You swiftly turn your back on Daehyun, shaking your head. ‘You killed them. You did, that’s all that matters right now,’ you tell him, holding back tears. ‘But – ‘Daehyun begins, but you cut him off by taking off into the woods.

Your steps seem a thousand times louder than ever, and the quick, swift crunching of leaves behind you is obviously Daehyun. ‘Leave me alone!’ you scream, dodging the low branches. ‘No!’ Daehyun yells back. ‘It’s dangerous here! Let me help you get out of he -‘But the rest of his sentence is left behind as a loud yell from behind you pierces the night.

You stop running and stand on the spot, glancing from left to right nervously. An eerie sound fills your ears as something tickles your neck. ‘You heard him,’ whispers a voice that seems so familiar but you just can’t remember who. ‘It’s dangerous here.’

You spin around, raising your arms as an instinct. You blindly attack the air, not sure if you would hit someone. Smack! The sound of human flesh being slapped echoes in the forest. ‘Nice shot,’ the voice groans.  Your jaw drops to the ground and your legs shake in shock as you see who you actually hit; Yong Guk.

‘What… wait… how…? Daehyun killed… wait… what?’ you stutter, taking backward steps. ‘Yeah,’ he replies, smiling widely. ‘I knew you’d say something like that. You thought I died? Please, I don’t die that easily.’ You simply stand in awe at Yong Guk’s figure before you.

Blood soaked clothes and the same happy expression. ‘All Daehyun did, was try to cut off my arm. I fainted from the pain so he thought I was dead. I swear, that guy is so stupid sometimes,’ Yong Guk laughs, patting his shoulder. ‘I’ve healed a few days ago… kind of. It’s still a bit sore and cranky but I’ll live.’

As you smile weakly at Yong Guk, something hits you; Daehyun and his loud scream. ‘Hey, Yong Guk, did you hear anything strange when you found me? Like a scream or anything?’ you ask him. Yong Guk puts on a face as if he’s thinking hard and answers: ‘No. Not yet, anyway. I’m pretty sure I’ve imagined heaps of things around here so I wouldn’t be surprised if you were some kind of 3D hologram that aliens made.’

You both stand in deafening silence before Yong Guk seems to remember something: ‘Oh yeah, I met Daehyun before. I think he was chasing you. I’m not sure if this is good or bad, but I’ve killed him; the crazy man tried to chop off my arm. Revenge, you know?’

For some reason, you simply nod; smiling at the thought of Daehyun splayed across the forest floor, oozing out blood. ‘Revenge indeed,’ you reply. After way too many silences, Yong Guk suggests to take a walk and try to find a way out of the forest.

‘So I grabbed my arm like this – you see? It hurt a lot but I just cringed a bit and kept walking. I found this random ripped shirt or something like that, and then I just wrapped up my arm and walked on like a man,’ Yong Guk explains to you enthusiastically.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound fills the air and a painful sensation stabs you where your heart is. You fall to the ground, dizziness taking over. The phoenix is hovering over you, pure golden light emitting from its bright, fiery wings. And the person who is slowly stumbling towards you, barely recognisable, is Daehyun; a smirk planted on his face.

‘The phoenix healed me in case you’re wondering,’ Daehyun says, as Yong Guk suddenly drops down next to you, completely lifeless. ‘The phoenix killed you though. Now that everyone’s dead, the phoenix is mine. All mine. Guess what I’m going to do with it? Let me give you a hint, world domination or something like that.’

‘No one is ever going to be on your side forever,’ Daehyun laughs, kicking you roughly.

Daehyun’s maniacal laugh replays in your mind like a broken record as you lay on the ground, as still as a rock, slowly closing your eyes.

The End.

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