Absently, Yoongi brushed away some of the dust on his shoulder as he slipped in between the trees. The darkness was his friend, welcoming him in its cold embrace.
He kept walking until he reached the abandoned Lee family mansion. The grass crackled underneath his shoes, dried out from the intense summer sun. It had grown thick and unkempt, almost black in the twilight.
As easily as if it were daylight, Yoongi's eyes quickly identified where the mansion used to be. His gaze cast over the enormous oak tree by the destroyed building, looming proudly in the middle of the gigantic property.
Flashbacks from that night when it all turned into ashes ran through his mind, and he willingly let himself take a trip down memory lane.
[ flashback ]
- one year ago -
"You fucking piece of shit!" Yoongi roared, refusing to relinquish his grip on Hyukjae's collar as he sent his head slamming right into the wall. His chest heaved with the unleashed fury.
"Look at you, I never knew you could get that angry." Hyukjae still found enough strength to bite back, although wincing through the pain.
"You promised!" Yoongi spat out fiercely, whipping around and dragging Hyukjae with himself before letting go of him and sending him toppling forward. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way!"
He prowled towards him, nostrils flaring like those of an infuriated bull.
"If I'm not mistaken, you agreed to this." Hyukjae sneered, voice full of mockery, wiping the blood from his swollen lip.
Enraged, Yoongi pushed him back towards the wall again. Hyukjae wasn't fighting back.
"We planned all of this, remember? The fire was supposed to happen today." he reminded, breathing heavily.
"But she wasn't supposed to be there!" Yoongi thundered, blind rage destroying him from the inside.
"Now, now," Hyukjae said with mockingly exaggerated concern. "See, it's not my fault that my sister likes to sleep in." His evil smirk made Yoongi's blood boil, the malice pouring from every fiber of his body.
Not now, he thought to himself. He'd deal with the scumbag later. Every second he spent here with him was a second closer to Aera's death.
"You knew," Yoongi accused, dark eyes narrowed to thin slits, full of disdain. "You knew she would be there today. You went behind my back and for that you shall pay." He threatened, too furious to notice the fear flashing in Hyukjae's silver eyes.
Hyukjae merely shrugged. "I thought you'd be happy. I'd say I did the right thing," he said with utter nonchalance, picking his nails, not caring to acknowledge the fact that there was a thin bloody line on his forehead. "The arson was pre-planned, and she was supposed to die anyway. So it's like killing two birds with one stone." He beamed, a psychotic glint scintillating in his eyes.
"Not yet!" Yoongi yelled, hands clutching into tight fists as he fought the urge to lay another punch on Hyukjae's arrogant face.
But it would be a waste of time. Hastily, he lunged for the door and flew out into the night. Faster. He had to be quick. He broke into a run for his car, stomping on the gas pedal once the engine woke up with a monstrous roar.
The black smoke billowing to the sky was visible from the end of the street. He sped up, hitting the steering wheel in frustration. Tears of desperation were threatening to leave his eyes, but he paid no attention.
The fire was enormous, casting its yellow glow into the night. There were no fire brigades yet, the only vehicle in the driveway was Aera's car.
Yoongi jumped out of the car without even turning it off first, his face illuminated by the destructive glow. The radiant heat was merciless, scorching at his skin.
Before any fear could take hold, he was making his way to the second floor, catapulted by some supernatural force. The smoke thickened, obscuring his vision. It didn't take him long to realize that the stairs weren't an option. The fire spread with ease, cutting his way off.
A piercing sound penetrated his ears and he whipped to the side, seeing that a window blew out sending hot shards of glass outside. The flames were quickly taking over the whole mansion.
Everything seemingly moved like in a blur. Yoongi ran back to the door, his charred lungs taking in the oxygen hungrily. Panic-struck, he looked around frantically for something, just any resolve. No help could be expected, at least not on time. Him against the fire – it was not a fair fight. He wasn't strong or muscular, he couldn't lift tons of weight with his bare hands. What was he do to?
Think. Think. Think.
Aera was dying and there was nothing he could do about it. Hissing, he buried his face in his hands, his mind frantically searching for any type of resolution. Could he go back and try to walk through the flames? No, at least not without dying. And then there would be not one, but two corpses found inside.
A loud crack could be heard behind him and he moved away just in time before the blazing inferno could reach his leg. It devoured everything in its path and would soon reach the forest.
Yoongi turned. His eyes cast over the giant oak tree in the middle of the property, the one he used to climb on to sneak into Aera's room.
Without thinking, he ran forward. The adrenaline coursed unchecked, urging him to do what usually he'd think he wouldn't be able to. He started climbing, gripping feebly onto anything he could. He knew that if he turned his head the fall would be inevitable, so he kept his eyes on the balcony door of Aera's room.
Soon enough, he could sit on one of the branches. Feline, he started crawling, hearing the branch crack under his weight. There was no time to think if it could take him now, he was already halfway there.
There he was, almost there. So close. With a quick jump, Yoongi landed on the balcony. Rubbing the dust away from his eyes, he flew into the room, coughing and choking violently. The smoke had already managed to make its way under the door.
"Aera!" he yelled, tumbling towards her lifeless form on the bed. In her white dress that spread all the way down to her bare feet, she looked like a sleeping angel.
Only she wasn't in deep slumber, as Yoongi painfully knew. She was unconscious, knocked out by the toxic smoke.
He put an arm underneath her and her head lolled towards his shoulder.
"Aera, you have to wake up," he choked up, shaking her. "Baby, please wake up, we need to get you out of here." He pled desperately, but she wouldn't open her eyes. The horror flooded his system, paralyzing him.
The flames consumed everything and would soon enter Aera's room. The realization was physically painful. He bent over and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. Straining all of his muscles, he started walking towards the balcony. She let out an incoherent groan, arms frailing.
Yoongi had no recollection of how he managed to drag her out while climbing down the oak tree. He never knew he had that much strength, or perhaps the adrenaline was doing all the work for him. The only thought in his mind was that he needed to get her out of there, or else they'd both die. Once they were on the ground and at a safe distance from the flames, he put her down carefully on the grass.
Almost imperceptibly, her eyelids fluttered open and she looked at him with glazed eyes.
"Y- Yoongi?" she breathed weakly.
"Don't talk." he hushed her, caressing her forehead. She closed her eyes again, drifting back into unconsciousness.
Then from the street came the sounds of sirens and tires screeching on the lane. Yoongi was drawn back to reality as the loud rumble from Jimin's Harley reached his ears. They were here.
Using his knees as leverage, he hoisted himself up and took one last look at Aera. The voices were coming closer. He had to go.
Stealthily, he stepped back into the dark forest, fighting the urge to look back. His work here was done. This would be the last time he'd let his feelings get the best of him.
But something inside of him was crying.