Evanesce

(Chapter 5) Unfair

Jinyoung stood there, pale faced, as Sunji ran to him. He accepted her with open arms. I stood a few yards away watching, holding back the tears and pent up emotion from the previous days events. He looked at me with dark, sullen eyes. I could feel them piercing me, he blamed me for this.

The forest began to dim and the air chilled. Sunji sat on the charred stoop explaining what all we know, choking back her own grief as she did so. Jinyoung looked like he was deep in thought, pondering something or maybe attempting to process the information. He looked up at me and smiled gently, standing and pulling Sunji to her feet.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for any of this." He said sullenly. "You girls are coming to stay with me in the city tonight." I looked over at Sunji who looked relieved and even ecstatic. I stifled a sigh and instead nodded slowly, taking a shaky breath. I've never felt in place in the city, or with Jinyoung, my sister's father has always made it clear to me that his daughter was the only thing that mattered. Jinyoung looked satisfied with my response and ushered us ahead of him, presumably toward his parked vehicle. Suddenly something lit up in my head like a lightbulb.

"Wait, I forgot something, I'll be right back" I rushed out before bolting back toward the rubble. I squinted through the darkness and kicked through the timber searching desperately for the old duffel bag. Suddenly a large lump caught my attention from the corner of mother's bedroom. Thankfully my mother was clairvoyant enough to invest in a fireproof duffel bag. Once I confirmed the item was in the sack, I shoved the zipper closed.

That was when I noticed the tattoo on my hand once again, pulsating blue. I tossed the duffel over my shoulder and sprinted back in the direction they went. Once I approached the truck I tossed the bag in a nearby bush and whipped around, looking for any sign of Sunji or Jinyoung. My breathing became more and more erratic the longer I searched. Throwing myself through thick brush, I fell into a small opening in the pines.

There was no grass, the copper-colored needles not leaving a single blade exposed. The tall thick trees hovered over us, blocking even the slightest moonlight covering the forest. As my eyes adjusted, I debated continuing my search, but an eerie feeling ran through my spine, stopping me in my tracks.

I was able to make out a figure in the darkness, too large to be Sunji. The figure was bent slightly, struggling with something on the ground. The only source of light, the crescent on my hand, was beginning to dim. Fresh adrenaline pumped through my veins as different scenarios played out in my head.

"j-Jinyoung?" I stuttered out slowly. The shadow stilled before straightening out suddenly, rushing me. In the few seconds it took him to reach me, I noticed an object glint in the limited lighting, as he raised the weapon above his head. Before I could even think, my body reacted by instinct.

As the blade came down, I struck the assailant's throat with my fist, successfully breaking his trachea. I ducked right, barely dodging his attack. I jerked my elbow into his ribcage and shoved him toward the brush. As he gagged and choked for air, I was suddenly thankful for the few rare "self defense" lessons from my father.

I kicked the silver knife from his hand, grabbed him by the collar, and raised him to eye level. My heart dropped as I recognized his gasping face, confirming my suspicion. Jinyoung.

I threw him down, slowly turning to the place he was struggling previously. I carefully approached, eventually able to make out a dark lump on the soil. I held my breath as I dropped to the earth, pulling the small frame into my arms. My tattoo was barely visible at this point. Sunji breathing was shallow, a deep gash in her abdomen, just like our mother. I held back my emotion as I quickly yanked my thin hoodie over my head and pressed it firmly on her wound. She yelped inaudibly, grabbing my arm.