Explosions. They were all you heard. All you felt. All you saw.
They made your head pulse, the constant overwhelming noise pouring into your ears like a tidal wave. Your brain throbbed painfully. Your hands flew to your ears to try to block out the cacophony surrounding you from all sides, pressing in. Suffocating.
Your body shook. No... The world shook. Everything around you seemed to rise up in a fiery mass, leaving behind nothing but a tragic downpour of debris. Debris that connected with the pavement harshly and stung your skin if you were unfortunate enough to be caught in its path. As soon as any of it hit the ground, a plume of dust and other matter rose, coating the air until your mind had almost convinced you a layer of fog hung in the atmosphere. Then the dust was breathed in none too gently. Around you, several of your comrades had either gagged on the vicious taste, or impulsively launched into a violent coughing fit once the unnatural form of oxygen smothered their lungs.
Your skin burned. The pain was almost unbearable yet your feet kept pushing you further and further ahead, desperate to outrun the chaos. Learning fast, you buried your nose and mouth in the scarf you had acquired from Minhyuk. He had pulled you aside just as the group was distributing supplies before leaving. Everyone had dressed for the worse, layering on anything that could potentially help them in the long run, but Minhyuk insisted on giving you the scarf that had been draped haphazardly around his neck. You obliged with a smile. At the time, you never would have expected such a simple piece of clothing to be useful. Right now, it was the most precious item you owned as it was the only thing keeping you alive.
Your eyes watered. It was damn near impossible to see anything around you. All your senses had dulled considerably from the commotion ensuing on all sides. The waterworks were threatening to dampen your cheeks, but you had no idea if they were caused by the billowing dust or an overload of emotions. Probably both.
How did we get here? Your mind screamed at you. Heavy breaths were getting caught in your throat. What happened? What went wrong?
It was foolish to even ask, especially since the answer came in a blaze of smoke and fire and destruction that erupted sporadically from all sides.
They were prepared.
Without warning, a hand grabbed your arm roughly and yanked you backwards. Panic instantly flared across your senses and you swung your arm around blindly as you prayed your fist would connect with something solid so you could escape. You wouldn't allow yourself to lose this early in the game. You couldn't.
But then the ground that you were about to run over moments before exploded in a tsunami of fire and smoke. The dirt and dust flying into the air stung your eyes and caused your vision to blur while both you and the person still holding your arm were thrown back from the force. Sharp pain coursed through your shoulder as you connected with the pavement several feet away.
You hardly had time to process anything—not even the growing agony enveloping your side—before you were being pulled to your feet once again. Instinctively, you started struggling wildly to break out of your captor's strong grip.
"Hey, hey, hey," a hoarse voice choked out. You froze, your eyes widening as your head whipped around to finally catch a glimpse of their face. Wonho. He noticed the fearful, almost malicious glint in your eye that reminded him too much of a cornered animal ready to kill. Then your eyes softened upon recognizing Wonho's kind expression, worry etched into his features.
Your breathing came out heavy, partially from running and partially from the panic that sent your senses into overdrive. You had almost died. You had almost died and Wonho saved you. Just three or four more steps and you would have been blown into pieces. The idea made your head spin and your legs weak. You could feel the sting of bile rising in your throat.
Without warning you threw your arms around him, body shaking from the shock.
"Thank you," you cried into his shoulder. Nothing felt normal. You had been running for God knows how long ever since the explosions started. You never looked back to see who else was running. You never looked back once. For all you knew, a friend could have died. Guilt tugged at your heart as the last thought made its way to the front of your mind.
"You would have done the same for me," he smiled. You pulled away to see part of his face covered in a thick mixture of blood and grime. His blonde hair was a disheveled mess, the tips visibly singed. Clothes hung from his frame, clearly not spared from the harsh environment either. Soot from the air plastered the fabric in thick layers and a large rip ran from the top of his shoulder to the elbow of his jacket sleeve, exposing the ragged shirt underneath.
"Oh my god," Jooheon ran up to the two of you, Changkyun close on his heels. "Oh my god, are you two alright?"
The reunion was dramatic to say the least. Jooheon wrapped Wonho in a hug that left his ribs close to crushed. Changkyun was less expressive, yet his eyes shone in relief as he gave your shoulder a small, comforting squeeze accompanied with a smile. Jooheon released a sputtering Wonho and reached out to envelop you in a warm embrace that would melt away the terror still running rampant through your veins.
You couldn't help it. You flinched. You jerked away from him; from his warmth. He tried to reach for you—for your pain—but you just... couldn't. And you knew his heart was filled with the most loving intentions, yet past actions had resurfaced in your mind, causing your body to move without thinking; drawing away and curling in on yourself as the fear crept back into your heart—digging, clawing, and refusing to let go.
Jooheon noticed. You saw the realization reach his eyes before anything else, first flashing with confusion before several other emotions—hurt, guilt, sympathy, understanding—clouded his irises. Your distance was torture, that much was for sure, but he knew better. He backed off. He gave you space. He didn't question. Because he knew it was his fault. He broke your trust, inflicted wounds, and you needed time to suture them until they healed. If they healed.
So he withdrew, his hands moving slowly into fists at his sides as if he had to control the urge to reach for you again. He opted to give you a small smile, but you noticed with a heavy heart that it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Where are the others?" Wonho broke the awkward tension, side-eyeing you and Jooheon suspiciously. You could tell he wanted to ask about the sudden behavior change, but you avoided his gaze.
"We don't know," Changkyun rasped out. "We've been following you two, but we were lucky we could even keep pace with all that crap blowing up in our faces."
Wonho's brows furrowed in confusion. Your head whipped up as well. No one else had shown up, you realized, it was just the four of you. A strange calm descended upon the rubble surrounding your group, throwing the world into an unsettling silence. Only ash and dust hovered in the air, no longer disturbed by the force of stone and flame.
"So we're..." you started, eyes wide. Panic seized your lungs as your disturbed thoughts drifted to Minhyuk, Hyungwon, Kihyun, and Shownu. And what you imagined was nothing short of cruelty.
"Split up? It appears so."
* * *
"HEY!"
"You again?"
"LET ME GO-"
Kihyun's loud protests were cut off as the sound of fighting broke out in the distance. It was loud; echoing off cold, broken buildings and rubble that littered every inch of space in the deserted street. Those houses used to be warm; occupied. Civilians used to be happy and free to enjoy their life. A life where peace was an option. But Hyungwon shuddered to think of what happened to those people.
Hearing his friends' painful cries made Hyungwon lurch viciously out of the horrors that plagued his mind. But he seemed to just leap from one nightmare into another. A chorus of distorted shouts made it clear that Kihyun and Shownu were in serious trouble. He rose up, ready to run and help, but a hand gripped his jacket collar and yanked him back down.
"No," Minhyuk hissed through clenched teeth, his tone taking a warning edge despite his attempts to remain quiet.
"Why not?" Hyungwon whispered frantically. His eyes flicked up instinctively when another cry sounded in the distance. Only this time it was more pitiful—like a wounded animal. However, his gaze was met by the crumbling brick wall of what appeared to be the underside of a bridge. He and Minhyuk had taken cover shortly after the explosions began, almost immediately losing sight of the others. Shownu and Kihyun had been right behind them, but evidently got lost in the thick debris that clouded the air. Although it broke his heart to be separated from his friends, he knew it was the only way everyone would be able to survive. Or so he thought. Now he wasn't so sure it was the right decision.
"Because," Minhyuk glared at him. "You're the one those soldiers are looking for. Kihyun and Shownu will be kept alive only because there's a chance they can help find you. But as soon as you're found, they'll be useless and they'll be killed."
Hyungwon froze, frustrated that Minhyuk was right.
"We need to move," Minhyuk insisted hastily, grabbing his friend's hand and pulling him in the opposite direction. "We need to get as far away from them as possible. We need to stay safe. If you're safe, they're safe. Trust me."
"But... how can we just... just leave them?" Hyungwon sputtered, wrenching his hand away. Although the jumbled nerves in his gut started twisting uncontrollably, he stayed rooted to his spot near the wall. A low rumble shook the ground, but it was so subtle that Hyungwon barely noticed it. Minhyuk didn't feel it either, instead eyeing Hyungwon wearily and unsure of what to do. Another shout sounded that reverberated, but neither of the boys knew if the source came from friend or foe.
"We need to leave. Now."
Hyungwon cast his eyes downward, avoiding Minhyuk's sharp gaze. A battle between anger and fear raged inside Minhyuk's body, gnawing at his gut and pounding against his skull. He knew that time was an issue and they were running short. Sooner or later, they would be either dead or caught. Both options made him nauseous, adding to the growing frustration that was seconds away from sending him into a frenzy.
"Don't you see?" Minhyuk flinched at the harsh tone his voice possessed, pausing to gather his sanity with a deep breath before he said something he'd regret. He didn't need to scare his friend. He just needed to make him understand. "Shownu and Kihyun won't be any safer with us than they are with the soldiers. Right now, we're in a ring of abandoned city outside of the main one. The military must be using it as a line of defense in case someone tries to escape. They planted bombs in the ground almost everywhere and anyone who doesn't know will most likely die. But guess what? Only the military knows where the bombs are located because they were the bastards who hid them. They obviously made a route free of explosives and have a way to navigate it. If Shownu and Kihyun travel with them, they'll be led on a path that's completely out of harm's way."
Hyungwon's tense shoulders eased slightly, but his eyes radiated agony and uncertainty.
"We, on the other hand, are a different matter," Minhyuk continued, watching as his friend started pacing in the limited area they were given for shelter. Which was not a lot. "We don't know where the explosives are. We need to be careful. We'll be slow and we'll be constantly at risk, but we'll find a way."
Hyungwon spun on his heel, finally allowing his piercing gaze to bore into Minhyuk.
"But what if they try to kill them? What if you're wrong and they don't care about me enough to keep our friends alive?"
An exaggerated sigh of exasperation left Minhyuk's chapped lips. "There's a reason Shownu is our leader. You need to have more faith in him. He'll find a way to keep the two of them alive... I promise."
At this point, promises meant nothing to Hyungwon. The boy who had been repeatedly torn apart by the seams had made many many vows in his life—both to himself and to his friends—but most of them had been empty. Hollow. A way to gloss over the hidden pain that was slowly killing him from the inside out.
The shutter of a breath followed by a dry swallow. "I...I don't..."
"What is there to not understand?!" Minhyuk growled, his eyes glinting with annoyance as he threw up his hands in annoyance. "I get that you're scared, but you need to trust us!"
His words held weight. Weight that seemed to latch onto Hyungwon the second they reached his ears, causing his shoulders to slump and his movements to slow. Minhyuk definitely regretted the way his statement burst out of him so uncontrollably, but fear was overpowering his senses; sending his mind into overdrive. But only one thought screamed at him repeatedly within his already throbbing brain: MOVE NOW. So far, he had been successful at keeping his flight instincts at bay, but the line was thinning fast.
Minhyuk scoffed, ineffectively wiping a dark spot of grime from his cheek. "Whatever... stay here if that's what you want. But just know that you're risking their lives too. I for one know that they'll find a way to survive without your intervention. So yeah... they're not the ones I'm worried about."
Hyungwon's eyes widened as he watched his friend step out of his reach and out from under the archway. For the smallest millisecond, his gaze drifted to a small light that blinked wickedly at him from beneath a layer of ash and dirt. He didn't even notice it at first, almost dismissing it as a mind trick, but the realization hit him like a smack in the face. His stomach sunk to his feet like a stone in water as he recognized the object of death hidden in the surrounding chaos.
Minhyuk was heading straight towards it.
Instantly, Hyungwon sprang to his feet and lunged at the darkened figure, stretching his hand out in a desperate attempt to grab him before he made the biggest mistake of his life. And his last.
"NO-"
Minhyuk didn't even reach it.
A gunshot was heard before the blast came, but neither of the boys were prepared for the force that threw them backwards. Time seemed to slow. Their bodies hovered in midair several feet above the ground, fire and gravel simultaneously whipping across the grungy surface of their exposed skin.
Minhyuk sensed something tightening around his abdomen, involuntarily twisting him around as his body flew uncontrollably towards the hard surface of the ground. Yet to his surprise, he never received the broken bones accompanied by excruciating pain. Instead, his body was met with something softer, although the harsh impact still managed to steal the oxygen from his lungs. A grunt could be heard as his body's momentum kept moving, ripping away the comforting pressure that had engulfed his back. The pain came stronger the second time he met the ground, body skidding wildly across the rocky expanse and adding a harsh layer of scrapes, cuts, and bruises that weren't going to heal kindly.
When his movement finally stopped with an agonizingly hard collision, he groaned and curled into himself in an effort to nurse his injured limbs. But with limited mobility, he could only manage to turn himself onto his back. A loud ring echoed in Minhyuk's ears from the explosion and—as if proving his eardrum had indeed been ruptured—warm liquid began to trickle down his ear and neck, staining his pale hair scarlet.
Minhyuk's body was in terrible shape. That much was completely obvious. Blood decorated his skin from multiple cuts—both deep and shallow—that sunk into the white of his clothes, every wound ruthlessly stung from dirt and grime getting caught in the open gashes, everything ached to the point of numbness, his breathing came out in choked gasps, and all hearing had completely disappeared in one bloody ear.
But no matter the amount of pain, as soon as Minhyuk gained back the ability to think properly, he forced himself to move. Heavy eyelids tore open, blinking rapidly to adjust to the additional dust hovering in the atmosphere and stinging his eyes. He carefully pushed himself up into a sitting position with shaky hands. Around him, barely anything moved. The dust settled quickly to reveal that Minhyuk had landed next to the overhang he and his friend used for shelter not even minutes prior. However, the explosion had caused the structure to cave and a mass of crumbled bricks, stone, and wood collected underneath what remained intact. In the center of the mess, a figure in white lay splayed out among the rubble.
"Hyungwon," Minhyuk gargled out hoarsely, voice almost completely gone. His legs screamed at him to stop, but he scrambled desperately to his feet despite his body's protests. "H-Hyungwon!"
Minhyuk's steps were short as he half-stumbled half-limped to his brother's side. It wasn't easy. Crawling over the piles of wreckage proved to be a difficult task. The constant pins and needles in his limbs didn't help at all either.
Even with his injuries, Minhyuk cleared the distance quickly as the soldiers were no doubt on their way due to the commotion. He loomed over Hyungwon's limp frame, observing the damage his body had undergone. From farther away, Hyungwon appeared to not be breathing, but up close his breaths were coming out in small, ragged gasps that were just barely enough to keep him alive. Minhyuk's brows furrowed in confusion. Hyungwon's injuries didn't appear to be fatal enough to cause trouble with his breathing, but if there was something wrong with his organs... Minhyuk shook his head and squinted as he scanned his friend once more. He squinted when his eyes caught something scarlet. Minhyuk noticed a stream of sticky liquid trickling down the bed of rocks beneath Hyungwon's head.
Minhyuk's eyes widened. Oh no...
Instantly, Minhyuk crept closer and cradled his brother's face in his hands. Shaking him a bit in desperation, tears began welling in his eyes.
"Hyungwon," he choked out. "Please, please..."
The tips of his fingers brushed over Hyungwon's skin as salty droplets began to mix with the blood on Hyungwon's cheeks, creating torrents that snaked down his face like mini rivers.
His time is running out, came an urgent voice in Minhyuk's head, piercing through the cold bitterness that turned his entire world black. But it's not over. You saved him once... save him again.
Minhyuk's head jerked up as he immediately fumbled with his jacket, scouring the pockets until his fingers came into contact with his target and yanked it out. A vibrant, blue flower rested delicately in the palm of his outstretched hand.
He wasted no time, promptly holding the herb up to Hyungwon's mouth.
"Eat this, Hyungwon," Minhyuk whispered. "Please, if you can hear me at all right now, you have to eat this. It's the only way to save you... The only way..."
Several seconds passed. Voices in the distance grew close, but Minhyuk didn't care. His focus remained solely on his friend as he waited for some sort of reaction; some sort of sign to prove that Hyungwon understood his pleading words.
Then Hyungwon's lips parted slightly, giving just enough room for Minhyuk to place the almost-fluorescent flower inside his mouth before they closed over the raw medicine. Two or three chews, a swallow, then nothing except his shallow breaths; all while Minhyuk watched intently for consciousness.
Now, Minhyuk could only wait for the medicine to kick in which could take minutes or hours depending on the strength of the dose. So he propped himself up against the side of the tunnel and rested Hyungwon's head comfortably in his lap, allowing the dwindling flow of blood soak into his not-so-white pants.
* * *
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" You questioned wearily, your gaze panning the surrounding wreckage.
Wonho shot a worried glance in your direction. "You heard it. They have to be somewhere nearby. We need to get to them before the soldiers do."
Changkyun placed his hand on your shoulder to reassure you. Jooheon shot you a small smile, keeping his distance. You searched both of their expressions for any sign of uncertainty, but found none. However, hearing the distant blast and sensing the ground shake not even minutes prior must have struck a nerve in Wonho. The fear was evident in his eyes as he swiveled around to run in the opposite direction. He wanted to find the others.
"But-" Your lip quivered despite the lack of tears in your eyes. "What if they were caught alrea-?"
"NO!" Wonho growled as his eyes squeezed shut in distress. His legs started moving faster, forcing the rest of you to pick up pace behind him. "Don't say that... they're safe. They have to be..."
Changkyun met your gaze sympathetically. You could tell that the same questions were swimming around in his head even though he didn't voice them out loud.
Jooheon jumped in, a mixture of fear and unease etched across his features. "She's got a point though," he pressed cautiously. You couldn't tell if he was taking your side as a way to earn back your favor, or if he genuinely had the same concerns as you. "You're right we need to find them, but we can't just rush into things or else we won't be any better off than they are!"
"Wonho," Changkyun called. "We still need to be careful. There are still explosives hidden-"
"I don't care!" Wonho cried out. Your anxiety skyrocketed when he threw himself into a sprint, dodging large pieces of destroyed brick and metal. "We need to find them! We need to help!"
"Yes but-"
"There shouldn't even be an argument!" A shrill, unnatural sound ripped from his throat as he pushed himself forward even more. You hesitated slightly, completely taken aback by Wonho's behavior. To you, he was bordering on the edge of insanity especially since he had never shown this much fear in all the years you had known him. Nothing had driven him to this level of despair. Until now. Looking back, even Changkyun and Jooheon's confusion was evident as they seemed to be at a loss of understanding Wonho's strange behavior contrast to his usually composed personality.
"WONHO!" A burst of adrenaline allowed Changkyun the extra steps needed to catch up with the blonde, grabbing his arm and yanking him backwards harshly. "Calm down! You're going to get yourself killed!"
Your eyes widened and your feet stumbled to a stop as Wonho's face came into view. Although the darkness had drowned out details, you could still see the outline of his shoulders as they heaved up and down from running and the sobbing that had completely overtaken him.
All he needed was a friend's solid grip to keep him grounded on this earth; to bring him back from the murky abyss of overwhelming sorrow. Wonho latched onto Changkyun instantly, burying his face into the younger's shoulder. Changkyun completely froze. His eyes grew wide with shock, clearly unsure of how to react. Then his expression softened into a small smile as he wrapped his arms around Wonho, returning the oddly affectionate embrace.
"It's just..." When Wonho lifted his head, your breath hitched. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. "...we didn't have anyone. We lost everything. But we rose up out of nothing and found others we can depend on. People who've held each other up and became a true family. We not only learned how to survive, but also to love what we managed to gain in this terrible, messed up world. I don't..."
Wonho almost crumpled to the ground. Changkyun tightened his grip on Wonho's arms, keeping the blonde from toppling over. "I don't want to lose that. The love. The family. I don't want our brothers to die and for us to live, it's... it's not fair. I'd never forgive myself knowing that I didn't try to do anything to save them."
Jooheon moved forward to help Changkyun, but you gestured furiously for him to stay back. This was a moment that needed to be shared only between the two boys, and you had a feeling that Changkyun was probably the sole person capable of successfully calming Wonho. Jooheon listened to you with a bob of his head, turning to stand a good distance behind your line of sight.
"I completely understand," Changkyun soothed. You had never heard him use this tone of voice before and realized it was comforting in a way. "Really... I do. Kihyun had been a part of our family since before our group was even formed. Losing him would be especially painful."
Wonho's eyes squeezed shut as if hearing the truth for the first time. Changkyun pressed, "But right now, we can't lose our heads. We need to focus and plan instead of rushing in."
With a hesitating sniff, Wonho nodded sullenly.
Changkyun stood straight, allowing Wonho's grip to slip away. "I can lead us back to them."
Another nod.
Wonho slunk to the side, eyes still focused on the millions of stone and glass shards underneath the toes of his boots. As Changkyun stepped past him, he finally lifted his head, gaze matching with the younger's. A smile of encouragement graced his face and he lightly touched Changkyun's back in a maternal manner as he passed.
"What the-" A loud growl reverberated from behind you before a loud yelp took its place. You whipped around to see Jooheon in the dirt nursing an injured knee, two guns aimed at his head. The wielders were clad completely in black, almost melting into the surrounding darkness. But you recognized their uniforms immediately. Fear pulsed through your veins as your heart rate increased until you could hear pounding mixing with Jooheon's groans.
"No! Jooheon!" Wonho was already throwing himself in their direction before you could properly react, desperate to rip them apart with his bare hands. A shadowed figure grabbed your neck from behind just as you tensed to run to Jooheon's aid, throwing you off balance before spinning you around and landing a harsh punch to your gut.
The shock hit you more than the nausea at first; nothing except blinding white pain searing through your body. All sound was robbed from your throat, constricted and forcing your mouth to gape without inhaling any oxygen. You fell in a crumpled heap onto the ground, your arms wrapped instinctively around your abdomen. Seconds later, your stomach emptied all of its minimal contents. The memory of what you last ate completely slipped from your mind—not that it mattered—but you were almost certain from the little you could see that you had coughed up blood as well.
You were hardly given enough time to dwell on the thought, torn from the ground by the same unrelenting hand. Your wits hadn't completely returned yet, although the cold metal of a gun barrel pressed harshly against your head was enough to force reality back into your brain.
"Let them go you bastards!" The menacing undertone laced throughout Wonho's voice was nothing except a facade; an empty threat. The amount of uniforms doubled within seconds, and Wonho was subdued without much trouble despite his considerable attempts struggling and the long string of cuss words spitting rapidly out of his mouth. Changkyun gave in fairly soon, not willing to suffer a bullet to the head after how far they've come already. However, his hard eyes still held a dangerous glint and his mask of indifference returned, once again leaving his expression difficult to read.
The chaos was over as soon as it had begun, a wave of silence descending upon the small squad that had your friends overpowered. Suddenly, your captor straightened behind you and the gun pressed harder into your already throbbing skull as a tall man strode into your line of vision with a scowl.
A very familiar scowl.
"Hmmm..." The officer scanned all four of you up and down with a scrutinizing glare, unimpressed at the grungy fabric hanging from your charred, thin frames. The group must have been a pathetic sight to him. Jooheon was now sitting up—still grasping his knee tightly—and his face had drained of color, leaving him sickly pale. Wonho was attempting to wrangle free of his captors although his efforts had become weaker and weaker. Changkyun quietly kneeled, his face calm and his eyes sharp as he surveyed the damage your group had undergone in a matter of minutes. A thin sheen of sweat coated your skin—an aftereffect of your bruised stomach—and you shivered uncontrollably. All of you had cold metal pressed to your heads. All of them aimed to kill. Mustering as much hatred as you could, you lifted your head to meet the officer's gaze.
With a snort of contempt, the man turned on his heel to face another of his comrades who instantly adjusted his posture when cruel eyes landed on him.
"Has Chae's boy been found yet?" Their leader demanded, gesturing to the plastic device hanging securely around the soldier's waist.
"Not yet sir, but they have two of his accomplices in custody."
Wonho's head jerked up, eyes wild. "No-!" he sputtered.
Instantly, the officer rounded on him, wasting no time delivering a painful blow to his face. You flinched. Wonho's head whipped to the side, reminding you all too well of the exchange between Hyungwon and his father. Several different shades of red and purple began to blossom across Wonho's skin and blending with the injuries already present. A river of scarlet snaked out from the corner of his lips and dripped onto the gravel. Wonho couldn't help but shrink back, his shoulders slumping in defeat and his head hanging low.
"Right," said the leader, rubbing his wrist and turning to address his team. "We've got what we need."
Just as he was about to leave, he caught Changkyun's spiteful glare. With a merciless smirk, his eyes drifted until they landed on you.
"Let's see how many times we can break you before he comes running."
So haHA I'm back again before I disappear once more into the vortex of chaos called life, but I'm leaving ya'll with another update before I take another 3 to 5 months writing the new chapter. This chapter was a bit long though—way longer than my other chapters—and I'm sorry if there's parts that feel rushed.
I would also like to take a moment to apologize to one of my readers... I promised I was going to update before the end of October and that didn't happen unfortunately, but we're here now and I hope this chapter was worth the wait, love. ❤️
So good news (or bad depending on how you look at it I guess lol)... this book only has two more chapters before it's all done! There's still a lot left to cover, but I think some of you had been wondering who I'm pairing the reader with? I'll be honest when I say that I wasn't originally planning on pairing her with anyone specific, but I change things a lot and I do have something in mind for it.
Yup great stuff 👌
Anyways... now for the excuses, but this time I'm going to try to unsuccessfully keep it short: uhhh school, college applications, theater (that's literally dying so idk how it even manages to snag so much time from me), art, and kind of that tv series filming I mentioned last time? I'm still in it, but because I live in the land of bipolar weather, we now have to wait to film until April I believe. So I most likely will have the book done by then. Also idk if any of you guys are into this as well, but i've been doing a lot of cosplay recently so that takes some time, too.
(Just a side note: if anyone is interested in checking out that web series, it's called "Northbound" and it's on a site called "SeekaTV")
Anyways, I'm not going to promise a specific date when the next chapter will be up because we all know I'm terrible at following through, but just know that I appreciate everyone's support and I hope you'll all be patient for what's coming next 😊❤️
Love you all!