the thirteenth | kim taehyung

chapter 4

ANABELLE'S POV

I tried to back out and run away, but he used his arm muscle to pull me towards him.
"Taehyung." I squeaked in disbelief. I eyed him up and down, observing his rugged clothes. He looks like a mess and so does his home. I couldn't even see the wooden floors, for there were piles of clothes and broken beer bottles everywhere. Every time Taehyung would come to pick up Alice for a date, he was always dressed up and looking like a prince. Has he been in grief like my family and me? Why didn't he come to us?

He peered out the door, looking cautiously at his surroundings. I turned my attention to the same direction he was looking. What could he be looking for, I pondered. No one would be here at this time, and it's not like you can see anything in the darkness.

"You shouldn't be here, Anabelle." He lowly spoke. He didn't look me in the eyes, as if he was keeping a dark secret covert. I've waited for this forever, the day I finally find out why Taehyung disappeared after Alice's death. However, I couldn't help but to wish I could disappear. I felt my blood boil within my veins and rush up, making me feel lightheaded.

"I shouldn't be here? You're the one who shouldn't be here! Where have you been?" I yelled, but lowered as he shushed me.

"Look. I'm really sorry about Alice but I can't talk right now. Please, just pretend you never saw me tonight and return back to your life." Taehyung whispered, looking into the distance as he escorted me out of the dim shack. I was more shocked than I was pissed. Before he could go back into his home, I ran up to him once again. I let out all my anger and confusion that had been building up the past few weeks in a form of a slap, straight across Taehyung's left cheek.

"You don't know how long I've waited to do that. How could you disappear after Alice passed away. Now you have the nerve to tell me to leave! You've got to have balls to tell me that. But after I'm done with you, you won't be left with any." All the weight has been lifted from my shoulders, and a deep breath has escaped my mouth.

"Watch me." He smirked and slammed the door right in my face. So there I stood, speechless and humiliated on Taehyung's doorstep. Feeling like I needed to cry for the fifth time today, I ran back in the direction I came from.

After exiting the forest, I realized it wasn't the way I entered from. I must've went off course when I panicked, thinking there was an animal or person chasing me. I looked around trying to recognize the street signs and area. Luckily, I knew this place. My parents used to take my sister and me to a D&B and an Olive Garden near here. I shed a tear reminiscing about those days. I find a bench to rest on, for my legs were ready to give up. I pictured the way back to my house, figuring it was less than an hour away.

The problem was that my legs were in no shape to walk, not to mention stand. I ended up sitting on the bench, laying out all the options I had, which wasn't a lot. I thought about staying at a nearby motel but money was another thing I didn't have. I could just sit here until I regain some energy, I thought. I actually considered this when I heard innocent screams escape a person's mouth and saw someone running away, signaling that someone just got mugged across the street. So, I concluded this neighborhood wasn't the friendliest around here. To keep myself alive, even though I'm pretty dead inside, I had to drag my legs to the next neighborhood. I made it there in fifteen minutes flat, so I ended up walking all the way back to my house. I knew that if I took a break, I would've passed out then and there.

I pulled out my house keys out of my pocket, sticking it in the lock and creaking the old wooden door open. I step inside to silence and darkness, much like the forest I was just in, only the woods was far more calming than this empty house. I assumed my parents went to bed already, seeing that their bedroom door was closed. Feeling famished, I grabbed leftovers my parents had remaining and heated it up as my dinner. After finishing, I took a quick shower to cleanse myself of the sweat from my run. I brushed my teeth and did everything in my nightly routine. I headed straight to my room afterward and grabbed my phone before lying on my unmade bed. I skimmed through my social media, but it wasn't long until I found myself opening and closing the same three apps. I ended up watching my favorite shows on Netflix before drifting off into a dark nightmare, seeing the possibility of how Alice could've died.