chapter 1

The crowd was all huddled around the entrance of the store, reporters trying to get their money shots, curious children, pitying adults; everyone within a mile of the scene was trying to get just a peak of the mysterious murder.

“I don’t like the looks of this.”

A tall man, lean and slender, stared at the scene, annoyance plain as day on his face. He wore a long beige coat over a white collared shirt, jeans, and just plain shoes. His short brown hair falling just at the base of his neck, cold, black eyes surveyed all surroundings while a cigarette hung lazily from his lips.

“Since when is there anything about crime scenes to like?” The man turned back to the car to see his partner leaning on the open door.

His partner was tall, taller then himself, and broad with muscle. His dark brown hair cropped his face just right and his brown eyes blank of emotion. He wore a black coat over a white t-shirt and jeans.

“You think it was him?” The beige one asked.

He threw his cigarette down and stamped it out with his foot.

“Well from what they told us it fits. No evidence what so ever. Who else do we know of that can pull something like this?” the broad one shrugged and slammed the door shut and walked up slightly behind his partner.

“Do you really want me to answer that?” he raised an eyebrow at the bigger male.

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t.” the broad one sighed and shook his head.

The smaller of the two smirked and chuckled humorously. “Well let’s go. We need to get this case over with, this guy is much too dangerous to be out on the loose.” 

The broader merely nodded and followed his partner.

The two fought their way through the crowd and eventually got to the scene albeit having stepped on a few people in the process, literally.

“Excuse me but you can’t go in there!” one of the local cops yelled at the two men as they ducked under the tap.

The smaller one sighed and rolled his eyes before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his I.D.

“Detective Park and this is my partner.”

“I’m so sorry sir, forgive my rudeness!” the cop immediately saluted to his superiors.

“Whatever now what can you tell us?” The broader one, Kangin, rushed the man.

“Well not much sirs. No fingerprints, DNA, or anything along those lines.” The cop shrugged.

“And video taps? You can’t tell me that this store has no security cameras.” Detective Park, Leeteuk, asked as he walked along the scenes. The smell of decay and blood assaulted his nose but had no effect on him. He’d grown immune to such trivial things long ago.

“He knew what he was doing sir. He avoided every camera.”

“Ugh useless.” Kangin threw his hands up in air and walked past the guard to stand with his partner.

“Temper, temper.” Leeteuk’s sing-song voice infiltrated Kangin’s ear.

“Yeah yeah I know. Sorry but how can everyone be so useless? There has to be some piece of evidence somewhere! No one is this good!” Kangin ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“Obviously he is.” Leeteuk examined the body in front of him.

“Well?”

“Victim is female, approximately 17-18 I’d guess by height and size. Clean shot to the head, close range, burn marks around wound…”

Leeteuk gently lifted the head.

“No exit wound…strange.” Leeteuk’s eyebrows knitted. Short range but no exit wound, how could that be?

Kangin knelt down beside him “Could he have used a lower caliber?”

Leeteuk shook his head “From the burn marks around here” he pointed to the ring around the bullet entry, “this was definitely close range but from that close of a ranger there would have to be an exit point.”

“There’s something off about this Teuk. I don’t like it. Not one bit.”

“I don’t either Kangin. These past few murders have been like nothing I’ve seen before.”

Leeteuk stood and looked up at the sky. “I have an ominous feeling about this one Kangin. I think we may have met our match on this one.”

Kangin looked up at his partner. He knew Leeteuk wouldn’t say that about just anyone so this guy was something special. Too bad it wasn’t in a good way.

“Hey what are you doing? I said no cameras! Get that thing out of here!”

Both turned to see a reporter and crew trying to sneak shots of the crime for their big time debut.

“Sir can you tell us anything about the crime?”

“I said get the hell out!” the cop yelled at the nosy reporter.

“What about the culprit?” the reporter continued.

“OUT!”

“You have got to be kidding me.” Kangin sighed. He hated those reporters.  A nuisance to man kind!

“I’ll be back.” Leeteuk growled and stalked over to the reporter.

Kangin whistled. Oh bad move reporter dude, this is not your day. No one liked dealing with an angry Leeteuk because he could make you regret the day you were born.

“Oh excuse me sir! Are you the detective in charge?” the reporter shoved the mic into Leeteuk’s face.

He shoved the mic away and the camera down. “No. Photos. Or. Comments. Now go away.” Leeteuk enunciated each word.

“Can I quote you on that?” the reporter beamed.

Leeteuk’s eyes narrowed and he growled in the back of his throat. Oh how he despised reporters.

“Get lost!”

The reporter merely stood his ground.

“Captain!” Leeteuk shouted to a nearby guard.

“Sir!” the guard saluted.

“ these ‘lovely’ people off the premises.” Leeteuk ‘smiled’ at the crew.

The reporter merely scowled and stomped off in a fit.

“Temper, temper~” 

Leeteuk turned and glared at his smirking partner.

“Come on.” Leeteuk waltzed past him and back towards the car. Kangin followed immediately.

“So where are we heading exactly?”

Leeteuk pulled out a card. It looked like a school I.D. of some kind.

“ Neulparan High School.”

Kim Ryeowook gazed out the window of his classroom, eyebrows furrowing as he noted a commotion going on a ways down town. His class was on a higher floor and he therefore had a great view outside.

He sighed and propped his chin in his hand as his teacher called role. His lab partner was absent.  Great. Another project I do on my own.  He thought, responding boredly with a ‘yep’ when his name was called.

He ignored the teacher’s snide remark about manner and turned back to the window, earrings jingling against his skin as he did so, his many black bracelets sliding down his arm.

He’d just begun to write a small ‘article’ on how he thought teachers should treat them like their age rather than as kindergarteners when he saw a car leave the area the commotion was at.

Dropping his pen, he watched as the vehicle sped towards the school. “Is that an… unmarked car?” He mumbled, standing in his seat a bit as it got too close to be seen. He faintly registered his teacher telling him to sit down so they could resume class when an announcement came over the intercom.

All staff are to lock their doors and remain on lock down until further notice.

Ryeowook grinned and stood, dashing to the door and slipping outside before the teacher could stop him.  This is my chance. There must be something going on! 

Slowing from a run to a fast paced walk, Ryeowook ducked his head down, bag slung over his shoulder as he walked, stepping into a bathroom as he saw someone round a corner with their principal.

Peeking through the door, he watched as a second stranger appeared after the other; the one beside the principal being slightly slimmer than the one back further. They were talking animatedly about something as they got closer.

“……….You’re sure it’s our student that you found?” The principal asked, looking pale and Ryeowook’s brows furrowed. 

“Yes. She was found dead moments ago. We’d like to speak to her friends and get her family’s information if at all possible. There weren’t many clues at the scene and we don’t want her death to have been in vain.” The shorter man said and Ryeowook’s eyes widened twice their normal size, clutching his notepad to his chest as he leaned back, letting the door close.

He let himself slide down it slowly. “Oi, one minute Leeteukie, I need to take a leak.” He heard someone say and he gasped, scrambling up and into a cubicle, slamming it shut and climbing onto the toilet as the door opened.

“I can’t believe you. You have issues at the most inopportune of moments!” The one guy, apparently Leeteuk, sighed.

Ryeowook held his breath, shivering as a sudden cold feeling covered him and he felt suddenly sick at the smell. It was almost like… blood. He heard a clatter and looked down, swearing in his head as he watched his hello kitty pen roll out of the stall.

Stop trying to find me. You don’t know what I’m doing this for. That deserved it! 

A dark figure loomed over the shoulder of a small boy in the bathroom, watching as the detective relieved himself and the one man leaned against the door. He glanced down, hair forming a curtain around his face as he clenched his blood soaked hands, wishing all people who were like that   would meet the same fate.

tap 

Leeteuk tensed at the sudden sound.

‘There shouldn’t be anyone in here, all student and teachers were required to go on lockdown. So what was that?’

“Alright, come out now. Don’t make me go and get you because I promise it won’t be pleasant.”

Ryeowook could only stare at the ghostly figure above him in surprise and horror.

‘What the hell? Ghosts weren’t real so who the hell was that?’

Ryeowook didn’t even notice the detective coming till it was too late. The stall door suddenly yanked open and an arm shot out and grabbed his collar, effectively pulling him out of the stall and pinning him to the floor.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Do you not understand what lockdown means? It means you stay in your class and don’t leave until it’s safe.”

Ryeowook felt a bit disoriented from the impact against the floor and could only hear a muffled voice.

‘He sure sounds pissed.’

Leeteuk sighed and released the boy. Kangin came up to his partner. “Teuk are you okay?”

Leeteuk nodded tersely and glared down at the boy.

“What’s your name kid?”

Ryeowook glared up at the two men. Who the hell did they think they were? Suddenly grabbing him and throwing him to the ground like that.

“Yah! Why should I answer you after that?”

Kangin grit his teeth and was tempted to kick the punk. “How about you just do it and then we can go our separate ways.”

Ryeowook just stubbornly kept his silence.

While Kangin and Ryeowook had their little stare down Leeteuk took a chance too look the man, boy, over.

He was wearing a pink and black punk skull shirt with a blackish-grey over shirt which was more like a jacket then shirt. He had multiple black leather bracelets on both arms, a spiked dog collar choker and a looser silver, spiked chain around his neck He wore a black hat with skull and crossbones on it with the hood of his over jacket hanging loosely on the back. He had seen the tongue piercings from when the boy had yelled at Kangin just a few minutes prior, all in all? A complete punk.

“Yah Teukie! Help me out here!”

Leeteuk looked steadily at Kangin and then to Ryeowook.

Ryeowook shivered as those eyes landed on him, so cold and dark. There was definitely something about this man that told Ryeowook to cooperate or else he would regret it later.

Something about that man…terrified him.

“Ryeowook.”

Leeteuk nodded. “Thank you Ryeowook. Now, what class are you in?”

“Class 4-B”

“A senior?” Leeteuk raised an eyebrow. Ryeowook nodded.

“Okay then Ryeowook can you answer some questions for me?” Leeteuk knelt in front of the boy.

Ryeowook weakly nodded. He could have sworn he saw a faint smile pass over his lips but it was gone in an instant.

“Did you know this girl” Leeteuk held up the dead girl’s I.D.

Ryeowook’s eye widened as he saw the photo. “No!” Ryeowook snatched the card from a surprised Leeteuk’s grip and stared at it.

“No! You must have the wrong girl! She can’t be dead!” Tears started to stream down Ryeowook’s face.

“Who is she Ryeowook?” Kangin gently spoke.

“Hwang Seul Gi.” Ryewook started to sob.

“How did you know her Ryeowook-ah?” Leeteuk gently rubbed Ryeowook’s back.

“She was in charge of the newspaper club that I’m apart of. I’ve known her since first year.”

Ryeowook just broke down in sobs after that, he didn’t care if the two men saw. They knew why, he was crying for his dear friend. There was nothing to be ashamed of.

Watching the scene before him, the figure left the room, closing his eyes as he passed through the wall. He eyed the students in the room he’d appeared in and locked in on one in particular.

He walked towards him, watching as the windows frosted over and knew he should probably tone down his emotions.

He took a calming breath and reached a hand out, grabbing the curly haired boy’s shirt tail, tugging it a bit before letting go as he whirled around, searching for who could have done it, only to spot the seat behind him empty.

Turning cold eyes on the door as it opened, he left the building, leaving only a bloody handprint in his wake.

Kyuhyun stared down at his white shirt in horror, quickly pulling his jacket on as the door opened. He looked up along with the remainder of the class and saw two men with one of the upper classmen. He looked like he’d been crying too.

“We need to speak with students who were close with Hwang Seul Gi. Our names are detective Park and detective Kim.” The larger man said, explaining their sudden intrusion to the teacher as the principal stepped into view, letting them know he had unlocked the door for them.

Kyuhyun paled. 'Detectives… What the hell? I doubt they’ll believe me when I tell them I randomly got blood on me two minutes ago.' He thought, pretending to doodle to distract himself.

Ryeowook timidly tugged at detective Park’s sleeve. “Can I talk to you outside?” He mumbled and Leeteuk exchanged a glance with Kangin.

“You take care of the students, I’ll be right back.” He spoke, escorting Ryeowook outside with the principal.

“What is it?” He asked and Ryeowook flinched at the tone.

“You’re not used to consoling people are you?... In the bathroom earlier. I swore I smelled blood. I’m not sure if maybe someone had been in there before but it was definitely there.” He said, leaving out that he’d seen a shadow looming over him. He just hoped that there really was something still there.

Across town, a camera crew was shouting as rescuers tried to get to a boy clad in all grey. He walked, with his head down, down the middle of the road. They kept the cameras rolling as traffic swerved to miss him.

** “STOP!! LET ME GO! DON’T TOUCH ME!!!” **

“Isn’t that Kim Kibum?” One bystander asked. “It’s impossible.”

Kibum looked up and smiled as it began to rain, washing the blood off of his hands and wetting him. It was refreshing. He frowned as his body involuntarily flinched and he jerked around, hair flying out as he did so and a truck swerved, unable to miss him.

People screamed and expected a crash but he was gone. Chaos erupted amongst the bystanders and Kibum ignored the noise, curling in on himself in an alley nearby, clutching at his hair as those memories replayed through his head yet again. The blood, the pain, the cold of the water. His eyes hardened as he thought about it and the bloodlust rose in him once again and he snapped his eyes towards the left, spotting a bar.