The Flower of the Dark | k.th

.Thirty-Four.

JIMIN'S POV
Distant screams and low whispers slowly flood into my ears, my eyes spot a blurry car bumper just a few inches from my face. Raising my arm to grab a hold of the bumper and pull myself up, everything around me suddenly becomes sideways, tilting left and right. Just as I'm about to fall once again, someone catches me. My pounding head aches uncontrollably and I bring my hands up to rub my temples. It feels like for an instant my scalp was slowly being torn, the ripping echoing through my mind sounds like cloth, and my heart skips a beat.

"Th-Thank you-" I freeze, staring up at the anonymous shadow looming above me. The pounding on my head eases slightly, only to be replaced with a burning sensation trailing from  the nape of my neck down to my hip at a steady pace.

I wince and attempt to push the shadow away as soon as the odd feeling latches itself onto me suddenly. There are too many things happening to my body all at once I don't know where to focus. My breathing quickens and I keep attempting to squirm away from the unknown shadow. Yet I can't move. I can't move my gaze from the blank face that stands in front of me, staring at me with blank eyes.

His voice, not deep but sinister enough to make chills run down my spine, deluge my ears and suddenly everything around me turns into mush. For an instant it seems he is growing taller, his body expanding wider, surrounding me, every colorful thing around me gets consumed by a darkness. Soon I am the only thing that glows. I can feel my hands shaking, my mouth pop open, my eyes widening, and sweat make their way slowly down my bruised face. I couldn't feel my heart beat anymore as he speaks. I can't even feel the pain oozing through my body.  —
"You are now mine. Along with your precious Sweet Pea."

My breath gets caught in my throat and I suddenly find it difficult to breathe. My neck has the feeling of it slowly being enclosed but that isn't what makes the fear inside me raise and the hairs on my body stand up. The sight of a vile, baleful smile brightens before makes me lose feeling throughout my body. I can't move. All I can feel is a peculiar coldness swarm over my neck but once a small, warm hand touches my shoulder it all vanishes just as quickly as it appeared like an illusion.

I wince as a slight pinch jabs at my neck but I don't think much of it. Not after what my eyes saw.

I turn to see the person who touched my shoulder; if it even was a person at all. It's the woman who sat in the vehicle that nearly ran me over. The concern written on her face made it obvious the situation wasn't something she's ever experienced before. As I glance around me, eyeing the crowd I managed to form, I could tell it in their eyes too: What a freak.

"Are you okay, sir?" I nod and begin walking, my head hung low with my chin touching my chest. She stops me and I snatch my shattered phone from her hand that held it out for me without a word exchanged.

I turn into an alley way as soon as I'm out of the crowds' sights. I pull out my phone and find the phone call I had with Jieun. My eyes begin to water up only for me to wipe them with my sleeve. This is all too hard to believe.

Your precious Sweet Pea...Jieun magically disappearing...and that stupid Taehyung always being there! My sigh is shaky, "N-Nothing makes sense..maybe...none of this is real..?" I shake my head, part of me wants to believe everything. I want to believe Taehyung isn't dead, to believe Jieun can be saved, to believe she'll fall in love with me if I am her knight in shining armor. But a part of me is skeptical. The nauseating eruption in my gut makes worry smack onto me. My butt finds its way to the rocky ground and my head to my knees. "You're just losing your mind."

I had only hoped everything was normal. I should be at the flower shop admiring Jieun because she's worth being admired! Everything needs to be in my own mind. It needs to be all my desperate mind..possibly showing me how much I would sacrifice just to save the love of my life. That's what all people do when they're at the brink of hopelessness: they waste all their strength trying to save someone.

I bring my head up. And I won't give up. I lost her being the weak Jimin. I raise from my butt, "I'll get her this time."

Taehyung did the unforgivable and now it's time to show him who's stronger. I erase the event from my apartment, and avoid my reflection to not be reminded.

I race through the streets of Seoul, bumping and shoving people of my way. On a good day I would apologize but there's no time to waste. Each step I take, my soles burning inside my shoe like I was stepping on hot sand, is filled with determination. My eyes don't waver from the direction of that apartment that looks like something from a Tim Burton movie; crooked windows and patched up doors

I soon make it to the cat infested, run-down apartment. I skip steps as I race up the stairs to the top floor. It seems to take longer than expected once I reach my destination where I'm hunched over trying to catch my breath. And the moment comes, my hand on the rusted door knob and my eyes locked on the slanted 0666. My heart doesn't pound in fear. I don't even think when I turn the knob and push it open slightly, exposing the shadows of the disgusting red furniture.

I step cautiously into the room. My eyes adjust to the darkness, yet I still manage to ram my knee into a coffee table. I bite my lip from screaming and hope no one heard the loud thud from the table and my knee coming into contact. I fall into the nearest chair that so happened to be one of the red sofas. The rip on the seat pokes at my butt.

As soon as I feel like everything is fine, my eyes pinpoint something move from behind the other sofa that sat in front of me. I stop rubbing my knee and softly bring my foot down, my fists clenching on the armrests. I stand, Probably my imagination right?

My heart skips a beat once I hear that familiar voice. "Jimin? Is that you?"

I turn on my heel towards the direction of Jieun's kind voice. I can make out her figure standing at the end of the dark hallway to my right.

"Ji-Jieun?.."

She gasps, "Jimin! You came for me!" The bright tone in her voice doesn't feel right sitting in my gut, but my instincts take over and I run towards her, my arms spread wide and my torso to feel hers against mine.

And then it happens. My arms wrap around her. My sobs rose throughout the ghost-quiet building and my body shaking.

"I-I'm so sorry, Jieun! I couldn't pro-protect you!" My arms tighten her and her hands rub my back, confirming that everything is ok. I smile. Finally.

But that sweet moment doesn't last. My eyes widen and I find myself shoving Jieun away from me, her delicate body slamming onto the creaking wood floor. My hands fling to reach my back and my heart sinks once I pull them back. The moonlight that dropped through the cracked window shines on the dark liquid smeared on my fingertips. It had to be blood, yet the hue appeared darker.

Jieun's giggle quickly turns to a low, menacing growl-like sneer. She grows once she stands, her body towering over me. Her shoulders get broader and that's when I realize it wasn't Jieun from the start. I clenched my jaw and steamy tears flood down my cheeks, my breathing becoming hard. I narrow my eyes and begin to charge after the man with the unearthly visuals. His taunting laughter comes to a halt in an instant and all that echoes through the room is my hard footsteps against the dirty floor.

I should've known my attempt to attack the tall man would be useless since as soon as I come into contact with his body, he doesn't budge. He moves too quickly. His hand grips my collar and yanks me up, closer to his face and my feet floating above the ground. My arms fling at him instinctively but to my surprise he dodges them.

"Hm you're feisty!" He chuckles and my eyes narrow, "Don't you want to see your Sweet Pea in one piece? I'll take you to her, you infuriating parasite!"

Everything grows dark, and all I can see is Jieun standing behind the flower shop's counter with that same eye smile that made me fall for her.

Don't worry, my love, Jimin's coming.

Socks note:
Oof okie I'm bad at making socks notes because that's more of right sock's thing, but I'll try my best. I hope you peeps are enjoying the story even if it's super confusing...
Ok..
I'ma go now.. bye bye