Blaze

The Child They Lost

~_____~

It was night time. Donghae's head was still not yet clear. There was a war going on inside of him and he didn't know which side to pick. To chase Eunhyuk or to drop this once and for all?

He was broken, like shards of glass kicked around until the jagged pieces were no longer recognizable to be put back together. Donghae was like that. The pain swelling up inside him hadn't been able to be treated even after placing ice packs over his wounds. The inside of him was as purple as the bruises that tainted his skin.

Why was Eunhyuk like this? Why was he with them? Why did he have to be on the opposing team!?

Out of frustration Donghae flung his arm out and knocked the few empty beer cans beside him away. Leaning over he wrapped his head inside his hands and cried helplessly.

What was there to do? What could he do? Why wouldn't Eunhyuk turn around for him? Why wasn't he the same friend Donghae knew before?

Feeling another headache throb inside his skull he threw himself back onto the concrete floor of the rooftop and closed his eyes. With eyesight smudged from the dense tears he couldn't make out the burning of the stars overhead. The full moon blurred in his vision and he drowsily shut his eyes.

Too many thoughts pulsated through his veins and coursed through his mind. All of it made his headache even worse and he wished he was someone else. It was so terrible of a world that he didn't want to deal with anything anymore.

These thoughts sent him into sleep. The continuous ringing of his phone startled him up the next morning. The throbbing in his head started again when he opened his eyes only to be blinded by the greeting sun. Flinching from it he threw his arm up to shield his eyes and slowly pulled his disoriented self up.

Donghae hadn't felt this awful since the day Eunhyuk went missing. He stared at the littered beer cans by his feet and rubbed the back of his head before the phone called for him again. Letting out a groan of annoyance he reached for his phone and answered.

Half an hour later he arrived on site blockaded by the cops. Yellow lines were drawn around the block refusing to let traffic flow through. The roads surrounding it had been cut off and there were curious civilians gossiping around the guards who were there to hold them back. It was like a crowd watching an animal show, disturbing yet attracting.

After showing his I.D. he was allowed through. The area tainted with grime, a large silver garbage bin full of empty alcohol bottles, and a littered alley made up the backyard of the bar that had closed down a few weeks ago. Waste had accumulated around the bar and Donghae could smell unwanted food and cat droppings further down the lane. It was a dark and gray area with an atmosphere of gloom.

The lights of the ambulance and the firetruck had been left on and even though it was daylight Donghae could see the flashes of red bouncing off the nearby buildings. There were murmurs and loud voices of TV reporters echoing around him as he stepped toward the little black bag on the ground. The forensics team was busy at work brushing the grounds with their utensils when he approached Officer Choi who had called him.

"Who's the victim?" Donghae asked.

Officer Choi turned around to glance at him before stepping to the side to allow Donghae to see who was lying in the black bag. With a slight turn of his head he stared at the little girl whose eyes were peacefully closed. Blotches of illness and exhaustion were apparent on her face.

"Han Dan Bi, 12 years old," Officer Choi summarized. "It looks like no harm has been done to her. She was presumed dead before getting dropped off here, but why would a girl who disappeared in Yeongwol end up in Seoul?"