Wildfire And Rain

Chapter Forty-Four

"Help." they hear past the line. Taehyun's grip on the phone turns lips as he snaps his head to the side, his eyes meeting Beomgyu's scared ones. "Help-" Kai repeats, his voice is nothing but fragile. "-Please find me-"

The call ends on an abrupt end.

"Kai!" Beomgyu takes the phone to his hands, looking helplessly at the call-ended message on the screen. He dials to the unknown number again but there is no answer.

Yeonjun who had already woken up from the loud ringtone looks at the two in alarm; he raises his eyebrows. "What is it?" he asks urgently.

"I don't know." Beomgyu blinks fast and looks around. He rushes for his cardigan and looks at the group. Soobin groggily rubs on his eyes. "Come on," Beomgyu says. "We're going to the police."

........................

His head snaps to the side with a crack; the side of his eye pulses painfully. A blue bruise begins to form.

Why? Why would he do that? Why? He's compromising them, can't he see that? Why? Why can't he keep them out of it?

Why would he say that?

Mr. Harrison takes the phone and smashes it on the ground with burning anger, he stomps his foot on the device, crushing it into small pieces. He looks up and bends down, taking the roll of duct tape from the floor; getting up, and holding Kai's face with an iron grip.

He begins to wrap the tape around Kai's head; taping his mouth shut. He rolls it around over and over again in what appears to be a furious notion. Perhaps he thinks by doing that he'll reverse what Kai said on the phone.

Finally, after what felt like forever, he tears the tape from the roll and slaps the lifting end of it; sticking it so that it sits nice. It's tight and melts into the flesh of his face; cutting blood circulation.

Terrible. He's a horrible person.

Kai promised himself that no matter what he uncovers and what happens he keeps Taehyun out of it but of course, he can't resist risking the people close to him.

Why? Oh, God why? Why would he say that?

He's so horrible.

Selfish.

He always has to rope someone else into his business. Always has to keep things messy. Always has to take just because he can.

Please let the reception be bad, please make it so that Taehyun didn't hear what he said. Please let him never take action on Kai's words. How could he find him? How will he ever?

This was a bad idea; a very bad idea. He is bad, he can't control himself. Can't control the fire. It reached from the phone and touched Taehyun. He didn't want it to and it still did.

Mr. Harrison is right; he can't help himself from hurting.

Kai's thoughts halt when he feels cold liquid pouring on him from above. His breath hitched as he got soaked in it. It smells sweet but extremely overpowering; he coughs. The fumes of the liquid seem to quickly be evaporating and entering his lungs.

Gasoline.

He recognized the scent.

It drips from his hair and leaves a puddle on the floor beneath him.

No.

No...

That's not-

Kai looks up; his eyes are glassy with tears from the intense gases. Mr. Harrison holds in his two hands a large gallon of gasoline, pouring a trail of clear stream from Kai to the barn door. He drenches the walls and chairs.