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—how do i know if i am breathing?
FOUR YEARS PRIOR: KIM TAEHYUNG
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it is five minutes to night when the window shatters, thick shards of glass haphazardly sliding across the waxy wooden floor and scratching its delicate surface. the lights coincidentally have burst, leaving a malnourished teenager's apartment in total moonlit darkness.
kim taehyung has but two seconds to register his surroundings before another crash resounds, eyes hazily blinking from his laptop screen. his eyes have sunken in to the extensive degree of dark bags, possibly due to the fact that he hasn't taken his medication in several, several days—normal, he is normal—, or maybe just his sheer lack of sleep. he assumes it to be a disastrous combination of both.
wait—he turns his head against the darkness, eyes failing to get adjusted to the lack of lighting, and everything turns quiet. as he steps onto the cold floor, his toes curl in reflex and protest. what was that sound? maybe the flower pot on the table fell again. damn, he'll have to pay for that.
an inhuman groan abruptly rebounds through the thin walls, and the air in taehyung's throat catches. he latches onto the crumbling wall and swallows, squinting towards unfamiliar shapes and distorted furniture shadows.
"what?" he whispers. taehyung feels adrenaline build up at the bottom of his gut, a telltale sign of absolute fear clawing its way to his diaphragm. in no time, his breaths are mere wheezes and perspiration runs down his neck.
several more monstrous screeches echo through the dingy apartment flat, and taehyung feels his legs grow weak. is he hallucinating? it's more than likely, though he's never felt this much terror before. taehyung closes his eyes and begins to steady his breathing, ribcage taut against sick skin.
he supposes he's never been good with calming himself down or handling his emotions; it's precisely the reason he's so fucked up. or maybe just the sheer fact that he's a coward. a big one, at that.
everything turns quiet, once more, and taehyung pries his eyes open. blinking the wetness away from his lashes, he slowly walks into the kitchen, flicking the lights on and shuddering when no response is given. stumbling his way through the darkness, he finds his mother's steak knife laying on the bamboo cutting board, eerily close to the completely broken window only a few feet away from him. taehyung looks down, sharp glass shards surrounding him, and wonders how on earth he hasn't stepped in one.
the pain follows shortly afterward; he looks to his heel and finds a dark splotch of blood, warm as it trickles to his toes. never mind. never mind, never mind. he chuckles bitterly.
another gurgling, paranormal-like shriek pierces his ears and taehyung stumbles backwards in reflex, bony hands clutching the sink's counter-top like a lifeline. he screams inaudibly as several more glass shards pry their way into his already thin skin from the sudden movement, blood spilling out of him like a broken canteen. how can no one hear the noise? he shouts silently. how come i can't say a thing?
taehyung feels dizzy, but he clutches the thick knife to his chest in trembling fingers. eyes adjusting to the minimal, scarce light, he feels his heart speed up erratically as a low, guttural growl emits from the dark space in front of him. fuck, fuck, he thinks. the noise came from the living room, i thought i would have enough time—
it's a hallucination: he has to remind himself of this several times. just a hallucination. goddammit, taehyung, you should have taken your meds, why didn't you? goddammit, goddammit, you stupid—
he's thrown the complete, opposite direction before he can even complete his thought, back hitting the dining table with such force that he feels his bones shudder. he can't help but scream, eyes wrenching from the excruciating pain and fuck, how did he end up so far away from the sink?
taehyung tries to stretch, tries to move, but his body screams as another wave of pain shoots up his spine. he cries loud again, certain he's broken more than a few limbs. what happened? how am i—oh my god, what the hell is going on—
adrenaline pushes his hands to roam the floor around him, searching for the steak knife. where did it go? where did he put it? agonizing fear deflates his lungs, heart ready to rip from his chest, and taehyung is certain he could die right at that moment from the terror he feels.
"mom!" he screams. "dad! help me, please, please, i-i'm scared—"
the guttural sounds are incredibly close to him now, and he can practically hear the gurgle of phlegm and saliva, grating against thick sharp teeth. a shadowy figure crawls its way from the darkness, straight to taehyung, and lets out a loud, monstrous shriek.
"somebody!" taehyung's voice is raw, cracking. "can't you hear, dammit?!"
he tries to move, but he's left immobile from the intense pain. his breathing becomes erratic, eyes wide and blurry from horrified tears. the monstrosity becomes clear once it's a meager few feet away from him, and his throat hitches in itself, because it's—
the monster opens its wide, enormous mouth and screams, blood seeping down the corners of its eyes and teeth like blades. it's grotesque, with mercury-stained corneas and rotting flesh, the smell of gasoline on its long tongue. taehyung sobs.
—it's not a hallucination.
he looks down to his stomach, simply out of reflex, and feels his mind grow weak. he's found the steak knife: implanted in his gut.
taehyung chokes, eyes welling with tears as a sudden wave of new pain hits him. he groans, exhausted and depleted, no source of energy for him to scream from. how? what is this?
the monster screams, teeth mere inches away from his cheek as taehyung collapses completely to the floor, bony side against the cold wood. he shivers, eyes glued to the broken window in the kitchen.
the sounds begin to fade, and taehyung feels a hot breath against his ear. an odor of burning flesh hits his nose, and he closes his eyes, lips trembling.
my blood tastes cold, is the last thing kim taehyung thinks before everything stops.
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hello folks im here wit a fic & i have no clue what im doiN heres a meager attempt at action & i hope u enjoy!!
