It all started with one member's problem. Then everything started to shatter from then on.

Taehyung never wanted to do that but circumstances made him do it. He knew it would cost him everything if he did that but still, he listened to what his instincts told him to do.

He had to do it.

How could he not when his pent-up loathing towards his abusive father could not be contained inside himself when he saw his father beating up his own mother. One can only take so much.

A disgusting sight of his father punching and kicking his mother welcomed him almost every single day whenever he arrives home from wherever. His father was an alcoholic and would beat up his mother as a way to release his frustrations in life. Taehyung loathed him for that.

For the first and hopefully the last time, Taehyung took a life; he took the life of his father.

It was also the day Taehyung disappeared.

 

-There is no good or bad people in this world; there is only stupidity.- 

 

"Have any news on Taehyung?" Jimin asked as soon as he heard Namjoon enter their group's private place.

The place was composed of buildings that were more likely to be abandoned and the group of friends would seek refuge there after a hectic day or whenever they feel like it.

The boys would even sleep by the open-space found at the center of the whole premise and would also set up a campfire - everyone just indulging the presence of the others.

Everyone sighed sadly as Namjoon shook his head no. Everyone looked stressed and restless. They all missed their dear friend.

They were worried sick not only because of what he did but also what he chose to do after. Knowing that their friend may think of anything dark or stupid, they didn't sleep and searched for him everywhere, to no avail.

They all just wanted their friend back.

 

All of them gathered outside the buildings. The other members wanted to play with Seokjin's new car to which he allowed as long as he was driving.

Namjoon and Taehyung didn't feel like joining the others so they just went to the center field and just lay side-to-side on the ground, looking at the beautiful night sky.

They said nothing to each other; they just listened to the car engine roaring and the happy and excited shouts of their friends. Though it was probably just a mediocre day, it was still a moment they truly cherished. Every single second with each other was cherished by the group of friends.

 

-Sometimes, the only thing that keeps you sane are the most beautiful memories you have-

 

Jungkook looked around the empty place. He slowly turned around as he remembered the beautiful moments he had made with his friends in every corner of the premise.

He smiled sadly at the place that was never been visited or used for a month. He knew he had to accept how things are and continue on with life but he just couldn't, not yet. How could he forget all those memories? He could never.

We a last look, he turned around and left the place probably for good.

 

-We can forgive, but we can never forget.-

 

Namjoon was standing in front of the mirror inside a bathroom in the group's hang-out place. His eyes showed resolve. He was going to do it and he knew that there's no backing out.

He exhaled onto the mirror and wrote, "You need to survive."

With a contented but sad smile, he left. "Continue living and don't make the same mistakes I did." he thought to himself.

The next day, he knew it was time. He was just waiting for something to trigger it. It was dark out and he was in the gasoline station he was working in.

He planned everything well, he made sure to do it when everyone else isn't around and that always happened during midnight. Then there it came and he knew this was it.

He did what he had to do then when he reached out his hand to get the payment, the driver threw the money at him and drove away. It was time.

Everything exploded.

"I'm sorry" he whispered for the last time as the whole place was engulfed with flames.

 

-The past cannot be changed but the future depends on choices.-

 

Yoongi, well, he didn't receive the news that well. Namjoon committed suicide and he became insanely depressed. Namjoon was one of his friends so why? They lost Taehyung and they didn't even know if he was still alive then they lose another friend of theirs.

He locked himself in his room since the news of Namjoon came out. He never left the room and just cried. He could feel his chest twist in pain.

It's already been days since he shut himself from the world. He was still more than sad - he was miserable. Not only did Namjoon's death and Taehyung's unknown whereabouts caused him to feel that way, but also because everyone just stopped seeing and even talk to each other.

The one who told him of Namjoon's death was the news reporter when he was just chilling on the couch. He didn't know if the others knew about it but to him, it didn't really matter anymore.

He walked past the buildings and to the open-space they used to play in before. There was one moment he remembered the most - the time Jungkook knew of his depression from before and his want to just end his problems.

They had a campfire out there and they planned to sleep there for the night. Yoongi held a lit match in his hand. He just looked at it as if he wanted to be devoured by its flames but then, Jungkook saw him and blew the flame out.

The small gesture of Jungkook meant more to Yoongi. For him, it was Jungkook's way of telling Yoongi to not resort to suicide and to continue living his life.

He entered the bathroom in one of the buildings. He didn't exactly know why he went there but, he just felt like he had to. He checked himself in the mirror. He saw his eyes and saw the resolve in it. He couldn't take it anymore. He ran home as fast as he can, living the message Namjoon wrote on the mirror unseen by the person who needed to see it the most.

Yoongi had gas prepared. It was supposed to be used by him when he wanted to commit suicide before but was stopped by Jungkook. He placed it near the bed he sat on. He thought that it was funny that he'd use gas and fire like Namjoon.

Though, he didn't immediately do it; he sat down, lighter in one hand and reminisced about everything and thought about the words he wanted to tell his friends. He didn't plan to write it or tell them because he knew that it would hurt more if he did that.

He'd remember the time they went to the beach. He'd remember the time they got scolded by a restaurant owner because they were too loud in the restaurant. He'd remember the time they last saw Taehyung because it was the last time he felt happy.

"I can't take it anymore."

He poured gas all over the room and threw the lit lighter onto the ground. He just stood there, allowing the scorching flames to eat him because the pain of the flamed could not be more or as painful the pain of losing the people you love.

 

-Somethings are better left unsaid.-

 

Jungkook didn't know what to do anymore. He heard from Jimin that Yoongi committed suicide by burning his room and himself in it. Two of his friends were dead and one was still missing.

He remembered that Yoongi wanted to do what he just did but Jungkook tried to stop him. He thought he successfully prevented the pain of having a friend die, but there are things that just wouldn't go the way you want it to be.

It was way past his curfew since he was a few months from being legal, but he didn't care and neither did the guys who he had accidentally hit. The guys started beating him up; he tried to resist but he was outnumbered. At least his physical damage would finally be more or less, the same as his emotional and psychological damage.

He thought they'd kill him but thankfully, they didn't. He didn't want to cause the rest of his friends to feel more pain if he were to die. People have limitations and he knew that the others were at theirs.

He stood up and started to limped towards his destination. He ran away from home to visit his home with his friends. He thought that the last time would be his last there but due to the deaths of his friends, he just wanted to stay there and remember how fun it was with all of them complete.

He was near already, he just had to cross the street. He smiled as he looked at the familiar place that stored their memories. He took a step forward then the last thing he saw was a bright light.

 

-There are times when we are given the chance to continue on but we choose to let go instead.-

 

Hoseok went in his bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He saw how miserable he became and wished that time would go back and none of this would happen.

He sighed before getting a container of pills on the top shelf of the sink. He placed the pills on his hand and he knew it was more than what was considered safe.

He didn't care anymore.

He started taking prescription pills due to his sickness he had for a long time. That time, he never thought of doing what he was doing now. He only cared about not feeling the pain and drugs did the trick.

He took all the pills in his hand and headed out with no destination in mind. It was starting to take effect.

The only problem was, as he wandered aimlessly around, he was hallucinating his friends - the very thing he was trying to forget. He saw them playing and running in front of him. Seokjin, Jimin, Namjoon, Yoongi, Jungkook, and Taehyung were all there with a smile just in front of him. He didn't reciprocate their smiles because his heart knew that it isn't real.

He looked up to the sky when he noticed that he was crossing a bridge. A tear escaped his eye as he collapsed. The drugs he took were too much that his body couldn't handle it anymore. He knew it and opened his eyes for one last time thinking that he could finally be with his dead friends, but, he thought more of being with Yoongi and Jungkook the most. Why the two of them? It's because the both of them were the ones who woke Hoseok up to see the beautiful sunrise by the sea when he had a nightmare of overdosing himself.

 

-Sometimes dreams are better than realities-

 

Jimin and Seokjin were the ones left. Jimin tried to contact his friend before but all of them were out of reach. Then suddenly, news of Namjoon and the gasoline station that exploded was reported, then he saw the fire that killed Yoongi when he was supposed to visit his friend, then he saw Jungkook's body when the said friend's parents called him and he rushed to the site, then now the news of a man that collapsed and died on a bridge nearby due to overdosing.

He remembered how Namjoon would be their father figure and would give them advice whenever they needed it. He remembered how Yoongi was cool and seemed cold on the outside but was the complete opposite in the inside. He remembered how he would pester Jungkook and how it would always end up with them laughing. He remembered how Hoseok placed a blanket on him when he was sleeping at the back of the pick-up truck when they were going to the beach to see the sun rise together. He remembered how that was the last time they saw Taehyung and the last time they were happy.

They weren't happy anymore.

The pain was feeling was unbearable and he decided to end it. He was aching to see his friends again and there was only one way to do it.

He filled the tub and lay in it, a collage of cut-offs of the news articles of his friends' deaths in one hand and a lighter in the other. In the tub, he placed the same blanket Hoseok placed on him.

He was scared of his choice but he found it scarier living a life without the people who gave colors to his once monotonous life.

He watched the collage burn and  how the water was overflowing. Once everything turned to ashes, he sank his whole body into the tub.

The next day, Seokjin heard the news of the last living friend of his drowned himself in his bathtub.

 

-Fate has a knack for playing The Last One standing where humans are the players.-

 

Taehyung was still alive. He was just too ashamed and too scared to face everyone after what he did.

He regretted what he did but he knew that he can't change the past and that what was important is what he would do next.

He was sitting in an empty alley that anyone barely knew. He stayed there for most of the time since he went missing. Though, he knew everything.

He didn't have news on their eldest friend so he assumed that he was alive. He hoped that he was still alive.

He tried to wash the blood on his hand then wiped it on his blood-stained white shirt. He proceeded to get his phone in one of his pockets.
He his cellphone and hoped that weeks of not turning it on wouldn't have a toll on its battery life. When the phone's lock screen popped up, he sighed gratefully – it was still ninety-five percent. He then dialed his friend's number.

Ring

Ring

Ring

It rang three more times in total before he answered the call.

It was silent on the other end except for the sound of heavy breathing and Taehyung knew that Seokjin didn't believe what has happening. They must have thought that he was dead and he understood why.

"Hyung," Taehyung started. "I want to see you," as he tried to contain his tears. The fact that one of his friends was still alive made him happy and sad at the same time.

His hyung was suffering alone, all of them were and it was because of him and his crime.

After he said that, he heard muffled sobs that turned into words that pained Taehyung more.

"You're alive. I don't think I can take it anymore. All of them are gone and I thought I was going to be alone forever."

 

-We can't wash our sins away-

 

Taehyung was lying down on a mattress he just found in the abandoned swimming pool he and his friends went to in the past. He was waiting for Seokjin so they'd go to the beach and watch the sunrise together like before.

He took out a picture from his pocket. It was a picture of him when he was a baby sitting next to his father. Even though his father is what drove him to sin, he loved him. Loved. He crumpled the picture, never wanting to see it again.

The sun shone brightly. It was noon time and the weather was quite warm. He covered his eyes with his hand and continued waiting for his friend.

He heard noises from afar. He thought it was just Seokjin so he paid no heed to it but then he heard footsteps approaching him.

He heard the person say something and when he looked up, he saw Namjoon with a hand reaching out to him. Taehyung complied and stood up.

Everything felt normal, as if the past painful weeks didn't happen. Taehyung questioned himself if he really killed his father and his friends committed suicide one after another or if it was all a nightmare, but he didn't care as long as he was with his friends.

They all greeted him with big smiles one their faces that Taehyung wanted to cry. He and Seokjin were't alone anymore.

Jungkook then noticed Seokjin filming the whole thing in his old video camera and told him to join them. Seokjin also couldn't believe it. They're alive.

Taehyung and Seokjin greeted each other with one big hug that contained happiness.

They all started playing games and started fooling around. Seokjin even took pictures with his Polaroid camera but most of the pictures didn't turn out good so he just continued recording everything – his friends, the trees, and even the beautiful butterfly that was fluttering by the bushes.

They all went in the car when it was already starting to get dark. They planned to go to their place to put up a campfire and watch movies or something like before.

They all rested near the campfire to keep themselves warm. Taehyung and Seokjin were more than happy. Everything was back to normal.

A movie was playing at the back but nobody was watching. They were all sitting silently by the campfire. It was a tiring day and they still had to leave before sunrise the next day.

Taehyung noticed that Yoongi was playing with a lighter but he just let his friend be. His friend was always playing with a lighter anyways but then, Jungkook looked at Yoongi with a mien Taehyung couldn't understand. Their youngest friend then blew the flame out.

They all boarded Seokjin's pick-up truck and most of them fell asleep as soon as they sat down. All sat inside the vehicle except for Jimin and Taehyung, both volunteered to sit at the back.

The trip would take hours so they had to gas up. Seokjin drove to the closest gas station and parked the vehicle. Namjoon went down and was the one who fueled the car. He then went to the opened car window and motioned for the camera. He held it in his hands and snapped a picture of Seokjin and Yoongi smiling together.

Outside, Hoseok who volunteered to pay for the gas, came back and noticed that two at the back. They were both sleeping soundly but Jimin's blanket slipped off so Hoseok fixed it like what a mother does.

They were finally near the beach. The ones awake could hear the sound of the waves getting closer and closer by the second. They were all happy to finally have a relaxing morning after all the playing they did the other day.

Seokjin parked the vehicle next to a tall structure. The ones who stayed awake during the entire trip wanted to take a small nap so Jungkook went out to enjoy and bask in the beautiful scenery.

He just sat by the docks and smiled with contentment. He stayed there for several minutes before Yoongi sat next to him for a while and told him to help him wake the others up as sunrise was nearing.

Everyone woke up without any problems and were even excited to see such a sight for the second time together. They went by the ledge and sat there. Seokjin started to film everything again.

The first ray of the sun came out and even then, the sight was probably the most beautiful thing they saw and the fact that they were all together made it even more meaningful.

That was when Taehyung noticed everything. He noticed the tall structure and without a word to his friends, approached it and climbed up. The one who noticed Taehyung first was Seokjin.

Seokjin continued filming as he pointed to his friend climbing the unstable-looking structure. The others started beckoning to Taehyung to come down but he was already on the top of the structure.

His friends continued to make him come down but they only received probably the most painful looking smile they'll ever see from their friend.

Then he jumped.

 

-The only constant thing in the world is death.-

 

Seokjin was back in the car with a smile; he was watching the videos after all so why wouldn't he smile at his and his friends' crazy antics. He watched as they played around. He watched the butterfly that flew by the bushes. He watched the last sunrise he watched with his friends but his mind and heart didn't want to accept the fact.

He stopped playing the videos and remembered the Polaroid picture Namjoon took of him and Yoongi together. He remembered that it was place in a compartment in the car so he opened the said compartment and smiled when he saw the picture there, but, his smile immediately disappeared when he saw the picture itself.

He frowned at the sight of it and deep down in his heart, he knew that there is no denying what had happened and it pained him more by the second. He knew but he was in denial so he went out and looked for his friends.

"Guys!"

No answer.

"Guys! Where's everybody?!"

Still no answer.

He tried to search more but he knew it would only be in vain so he went back in the car and watched the videos again and this time, he can't deny anymore.

The videos that were suppose to contain the memories he shared with all of his friends from the other day only contained the presence of him and Taehyung – no sign of the others.

The Polaroid picture he was supposed to have with Yoongi was a mere picture of him alone.

The message Namjoon wrote on the mirror was there and he saw it clearly.

Then he cried. He was alone. Everyone left him. Taehyung being the last one left committed suicide just right before his eyes. 

Then he prayed to the heavens to give him his friends back even if it means for him to die. He prayed that their fate wouldn't be like that. He prayed that he told his friends the message Namjoon wrote on the mirror before he died. He prayed that everything would just be the opposite of what had happened.

He prayed for the people who made his time with them the most beautiful moment of his life to come back.

 

-At some point, you have to realize that some people can stay in your heart but not in your life.-

 

They were all by the beach. It was their first time to watch the sun rise by the beach together and they were all so excited that they ran towards the docks.

Jungkook was the one who went ahead, balancing himself on the ledge then his friends had catch up to him and they just all ran together without a care in the world.

"Everyone, I heard that if you make a wish when the first ray of light hits the Earth, the wish would come true." Taehyung said to everyone and all of them agreed to do it.

One by one, they shouted their wishes for the whole world to hear.

Namjoon then Yoongi then Jungkook then Hoseok then Jimin then Taehyung then lastly, Seokjin.

And Seokjin, who more of directed his wish to his friends, made sure that he screamed from his heart,

"Let's all stay as friends even after death."

 

-Part 1 end-

Part 2 is coming soon :)