The Red of the Rose | Taeyong

36 | Stay

Chapter Warning – Assault and Violence

'Okay, listen to me, I'll call the guys and find information,' Taeyong told Mark on the phone while Doyoung was already calling someone.

'I'll look around the neighbourhood once. Give me a call as soon as you find something. I'll come over,' Mark replied and cut the call.

'Anything?' Taeyong turned to Doyoung.

'The guys are coming over. Jaehyun is tracking her phone.' The words had only just left Doyoung's mouth when their phone beeped with a notification.

Jaehyun had sent a location on their group chat – the last location of Miah's phone before it turned off. A chill ran down their spines when they opened the location. It was very close to the same abandoned railroad shed where they had met Young-ho not long ago.

'I'm going. You wait for the guys and come with them,' Taeyong said, heading for the door.

'I am not letting you go alone.' Doyoung pulled him back.

'Do you think...'

'He just got out of the hospital. This can't be a coincidence. We are going together.' Doyoung picked up his own jacket. 'I'll inform the guys that we are leaving and call Mark.'

Taeyong didn't argue further and the two hurried out the door.

~*~

Miah was struggling against the restraints binding her hands to grills of the window. Young-ho was towering over her with malice in his eyes in the rusty railroad shed.

'Young-ho please, why are you doing this? Let me go,' she wept.

'Shh, don't cry baby. See?' Young-ho ran a finger over her reddened wrist. 'If you stop struggling, the ropes won't hurt.'

'Help! HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE,' Miah was crying herself hoarse.

Young-ho grabbed her by her hair. 'Didn't I tell you already that nobody is here? All this noise. Stop shouting. You are ruining the mood.'

'Why are you doing this? What do you want?'

Young-ho's eyes twinkled. He brought his face close to the crook of her neck and said, 'You, my sweet dear. I want you.'

Miah stilled. 'Please, Young-ho, you don't want to do this,' she sobbed.

'But I do. I do want to do this. And it's all because of you.' Young-ho shoved her aside and got up. 'I gave you so many chances. Taught you so many lessons. I thought when you got bullied the first time, you'll learn to behave,' he bellowed.

Miah looked up at him through bleary eyes. 'Wh-what do you mean?'

'Mhm.' Young-ho laughed like a maniac and in the weak light of the old shed, with his swollen face covered in red and blue, he really looked like a psychopath.

'I made those posts about Serin to pin the blame on you,' he hissed. Crouching in front of her, Young-ho twirled a strand of her hair between his battered fingers as he whispered, 'But I didn't want to. You made me do this, Miah. You have such an innocent face but you are a complete brat.'

His fingers bundled up her hair and pulled her head backwards, exposing her neck. He inhaled sharply at the juncture between her neck and her shoulder but before he could do anything further, a pair of strong arms pulled him back.

'I WILL KILL YOU THIS TIME!' Taeyong punched Young-ho in the face and immediately knelt before Miah.

'Are you okay? Where are you hurt?' Taeyong's frantic fingers caught hold of Miah's face.

'Taeyong,' Miah cried.

'I'm here. Don't worry, I'm here.'

'So predictable. I knew you would come unprepared,' Young-ho spat.

'Taeyong,' uttered Doyoung gravely and Taeyong heard a click behind him. There was no mistaking this sound – Young-ho was pointing a gun at Taeyong.

'Step back,' Young-ho warned.

Taeyong held out a hand and spoke, 'Young-ho, lower the gun.'

'Step away from her,' Young-ho shrieked, brandishing the gun at Taeyong. 'I SAID STEP AWAY!' He shouted and shot a bullet in the air, rupturing a hole in the roof of the shed. 'I will shoot her if you don't step back.'

'Okay, okay, here.' Taeyong immediately moved away from Miah. 'Here. Now, lower the gun.'

Doyoung had been waiting for the right moment and seeing that Young-ho's eyes were fixed on Taeyong and Miah, he suddenly lunged forward. But Young-ho was quicker and fired another shot without any care. The bullet pierced Doyoung in the shoulder and he stumbled backwards, hissing in pain as blood seeped out of the wound.

'Doyoung!' the other two cried out.

'Stay where you are,' Young-ho warned them.

'It's okay. It's only a shoulder wound.' Doyoung pressed firmly where the bullet had hit him.

'Take your friend and leave,' Young-ho instructed Taeyong. 'DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME? TAKE YOUR FRIEND AND LEAVE!'

Taeyong had no idea when the guys would arrive and with Doyoung injured and Miah still trapped, he had to act now. At once, he darted forward, capturing the hand in which Young-ho held the gun and shoved him to a corner. But Young-ho didn't let go. The two were locked in a scuffle with Taeyong trying his best to keep the barrel of the gun pointing away from Miah and Doyoung as he struggled to keep Young-ho down.

Doyoung seized this chance to run to Miah and free her from her bindings.

'Are you okay?' He asked, unwinding the thick ropes around her wrist. Miah nodded despite the pain.

Just as the last of Miah's restraints were untied by Doyoung, the door of the railroad shed burst open revealing Johnny, Yuta, Jaehyun and Mark but the sound of a gunshot rung through the thick air, silencing everything at once. The four stilled in the doorway while Miah and Doyoung's throats ran dry.

In the corner, Taeyong and Young-ho went rigid and so did everyone else. The only sound was the drip of water somewhere far away and the rustling of the leaves in the cold wind, enveloping the shed in an unsettling silence.

After a few seconds, Taeyong stumbled backwards, holding a hand over his chest. Blood dripped from his jacket as his back hit the wall and he winced in pain. Miah tried to cry out, but no sound came from her as a heavy weight settled over her body, fixing her in place.

In the very next moment, Young-ho stepped forward and fired another shot, hitting Taeyong on the left side of his chest. And in that single horrifying moment, Taeyong fell to the floor amidst the ghastly shrieks.

'Taeyong!' Miah rushed to his side. 'NO! No, no, no. Taeyong! Call an ambulance! CALL AN AMBULANCE!' Miah pressed down on the bleeding wounds on his chest. 'HELP ME! Ho-hospital! HELP ME CARRY HIM! HELP, PLEASE!' Her voice ran hoarse and her hands soaked themselves in red.

In front of her, Taeyong lay with his eyes half open, looking up at her. For him, the world had stopped already and time had slowed down. He no longer felt pain as blood flowed out of him, instead he felt a quiet undisturbed stillness taking over. He wanted to say something to her, to tell her not to cry, to tell her that it'll be alright, but words choked on his tongue and all he could do was faintly smile. His eyelids grew heavier each second but he felt light. In front of him, was Miah, and he loved her so much that if this was his end, he would happily accept it as long as she was by his side. The last thing he heard was her voice echo in his silence, 'Taeyong, hey, stay with me. Stay...' and the last image he saw was hers, lighting up his dark sky.

'Taeyong...please stay...' Miah said, but he couldn't hear her anymore.