It was dark out.

The sun had already dipped below the horizon, leaving a trail of reddish golden hues in the darkening sky. Now the air was still, with an occasional breeze that drafted through the thin window panes.

Luhan sat and gazed out, eyes unmoving, lips slightly parted, watching the sunset. Even though the sun had set at least an hour ago, he still remained in that same position, unable to tear his eyes away from the dreary dark sky.

A voice inside him whispered, aren’t you afraid you would be found? Aren’t you afraid that they would see you here? Luhan, you’d better watch out.

But another voice murmured back, who cares. No one gives a damn about you anyway. No one gives a damn whether you’re alive, or dead, hungry, or thirsty, happy, or sad.

You’re alone, vulnerable, and just waiting for them to come. Because you know that they will. They promised that they will.

***

(Flashback – Dec 1997)

“Luhan! Come here, mummy wants to show you something!”

The little boy turned at his mother’s happy, lilting voice. “Coming.” He mumbled.

He put down his toys and pattered down the staircase, peering out from the bottom stairwell. He could hear an unfamiliar male voice and his mother’s own. Who is that?

“Luhan…” His mother called again. The boy wanted to surprise his mother like he usually did, by crawling under her legs and coming out in front of her to BOO her. So he waited until his mother’s back was facing him. When it finally did, she had turned to face the unidentified male and Luhan prepared his surprise attack.

But suddenly his mother let out a loud gasp, as something penetrated harshly right through her stomach. The subsequent events happened too quickly for Luhan to handle. He watched in horror, from his hiding position, as his mother collapsed to the ground, eyes wide and unblinking, mouth stretched open in a silent scream, as crimson red gushed out from a gaping hole in her body.

A small black metal object that passed through Luhan’s mother flew towards him. He watched in utmost horror as the bullet collided with the top of the couch that was his hiding location, and it immediately erupted, creating a huge puff of snowy cotton to rain down on him. Luhan ducked and bit back a scream, his body trembling with fear.

What is happening? Umma!! Umma!

He heard the male yell out, “Come on, we need to find this wretched boy and kill him too.”

Luhan squeaked and dove under the couch, pushing frantically through the stacks of old newspaper until he was hidden far inside. There were a series of stomping and shouting and furniture-moving coming from upstairs, as Luhan tried to calm himself and regulate his breathing and, most importantly, not cry.

Through a small hole in his hiding spot, Luhan could see his mother. She was horrible still, unmoving, face drained and jaw slack.

“Umma…” He whispered, and then quickly clamped his mouth shut.

I can’t let those evil people find me, no!!

After what felt like eternity, two sets of footsteps thundered down the stairs.

“Where could that idiotic boy be? There’s not a single sign of life up there aside from a stupid hamster!”

“Maybe he escaped. Hell, we didn’t even see anyone escape.”

“Maybe he’s hiding somewhere outside the garden.”

“I’ll go look…”

A voice came dangerously close to Luhan as one of the men peered under the couch.

“Any chance here…?” He started to shift away the newspapers.

No no no no please no please umma umma no no…

“Come on don’t be ridiculous, Min. Why would a stupid boy wedge himself there.”

“Fine.” To Luhan’s relief, the newspaper stopped mid-shift, and the footsteps died away.

It was a long while before he heard the sound of engine as car drove away. And an even longer while before there was the sound of ambulance and police and chaos and more chaos.

Luhan was genuinely terrified.

He heard a police officer say to another, “I’m going to check for anymore casualties.” And he first headed towards Luhan, pulling out the half-jutting stack of newspapers. Luhan cringed, pushing himself back further in, desperately trying to keep out of sight.

The policeman would never have found him, if not for the deafening crack sound from under the sofa.

He immediately called his colleague over and they lifted up the couch.

Lying on the ground in a very uncomfortable position was a dusty, dirty, pale and extremely traumatized 7-year-old, whimpering as he clutched his broken wrist.

***

“Luhan, could you try to describe him for me?”

Luhan sat on the tall chair, his legs swinging out under him, his entire hand wrapped with a fat bandage. The questioner was seated beside him, holding his good hand.

“Uh…” He closed his eyes and tried to remember the face, but all saw was his mother’s lifeless gaze. “Umma…” He began to cry, little tears trickling down his cheeks.

The policewoman sighed in pity and gently pulled him into a hug. “Try to remember anything, anything about the bad man, so that we can find him and catch him and lock him in dark place forever. So that he won’t do any more bad things, okay?”

Luhan nodded, and he closed his eyes again.

“Tattoo… Circle and a star on his arm…”

***

(Nov 1998)

It was the trial.

Luhan sat beside the witness podium, his face a sickly green.

“I don’t want to see him again, unnie…” He had pleaded the policewoman.

“It’s okay, it’s fine, he won’t hurt you.” She hugged him tenderly.

The feeling of dread at the pit of his stomach grew as the suspect was led into the room. The male looked exactly like he remembered – wild hair, thick eyebrows and beefy lips that snarled at everyone in the room.

And then his eyes found Luhan. They pierced through him like a sharpened dagger, and Luhan gasped in fright, grabbing the unnie’s hand with a death-like grip. She leaned down and whispered soothing words into his ear, but he didn’t hear anything. He couldn’t.

All he could do was stare back at the blazing orbs of fury.

“YOU!!” He bellowed with a hoarse voice, and Luhan jumped. “Silence!!” The judge ordered, as the guards holding him gripped on tighter.

“Do MinJeok, do you plead guilty for your actions?”

Luhan couldn’t pay attention to the trial. His body was constantly trembling, and when it was his turn to speak on the witness podium, he could barely breathe a few sentences before running back and collapsing into the unnie’s arms.

***

“I think it’s best he goes back to rest.”

Luhan was asleep – or pretending to sleep – in the police car that night.

The suspect, Do MinJeok, was sentenced to death for two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, alongside other crimes. He had killed Luhan’s father at his office earlier before visiting their house.

Luhan needn’t worry about facing him again.

But there was something else bothering him, very very deeply.

Do MinJeok wasn’t the only one. He had a partner in crime. The police couldn’t find him, they couldn’t trace him anywhere, and MinJeok wouldn’t breathe a word. He had just smirked at the judge earlier that day in court, and turned to shoot a meaningful glare at Luhan.

He’s still around. He’ll come for you. We’ll both come for you, living or dead. It’s not over yet, wretched boy.

Luhan ignored the prickle of tears in his eyes and squeezed them shut, as the police car drove back to the orphanage, where he lived.

***

(Present – Nov 2013)

It has been 15 years exactly ever since the trial. Today was the 15th year anniversary.

Luhan looked down at his toes with a mixture of feelings – relief, fear, uncertainty.

He would come. One day he would come, and I would die. He would kill me.

A/N: Just an intro to Luhan's dark past :)