Minho appears in front of the door the next day, stomach still aching.  He's afraid to open it, afraid of the unknown that's behind it, but he swallows his cowardice and takes a step forward, grabbing the knob and turning it.  He takes a deep breath and pulls.  But nothing happens, and the door stays closed as if there is no one trying to open it.  Minho pulls again, harder this time, and uses every bit of his weight to his advantage.  Yet the door still doesn't budge.  

An alarm inside of Minho goes off, and he starts to feel like he's trapped again.  A rush of adrenaline courses through his veins as he grows more worried and nervous.  He kicks the door with all the strength he can manage, endeavoring to knock it down.  But, as he suspected, it stood strong, which only serves to make him feel more helpless.  

He looks around, searching for any possible escape route.  All he sees is intimidatingly tall brick walls, surrounding him in all directions.  Without a second thought, he hops onto the nearest one, his nails digging into the dirty rock as he slowly, but surely, begins his ascent.  

A sudden voice shocks him enough for him to loose his grip and fall back onto the ground.  

"Where are you going?"  Minho recognizes the beautiful voice as none other than Taemin.  

"Home," Minho answers, standing up and brushing the dirt and grass off of his clothes.  

Taemin pouts, and Minho can't help but think he looks like a little kid.  "Why?"

"Because I'm sick of this place! Everything is perfect here... And I'm not, so I don't fit."  Minho rubs his back and feels the urge to puke again.  He shouldn't have eaten those eggs and toast.  "And I'm tired of the looks those people give me, like I'm not one of them- and I'm not!  I don't belong here!"

Taemin outright frowns this time, his face contorting into a rather unpleasant expression.  "I'm sorry you feel that way."

"Well, yeah," Minho says, turning around to face the door once more. "But it doesn't the fact that I do feel that way, so, would you kindly open this door for me?"

"Sorry.  I wish I could, but I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?"  Minho asks, whipping his head around and glaring at Taemin.  "Aren't you the god of this place or something?  If anyone can open it, you can."

Taemin shrugs. "I'm not ready to let you leave yet."

Minho freezes, not having expected such an answer as that.  He doesn't know what to think or how to respond, but he knows he feels the heat wave of anger flow through his body.  He waits for Taemin to continue.  

"You see, you're the first company I've had in five hundered years... And I rather fancy you."  He pauses.  "Do you know how long five hundered years is?"  He pauses again as if waiting for Minho to answer.  When he doesn't, Taemin continues.  "I don't reckon I'll be ready to let you go for quite a while."

Minho feels a little bit of pity for Taemin, but not enough to give up.  He's sure he's going to die here if he stays much longer.

"Please," Minho begs, and for a moment, he's unsure whether he's begging to a god, or some crazy person whose screwing with his brain.  "If you like me, please help me get out!  I'm miserable here, and I'll become bad company if I'm always sick.  Please, can you just help me?  I'll do most anything!"

Taemin sighs, defeated.  "Okay, I'll help you... But you have to help me too."

Minho smiles a bit and 'thank you so much's pour from his mouth left and right until Taemin holds his hand up and cuts Minho off.

"Before you start thanking me, you should know what I want you to do."  Minho nods, eager to know his task and get on with it.  "Since you're leaving, I would like another companion, someone to take your place, I guess."  Minho nods again, slowly this time to show that he's listening.  "But I can't just create a person, I can give a body life, but I can't just make a body out of thin air... And I want you to help me find the perfect body."

Minho just stays still as he thinks about what that would entail.

"I don't think any one person will have what I'm looking for, so I'm going to need bits and pieces from different people, and I want you to go out and acquire those bits and pieces."

"From... From dead people?" Minho asks, hopefully.

Taemin shrugs.  "If you can find what I want on dead people, then yes, dead people, but I don't want any rotten or smelly limbs, so the majority of them will be from the living."  Taemin then smirks, and Minho violently shivers.  "Or from people who were alive until you got to them."

Minho had been expecting this type of answer since the beginning of the subject, but now that his fears have been confirmed, he feels like the task is much more undoable.

"I can't kill anyone,"  Minho says, shaking his head vigorously.  "I've never even hit someone, let alone kill."

"The I guess you'll have to spend the rest of your life in here with me."

Minho almost cries when Taemin says that, cause he knows he will do anything so just that won't happen.  He would much rather kill a few people then stay here until he dies.  The thought makes him feel sick and selfish, but it's the truth.  

"But I can't get anywhere close to anyone, they all run away from me."  Minho says, in a last attempt to get out of the situation, hoping Taemin would be understanding enough to change the task.

"Not everyone runs away from you, Minho.  You just fail to see the people who are interested in you rather than disgusted.  I know there are a few people who would just love to talk to you because you're different, but are afraid to approach you or do so in public.  Look for those people."

Minho bites his lip and keeps tears from falling, cause there truly is no way out of this.  He nods, ashamed of himself that he is giving in so easily.

Taemin slowly approaches Minho and places a comforting hand on his shoulder.  Minho realizes this is the first physical contact they've had.  

"Don't feel sad, after you do this, you'll be out of here in no time!"  Minho only nods glumly.  "Besides, I already have the head structure and the hair, so all I need is the body, mouth, and eyes."

Minho stays quiet and waits for Taemin to tell him exactly what type body, mouth, and eyes he's looking for.  Taemin promptly nods as if he read Minho's thoughts and removes his hand from Minho's shoulder, pacing around as he talks.

"For the body, I would like a muscular male, but not so muscular it's unatural.  I would also prefer him be slightly tan."  He stops and looks at Minho for a moment.  "Kind of like yours, I guess, but not as skinny."  He starts pacing again, with his hand on his chin.  "I don't care as much about the mouth as I care about the smile.  I would like a smile the brightens up the whole room, one that people can't help but also smile when they see it," Taemin says, then turns towards Minho.  "I won't be picky with eyes, since almost everyone here has the same color, but choose a beautiful pair, like my Missy's eyes," Taemin says, smiling.  "And I think that's it."

Minho nods, taking in the information and storing it in his mind so that he won't forget.  

"When will you need them?"  

"Whenever I can get them," Taemin says.  "But the sooner I receive them, the sooner you're let out of here."

"Then you should expect them soon," Minho says, turning away and beginning his walk home, too perplexed to bid goodbye.  He goes through town on his way, eyes already searching for future victims with the perfect features.

The next day, when Minho visits town again, he keeps an eye out for anyone who seems to be interesed in him.  One person stands out particularly.  He had been followed by said person for a noticeably long time; all throughout the day, in fact, and Minho feels bittersweet about finding someone so quickly.

He takes the time to examine the person when he sits down at a small cafe to drink coffee that already makes him feel queasy; but for the sake of not scaring off his first possible victim, he sips at it casually, sneaking glances at his follower as he does so.  

His follower is a male, which is a plus, because Taemin seems to want a male companion.  He's a bit on the short side, Minho notes, but he appears very masculine.  He has a unique, yet extremely handsome, face and, after a couple of more glimpses, Minho notices that his nostrils are of slightly different sizes.  Minho wonders if he is an outcast because of it and sympathizes with him.  Maybe, if he were not in such a dire situation, they could have been frien-

Minho quickly shakes the thought from him head, drowning it in gasoline, setting it on fire, and burying it deep in the depths of his mind, where it may never be accessed again.  He doesn't want to make any ties whatsoever with this person, which he may have to kill.

He can't force himself to finish his coffee.  Not only because it makes him sick, but paired with the thought of the handsome man's mangled and lifeless body, his warm blood spilling onto the ground and staining his shirt, makes Minho want to spill his stomach contents alone.  

He takes a deep breath and attempts to clear his mind, piecing together plans that could get the man alone.  He runs through a couple of scenarios, none of which Minho can imagine ends well.  But how can it all end well if one must die?

Minho sighs and settles with luring him into a dark, deserted place where one could easily get away with such murder.  He stands up, leaving his no-where-near-empty coffee mug on the table, and exits the small cafe, a cool wave of air hitting his face and blowing his nausea away.  He bends down and reties his shoe to give his follower enough time to pursue.  

When the door creaks open and Minho confirms in the glass that covers a store across the road that the person who came out is his follower, he gets back up and stretches his arms, shuffling slowly down the sidewalk and looking for a dark alley, or something along those lines.  

He soon spots one, in a part of town that no one really favors much.  He picks up his speed slightly, keeping slow enough so that his follower doesn't freak and run after him, but fast enough to put a bit more distance between them.

He slips into the dark alley quickly, flattening himself against the shadowy wall and waiting patiently waiting for the man to come find.  However, when the man's head appears from behind the wall, peeking down the eerie and quickly alley to make sure Minho is there, Minho is suddenly aware about how unprepared he is.  Not only is he mentally unprepared, but physically too, and he realizes that against a healthy, young man while he is sickly, he is going to need a weapon.  

So, when the man enters the alleyway slowly, eyes wandering as he searches for his subject, Minho says the first thing that comes to his mind.

"You're following me, are you not?"

The man's head turns so fast that Minho is surprised that it didn't break.  He jumps, clutching the place on his chest where his heart should be.  His widened eyes land on Minho and he backs up to the other side, leaning against the wall opposite to the one Minho is up against.   

"W-what?"  The man asks, so shocked by the sudden voice that he didn't register what it said.   

"You're following me," Minho states, and it's so obvious to the both of them, that Minho questions why he even said it out loud.

The man doesn't even try to deny it, he merely nods, staying as still as a scarecrow.  

"Why?"  Minho asks, detaching himself from the wall and slowly approaching the man.  

"I don't really know.  I was just curious, so I naturally had to satisfy my urge to know- and I'm sorry if I invaded your personal space," the man hurriedly says, backing into the wall more as Minho gets closer.  "I promise I won't do it again, just please don't hurt me!"

Minho almost flinches when he hears the last words.  His heart throbs softly and he stops his advance, looking down at the frightened man in front of him.  

"I'm sorry if I scared you," Minho says, holding his empty hands up in the air.  "I won't hurt you."  Not yet, anyway.

The man visibly relaxes, letting out a long sigh and dropping his guard almost immediately.  Minho's heart throbs harder upon seeing how easily the man believes him.  

"That's good," he says, straightening himself out and holding out his hand.  Minho hesitates momentarily before grabbing it, making this the first physical contact he's had with anyone other than Taemin.  The man's grip is firm and warm as they shake hands.  "My name's Kim Jonghyun,"  he says with a large smile, that's a bit out of proportion compared to the rest of his face.  

"Choi Minho."

"Nice to meet you, Minho," he says, smile still on his face.  Minho just nods, smiling as well.

When they release each others hands, Jonghyun glaces at his watch, pouting as he does so.

"Well," Jonghyun says.  "I have to get going, I have some business to attend to."

"Will we be able to talk again?"  Minho asks, despite himself.  He tries to reason that it's only so he will have another chance to attack.  

Jonghyun's smile returns and he nods happily.  "Let's meet at the cafe again.  I go there quite often, so we will have to run into each other eventually."
Minho nods.  

"I've got to run, so I'll see you soon!"  He gives a slight bow, then turns around and jogs out of the creepy alley.  
 

This is the seventh time he's met Jonghyun since the day they confronted, and, just like every time they meet, Minho has a pocketknife in his coat pocket that he plans to use, but knows that he won't.  Despite all of his attempts to avoid emotional attachment with Jonghyun, his instinctual desires to have a friend betrayed him.  Without realizing it, he had told him the stories that he only told one or two people after gaining their trust over a long period of many years.  This includes the most recent story of him appearing in an unknown world and slowly becoming sick of it all.  Minho made sure that he mentioned nothing about Taemin and the ticket to his way out.  

"Huh," Jonghyun had said, eyebrows furrowed as he took in the information.  "I wasn't aware that there was any other place than here," he had said, refraining from asking any question that might have made Minho feel even more different.  After that, the conversation ended and they said their farewells to one another.

Minho glances at his watch, noting that, once again, Jonghyun is late.  He waves the friendly waiter over and orders a glass of water, just something he can sip at while he waits.  The waiter grins beautifully, an action Minho can clearly see the pity behind, and tells Minho that it will be right out.    

After Minho is brought his water, finishes it, orders another one, and finishes that one too, Jonghyun shows up, a bit breathless and flushed as if he ran.  

"Sorry," he breathes deeply.  "I'm late."

"Yea," Minho says, looking at his watch again.  "Only by about forty-five minutes; that's a new record."

Jonghyun smiles apologetically and sits down in the chair across from Minho, ordering some coffee.  

"What makes you late today?" Minho asks, observing as the waiter gives Jonghyun the same pitying smile.

"My sister wanted me to babysit her kids today, but I just hate children.  They would probably die under my care.  Either they would kill themselves from lack of attention or I would kill them."  The two of them laugh, imagining the situation that would no doubt happen if Jonghyun were forced to take care of kids.

"Anyways," Minho says after they stop laughing.  "I have some shopping to do, would you like to keep me company?"

"Sorry,"  Jonghyun says, shaking his head.  "I'm not available today."

Minho pouts, at which Jonghyun lets out a loud, hearty laugh.

"Don't make that face, it makes you look severely unattractive.  I have to go to work in half an hour, but we could meet after that."  Minho nods and watches as Jonghyun finishes his coffee, sipping at it leisurely as they sit in comfortable silence.

Jonghyun finishes the last bit of his coffee, bids Minho goodbye, and departs for work, leaving Minho in the empty cafe, wondering where he might find what he needs.  Minho decides not to ask any of the employees because, in all honesty, what he needs to buy is rather suspicious; a strong rope, a body bag, and a larger knife.   He sighs, thinking maybe it is for the best that Jonghyun can't come, cause Minho isn't sure how he would explain his need for those items.

He stands up, waving back to the waiter as he exits, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air.  He pauses there, looking around him for a moment, wondering where to begin.  

Almost as soon as his eyes land on the establishment, he knows it will be of use.  'Hunting Shoppe' is clearly labeled on the front in brown and green camo letters.  Minho smiles to himself, glad he is able to save time and avoid suspicion by not wandering around and asking people where he could find particular items.  

He quickly strides over to the place and opens the large, wooden, creaky door slowly, glancing around as he enters.  The one room is overcrowded with everything anyone could ever think about using while hunting.  Fake and real animal pelts hang everywhere, probably for camouflage.  More weapons than Minho can name display in glass cases.  Various sizes and kinds of ropes and bags are folded up neatly on shelves all around the room.  

"Good afternoon!" A voice rings as the door closes behind him.  Minho looks around, unable to pinpoint the location of the person who spoke.  

"Good afternoon to you too,"  Minho replies.  When he doesn't get one back, he shrugs and makes his way over to one of the cases with knives and guns.  He gazes through the clean glass for a while, mulling over all the possibilities.  After a long while of weighing the pros and cons of each blade, he settles on asking an employee, who surely knows better than he.  

Minho wanders around the little room for a bit, grabbing a strong rope and a canvas bag meant for deer, before making his way towards the counter to buy his supplies.  He is surprised to find a very bored looking, slim young man at the counter, leafing through a picture book with minimal interest rather than an older, much buffer, man that screams experience.  But Minho just shrugs inwardly, and comes to the conclusion that it really doesn't matter.

The boy looks up from his book when Minho sets his stuff down on the counter, stunning the other with an outward appearance that might rival Taemin's.  Minho craves to reach out and touch the shiny, soft, blonde hair that is perfectly styled, and mess it up a bit, if only to make him look more human.  His smooth, flawless, fair skin is no doubt a subject of female's evny, no matter how beautiful they are.  But when the boy's pure, feline shaped eyes meet Minho's and he asks if that will be all, a bell within Minho's mind rings.  

"Like my Missy's eyes."

"Is this all?"  The boy asks again, sounding slightly annoyed after receiving no response.  

"U-Uh," Minho stutters, mind reeling and heart thumping as he comes up with a plan.  "No, I would like to get a knife."  The boy nods, reaches into a small drawer underneath the counter, and pulls out a ring full of keys.  He walks out from behind the structure and leads Minho to a case full of knives.  

"Which one would you like?"  

"Well," Minho says slowly, hoping his voice doesn't shake.  "I was hoping you could help me with that."  The boy turns around to face Minho, a perfectly arched brow raising as he looks at Minho with his cat-like eyes, no pity or disgust evident.  In his chest, Minho gets a terrible feeling that the boy is unlike everyone else, and doesn't care whether Minho is ugly or not.  "I would like one that is easy to kill with, cleanly cuts, and inflicts the least amount of pain as possible."

The boy sighs heavily.  "Each of those factors depend on the wielder of the knife.  If you're new to hunting, I would suggest getting a gun.  They're much easier to kill with than any knife you're going to find."

"N-no," Minho says, stuttering again and cursing himself because of it.  "Those are too loud."  The boy purses his lips, looking back at the case before unlocking it and pulling a large one with an elegant handle out.  

"What about this one?"  he says, holding it out for Minho to see.  "It's not serrated so it is easier to use and certainly is less painful for the one who is being cut.  It's also made of stainless steel, I'm not exactly sure why that is good, but most people seem to prefer it."

Minho examines it for a moment, taking it out of the boy's hand and turning it over in his palm a few times before concluding that there is nothing obviously wrong with it.

"I'll take it," Minho says, handing the blade back to the boy, who nods and locks the case back up, then proceeds to make his way back to the counter.  

"So," Minho begins, after a moment of silence as the boy puts the knife in its short sheath, deciding that if he knows more about the boy, he will be able to put together a better plan.  "Do you enjoy working here?" is what comes out of his mouth after thinking, hoping that the small question could lead to a conversation with a bigger, better, and more personal subject.

The boy's eyes narrow in confusion and suspicion at such a sudden and unexpected interest in such a matter, but he answers anyway.

"Not really.  It's very boring, but it makes money."  Minho frowns at the short, uninformative answer and watches as the boy looks at the price tags on each of the items and adds the costs up on a peice of paper.  

"Why is it boring?"  Minho asks, and this time the boy doesn't even care if it's suspicious or weird, he just answers and puts all the items in a bag that's easy to carry and gives it to Minho.

"There's no one to entertain me.  Other than the occasional customer, I'm left alone."  Minho's heart almost stops when he hears the last word.  Alone.  It seems that luck is on his side for once.  "And that will be 88 pounds."

Minho nods and pulls out his wallet, laying a couple of bills on the counter.  

"Keep the change," Minho says, putting his wallet back in his pocket and smiling at the boy.  The boy smiles back, a real smile with no such thing as pity underneath, and thanks him before going back to his book. 

A/N- and thus, the creepier things will starting taking place o.o

this was originally supposed to be longer, but i just didn't know how to make the transition to the last scene to the next scene, so im just going to do a chapter break xD

ALSO- OMG IM FINISHED WITH TESTING, so i will be updating more often *yay!*

and if guys really want to make me happy, please comment! and thank you for reading!