The Beginnings | Dotae

13.0 | A Turning Point

Darkness shrouded Doyoung's vision and he looked frantically from left to right. Something was moving just out of sight. His heart beat rapidly against his rib cage and Doyoung couldn't help the ragged huffs of breath that came out in visible puffs of smoke.

Fear gripped all of his senses and he couldn't get his head to think straight. He looked left and right but all that surrounded him was miles and miles of darkness. He lifted his trembling hand up to his face but he couldn't even make out the outline.

Tears pricked against his eyelids as his breathing became more panicked. He could feel eyes boring into the back of his head but when he turned they moved to remain behind him. But he couldn't help but tremble as his head moved, scared that someone, something would be standing there in front of him when he looked back.

His head turned shakily to the left as he heard footsteps coming closer to him. He let out a strangled cry as a hand shot out from the blinding darkness. The fingers crushed tightly around his throat and his hand shot up to scrape and pull at the gloved hand, trying desperately to get away.

No.

No.

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't- he couldn't bre-brea-

Doyoung shot up covered in sweat, tears streaming down his face as two hands shook at his arms. Panic seized him at the unfamiliar hands and his palm shot out, pushing the head of the person away from him with as much force as he could. He scrambled back, stumbling off of his mattress and backed into the corner of his room, crouching into a ball.

"Doyoung, jeez, Doyoung it's me, Donghyeon, your brother," his brother bit out, groaning in pain and Doyoung's head peaked up from his arms nervously at the voice. His brother? He looked over the bed from where he was sitting in the corner and saw his brother clutching his nose while wincing.

He shakily got to his feet, walking around his bed to put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "S-sorry, I didn't know it was you. I had, uh, I had a nightmare." His brother took his hand away from his face and winced, turning to Doyoung with a reassuring smile.

"It's not your fault, I know what happened yesterday was traumatic. It's going to take some time to heal from that." His brother pulled him into a tight hug, slowly soothing Doyoung's still shaking frame. Doyoung tucked his head into Donghyeon's shoulder, the tears starting to roll down his face.

After a couple of minutes, Doyoung was wrapped in a blanket sitting on his bed with his brother standing in front of him, arms crossed. "No," Doyoung said firmly.

"Why won't you just go to the police Doyoung? That guy is still out there!" His brother argued and Doyoung shook his head, tugging the blanket closer around his body.

"I don't even know what the guy looks like! He was wearing a mask, I wouldn't be able to tell them anything of subsistence." Doyoung pointed out and his brother looked at him like he was stupid.

"Doyoung, you could at least tell them so they can put an alert out for the area. It could help other people to keep an eye out so they're not attacked as well," Doyoung hesitated at this. He didn't want the same to happen to anyone else. His brother seemed to pick up on his hesitation and he sat next to Doyoung, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, the police station a couple of blocks down opens at 7 okay? It's six-thirty now so you could head down there and get in first thing so it won't take as long."

Doyoung paused before nodding, looking at the clock nervously. "You're coming with me right?"

"I...can't," his brother said slowly and Doyoung turned to look at the other in surprise, "I have work at 7:30 and I have to leave around 7 to get there on time." Doyoung blinked slowly. Was his brother seriously suggesting that he leave and walk down the street that he was just attacked on by himself?