VICIOUS

cigarette butt.

08.

yeonjun found himself sitting in front of the sealed shop. there were police tapes stuck all around the walls. the sight sent a shiver down the boy's spine, but all he wanted was to lose himself in the tall facade of old history. someone had left a bouquet near the doorstep. yeonjun watched the petals dance along a picking breeze.

the storm last night had left remnants all around. someone had said they were bringing mister hiroshi's body back for burial. others said the police won't let it out before they could rule out the identity of the murderer. yeonjun remembered the soft smile on that old man. he owned a heart of gold. that man had never done anything that was worthy of him getting killed so brutally. a familiar sense of suffocation took over the boy. he hung his head low, trying to cut open the tightening of his heart.

"hey."

jia.

yeonjun's head jerked up. he stumbled, trying to stand. "hi." there was water in his shoes that he was suddenly made aware of.

"you look pale. are you okay?" jia asked, eyes burning in his. yeonjun couldn't stand the pressure he felt under her gaze. he looked away. a raven stood on the end of the red roofed shop. "that bird follows you too often."

"he's a friend."

yeonjun's eyes almost bulged at this. he pushed himself in a coughing fit. "sorry." he cleared his throat. "why did you come here?"

"playing detective. i want to see him again." jia looked around, gripping at the strap of her sling bag. yeonjun observed the knitted flowers at one torn corner of it. "wanna join?"

"where do we start?" this was so silly.

"look around the shop. find clues. too bad we can't go inside." jia was already moving towards the shop, a set determination in her clicking shoes. yeonjun let out a deep sigh. he slouched behind.

there was a narrow gap between the buildings. jia carefully walked in one of the crevice, careful to not step in the filled puddles. there were some old graffitis on the walls, and random boxes discarded. she walked over the cemented edging, carefully looking around. there was a faint smell rising as she followed the trail. it felt familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint the feeling it arouse. the narrow path came to an end. there was a small patch of clearing, that was followed by the forests. the shop ended with a back door. jia put a handkerchief around the door handle, but to no avail. it was locked.

yeonjun showed up, hands in his denim jacket. "found something?"

"no." jia peaked inside the shop through the window. the darkness was too thick to be noticed. she saw the outline of the isles, and the counter. before she could move away, there was a shift in the shadows. jia stumbled back, colliding in yeonjun. "holy crap."

"what?" yeonjun jumped in fright. "did you see something?"

"there was something in there." jia pointed at the window, eyes wide open. "i'm not hallucinating."

yeonjun hesitantly walked ahead, hands cupping the sides of his eyes and he looked in. something fell that was loud enough for them to hear.

"see!?"

yeonjun broke in a chuckle. "it's mako."

"mako?"

"mister hiroshi's cat. she must have sneaked in from the roof."

yeonjun walked away, calling out for the cat. the feline meowed delightfully.

jia sighed. she felt embarrassed, and took to poking at the miscellaneous objects stacked in a corner. there was a cigarette case in between two cardboard boxes. it had painted tulips over the lid. jia pulled it out.

"he was a smoker, huh?"

yeonjun sat beside her. "yeah."

jia opened the case to find a single piece inside. it was just the cigarette butt. "that's odd." the girl pulled it out. "why throw this case out too?"

"i'm worried about him not throwing the used cigarette away." yeonjun chuckled.

"why is this blue in the centre? not a cigarette expert, but did he smoke something cooler?" jia handed the cigarette to yeonjun.

"he usually made his own thing." yeonjun tried smelling it. "it smells like ink." the boy tore open the cover, brown power falling on the ground. there was a paper in the centre. he uncovered it.

yeonjun stood up in surprise. "there is something written on it!" jia mirrored his excitement.

"what is it?" she leaned in to steal a look.

"beware its presence, for it manifests itself in unsuspecting ways. shadows dance with malevolence, innocent laughter turns hollow, and dreams twist into nightmares when it draws near. it feeds on fear, thriving on the vulnerability of those it encounters, leaving naught but sorrow and despair in its wake." yeonjun was shaking. "it mirrors our world, and feeds us hunger for what we desire deeply."

"what does this mean?" jia felt a darkness rise around. she suddenly felt a deep vulnerability sprout in her.

"we have to leave." yeonjun grabbed jia's wrist, pulling her along the path they had followed before.

mako watched the two leave. she purred to a nearing presence in the shop.