Jinki hadn’t meant to die that day.

    No, he had always planned to live a full life. One with its ups and downs. He planned on getting married and having kids. On raising a family of his own.

    Not dying. No. That was not part of his plan.

    Though he was angry. Angry because he missed his ride home from school, because he was cold and because of all days for him to forget his phone at home it had to be this one.

    He walked along the side of a road, kicking the snow out of his way as he hissed small curses beneath his breath. He just wanted to be home, to curl up under his warm blanket and sleep the rest of the day away. But his house was still nearly a mile away and the snow only made it harder to reach.

    If only Taemin had waited like he said he would, then he’d already be home. But of course his friend had forgotten, probably too busy with his boyfriends growing needs to remember his lifelong best friend. Not that Jinki was jealous of him, even if just a week ago neither of them had had their first kiss. No. He wasn’t jealous. Just angry that he had been forgotten.

    Stifling a groan Jinki shifted his bag so that his art project didn’t stab into his back before continuing his walk.

    He just wanted to get home.

    And that’s when he heard it.

    The faint cry from the woods that set him a bit on edge. No one went in the woods, not since that little girl had gone missing. Everyone had been too scared to.

    He stilled, listening hard for another cry. Maybe it was just an animal.Yes, that had to be it an animal.

    He started to walk again, hands holding onto the straps of his bag before freezing when he heard the cry again. Louder this time, and most definitely human.

   He hesitated for a moment, staring at the trees ahead of him. His eyes scanned the small gaps between the large oaks, trying to see if he could see a shadow somewhere behind them before frowning when he saw nothing.

  Letting out a shaky breathe he turned, eyes darting up the road silently praying to see someone drive around the corner because he was not the What a nice day! Let's go for a hike kind of person in the first place. So wandering into the woods to pull some kind of hero act was not part of who he was. He was the stay at home read a book kind of person. Maybe flick on a movie and relax.

  But what else was he supposed to do? Leave whoever was in there alone? No, he may not be the hero type but he wasn't the type to leave someone who needed help. What if they died? He would never be able to live with that.

  Jinki chewed on his bottom lip, letting go of the bags straps and flexing his fingers before climbing up the small ridge that led into the woods, doing his best not to slip and fall back onto the concrete. That would be the worst possible thing that could've added onto his day, cracking his skull open while trying to save someone. Wouldn't Taemin get a laugh out of that.

  "Hello?" He called, landing on the other side safely, "Hey?!" He felt stupid shouting into dead air but he tried again, marching a few feet deeper into the trees. "Hello!"

  No answer, but a small crying sound from somewhere deeper in the woods.

  He let out a loud groan before stepping ahead, sinking ankle deep into the snow making him again wonder why it had to be today that he wore sneakers as the cold seeped in and made his toes numb. Why was he the one who had to be walking by the woods this afternoon? Why not someone who is the brave type? Why not someone older without a broken phone?

  Eyes darting around he tried to locate where the crying was coming from to keep out of his self-hating thoughts. It was quiet though and he had to still to hear it.

  Turning to the right he continued to walk, trying to ignore the feeling that began to tick up his spine. A feeling that there was something not quite right with the place. There's nothing to be scared of Jinki, just keep walking. He scolded his self, stepping over the uneven ground and trying to keep his thoughts positive.

  If he ended up saving whoever was crying then he might be noticed by more than just Taemin and the teachers. Maybe even Minho would notice him since he had had a crush on the other male since he was a freshman in high school. But Minho was automatically popular with his looks and bright words and athletic abilities. And Jinki was automatically not with his clumsiness and soft words.

  He sighed when he reached the edge of the woods, climbing on top of a fallen tree in an attempt to see further out without walking further. He was cold and his fingers and feet were numb and he figured he would get sick by tomorrow with all this wandering. Reaching up he grabbed a nearby branch to keep his balance, peering out ahead of him. But there was nothing but a few more trees and a creek.

  Nothing to hear either. No crying. It stopped.

  "No, no, no." He mumbled, feeling his heart sink in fear as his eyes scanned the woods once again, breathing picking up. "Hey! Are you out there?! Can you here me? I'm coming to help!" He shouted, knees shaking as he tried to hold his breathe to listen.

  Then he heard it. A very faint crying right ahead.

  The creek.

  They were in the creek, holding on and probably getting weaker and weaker.

  He scrambled down the log, feet hitting the snow as he hurried to the creeks edge, no longer caring if his feet were numb.

  Clutching his jacket with one hand he stared into the water, searching for a figure under the water and small cracks of thin ice on the very edges of the creek. But he saw nothing living, nothing under the water.

  With a small shake of his head Jinki walked down further, climbing up a small ridge, leaning forward as he peered down hoping that he'd be able to see something under. To see whoever it was that had been crying.

  "Hello?" He called, cupping his hand around his mouth to amplify his voice.

  He listened, body tensing before shaking his head. There was no way he'd be able to hear now. Whoever it was had gone under, the water was to loud.

  Leaning out further, Jinki's eyes scanned the surface flickering from spot to spot trying to see anything.

  Then, a mistake.

  He had leaned out too far, the ice under him, a subtle change in balance. Something had thrown him over and he was falling.

  His hands shot out, grabbing at the air as he searched for something to save his self. His mind to shocked to be afraid.

  Then he hit the water with an icy shock.

  His head went under and the first thing he registered was that everything was freezing. He tumbled, head and body being thrown about the creek. He couldn't see, he couldn't breathe. He was completely disoriented. He couldn't tell which way was up or down.

  Then his head was above water, his mouth opened to in a gasp of air before being dragged back, arms thrashing to swim up or to where he hoped he was up.

  He was to heavy, that was it. Ripping at the straps on his bag he shoved it off getting caught for a moment before it was freed. It didn't help.

  His head breached the surface again and he gasped again, taking in as much as he could before being thrown back in. He reeled his arms, trying to recall his old swimming lessons when the reality was he was living from one gasp of breathe to another.

  This is it, I am going to die... he realized as he went under again, his body being dragged downstream quicker with every passing moment. But his body seemed to have a mind of it's own as it continued to struggle, arms reaching up and slammed back down, pressing against the water and trying to raise his self up. His strength was fading quickly by the freezing water and his chances of surviving dropped alarmingly fast when he realize the creek was three inches deeper than he was tall.

  His mouth opened when he was slammed into a rock, water gushing in as he tried to push it out, his body rejecting it before it filled his lungs. Something, I have to grab onto something. He hissed mentally before being above the water one again, filling his self with oxygen when and blinking when he saw roots up ahead. There. Them. He thought urgently, before going under again. His body spun and was slammed into the edge, fingers raking along whatever he hit before hooking under a small gap. The root he grabbed was huge, almost as thick as him, but that was good. It wouldn't break.

  He moved, shoving his arm through a large gap between another root and holding on tight. His head broke the surface and he could breathe large gasping breaths.But his body was still under, he had to climb out. He was weak though, his muscles were numb and freezing quickly under the water. There was no possible way he would be able to pull his self out. No possible way.

  Then he became angry, angry at his self. Because he was small and weak and incredibly clumsy and childish and it was going to kill him. He was going to die, and he wouldn't come back to life like in the movies. Because it was happening now and it was real.

  What happened next he couldn't remember other than the fact that a burst of anger shot through him with the need to get higher to get out. Out of the water. Onto the gound. And his feet were kicking, pressing against the rocks as he forced his self up. They scraped against the jagged edges and some part of him knew it should hurt but he didn't care because a moment later he was free. He had dragged his numb body out of the water inch by inch and collapsed on the roots and snow, gasping and blinking with his arms and legs spread out.

  He had gotten his self out, he wasn't going to drown! He saved his self!

  A small smile formed on his lips before fading as he tried to stand. His legs were shaking, and his body was soaked. His muscled felt as though they had been whisked down the river without him. And he was cold.

  He was exhausted beyond belief, eyes drooping closed as he stumbled back into the woods towards the road. Where is the road again? He questioned mentally as he forced his self to keep walking.

  Every breathe seemed to make him colder and it wasn't long before he began to shake, body racking shivers taking over his body. Find the road Jinki, away from the creek to the road. He reminded his self as he tried to climb over fallen trees and large rocks, his shivering making it increasingly difficult. His fingers were frozen and swollen making it hard to grab onto anything as he staggered on.

  He knew he needed to get to the road quickly, to get help or he was in trouble.

  Survived on near-death experience and facing another.

  He had no clue where he was going anymore. Only that he had to keep walking. Keep moving. He needed to get help.

  Then he stumbled. And then he was face first in the snow. He fell, he needed to get up. To keep moving. It's the clothes. They're too heavy. Take them off. Somewhere in his mind he knew this was wrong. That he should keep them on. But that part of his brain was fading quickly as he fumbled, fingers slipping over the front of his jacket before gripping the zipper and pulling it down quickly before shoving the jacket off and leaving it behind.

  It's off...I can walk better now... He thought, but he couldn't. He was still stumbling and tripping. His feet getting caught as he tried to force his self to go faster.

  He legs felt like they were frozen solid and he let out a soft whimper at the thought before jerking at the edge of his jeans trying to take them off. But he couldn't and the shivers were spread out over long pauses that just seemed to grow longer and longer.

  I just need to rest... He thought even as his mind screamed that it was wrong, trying to stop him from curling up on the snowy ground. He was in the middle of a small clearing, the snow blanketing the grass, unbroken except for his footsteps that had raked over the very center of it.

  His shivering had stopped altogether, his body giving up on warming itself. It was a nice place to die.

  Maybe I'll be saved soon.

  But he knew no help was coming. His mother did not get home until six, he was an only child and Taemin wouldn't contact him out of guilt for forgetting him.

  His hands weren't red anymore, but instead a blue-ish color, and his lips were rigid. Completly still.

  He wasn't even cold anymore. Just relieved because it was over. He was going to be covered in ice by the time anyone found him anyway.

  Somebody... help? Mom.... Taemin....anyone...

  Then his eyes closed, and it was just like falling asleep.

  All at once there was no more cold, no more discomfort. No more pain or sadness.

  He was filled with a warm happy feeling, his body was comfortable and he forced his eyes open with a small sigh before looking down and freezing when he saw a small frozen creature curled up in the middle of the clearing. That's...me. He thought in disbelief before feeling his self get lifted higher, a million lights surrounding him and circling around like a large cocoon before fading and leaving him in the middle of the same clearing. But this time his body was gone, and it was warm, there was no snow and instead small flowers everywhere.

  I'm dead. Why aren't I scared? He thought before looking ahead and focusing on the small light ahead, stepping towards it yelping when something curled itself around his wrist and pulled him back.

  "No! Don't go there!" A voice shouted, making him turn and focus on the male holding him. He was handsome with cut features and dark messy hair, but his eyes were wide and scared as they focused on Jinki. "Why are you here?" He asked quietly, as Jinki took in the white and gold light surrounding him.

  "What do you mean?" He asked, voice slurred a bit which made a small amused smirk appear on the others lips.

  "It's not your time, you're not supposed to die." The stranger muttered, flicking Jinki's forehead and making his lips curl.

  "How do you know that? Who are you?" He asked, rubbing the spot.

  "Because I've watched you from birth until now. I'm your guardian angel, stupid." He hissed, "Made a mistake and now I have to deal with sending you back. Even if we usually leave these cases up to the ones who died.. in this case, I'm deciding." The other said before letting go of Jinki.

  "What do you mean? You're not letting me choose?" Jinki asked, voice higher than usual.

  "No, this is best for everyone Jinki. Trust me." The man whispered before smiling softly as Jinki frowned fighting with something inside his self that told him to trust him. Then there was an odd feeling of everything coming undone. "I'll see you later." The angel whispered before fading as Jinki's eyes focused on something coming towards him in the distance.

  Then he fell.

Here's the first chapter~ 
I hope you like it <3 
Comments to let me know how I did would be nice~
Thanks for reading!