It’s been a week since we arrived at a warehouse according to Suho’s directions and met Kris there. Hidden, was a passageway that led underground and into a whole circuit of tunnels and rooms that surprisingly were filled with people and vampires. I still don’t know why this place exists and why there are people here, I have a lot to learn about what’s happening. Kris told us that someone by the name of Xiumin was here and he’d protect me to the best of his ability. I haven’t met him yet, but apparently he’s well known for his strength. 

A week underground is a bit suffocating, so when nobody’s watching, I slip out of the tunnels and exit the warehouse. I’m met with a cool breeze and the scent of summer ripening the trees and sweet grass. Everything feels normal in this moment. I can forget that there are people coming after me, that there are lots of things that are going happen in the future, but here I let my mind go blank. It isn’t until I hear it, that I’m brought back to the reality that I’m in.

“Remember me?” Someone asks, the voice chilling and strangely familiar. Like I’ve met this person once, briefly, but the meeting had been peculiar so it was stored in the dusty crevices of my memory instead of thrown away.

Remember me? No…? 

He’s after you. Run little one, run. Oh, I remember now.

When we first arrived at SHC three years ago, Jongin was skeptical while I was only a little too eager to get us both jobs that didn’t include catering to people. Suho was the one who offered, and with his trademark smile, neither of us could turn him down.

It had been a year or so since Jongin first landed the job at Kris’ place, and I had taken a liking to hanging out in the employee lounge room because I was constantly bored and what else could I do? I didn’t go to school other than those first eight years, and to be honest I really didn’t need to. I learned by books and doing simple and then more complex equations in my head. When I was ten, Jongin signed me up for a library card. When I was thirteen and complaining that nothing was challenging enough, Jongin bought me an advanced calculus textbook that was meant for first years in college. I remember looking at him funny. How was someone my age going to figure out mathematical problems meant for people already in universities with years of schooling under their belt?

“You can do it.” He told me while ruffling my hair. I side-eyed him, patted my hair down. “I know you can.”

So I did. I busied myself with x’s and y’s, functions, theorems. Whenever I was stuck, Jongin surprised me by always knowing the answer, though he didn’t attend school like I did. I asked him how he did it, and he replied that he was home schooled before he met me. You move faster if there’s nobody else to hold you back, or so he said.

The day I finished the entire calculus book, had been the day I met Suho and Baekhyun. 

We were closing up shop early because a flash flood warning had been issued and all the lights went out, save for a generator that lit up a few dim fixtures that I used to finish the last few pages while the doors were being locked up. It was still early afternoon, two or three o’clock, but the sky had darkened to make it seem six. I could smell the oncoming rain, and the occasional lightning raised the hair on the back of my neck. 

It started to rain then, and Kris had a car and he offered to drop us off at home. He went out to fetch it, Jongin was still locking the windows by the bar, Luhan was cleaning the last of the glasses, and I was stuck outside under the awning with the wind whipping my hair everywhere (the other workers had already left at Kris’ consent). I heard the scream then, echoing off the pavement and concrete buildings. Against my better judgement, I followed the sound until I noticed two figures looming over a shivering one on the ground.

The way they moved lithely and sent shivers down my spine, I could tell they were vampires, but not the nicer ones. Criminal Division II’s, I didn’t know at the time and I could’ve gotten myself killed, but I plunged on into the unforgiving downfall of water. Without a word I pushed past them to the cowering woman, much to their surprise. But it didn’t last long before the surprise dissolved into mirth and laughter.

Luckily, Jongin had taught me some rudimentary self defense and when one of them grabbed onto my shoulder, I kicked him to the ground. Another thing he taught me, was that there was no way I would ever win a fight disarmed against a vampire, so when I could, he told me to run. They were quicker though, that’s to be expected, and I thought we were done for until someone whispered near my ear, “Close your eyes.” I obeyed and through my eyelids I noticed a light so bright, I thought the sun was out again, though it disappeared as soon as it came. I cracked an eye open and the two vampires were writhing in pain, hands clutching at their eyes. 

“Did they hurt you anywhere?” A soft voice asked and I jumped around to face it. His eyes were gentle, eyelashes dripping with rain and hair dusted with a fine mist. He caught me off guard.

“No.” I glanced at the girl in my arms. She fainted a while ago, and I saw light bruises along her arms. “Well, not severely.”

“That’s good news to hear.” He said. “I’m Baekhyun, and here, let me take her.” The girl was lifted away from my weak grasp and onto his shoulder. “Suho are you done?”

“Yeah,” A different voice called out. “I’ve called Interrogation to take care of them immediately-oh, hello, I’m Suho.” Suho reached out a hand, I took it cautiously. He noticed the unconscious woman and directed towards Baekhyun, “She needs to head over to the Psychology Department—”  

“Daeun?” I turned toward Jongin, his gaze flickering from me to the two new strangers. “What happened.”

“She helped us out a bit by slowing two criminal vampires down.” Baekhyun said as multiple black cars parked nearby. He handed off the girl to someone in a white uniform that placed her in one of the vehicles. “Thank you, by the way, Daeun.”

I nodded in response. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, are you a Division I?” Suho directed to Jongin, who stiffened and then relaxed.

“I am.”

“Would you consider joining SHC? I’m sure we could use more Division I’s…”

Hey little one. Someone had whispered. It sounded so close I thought I imagined it. Look to your left. I twisted my head to the side slightly and one of the vampires from earlier was staring at me.  Dark eyes, and pale skin and hair. His hands were being cuffed together and the uniformed people were pushing him towards a car. His gaze never faltered.

Hey, I think you’re the one we’ve been looking for. Are you? His mouth wasn’t moving, yet

he was speaking. I’m sure he’ll be ecstatic to hear we’ve found you. We’ll meet sometime again soon. A smile.

He’s after you. Run little one, run.

Dark eyes, and pale skin and hair. He smiles. I wasn’t expecting to hear that voice again. I guess I really should’ve listened to Jongin when he told me to stay inside.

There’s nowhere to run now is there, little one?

sorry this is so late, i'm just a big procrastinator and summer homework is a big drag (but apparently I've had enough time to watch EXO's 으르렁 mv on repeat for 3968763907 times)