Switchblade - 11
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"Minho..."
Taemin breathes the word, but no other thought could be worthy of voicing in this moment. He moves without thinking, rushing forward, very simply needing to touch Minho because otherwise he might not be real, right?
With a grimace, Minho shoves him back as soon as he's within an arm's reach. By the time Taemin has caught himself again, Minho has already turned away from him. He stands just in front of Jonghyun, concern written all over him.
"Please be okay," Minho says first.
Jonghyun doesn't seem too worried about what Taemin might do. He gives Minho his full attention, saying, "We need to get away."
"You're bleeding," Minho tells him, "How do we stop the bleeding?"
"I need more blood," Jonghyun responds quickly, impatience becoming evident, "Don't worry yet, we just have to get out of here."
"Minho," Taemin calls him gently, but Minho regards him with an angry glare when he finally turns back.
"Did you do this to him?"
Taemin opens his mouth, momentarily lost for words, so Jonghyun hurries to answer, "Yep. He did it."
"Minho," Taemin is urgent now, taking just a tiny step closer to him, "Don't you know who he is? That's Jonghyun, he.."
"Jonghyun," Minho looks at Taemin, but doesn't speak to him, "Who is this?"
"On second thought, let's worry about the bleeding," Jonghyun says hurriedly, drawing Minho's gaze back to himself.
"Minho, please," Taemin says quickly, "It's me, look at me.."
"Are you stupid?" Jonghyun sounds like he's feeling better, voice thick with attitude, "You should know that vampires don't remember being human. Leave Minho alone."
Minho gives Taemin just a quick glance and cringes before looking back to Jonghyun, "Do you want me to carry you?"
"No," Jonghyun answers him, "The guy that was driving this cab ran off, I mean, it's busted up but if the keys are in there.."
Minho checks through the broken windshield, "Yeah, it's in the ignition."
Taemin is dumbfounded, watching the two act so close. He can only stare as Minho helps Jonghyun move a bit to the side so he can get the door open. Jonghyun is telling Minho to hurry up, but Minho is giving him attitude back, asking why he went and made a scene in the first place. Even if they're bickering, they seem painfully close.
"You're not," Taemin whispers, "You're not a vampire."
If Minho heard him, it doesn't show. He's busy helping Jonghyun into the car's passenger seat, while Jonghyun fusses that he can move on his own and it isn't that bad.
"Stop helping him," Taemin says a bit louder.
Again, Minho doesn't hear him. He shuts the door on Jonghyun and starts to move to the other side of the car, so Taemin runs forward and grabs hold of his arm, "Stop it, Minho!"
Minho is rough when he shoves Taemin hard away from himself once again. Taemin falls down on the sidewalk, and this time Minho finally meets his eyes. With another grimace, Minho lifts a hand to his forehead, hissing as if in pain.
"Stop helping him," Taemin begs, pushing himself off the ground, "Please, you can't help him, he killed your brother.."
"I don't remember. I don't remember you," Minho shakes his head, turning away and hurrying to the driver's side of the car.
"Don't go!" Taemin yells, throwing himself forward toward the car, "Please don't leave, I need you!"
However, Minho is in the car, the door closed behind him, the engine starting up. Taemin puts his hands on the hood, as if trying to hold the car still. "Please," he says, but the car jerks suddenly away from his hands, then speeds it's way onto a suddenly clearer street.
"Don't leave me alone!" Taemin screams after the car, moving his hands into his hair and clutching the strands in tight fists, "I can't be alone.. please.. please.."
He didn't realize until now that the street so 'safe' for being busy is now almost deserted in this area. Businesses have even shut their lights off and hung their closed sign. All because of one vampire?
He also didn't realize that when his arm went through the windshield, his arm got scratched up. It's as if it didn't hurt until now, as adrenaline fades into agony. With a whimper, Taemin sets himself down on the sidewalk, still holding onto fistfuls of hair.
A few minutes pass before someone steps over. He looks up hopefully, thinking that maybe just maybe he'd see Minho. Instead it's a girl, familiar, just not quite enough so.
He drops his hands from his hair, hurrying to his feet.
"Lee Taemin?" IU questions, staying back a few feet, watching him cautiously. "I don't guess that you remember me."
... article by IU...
"I remember you," he says simply without looking at her. He looks all around him, having a hard time remembering his own way home now. "You should get inside somewhere, it's dangerous."
"I know," she says, and steps finally closer, holding something out towards him. She has to clear her throat before he'll look at her, and when he does he looks straight to her hand.
"My switchblade," he acknowledges it.
"You might have saved my life back there.. and well, I think you've saved a lot of lives, from what I've heard. I just thought..."
Taemin hurries to snatch it from her hand, stepping back. "Well, go on," he tells her.
"I've.. I've been looking for you," she says. "Ever since that day.. when you came in? I thought I had seen your face before.."
Relaxing a bit, Taemin looks at her, standing back and silent but at least giving her his attention.
"I had. You were Lee Taemin.. from that.. horrible video..."
Taemin cringes. He'd forgotten...
"I have," she clears her throat, "Very good sources, so I was able to find out a lot about you. A-anyway, I wanted to tell you about those people in the article. I found out more about them."
"They're dead now anyway," Taemin tells her, "It doesn't matter... IU.."
"You can call me Sayu. It's not as strange.. right?" she says quietly, like the words are insignificant. Maybe they are, because Taemin says nothing in response. A moment of silence passes, and then she questions, "You were here looking for.. Minho, weren't you? Not for Onew.."
"Onew," Taemin says the name like a curse, "he turned Minho into a vampire."
Sayu nods slowly. Maybe she knew, or maybe she's just confirming she understands. All she says is, "I'm sorry."
"When you learned about Sungmin and Jay... did you ever hear about Jungmo?"
Again, she nods. "I heard about Jungmo."
"He died, didn't he?" Taemin asks.
"... Yes," is her answer, "He's a vampire now." At Taemin's solemn expression, she continues, "I know it must be a hard time for you, I'm sorry.."
"What did you come here for? To find me, I mean," Taemin takes a breath, "Why?"
"I thought you were looking for Onew," she tells him, "There were rumors about him around here, but they were lies."
"You know where Onew is," Taemin guesses.
She nods, "I wanted to help you, after I wrote that article, and you must have been so sad..."
"Where is he?"
Sayu smiles, as if relieved she can be helpful after all. "Do you know it? The town he was born in.."
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