Chapter 5 Foreboding

Author's P.O.V:

A foul smell wafted inside the walls of your room. A terrible stench, sickeningly sweet mixed with the odor of blood. Light undertones of rain mist made the smell warp into a fishy stench. Your head felt heavy and your stomach turned from the smell. Looked to your side, V silently perched on your bedside table. You haven't seem him this quiet and it suddenly made you anxious

Y/n: V what's wrong? And what's this smell?

His sudden heavy voice made you jump under your skin

V: I'm sure it's just a dead rat, hurry up now and get ready for school

The indifference in his tone shocked you for a moment, he was never this forward with his approach and that worried you. Studying him you noticed something odd about his appearance. It seemed like the doll was soaking in water. Stains were on him, stains that would only appear if something didn't dry properly.

Y/n: How did you get those stains?

V: Don't worry about it. Get ready or you'll be late for school

You wanted to poke into the matter further but his behavior became erratic to the point he stopped talking to you further. You were concerned but it wasn't the time to dwell in it further. You came to the conclusion that your grandmother probably spilled something on him or you did unknowingly. As for the foul smell, you needed to sweep the room after coming back from school. The last thing you wanted was a dead rat or something rotting in here. Reaching the school you were greeted with an unexpected sight. You could see a familiar group of people near the front of the building. Seeing as you knew a couple of them you subconsciously walked towards them. As you got closer it seemed less and less like a casual conversation. One of the girls from the two was crying, because you knew her personally it was upsetting to watch. Right then the two girls turned towards you, Taeyeon came running with a worried and teary face

Taeyeon: Y/n are you okay?

You felt happy that she was worried for you but you were more concerned about the tears staining her cheeks

Y/n: I'm fine but what happened to you?

Taeyeon: It's horrible, Vernon he-

Just then another voice interjected

Jimin: Vernon and his family died

Sehun: The police found his family dead in their house, it just happened all too fast.

You were rightfully shocked. It was then when you remembered how short life was. Perhaps the shock of hearing the death of someone you personally knew was even more devastating. For a second you felt dizzy, almost tripping on your own feet when the other girl held you up. You never saw her before but she looked kind

Tiffany: take it easy, it's a lot to take in

Y/n: thank you-

Tiffany: I'm Tiffany, Taeyeon and Jimin told me about you. It's nice to finally meet you by the way.

She smiled brightly, not giving away the pain underneath it all. The strong willed put up a brave front for the weaker hearts such as yourself, this was all they could do to make sure everyone didn't break down.

Sehun: there is something odd going around in the neighborhood recently

The topic that seemed have had been taken as a taboo was brought up. The sadness in Sehun's eyes, the eyes that seemed to have been crying silently for the whole night now held conviction.

Sehun: Vernon's father was a police officer but he was not in charge of the case investigating Jeiwon's murder. So it didn't make sense if the murderer targeted him.

Jimin: what are you trying to say?

At this point the sadness in the air was replaced with doubt and frustration

Sehun: I'm saying it's odd that before targeting officers who are actually looking into the matter, the killer went for an unrelated target.

Except for you, no one questioned the boy's assumption, they knew the son of a detective knew what he was talking about. Being an outsider, Sehun was quick to notice your confusion

Sehun: my father is a detective in charge of the case

As if reading the question in your mind word by word, you were impressed and looked at the tall boy in awe, your eyes glimmering in astonishment. Noticing your excitement Jimin felt a bit irritated. He clicked his tongue before making a noise of annoyance.

Jimin: so what? Are going to start playing detective?

Sehun: no but dad found this video I think we all should see

Why was there a need to show regular people like you the video was beyond your understanding. Yet again as if reading you like a book Sehun was quick to clear your doubts.

Sehun: my theory is, Vernon might have been targeted because of his affiliation with me. Both Jeiwon's death and Vernon's were similar, death by drowning, so we can deduce from the method of the murder that the culprit is the same. However our victims were random, my first assumption is after killing Jeiwon, who happened to be the son of a rich business man, to eliminate possible threats he's going for people in the police force.

For some reason everyone was hooked in his explanation, you too were dying to know more

Sehun: and if that's not the case my second assumption is the killer targeting people close to my dad who's in charge of the case. That being said we have to consider both options as viable possibilities. Hence I think you all need to know this.

For a second you felt something warm inside. You kept telling yourself that wasn't the case and tried to slip away. Just then Tiffany held you back

Tiffany: where are you going?

Hesitantly you spoke in a small voice

Y/n: Um to class?

Jimin: homeroom doesn't start for another 15 minutes though

They were not letting you off, gathering up the courage you spoke your mind

Y/n: I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be here, I mean I don't think I'll be targeted

Sehun: What are you trying to say?

Y/n: You said it yourself, people who are close to you are targeted so-

Sehun: Oh my God this girl. You're our friend you're bound to be targeted one way or the other.

Although Sehun said it in an irritated voice you felt something warm inside. The others smiled at you reassuringly. For a second you felt like you were going to cry, this was probably the single most nice thing anyone ever told you. The moment was interrupted with the ringing of the bell

Tiffany: Quick exchange numbers

Sehun: alright then, see you guys after school!

With that all five of you went to your designated classes. During lecture you couldn't concentrate, all lot was on your mind after the morning's exchange. You still couldn't believe people wanted to be your friend. But you wished you didn't day dream so often, because the teacher was in front of you and he did not look happy.

Teacher: Yes ms. Y/n what are the functions of the pituitary gland?

Y/n: Um-

Teacher: If you were paying attention you wouldn't be stuttering. See me after school

You sat back down feeling embarrassed, your reputation was not looking good. Got in trouble twice within a week, a personal record was made and there was nothing you were proud of. Feeling down as the last of your classes came to an end, you sighed in front of your locker. Suddenly someone grabbed you by the waist sending a wave of tickles. The surprise was enough to almost trip you. Catching your breath you looked up to your attacker's face

Y/n: that was not funny

Taeyeon: Teehee, sorry I got a bit carried away.

Soon the others from the morning joined.

Jimin: We were hoping if you would go to get ice cream after school? We're all going together

Y/n: Sorry I can't, I got detention

Tayeaon: Damn that old fart, he needs to chill out

Y/n: Maybe next time

-Meanwhile-

A dark entity walked the empty hallway towards a particular class room, a man in his 60s sat on the desk writing when he felt the cold air blow in and the stench of rotting flesh

Teacher: What the-

His words were muffled by a strong grip on his mouth

???: It won't hurt if you stop struggling

A husky voice whispered on his ear sending chills down his spine, his body fell numb. Not being able to move he closed his eyes tight not daring to look what was happening in front of him. His vision soon became blurry as he felt his head being submerged under water. He opened his eyes to see a gruesome figure, a boy not too older than the age of 18 to 19, his skin pale and flaking off to reveal the rotting flesh underneath. His eyes were lifeless and his body was covered in mud and slime. The sight was enough to have the man pass out but pushing his head inside a tank that suddenly appeared before him kept him awake. Less than three minutes and the older man's body plopped lifeless on the chair. V left the building unnoticed but not before setting off the fire alarm.

The building was evacuated and a buzz of whispers began when the police and ambulance arrived. You watched as paramedics carried out a body covered in white sheet.

Tiffany: Don't tell me. Did someone just die?

Following Tiffany's exclamation others started chattering amongst themselves, the unrest spreading through the entire student body. Just then the principal came out with a terrified face.

Principal: Do not panic, Mr. Kim was very old and merely had a stroke.

It was clear the way how he couldn't keep his composure that he was lying, but why was he lying didn't really click in your mind.

Principal: In any case the school time is at it's end, everyone go home including those who had detention or clubs. As well as this, school will remain closed for the next week to, uh- mourn Mr. Kim's death.

With that the principal left as the police closed the school building, leaving the confused and lost children loitering outside. You felt uneasy about something. You thought about the previous murders and how they all seemed odd, as if you had a specific connection to them. You were pondering the thought when someone called your name

Jimin: Are you alright?

Coming back to reality, you nodded and forced a smile.

Jimin: I know what we should do, let's all grab ice cream like we planned

Taeyeon: How could you possibly eat ice cream when someone just died?

Jimin: There's no point in brooding over a death of someone you hardly knew, besides it's better to get lift your spirits during times like these.

Sehun: I agree, we should clear our heads. It'll be easier to move on that way

At first you thought they were being insensitive but you realised soon enough that wasn't the case. Sure Jimin was smiling but his smile never reached his eyes. They were strong, holding themselves while making sure no one else broke down. You suddenly felt a tremendous amount of respect for the both of them. After much debate all of you decided it was better to distract yourselves and so the group went to a convenient store. This was probably the first time you went somewhere with friends, even now you felt you couldn't get used to being cared for. Although Taeyeon, Sehun and Tiffany treated you well, you felt only one person accepted you even with all your unusual antiques. Subconsciously you felt your gaze follow him whenever he wasn't looking. A unfamiliar sensation always erupted whenever Jimin spoke to you.

Jimin: Y/n is something wrong? You seem to have a lot in mind

Y/n: Oh ah nothing

You didn't realise when the others started looking at you, concern in their eyes.

Y/n: I'm really fine

Taeyeon: You can always talk to me if something bothers you

Tiffany: Yeah what are friends for?

Yes, you could never get used to this feeling. You felt warm, and for the first time in your school life, you laughed.

~~~~~~~

You allowed yourself to fall on the soft comforting bed of yours as you breathed out a tired sigh

V: What's wrong Y/n? Did someone bully you again?

Y/n: No not at all. I made some new friends today and we went to get a bite, I'm just tired that's all. Although, there is something bothering me.

V: What is it?

V was yet again acting out of character. The strange monologs he used while speaking, as if they were rehearsed, and the lack of comfort in his words was starting to become more noticeable. Cautiously you spoke

Y/n: Some people I knew had tragically died, I don't know how to explain it but for some reason their deaths weigh on me.

V: Now why would you say that?

Y/n: Never mind, I'm probably thinking too much.

You didn't realise when you were on your tiptoes when dealing with V. A sense of fear lurked within him and you subconsciously found yourself minimizing your contact with him. Before you fell asleep you found obligated to bring up a topic that, now, you were dreading to bring up

Y/n: Hey V, I have this project and well, my partner will be coming over to work on it.

V: I thought we went over the topic of bringing people over already

Y/n: I know, you don't like people coming over but we have to finish this or else both of us will fail

As if pondering the situation for a while your doll spoke up

V: in that case you should go to his house, provided I come along.

The idea got you surprised for a second and you thought it over and over again. It would be better for you since you were already uncomfortable with the idea of having a boy invade your personal space. You texted Jimin to let him know about your thoughts, you were surprised to get an immediate reply, not noticing you were smiling from ear to ear. The sight irked irritation on V for a second before he returned to normal as you turned to him

Y/n: He says we'll work at his place

V, was silent before he bid you goodnight. You were already asleep when the spirit materialized, stroking your hair gently he spoke

V: If only you knew how much I've come to care for you. Even though I know we won't ever part why do I feel like you're slowly moving away from me? I love you Y/n.

He uttered the last words in a whisper before vanishing into a cloud of mist. His words seemed to be coming back as a metaphor for this was the last time V would appear as his true self. Something big was going to happen and you would not be ready for it.