The Caterpillar

"So you think you're changed, do you?"

8 hours before dateline

Myungsoo had told Jongin about the girl in the white dress and now the two is standing at  the place where Myungsoo had seen her last. Not knowing where to go or where he is going, he followed his instincts. “There’s a foot print.” Jongin said, pointing to the ground and show him the trail. Myungsoo didn’t know what he will find with following the trail or what he expect to find. One thing he was sure is that someone had walk through this path, the same place that he last saw the girl was.

Myungsoo began walking and following the trail with Jongin behind him, they pass by bushes and trees. Birds chirping could be heard and fresh air invade their nostrils. And for what seems like hours, he finally saw something stuck on a branch. Jongin was the one to touch it first, a scrap of white transparent cloth. Without even knowing where they are headed now, the two continue on following the trail. The longer it gets, the clearer the sound gets and the clearer the smell of fresh cold water invade their nostrils.

Jongin held on Myungsoo’s arm when he heard footsteps. “Shhh. I think someone’s there.” He whispered as they take small steps towards the sound. The sound of water clashing against water, birds chirping and a voice, a voice that they knew so well. “No! You can’t do this to me!”

Mr Han walks through the path that leads out of the woods. His phone still in his hand, holding it up, trying to search for a signal but for the past 10 minutes, he never got any. His head jerk to his left when he heard the sound of a branch breaking. Seeing no one at that place, he look back front only to gasp out in shock, a hand on his chest as he try to calm himself. “God! You scared me.”

Mr Han thrashed about in someone’s arms as he try to breathe but half of his face is covered with a cloth that smell sweet. His eyes felt heavier by the second and his limbs grew tired, slowly falling into the person behind him.

“Oh, Mr Han, you can’t go to the cops. That will ruin the game.”

7 hours before dateline

Back in the cabin, there were small groups in parts of the house, some prefer going solo in search for clues. Right after Mr Han left, a text message came in, saying that there’s clues scattered all around the house. Though, Taeyeon and her friends had remained in one of their rooms, playing cards while talking about who might Rumpelstiltskin be. Since, it’s not really their concern but deep down inside Taeyeon, she felt the need to find out who’s behind it because what they’re going on, involves her dead boyfriend. It might lead to who did it.

“It’s been more than 6 hours since Mr Han left! It wouldn’t take that long to get to the nearest town and get help!” Hyoyeon yelled, tugging her hair in frustration and slumped down on the couch. Krystal who had been walking back and forth in front of the fireplace, biting her nails and occasionally look at her phone to see if there’s any service, stop when she heard what Hyoyeon had said, eyes grew wide in alarm and fear. “Y-you don’t think t-they g-got h-h-him?” She asked, stammering way too much for her own liking. For once, the confident Krystal Jung is gone and all that is left in her is fear that is slowly eating her from the inside.

Hyoyeon’s movement stop, eyes glaring up at Krystal. “NO! That’s impossible! There’s no way they would do that to someone other than our classmates?” The last sentence were barely a statement, since she, herself wasn’t sure of it anymore. “They want us, us students from 1-A, for whatever hell the reason it is!” She added.

“But if you think of it properly, Mr Han is our P.E teacher since first year. The principal’s car did get painted with blood didn’t he?” Seungyoon asked, pointing out one fact about someone not only targeting them but some teachers too. Every eyes that is in the room fell on his figure and he look at them, eyes wide, “What?”

“You can talk.” Jackson stated, giving him a pointed look but Seungyoon shrugged and fell back to sleep. It has always been like that for that guy, sleeping wherever and whenever he could. He barely spoke even in classes and all they ever got out from him for the past years were “uh huh” “Mhmm” and other gibberish words that can barely be deem as words. Kang Seungyoon as what they love to call him as Sleeping Yoon or the sloth of the class.

“Y-you d-don’t a-actually th-think t-t-that t-th-they-ey g-got h-h-him r-right?” Hyoyeon asked, stammering over her words, fear eating her up by the fact that Seungyoon just pointed out. Kim Hyoyeon never stammers, never did she did for once in her entire life and she did, now. Stammering out of fear. In anyway, neither does the two girls ever stammer.

“Jinki?” Myungsoo whisper, his eyes trailing over the figure who had been walking back and forth near the waterfall. “What is he doing here?” Jongin asked and when he was about to get up, Myungsoo pull him back down under the bushes. “Shh.” Myungsoo place a finger over his lips.

“Who’s there?” Jinki asked, as he look over at the bushes when he heard some branches break. He place back the phone over his ear when he didn’t see anyone and thought that it might be a rabbit. “No! I did what you asked already!” He shouted, the ever so klutz of the class is currently shouting and getting mad, a sight that is rare for anyone to see. A sight that made Myungsoo grew curious to whom he was speaking to, what they were talking about and how did he get any service when no one else could.

Jinki’s voice got softer, almost like a whisper but still vivid for Myungsoo to know what he was saying, occasionally raising his tone at certain point. It was after what felt like half an hour that Jinki left the place, hastily stuff his phone in his jeans pocket and stomping off. A frown evident on his face. After his figure disappear, the two male hidden behind the bush step out. Just when they thought his conversation was weird, the voice of a female invaded their ears.

“To-day I bake, to-morrow brew,

the next I'll have the young queen's child~

glad am I that no one knew~

that Rumpelstiltskin I am styled~”

It was the same voice that Myungsoo heard the night before, he look at every direction in search of the girl but even after turning for what seems like eternity, he couldn’t see anyone in sight except for Jongin that is next to him. At the same time, Myungsoo had thought like the voice was mocking him, as if she was actually walking around him with light steps. “Is it just me or is it weird that right after Jinki left, that happened?” Jongin asked, a frown evident on his face as he also try to look at wherever the voice came from but whenever he turn to a new direction, it seems like the voice came from the other side, as if it’s everywhere. “Not just you.” Myungsoo utter as he look at the direction Jinki had left earlier but what caught his attention was no longer the voice but the trail of straws. “Jongin..” He trailed, tapping the male’s arm for attention, eyes still on the trail.

“You don’t think he’s Rumpelstiltskin do you?” Jongin cautiously ask, although he knew what Myungsoo’s answer will be. “With what we’re seeing and the song? I don’t think but I am sure.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

4 hours later

Mr Han woke up feeling confined and looking red, his blood rushing down to one place which is his head. His eyes widen in shock when he noticed that everything is upside down and there was someone circling him as if the person is binding him. Well, he really is getting bind, from his toe up till his arm. Bandaged like a mummy, he look at the girl sitting on a chair that is boring is her eyes on him. A knife in her hand, her legs crossed as she then click her tongue. “That’s enough.” The girl said.

“What are you doing!?” Mr Han yelled, clearly angry and mainly scared for his life. He didn’t expect that the person that is responsible for this outbreak at the school is actually attacking a teacher. Of course the threats that he was getting scared him but he had look over it as just something meaningless. Now that his life is on line, he doesn’t know what to do.

The girl got up and approached him, kneeling down to par with his face. Now that they were par, Mr Han is sure he was hung up quite high at the moment, the longer he stayed like this, the redder his face get and his head felt like exploding due to all the blood rushing to one place. “You did a lot of mean things Mr Han.” The girl said, her knife trailing his face and the tip of the knife must have been sharp enough to lightly cut his skin since the way she was trailing it almost felt like a feather touching his skin but chilling enough to cause him to shiver at the cold metal. A trail of blood appear from the cut and