Cell No. 9 | TaeKook

1 | Lost.

The front door creaked open, and Taehyung stepped into his house, kicking off his shoes with a sigh. His mind was lost in the mundane details of the day, replaying trivial conversations and unfinished tasks. He barely noticed the chill in the air as he moved deeper into the hallway.

Suddenly, his foot slid out from under him. He hit the floor with a hard thud, a sharp pain radiating through his hip. Wincing, Taehyung pushed himself up, his hand slipping on something slick and wet. Confused, he looked down and froze. His palm was smeared with thick, dark blood.

His breath hitched in his throat as he slowly lifted his gaze. The floor was awash in red, a macabre sea stretching out before him. His eyes traced the path of the blood, following the gruesome trail until they landed on the source.

Taehyung's heart pounded against his ribs. There, crumpled and lifeless on the ground, lay his parents. Their bodies were unnaturally twisted, their faces pale and devoid of life. His mother's eyes were open, staring vacantly at the ceiling, while his father's arm was outstretched, as if he had been reaching for something—or someone.

A scream tore from Taehyung's throat, raw and piercing. It echoed through the empty house, a desperate, primal sound. His vision blurred with tears as he crawled forward, his hands slipping in the blood that pooled around his parents. He reached out, his fingers trembling, but he couldn't bring himself to touch them.

The world around him spun, and the air seemed to thicken, pressing down on his chest. He gasped for breath, his mind refusing to accept the horrific scene in front of him. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be happening.

But the blood on his hands, the lifeless eyes of his parents, and the silence that filled the house told him otherwise. Taehyung's scream faded into sobs as he collapsed beside his parents, his world shattering into a million irreparable pieces.

Taehyung remained on the floor, his body racked with sobs. The sound of his crying was the only thing that broke the oppressive silence of the house. He didn't know how long he lay there, time seemed to have lost all meaning. Eventually, he forced himself to stand, legs shaking, and stumbled to the phone to call for help.

The police arrived swiftly, their blue and red lights flashing through the windows, casting an eerie glow over the blood-stained scene. They moved with practiced efficiency, securing the area and ushering Taehyung outside, away from the horror within. He barely registered their questions, his mind numb, replaying the moment he found his parents over and over.

As Taehyung sat on the curb, wrapped in a blanket, he heard snippets of conversations around him—words like "homicide," "suspect," and "investigation." He looked up, bewildered, as officers murmured and glanced his way. A detective approached, her expression a mix of sympathy and suspicion.

"Sir, we're going to take you to the station to answer a few questions," she said gently but firmly. "We need to understand what happened here."

Numbly, he nodded, allowing himself to be led to the police car. The ride to the station was a blur, the reality of the situation still struggling to penetrate his shock. At the station, he was placed in a small, sterile interrogation room. The detective sat across from him, a recorder on the table between them.

"Can you tell me what happened tonight?" she asked, her tone still gentle but with an edge of urgency.

Taehyung recounted the events as best as he could, his voice trembling. He described coming home from his job, finding his parents, the blood. His mind felt like it was unraveling with every word he spoke. When he finished, the detective leaned back, her expression unreadable.