Cataclysm | m.y.g • p.j.m

one

"A man has been charged over the stabbing of man in a xx home earlier this morning after he has been tracked in a neighbouring suburb and arrested. About 6:30am, the man was found with stab wounds to the neck and chest inside his home. He has been rushed to Seoul District Hospital in a critical condition-"

Jimin switches off the tv, becoming annoyed with every word the woman spoke. His mind drifts off as his head falls back on the lounge, until he remembers he has to go to school before he ends up late. Jimin lets out an unsatisfied groan and lazily pulls himself off the lounge.

Jimin's brushed his teeth, packed his bag, washed his face, fed Samantha, watered his flowers, but he can't put a finger on what he's forgetting. Maybe it's just the feeling you get before you leave your house.

He spots the source of his annoyance and walks over to the small table by the door to pick up his keys. He searches around for his raven cat Samantha and finds her situated right on top of his freshly washed pile of clothing. "Ah, ss, ss. Off, now!" He shoos the elegant cat off and watches her climb onto the window sill.

"Yah, silly thing." He tsks, Jimin grabs his bag to leave out the front door before stopping. "And no eating Gary and Meredith again or you'll get kibble instead of wet food." Samantha just stares at him with the natural grumpy look cats usually give. Jimin once came home to find his precious plants shredded to pieces, when he thought it was giant-winged critters that would fly on to his face, he soon found out it was Samantha doing the naughty act. With a roll of his eyes, Jimin leaves for school.

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"Min-min!" He laughs, a grin showing afterwards. "How's my favourite little boy?" He teases, pinching my cheeks and tugging lightly. Ugh, I'm not in the mood for this shit. He then links his arm in mine but I'm quick to react.

"Fuck off, Hobi." I shove him off me and re-adjust my bag strap, continuing my walk to my second class. My bus decided to be extra late today which resulted in my tardiness for my first class. It's not fun to be yelled at first thing in the morning, especially by a grumpy bitch like Ms Lee.

Hoseok is babbling on about something, I make eye contact every few seconds to look like I'm interested but am relieved when he finally shuts up.

"Oh my god, Jimin." Hoseok stops me in the hallway, I give him a questioning look but he just stares at me. "What?" I ask, worried I might have toothpaste around my mouth or sleep all over my eyes still I feel and wipe around my face.

"No, there's nothing on your face." He whines, I grow impatient with his staring.

"Well, what is it then?" I exclaim, Hobi not even flinching. He pauses for a bit then says,

"You're wearing them."

"Wearing what?" I question, patience wearing thinner by the minute.

"Those damn contacts! You're gonna do it aren't you?" He deadpans the last bit. Oh god, why'd he have to remember.

"I don't recall telling you anything involving these contacts." I say with a snooty tone, I'll just try and play it off.

"Bitch, you told me that if you were to ever ask Bam Bam out you would wear those fake ass blue eye contacts. Don't play dumb blonde with me." I sigh.

Could he have said that any louder??

"Fuck, you are dumb." I roll my eyes and he scoffs at my insult. Hoseok is a great friend, I love him to death but my god does he have the biggest mouth in this school. I mean, apart from Se-Hyun, the schools whore. I heard that she went to a party and someone caught her with three other guys with three different things sticking in her. But you know, I only heard.

We reach our classroom and are quick to find our seats, right by the window in the back corner to the right. The teacher drags herself into the classroom the same way her students do, tired and hopeless, and tells us to flip to a page; which I do not oblige to. Instead I focus on the intricate details of the carvings in the desk, curses and tags from delinquents over the years. Funny how a small mark of territory can be so messy. I see mine sitting neatly in the corner of the worn out, wooden desk.

K M S

My favourite abbreviation.

"Mr Jung!" The teacher yells, fortunately taking me out of my temporary state. Her eyes are fixated on Hobi, the menacing kind.

"Will you and Jimin stop talking during my class?" She demands, Hoseok backing away with an offended look. I didn't realise Hoseok had been trying to gain my attention. I give him a sympathetic look and look away. I sigh, deathly bored already.

I look to my left and stare outside through the water-spotted window. I love nature and all things green, the way the light shines off the leaves and creates dancing patterns on the ground below. The contrasts between the sky and the growing flora, the beautiful colours of the wildlife that roam around. My gazing is interrupted when I see an annoying person in the way of my focus. Their short haircut yet petite shape makes their gender undetermined. But,

I notice something...off.

The way this person is behaving is strange. Not strange like a person on drugs, but like they're irritated. Irritated with the landscape around them or the occasional car or bus that drives by. This person was so frantic, looking at everything so fast I don't know if they could even register what they caught sight of. They're twitches occur every now and then. Their stiff posture making it a little creepy with just their head doing most of the moving. Maybe Tourette's?

⚠️

As I speak too soon though, they fix on something. They stare longingly, I can just see their eyes widening before they reach out and-

OH MY FUCKING GOD, HE JUST ATE A LIVE BIRD.

I jump and skid my chair a little, the class looking at me briefly before returning to their work. Hoseok gives me a questionable look, but I brush him off with an awkward smile and say "Cramp." He looks away and continues playing on his phone.

My head swirls, the scene flashes through mind: the chunk they bit out of the startled pigeon make my stomach want to throw up the contents from this morning, but I hold it down. The way the blood streamed down its thin arms and the feather floating gently to the ground make me want to gag. I put my head in my hands, too dizzy to hold myself up. I look down at my desk, confusion and disgust flowing through my thoughts. What kind of human being would do that?? They must have been pretty desperate for food but fuck they could've gone through the bin, I didn't have to witness that.

I gulp, wanting to look back to see what the troubled person could do next. I can't tear my eyes away from the desk, I'm split between looking and ignoring it. Curiosity gets the best of me. Hesitantly, I try to look out the window but the sun has begun to blare, leaving me to rub my eyes from discomfort. Once I relieve my ache I look back again, aiding my hand as a viser.

I'm met with the person, a man, staunching over the grass, his head twitching inhumanly and his mouth gnawing at the air. The sight becomes more sickening as he starts to near. His mouth is overflowing with blood-mixed saliva, the veins in his arms thick and black enough to be seen from the distance he is.

I hadn't noticed that he was closer than I thought and realise the space between the man and the building has grown terrifyingly short. His eyes are blank, a voidless white in place of his pupils. I hear Hoseok yell out, "Jimin, move!"

It's too late for me to back away from the window.