HEART AND STEEL

Chapter Five: In Circles

It was sunset, it would soon be dark. Taehyung looked around, shifting his body in different positions. His hands were tied behind his back now and he had no way to escape. The man had taken him deeper into the mall, into a closed down store. The entry was covered in the metal gate, there was no way anyone could see in or out. The man had all the items in the store pushed to the corners, a makeshift fire in the middle. Taehyung didn't know if that was a fire hazard but he didn't say anything.

"Hey! When are you going to let me go!" Taehyung yelled instead. "It's already been hours and I haven't shifted yet." The man turned his head towards Taehyung, eyes looking from his feet to his head, nodding. "You're right, you haven't turned. You must've been telling the truth then." "Of course I was telling the truth, why would I say a lie when my life is on the line?" The man chuckled as he turned his entire body towards Taehyung. "Well, with a hair like that, who knows what nonsense you're saying." "Excuse you?! My hair is beautiful." The man laughed, throwing his head back when Taehyung responded.

"It sure is. Haven't seen that hairstyle since I was in my late thirties. Damn, how long has that been." "Late thirties? So you're forty-?" The man stood silent as Taehyung began counting. "Why the hell do you wanna know my age?" "Well. . . it's a way to stop the silence since you don't wanna let me go." Taehyung responded, a pout on his lips. The man tsked, shaking his head as he rolled his eyes. "I'm forty nine." Taehyung's eyes widened, pout turning into a smile. "I'm twenty seven." "Good for you. Now then, what will I do with you I wonder." He said, making Taehyung pout again.

"You can let me go." "Nah, I won't gain anything from letting you go." Taehyung exhaled, leaning his head to the side. "Look. . . I can give you the injection. . . the cure. Let me go and then I'll go get it and come back." The man seemed to be thinking for a bit before he shook his head, biting his bottom lip. "No. . . you'll just run off. How can I trust you, the person who I almost killed, to come back after I let him go? Not a chance kid." "I'm not a kid, I already said I'm twenty seven." "Doesn't matter, you're younger than me so you're a kid." The man once again turned his body to look at the fire, ignoring Taehyung's whines and groans.

It was after about fifteen minutes that Taehyung decided to talk again. "Look. . . old man, I'm a person of my word. Let me go and I'll come back with the cure. I know I'm a stranger but I know you're not a bad person. A bad person would already kill me or do alot of other things to me but you. . . you're not bad." The man turned his head at his words, an eyebrow lifted up as Taehyung exhaled once more. "Look. . . I know it's hard to trust me but. . . I'll get the cure, I promise."

The man stared into Taehyung's eyes for a bit, eyes shifting from one to the other. In the end, he sighed, he placed his head in his hands, letting out a deep sigh. ". . . fuck it." He stood up and grabbed his dagger, making Taehyung's eyes go wide. He closed his eyes tightly but reopened them when he felt the tape on his hands being cut, wrist feeling much better than before. He was about to turn his head to thank the stranger when the man placed his hand on the back of Taehyung's neck, fingers grasping his hair, pulling his head back.