III

Jimin stood up and moved to sit down closer to Yoongi so that the other didn't have to raise his voice much past a whisper. He doubted he would want to either in this kind of situation. He leaned forward and gave Yoongi his full concentration.

"I'll start at the very beginning. I want you to know who Seok was, more than just as someone who died." Yoongi fiddled with the lighter in his hand nervously. "I want you to know him as the person he was when he was alive."

"I'm sure he was a great person," Jimin said quietly.

"He was," Yoongi confirmed. "I'm lucky to have met him and been his friend." He looked away from Jimin again, seemingly unable to meet his eyes.

"Seok was like a ray of sunshine. Sure, he was loud and annoying as fuck, but he always managed to bring a smile to people's faces. It was impossible to deny the kid anything when he looked at you and smiled." Yoongi spoke in a wistful tone and Jimin could hear just how much Yoongi missed his friend.

"To be honest, he's not the kind of guy I would have been friends with, but he was relentless. He would show up at my doorstep every single day without fail and ask my parents if I could go out to play. They were, naturally, thrilled. I got shoved out the door for weeks on end and forced to play with this kid. I wasn't happy at the time whatsoever." Yoongi let out a dry laugh and lit the lighter over and over.

"But over time he grew on me. I started actually having fun and looking forward to hearing the doorbell ring the next morning. Before long, we were inseparable. He would come up with all these crazy schemes and I would go along with them for the hell of it. On my birthday he made me promise that we'd be best friends forever. I was nine and he was eight." Yoongi sighed and kept the lighter alight. "I didn't hesitate to say yes."

Jimin pulled his knees up and held them. Yoongi sounded almost bitter.

"We were best friends for two years. Only two fucking years before he was taken from me." He spat angrily causing Jimin to reach out and place a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"What happened?"

"Thanks." Yoongi murmured before taking a deep breath to calm himself and continued. "Seok was always the type to end up places he shouldn't have been and got in a lot of trouble for it."

He let the lighter extinguish and then picked at the grass, tearing each blade apart, piece by piece. Jimin hugged his legs tighter and listened silently as Yoongi looked up at the sky through the fog with a small smile on his face.

"I remember when we snuck into the house of a kid who'd been rude to him and we filled his showerhead with red food colouring and strawberry Jello powder. He thought it was blood and screamed really loudly." Yoongi laughed with a fond expression.

"We got caught after he heard us laughing from inside the cupboard, but it was worth it." His smile slowly turned into a frown. "When I was eleven, he said that he found something really cool and that he wanted to show me. Naturally, I said yes. If I could take it back now, I would."

Jimin looked up at Yoongi with wide eyes. He wasn't sure what Yoongi meant by that, but he was feeling more nervous with every passing second.

"We went to the cemetery and he brought me to a large rock standing alone in the part where all the oldest graves are. At the time, I was really upset because he really dragged me out of bed before noon during summer vacation to show me a rock."

"A... Rock." Jimin repeated dumbfounded. "That's what was so interesting?"

"Well it wasn't the rock, but rather what the rock was hiding," Yoongi answered, lips twitching into the faintest hint of a smirk. "It was pushed out of place, judging by the marks in the ground, but it seemed way too heavy for anyone we knew to have done it."

"So a rock was pushed. Big deal." Jimin leaned back to lay down on the grass. He wasn't sure why Yoongi seemed to think a rock, of all things, was so important.

"But that's where you're wrong. Under the rock, there was a hole. I don't know how big it actually was, but the part of it that was uncovered wasn't big enough for an adult to fit through, but it was easy enough for two children."

"So let me get this straight." Jimin frowned, "You went underground, through a passage you found under a rock in a graveyard, all without telling anyone where you were going?"

"Seok had a flashlight." Yoongi shrugged and Jimin couldn't help but curse under his breath.

"Still!"

"We thought it was a good idea at the time."

"Well it was stupid." Jimin scolded.

"I know that now."

"So? What happened then?" He asked, deciding to give up on arguing. It wasn't worth it.

"Well, we explored around a bit. It was dark and somewhat creepy, but I didn't really pay attention to that. I just laughed at Seok because he's such a scaredy cat that he was jumping at every noise, including my breathing, even though he was well aware that I was the only other person there - or so we thought." He paused. "We realized pretty quickly where we were. The town's history mentions catacombs a lot but no one had been down in them for hundreds of years, and we had found them. It was new and exciting. We came up to a split in the path and Seok suggested that we split up to explore more-"

"Dumbass."

"I know it wasn't a good idea-"

"You think!?"

"Can you just shut it and let me talk? I fucking know it was a terrible idea! Do you think I haven't been beating myself up for it all these years or something?" Yoongi snapped and Jimin could only roll his eyes. "Anyways, if you're actually going to listen now, he passed me a flashlight and we split up."

"Things on my end weren't really that exciting, to be honest," Yoongi admitted. "I was about to turn back and find Seok to tell him that it was getting boring and that we should go back to my house for lunch when I heard him scream. I ran as quickly as I could and I know I tripped more times than I can count."

Jimin shifted uneasily and sat up straighter.

"When I got there, he was standing paralyzed while looking into a room. I didn't see much before I grabbed him and dragged him out of there."

Jimin hesitated and bit his lip. "And what did you see?"

Yoongi's eyes looked haunted as he spoke the next word.

"Blood."

Jimin shuddered and flinched away as quickly as he could.

"B-blood?"

"Yeah. Blood, the shadows, and something else on the ground. I didn't have the time to see what it was, but Seok did." His expression darkened again and Jimin could feel a chill make its way down his spine. "We got out of there as soon as we could and Seok broke down as soon as we left the graveyard. He was basically inconsolable." Yoongi recalled.

"He wouldn't stop crying and refused to let go of my shirt. I can't blame him for being terrified, he was only ten."

Jimin wrapped his arms around Yoongi's shoulders and hugged him from behind as a comforting gesture. He reached up and held onto Jimin's arm in thanks before continuing.

"I had to bribe him with his favourite ice cream to get him to tell me." Yoongi sighed.

"He hadn't seen too much more than I had, but what he did was enough. The thing on the floor was the body of another boy."

Jimin gasped and buried his face in Yoongi's back.

"Seok said that he saw the shadows reach for him, heard the boy make gasping sounds and then crumpled to the ground and didn't move. That's when he screamed."

Jimin closed his eyes and tried to hold back tears and Yoongi took a few shaky breaths.

"Everything was normal for a few weeks after that. We had almost forgotten what happened." His hand tightened around Jimin's arm, making him wince.

"We were naive and stupid. Seok wanted to come play in the forest so we came to this very spot." His voice wavered and Jimin could tell that he was about to start crying.

"We knew something was wrong when the birds stopped chirping and the air became still. I should have known something was wrong. We shouldn't have come here but I just couldn't say no to him." His voice cracked and he choked out a sob.

"It showed up out of nowhere. All I could hear was Seok screaming as-"

He cut himself off and buried his face in his hands as he completely broke down. His shoulders heaved with every sob and he curled in on himself pitifully.

"I can't do this."

Jimin hugged him a little tighter.

"You don't have to. I've heard enough."

Yoongi shook his head, his hair brushing against Jimin's forehead.

"I-I can do this. I have to."

Jimin stayed silent.

"After he.... After." Jimin could feel Yoongi shaking and trembling as he spoke.

"The shadows started acting strangely. They were jerking all over the place and only screamed at me instead of attacking." He held onto Jimin's hand like a lifeline.

"It left me alone, in the middle of the woods, spattered in the… in the blood of my best friend. It isn't something I'll ever forget. It still haunts my nightmares, Jimin. I can still feel the blood hitting my face and it was warm, too warm, and I was powerless to stop it. I stood here, frozen, as Seok was completely ripped apart. I-"

Yoongi began to hyperventilate and Jimin quickly tried to get him to slow his breathing despite feeling the tears rolling down his cheeks. He couldn't even imagine how much Yoongi must have suffered through the years or how much trauma he was still carrying with him. It took a few minutes for Yoongi to be able to breathe calmly enough to talk.

"It attacked me a few years later while I was on my way here to leave flowers for Seok." Yoongi told Jimin quietly before his voice dropped to a whisper. "His favourites were always freesias.

"I ran here. There was nowhere else to go. When it tried to attack me, it did the same thing as it did today. It can't hurt us here." Jimin exhaled deeply in an attempt to process everything.

"I'm sorry that happened."

"We can't change the past." Yoongi replied. "We can only shape the future."

"Aren't you wise, angsty lighter boy."

"I read it somewhere."

Yoongi unhooked Jimin's arms from around him and turned to look the younger in the eye.

"If that thing is alive, then there must be a way to kill it." Yoongi was still trembling, but he seemed more confident. "Jimin. Will you help me?"

And just like Yoongi all those years ago, he never hesitated to say yes and place his hand in the much larger one offered to him.

"We'll do it together." Jimin confirmed, smiling encouragingly as Yoongi squeezed his hand.

"Let's go. It's nearly noon."

Jimin shot up in a panic and he turned to Yoongi. "I have to be home by noon! Please help me find my way home. Please! I'll get in so much trouble if I'm late!"

Yoongi grumbled but gave in. "Fine, but we're checking the library or something tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah." Jimin scoffed as they walked out of the circle. "Whatever you say."

He still had a bad feeling, but he tried to pass it off as just anxiety caused by their conversation. It had to be.

Jimin had barely gotten home in time, thanks to Yoongi. He had said a quick goodbye to the other and promised to meet up with him the next day.

If he could find wherever the library was.

He decided to cross that bridge when he came to it.

He walked in the house and saw his father in the kitchen cooking lunch.

"Hey dad."

"Jimin! Welcome back!" His father said cheerfully. "Your mother is just setting up the router upstairs. We're getting wifi!"

Jimin laughed. "I guess she kicked you out again?"

His father smiled sheepishly.

"After I almost plugged it in wrong." He confirmed.

Jimin sighed. His father was the worst when it came to fixing or setting up anything. On the other hand, he was an amazing cook. Even better than his mother.

Jimin grew nervous when he noticed his father's gaze zero in on his cuts.

"Where did you get those?" His father's voice was stern but still gentle.

"I... Fell." He replied lamely. It wasn't even worthy of being called a half assed lie and they both knew it. He stared at his father blankly for a while, hoping the man would just let it go and not ask any questions. He only shrugged and turned back to the stove. Jimin breathed out a sigh of relief that his dad wasn't the type to be nosy.

"So did you find anything interesting while you were out exploring?"

Jimin blinked and then smiled. "I found a really nice coffee shop. Mom would love it."

"Is that so?" His father pulled the pan off the burner and got down some plates.

"The other boxes arrived while you were out." He said as he put the food down in front of Jimin. "It was surprisingly fast."

"So that means I have more than three changes of clothes now?"

His father laughed. "Of course."

"Thank god for that." Jimin murmured. "I want to wear a different sweater already."

"Did you find anything other than the coffee shop?" His dad asked. "You were gone awfully long for just a coffee break."

"That's true." Jimin confirmed. No one sat in a coffee shop for over three hours unless they really needed the caffeine. Which he obviously didn't.

He thought for a moment. How could he avoid saying 'Hey dad, so I was chased by this shadow monster that's scary as fuck that also attacked me last night what a coincidence!'?

"I made a friend."

"Did you now?" His father sounded interested. That was never good.

"Yeah. His name is Yoongi." He picked at his food with his fork.

"Is he nice?"

"Considering he saved me from being lost, I'd say so."

And more than just being lost but his dad didn't need to know that.

"You'll have to invite him over sometime."

"Dad I literally just met him. He could still be, I don't know, a serial killer or something."

His father ruffled his hair and laughed while Jimin huffed in annoyance.

"What's happening here?" His mother asked, walking in the door to the kitchen and dusting her hands off on her pants.

"Jimin made a friend. I'm so proud of him." Jimin scoffed at his father's words. He was so dramatic.

"Is this the first friend he's made on his own?" His mother asked as she sat down across from him.

"I mean, he met Jin after we met his parents at that work party, remember? And he met Tae in kindergarten when he marched up to Jimin on the playground one day and just declared they were friends."

"Can you please stop talking as if I'm incapable of socializing? I'm right here."

She pouted at him. "We just want the best for you. I'm happy you found a friend here."

More like accomplices, but whatever. He could keep that part to himself.

"So what's the wifi password?"

Getting straight to the important stuff. Naturally.

His mother rolled her eyes. "I haven't set up the name or password yet. I was going to do that after eating."

"Great." Jimin ate another mouthful. "I'm going to video call Tae and Jin this afternoon. I miss them already."

He waited until his mother had finished setting everything up before he connected his phone to the wifi and cringed at the amount of notifications he had.

Especially from his group chat with Jin and Tae.

He reluctantly opened it and jumped to the newest messages. They were all in caps, in typical Taehyung fashion, and were screaming at him to message when he could. He typed for a few seconds before replying to the group chat. Almost immediately, Tae replied with a spam of emojis and memes.

What more did he expect, honestly?

Jimin asked if he could video call him, and Tae agreed easily. He walked back into his new bedroom, now full of the boxes with his things in them, and sat on the bed before clicking the call button.

A few seconds later, Taehyung's smiling face popped up on his screen.

"JIMIN!" Taehyung yelled excitedly. Even from miles away, his best friend was as deafening as usual. "How have you been!?"

Jimin wasn't quite sure how to answer that question. "I'm... Good?"

"You sound like it's a question." Taehyung frowned. "What's wrong? Bad day?"

"More like fearing for my life, but let's just go with that." A look of shock and confusion flew over Tae's features before he settled on a concerned expression.

"What do you mean by that Jimin?" He asked. Jimin hummed pensively, trying to figure out a way that he could phrase it so Taehyungwouldn't freak out.

"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you." He said.

Taehyung raised an eyebrow as if challenging Jimin. "Try me."

Jimin shrugged. "If you really want to know."

Tae paused for a moment. "Actually, Jin was supposed to come over soon. Can you wait that long?"

Jimin nodded. "Do you think I'm gonna pass up a chance to talk to Jin? Hell no."

Taehyung snorted loudly.

"He should only be a few minutes as long as he didn't get sidetracked on his way here."

Jimin agreed easily. Jin was sometimes easily distracted, but was probably the nicest person that he had ever met. He had never once seen Jin get angry and he intended to keep it that way. They talked about anything and everything they could until the doorbell rang.

"I don't know why he bothers anymore." Tae sighed, reluctantly getting off the couch and going to open the door. "He has a spare key."

He opened the door and Jimin could hear the two chattering a bit before Tae finally sat Jin down on the couch and picked up his iPad and got comfortable.

"So Jiminnie." Tae began, oddly serious. "Have you met anyone super hot yet?"

His immediate thought was Yoongi, but he brushed it off.

"Not really. Been too busy exploring."

Jin sighed dejectedly.

"And this is why you're still single."

"Shut up Jin. I don't see you making out with anyone on a daily basis."

"So what were you talking about earlier?" Tae asked, stopping the previous conversation. He seemed oddly tense for some reason, but Jimin pushed it out of his mind.

"I already said you won't believe me." Jimin whined.

"I also want to hear about this." Jin giggled. "Especially if it's what I think it is."

"I can guarantee that it isn't." Jimin deadpanned.

"Aw Jimin you're no fun." Jin pouted. "So what's the deal?"

He bit his lip and stared at the ground. They were his friends but he wasn't sure if they would question his sanity.

He wouldn't blame them at all if they did.

"I feel like I'm being watched all the time." He admitted finally. "It's creeping me out."

He watched as Taehyung's eyes darted around and his hands were clenched into fists in his lap.

"I can see why." Jin mused. "That sounds like it would be terrifying."

"It is." He confirmed somberly. It felt like he was being observed like a test subject and he hated it.

"Is that all?" Taehyung asked quietly and Jimin hesitated.

"If I do tell you this, please don't judge me." Both Tae and Jin shared a confused look.

"Jiminnie, you've known me for this long. Do you honestly think I would judge you for anything at this point?" Taehyung asked him with a slight tilt of his lips, and Jimin had to admit that he had a point. "And Jin is just too nice to say anything so I think you're good."

"Just go for it. What's the worst that could happen?" Jimin didn't want to know the answer to Jin's rhetorical question.

"Something is wrong in this town. I've seen the shadows start moving on their own."

"S-shadows?" Jin looked strangely at Tae when the typically confident boy started to stutter.

"That is weird." Jin stared down at his lap with narrowed eyes, mind no doubt whirring and thinking over the countless possibilities.

"It is." Jimin confirmed nervously.

"Has it done anything?" Jin's voice wavered slightly. "You seem a bit more pale than I'd expect."

"Yeah. It attacked me last night in my house."

"I see." Jin frowned. "Is there any way to protect yourself?"

Leave it to Jin to think logically about the situation.

"There's one place." He confirmed. "But it's so out of the way from everywhere else that it's not convenient whatsoever."

Taehyung huffed. "That sucks."

"It does."

They talked for what seemed to be hours, but was really only about fifteen minutes, until Jin had to go to the washroom. Then it was just him and Taehyung on the call.

His best friend was acting strange. Too strange. It was unsettling and he didn't like it at all.

"Tae. Is something wrong? You haven't been yourself." Jimin murmured and Taehyung froze.

"What are you talking about, Jiminnie?" He laughed in a forced manner and avoided looking at the camera.

"This, Tae. You're acting really strange."

"I'm not." He grinned widely but Jimin wasn't going to fall for it. He had been friends with Taehyung for too long to fall for any of that crap.

"I don't know what it is, but you clammed up earlier. Tell me what's wrong, Tae. Maybe I can help." Jimin pleaded but Taehyung only frowned.

"This conversation is over, Jiminnie. Talk to you later."

The beeping of the call ending echoed in the otherwise silent room.