#lichterloh

You furrow your brow ‘’accept? as in the town council accepting you?’’

Sam shakes his head ‘’Silverdell has a mind on its own, no one can know about it or leave and come as they want without its approval’’

‘’so you have to send a letter to let them know you're leaving for a certain amounts of days?’’

‘’Nope'' Sam answers '' it will know’’

With furrowed brows you look away. His answer is confusing, sure he earlier said that silverdell has its own mind but its not like its actually alive, or even sentient. Your'e sure the reason why you couldn't find the town was because you're bad with directions.

‘’Oh please that one belongs into the kitchen, careful it has kitchen utensils inside.’’ You say to a young mover.

The blasting of the siren is so loud you jump out of your skin. Panicking you turn around to look up at the sky, where the sun is hanging low in the horizon and the blue hue has turned red.

‘’Whats going on?’’ you turn to sam with wide eyes.

Sam on the other hand, his expression is still the same, almost as if he knew that would happen and was counting down the seconds. He presses the cigarette against the fence to put it out ‘’The headless rider is about to come out’’

Slightly annoyed you look at the burnt mark of your wood fence before turning back to sam ‘’he what?’’

‘’No time to talk, first let’s get into the house’’ he ushers you towards the house where you see that all the other movers are already inside, peaking their head out of the door waiting for you two to enter.

''Wait whats going on, and why are you all in my house?'' you ask bewildered and shut the door behind you. Walking into the living room you see various movers sitting on the unfurnished floor while unpacking  your boxes.  

Embarrassed you walk up to them. ''please you don’t have to do that i can do that on my own’’ you scratch your cheek

‘’Don worry’’  one of the boys answers. ‘’Until the night rider is gone we have nothing to do anyways , might as well help you unpack’’

‘’Who’s the night rider?’’ you ask

Sam whose standing by the windows, closes the curtains and turns around to face the you all with a grim expression on. ‘’The headless rider is a being you shouldn't talk or think about’’

The boy whose the closest to you, and spoke up earlier, rolls his eyes ‘’there he goes again’’ and turns around to look at you again ‘’ theres a tale amongst the elder that the headless rider is a being that eat’s human souls and sometimes their body too but there hasn’t been such an incident in over two hundred ears’’ he explains and stretches his hand towards you ‘’anyways i’m jun, don’t worry about sam he's an old grim man who thinks death is lurking on every corner of this town’’

Jun looks around your age. He has dark honey colored skin with almost waist long black hair. The sleeves of his shirt are rolled up, showing an intricate tattoo on the right arm.

‘’I’m Y/n’’ you take his hand into yours and shake it ‘’but back to the headless rider’‘

‘’Ah yes’’ jun counters ‘’if you go by folklore then the night rider is the harbinger of death but if you go by what towns folk say then he’s a human eating monster’’

You raise your eyebrows at that

‘’Every sunset the rider comes out of the forest, holding a lit torch and gallops from one end of the town to the other with creatures from following him, weirdly though it’s always only one direction that he brings them to.  There are some theories that the reason he does that ,is because at sunrise he brings them back, but theres no evidence backing that up ‘’Jun finishes

‘’why has no one ever seen him?how do you even know that he exists? or know about his activities?’’ you ask baffled that the towns folk just believe something wholeheartedly without even having it seen with their own eyes.

‘’Because those who aren’t inside a building the moment the last siren ring, usually go missing the same evening’’ Jun answers with a serious expression

‘’That still doesn’t explain how this tale got spread around’’ you counter ‘’dead men tell no tales’’

Jun just blinks at you for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders and continues to take items out of the box.

‘’Thats just how it is’’ Sam speaks up ‘’ when the siren rings you hide, when you see angels you ignore them, thats how it has been for decades’’ He faces the small radio thats on the table ‘’in this town its very dangerous to question traditions or rules, you ought to be careful’’ and curbs the knob.

The radio makes a static noise for a few seconds until you hear a bewildered nasal voice speak up

''Yoongi how can you say you don’t believe in them, even though you starred one dead in the eye and showed me a picture of it?''

The movers in your house all chuckle at that

The other person, presumably yoongi ,just sighs deeply almost as he's used and tired of the first host's outbreaks. '' first of all it was around eight feet tall and skinny like a stick figure i thought that was an abstract piece of art , theres no way that was wendigo''  

you stop in your tracks and look at the radio in perplex, ‘’a what now?’’ you ask no one in particular.

Sam who sees the look of confusion on your face just shrugs his shoulders, as if to tell you to get used to it

Hoseok just sputters '' man come on we all know what a wendigo looks like , yoongi how stubborn are you?, did you not notice the never ending eyes on its body?’’

‘’I 'mean it did but i was too occupied to not vomit from the stench of  greg’s butchery’’ yoongi counters

‘’God that store should be banned to serve people, i’m pretty sure he uses inhuman creatures to- hold on why were you even near that place?’’

''Clearly to not buy meat Hoseok'' yoongi answers ‘’i was just taking a stroll when i found it standing by the butchery’’

‘’Wouldn’t surprise me if it actually eats the shit Greg sells’’ Hoseok says ‘’but anyways back to reporting, as for no-’’

‘’-as for now no one's dead because we all know to stay inside if you don’t want to be taken by the council for seeing the headless, and i’m putting quotations marks on ''headless'' dear listeners,  rider'’’Yoongi interrupts

‘’Really?’’Hoseok asks ‘’so you think that the headless rider is something that the city council has made up to, i dont’ know , manipulate us?’’

‘’Lets be realistic’’ Yoongi counters ‘’no being can be alive without a head, even vampires are known to die if you cut their head off’’

‘’chickens do though’’ Hoseok continues ‘’like they'll continue to run around, which is frankly creepy as hell’’

‘’The minute you separate the brain from the neck, just like in humans, you’re going to get tremendous movement of the limbs, please did you not pay attention in biology class?’’

‘’Firstly i majored in art’’ Hoseok answers ‘’secondly everything that happened before college i have no memory of, hell i don’t even remember half of the shit from college.’’

‘’Thats sad’’ Yoongi states

‘’Anyways’’ Hoseok deviates from the topic ‘’as Yoongi said there are no reports of anyone gone missing this week, besides old Berta's cat but thats nothing new.’’

‘’It really isnt’’ Yoongi continues ‘’after this ad we'll open up the lines so please listeners stay tuned’’

While the ad is playing, you faintly hear the sound of the siren go off again but this time only for a few seconds. worriedly you look over to the window and see that another mover, this time a woman,  is pulling aside the curtain very slowly almost as if she's expecting a monster's face instead of hers to appear in the reflection. After inspecting the outside for a few seconds she finally turns around and gives the people in the room, that are watching her ,the thumbs up.

‘’Alright then’’ Jun says , stands up and stretches himself.

With him standing there in that pose you notice how well build jun is which adds more to his attractiveness and your’e just a little bit envious on how good he looks.

Jun notices you looking at him with your head tilted and with a slight pout and raises an eyebrow.

‘’Do you work out to have a figure like that?’’ you ask

Jun lets his arm fall down and runs one hand through his long thick hair ‘’oh hell no, this job is already working me out ,going to a gym would kill me’’ he laughs ‘’its all genetics’’

‘’Oh’’ you hum ‘’you sure are blessed’’

jun strikes a ridiculous pose that probably a character from Jojo's bizarre would do ‘’i know right?’’

Shaking your head you laugh and turn to the others who are still in the living room  ‘’thank you for helping me unpack’’

A large hand lands on your shoulder and you turn your head to see sam smiling at you ‘’no problem , thank you for letting us into your house otherwise we'd be dead meat’’

‘’Lets go’’ Sam hollers and some of the movers come out to the hallway, you didn’t even notice them going into your bedroom.

‘’The bed is set up’’ The man standing at the entrance of the living room, says and gives you a big smile.

You smile and bow slightly in thanks and the movers slowly trickle out of your house .

‘’Dont forget to tune in to the  community radio, they often announce stuff from the city council’’ sam says as he standing in the doorway ‘’ but dont worry if you forget it will turn on itself’’ he laughs and you just furrow your brow.

As you bud him goodbye you notice another figure standing next to you and you turn your head to see jun.

''Hope you don’t mind that i ripped a paper off but heres my number, lets hang out or go shopping or something, i feel like we'd be good friends’’ Jun hands you a piece of paper

Usually you're not one to take numbers from men's, since a lot of them , if not almost all, have a hidden agenda.  Which you don’t feel that Jun currently has, the feeling you get from him is more of a theatrical person thats always dramatic. You know, like, laying in a field of roses after your crush got asked out by someone else- type of person.

Basically hilarious.

So you accept the small piece of paper and smile at him ‘’sure , i'll text you, might take a while though because i first have to get used to this place’’

‘’No problem’’ Jun waves his hand dismissively ‘’if you got any questions though just text me i'll help ya’’  and walks out of your house , waving his hand with a big smile on his face.

Chuckling slightly you close the door and walk down the hallway into your bedroom.

You truly are grateful that the movers helped you unpack and put your furniture together, because you really wouldn't know how to without getting confused because you're so bad at following instructions. Well its not like Ikea makes it easy to follow and they keep giving people extra assets that just end up frustrating everyone who buys the furniture

The big queen sized bed takes up most of the space in your room but you don’t mind that, at least you're able to have one not like when you used to live in the big city , where the apartments were narrow but expensive.

besides the bed and various boxes that contain clothes there really isn't anything in the bedroom yet. The emptiness makes you slightly uneasy and you're overcome with the feeling of panic and dread. It’s the type of emotion you get after the excitement and adrenaline is gone, your’e left with uneasiness and panic thats slowly seeping yet throbbing from your chest as if you have a hole where your heart is supposed to be. For whatever reason you feel like you're back to being 18, back to the kid who kept getting panic and anxiety attacks over everything,  back to the kid who never lived without a family , yet alone in  another city.

That emotion over comes you so strongly, that for a second you feel like the walls are closing on you and you're getting choked. You shake your head and slap your cheeks a few time, before letting your hands fall down and almost run into the bathroom.

You slam the door open and in two quick long strides you're standing in front of the sink. Your hands are trembling as you reach for the faucet and turn it. The water feels cold underneath your finger tips and you gather some of it onto your palms before leaning down and splashing it onto your face. The coolness of the water a little bit takes the panic away but its still lingering in your chest.

You step away from the sink and lower yourself to the floor ,where you wrap your arms around your legs with your head hanging between your knees. For the next 20 minutes you're slowly rocking yourself from side to side , while taking in deep regular breaths.  It’s a technique you learned online a while ago and has up to now proven to be useful.

As you finally have calmed down , you slowly get up from the floor and see your reflection in the mirror. Your hair is messy, sticking up in different directions, your complexion is slightly green, which you think has to do with the fluorescent lighting if anything, and you turn away.

You walk out of the bathroom, down the hallway back into your bedroom.  You open one of the boxes that has clothes written on it and take out a shirt. Not even bothering to look for pants , you get changed , open up another box that has the blanket and pillows inside, and throw them on the bed before getting onto it.  You remember that your phone fell earlier and lean down to pick it up, scroll through your podcast app before finally deciding on which episode to listen to. You put the phone right next to your head and just a few seconds later you're out like a light.

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

Closing the door behind you , you take a deep breath. Yesterday night was , well to say, horrible. You've always had anxiety issues , not in the way that you have trouble talking to people or talk in public , its more that once you're left alone you get the so-called "what-next thoughts". Which always plays out the worst case scenario that could happen to you. Meaning you instantly realize how insignificant your existence is and that if you died right now, it would take weeks for anyone to notice. You've been getting help for that though. Before you moved to silverdell you doctor gave you a prescription so that you could get it refilled at the pharmacy.

which is where you're currently headed to. Silverdell is a beautiful town. Alongside the street there are trees ,which leafs already have turned brown and orange. The air is so crispy to the point where if it wasn’t so sunny you'd think it might snow at any time.

A breeze of cold air blows and you tighten the scarf around your neck. It’s getting close to the end of september and the streets already smells of cinnamon and mulled wine. As you're enjoying the view you notice a trail of kids running past you while giggling and shoving each other, and you smile.

You've always liked working with children, they hold a lot of freshness and innocence , live in their own little creative bubble , and yet are very understanding of a lot of things that parents be overreacting about. The only reason why they then later on sometimes turn out  to have a bad attitude / personality is because of the way they were raised. They subconsciously tend to soak the behaviors in their environment  ,up like sponges, not even realizing that those behaviors aren't socially acceptable. Thats why you became a teacher, to at least lead the kids in the right path but also protect them from the cruelty of the world and society.

Speaking of school, tomorrow will be your first day as a teacher in silverdell. You're slightly nervous but excited, you just hope that your coworkers are nice and not demons disguised as humans like at the last school you worked at.

You shake your head at that thought, you'll cross the bridge when you get to it.

‘‘god please let me find the pharmacy’‘ you silently pray and take out your phone , according to google maps its only a few meters away from you

Turning around the corner you finally arrive at the pharmacy. It’s a small white store that has mint colored decorations, you also spot various pot, plants, around the entrance that gives the store a welcoming feeling.  

Walking up to the entrance, you see that one of the plants is a cactus. When you arrive you bend down to inspect it. It’s a huge dark green cactus that has  multiple vertical lines going down the round figure with needles sticking out. At the top there is a hole, you're not really sure if its an actual hole or if its just an illusion that was created by the lighter color, but you see that there is where the most needles are gathered.

Out of curiosity and impulse you reach out and softly lay a finger on the plant, to which you are, to no ones surprise, stung by a needle. You straighten up while clutching your hand to your chest  and look at your hand. you press the finger together to see a tiny drop of blood coming out of the wound and sigh.

Shaking your head you let your arm fall down, give the plant a last glance before entering the pharmacy.

At the counter stands a woman that seems to be in her forties. Her hair is tied into a braid with stray strands framing her face that has a warm yet gentle expression on as she works on some documents.

She lifts up her head as the little door bell rings for the second time when the door closes behind you.

‘’Oh my’’ She says with a surprised expression ‘’are you new in town?’’

''Is it that obvious?'' you ask bashfully and walk up to the counter

‘’Not at all dear’’ she smiles ‘’its just that this town is quite small so we all know each other, but anyways how may i help you?’’

‘’Right’’ you answer and take out the prescription from your wallet and hand it to her, alongside with your insurance card ‘’i need a refill of my medication’’

‘’Coming right up’’, she takes the card from you, puts it on the table before disappearing in the backroom.

You look around while waiting for her to come back, the inside of the store is just as lovely as the outside. The walls are stacked with various medicine but you notice the same minty color peeking out behind the shelves. The air is very clean, almost biting with the disinfectant still lingering in the air, and for a moment you regret forgetting to take your mouth mask with you. Its not like you're asthmatic but strong smells usually give you a migraine , and using a mask usually helps to dull it down to a slow throbbing.

‘’Here we go’’ The pharmacist says while walking back to the counter, scans your insurance card and furrows her brows as she looks at the computer display.

‘’Is something wrong?’’ you ask. You've paid your insurance bill so there shouldn't be any problem but sometimes the card doesn't function or doesn't get accepted by the pharmacy and you really hope that that isn't the case today.

‘’Oh no no’’ the pharmacist laughs ‘’i just forgot to wear my contact lenses today so i had a bit of trouble reading the display’’

you sigh in relief

‘’But’’ she continues ‘’i just saw that your doctor has written in the data that these medications have to be taken continuously’’ she hands you back your card and the medications. ‘’if they're finished just come back and i will refill them again’’

‘’will do’’ you answer and put the medication into your purse, bid the nurse goodbye and walk out of the store.

The minute you're out of the pharmacy you stop in your tracks. You're not sure if you just imagined that but when you bid her goodbye her smile looked weirdly large for her face and for a second you thought you saw branches ,that looked like antlers ,growing out of her head.

Slowly you turn back and see the pharmacist, typing something on the computer looking normal and you furrow your brows, turn back to the road.

‘’What in the hell’’you mutter and continue walking towards the mall thats quite close to the drug store.

.....

As you're walking past various stores, an unimaginable stench makes it way to you and the urge to vomit is so strong that you slam your hand to your mouth and turn away for a second. The odor is one of a corpse decaying, well you don’t actually know what a corpse smells like but you're pretty sure it would be similar to this.

Turning around you face the way you were talking towards too and frown. On the left side of the building stands in bold red, almost blood like, letters '' Gregs Butchery''

''They weren't wrong about the smell '' you think and hurriedly walk, no  run past the building into the big grocery store thats two stores away from the flower shop and the ''butchery''

The grocery store is just like any other.  Worn out regals stacked against the washed out yellow walls ,while in the background a remix of an eighties city funk song plays.

‘’God that was disgusting’’ you mumble and wipe your mouth with the sleeve of your hoodie. You take out your phone and reach over to the stack of baskets thats right next to you, and take one.

looking at the shoppings list you made in the notes app , you subconciously bite your lip and walk further into the store.

...............

You're looking at your phone again, not for notifications or anything, just checking if the items in the basket match the ones on the list. Which they do ,but you have a feeling that you earlier forgot to write down something important that you need but cant remember what it is.

‘’garbage bags?’’ you mumble ‘’no i - ouf-’’ With all the thinking you're doing you aren't even paying attention to your surroundings and walked straight into something, or somebody.

You take a step back and rub your nose thats stinging slightly '' my bad'' and look up. The first thing you see is black, a black thats so dark where if someone shone a flashlight at, whatever is in front of you, the light would not be reflected. It’s almost as if the void has manifested itself somehow in this shop. The second thing you notice is that the being standing in front of you has the thousand upon thousands of branch like looking bones growing out of it , how you even missed something so grotesque looking, is baffling , but then again this is you we're talking about.

The being turns its body around and you see that its face is empty of facial features. Theres not even a slight dent or shadow of a nose or mouth that could indicate that it’s wearing a mask. Slowly the creature tilts is head, almost as if it’s wondering why you approached it, and leaves without a word.

Not like it could say anything without a mouth anyways

You on the other hand have already astral projected into another dimension.This whole interaction is so surreal to you, that for a second for a second you think you're on mtv's candid camera show, and that this whole thing is just a set up.  

You come back to your senses when you feel a hand on your arm and jerk in surprise.

‘’dazed ain’t you?'' the woman next to you chuckles ‘’everyone is when they see they see an angel for the first time’’

‘’Huh?'' you turn your head towards the woman and blink a couple of times  ‘’excuse me , a what now?’’ She’s a plump 5′2 tall woman with amber skin and undercut and a gummy smile that makes her eyes disappear into crescent forms when she laughs. On the other side of her’s shes holding a hand of a roughly ten year old child thats boredly starring into nothingness , probably waiting for her mother to finish so that they can go home.

The fact though, that she called the ominous being an angel is baffling because to you it looks more like something that jumped out of h.p lovecrafts book.

‘’An angel’’ she shakes her head ‘’they're very nice, they always help me with any chores or escort luna home, and despite the fact that theyve lived here forever people still ignore their existence’’

‘’but thats not how angels look?’’ you quietly retort not wanting to seem disrespectful

The  woman chuckles again and pats you on the arm ‘’what you know as angels is what society taught you with no actual evidence of them ever looking like that’’

''But the bible-''

‘’The bible described them as terrifying which they are’’ she points at the angel thats at the counter waiting for the cashier to ring their stuff up, which he isn’t cause when you look closer you see that the magazine the cashier is holding is slightly crumpled and shaking , probably out of fear.

‘’also it has been translated into other languages so many times that by now half of was originally was written is lost in translation’’ she continues

You tilt your head ‘’so basically everything i know is a lie?’’

‘’No no, not everything is just that in this town, the laws of nature and society don’t apply’’

Great, what type of town did you move into. Yesterdays fiasco was already weirder than anything you've experienced and you kinda swept it under the rug. but this? this is something that even a skyscraper cant hide, and obviously the emotions you're feeling  shows on your face because the black woman bursts out laughing.

‘’Im sorry’’ you apologize flustered not wanting to offend her and come off as uptight

‘’No need to apologize’’'' she says and waves her hand ‘’newcomer’s reaction are always funny to watch but you're the first one who didn’t run away’’

''yeah one day that will be the death of me'' you think and smile wryly at her.

‘’I have to go’’ the woman continues ‘’try to greet the angels once in a while ,theyre harmless’’

You give her a tight lipped smile and nod. The woman chuckles for the last time and walks off , towards the angel whose still at the counter apparently waiting for her to come pay since the cashier is still ignoring the being.

You shake your head and sigh again, glance back to the counter for the last time before proceeding with grocery shopping.

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

‘’We're so glad to have you in our team’’ the dean says as you're walking down the school hallway. The dean is a elderly short baldheaded man with round glasses. He's wearing a suit thats a little baggy on him but it gives him character. He kind of reminds you of popeye but with a softer , creakier voice.

It took you some time to find the school, since google maps seems to not always work it took which gave you the same problem you had yesterday  when you were looking for the pharmacy. You'd think for such a small town it would be found easily , which it wasn't because it took you around forty minutes to find the facility. Its located on the other side of the town, which in your opinion is just unethical and slightly annoying.

Whoever the founder was of silverdell clearly wasn't thinking logically, it would be way more proficient if the school was in in the middle where it would take the same amount of time for anyone to reach it

‘’I'm excited to be working here’’ you reply and smile down at the dean who just, not chuckles but makes a similar sound to it.

‘’Let me introduce you to the other teachers’’ he says as you two come to stop in front of a dark wooded door and opens it.

The room is pretty normal. Various abstract drawings are hanging on the eggshell white walls giving the place a slightly modern feeling. In the middle of the room theres a long table placed along side with books and other items. On the left side, the side you're actually standing in, is a small kitchen that has a coffee machine and freshly washed cup and glasses.

‘’Oh?’’ a honey voice speaks up and you turn your head to the person you think it came from. ‘’Who do we have here?''

The voice that you just heard belongs to possible one of the most beautiful human beings you have ever seen in your life. He has midnight black hair where one side is falling into his face while the other side is slicked back. Thick plump lips that are stretched into a smile ,revealing a row of pearly white teeth. He's not particularly tall, you're pretty sure you're taller than him but then again you're taller than most women, but you see from the outfit he's wearing he's well build.

Honestly he's so beautiful its like god took his sweet time making him, plus he's sending you a smile thats so bright you want to shield your eyes, it’s like you're looking at the sun.

‘’Didn’t hear that there would be someone new’’ another low voice speaks up and your eyes wander to the person thats standing right next to him. He's a tall man that looks around your age with strawberry blonde dyed hair, thats slightly hanging in his face. He has a strong yet straight nose and thin lips alongside with big doe eyes that makes him look even younger than he already is. You already have the feeling that out of the two, he's the slicker one.

The black haired boy stretches his hand towards you ‘’i’m Park jimin''

You take his hand into yours and for a second you notice how long your fingers are compared to his but thats ought to happen with your height. ‘’Y/n’’ you retort and give him a firm shake before letting his hand go.

‘’Jeon jungkook’’ The strawberry blonde man says not even bothering to shake your hand as he's preoccupied with twirling the volleyball on his finger like a basketball.

Jimin just sighs at Jungkook’s retort, turns around and slaps the ball off ‘’we're not in college anymore where are your manners?’’ he scolds

Seeing Jungkook's expression you hold your laughter in. His lips are pursed but the look in his eyes sell him out that he's planning to pull a prank on the shorter man. Obviously jimin notices the look and slaps him on the arm to which jungkook just grins before turning around to you with an outstretched hand

‘’Again'' he starts ''i’m Jeon Jungkook ''

you nod ‘’nice to meet you’’

''Which class are you teaching?'' Jimin asks and crosses his arms

''1A'' The dean speaks up and you jump in surprised. You didn’t even notice him joining you three with a cup of coffee in his hand. ‘’speaking of’’ he continues and turns towards you'' classes start soon i hope you understood everything but if you have questions don’t be afraid to ask mister Park and mister Jeon.’’

Jimin and Jungkook both smile at you and you nod ‘’will do’’

‘’Alright then’’ Jimin says and yawns ‘’1A is right next to my classroom i'll show you the way’’

‘’Thanks’’ you smile, bid the dean and jungkook goodbye before leaving the breakroom.

‘’Are you nervous?’’ Jimin asks as he's walking next to you down the hallway

''More excited'' you answer ‘’i’m good with kids but i just hope everything goes okay’’

Jimin turns his head ‘’you just moved here right? what do you think of silverdell?’’

carefully you mull over your words, not sure if its appropriate or too soon to tell him about the supernatural beings and weird customs that you've come across. ‘’it will take some time for me to get used to this town’’ you answer him instead.

Jimin laughs, a laugh that sounds like angels are singing and you smile too ‘’well thats to be expected, but don’t worry everyone settles down pretty quick'' He stops in front of a classroom. ''this is 1A, i’m right next door if you need something’’ and bids you goodbye.

The classroom is just like any normal middle school classroom is supposed to look like. Since it’s not the start of a new school year, you see that the decorations on the wall probably were made by the students and you smile.

You walk up to the teachers desk thats right by the window and put your bag down and take your items out. You're so lost in your thoughts as you organize the your items on the table you don’t even hear the bell ring.

The sound of the door slamming against the wall and the chatter of high pitched voices rip you out of your thoughts and you look up to see students walking into the classroom. At the sight of you at the desk they stop in their tracks and whisper to each other.

‘’Good morning’’ you greet them and some greet you back while others just nod in silence as they walk towards their desks. After all the students are sitting at their desk you walk to the blackboard and write your name on it.

‘’'I'm your new teacher’’ you turn around and face the students ‘’i just recently moved here from the city and i have to say i’m surprised in how much greener it is here, meaning we could once go hiking in the forest’’  you clap your hands together

The moment those words leave your mouth the entire classroom gets quiet. The eyes of the kids are almost glued to you in a creepy way, the expressions on their faces are kind of empty.

A chubby boy with black hair raises his hand ‘’ma'am no one ever goes into the forest’’

Oh boy , this is exactly what you feared, that the kids would be just as weird about the town as the adults are. So instead you give them a tight lipped smile ‘’why?’’

‘’Because the monsters will eat you’’ another student says , the tone indicating that you should already know about the taboo.

‘’Or the headless rider’’ the same chubby boy finishes.

This is the third time you're hearing about the headless rider. His existence still makes no sense to you, how can everyone be afraid of him and tell horrible tales on how he kills humans but yet no one has actually ever interacted with the said being.

‘’Marissa did see the headless rider once’’ a girl speaks up and almost every student turns around to look at her with a scornful expression on their face.

''Whose Marissa?'' you ask and tilt your head.

‘’Someone that has turned into a memory’’ the girl from earlier answers, whom you recognize to be the daughter of the woman from the store you met few days ago. Just like her mom she has brown skin, dark hair and intelligent looking eyes, that seem to know way too much than what a ten year old should know.

‘’Alright then’’ you clap your hands together to get the attention of the students ‘’lets play two truths and a tale to break the ice so i'll get to know you better.’’

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

‘’Goodbye ma'am''! the chubby boy, who's name you learned is Evan, says and waves as he leaves the classroom.

‘’Bye!’’ you smile and wave back. The moment the door slams shut your hand instantly falls down and you sigh deeply. ''Well that was a train wreck'' you think and gather the books together and walk over to the regal thats by the wall and put them in neatly. You walk back to your desk pick up your bag not before flickering the light off and walk out of the classroom.

As you're walking down the hallway you see a tiny baldheaded figure that couldn't belong to anyone else but the dean. Who apparently saw you coming because he stops walking and wait for you to catch up to him.

''Y/n'' he greets cheerfully '' how was your first lesson?''

''Good evening'' you greet back '' it was good actually'' you finish. The dean just chuckles and starts walking down the hallway with you following him.

‘’say’’ you start ‘’what happened to Marissa?’’

The dean turns his head to face you, anger mixed with fear clouds his eyes for a second before returning back to normal ''someone thats better not to be spoken of if you don’t want anything happen to you'' he answers.

At the ominous answer the hairs on your neck raise and you resist the urge to take a step back. The way he worded it its like the town will kill anyone who questions their traditions or goes against the rules, plus his whole demeanor screams that you shouldn't ask any more questions.

''A-alright'' you stammer and the dean sends you a tight lipped smile in return.

'' The dean turns around in the doorway he’s standing in ‘’i'll see you tomorrow’’

‘’Have a nice evening’’ you reply and bow slightly. When the door slams shut you sigh and put a hand on your chest, feeling the rapid heartbeat underneath your fingertips. You adjust the bag strap on your shoulder and walk down the hallway towards the entrance and out of the facility.

When you're outside you notice that the shun is already starting to set. That isn't surprising considering that its fall and the days are getting shorter but at the same time that means that you'll either have to hurry back home since the sun sets around at five pm. The other option would be you waiting at school till the coast is clear but considering todays conversation you0d like to spend as little time as possible with the dean. Especially since now it seems that he's keeping an eye out on you.

You shake your head and look up at the sky.Azure blue has now turned into spectacular colors of orange and red mixed with purple, its so beautiful that you take out your phone and take a picture of it. Satisfied with how the picture turned out you send it to your mom and put it back into your pocket.

‘’I should buy a bike’’ you mumble and continue to walk home.

..............

''Hey mom'' you greet your mother and wipe your hands on the towl thats hanging at the wall right by the kitchen sink.

‘’Y/nn dear are you alright?’’ your mother asks loudly sounding frantic.

You grimace and hold the phone away from your ear ‘’i am, why did something happen?’’

‘’What do you mean? , you sent me that ominous picture with no text whatsoever nor did you call me ever since you arrived at wherever you are’’ you mom rants

You know your mom has only your best interests at heart, ever since she found out about your anxiety it’s like she herself developed it too with how much she worries about you being alone. Which on one hand is reassuring but on the other you're already twenty eight and kind of need to venture out in the world on your own.

''ominous picture? what are you talking about? i sent you a picture of a sunset'' you retort and furrow your brows

‘’sunset?’’ your mom's voice pitches up a few octaves ‘’all i got was a picture of a black cracked background with the letters '' if you did, you wished you didn't’’

‘’oh go-’’

‘’and where are you?’’ your mom continues ‘’iv’e googled the town name but nothing showed up, i even asked my coworkers and no one knows about silverdell’’

''Silverdell has a mind on its own, no one can know about it or leave and come as they want without its approval''

you grimace, hoping that whatever Sam said was just some good o'l superstition ,but up to now  with everything that you have experienced, it looks like thats not the case

‘’mom seriously i’m safe, i’m not being held hostage by some mobster or anything like that, why it doesn’t show up on google though i don’t know.’’ you say , trying to calm her down. Theres no way you're going to tell her about the towns strangeness , knowing how she is she'd probably get into her car while she's talking to you and drive off, ending up lost in the middle of nowhere.

Your mother hums on the other side of the phone, by the tone of it you know that she's not fully convinced but will believe you for now. She then continues to talk about her annoying coworker, thats always trying to one upper her in everything and how she wants to screw her head off.

While she's rambling off you're finishing drying the dishes and put the back in the cupboard, occasionally humming in agreement to let her know that you're still listening. Reaching over you take the other towel and dry your hands, put it back on the wall before turning towards the living room. You notice that the blinds are still open and a wave of panic comes over you. you dash over to the other room, of course not without you stumbling over furniture, and quickly close the blinds.

Your heart is beating wildly against your ribcage and it takes you a second to calm down.

''Sweetie are you okay?'' your moms voice comes out of the phone that you’re still holding

‘’uhm yeah!’’ you heave ‘’just stumbled, fell almost on my face’’

your mother sighs deeply ‘’you were always the clumsy one’’ and you just chuckle. Though it quickly fades as you start hearing noises coming from the ceiling. your eyes widen and you jerk your head upwards . The dull sound of something similar to heavy footsteps becomes louder and louder and you furrow your brows. ''are they trying to break my roof?'' you ask yourself and hold the phone closer to your ear.

‘’Mom let me call you back, someones knocking no the door’’ you interrupt your mother, hoping that she doesn't hear your voice shaking.

‘’sure’’ she reluctantly answers ‘’'i'll talk to you later, and remember call the police if something fishy is up’’

‘’Will do’’ you say and hang up ‘’ the police might not help in this situation''

You jump when you hear the static of the radio ripping, slowly you turn around and tilt your head sideways. ''Did you just turn on by yourself?'' you ask out loud , but the radio doesn’t answer instead it continues to flip through channels until you hear a familiar voice coming out of the speakers.

''dear listeners we just received a report stating that  the roof inspectors have already begun their work, we would like to remind you to leave a plate of cookies or milk with honey on the porch as a thank you gift. Another reminder would be that you should absolutely not look directly at the workers as they like to be unknown to the public. Not meeting the criteria will have consequences''

''They like to be private?'' the voice you recognize to be yoongi asks '' we're literally broadcasting this to every citizen in silverdell ,how is that private? on top of that they want food'

Hoseok laughs nervously ''lets not trash talk about the roof inspectors ''

''Or what? they're going to break in and kill me?''

''That are dangerous words yoongi'' hoseok chokes out

''Oh don’t give me that look, i’m not planning to have a chat with them all im saying is that its suspicious''  yoongi exclaims

''maybe so but you should know better than to voice out your thoughts considering we're on live broadcast''

You have a sneaking suspicion that that warning is towards you, maybe its just you being paranoid but the sounds coming from the ceiling sound almost impatient? agitated? you're not sure and you don't want to find out.

So you venture back into the kitchen, open the cupboard and take out a plate and a glass. Fill the plate with chocolate chip cookie, not sure if your choice of cookies will fit their taste you reach into the fridge to take out milk. Pour three spoons full of honey into the glass and mix it up all together. You take out a tray, put the dishes onto it and slowly walk to the front door of the house.

Putting down the tray you unlock the door and slowly open it, praying that whatever is making the noise isn't standing in front of your door. Of course mother nature ignores your plea, because nothing ever goes the way you want it to and you stumble back at the sight.

In front of you dangling from the lowest part of the rooftop edge  hangs a long arm that has white fur on it, which lowkey looks like it belongs to a yeti. Its fingers, if you can even call them that, stretch out like its impatiently waiting for you to hand it the tray. With shaky fingers you pick up the tray, avert your eyes and hand it to the worker, trying to not touch it.

It takes the tray from you, makes a sound that could be described as a mixture of a growl and grunt and vanishes.

With wide eyes and a rapid beating heart you close the door and clutch your chest '' what the absolute fuck?!'' you whisper and run to the kitchen.

There you grab the salt and a chair before returning to the front door,  sprinkle salt along at the gap and barricade it by putting the back of the chair underneath the doorknob. Sure the inspector might be able to kill you and you doubt that a little bit of barricade will hold it back but it sure as hell makes your anxious self feel safer.

Quietly you walk down the hallway and switch off the light, before walking into your bedroom and locking the door, hoping that tonight you'll at least be able to sleep.

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

‘’Jimin’’ you call out .

Jimin who's sitting at the table reading a book ,that looks like if you tried reading it it would fry the remaining braincells you have, looks up with raised eyebrows. ‘’yes?’’

‘’So’’ you drawl out ‘’i sent a picture of the sunset to someone and apparently the picture they got was different from what the original one, do you know whats up with that?’’

Jimin leans back in the chair and runs a hand through his hair ‘’ honestly we've been having this problem for a few months now, the after school science club is trying to figure out what the problem is.’’

You raise your eyebrows ‘’the who?’’

Jimin waves his hand dismissively '' thats their name don’t ask me how they got it, but they’re really smart though and have saved silverdell many times when we were in a pinch’’'

‘’well did they find out at least something?’’

‘’not really’’ jimin puts a hand on his chin ‘’we just know that silverdell is putting out some sort of high frequented waves that interferes with the phone, theres a theory that it doesn’t want people outside of silverdell knowing about it.’’

The expression on your face currently can be described as one of pure listlessness. Mentally you already clocked out days ago, but mother nature or as in this case; silverdell has it's way of surprising you. Sighing deeply you put one hand on the table and lean against it

‘’you know’’ you start’’ when i first moved here i was in love with the idea of a small town where the environment is beautiful, the people are nice'' you move your arm in a half circle motion ‘’not this’’

‘’How is that our problem’’ a voice says and you turn around to see jungkook leaning against the door frame.

‘’Jungkook!'' jimin scolds and frowns

‘’What?'' jungkook asks and pushes himself away from the door '' isn't that her fault for having high ass expectations? weren't you suspicious that you couldn't find silverdell?’’

‘’In my defense’’ you bristle  ‘’i just thought i was bad with directions ,who would've thought that its because this town is located in the twilight zone’’

Jimin and jungkook both chuckle at that ‘’hats what a lot of newcomers say’’

Picking up the empty cup of coffee you retort '' well maybe something needs to be changed so we don’t all keep repeating the same thing'' and walk over to the sink.

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

Its been over a month since you've moved to silverdell. You somehow got used to the weird customs of the town and nowadays you're not even fazed by the angel's anymore. on the contrary you sometimes let the angel's carry your grocery home or you when they don’t fit on the basket of the bike. In the beginning you were quite shocked and afraid ,when the ominous being stood in front of you and reached out of the bag. Which resulted in you screaming out loud in horror thinking that you're going to die. It took one staff member to calm you down , which took quite some time because apparently the angel didn’t realize that you were scared of it , and kept starring at you as if you had the answer to the Da Vinci code.

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

‘’I forgot to tell you , you did well today’’ The woman, miss lewis, whose standing at the door says smiling brightly and leaves.

Todays parent teacher conference day and you just had your first meeting. You're so glad that instead of a soccer mom who has a blonde bob and a nasty attitude you got miss lewis. Maybe she noticed that you were nervous otherwise because her whole presence was reassuring. From the smile to her body language nothing indicated that she was being hostile and you look forward to working with her in the future.

Gathering the documents on the table you put them aside and take out another one that has all the information about your student named calypso. Calypso is a smart girl with a peppy attitude and a mouth that can talk forever, yet she never disturbed the class and always hands in her homework so this meeting should be short and go well.

As you're standing up from the chair, the door slams open and you jerk in surprise, letting out an embarrassing squeak. Looking over to the door your’e see a tall woman slumped against the doorway as she's clutching her chest and breathing heavily. The woman is dressed in a black suit and the first button of her white dress shirt is open. Her black hair is cut into a blunt bob with bangs that stop right by the eyes.

‘’I hope i’m not late’’ she heaves

You shake your head and smile ‘’ don’t worry you came just in time''

The unknown woman nods and walks towards you and you notice that she's almost as tall as you are. ''Min yoonji i’m luna’s mother, nice to meet you’’

‘’Y/n’’ you say and take her hand into yours ‘’ and likewise’’

‘’My wife had an emergency so i had to run from work here’’ Yoonji says and sits down

You put a hand on your cheek ‘’i hope its nothing serious’’

Yoonji waves her hand in front of her face ‘’she's just clumsy , i hope she doesn’t’ burn down the kitchen again though’’

You hold your laughter in and turn your head away, not knowing if it’s appropriate to laugh or not but the fact that Yoonji said the word ‘’ again’’ makes it even more comical.

When you hear Yoonji chuckle is when you turn your head back towards her and see her smiling faintly and you can see how much she loves her wife.

‘’So lets get started’’ you say and clear your throat ‘’luna is a very smart student who up to now has always done her homework’’

Yoonji nods

‘’She participates in class , i see no behavioral problems besides her sometimes making remarks towards her friends.’’ you smile and so does Yoonji ‘’what i did notice though is that when it comes to math her way of calculating slightly differs from what i teach her but that can be managed’’

you put the notes down ‘’this would be all, do you have any questions?’’

Yoonji claps her hand together ‘’not a question per se but my wife and i would like to be notified if the class is going on a school trip’’

You nod '' thats mandatory otherwise i wouldn’t be allowed to leave the school ground with the students''

Yoonji then picks up her bag and stands up with you following her actions.

‘’if later on you have any question please feel free to call me or mail me’’ you say and stretch out your hand

Yoonji shakes your hand firmly nods. She opens her mouth to say something but the noise of the classroom door slamming against the wall interrupts her. In the doorway stands a woman that looks ,well to put it nice, like the wicked witch of the west's third sister.

oh boy

‘’Hope you have a nice evening’’ Yoonji says through gritted teeth and lets go of your hand before walking towards the door and giving the other woman a nasty glare.

The woman totally ignores yoonji and walks towards you instead, a scowl on her face as she musters you ‘’cant be even on time huh? did they hire a incompetent teacher this time?’’

You raise your eyebrows, it takes everything in your body for you to not glare at this atrocity of a human being in front of you ‘’actually ma'am you're just early theres a reason why we agreed for you to come at a specific time’’

She just huffs '' well i don’t have the time because i have to pick up Charles in twenty minutes from fencing’’

''why don’t we start then'' you say and point at the table, before sitting down

well looks like it will take longer than twenty minutes.''

..............

After the conference is over you collect the documents and put them on in the drawer. Getting up you look out of the window and see that the sun is already setting and a wave of stress overcomes you. Picking up your bag from the floor you speed walk out of the classroom, not before flickering the light off, and almost run down the hallway towards the entrance of the building.

Thankfully the parking lot for the bikes isn't that far away from the main entrance and you quickly get  onto it and pedal. The sky is already deep red and you can see that in around five to ten minutes it will be completely gone.

You're pedaling so fast that everything is a blur to you, how you haven’t fallen yet is a miracle because lord knows , that everything that could go wrong in a situation , usually does, when it comes to you.

''am i going to make it?'' you ask yourself and sharply cut the corner. Down the road you see a vast grass field and wonder if you should take a shortcut or not. But driving on the grass usually slows one down .but at the same time you cant afford to lose your life just because you aren't on time.

So you drive through the field instead. It only takes a few seconds before your legs become tired of pedaling so hard, to the point where you jump from the bike , hold the handlebar and run.  A few times the bike smacks itself against you but you don’t feel pain due to the adrenaline running through your veins.

Looking at the bike you see that it’s just dragging you down and it literally takes you a second to make a decision. Letting go of the bike makes your heart clench but you continue to run for you life till you finally leave the field and arrive on the street your house is on.

You heave as you take a three second break before continuing to jog down the road. The closer you get to your house though the more everything starts to flicker. Its like reality stopped functioning and your’e in a glitch. Looking around confused you almost stop in your tracks when you see a figure sitting on a black horse thats standing on the opposite side of the street, linear to your house. Its the Headless rider, his body turns towards you ,as black smoke comes out of the cut off neck and forms a question mark.

Your heart drops and your hand comes up shielding the left side of your face and you run even faster before jumping over the fence towards your house

With shaky hands you take out the keys from your purse and open the door before slamming it behind you. Sliding down to the floor you hug your knees as a wave of panic over comes you. You're about 99.9999.2% sure you're about to die today. Theres no way you're going to survive now that the headless rider has noticed you.

With shaky legs you walk into your bedroom and lock the door, praying to every god thats out there that they will bless you with divine protection and that if you do die , it will be at least painful.

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

its been two days since you saw the headless rider. To your surprise you actually woke up the next day and on top of that without any injuries, even your house is unscathed! Yet for some reason you cant help but feel like someone has been following you ever since. Its like you keep seeing something flimsy out of the corner of your eye, but its never really in your field of vision.

''im just being paranoid'' you think and grip the bag tighter as you walk out of the grocery store. It’s almost midnight but you were craving some sweets and ramen noodles so of course you went out and bought them.

You're so lost in thoughts that you don’t even notice the tall figure standing in front of you and promptly walk into them. The person, if you can even call them that cause the body is so hard it feels like you walked into a wall, grips your shoulder and steadies you.

'’You rub your nose ''thank-’’ the words die on your tongue as you look up and see that its the headless rider. Now that your’e closer to him you see that his skin is glowing slightly green giving him a frankensteins monster type of look and that his hands are long yet bony.  The smoke moves in slow motion as it comes out of his head and you feel sick to the point of needing to vomit.

‘’Have you seen my head?’’  an ominous voice booms through your skull so loud that you push the headless rider away and clutch your head instead, You just know you'll have a migraine later on.

you look up ‘’can you please try to not scream in my head?’’

''My apologies '' the being says

Slowly you stand up and rub your temples ‘’i haven’t seen your head, i wouldn’t even know how it looks like’’ you turn around and with shaky legs take a step before an arm grabs you. The feeling of dread overcomes you instantly.  His hand is so cold that it seeps through your jacket into your body and you shudder. ''is this what harry potter felt when he was around dementors?''

''Help me find it''  he says , no, demands.

‘’please stop touching me first’’ you manage to say without stuttering and he releases your arm.

‘’What would happen if i refuse?’’

''You don’t want to know'' he answers and you shudder. with the way his neck is leaning sideways you can almost see how if he had a head he'd be cocking it and waiting for your reply, what expression he would have on you can say though.

Between choosing to go with him and come back unscathed or being hunt down and killed by him and other creatures, its only logical that you chose to go with him.

‘’Alright'’’ you say and hold up the bag higher ‘’can i bring this home first though?’’

The headless rider points at the convenient store ''you can also just ask them to put it aside for you''

You furrow your eyebrows at that suggestion ‘’sure..’’ and squint at him. For someone so inhuman he sure does have a suspicious amount of knowledge of how humans work. ‘’ill be right back’’  and walk off

The little bell rings as you walk through the doors and the cashier raises her head ‘’good-’’ the word dies on her tongue as she she's you walking towards her. Her face completely pales and her eyes grow as big as saucers.

00would you be so nice and deposit this for me? an emergency came up and i cant go home right now’’ you ask with a wry smile and she nods . With shaky hand she takes the bag and puts it right behind her on the counter and gives you something thats supposed to look like a smile if it weren't masked with fear.

‘’thank you'' you say , turn around and walk out of the store. What you don’t see is the cashier's eyes following you until she sees you stopping in front of someone else and showing them your empty hands. The other figure nods and you both walk off . In panic mode she grabs the telephone and frantically dials a number, cussing under her breath as she’s waiting for the person to pick up. after the fifth ring she finally hears a click going through the phone and she speaks up

‘’He has her’’

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

Standing on the outskirts of the forest you look at the direction where the houses are located ‘’am i hearing sirens?’’ you ask out loud. From what you can see theres no where a house burning, so that either means someone is dying or that there is someone about to give birth

''Not important for us'' the headless rider says and puts a hand on the small of your back. ''let's go'' he says and pushes you forward into the woods.

The forbidden forest is nothing like you imagined, as a matter of fact you don’t even know what you expected but not this.The trees are so close to each other that you can only see the occasional streak of moonlight peaking through through the thick fog. Yet that doesn’t provide enough light for your eyes because you stumble over a root thats twisting on the floor.

Before your face can make contact with so said floor ,the headless rider grabs you by the arm and yanks you up.

''be careful '' he says '' shedding blood will only cause the creatures to come after you''

‘’jesus christ thanks’’ you retort and peel off his fingers ‘’by the way do you have a name? i dont want to keep calling you ''you''’’

the voice hums in your head '' a long time ago i did'' he answers '' a human once used to call me taehyung''

‘’Okay i'll call you that then’’ you say and look up to him ‘’another question though , were you once a human?’’

A deep sound that can be described as a chuckle rumbles from his chest ''never , i’ve been like this since the beginning ''

‘’ou yikes’’  you slap a hand to your mouth , you cant believe you just said that out loud ‘’sorry’’

''it's alright''

You nod and turn around to continue to look at the environment. Theres a dampness alongside with this weird feeling hanging in the air, it ripples on your skin like water making, all the hairs on your arm and neck stand up. This place might have once been full of animals roaming around, but right now its so eerie and empty ,you feel like if depression could manifest itself into something it would be this forest.

You grab Taehyung by the arm and you both stop. looking up, your eyes widen and blood leaves your face. Above you hovering are hooded figures with long boney limps. Their garment fluttering in the non existent wind yet they look so serene , almost as if they're taking a nap. But the longer you stare the more the figures seems to draw in closer

''don’t look at them'' Taehyung's voice rings through your head '' they feed on human souls and with each second passing a piece of your soul gets chipped away''

''Couldn’t you have told me that sooner''  you hiss and grip his arm tighter to the point that your finger nails leave half moon dents in his jacket.

''do not talk any louder, we're not the only ones here'' he warns you instead and you shut your mouth. With every step you're taking you're cursing at the gods and mostly at yourself. You can already hear your mother screaming in horror if she knew what you're doing. She'd probably lecture you about going with a stranger to the forest saying that that is the number one place for murderers to bury their victims bodies and how she raised you to know better.

''Sorry mom''

Taehyung pushes the leaves of the bush aside to reveal a glade. Its surrounded by trees as tall as cathedrals and a strange green light - almost holy - shimmers through the vast canopy of leaves.Giving you the impression that you're underwater. Deafening silence lays over the land and you feel like you're in a video game about to defeat a mid level demon boss.

''where are we going?'' you whisper to taehyung

''the place where all creatures go at sunset''

you furrow your brow ‘’and why do you need me for that?''

thats where my head is buried at for some unknown reason they’ve always been drawn to it, though it has a protective shield that nonhuman being cant enter''

your voice raises a few octaves as you realize that this is a part of his scheme  ‘’did you just lure me into this place so that you can kill me? Don’t tell me you don't actually need my help, you just wanted to eat me because i look what; appetizing to you?’’

Taehyung lifts his hands and one covers your mouth while the other slam chokes you against the bark of a tree ‘’you think very highly of yourself human'' he hisses '' but i do need it and after i received my head i could also leave you here ,since your so adamant about making our location known to every single living organism''

A branch breaks in the background and Taehyung lets go of you.  choking ,you slump against the tree, as you try to get air into your lungs and look up through your teary eyes. Behind taehyung stands a huge creature that looks similar to the angels that usually help you with chores. But unlike the friendly them, this creature looks like it's out for blood. Its mouth opens and a foul smell , that reminds you of corpses and rotting food, waves over to the two of you and you feel sick.

A scream bubbles its way up your throat and before it can leave your mouth , taehyung picks you up bridal style and starts running. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you close your eyes and just hope that he's faster than the creature and that you aren't about to meet your demise

Minutes later he stops and you open your eyes to see that you're on  the top of a hill. Getting out of taehyung's arms with shaky legs you look around.

‘’Wow’’ you say in awe, amazed by how much the forest changes the further you go into it.

You see a river passing through the jungle wide and opaque. The water is so black it might as well be used as a mirror and for a second you're tempted to walk down and touch it .Yet you know better. The river is a sleeping cobra, It lies across the land in smooth seductive curves, singing an unknown song to its viewer, while it hides a myriad of dangers.

The forest seems to have an intelligence of its own, you notice.  An apparent system thats so complex no human would understand, yet it doesn't seem like it would work anywhere else but  here.

A sudden shrill noise, that possibly belongs to the earlier creature, echoes through the forest,  before it quietly settles, and suddenly it feels like a thousand eyes are boring into your back.

They know you're here

''Lets go'' Taehyung says and walks ,no, jogs down the hill.

‘’why don’t you just pick me up and run like you did earlier?'' you ask '' that would be faster''

Taehyung doesn’t need a face for you to know that he's complete done with you for using your three braincells over its capacity ''that would attract too much attention''

‘’You glow green for fucks sake’’ you call out and point at him ‘’we might as well be wearing a big ass sign that says ‘free food’’ 

Taehyung turns around and stomps towards you and you flinch

''Since you insist''  he says and picks you up and starts running down the hill. Seconds later you two arrive in the valley and he puts you down. ''We're close''  

You look up at Taehyung, his whole entire being suddenly gives off the vibe of a predator. Like he's watching your every move and waiting for the perfect chance to come so that he can pounce on you . Goosebumps rise on your arm and neck and you take a step back ''where is it then?'' you ask

Taehyung stretches his arm and points with a long bony finger behind you. Slowly you turn around to see huge fallen logs layered on top of each other forming a triangular shape. Underneath you find a huge pile of fallen leaves and in the middle something thats glowing green.

''I can only accompany you till where the shield is'' Taehyung says and you nod. You don’t like how he said that sentence, its full of hidden agenda and you're not sure if your mind is playing a trick on you , but you swear you felt the blood thirst coming off him. Another thing you notice is the closer you get to the head, the more the shield surrounding the huge logs, starts to glow the exact same green light that also taehyung is covered in.

As you stand right before the shield , your hand comes up and you try to touch it with no avail. Your hand goes straight right through it and your’e just a teensy bit disappointed. ''hold up''  you think and turn around to squint at the being named taehyung ‘’the shield doesn’t exist’’

''it does, i told you only a human can enter it'' taehyung answers patiently and walks up to you, stretches out his hand and touches the shield. sparks start to fly and you cover your eyes.  

''see?'' Taehyung says and lets his hand fall down

Instead of answering you start walking up to the log. Its in the worst place ever, not exactly on top of the hill but neither in the valley, just right in the middle. Which is a huge burden to you, the mud keeps sticking to your shoes yet it also makes you stumble multiple times.

You finally reach your destination but now you're heaving heavily and your legs feel like they'll buckle in any seconds. ''God do i have to touch the leaves?'' you murmur in disgust. You dont hate the nature as a matter of fact you like it, thats the whole reason why you even moved out here. That doesn’t mean though, that you want to stick your hands into muddy leaves that probably has all sorts of insects crawling and pick up a decaying head.

Mentally prepping yourself you sigh deeply before reaching into the pile and grabbing the glowing head. The head is just as cold as the body it belongs you and it seeps through your entire being. The longer you hold it, the more flimsy your surrounding begins to look and you have to squint your eyes in concentration so that you don’t fall down.

‘’Here’’ you say as you stand in front of taehyung and hand him the head.

''thank you''  he says and takes it from you and puts it on his neck. Suddenly taehyung starts to glows a green light thats so bright ,that you have to shield your eyes. Few seconds later the light dims down back its usual , glow int he dark slime, state.Despite that you're in awe when you look up and see that the neck is connected to his head, and for the first time you see what he looks like.

Taehyung is beautiful beyond words. Long dark lashes kiss his cheek as he looks down on you.  On the right side theres a mole and he has another one, on the slightly plum yet longish underlip.  dark hair that hangs low enough to touch his beautiful sloped nose as he dips his head lower to be at  your eye height. A smile overtakes overtakes his features and at first you're struck, until you start noticing thousand of eyes starting to glow behind his back. Your eyes widen and you look back at Taehyung who's smile grows into unnatural hideous grin that touches both sides of the head and bears one too many teeth.

you take a step back to which he slowly follows until you stumble over a root and fall down. Taehyung chuckles deeply at your cowering state and bends down.

This is it, this is how you’re going to die, in the forrest surrounded by blood thirsty creatures that are ready to pounce on you in any second. And for a millisecond you’re annoyed at yourself for going into the woods with the dullahan just to meet your demise.