The Bouquet

Chapter 5

You shot to your feet and ran towards her, your trembling hands touching each brace in an attempt to find a weak point.

"What do I do?!" You cried, panicked tears beginning to roll down your cheeks. Her voice was muffled like something was gagging her beneath the mask. You reached up and pulled on it, there was minimal give. You lifted the strands of her hair that were still long and spotted the glinting of metal. The mask had chains on both sides that joined together in the back and were sealed with a padlock. There was nothing you could do, not while Jimin was upstairs and she was locked up down here.

"I'm going to get you help, okay? I'll call the police but I have to leave first." She let out a low whine at your words, her shining eyes brimming with tears as you began to back away. You didn't want to leave her alone in that dark basement but that was the only way you could help her.

But of course, nothing could go to plan. You froze as you heard the light song of a music box slowly descending the stairs. It was the song from your dreams, the song Jimin had been humming. The song grew louder as each creak of the stairs came closer, your heart beating frantically as you looked for somewhere to hide. You flung yourself to the wall behind the stairs, the only part of the basement that could offer any concealment.

Jimin finally entered the musty room, his sweet voice humming along to the tune as he gently set the box down on a table. His blonde locks had been pushed away from his face, his forehead exposed. He sighed as his eyes scanned the seemingly empty room, his delicate fingers removing and folding his gold spectacles before pocketing them. From your hiding place you see the small key hanging from his neck, it had to be what unlocked the mask. You could get it from him and unlock her, but what good would that do? You once thought you could overpower him, but now you weren't so sure. Your best bet would be to run as fast as you could once you got the chance.

"Baby, I know you're down here." He declared, his voice still carrying that sing-song manner but it sounded like he was teasing you. "I really didn't want you to find out about this, but you just couldn't listen to me."

You remained tense, ready to flee the moment he moved away and provided you with a route to escape. The way he was calling to you reminded you of the way a parent would scold their child, it was terrifying and sent your heart into overdrive.

"You told me you would stay, but I guess you weren't lying. You didn't leave me, so that's one less thing I have to be mad about." His shoes clicked with each step he took, you could see his back from your hiding spot. He hadn't moved as far as you liked and in fact, it appeared he had been pacing.

"This brings back memories, doesn't it? From that night all those years ago, when you saw something you weren't supposed to see? If you come out now, we can forget this happened, baby. We can go back to the way things were." He continued, his voice sounding strained like he was holding back all of his anger.

"Where the fuck are you?!" He finally yelled, causing the chained girl to jump and make another loud thump. His head snapped in her direction, a deadly look in his eyes. And with that distraction, you made a run for it.

"Shit!" He yelled, hearing your loud steps sprinting up the stairs as fast as you could. But he was just as fast. In a matter of seconds, his hand had encircled your ankle and yanked you back, a cry of pain leaving your mouth as you slammed chest and chin first into the steps beneath you. You kicked violently as he tried to climb up after you. With a loud grunt, you slammed your shoe into his shoulder and then his head, his hand releasing you to come up and cradle his skull as he was disorientated.

You quickly picked yourself back up and continued up the stairs, albeit slower than before. You grasped the doorknob and threw it open before slamming it shut behind you. You could hear him screaming your name amidst his pained grunts. You patted down your pockets clumsily in your panic, the keys were gone. You must have lost them when he pulled you down. You frantically turned on your heels, looking for something to block the door with until you settled on a heavy chest. You couldn't afford to wait any longer after that and with a burst of adrenaline, you shot out of the shop.