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The sky overhead was pitch black, and the brewing storm had now shifted into reckless rain. Her uneven, ragged breathing turned into helpless sobs as she tried to regain the stamina to run again, ignoring the bitter and cold winds that hindered her movements. The showers fell ceaselessly on her form, leaving her with no other alternative than to get drenched and curse the skies.
She did not discern how the moonlight had been her only guide until she entered the dim-lit alley, her feet snagging on some stones and she ended up stumbling into some puddles. Halting for a while to catch on her breath, she leaned onto the small tree, peering back towards the direction she'd come from only to let out a silent cry followed by shallow grunts. The lightning struck again making her flinch and look up at the sky, the raindrops falling on her cheeks mixing with her tears.
He'll find me.
The succinct thought was more than enough to send her body into a state of frozen fear and give her a harsh push, convincing her to pace again, gradually turning into a sprint as she exited the alleyway. The loud sounds her feet made dampened all the other voices she would've paid attention to in any other situation, but for now, all she could think of was running as fast as she could to avoid what almost seemed certain. She spotted an old building that looked like it had been abandoned for the night, probably under construction, finding a flicker of silence in her chaotic mind at the idea of staying concealed.
She sat down against the rugged walls of the structure, eyes closing while she tried to catch her breath, wondering if she was still being followed. There was no doubt that she knew she'd come a long way, but the danger was what she'd left behind, and it would come to her eventually, and that was all she could think of. Her heart hammered in her chest all the while she strained herself to catch any hint of footsteps but all she could hear was faint noises of people conversing and vehicles honking from somewhere far away.
Exhausted to the bone, she leaned against the wall she had been hiding behind. Sleep was her enemy and she tried her best to avoid it, opening her eyes wider every time she felt droopy.
"I'll be there-" She immediately looked up, her hands covering her mouth to restrain any sound she could make. Her eyes squinted to look for anyone who might be dangerous but there was no one. She felt creeped out as another voice entered her ears but there had been no one.
She could hear vague promises of safety, promises of happiness, of togetherness. Warmth took over her mind for a second before she remembered the fear she had felt. The left side of her head throbbed hard enough to make her grab her head and wince soundlessly. She could sense the horror. Her eyes ached, wishing to stay shut for a little longer but the demons of trepidation her mind had let in as soon as she had sat down still haunted her and so she pushed herself to open them.
Another tear rolled down her cheeks, irritation and timidity attacking her together. Hushed voices persuaded her brain as she pushed back into the wall, trying to run away from them. Their amplitude increased, hideously, petrifying the last inch of hope in her until she had covered her ears to block them away. A loud scream escaped her lips and she stopped moving.
Her brain had been messed up and now she believed she had heard some noises nearing the building she had been hiding in.
Even though she knew her legs had completely given up, her rigid state could not persuade her to worry about her physical strength at this moment. All she cared about was the fact that she was still conscious, and she'd do anything until she was fully aware of her surroundings to be secure. Her thoughts were all over the place but she knew she couldn't stay there and she had to gather the courage to walk a little further. The adrenaline in her veins was slowly dying, the rush she felt was disappearing with time and she could feel herself turning helpless.
Find somewhere safe, safer than here.
Quietly walking out of the building from the other side at a much slower pace than earlier, her tired eyes looked around to find herself in a small but partly busy street. A sigh of relief exited her, a crowd was not where she could be harmed. But the danger still lingered. She glanced at her blood-stained clothes and closed her eyes in disappointment, trying to hide them with her hands and the bag she held. She wanted to scream and cry at the unfairness of the situation– how was she even supposed to explain herself if someone allegedly asked her about anything at all?
The golden lights of the humble and modest motel flashed in front of her eyes when she walked into the foyer with little energy left in her. She gripped her bag and adjusted it on her arm before clearing her throat. In few minutes, she found herself sitting on the mattress of the motel bedroom, a genuine serenity enveloping her.
Her entire body felt remarkably drained, aching almost everywhere while her head still pounded for a reason unknown ever since she could remember being awake and vigilant. She gulped harshly and took a sharp inhale when she recalled the reason why she had started running in the first place. She could feel her numb legs and battered body when she breathed out along with tears filling up her eyes as she stared at the floor.
There were too many emotions that she felt, even in the secluded place with no one and just her, the most prominent being fear and apprehension. She walked towards the mirror, one of her legs somewhat paralyzed that left her limping. She looked at her face in the mirror, blood hidden behind her black, wet locks. When she touched her head, it hurt like death, and so she realised she had a serious wound but also had no plausible energy to aid it.
Closing her eyes with a heavy sigh, she leaned her hands on the countertop before throwing herself back on the bed nearby. Her eyes closed and the darkness slowly enveloped her, a single tear dropping on her cheek and her mind entering into a void as it slid down her face.
⌘
"Jeon Jungkook." She let out, a sense of urgency in her broken voice even though it was calm, seemingly trying to be restrained but failing at it. "Yes, miss?" The receptionist asked, a slightly concerned look on her face. "Can I help you?" She further initiated and she said it a little louder this time. "I need to see the lawyer here!"
"I can make an appointment for you..." The women behind the desk cut off in between. "Right now! It is crucial, can't you see?" She frowned the words delivered to the other irritably with the emphasis of the urgency. "I am ready to pay whatever you want me to." She added, watching the receptionist sigh and stiffly check some papers.
"Please wait here for a while," the woman let out, her eyebrows furrowing as she left her seat. When she returned, she gave a brief nod to the girl who was possibly in her worst state, eyes frantically looking here and there for reasons she was unaware of.
Her uneven and roughly painted nails went unnoticed by her as she grabbed the steel handle of the glass door, pushing them and stepping inside the colder room. She hardly cared about her appearance and her patience had given up at this point, now that she had finally reached out for some sort of assistance, the kind she needed, like a drop of water for dying thirst.
The woman who had shown her the way slowly walked away from her, the sound of her heels tapping on the floor registering in her mind. Her steps hastily carried her towards the centre of the room where she could spot a man, leaning on one side of the chair with his fingers on his temples, the other hand flipping the pages of a file open in front of him on his messy, unorganised table.
Another person stood next to his chair, leaning on the glass slab and his back facing her, but in all honestly, she neglected his presence entirely. Her focus stayed on the man in the chair, sitting with all his concentration absorbed in a matter she was unaware of and she was not concerned about. All she needed to know was that he was the person she was looking for at the moment.
Tears trickled the edges of her eyes unconsciously - for, in normal circumstances, she would never cry in front of a person she just lay her eyes upon for the first time, but she did not have the time to sophisticate her behaviour. Maybe it was the fear, and maybe it was the pain she felt from her bruises, but somewhere, maybe it was the diminutive light of hope she felt flickering in her heart. Not the kind that would keep her hidden like the other night - but the kind which made her feel like she would not have to hide anymore.
Her lips parted, taking in a deep inhale while her brain tried to contemplate upon what to say. She saw the man's dark orbs slowly shift their attention from the paperwork towards her dishevelled form without changing his position, his pupils slightly running across her face, obviously observing something before returning to maintain contact with hers. He raised an eyebrow as he watched her expression change from indifferent to helpless, causing his hands to instinctively shut close the document they held.
"We'll take a look at this later," He briefly whispered to the blonde man who followed his gaze and glanced at her, immediately straightening his figure and walking out of the room after keeping down the files he was holding. The guy in the suit, whom she believed to be Jeon Jungkook, waited for her to say something, anything that would be heard above the quiet rustling from outside the door and her ragged breathing contrasting with his composed demeanour.
"Save me." Her voice choked when she spoke and a small sniffle left her form. "Please."
⌘
"Please, take a seat," he offered, gesturing towards the chair in front of him. She looked at where he was pointing but did not react much, her eyes simply came back to where they were before closing as she tried to quieten herself. He stared at her state for a few seconds with an awkward questionable face, eventually standing up.
"I need you to calm down," he said, a swift softness layering his tone before moving towards the other side of the table and grabbing the chair for her. This time, she gulped before gently sitting down, thousands of thoughts still running through her mind.
"Now, tell me." He smiled a little, standing in front of her. "How can I be of help?" He let out and she pressed her lips together, a little bruise on its edges itching her. "I would need all the help you could give me." She let out, her hand formerly resting on the sides going up to cover her face.
"I need some sort of... reassurance. Or he would find me and kill me. He will find me and kill me if he could right at this moment." She rambled while erratically shaking her head and he sighed softly, grabbing the glass of water kept on his side and shifted it towards her.
She didn't thank him before taking it, which made him frown a little, examining her once more. This wasn't the first time he was seeing a client worried about their life. However, he did not know why he felt like there was more to what he could comprehend with the lady in front of him. "You need to catch him before he runs away with me and kills me-"
"Who?" He interjected and she paused, taking in a deep breath.
"I don't know."
She breathed out and his eyes shifted to someplace else, squatting down to her level. "Is he the one who gave you these?" He asked, pausing to look at her before touching the sides of his forehead, leading her to follow him. She could still feel the dried blood and slowly shook her head. "I got these when I was trying to run away from him." She explained and he nodded.
"I don't remember anything about his appearance, I don't understand! He was after my life, he still is. It's all a haze. All I see is the darkness!" She let out, frustrated. He frowned before standing up and taking his seat.
"Ma'am," he started, fixing the tilted pen on his desk. "I need you to be clear. You have to tell me everything, slowly and carefully. If you-"
"She is dying!" She exclaimed, her hands gripping the edges of the furniture. "She is dying and I'm going to die just like she did." She added, making him frown and purse his lips.
"Who's dying?" He asked and she shook her head again with a harsh gulp.
He sighed heavily after a few moments of silence, pushing up the folded sleeves of his shirt. "Look. I cannot help you if I don't know your situation completely. You cannot be my client if I do not decide to help you," He stated, tilting his head. "It goes hand in hand. So we start from the beginning?"
"How about you let me know your name first?" He smiled a little. "I'm Jungkook." He extended an arm towards her in a warm manner. "Who are you?" He encouragingly raised his eyebrows and she did the exact opposite to that, as the question slowly registered into her mind, sending her being into turmoil.
"Me?" She asked in a whisper, being thrown into the real world after a small second of blackness engulfed her vision.
Her next words, however, made him mirror her expression, her disturbed breathing contrasting with her furrowed eyebrows, clearly embodying confusion.
"Who am I?"
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