don't feed the bears

my name is han and this is my writing tumblr and sometimes shit art tumblr and mainly my bromance sharing tumblr with my two best bros on the web

[shirokumaa]

[shirokumaa]

Fever 12

DAY THIRTEEN

Morning came with the gentle lights from outside the windows with their old tattered curtains drawn back. The grey rain clouds that had rolled in left the air cold and damp, in the distance there was the low rumble of thunder. A summer storm seemed to be approaching and this was the calm. But inside the small cabin; whose walls were thin, whose door creaked, and ceiling leaked, the storm had already arrived.

Slowly, Junhyung awoke. And with a state of consciousness came the pain, a dull yet agonising feeling that was enough to shake away the groggy feeling and replace it with alertness. He inhaled sharply, his whole body arching with the motion and cracking every stiff joint and stretching every tense muscle inside of him. The first thing he realised, even before he had opened his eyes and adjusted to the morning haze, was that he was in no warm bed. Instead his skin was cold, his bare arms covered in goose bumps and hair stood on end. His arms pushed back uncomfortably behind him, the coarse feeling of rope tied his wrists together. Junhyung leaned back and felt the panels of the chair against his back. That sensation alone left Junhyung holding his next breath. He wanted to wait up, he wanted to wake up from this and be in his bedroom at home. He wanted to be anywhere. Anywhere but here.

But he never woke up. And instead Junhyung opened his eyes for the first time after holding in a breath and counting to three. The fuzzy, grey world seeped into the darkness behind his eyes. His body shifted in the chair and it creaked again with the weight of his body. The more light that entered his vision, the more his head throbbed with the dull pain, pulsing like an extra heartbeat. Junhyung could see the cabin door had been left wide open, letting in the cold morning air, the sound of the lake lapped up against the banks. His attention shifted as he hung his head, trying to shake away the horrible headache, and that was when his eyes fell to the photos spread across the hard floor boards. The scribbled on napkins, the deed to the old, run down cabin. That floor board still pushed out of place from when he had grown curious the night before.

Seeing these photos once again made his stomach flip inside of him, seeing one flipped onto its back and the messy you’ll be mine sprawled across its back made Junhyung want to be sick. Instead he swallowed and gritted his teeth, curling his hands into tight fists behind him. There was a burning sensation in his throat and he didn’t know if it was because he wanted to throw up from the pain in his head or cry or both. All he knew was that none of this had been an accident. It had all happened so fast the night before, he hadn’t even heard Doojoon wake up and climb from the bed and grab the hammer from the table. Junhyung wasn’t even sure if it was Doojoon that had knocked him out, it could have well been those mysterious strangers across the lake. But no, he knew. Deep down, he knew it had been Doojoon.

If it hadn’t been for the cabin door’s noticeable creak, Junhyung wouldn’t have looked up so quickly to see the figure in the door way. At first he expected to see Doojoon. But what he saw was the opposite and it made Junhyung’s heart fall into his stomach. What colour still remained in his cheeks fading to white as he stared at the stranger looking back at him with an almost surprised, deer caught in the headlights, look about him. Yet, the worst part was that Junhyung knew the stranger. He knew that face, as if it was imprinted into his mind like a living nightmare. It was the face he had seen in the lantern light that night, staring in at him from the darkness on the porch.

A part of Junhyung wanted to yell, and struggle out of his ropes to escape. But no words could manage to get past the lump in his throat. He was trembling from fear and anger and every possible emotion in between. The two stared at each other for what seemed like eternity but was only a few mere seconds. The tall man, who in the light of day appeared more youthful and almost foreign, leaned back out of the door frame and backed a few steps onto the porch.

“Doojoon! He’s awake!”

Junhyung could now hear the noises of muffled talking, the sound of three other voices silenced as the announcement was made. As if Junhyung was some sort of sleeping beauty who had awoken his slumber. The sound of sacks of items being dumped against the dock were heard and then the hurried, heavy footsteps of only one man that were soon followed by more.

The tall stranger shifted out of the way of the door and in his place was who Junhyung had originally thought he would see. Doojoon, whose shadow loomed across the door way – looking darker than what the dull lights could ever cast. He stared at Junhyung with a look that left the one tied to the chair afraid and his heart was drumming in the pits of his stomach. It was a look of danger.

“Jun…” the voice slipped from Doojoon’s lips in such a gentle, relieved tone. He crossed the room with no time to spare and tugged the hostage-less chair in front of Junhyung’s. “You’re finally awake … “he seemed so relieved, a smile slipping across his face that appeared crooked, and terrifying. “I was so worried about you –“ As Doojoon reached out to brush the few strands of ash blonde hair from Junhyung’s face he visibly flinched and leaned further back into the chair. The memories of the way Doojoon had punched him and knocked him out sticking to Junhyung’s mind like a cactus sticks to tender skin. It made Doojoon pause half way and retract his hand, his crooked smile only seeming to twitch before he let out a breathless laugh. “Yoseob thought I might have killed you last night with that hammer but…”

From behind Doojoon, the three figures were slowly slipping into the room. And although Junhyung had never seen their faces properly that day, he knew that these were the same three people that he had seen walking through the woods. The same people that carried the hunting rifle, the same people that Doojoon had defended, the same people that Junhyung had suspected of stealing their boat…

“I knew I didn’t hit you that hard.”

It was all falling into place in Junhyung’s mind, the pieces dropping into their rightful slots and as each one fell he felt his body starting to tremble, tears of fear and rage making the men that stood behind Doojoon fuzzy. “You…” Junhyung breathed the word, it came as only a whisper. His throat was on fire, he wanted to dry his eyes but couldn’t and blinked away the tears when he focused once more on Doojoon.

“Your truck never broke down the night I met you, did it?”

Junhyung could see in the others dark eyes that he didn’t have to speak to know he was right. But instead Doojoon’s crazy smile only seemed to fade as he looked down. “You’d never noticed me before that night,” Doojoon confessed, the words sending a horrible shiver down Junhyung’s spine. Now Doojoon looked up at him, that dark look seeming to intensify.

“But why would you? You and your family come from money, you’ve spent your whole life in country clubs… How would you ever notice a guy like me who only has a pickup truck and the cabin he and his father used to go hunting in?”

Junhyung wanted to be strong, he held his breath, hoping it would hold in the tears. Doojoon seemed to notice this, so he continued. He leaned forward in his chair and clasped his hands in front of him and stared across at Junhyung from the small gap between them. “I watched you for at that bar for as long as I can remember; admiring you, your art. Even if you never noticed me I knew you were kind, and I fell in love with you…”

When Doojoon’s hand shifted against his leg, Junhyung’s chest tightened, his shoulders tensing. “I was so happy when you noticed me that night at the bus stop, I was so happy when we started dating—“

“Then why did you bring me here, Doojoon…” He cut the other off, despite the fear he found his voice and Junhyung’s pale face now wore a frown. Doojoon’s grip on Junhyung’s knee tightened. “Because I want you all to myself.”

“You never called the ranger.”

Doojoon nodded, remembering the hours spent on that satellite phone. Junhyung saw the corner of his mouth twitch with a smile. “I called Kikwang.” One of the two shorter men, with pursed lips and fluffy black hair, shifted where he leaned against the kitchen counter as Junhyung could only guess was his name being called. But Junhyung didn’t care what their names were. He only wanted to know why. And Doojoon seemed to oblige.

“I asked them to come out here. I needed them to dispose of the boat. That night you saw Dongwoon was an accident –“When he said that his voice seemed to become rougher and the tall, foreign looking one named Dongwoon shared a glance with Junhyung before looking away.

“And it was an accident that you found that stupid blow up lounge. I know how afraid you are of water but I just couldn’t let you go—“ Junhyung didn’t even need to hear any further to know that Doojoon had sabotaged that blow up lounge and had potentially almost left Junhyung to drown. Now the tears were starting to trickle down his cheeks without his control. Junhyung’s frustration, his fear, his headache were pushing him to a breaking point as he watched Doojoon; a man he had foolishly, innocently fallen for, turn into a monster before his very eyes.

“Jun… baby I’m sorry…”

Doojoon reached out and pressed his cold hand against the others flushed face and Junhyung could only stifle a sharp inhale and grit his teeth, trying to push himself further away from the monster before him. But when he saw the way Junhyung tried to retreat Doojoon was quick to slip his hand from the others face and instead grip to the back of his neck and tighten that grip instantly – pulling Junhyung back into place and forcing him to look back into cold, dark eyes.

“You’ll learn to love it here…” he said it like it was a fact. To Doojoon it was a fact. And then he leaned forward, so close that Junhyung could feel the others hot breath roll against his damp cheeks. “Because you’ll never try to leave me again.”

[shirokumaa]

Who's jealous?

"Who is this?"

Since when had he told Connor his phones pass code, that was the question. Wes looked at the photo on his own phone, held up by the one with messy bed hair and hardly any respectable clothes on.

"…" He almost didn’t want to answer, because whenever Wes asked that same question it was like trying to thread an elephant’s trunk through the fucking eye of a needle. But Connor looked honestly confused, with eyebrows knitted together and bottom lip pushed out into a pout.

"…Just some guy I met on the weekend."

Connor paused for a moment, one of those eyebrows arching up and the other frozen in place. “‘Some guy’?”

"Yeah."

He did a double take on the photo of this smiling guy who was, in his opinion, good looking (but nothing in compassion to him). Wes dug his elbows further into the bench top, sliding a few loose papers covered in study notes. “You’re SEEING this guy???”

"Not SEEING" “Then what???” “We’re just going out sometime this week…”

There was a silence that built up between the two, Connor looking at Wes with this look of somewhat shock and Wes looking back with lightly arched eyebrows in a ‘what did you expect’ kind of way. But then Connor’s frown loosened and his pout thinned out, those tensing shoulders slouched in a small shrug.

"Alright then…"

With a few sounds emitting from the phone in Connors hand, Wes’s stomach dropped when he heard the sound of the phones keypad. “Connor…”

"Yes?" “What are you doing…?”

"Oh nothing," he said it so simply, arching his eyebrows towards Wes. "Just texting this guy to say you can’t go out."

Wes was out of his chair at the counter top in a split second and the sound of texting increased as he rushed to grab his phone. Connor quickly got out of his way. “Sorry I can’t hang out with you this week- or any week for that matter” he read his text out loud as he moved to get away from Wes.

"My boyfriend says I am not allowed—"

"Boyfriend!?!?" Wes could not fathom the audacity of this man and his hypocritical actions.

"You’re the one who is sleeping around!"

"Sorry for the inconvenience and I hope you have a nice day!!!" Connor spoke louder than before to outshine the truth. But it couldn’t stop the constricting feeling on the front of his T-shirt when Wes finally grabbed him.

He was a sly guy, putting the phone behind his back as he was pulled closer to the he other with arched eyebrows eyebrows and that innocent pout that you know was trying to hide the shit eating grin.

"Connor give me my phone."

"…Okay" Wes slowly relaxed that grip on Connors shirt as he pulled the phone back out from behind his back. He offered it to Wes and Wes quickly snatched it up in his freehand. However, he was not relieved from that stress as he saw that articulate text highlighted in the sent messages. That word boyfriend looking up at him and fucking burning into his skin.

"I can’t believe you… You’re such a hypocrite, you know" “No I’m not…” “You are.”

"I only have one boyfriend." He stared it so matter of fact and Wes could only frown softly at the stern eyes he was being given. "And that’s you, okay?"

He didn’t expect Connor to grab his face and land a kiss on his forehead, but it happened and it shook him up inside. Wes let go of Connors shirt and with his hand on the others chest face, he gave Connor a gentle shove.

"I guess that means you’ll have to take me out on a date instead if your that jealous-" “Hey who said I was jealous?” He denied it but that sudden expression said it all. In that moment Wes smiled and Connor’s pout grew. “Just get dressed Connor.”

[shirokumaa]

fever 11

DAY TWELVE (PART TWO)

Junhyung watched Doojoon pick out the harmful bones from a fish that shimmered silver in the dying lights of the cabin's oil lamp. He listened to the other speak softer than normal, clearly trying to make up for what had been dealt. Junhyung tried not to speak in order to ignore the pain from that punch - he only nodded in response to everything the other said. He kept his thoughts to himself - his plans. His plans of leaving.

The swelling in his cheek had lessened after holding a cool cloth to his burning face. In the quiet space of the cabin he had contemplated. His frustrations had brewed and his sadness was a clamp on all the happy feelings his heart had ever beaten out of him.

All afternoon Junhyung had tried to figure out a way to escape - it had sent him looking under the bed once again, the place he had first found a bright hope of escape. After pushing aside their light luggage, a few empty sacks and facing the dust and cobwebs - Junhyung's fingers brushed against something hard. Quickly he latched onto it and pulled out a child's kickboard. Unlike the air filled floating chair - this would float no matter what. All he had to do was kick.

Someone or something must have loved Junhyung so. Maybe God? Or maybe luck. No matter - he thanked them under his breath, voice shaking softly in relief. As quick as he had discovered his salvation - he hid it again under one of the empty potato sacks.

Doojoon would never know. His perception of having a 'happy' life with each other made him too dangerous. Junhyung would go get help and come back for his boyfriend - he promised himself that with a small foolish glint of hope that Doojoon would go back to normal when he feet hit proper land.

Tonight would be the night - he couldn't stay here any longer. Junhyung was afraid that if he spent one more hour here he would turn into the one fishing on the wharf. And he never wanted that to happen. Never.

So Junhyung waited. He waited until Doojoon was sleeping like a stone at the bottom of the lake - heavy weight against Junhyung with his arm hung loosely across his bruised boyfriend’s waist. He didn't even stir when Junhyung moved his arm and the ash blonde slinked his way out from under the blankets and onto the cold cabin floor.

With ease, he edged himself under the bed whose mattress strained with the weight of the sleeping man above it. Quickly Junhyung received the kickboard, glancing up to Doojoon as it scraped across the wooden floor. When there was no movement he got to his feet and grabbed at the oil lamp from their bedside table.

That small light flickered and the cabin reflected a dull orange colour - objects creating long dark shadows against its walls and left Junhyung with a very eerie feeling - a tightness in his chest. It reminded him of the night the stranger stared at him through the open window. Junhyung could not see his face but he could feel those eyes - those piercing eyes.

He was also reminded of that floorboard - the one lifting from its place. At first he had believed Doojoon - that maybe he had imagined stubbing his toe. But now with the fever that consumed his boyfriend like a hungry organism, he wasn't too sure.

Junhyung took a second to stop his mad dash to the cabin's front door at this reminder. It wouldn't hurt to look, just in case he had been right all along and that he wasn't going crazy like the sleeping man had become.

He made sure he was quiet, even holding his breath as he estimated the place he had stubbed his toe that night. Placing the kick board beside him quietly his fingers traced across the wooden floor pannels. Junhyung put pressure on each one, some shifting slightly and some not even budging.

Maybe he had just imagined it. Maybe --

As he put pressure on the fourth floor board, it creaked and indented into the floor. Quick to act, Junhyung's blunt nails curled to grab any edge of the board and with ease he tugged on it.

The floor board lifted up easier than he thought it would, almost coming off fully before it stopped just shy. It was hard to see what was in the darkness beneath it - but Junhyung could see the shine of metal in the light of the oil lamp.

He glanced over his shoulder again to make sure Doojoon still slept before he took the metal container from its hideaway. It was a lock box with no lock and no key - just a clasp to keep it from opening. A sudden and daunting feeling caused Junhyung's breath to get caught in his throat - but his need to see what was inside was too strong. He ignored his fears and opened it.

In the flickering light the metal lock box exposed sets of photographs and folded pieces of paper. And with caution Junhyung pulled out each one.

The first was an old piece of paper, whose ink was fading but still readable. It was documentation regarding the island and its owner - and Junhyung's eyes wandered to Doojoon's very familiar signature at the bottom of the page. They weren't simply renting this cabin for the weekend. Doojoon owned every leak in the ceiling and every termite gnawed piece of wood.

Then he turned to the drawings he found, ones on napkins from a bar Junhyung frequently went to. They were scribbles of birds and aimless patterns that he had drawn absently while discussing events with his friends. But what made Junhyung's breath quiver was that he hadn't met Doojoon before he had drawn these. He had left these napkins alone on bar counter tops and tables - ones that Doojoon had been watching from a far.

Now Junhyung looked back on these times and realised that Doojoon must have been there - hiding in corners and breathing down his neck. Wanting to speak but staying quiet instead. Choosing to observe his movements, like a hunter to unsuspecting prey.

The photos were of Junhyung. They were all of Junhyung. As he went to work, as he came home from class, laughing with his friends at bars and packing groceries into the back of his mother's car.

Scribbled notes on the backs of photos in Doojoon's messy handwriting said 'Soon.'

'Soon you will be mine.'

'All mine.'

Then there was a sudden and sharp pain to the back of Junhyung's head. Then everything became dark, darker than the lakes water, darker than the sky on this starless night, darker than that look in Doojoon's eyes - whose grip tightened around the hammer in his hand.

[shirokumaa]

fever 10

DAY TWELVE (PART ONE)

The forest smelt of fresh pine and damp soil, smooth rocks were lapped against at the banks of the lake and made such a calming sound for the restless soul. In the distance birds could be heard in the forest, singing to each other love songs meant for no one else’s ears. Spring's pollen danced through the air; and fresh roots buried deep into the ground as their stalks reached to the sky that was an unfinished puzzle of clouds. The lake was a lover’s paradise; corrupted with the sound of shouting voices. "Do you hear yourself!?" Junhyung's voice broke as he got louder. His hands were starting to tremble from both rage and a deep fear. Standing at the bank of the peaceful lake was Doojoon, with his bare feet in the water up against the smooth rocks. He stood there with a mixed expression on his face - eyebrows creased though in confusion. "But look around you! Maybe being stuck here isn't so bad." The days had dragged on, minutes were hours and hours were an eternity. But as these tortured Junhyung - they seemed to drug Doojoon and all Junhyung could do was watch the way Doojoon became euphoric to their situation, watch as he fell in love rather than out. "Doojoon we have to get OFF this island. It has almost been two weeks and people are going to be worr-" "People?" Doojoon quickly cut Junhyung off - his eyebrows creasing even more. But that gentle look of confusion was twisting into something more dark and Junhyung's hands balled into fists by his sides. The man stepped out from the lake and took a few moves towards Junhyung. His lips curled with a mix of a smile and distaste. "This is the first time we've been able to be alone together - and you want to go back?" he was offended, Doojoon's hands landing against his sides in a loud manner. There was another step taken towards Junhyung, he reached out and with a gentle touch held onto his boyfriend's biceps. "Don't you trust me anymore?" "It's not that-" Junhyung's loud voice suddenly became smaller with Doojoon's grasp. "Then what?" "I want to go home..." His boyfriend’s plea made that harsh look in Doojoon's eyes soften - he rubbed his hands against Junhyung's skin, creasing the sleeves of his t-shirt. "I understand Jun..." his voice seemed calmer - but that grip squeezed around his boyfriend's arms. "It's just cabin fever talking, I understand! But you know Junhyung - it's going to get better! You don't realize it right now, but we could live a happy life - just you and me--" There was a sudden violent movement - where Junhyung ripped himself away from Doojoon's forced grasp. It cut his boyfriend's words in half, cut that caring voice in half also. "I am not living here with you!" He said this as if it was a final decision, one that Doojoon could not fight. Junhyung put further space between the two of them - taking a few steps back and towards the cabin. "This place has done something to you, Doojoon. You were never like this before - the pollen has gotten to you," despite the falling expression of Doojoon's face he continued "YOU are the one with cabin fever!" The birds in the forest became silent, numbness set in - then a ringing in Junhyung's ears. It had all happened so fast, he hadn't even seen the fist coming between his words. Doojoon hit him hard - hard enough that the left side of Junhyung's face quickly began to throb. He reached up to hold his cheek as he looked across at Doojoon - whose eyes were just as wide as his own; as if he wasn't the man who had just punched Junhyung square in the face. "Junhyung I--" Doojoon wasn't given a second to explain himself. Junhyung had quickly backed away and into the cabin, the sound of the door slamming behind him left the birds escaping into the air - becoming black shadows against the sun.

✖ ---

The cabin door creaked as a result of the force it had received when Junhyung slammed it shut. When Doojoon opened it a few hours later it made an awful sound - one that sounded like it was about to fall from its hinges. He found Junhyung on the floor beside their bed, back pressed against the iron frame and arms hugging knees close to his chest. And he stared quietly across the room at the rectangles of wooden boards that made up the body of the house. One side of that quiet face was handsome, a mysterious sense to it that had first attracted Doojoon. However - the other was now purple and bruised and starting to swell the way a hot air balloon does when filled with gas. There was guilt in his down casted eyes and he kept them focused on the floorboards beneath them as he took those few steps towards the bed and sat on it beside his boyfriend. The silent was still as heavy as it had been when Doojoon dealt the blow - the only thing he could comprehend were the small quivering breaths that came from the one on the floor. It took him a moment to find his voice and when he did he fumbled with his hands - fingertips trailing across knuckles. "Junhyung I'm sorry," his apology did nothing - his boyfriend still watched that slat of wood. "I didn't mean to lose my cool with you - I love you... I care for you, you know that." Still - no response. Slowly, Doojoon reached down - and the same hand that had hit him brushed through Junhyung's hair. The other's shoulders tensed only slightly and Doojoon took it as a sign of forgiveness - or the beginnings of one. He leaned forward - leaving a light kiss on the other's head before getting to his feet once again. Junhyung watched that wall - listening to Doojoon's footsteps creak across the cabin and back to the door. "I'll catch us some fish for dinner, we can have a big feast." Again - the cabin door creaked and it closed behind Doojoon. Junhyung knew now - more than ever before - that he had to get off this island. With or without Doojoon.

[shirokumaa]

fever 9

DAY TEN

Junhyung decided that he couldn't wait for the ranger anymore. He was going to get off this island no matter what.

Doojoon quietly watched Junhyung pace in front of him - a soft frown on his face as he sharpened the end of a stick with the knife they used to gut this fish. He worried about Junhyung; the other seemed to be going insane. Maybe the isolation of this small island was too much for him. Maybe Doojoon should have just taken him to a nice hotel in the city instead.

"That's it Doojoon," he arched his eyebrows as Junhyung finally spoke. The other had paused his pacing to face Doojoon, whose shoulders straightened out and muscles tensed against the back of the chair.

"We have to get off this island with or without that ranger."

Doojoon's lips thinned for a moment, Junhyung was quite inpatient - he thought.

"But how?"

"... Can you swim across?" Why they hadn't thought of that in the first place perplexed even Junhyung himself. But that was when he had faith in this ranger, more faith in Doojoon's word.

Doojoon shook his head in response. "I can swim, but not that far. After I tore my calf muscle it hasn't been the same."

Ah, of course. Junhyung remembered Doojoon telling him about the time he was playing sport (he couldn't really remember which in that moment) and that Doojoon had screwed up his calf muscle pretty bad. Junhyung slowly nodded in understanding, strands of hair shifting out of place.

Slowly Doojoon leaned forward, reaching out and grabbing Junhyung's hand. "Try not to worry; we're going to get off this island. I promise you." Lies, they were all lies in Junhyung's eyes - just little white lies trying to keep Junhyung calm. The euphoric atmosphere of spring must have intoxicated Doojoon, unlike the rough skin Junhyung possessed made of smog and traffic fuels.

Junhyung gently squeezed Doojoon's hand before letting go and going back into the cabin. He would get them both off the island and then everything could go back to normal.

He began to pull their belongings out from under the iron framed bed. Maybe he'd subconsciously packed some sort of technology, or maybe he could use something to his advantage. Soon the cabin floor was surrounded with clothes and items from their duffle bags. But nothing even came close to being useful.

"Fuck," Junhyung hissed under his breath, bringing his hand down to hit against the floor boards. There had to be something, anything.

He gave one last glance under the bed and if something shimmering in the pale sunlight he would have never looked again. Junhyung, full of curiosity and hope, dragged himself under the bed - far enough to grab at what had caught his attention. It was plastic and suddenly an excitement began to swell up inside him.

He pulled out this sheet of plastic and recognised it automatically. It was one of those blow up lounges you normally find in the pools of rich people that have cocktails in one hand.

Before he had come to this island, Junhyung was terrified of water. But now, with the help of Doojoon, that original fear had been tamed. He felt he could paddle across the lake on this. Junhyung felt he was capable.

Quickly he bundled the blow up lounge into his arms and came out onto the deck once more. It caused Doojoon to look back up from his sharpening and his eyes grew wide.

"Where did you find that?"

"I found it under the bed!"

"Hm," Doojoon reached out to feel the plastic between his fingers. "Someone who rented the island must have left it here by accident."

"I'm going to use it to swim across the lake."

There was silence for a moment, Doojoon's expression was one of surprise as he looked from Junhyung to the blow up lounge and out to the lake.

"But the water-"

"I can do it Doojoon."

In his mind, Doojoon contemplated the pros and cons of letting Junhyung use this raft. If Junhyung slipped off half way across the lake there was no way in hell that Doojoon could save him. His lips thinned.

"This is dangerous..."

"Trust me, please."

Doojoon was silent for a moment, eyes out on the water. And then he sighed, nodding and setting both knife and stick down beside him - holding out both hands. "I'll blow it up for you then."

Junhyung quickly handed Doojoon the inflatable raft and for the first time in a while his smile had returned to his face. One of excitement for what was to come when he made his way across that lake.

As Doojoon blew up the raft, Junhyung went to the water’s edge - he surveyed the water and the shore on the other side. He tried to pinpoint the fastest way to get across, where the land protruded more and would make his journey less stressful. From wharf to wharf, he decided, was the easiest way.

"Junhyung ah," His attention returned to Doojoon, the raft was inflated - nice and firm and full of his boyfriend's carbon dioxide.

Junhyung wanted to do this quickly, mainly while he still had his courage and confidence that he could do this. And not to mention he wanted to get off this island as soon as he possibly could.

"Be careful okay, take it slow because I might not be able to save you if you fall off," there was a serious tone in Doojoon's words.

Junhyung nodded in understanding. Leaning forward - close enough that their foreheads brushed, Doojoon could feel him breathe a small 'thank you' and 'i will'.

He took the raft from Doojoon's hands and walked down to the shore. He let it settle on top of the water and by the way it floated with such ease he felt what confidence he had risen to even higher levels.

The lake was cold; it shot straight to the bones. Junhyung couldn't stop himself from shivering and quickly he glanced over his shoulder to Doojoon as if to say 'i'm okay'.

He started to paddle; this long journey across the lake began. And it was slow and steady - doing just as Doojoon had asked of him for both of their sakes. If Junhyung had thought the island was quiet, the lake was the muse of silence. Nothing dare made a noise that was not Junhyung himself' his limbs meeting the dark blue water and breaking through it as he paddled. It was a daunting feeling - another scary weight on his chest. This fear that there was nothing solid underneath him, only the cold liquid that would absorb him and swallow him whole - getting into his ears and eyes and mouth and lungs.

Drowning was a terrifying thought.

Junhyung was too focused on the other side of the lake that he almost didn't notice the thickness of the raft was starting to fade. Not until he felt the cold water hit him - felt it rolling over him as the raft lost all air to the dark abyss. Suddenly that terrifying thought was a reality and Junhyung's calm motions brought life to the water. His arms caused riptides in the lake; the slashing made millions of air bubbles. Junhyung's fear had kicked in and he began to yell - almost scream.

He called for Doojoon. He called to be helped - to be saved. His heart was racing in his chest and Junhyung was sure it would explode. From the shore he could hear Doojoon's voice and the distant splash of his entrance to Junhyung's death trap. The water found its way into Junhyung's mouth - and he spluttered and forced his legs to kick harder. He had to keep above water, choking for air against the lake water. All that confidence, all that bravery. It had drowned in the lake and was swallowed by Junhyung's fears.

Time felt like it would go slowly for a long time. That was until Junhyung felt the arms wrap around his waist - like a sea monster coming from the depths to pull him straight under. But instead it was Doojoon, using all his power and his entire mite to swim with Junhyung back to shore. He ignored the pain in his muscles and kept moving, never stopping. Not until he could feel the ground beneath him - the mud that sunk between his toes.

Doojoon kept pulling until they both were up on the bank, their feet just at the water’s edge.

"I'm so sorry I let you out there Jun, I'm so so sorry."

Doojoon's apologies went in one ear and out the other, his grip becoming tighter and pulling Junhyung closer to comfort him. But Junhyung's eyes could only watch the water, silently staring out across it to where he had swum to - to the shore he could never get to. He was trapped here, trapped here forever.

[shirokumaa]

fever 8

DAY NINE

Junhyung awoke in the dead of night with an invisible weight on his chest. He almost couldn't breathe, caught up in between the thin white sheets around him. It caused Junhyung to pull himself from the bed, leaving Doojoon fast asleep.

It was pitch black and Junhyung silently wished there was power on this small island. He stood in a black abyss, in the silence. Only the sounds of the lake, the wind through the trees and crickets broke that silence. Their naturalness haunted him instead of soothed him.

Something seemed off. Sometｈing was wrong on the island.

Still that weight over powered him, heavy enough to make his head hurt. Junhyung took a deep breath and slowly exhaled - just to make sure he was still alive. And then silently he moved is way through the cabin, bare feet scuffing along the floorboards - trying to find from memory the lantern they had brought with them. It should have been on the round dining table.

Argh!

Suddenly there was a sharp pain in his big toe - that throbbing feeling you get when you ram your body into something unintentionally.

"Fuck!" Junhyung hissed, trying not to wake Doojoon. Was this a loose floorboard? That’s what it felt like - one jutting up from the ground. With curiosity in mind, Junhyung crouched down - hands blindly reaching around for this floor board, finger tips trembling.

Then there was a noise. In between the sounds of the lake, the wind through the trees and the wild crickets - there was another noise and it cause Junhyung to pause.

Was that the sound of footsteps on the porch? ones that were heavy against the wood. Suddenly Junhyung cared less about that floorboard and more about the sound and the threat that he may not be the only one awake.

Slowly he pulled himself up from where he crouched, and slowly he stepped over that loose floor board. The darkness had become dense, Junhyung now held his breath voluntarily. He didn't even take note of how his hands shook as he reached the dining table - finding that lantern.

The metal quietly rattled in between his fingertips as he turned the small knob. That very faint light suddenly became a warm flame that flooded the small cabin with an orange hue and long shadows.

In one of the small front windows Junhyung saw a face. They stood there staring in at him, a tall man dressed in dark, what seemed like hunting, clothes. For a moment they each were frozen, pupils slowly growing wide.

Junhyung wanted to yell, call for Doojoon. But his voice was caught in his throat - he couldn't even manage one single vibration. Suddenly the man dashed away from the window and this was when Junhyung's voice came rushing back to him like waves into shore.

"Doojoon, Doojoon wake up!"

His yell fell on deaf ears - the other hardy moved in between the bed sheets.

Outside he could hear people running, more than one and suddenly flashlights filled the air like large fireflies that were drastic and ravenous. Junhyung was not even sure himself about why he grabbed hold of the gas lantern and ventured out after them - even now Junhyung could not tell you. But what he saw, as he bathed the small island in gold light, was the fleeing three figures. The ones he had seen across the water, the ones he had seen in his dreams (his nightmares).

He watched them in a state of deep fear. Junhyung watched them flailing their flashlights, jumping into a boat at the end of the wharf. There was the sudden purr of an engine, it was the purr of their motorboat - and before Junhyung could even do a single thing they had vanished into the darkness of the night and the water.

He stood there and listened to that motor boat until he could hear it no more. Until the silence returned. The lake, the wind, the crickets.

It wasn't very long until Junhyung heard a voice mumbling from the cabin door. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw Doojoon with arms propped against the door frames and his eyes only half open. In the light of the lantern he looked taller than usual, more menacing - a creature. But it was just Doojoon. And when he had forced his eyes open,  there was that same genuine look of worry on his face. He could see the fear on Junhyung's face - in his large pupils and pale skin.

"Junhyung what's wrong...?"

It took Junhyung a long moment to find his voice again; he swallowed a large lump in his throat.

"They were here."

"Who was?"

"Those three men across the lake."

Silence again. Silence was beginning to make Junhyung worried. He missed the sounds of the city now because at least he could distract himself with the sound of the traffic.

"You were probably having a bad dream, Junhyung..." The younger of the two could hardly believe what he was hearing - the words that came from Doojoon's lips were ones of utter surprise to him.

"Are you serious, Doojoon?"

"It has been a stressful few days."

The anger was now bubbling inside him, unable to comprehend why Doojoon was saying such things in such a calm tone. Junhyung shook his head in response, "No."

He climbed the few steps to join Doojoon on the deck, coming face to face with him. "I woke up and I felt something was wrong, then I kicked my toe on a loose floor board and there were footsteps and people! And they went and got in a boat and left! How could you sleep through that?!"

Doojoon frowned down at Junhyung, confusion on his face. "I didn't hear anything."

They stared each other down, eyes flashing orange and amber in the light. Until Junhyung pushed past him and went back into the cabin "I'll show you," he muttered as he brought the lantern lower to the ground - searching for that floorboard he had kicked his toe on. But there was none, every floor board was levelled out and nothing seemed like it could have been the cause for his stubbed toe. Quietly, it soaked in and he could hear Doojoon's foot steps behind him - coming and resting his hand on Junhyung's shoulder. It was a gentle grip, which squeezed.

"It's okay; you're probably just feeling some cabin fever."

Junhyung should have accepted defeat. Maybe Doojoon was right. But there was still a weight on Junhyung's chest that he could not ignore. And in the silence, in the glow of orange light. Something was wrong.

[shirokumaa]

fever 7

DAY EIGHT

Still, no park ranger came to their rescue. It seemed as if he would never come, as if the voice Junhyung had heard on the other end of the line was simply just a voice in his imagination - maybe a foggy memory from long ago. His brows knotted together as he wondered if the voice was real, he gave a flick of his wrist and cast the fishing line out once again. It seemed as if fishing was the only thing Junhyung could do anymore without starting to feel trapped on this little island. Soon Junhyung would have fished every single fish out of this large lake - maybe until all that was left was a large sea monster like the loch ness (and in the end even that sea monster would not be able to fight Junhyung's need to be distracted.)

Doojoon on the other hand, Doojoon seemed to be adapting. And it was probably the fact he was one with wilderness and always had been, he was the persona of a pine tree or large elk. Sometimes as Junhyung observed his boyfriend, he seemed more beast than man or still - like a tree - breathing in waste and exhaling life. Unlike Junhyung, he seemed relaxed - at peace with himself. A part of Junhyung was jealous of that ability - another part was scared.

Behind him he could hear Doojoon with hammer and nail, working on the small cabin roof to make sure no leaks would disturb their slumber. He had gone about doing mundane jobs when the couple relapsed into silences, just like how Junhyung fished.

He heard a small hiss coming from the cabin roof, and Junhyung casted a glance over his shoulder to Doojoon. The man stood there with a thumb between his lips - sucking on it to try and numb the pain. It may have been the first time he had smiled since the boat had vanished. Junhyung only wished he could have seen Doojoon when the hammer had hit his thumb instead of the small grey nail. Junhyung had to force down an amused chuckle.

"You're meant to be fixing the leak, not yourself,"

Doojoon glanced up as he heard Junhyung, and he seemed a little surprised. It was maybe the first comment that today Junhyung had made that wasn't negative. It made him smile softly and express a small chuckle.

"Thanks I'll keep that in mind next time,"

With that, Doojoon climbed down from the roof with ease, like he was jumping from a simple ledge. Again, appearing more animal than human.

There was a second of silence, where Doojoon sucked on his thumb again and Junhyung chewed his lower lip in thought. "Do you think the ranger is going to ever come?"

Junhyung's question caused Doojoon to pause and his eyes drifted off to the opposite bank.

"I am sure he will."

He said it with such a calm tone, it actually irritated Junhyung. They were only meant to be here for so long, but now it seemed like they'd be here forever. Junhyung's family and friends would start to worry; he hadn't even had the opportunity to contact them before their 'trust worthy' phone died.

"Where do you think the boat went?"

Junhyung tried to ignore Doojoon's last answer with another question. He hoped this time it would be better than the last. Doojoon was again silent in thought; he wandered across the grass with bare feet and stood beside his boyfriend.

"I have no idea Junhyung, maybe I forgot to tie it up properly and it just floated away..."

There was guilt in his tone, but Junhyung remembered watching Doojoon tie it up to the small wharf - he did a special knot to stop it. Again, it was another answer that irritated him.

"... Maybe those people took it."

Junhyung thought back to his nightmares when he suggested this. The three black figures that haunted him from across the water. The tall one with his gun and muffled voice - with shot gun barrels against Junhyung's cheek. Just what if they had actually come to the island while he dreamed on that cold night. What if they had stolen their boat so they couldn't escape? Junhyung's chest started to tighten at the idea.

"Don't be silly Junhyung."

A levelled out tone came with Doojoon's reply, his eyes falling to the one with the fishing rod, "why would anyone do that?"

"Why would you be so quick to think they had nothing to do about it?" Doojoon's eyebrows arched lightly with Junhyung's sudden outburst of irritation. The two exchanged glances and there was a tense atmosphere that settled around them. It was as if Doojoon was now reluctant to speak, his lips became thin and he took a step away from Junhyung's side.

"I just know okay," Junhyung felt that was the only answer he would get out of Doojoon. He was correct.

"I'm going to fix that leak," Doojoon's words of leaving where these, before he found his way back up onto the roof once again and continued to hammer.

That loud banging continued into the afternoon, no other words was shared - only the relentless hammering of nail to wood. Over and over.

[shirokumaa]

I quickly got a lot of feels and wrote one for the both of you

[shirokumaa]

WILDCATS FOREVER U AND I

[shirokumaa]

for the amazing Teena~ I wanted to write more - like how I can't wait to plot with you more and rp with you or that I enjoy when we watch shows together. Your mom and your kawaii snapshots ahhhh ILU

[aphelia]

Spirit Island by eelcoroos on Flickr.

[shirokumaa]

fever 6

DAY SIX

The old and dirty alarm clock sat in the palm of Junhyung's hands, recording the seconds, minutes and hours that passed them as they waited for the sound of a motor boat and the face of that deep voiced ranger to appear. The two sat on the dock together with their bags piled behind them and eyes set on the horizon of their time on the island. Doojoon's legs swayed off the side of the dock - his toes dipping into the cool water. Junhyung on the other hand sat cross legged with the clock in his lap. He'd had enough of this island and the water surrounding it - spring seemed to becoming colder like the air around them and Junhyung had pulled on a cardigan to keep himself from getting any chills (it didn't seemed to work as well as he planned though.)

It was 12 PM exactly when the little alarm went off, it shook the square box that was probably white once but now was stained grey from collected dust. At its small ringing the two exchanged glances, and Doojoon offered Junhyung a small smile.

Any time now.

It was 1 PM when Junhyung checked the clock for the fiftieth time.

It was 4 PM when Doojoon quietly announced he was going to wait inside the cabin.

At 8 PM, when the sun had set and the stars now bore witnes to Junhyung still in the spot he was in eight hours ago. He couldn't properly see the numbers on the alarm clock now - but he was positive that the ranger wouldn't be coming today. That excitement he had felt brew inside him faded away quickly.

"I will call him again" Doojoon promised this as he took the blanket from their bed and wrapped the two of them in it as they sat on the dock. "Something must have come up."

Junhyung understood that Doojoon was only trying to comfort him, and rested his forehead against the others shoulder in thanks.

"Tomorrow, he will be here for sure. I promise."

DAY SEVEN

Tomorrow came. He didn't come. Doojoon tried contacting the ranger again, all day long - but no one ever replied. In the end there wasn't even a dial tone and soon after the phone died.

[shirokumaa]

fever 5

DAY FIVE

The wooden shutters of the small cabin tapped against the glass in a constant motion that woke Junhyung up from his heavily burdened sleep. After the gun had gone off in his face, Junhyung's dream went black - it was as if he had literally been killed and was now in the afterlife. The afterlife was a cold place with no peace and Junhyung wasn't sure what had made him sweat more that night - the fear brought by the figures or trying to accept that he was dead and that this may or may not have been hell.

The morning light hurt his eyes when he pried them open, they were still so heavy despite the hours of sleep he had got. The restlessness of it all made him feel like he had been awake for weeks now and to avoid the bright light he rolled over in the bed, finding the warm body beside him. As if it was instinct - Junhyung's hands moved to grab Doojoon, and moved to wrap himself around the other for a moment of comfort. Doojoon smelt like tree sap and smoke from the old stove, and his bare skin was warm to the touch as Junhyung pressed his face against the cook of Doojoon's neck.

Doojoon was like a rock - not even shifting in his sleep with Junhyung's touch, his breath steady and soothing.

Junhyung let his eyes close in this moment, hoping that he could sleep again with peaceful dreams. Yet - the men jumped out at him in the shadows behind his eyelids and again Junhyung's eyes snapped wide open. He would not be able to sleep for a while now.

 Junhyung left Doojoon in bed with a gentle shake to his forearm, and then pulled himself up and out of the bed in slow motions. He fumbled for the case under the bed with all his clothes, dragging it out finally and finding fresh ones to put on. Parts of him still ached from the night before and his neck muscles were strained by the small bruises left under the broad collar of his white t-shirt.

He reached up and rubbed at the marks gently, massaging them as if it would make them heal any faster. For a moment Junhyung smiled, his thoughts drifted away on that small cloud that hazed his mind back to Doojoon and the love they shared.

 Leaving Doojoon to continue his slumber in the late morning light, Junhyung pushed open the cabin door with a small creak and he was welcomed by the fresh air that danced through the pine trees and across the small waves to meet Junhyung and say good morning. It pushed back his fringe, and caused his forearms to lift with excited goose bumps. They had been on this island for five days now. It had been five days of pure bliss for Junhyung - an escape from this life that had never fully made him feel happy (until Doojoon had come along at least).

He gradually made his way down to the bank, his toes curling in the green grass and enjoying the way it felt between them. Again, he inhaled the fresh spring air, letting it fill his whole being and bring relaxation after what nightmares had plagued him --

 But this relaxation drained from his body, as well as the colour in his cheeks, as his eyes fell upon the place on the dock where that small dingy boat should be bobbing. It had been tied up for five days now, the rope tightly clinging to the dock's wooden poles. But now it was as if the boat had vanished into thin air - like a haunted pirate ship on the seas that drunken sailors normally tell old wives tales about to their even older wives back home.

Quickly his eyes scanned the area around the bank, hoping that maybe Doojoon had just simply moved it some time that morning and had returned to bed. But the shore was empty of anything, just the water that lapped up onto the soil and sand. Even as he casted his eyes across the lake to where the original dock sat - looking so small now from the island, there was no sign of that small boat that had brought them over.

"Wha..." the words couldn't even comprehend the suddenly missing boat. He was confused, more importantly afraid. Because he couldn’t swim, this scared him this most. He could hardly get into the water - let alone swim how many yards to the other bank.

 Stranded. That's what they were. Stranded on this little island with no way of getting off it.

 "Junhyung..." Doojoon called to him from the cabin door with a thick tone of exhaustion that rolled from his tongue. He stood in the door frame with arm propping him against it, half dressed and hazy eyed when Junhyung looked back from the bank.

When Doojoon saw that look in his boyfriend's eyes, one of dread and panic, his back straightened and he took a step out into the light with bare feet perched on the small cement slab welcome mat. "Junhyung what’s..."

His question drifted off into the spring air when his own gaze turned to the spot where the row boat should sit - his eyes widening like a full moon at the empty space of water.

"Where'd the boat go Doojoon?" his voice was full of panic as he watched Doojoon make his way to the small dock - able to hear it creak with Doojoon's weight.

"I don't know..."

Doojoon's words made his heart heavy. "You didn't move it this morning?"

"No I was asleep the whole time, why would I?" "Then where the hell is the boat!?"

Doojoon replied with only a hopeless expression, at a loss for words with this boats magical vanishing act. The words lodged in Junhyung's throat - maybe he was playing a joke on Junhyung. That had to be it.

He twisted his body away from Doojoon and the dock and he began to walk against the bank - eyes watching its shore for the boat, in case Doojoon had hid it on the other side. It only took him six minutes to go around the whole island's water side and come back to Doojoon in a full circle - whose eyes quickly made contact with his. "I told you I didn't move it!"

Doojoon left the dock to meet Junhyung, and quickly he pulled the other against his chest - hugging him tightly. "Let's just calm down, I won't let us get stuck on this island alright? I'll figure it all out."

Junhyung trusted Doojoon; he had no one else to trust right now. But even in a crowded room - there was only one person he'd turn to. It was lucky that person now held onto him tight.

He pulled them along, back inside the cabin, where Doojoon began to pull their bags out from under the bed and shifted through his belongings to find the mobile phone they'd brought with them.

"The guy at the store said its range should work from here," Doojoon seemed proud of himself for thinking about this. He began to dial numbers, unknown to Junhyung who took a seat back on their messed up bed. Junhyung tried not to think about the boat as he watched Doojoon place the mobile up against his ear. He remained silent until there was a small frown on Doojoon's expression - that got deeper and deeper.

"... Doojoon?"

He glanced to Junhyung from the phone as he hung up the call. "It says it can't reach anyone."

"But the guy sai-" "I know what the guy said!"

Junhyung fell silent as Doojoon raised his voice in panic towards Junhyung and together they were in that tense atmosphere until Doojoon sighed softly.

"I'm sorry... I'll keep trying."

    ✖

  Junhyung watched the sky melt into soft orange and pink with the setting sun. The last sense of warmth until the cold night slipped in like an oil spill across the ocean. He hadn't moved from the bed since he'd sat down on it - now with his back propped up against the wall and a pillow sitting aimlessly in his lap as he watched the forest outside the small square window.

Doojoon had been trying to contact someone for hours now - only to stop when they got hungry. He'd been trying to call the forest's ranger, in the hopes that he would know what happened to their boat and would hopefully come to their rescue.

The time went slowly, and the small tick of the cabin's old alarm clock was like a steady heartbeat. Soon the oranges, reds and pinks had vanished and the dark oil spill of night came upon them. But that was when the call connected through and Doojoon stood up quickly - enough to knock his chair to the floor.

"Yes Hello?"

The excitement in Doojoon's voice caused Junhyung to glance to him, a smile growing on his face just as it did to Doojoon.

"I'm Doojoon - I rented out the lake cabin?"

There was silence as the ranger responded.

"Well our boat has gone missing and we're stranded on it."

Silence again, but as Junhyung got to his feet to wander over and try to hear the conversation - he could hear the low voice of a man on the other end.

"Tomorrow? at twelve? okay! thank you, thank you so much."

And with that the phone call ended, Doojoon cancelled the call and turned his attention to Junhyung whose expression was full of worry yet curiosity. Doojoon's smile remained as he reached out and landed his hand on Junhyung's shoulder.

"The ranger said he would come with a boat to put us up tomorrow at noon."

That news brought a load of Junhyung's shoulders and a huge sigh of relief. It followed with a small laugh and he reached forward to grab onto Doojoon, pull him close and hug him tightly.

"I told you, you can trust me." "I know."

I know.

[shirokumaa]

CAN CALL ALL U WANT BUT THERE'S NO ONE HOME AND UR NOT GONNA REACH MY TELEPHONE

[dogebite]

The Subconscious of Jean Kirschtein

I just wanted to write some angsty fanfiction and it became Jean and Marco - and my feels are gone

[shirokumaa]

fever 4/?

DAY FOUR

He tried to push the figures to the back of his mind, he tried to make them figments of his imagination – like the shadows of bad nightmares of the past. Doojoon told him not to worry and Junhyung was determined to forget – for his sake and for the sake of their trip together. He tried and was successful.

Their fourth day on the island was something Junhyung would grow to remember with a nostalgic happiness attached to it. Like they had for the past two mornings, they began their day by fishing off the wharf and again Junhyung caught a large fish. (Doojoon had started to call him a lucky charm) The fish was a rebellious one and it responded to Doojoon’s grasp with aggressive flailing and his tail managed to make contact with the man’s cheek – filling Junhyung with surprise laughter and leaving Doojoon in sudden shock.

Doojoon told Junhyung stories of when he was a kid while they sat on the picnic blanket together under the shade of one of the island’s trees. Junhyung learnt that his boyfriend was more rugged than he first appeared. He was full of tales about the small scars that Junhyung had always been curious about while he trailed his fingertips along Doojoon’s skin. The one on his palm was his first fishing hook – that got caught up in the tender eight year olds skin. The small one above his eyebrow was a tree branch that had fallen and hit him on the head. There were four white lines on his forearm from when a wild rabbit he was nursing attacked him and dragged its claws against his skin – hard enough to make it break and cause blood to come to the surface. Doojoon’s stories were so organic and real that Junhyung felt himself falling more in love with the nature around them and more in love with the man who lay beside him on the picnic rug.

That night the picnic blanket was alone and the stars were not gazed upon like they had been before. The two found themselves under the thin sheets of the iron framed bed, wrapped up in each other’s limbs. It was a haze of teeth and heavy breath caught with even heavier moans when pleasure got the best of them. The way Junhyung clawed at Doojoon’s back was as if he wished to scar the man just as the rabbit had – make his own claim on Doojoon and become one of the stories Doojoon would tell when they were old and the scar was hardly visible but there all the same. 

And when the passion had died down to a small simmer of embers in the early hours of the morning - the figures loomed on him again in his dreams.

Faceless, black masses of people - they pinned him down onto that same bed. Junhyung could feel that their grip was tight as a snake on its meal; one held his legs and the other tied his arms to the old bed head. The tallest stood back – just visible in the shadows, with that large gun positioned in his hands. Now up close – it was a shot gun that shimmered in what light there was from the oil lantern.

“Keep him still,” he ordered, in a voice with no real tone or comprehension.

The bullets clicked into the gun and Junhyung began to struggle more than he ever had in his whole life. He wanted to beg for forgiveness, beg to be let go. But he knew they wouldn’t listen and that was the worst part of this dream.

“Please—“

Junhyung’s words caught in his throat as the barrel of that shot gun was pushed against his cheek. There was no sound, only deep fear as the safety was taken off.

“Sorry,”

  BANG