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yeon narae pov
"W-what?" I muttered under my breath. Adrenaline pulsed through my body and my heartbeat was so loud that someone standing twenty metres away from me could hear it. "Did they just...take Jaemin away?"
Thinking quickly, I started running forward, where we were trying to go in the first place. Perspiration dripped down my neck and my fingers were shaking with every movement I made.
I kept an eye out for any other strange beings, especially those with 1:27 inked on any area of their body.
I started moving upwards. The forest started becoming a bit steep and hilly, and it was beginning to be a little harder to go faster.
Suddenly, the atmosphere became cold. A tingling sensation crawled up my back and my breath hitched. The trees somehow seemed more dead, more gloomy, and the sky darkened. I picked up my pace, shivering as the cold air pricked my skin.
As I trudged slowly through the piles of dead leaves and branches, I had a weird feeling that I was being watched. It seemed as if eyes were being burned through my back.
Cautiously, and oh so slowly, I turned around.
Nothing.
There was nothing, no one, behind me. I observed all the trees and boulders, checking if there was anything hiding behind them.
Nothing.
Nothing at all.
"Okay, then..." I drawled out under my breath. "I mean, if you're going to kill me, just come out of your hiding place! You're messing with the Sanguis Police Force here...!" I tried to sound confident, but inside, I was feeling anything but confidence.
I crept through the forests, trusting my gut instincts. I had no map, nor a compass. I was about to turn to Jaemin to ask him, but then I realized that the 1:27 took him away.
Right, I thought to myself. They took him away. Right. I forgot.
Wait, what? My eyes widened. Did I really just...forget that Jaemin was gone? Am I that forgetful? Wait, what am I even here for? Where am I?
Then, a booming voice spoke, echoing throughout the dead forest. "What's a pretty girl like you doing in this forest?" The voice was loud from the start, then grew to be a venomous voice, one that seemed like acid sizzling down my throat. "Do you even know your purpose? What about your friend? What's his name? Did you really forrrgggeeeettt...?"
Stage One of the Sanguis Forest, forgetfulness.
"I-I...I don't know!" I yelled, covering my ears. Desperately, I tried running, but it seemed as if my feet were planted to heavy bricks and every single movement I made took so much energy that I would collapse to the ground. "Stop talking to me!"
"Oh, you wish I would stop, don't you?" The dangerous, slick voice continued to drip into my ears like water. Suddenly, my hearing was blurred and it sounded like I was underwater. "It's hopeless, Yeon Narae, you're underwater now. You'll drown."
Suddenly, a jolt of pain lashed through my body. A tight, sharp pain sliced through my lungs and it was difficult to breathe. When I opened my eyes, all I could see was blue. Only blue. I tried screaming, but only bubbles escaped from my mouth.
I am underwater.
Stage Two of the Sanguis Forest, psychosis.
No, I thought to myself. I'm going to drown.
"Oh, poor you. Is this really how you're going to die? Without solving the 1:27 case, rescuing your friends and defeating them once and for all? That's too bad, we thought you'd return home victorious with Na Jaemin by your side, hm?"
"No! I want to go home! I want to solve this case!" I yelled, but it only came out muffled.
The venomous voice cackled. "Oh, no, you won't. You're too dumb, too naïve. You'll never find the 1:27. They'll kill you. Rip you up. Eat you for dinner. All because you didn't pay attention and come to your senses."
Stage Three of the Sanguis Forest, self denial.
I sank. Deeper, and deeper, I sank and the water became colder, much darker. The frigid touch of the water made my skin prickle and turn numb.
Then, I saw a blurred figure. Through stinging eyes, I strained to see who it was. I gasped and cold water entered my lungs, making me cough.
It was Jaemin.
His body was limp. His hair flowed through the movement of the current and his skin seemed frost blue. I tried swimming over to him, but it seemed like my ankles were chained down to a rock.
I wanted to yell his name, but I was only greeted with a flurry of cold, foamy bubbles.
"He's dead because of you, Narae. If only you were smart enough to just rescue him. Don't you know how hard his past was? Now, he's taken to the 1:27 and he's being tortured to become one of them. It's all. Because. Of. You. You! You're so dumb. Why are you even a detective anyway when you can't even save one of your friends?"
Stage Four of the Sanguis Forest, depression.
My mind was cloudy. My heart was heavy with guilt, as if a stone was being pressed onto my chest. My eyes stung as tears started streaming down my face and escaped into the never-ending waters.
"This is the end of you, Yeon Narae, isn't it?" The sly voice started making its way into my ears like a snake. It slithered down my throat and suddenly, it seemed as if everything inside me was just darkness. It was like a thunderstorm erupting in my mind.
I was unaware. My attention didn't snap like I wished it would. I was in a daze, not focused. Pain continued to slash through my body, but it was so repetitive that I didn't even feel it anymore.
The sadness that weighed on my heart and contaminated my positive thoughts started to grow like a weed. Faster and faster, I started to sink deeper into the ocean.
"It's over, Narae."
"Over."
"You're dead."
I could hear the thumping of my heartbeat in my ears. My eyelids fluttered and I knew this was the end.
