. He actually seemed a bit familiar....

The memory came back. He was the other guy who helped Jongho onto the bus! I nodded to myself, recalling the assortment of beaded/silver bracelets stacked on his wrist.

"I think it's the same men you were talking about, Hyung." Mingi looked at Seonghwa, who had his back against the wall beside me.

"The Creeps? Were they wearing black and silver?" Min, seated on the bottom bunk and kicking the half-burnt blanket on the floor, asked.

"Yeah," Mingi said. They continued talking about how the fire started, but I wasn't giving my full attention. Instead, it was on Wooyoung in the other corner of the room as he stared at a mirror lined against a wall. His expression was filled with confusion as he glanced from his reflection down to his own body. As if he was seeing something that wasn't there.

"Wooyoung?" My voice was too quiet. I don't think he heard me. He just returned to staring at his reflection, wide eyes looking like they were seeing a ghost.

"Wooyoung," I repeated a little louder. This time everyone turned to glance at me, and then looked at him. When Woo looked at me, my breath caught.

His eyes were full of fear.

"W-What's wrong—?" My voice died in my throat when a black-gloved hand literally reached out from the mirror and grabbed his shoulder.

We all gasped, but couldn't do anything other than just watch as the hand pulled him straight into the mirror.

Taking him just like that.

My last strand of hope, just like that.

I finally found my voice once tears sprung to my eyes.

"WOOYOUNG!! "