Short Stories-Kai Ships Only! Volume 3

Tyunning- Empty Grave

Dawn signified an unofficial timer for Hyuka to finish digging a grave on the highest hill in the cemetery. Sweat from his forehead dripped down onto the wet dirt beneath his feet. Each breath in, exhaled into a misty cloud within the cold fall air.

He was told to dig it so Taehyun could fake his death. Exactly why wasn't completely clear. All he knew about the situation was a few basic things.

One. Taehyun backstabbed the wrong person.

Two. His supposed girlfriend had to witness it to make it seem more real.

And three. The girlfriend was connected to the person he pissed off. Whether she was innocent or not was unclear but Taehyun was going to find out even if it lead to his real death.

The sun rose higher. Once the grave was dug, Hyuka aired out his shirt and muttered "this better work."

"It will." Taehyun tossed a small bottle of hand sanitizer over then sat down in the wet grass. The next part was going to be the worst.

Alcohol drenched Hyuka's hands to clean the dirt off. He then grabbed a pair of pliers from his tool kit and frozen apple from his cooler. "One or two?"

"Two." A cold sweat began to bead all over Taehyun's body as he watched the man grab a roll of gauze. "Give me the apple now."

"Alright."

Taehyun laid down in the grass and opened his mouth as wide as he could. Cold attacked him from both sides. The back of his neck became soaked against the morning dew while the inside of his mouth started to numb. Once the apple warmed, he spat it to the side.

"I'll be quick."

"Just get it over with."

Hyuka nodded as he knelt besides his client. Taehyun's shaky breath fogged his face while the pliers locked around a back molar. "In three, two, one." The first tooth was ripped out. No time was wasted in ripping out the second. Gauze muffled any attempt at a scream while he tossed the teeth into the grave.

Taehyun sat up to see the sun halfway up the hill. There wasn't time to complain as blood filled his mouth.

Hyuka picked up the dirty teeth, and the apple, and then placed them in his bag. The first part of his deal was done. He looked down the hill to await the second part. "She is coming right?"

"Mmhmm." More blood was spit to the side as Taehyun dumped alcohol onto the gauze in the hand. "What's your plan after?"

"Finish preparing the body then finishing the job. Got lucky a couple days ago with a man who had a similar height as you. Of course he was a lot fatter but-"

"-but?"

"But the fire will easily solve that issue."

Taehyun nodded. The sun rose higher, giving a brighter glow to the graves surrounding them. In a haunting kind of way, it was really beautiful to witness. Still, there was little time to appreciate it knowing what was to come. He stared at his watch then calculated his girlfriend's previous behaviors to estimate how much time they had left. If he was right, they had five to ten minutes. "She'll be here soon."

"Just to clarify... you said to not hold back right?"

"Yeah. Hit me as hard as you want."

Hyuka nodded in confirmation. He then looked down to see Taehyun frantically fiddling with his pockets. It took him a second to figure out what he was doing before seeing the empty bottle of alcohol by his feet. "Need a lighter?"

"Um..." Taehyun kept patting his clothes to no avail. "Yeah. Figures. Never been a day without it and of course today is the day I don't have it."

"It happens."

Silence washed over them while the sun continued to rise. A flame fell from Taehyun's palm into the empty grave below. Merely 24 hours from now, that barren patch will contain a pyre of an unknown body disguised to be his own. "Tell me the truth. Do you think she knows him?"

"Hard to say."

"Hyuka..."

"She might. This isn't a large city."

Taehyun nodded as he heard tires roll across the pavement below. Without looking at the taller, he asked "ready?"

"Ready."

A girl stepped out of the car. Her chestnut brown hair blew in the breeze while she made her way to the top of the hill. Fog prevented her from identifying her boyfriend. All she saw was two shadows rustling against the sun. "Taehyun?!"

Hyuka threw a right hook straight into the shorter's side, knocking the air cleanly out of his lungs.

Taehyun wheezed in the grass. The second he looked up, he was met with a blow to the face.

The girl shrieked when she heard her boyfriend plead for his life.

Hyuka hit him again. When the girl got closer, he pulled out his gun and yelled "YOU KNOW WHAT YOU FUCKING DID! NOW YOU'LL DIE FOR IT!"

A gunshot went off. The girl cried behind a stranger's monolith, hoping she wasn't next. Her cellphone going off gave her away. With a glove over her mouth, she cried some more.

"Who's there?!" Hyuka slowly walked the misty rows as he pretended to look for his witness. His gun was raised high into view. In a sinful voice, he taunted "I know you're out there. Come out now and your death will be quick."

A bright orange sky blinded the girl from seeing the murderer's face. All she saw was a tall stature that towered the headstones below. Just before he reached her row, she heard another car drive past hers.

Hyuka ran.

The girl looked up to see a hilltop on fire. Strangers came running by her side to put it out. She sobbed as her hands sunk into the grass, pulling anything around her to extinguish the flames. By the time the fire died out, only a charred skeleton remained.

Sirens blared towards the graveyard. Hyuka jumped into the getaway car and shouted "GO! GO! GO!"

Taehyun obeyed. His foot slammed on the gas pedal and off they went to Hyuka's place. Relieved, he joked "you did a hell of a job fucking me up."

"I needed your blood and hair everywhere. If you're still hurting, I got some beer at the house to numb ya a bit."

"I won't say no to that."

"So... what now?"

"I just gotta switch out the two main molars that they pull and then we're basically done. What about you?"

"Wait and see I guess. Someone out there wants me dead." Taehyun was right. Someone did want him dead and they paid Kai to do it. By the end of the day, two different bodies were in that grave. The one he trusted and the one he betrayed.