DAY 11 (PT. 1)

Day 11 passed by calmly. After the previous ten days, everyone agreed that they needed rest. Kai is also busy working with the other members and you and your friends stay close by the hotel to have a "day off". You and your friends eat out at restaurants and go to small cafes, but they don't shop today and they don't go to see any other monuments.

It's nighttime now, and you're lying in bed. You twist and turn, unable to sleep. Your roommate groans as she hears you toss your blankets again.

"Hey." You say, only half-whispering.

"Still awake...?" She asks sarcastically. 

"Yeah. Sorry...I can't sleep. I'm gonna go get some snacks at the convenience store, 'kay?"

"Okaaay....." 

"You want anything?" You ask her. You might as well since you woke her up in the first place. She sits up suddenly and looks at you.

"Coffee?" Her tone sounds hopeful. You chuckle.

"Of course." You change out of your pajamas into a baggy sweatshirt and jeans. "I'm off." You tell her as you grab the room key. She gives another mumble to let you know she heard you and then you're out the door.

The nighttime air is crisp and clear. The buildings are still full of lights and there are still people on the streets, though reasonably less so. You breathe in the city air and you know it'll be a good walk. The convenience store isn't exactly on the same street as the hotel, but it's just a couple blocks away. You shove your hands into your pockets. Even in summer, the nighttime is still a frigid time of day. You carefully cross the street, looking left, then right, then left again, as you had been taught to do in elementary school. None of your friends do that anymore, but you always thought it was a good habit to keep.

A car drives by just as you make it to the other side of the crosswalk. The only other people on the street is a man dressed in black, standing by the crosswalk, and a couple stepping out of a small store. You turn right, keep walking, and take a left at the corner. The street you're on now is a shopping street, so there's a few more people here. Some teenage girls huddled on a bench. Another couple. The shops are brightly illuminated, so no one inside them would be able to see out. It's also a fairly long street, and so you take your time to walk down. 

It isn't until you're halfway across the street when you realize that all the people you'd seen earlier are gone now. And there are footsteps behind you. You're scared to turn around, so you keep walking, trying not to let yourself get too paranoid because maybe this is just another person on the street.

You start to quicken your pace. It's pure instinct, you like the nighttime but you also feel more vulnerable when the darkness comes. 

The footsteps behind you also quicken its pace. 

You finally arrive at that goddamn convenience store. You shove the door open, and walk in. Your legs are shaky as you purposely search the aisles of drinks as slowly as possible. All the while, you reach into your pocket and pull out your phone. Outside the window, though it's hard to see, there's a man standing there, dressed in all black. The same man from before. Your hand is still in your pocket as a wave of nervous energy crashes into you.

You forgot your phone at the hotel.

You hadn't thought to bring it. You didn't think you'd need it. You don't know what to do as you find that iced mocha coffee that your friend likes so much and a small bag of chips for you. You slowly, ever so slowly, walk to the cash register...then turn around and grab another can of coffee. You have a feeling you'll need it later. The person behind the cash register starts tapping impatiently as he sees you loitering around the store. You can't delay this any longer. Feeling defeated, you walk up to the register with the two cans of coffee and the chips and you pay for it. It's all too fast. You have no option but to leave the store.

You walk out the door, still fidgety, still jumpy. You're tempted to run, but you're wearing flip-flops. And they wouldn't get you far. You cuss at yourself for your awful preparation. 

Footsteps echo behind you.

Quickening your pace with every step wasn't helping. You start an almost mini-jog. And then a hand touches your shoulder, stopping any movement.

You turn around, fear clearly showing on your eyes. "Y...Yes?"

You're surprised to see a young face, though none too pretty. "Hey girl." The guy says.

"What do you want?" You're surprised to hear no trace of shakiness in your voice. 

He looks you up and down. You feel extremely uncomfortable to be anywhere near this person. You try to escape from his hand which is still on your shoulder, but his grip tightens and you can't escape. "Girl, you wanna play?"

What is this, an Asian drama? You give him a disgusted look. "No. No I don't want to 'play'." His "flirty grin" turns into a displeased frown. Then he looks up and gives one little chuckle. He looks back at you and you can clearly see his rage.

"Well, it was your choice." And then he throws his arm back. You can already see what happens next as you raise your arms to protect your face from the punch. You can't help but think, isn't this the part of the story where my prince comes in and saves me?

But he doesn't.

You feel the impact hit your arm, which you somehow managed to use to block the punch with at the speed of light. It's a hard punch too, and you're thrown onto your back. You land on the ground, hard, and you groan. You try to push yourself back up. To escape. To run. But the man is over you again, about to throw yet another punch. You're too slow and weak to brace yourself. Thankfully you don't have to. You squeeze your eyes shut, ready to feel pain again. The most surprising part is when it doesn't come. You wait a few seconds, seconds filled with a painful silence. You finally open your eyes.

Your prince has come to save you.

[To be continued]