Taeyeon opened her eyes and found herself staring at a motionless body, just two inches from hers.

Are you…  dead?

“No!   Tiffany!  Aghhh…”

A sharp pain pierced through her abdomen as she tried reaching out to the unconscious girl next to her.  She looked down to find her hands and shirt covered in blood.  Ignoring the bursts of pain, she used all of the strength that was left in her body and sat up.

“Tiffany!  Please, no.  Please…  Please be alive!”

She shook her by the shoulders lightly, in hopes that maybe a miracle would happen and her heart would still be beating.  Slowly, Taeyeon slipped her arms under the girl’s back and knees before breathing deeply.  In one motion she lifted her up and kept steady balance.  With heavy footsteps, she made her way through the burning doorframe and carefully descended the stairs.  She stepped over the bodies of unknown men and women as she made her way through the street, hoping to go as far as she could.

I just needed to get you away from here.

Somewhere safe.

Somewhere.

Anywhere.

“Agh!”

Taeyeon fell to the ground as another jolt of pain made its way from her heel to her hip.  Looking down, she found her bloody and ripped jeans, recalling the broken glass on the floor of the room which she watched the explosive detonate.  Lying on the floor, she allowed herself ten seconds to rest as her body greeted the dizzying pain before lifting Tiffany up again.  It wasn’t even three steps that she took before the pain caused her legs to give way and her mind to shut down.  In darkness, she could only hear the flames, gunshots, and cries of terror.

Then suddenly,

Silence…

Did I die?

When Taeyeon thought she had opened her eyes, she saw the orange sky and sunset in the distance with Tiffany by her side.  Instantly, she could tell that she was dreaming but allowed herself to enjoy the moment.  Before long, the landscape cracked and everything shook as if an earthquake was taking place.  The world fell apart in front of her eyes and before she knew it, she was looking at a familiar face.

“Tae!  Wake up!”

“Eh…  What the heck happened?”

“Oh thank God, you’re okay!”  The incredibly familiar girl reached forward and hugged Taeyeon tightly as she stared at her in confusion.

“Who…”

“You don’t remember me?  Aish, do you have any head injuries?”  Tiffany placed her hand on Taeyeon’s forehead as if checking for a fever.

“I think I remember you.  I’m…  I’m not sure.”

“Tiffany…  Your best friend…  We went to school together!  We…  We would always watch the sunset together as well as the fireworks on new year’s eve!”  Tiffany wore a worried expression.

“Oh!  I do remember you!  I was just making sure.  Everything in my head is just really fuzzy right now.”

“So, you’re sure that you remember me, right?”

“Yeah, I do.”

Yeah…  I remember your smile, your laugh, your voice, your incredible scent…

I remember everything about you.

I don’t think anything on Earth could make me forget.

“Good.  So dorky Taeng remembers me.  That’s one less thing to worry about…”

“Where are we?  The last thing I remember is passing out on the street outside your house.”

“We’re in the hospital.  Medical teams searched near the site of the explosion for anyone who was still alive and brought them here along with us.  We’re lucky, Tae.  We’re very lucky that we’re alive.”

“My body is incredibly sore.  Argh…  I feel like I just finished a high school fitness test for the third time in a row.”  Taeyeon complained while scrunching up one side of her face.

“We nearly died, yet you’re being relaxed and comical.”  Tiffany chuckled.

“I’m just glad that we got out of that burning house.”

“Thank you.  For…  You know.  Not leaving me on the floor.”

“Well, what else would I do?  I’m not about to leave my best friend in a fire after we almost got blown up into tiny pieces.”  Taeyeon pressed her lips together and imitated an explosion sound along with a big gesture.

“21 and still a kid.  You grow old, but you don’t grow up.”  Tiffany laughed, filling the room with a warm atmosphere.

“You’re 21 and still as beautiful as ever!”  Taeyeon winked, hoping to make Tiffany laugh.

“You’re so cheesy.  Sheesh.”

“Ow…”

“What?  What is it?!”  Her relaxed and warm smile suddenly turned into a worried frown, causing Taeyeon to erupt into the laughter that she secretly hated.

“You rejected my fluff.  That’s what.”  Quickly, she turned her head away and crossed her arms.

“Oh c’mon.  You know I love you and your fluff.  We’re just kind of in a serious situation right now and we really need to plan out what to do.”  She placed her hand on Taeyeon’s cheek and turned the shorter girl’s gaze back to her chocolate brown eyes.  Instantly, Taeyeon felt her cheeks warm up as her heart melted into a puddle inside her.

“…  O-o-okay.  Uhm.  Where do we start?”

“Well first off, we need to figure out what’s going on.  I mean…  Who the heck just sets a bomb off in the middle of a neighbourhood at night?”

“We need food…”

“We need to figure that out too and plan out where to go.  The hospital isn’t going to let us stay forever, and judging by the view outside that window, I really don’t think the street is safe.”

“I have a friend we can meet up with and figure out where to go next.”  Taeyeon shrugged.

“What if they’re…”

“I doubt it.  Her dad has a whole selection of weaponry and such in the basement.  I’m guessing they’re quite good at handling this stuff.”

“Then let’s go there as soon as you recover.  Meanwhile, I’m going to look around and see if anyone knows anything about what’s going on.”

“Don’t be too long.  Or else I’ll miss you too much.”  Taeyeon stuck her tongue at Tiffany who smirked and ran out the door.

“…  Cheesy Taengoo…”

Hah…  Cheesy…

At least I’m being honest.

Tiffany walked around the large hallway, attempting to get a grip on the events happening too quickly for her to follow.

“Hey, uhm, do you know what’s happening around here?”

“What… are you talking about?”

“I’m sorry, I’m just really lost on everything.  I was kind of close to the explosion last night and everything in my mind is really blurry.”

“Well…  To start, everyone’s houses are destroyed and the hospital is still planning to kick everyone out.”

“What?”  Tiffany’s mouth hung wide open.

“The nurses told me that they need to make room for everyone who’s injured and that means kicking out a few people, who aren’t as badly injured.  I know, it’s cruel, isn’t it?  But I guess they have to do their job and try to help as many people as possible.”

“Thanks…  Uh…  Do you know where I can get food?”

“The hospital is only offering meals to those who are barely surviving.  But there’s a small restaurant across the street.  Although…  I’d rather wait a day or two before I’m desperate enough to step outside this building…”

“Why?”

“Just look out a window and listen.  You can see and hear people outside.  They aren’t good people either.”

“What do they want from us?”

“Nobody knows.  I’ve been travelling between towns a lot and this seems like their first attack in the area.  My guess is that they’re some sort of organization.”

“Maybe they want to loot things from all of our houses?”

“I doubt it.  They would have just gone in and taken it without blowing the neighbourhood to pieces.  I think they’re after someone.  I have no idea who they would want to kill this badly, but it’s the only reasonable guess I have right now.”  The stranger shrugged and tried to laugh off the stress but tension was still audible in his voice.

“Thanks anyways.”  Tiffany smiled and continued to gather information from nurses, patients and even two policemen who were standing by the front doors.

Eventually, Tiffany returned to the room that Taeyeon was in.  She walked inside to find her best friend sleeping soundly and as usual, talking in her sleep.  Carefully, Tiffany made her way to the chair next to the hospital bed and sat down.  She looked down in nervousness, wondering if she should wake Taeyeon up to bad news.  After thinking her words through, she gently held Taeyeon’s hand.

“Taeyeon-ah.”  Tiffany caressed Taeyeon’s knuckles.

“Hmm?”  Taeyeon slowly opened her eyes and sat up.

“We can’t stay here.”

“What?  Why?”

“The hospital is kicking out people after treating them to make room for more.  Plus, this neighbourhood really isn’t safe and we’re not going to have food here.”

“Leaving the building isn’t exactly safe, either…”

“Where is your friend’s house?”

“It’s on the other side of town, why?”

“How are you feeling?”

“Better I guess.”

“Then get up.  We should leave now.”

“But…”  Taeyeon squinted and looked at the wall clock.  “But it’s 2am, Tiffany.  Do we really have to leave now?”

“I’ve been watching the activity on the streets.  It’s seems a lot quieter than it was during the day.  I haven’t heard any gunshots or footsteps outside since 11pm.”

“Aish… Okay.  What should I bring?”

“Well…  A boy gave me two backpacks.  He said he didn’t need them anymore since schools nearby have closed down.  We should get water bottles, a first aid kit, multipurpose tools, flashlights, jackets… anything else?”

“Considering, we have almost nothing here, I don’t think I need a list of stuff to bring…  We no longer own half of that stuff.”

“Good point…”

“Let’s go, then.”  Taeyeon stood up and helped Tiffany put on her backpack before slipping on her own.  She held the door open for Tiffany after grabbing a map of the local area from a slot on the hospital door.  “How convenient.”

The two travelled through empty houses, picking up anything that would be of any use to them.  Eventually, they reached Tiffany’s house, which was merely a frame with a few walls.

“Oh God, no.”  Tiffany covered in shock as Taeyeon wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Fany.  Well…  At least you weren’t hurt badly.”

“Where is it?”

“Where’s what?”

“The family photo…”  Tiffany searched around frantically after seeing the empty picture frame.

“Oh… I uh…  I figured it would be important to you.  So on my way out, I grabbed it and put it in my pocket.”  Taeyeon reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a small card with a picture Tiffany’s family on it.  “I hope you don’t mind the wrinkles.”

Before Taeyeon had the chance to say anything else, she was interrupted by a violent hug from Tiffany, who started to cry.

“Whoa, Tiffany, are you okay?”

“Thank you, Tae!  Omoooo…  This picture is really important to me.  Thanks.”

Suddenly, the moment of happiness and relief ended when a loud voice echoed through the empty street.

“You, idiots, go look in the houses down there!  I’ll check the ones on this end.”  A deep male voice resonated loudly.

Quickly, Taeyeon and Tiffany ducked behind a broken wall.

“Yah!  That’s not fair!  Those are the fancy houses with things that are actually valuable!”  Another male’s voice slowly faded as his footsteps did too.

“Oh, shoot, Tiffany.  I think these might be the guys who set off the bomb.”  Taeyeon whispered to Tiffany, who was already shaking.

“Tae… I can hear him coming closer…”  Quickly, she peeked around the side of the wall and pulled her body back.  “He’s coming!  We have to-”

Before she could finish the sentence, Taeyeon grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her to her bedroom.  Since Tiffany’s room always had a strange abundance of blankets, she decided it would be a good idea to hide under them.  Quietly, Taeyeon pushed Tiffany into the closet and closed the door as she hid under the bed sheets, where another mound of blankets was found.

Tap… tap… tap… tap… tap…

The footsteps grew louder and louder until all Taeyeon could hear was the sound of her own heart beating.

Suddenly, she heard Tiffany scream as the closet door was yanked open.

“Whoa!  What the hell?!”  The man grabbed Tiffany and threw her on the ground.  Helplessly, she backed up into the wall beside the bed.

“Finally.  One down, one to go…”  The man reached for his belt and pulled out a gun before pointing it at Tiffany.  “Any last words?”  He chuckled as Tiffany remained silent and frozen with fear.

“Well alright then.  Just try not to get any blood on my new jeans.”  He pushed the hammer down.

Click!

“Get ready to d-”

His confident threat was interrupted by Taeyeon’s fist which knocked him straight to the ground.  Just as he opened his eyes, all he saw was the image of Taeyeon’s shoes before he had the consciousness kicked out of him.

“Don’t you touch her!”  Taeyeon watched him carefully to make sure that he wasn’t going to wake up any time soon.  Then, she turned to Tiffany, who was still sitting on the floor, trembling in fear.  “Fany, he didn’t hurt you, right?  Are you alright?”

“I-I-I’m fine…”

“We have to get out of here.  There’s definitely going to be more of them around.”  Taeyeon reached her hand out and pulled Tiffany up from the ground.  “Ready?”

“No…  But, let’s go anyways.”  She took a deep breath and nodded as she wiped away a tear that was waiting to fall.

“I know you’re scared.  I am too.  But we have to keep going.  There’s no time to cry, alright?”

“I know, I know.  All this just takes some getting used to.”

“He said one down and one to go…  Do you think that means...”

“They’re after us, Tae.  We’re the ones that they want dead.”

Soooooo, how was that?

My rock version mashup of SNSD's songs (bad quality) on a ps3 game:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKkP-P9TYig

I need to prove to a friend that it's not a good idea for me to make more music XD

Anyways, please tell me what you think of the story!

I'm trying to capture Taeyeon's personality in a new way, along with how Tiffany responds to it.  And of course, I will NOT forget the fluff or the cheesy lines because that is what TaeNy is about in my stories!

I really hope you guys will like this story.  I'm really excited for what I might start trying with it.  It's kind of experimental, really.

♥ Happy reading ♥