Ashen || k.th.

19

I woke up with a feeling of something in my chest. I know it wasn't Taehyung. The pressure is way too heavy that I couldn't breathe. I opened my eyes to see darkness.

Where am I?

I looked around but it was all black. I was planning on moving when the thing on my chest began to get heavier and tighter that I choke on my breath. I was fighting so hard to move but to no avail. I remained breathless and cold. So fucking cold.

"Leave him, Y/N." An eerie voice whispered to my ear making goosebumps rise all over my body. "I'll get him soon. Real soon."

"W-Who are you?" I manage to stutter out. The voice replied with a sinister laugh then suddenly Taehyung appeared looking lost, running and panting. "T-Taehyung!" I shouted but he doesn't hear me. He continued prancing around.

"Taehyung, h-help! Help m-me!" I began coughing due to the lack of air until I heard a gunshot going straight to Taehyung's skull. "No!" I began shouting and thrashing around. I need to get out of here. I need to help him.

"Taehyung! Tae, please!" I began sobbing. Then it all disappeared and went back to black.

"Leave him." The voice once again said before I felt every pain and darkness fade away. I woke up severely sweaty with Taehyung wrapped around me, almost sleeping on top of me. I raised my head a bit to look at him and make sure he's fine.

His peaceful sleeping face set me at ease making me release a huge breath and I ran my hand in my hair in relief. But it was quickly ende becaus. I felt the same bite of coldness in my skin, the one similar in the one in my dream. I looked around and there it was.

The shadow was in the foot of my bed.

I stared at it boldly. I remember vividly what the voice said in my dreams and I'm determined to do the opposite. Instead of scurrying in fright, I held Taehyung tighter and kissed his head, still looking at the shadow until it slowly fades out.

I continued holding Taehyung tighter despite the lack of warmth a person usually has. I am trembling in fright but I'm decided to protect Taehyung. I want to stay awake. First, because I want to make sure he's safe and the shadow won't come back. Second, I'm scared to go to sleep. I don't want Taehyung to wake up to a squirming me and get him worried. As much as possible, I don't want him to know about this. At least, not yet.

I stayed up all night, not even blinking. My eyes felt tired and so does my mind for running all night but when my eyes met the blank, yet breathtaking pair of his, the sleeplessness was all gone. I brushed the pads of my fingers against his scalp to wake him up carefully.

"Good morning, kitten!" He exclaimed placing a soft lingering kiss on my lips. Yep, the sleepless night is absolutely worth it. "Why are you up so early?"

"I.. I can't sleep." I reasoned, avoiding his gaze.

"Why didn't you wake me up so we can make cupcakes again?" He asked with a yawn but still lying on me.

"You really like my cupcakes, don't you?" I laughed lightly.

"Nah. I like you more." He winked at me making me laugh again. "You got to go today?"

"Yeah. I have classes til 12 noon. I'll be home before you know it." I smiled and got ready for uni. As I stepped out of the elevator, my phone rang revealing my home's number.

"Why yes, Mr. Kim?" I asked trying to sound formal.

"You've been gone for so long! I forgot what you feel like." I can almost picture his cute pouty face as I smiled.

"I literally left 5 minutes ago, Tae."

"Exactly! I want your arms around me." He whined.

"You'll get what you want, baby. But you have to wait, okay?"

"Alright. I miss you, kitten." He mumbled making me grin wider.

"I miss you too, Tae." With that, he dropped the call and I resumed walking. As I was getting out of the building, a voice of a woman startled me.

"Ah, I'm sensing happiness floating around." She said with a kind smile and turned to me. She's an old woman, maybe around her 60s, and wears extremely weird clothes for this kind of season. "I assume it's from you?"

"O-Oh? Me?" I asked, pointing at myself and she nodded.

"Come here, child." Since she looked pretty harmless, I walked closer to her and she laid her hands infront of me asking for mines. Hesitantly, I placed mine on hers. "Ah, a young heart is severely joyous. Is someone making you happy, young lady?" She asked making me suddenly concious. Am I that obvious?

"Yeah. There is. Someone really special."

"I could tell." She smiled then her face turned blank. "Oh. I see a huge barrier between the both of you. Something's stopping you from being with him, am I right?" She asked making me frown as I could not decipher her words.

Until something clicked and I gasped when I've realized it. Something is between Taehyung and I. Death.

"It's very powerful." She continued. "But sweetheart you are letting something non-existent stop the growing feelings you've had." She said making me frown onve more, lost in her words.

"What do you mean by that, ma'am?" I asked her. She let go of my hands and smiled encouragingly at me while shaking her head.

"Fight for that person, dear. It's going to be worth it. You'll be happy." And with that, she walks away leaving me a mess of a mind.

I didn't think much of the events that took place these past few days, including how Taehyung and I are together and about my nightmare. I just don't want to have the wake up call and the realization that we're both stuck in something hopeless. But now, after that woman ignited my curiosity, I felt hopeless all of a sudden.

The barrier? It was death. It is really strong, inevitable. One day, he'll have to go and leave me. I need to learn how to accept that because it's what fate has for him. But once he's gone, I don't know where to begin picking up myself. He's turning into my everything. He's turning into something I value more than my artworks, my jobs, my bank accounts.

Great, I'm fucking stucked.

A/N: The shadow's here! What are your thoughts on this chapter? Let me know in the comments! Don't forget to vote for the chapter. I love you all!