𝐞-𝐛𝐨𝐲. ↬ k. taehyung

-. .xxix.

This felt too easy.

The caul-de-sac was deathly silent, all houses baron of life... except for one. Three houses from the end, there was a car outside. Quietly, she crept up to the car and placed her palm against the hood, pursing her lips. It was still warm.

It hadn't been long since the engine was turned off.

Looking up at the house in front of her, she watched the windows carefully, looking for any telltale signs of movements. After a long pause where she could hear nothing but her own uneven breaths and she could see nothing other than the soft whisps of the icy breeze rustling the trees, she started to move again.

She followed the outline of the house until she was in the backyard, as she did, the silver glow of the moon broke through the wall of murky clouds, casting a soft, yet slightly ominous hue over the overgrown yard. It looked like the scene from a childhood nightmare, and to be frank, she wouldn't be surprised if she were to see towering shadows stalking across the the glassy moonlight.

Inhaling through her, she took a moment to brace herself before she tried her luck with the back door. Perhaps the alarm bells should have rang then, when it opened with ease. Perhaps she should have become more alert that this was far too easy, especially when it seemed as though her opponent always seemed to be two steps ahead of her.

But none of that crossed her mind. As she stepped past the threshold of the home, the crumbles of glass grinding beneath every hesitant step, it felt as though she left her rationality at the door. Her only focal point was saving her best friend, even if it meant she was willingly taking Yoongi's bait. Squinting, she felt a chill ran down her spine at the abandoned furniture filling up the building which was once a home, coats still hung on the stand, a couch faced an empty TV stand, a glass still sat on the coffee table.

It was like time had stopped in this house the moment Yoongi's sister died.

Soojin's eyes suddenly lit up when she looked over at the knife block on the kitchen counter. Walking on her tip-toes, she drew the largest blade and tightened her grip on the hilt so the plastic rubbed harshly against her knuckles before she continued to walk through the house, only stopping when she heard a slight noise coming from upstairs.

Swallowing the bile burning in her throat, she headed up the stairs, walking on the outside so she didn't disturb the worn wood to give away her position. The stairs opened up into a dark, narrow hallway, void of any natural light, Soojin could barely make out the indents of each room in the wall. With her free hand, she used the wall to guide her down without stumbling, her fingertips brushing at the peeling wallpaper.

Her head was hammering in her chest, her stomach churning with the threat of bringing up food she hadn't even eaten. Her toes curled in her shoes and she gritted her teeth to keep her breathing shallow. Truth be told, she was absolutely terrified and way out of her capability by being there on her own. She knew it, she just didn't want to acknowledge it.

Hoseok couldn't wait.

Her hand dipped, dropping to smooth finish of a wooden door and she lowered her grip to the handle, slowly twisting until it opened. The room offered more light than the hallway, but unlike the lower half of the house, the room was bare of furniture, stripped even of the shelves that once used to suspend against the cornflour blue walls. It was impossible to tell whose room it was, but Soojin decided against dwelling once and continued her search for her best friend.

With each opened door, more moonlight streamed through the hallway, and as she approached the second to last door at the end, she no longer needed to use the wall for aid.

Her hand reached for the handle when she heard a slight muffled noise coming from inside and her eyes widened. Holding the knife in a vice-like grip, she opened the door as fast as she could, hoping to give herself the upper hand, but the smaller box room only supplied one thing in the middle.

A man slumped over in a chair. Hoseok.

Taken by surprise, Soojin gasped before running to his side, falling to her knees as her hands scooped the sides of his face, lifting it up, "Hobi? Hey, hey, wake up," Her words came out in a breathless fluster, her eyes taking in the dried blood that ran down the left side of his face, his matted hair and swollen eye.

This was her fault.

Squeezing her eyes shut for a second, she reopened them, hoping to collect her thoughts as she shook him lightly, causing the male to grunt with a wince as he slowly opened the one eye was that wasn't puckered shut.

He looked startled for a moment, breathing uneven as he tried to sit up, but the restraints around his abdomen and hands prevented the action and just as he was about to scream, his eyes met hers and he froze.

"Wh..." He stammered, mouth ajar as his frightened gaze scanned the room, "What are you doing? Get out of here!" He hissed, voice croaky and raw from over exertion, "Soojin, this—"

"Save your energy," She interrupted, knowing the next words that were to come from his lips would only terrify her more, "I'm getting us out of here." Without further warning, she used the knife to cut away at the rope on his wrists, and then the one that kept him tied to the chair. Hooking an arm over her shoulders, she tried to help him too his feet, but he was larger than she was and they stumbled with the first step.

"Soojin," Hoseok pleaded, eyes glistening with unshed tears, "He's still here."

a/n

this chapter is dead wordy
but it's bc i'm listening to the
strangers from hell soundtrack
and idk, it gets me in the mood
😈

i think you'll be pleased to know,
this story has almost run its course and
we're almost at the goddamn end.

so then i can begin another story keke

thank you for reading