Yerin’s lungs burned and her legs felt numb, but she couldn’t stop running just yet. She had to get to the house. She pushed herself to go on as she sprinted through the tall grass, pushing them out of her way. She leapt up the two steps of the porch and slammed her shoulder into the door, busting it open. Bounding up the stairs 2 steps at a time, she reached the second level and drew her revolver.

She breathed shallowly despite being out of breath to prevent making too much noise as she walked down the corridor with cautious steps. She unlocked the safety and cocked the gun. Moving down the hall, she checked each room, but they were all empty. The only door left unopened was the last door. Her stomach sank as dread filled her body. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest as her hands trembled from the adrenaline and anticipation.

Placing a shaky hand on the handle, she twisted the knob and pushed the door open while simultaneously raising the gun at whoever that was in the room.

No. This isn’t happening.

Tied to a chair at the centre of the room was Eunbi. Her white shirt was stained with blood and her face was sunken. The girl’s usually bright eyes were now dull and screaming with exhaustion.

“Yerin, Yerin. You’re finally here.” The cartel boss said as he clapped his hands slowly, stepping out from the shadows. Yerin raised her gun.

“Let her go!” Yerin screamed, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Put your gun down! You’re in no position to be making negotiations.” He yelled and Yerin stared at him with pure hatred. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she looked at Eunbi who could only shake her head with a sad gaze. Yerin’s scowl deepened as she looked for some kind of plan within her girlfriend’s eyes but there was none. Eunbi had resigned to her fate.

Yerin clenched her jaw as her grip on the gun tightened. She was tempted to just shoot the cartel leader in the head and get it done with, but she could see armed men hiding in the shadows, waiting for her to slip up and make the wrong move so that they could kill them both. She had no choice. Their fate was sealed.

Slowly, she lowered her arm and the man smiled.

“Good girl. Now, put the gun on the floor and kick it away.” He ordered. Yerin followed his instructions and another man came out from the shadows to take the gun away before retreating to the darkness. “Kneel with your hands behind your head.”

Yerin let her knees buckle and she sank to the ground as she unwillingly placed her hands behind her head.

“Just kill me but let her go!” Yerin yelled as hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She swallowed the thick lump in as the cartel leader stepped closer to her. He bent down and held her face, roughly forcing her to look up at him.

“That’s no fun. I need some entertainment first.” He smirked and gave a deep, unnerving laughter. He stepped away and approached Eunbi who hung her head down to look at her bloodied shirt. The man pulled his arm back and swung it at Eunbi, striking her in the face with his palm. The force made her jerk slightly in her chair. Yerin, having seen enough, stood up and tried to charge at him but was quickly pinned down to the floor by 2 men.

“You disobeyed my orders?” the man bellowed and swung another punch, this time at Eunbi’s stomach, making the girl whimper in pain. More blood dripped onto Eunbi's shirt and Yerin’s fists tightened as she struggled against the men, tears streaming down her face.

“STOP IT!” She yelled, straining against the iron grip on her wrists in vain. “What you want is me so just stop! Let her go… Please… Please, please I BEG YOU!” She screamed, thrashing around. She couldn’t look at Eunbi. She felt physical pain to see the girl all bruised and beaten.

“I would but you were a minute too late. Our deal is off and for that, she’ll pay with her life!” the man said as he pulled out a gun from nowhere and pressed it against Eunbi’s temple. Yerin’s eyes widened as her desperate gaze shifted to the gun in his hand. She felt like a knife was stabbed into her gut and twisted around when the cartel boss squeezed the trigger. 

“NO!” Yerin let out an agonizing scream as she shot up from the bed. Beads of sweat had formed on her forehead and the back of her shirt was damp with sweat, making it stick to her back. Eunbi, who was sound asleep beside her, woke to her girlfriend’s scream.

“Hey! Hey, it’s okay! It’s okay!” Eunbi said, now wide awake. She cupped Yerin’s face with both hands and looked into the girl’s dilated pupils that were clearly shaking even though they were in the dark. “It’s okay. It’s just a dream.” She said softly as Yerin gripped Eunbi’s wrists tightly. The younger girl could feel Yerin’s hands trembling and her eyebrows knitted in worry.

The tears that formed in Yerin’s eyes fell and rolled down her cheeks, past her quivering lips. Eunbi’s heart sank as she brushed the tears away and pulled the shaken girl into her embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around Yerin’s body.

“It’s alright, I’m here. I’m here okay?” Eunbi whispered softly as she the back of Yerin’s head. The latter was shaking slightly in her arms as she sobbed silently, occasionally letting out a sniffle. It was the first time Eunbi had seen Yerin so scared and vulnerable. She had no idea what just happened, but she assumed that the girl had a horrible nightmare. So horrible and terrifying that she couldn’t even utter a word.

“Don’t leave me.” Yerin croaked weakly as she gripped Eunbi’s shirt tightly.

“I won’t. I’ll always be by your side, I promise you that.” The girl reassured Yerin. She held on to Yerin, swaying slightly and soothing the girl till she stopped trembling.

“Are you alright?” Junseo asked the girl.

“I’m fine,” Yerin replied monotonously. The boy, not really believing it, nodded and remained silent anyway. The girl hadn’t spoken much all morning, even when the