"You're sure this is the one?" asked Taeyeon as Yuri pulled up into the parking lot in front of the park. 

"I think so," Yuri replied. "Dispatch wasn't very clear on the exact location." 

"Oh good, body hunting," Taeyeon said sarcastically, unbuckling her seatbelt and climbing out of the car. "My favorite activity for a Tuesday night." 

Yuri just smiled and shook her head as she opened up the trunk, pulling out a roll of crime scene tape, a couple pairs of gloves, and her camera. Taeyeon grabbed a powerful flashlight, some chalk, and a handful of plastic evidence bags. 

Yuri glanced around the empty parking lot. "A couple of teenagers found the body while looking for a place to make out, right? Where are they?" 

"I doubt they stayed. I wouldn't have," Taeyeon said. She shivered. The sky was completely dark, overcast with clouds that blocked out the stars. Even so, it was possible to see the outlines of trees, looming over them in a menacing way. 

"Tae? Something wrong?" Yuri asked. 

Taeyeon shook her head, ordering herself to stay professional. After all, how many times had she crept around in spooky places at night, looking for dead bodies? 

Way too many times. 

Taeyeon pulled on the latex gloves that Yuri handed her and switched the flashlight on. They headed into the woods, careful to walk lightly, though it was unlikely that they'd find any footprints in the bed of leaves covering the forest floor. Taeyeon slowly swept the flashlight from side to side, looking for anything that appeared out of place. She couldn't escape the feeling that the forest was watching them. 

Something rustled overhead and both girls yelped. Taeyeon whipped the flashlight up to reveal an owl, looking just as startled as they felt. Without a sound, it indignantly jumped off its perch and flapped off into the darkness. Taeyeon and Yuri looked at each other, giggling in embarrassment. 

"Way to go, Yuri," teased Taeyeon. 

"You're not exactly Buffy the Vampire Slayer yourself," Yuri retorted, before looking grim. "That's what makes it creepier, isn't it? Knowing that there's a body out there and trying to find it. I'd feel better if I stumbled upon it by accident." 

"I'd prefer it if there were no bodies at all," Taeyeon replied. "I..." Her voice trailed off as she moved closer to one tree trunk, crouching down towards the base. 

"What is it?" 

Taeyeon pulled a small instrument out of her pocket and probed at the dark stain on the bark. "Pretty sure it's blood," she replied. "Dried out, though." 

"Might not belong to the victim." 

"But it probably does." Taeyeon turned her head slowly, squinting at the nearby trees. "There's more than just that one drop." 

"Do you think-" 

"We're standing in the crime scene?" Taeyeon straightened and nodded. "I think the body shouldn't be far. Look." She pointed at a mark on the ground that led off the path. "Something's been dragged that way." 

Both girls ducked under a low-hanging branch and followed the trail, Taeyeon keeping her flashlight beam pointing at the ground in front of them. A couple times, Yuri bent to pick fibers off of twigs and bag them. Every time they stopped, Taeyeon couldn't help looking behind her, as if she expected something to leapt out at them from the woods. The skin was prickling on the back of her neck and she tried to ignore the icy chill that crept up her spine. 

She really needed to stop watching horror movies, especially considering her line of work. 

Something yanked her hair, pulling her head back and she shrieked. "Taeyeon! It's okay! It's just a tree branch," Yuri said, reaching over and untangling her hair. "You okay?" 

Taeyeon shivered. "Let's just hurry up and get out of here." 

A breeze blew through the woods, shaking the branches and rubbing the leaves together with a whispering noise that made the hair on the back of Taeyeon's neck stand up. Their own footsteps sounded much too loud in the relative quiet of the forest. There was something ominous about the way crickets fell silent as they passed and refused to speak up again, as if they were frightened by something as well.  

At least she wasn't the only one scared, but that knowledge did nothing for Taeyeon's shaky hand and- 

The flashlight beam rested on a foot sticking out from beneath two closely growing shrubs. Taeyeon gave a small jump at seeing it, though at the same time, it was what she'd been hoping to see all along. Without so much as a glance at Yuri, they began parting the branches of the shrubs. Lying there, as if asleep except for the dark bruises and bloody wounds gracing his body, was a teenage boy. 

The shiver went out of Taeyeon's spine and she felt her goosebumps settle again. It was strange how quickly the fear went away when she was actually confronted by death. As Yuri pulled out her phone to call dispatch, Taeyeon took the camera from her and crouched to take a picture. Their job was just beginning.