It was a dark and stormy night.

Torrents of rain hammered the Earth as looming, ominous culumonimbus clouds blotted out the pale moonlight. Howling winds sent raindrops slamming into the windows and whistled through the tiny gaps between the door frame and the door. The mountain ridge at the end of the wide plain offered little shelter from the wind as rain pelted down mercilessly on the few houses which sprouted like lone mushrooms on miles and miles of nothing but yellowed grass, now damp and droopy. The lights in each household went out one by one, until the town, devoid of streetlamps, was finally enveloped in darkness.

In one of the houses a boy was tip-toeing down the stairs, jacket in hand. His furtive eyes darted from side to side like a sneaky rat as he advanced carefully, skipping the steps that creaked. He had to muster up his courage this time. He had to make it. His 13th birthday had just passed and he needed to prove that he was no longer a fraidy child, but a man. Just as he was fantasising his four buddies bowing to him in respect, he stumbled and almost fell, save for his stick-like arm that struck out quick as lightning to grab the railing, softening his impact and ultimately the sound of his bony cracking against the floor. He let go slowly and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. "I have to do this," he murmured. And with that he pushed open the wooden door that swung on its rusty hinges, and set off into the rainy darkness ahead.

As he walked to Big Bang's (a name they gave themselves) meeting place, he kept jumping at shadows. His hearing and sight were both impaired by the rain. And that was very disturbing. When he turned a corner he almost fainted, for a black cat sat still in a tilted cardboard box, sheltering itself from the rain. There was something off about the way its bright green eyes bore into his but he hastened his footsteps before taking another look. He jogged lightly to the shelter underneath the shady tree beside the last house where he could faintly see a figure, a smile lightening up his face. What if that isn't Daesung? he thought, suddenly worried. But it went as soon as it came, for the figure emerged from the shelter and called out to him in an inappropriately loud but heart-warming voice that cut through the noise of raindrops thundering against the tar road. "Jiyong hyunggg~"

"Hey Daesung." Jiyong sighed in relief of seeing a human finally on the deserted road. He fumbled around in his jacket's pocket for a torch and his phone. "Brought 'em?"

"Yea!" He replied enthusiastically, whipping a phone out of his pocket. His smile dimmed as his eyes shifted nervously to the torch in Jiyong's hand. Jiyong raised his eyebrows, prompting. "Er... Hehehe. Well, all you guys brought torches, I'm sure one of you would share it with me?"

Jiyong opened his mouth to chide but paused. "Of course we will. Aren't we sticking together? You changed your phone. Hm, why didn't you tell us? But you were using that same old phone the day before?"

"Er, er, yea. Umm... It's my dad's he gave it to me yesterday when I got home. He got a new one himself." Daesung stuttered.

They stood in silence for about 5 minutes more as the skies calmed quickly, the damp grass the only evidence that it had ever been here. They listened to the unsettling ticking sound of a clock somewhere in the house that stood beside the huge tree, waiting for the rest of their friends to arrive. In the middle of the road a black cat sat, its glowing emerald eyes staring straight at them, its body still as a statue. So still he got tired from staring and began to doubt if it was really a cat, it could be a trash bag for all he knew.

Soon after, they heard the quick footsteps echoing down the road. It was Taeyang. Jiyong watched as Taeyang jogged closer, his outline becoming clearer. His broad shoulders showed through his tight-fitting sweater. It made Jiyong pout in jealousy. He rotated his small shoulders and puffed up his chest, trying to look stronger. It hardly helped though. They exchanged simple greetings and continued to wait in silence for their two friends who were running late, travelling together from a town further away.

Meanwhile, the two friends... ...

They cycled side by side, whizzing down the winding road, hair flying as they pedalled furiously. "Hyung, it's twelve minutes past twelve! Hurry, will you?" But Top was still unfamiliar with bikes, wobbling and travelling at a speed hardly faster than walking. But they rode on and not long after caught sight of the first house. Seungri pointed it out excitedly, just as a man seemed to have materialized out of nowhere, standing in a swallowtail coat and a tall hat, face masked in shadows.