In The Heart of Darkness

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As Taehyung met Yoongi's gaze across the street, Jieun's parents started to pull away from the curb. 

"So, Tae, where do you want to go?"

Taehyung looked at Jieun just as the explosion happened.  He would never forget how her eyes widened, or how the fear and shock quickly spread across her face as they were both thrown to the ground.

It felt like everything happened in slow motion.  

The blast.  Shattering glass.  Screams of bystanders.  And then the smell that no one present would ever forget.  The odor of gasoline, burning rubber, and flesh permeated the air as the black smoke rose into the night sky. 

Everyone standing near was thrown to the ground by the blast.  Several people were injured by flying debris and others by simply being knocked down to the hard concrete as people began running away from the flames.  

Taehyung groaned and slowly tried to stand up. His ears were ringing and he felt dizzy. He quickly looked down through squinted eyes at the woman whom he had thrown beneath him as they fell.  She looked uninjured, perhaps a scrape or two, but as she scrambled to her feet she began to panic.  She was teetering side to side as she looked towards the street to see the car that held her parents now engulfed in flames.  Just as she opened her mouth to scream, Taehyung clamped a hand over it. 

"Jieun, I need you trust me right now.  We need to get out of here.  I'm fairly certain that car didn't explode on accident.  Now, I want you to be very quiet and we need to disappear, quickly."  He glanced around nervously as he held her, his eyes falling on something welcoming and familiar.

Jimin, you rebel.

Jimin came running down the sidewalk and up to the couple.  "The car is around the corner.  We need to hurry before the cops come."  He spoke quickly and calmly though his eyes betrayed his frantic nervousness.

Taehyung quickly turned Jieun around to face him, holding her face in his hands gently.  He forced himself to ignore the pain in his head and body. He looked into Jieun's tear-filled eyes and it broke his heart.  She didn't deserve such horrific sadness in her life.  "Will you trust me?  We can't stay here, Jieun.  I know this is horrible but I need you to trust me."

"I-I-I...my parents," she squeaked. She had no more will, or need to finish her words. She looked back once more at the burning car and her tears flowed freely. Her beloved parents were gone.

* * *

Yoongi scrambled to his feet with Hoseok close behind. Both men shook their heads slightly trying to relieve the annoying ringing sound in their ears. Yoongi looked straight at Hoseok and both quickly turned their gaze to the now empty bench in front of the restaurant. The man who was seated there just a few moments ago was now gone.

Yoongi realized his phone was still in his hand and quickly placed it up to his ear. "JK, if you're still there, access the security cameras around our current location." He speedily described the mysterious man and then shoved the phone into his pocket.

"We need to get out of here fast, hyung," groaned Hoseok, his eyes scanning the premises for the fastest way out of the gathering crowd.

"Wait," said Yoongi, his eyes searching the opposite side of the street. He found the object of his frantic search through the orange glow of the flames and a quiet sigh of relief exhaled from his lungs. "Hoseok, follow me." Darting across the street, he approached Taehyung and Jieun who now following Jimin, trying to escape the throngs of panicky bystanders.