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He was unable to sleep no matter how desperately he tried, or how many he counted cows in his head. Thoughts of the week's events was overwhelming him and wouldn't leave him alone to get some sleep. He couldn't stop remembering the news of Niki turning up alive that made him catch his breath or the look in his mom's face when she heard the son of their neighbor is one of the killers. He was getting afraid when the image of his friend, K entered his mind.

He sat up quickly where he lay, the top of his blanket brushing against his feet as he did so. He bit his lip debating whether or not he should attend the memorial parade to inspect how would people show their mourning for the victims. His motive for coming there after all was to join, and make sure EJ will be remembered by those who barely knew him.

The sky was gloomy and the air was crisp as it bites quite cold to his skin as he reached the main square of the town that morning and black satin ribbons were tied around every telephone pole on the streets as they fluttered in the wind. The marching band from school led by Taeyong and Jaeho is taking a last warm up at the parking lot of funeral place. Brass instruments hummed and bass drums boomed the tune of the deads.

Cops were patrolling every spaces where they can see the students is waiting for their teachers to line them up. The quaint thoroughfare was packed with county locals, vibrating with fury and injustice, as well as every news-media outlet that had raced to this town to broadcast it worldwide.

The memorial was supposed to be a dignified remembrance of the victims, but even Hanbin could see that wasn’t exactly what was happening. Their mayor have gotten his wish for his publicity at the next election and he was up there in a makeshift stage before the gates of the school. Mayor J.Y Park is now shouting declarations to the masses;

"After this is all over, the school will be built a monument for each student who died unjustly!"

The stupid parents along some naive elders riled him up by cheering him on with the exception of the youth looking around warily - like if they so much takes a wrong move, they might as well is asking for everyone to die.

"This weekend, our teachers will hold a fundraiser, so that we can help the families of the victims!"

More useless cheers could be heard, and Hanbin was right to think of how ridiculous this all sounds like, it made him think back to how K and Niki will certainly work a prank to humiliate the big-headed mayor who is using the serial killers for his own gain.

"And tommorow night, the President will be sending us help to have more chances to find the killers!"

Every member of the youth detested the Mayor. He never held that much interest in promoting their town unless is to join the senators in seminar out of the country or to golf around the clubhouse of the riches, trying to whistle his way around to the top. Today, he sounded more wayward than respectful, and his audience sounded more aggressive than supportive.

The whole town was seething with outrage as their fear reached its boiling point, and only a few brave ones managed to penerated the front.

When Hanbin reached the edge of the crowd, running his hand over the prickling hair of his arms that was starting to raise as his guts is in alarm state unnaturally. He wondered if this was telling him something bad is going to happen. There was a ghostly atmostphere that hung around the people, as though there were untold secrets and graves buried in the ground beneath their feets.

Every conversation was about the two killers, the public still oblivious it was in fact, four in total. Near to Hanbin, a middle-aged woman spoke loudly to whoever was listening to her. "Did you see the boy's picture smiling at the butcher shop of his brother?"

"What about the girl actually having a father for a soldier?", a balding man said as a reply.

"You know what happens in the military nowadays", a conspiratorial man butted in, and flicked his fingers to get their attention. "Anyone who has seen too many wars is not right in their mind anymore when they returned home"

Slowly, breathing heavily, Hanbin wandered down to the front of a thrift store, feeling more comfortable out of the noisy crowd. The wind blew a fresh breeze around him, rustling some trash in the dusty ground, causing to make a slight crinkling noise.

The peculiar feeling that someone was watching him made him uneasy, and he cast a quick glance around him where he saw nothing unusual - just the same crowd and some owner locking their shops to join the parade, and heard nothing but the speculations of the majority and the sound of his own heavy breath.

Years ago, he and Sungchul started living next to each other's house. Like most children who happen to be neighbors, that also made them friends. They played together, watched movies and even go to the same school every year as they grow up. He remembered Sungchul as a quiet kid prone to let his anger takes over him from time to time. He could held it for long until he couldn't anymore. Until he snapped.

Admittedly, Hanbin tried to help him back then. He always told it to Sungchul's mother, but his words of a child were usually falling into deaf ears. He'd never forget the day when he had hidden the clown toy of Sungchul as a joke, something he’d done a dozen times before, and Sungchul flew into him the next day in the playground and shoved him to the ground in front of everyone.

The fall broke Hanbin's arm, but that wasn’t what had scared him. It was the unbridled rage on Sungchul’s face.

At the time, Hanbin shook it off as Sungchul being only a kid. Kid will always be up to any kind of naughtiness  But deep down, it unsettled him that Sungchul had appeared from seemingly out of nowhere. He must have been hiding in the bushes. He’d been waiting.

But the pull of their adolescent years is what broke them apart. Hanbin finds a new friendship in K's clique even though the three boys were usually followed by bad rumors and Sungchul went to Jimin, they had been the best of friends for years, that's why everybody in school was shook he is the killer.

The phrase of even your friends can attack you in the back was proving true especially when Lyra is revealed.

On the stage, his attention was taken away by Mayor J.Y Park to make way for Pastor Kim, who then introduced his son, Taeyong. They were probably the most known family to be religious and it basically didn't save the son from the jokes of he will die a virgin as his twin who had gone to Rome to pursue being a priest.

Taeyong is another classmate of Sungchul. He belongs to his circle of friends as well and Hanbin find it sad for him to talk about Jimin in front of this many people, "I may not know the other victims well enough, but Chu Jimin, my own friend and a bestfriend to the killer is not deserving of this injustice. In memory of them, let us be the day to mourn them, to call for the justice!"

Suddenly, from the complete opposite to where he was standing, a rustle somewhere nearby startled Hanbin as he took a step back from the direction of the noise, grasping onto the pull of the crowd before him - his eyes wide as he looked around anxiously.

His gaze roamed until it settled on a very familiar pretty girl - a very familiar pretty girl who was heading straight toward him. Behind her, a friend of his is a few steps away from him, his expression is the grimmest he'd ever seen him.

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In the same morning, at the same hour, Kim Taeyong stepped off the stage as quiet as he could in respect for the dead. He strolled to the edge of the crowd, observing them for a short while and then as his father leads them to a closing prayer, he turned to leave for the band.

They will be the front of the Memorial Parade before the truck displaying the tarpaulin of Choi Seon, Chu Jimin and Byung Euijoong, and then they would march up from the School to the memorial of flowers and cards in the cemetery. Every students would be holding a candle. Those who joins at the last minute is going to handle the white balloons.

Someone with big sum of money donated them all, along the massive stereo in the truck, and Taeyong heard from his father it is given at the last minute yesterday night. Like it was rushed. More like, this someone thought it would be a good distraction for everyone to focus on their grave faces while holding it in front of the hovering cameras.

Taeyong didn't understood this, even the Memorial Parade was something he was questioning with his friends throughout all their practices. To say the least, Dalton wasn't really the place to stay forever, so once he graduated out of highschool, he'll be one of the first to leave.

He gave a half smile to his bandmates when they started to tell him his instrument were on the storage room of this thrift store owned by their instructor. He hurried into the back door, receiving many advises to make it quick and he was changing into their uniform when he realized his white gloves is missing.

He run back to the last line of the band outside and asked, "Guys, have you seen my gloves?!"

"Look for it now. Be quick, you were in the front line, Taeyong", Youngbin tells him, his face getting red at the thought of delaying the parade.

Taeyong asked the others yet they couldn't be bothered anymore as they all run for the starting lines and when he comes to the instructor, he was scolded. "Go find it now. Maybe it's in the front of the store. Do not embarass our mayor with this, Taeyong"

"Alright, Ma'am. I'm sorry", he says before offering a bow and remembers how he was practicing his speech inside the closed store earlier where Jaeho is playing around.

He must have left it on the counter when he was rushed again at the time he was needed on stage. "Better hurry now", the instructor reminded him.

As he headed again for the back door, one of the majorettes dashed over to him, her face is now covered in make up. "We're lining up now. If you still hadn't found it, you can go play without it", she said.

"My father will kill me if I was the only one not wearing it", Taeyong replied, and the majorette girl blanched, she knew his father like the other devoted catholics is strict.

"Right. But please make it fast, all of our bandmates is waiting for you out there now", she told him softly as she stalked away, but not before saying this creepily. "Be careful, Taeyong"

He eyed her cautiously, getting uncomfortable at the mantra the youth of Dalton had now used to telling each other as a sort of goodbye before they separated. That was all they could seem to do. It was like every second they were expecting the friends they will leave for home is going to be the next victim. For the first time, Taeyong thought of how ridiculous the idea is when it seems obvious Sungchul and Lyra is desperate on going after Y/N and K.

With that so assured contemplation in his mind, Taeyong shakes his head and burst back inside the thrift store.

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Hanbin doesn't know where to stare at first. Should he look at the pretty face of Violet or to the shadow of the black leather jacket behind her? He may have been wrong, but he thought the shadow looked like Jay and his gaze found ground once more when a candle was offered to him.

Slowly, he looked away from the shadow and Violet Larsson was standing in front of him. "Will you join the parade?", she was asking.

He tried to concentrate, but he was looking for a danger and she was pretty. Violet Larsson is your normal popular highschool student. She stand as tall like K and a long blond hair that always made her look like an angel. She was different from the other popular girls who have a beauty but no brain. And Violet was nice to everyone, and everyone liked her back. It's the same reason why she got to be the student president council after Seon is gone.

She was talking again. "I can't imagine what it must be like --", she didn't get to finish her sentence when a man had bumped to her, managing to spill his fruity blue shake on her shirt.

"Sorry!", the man says as he bowed repeatedly. He was looking frighteningly thin and he wore a huge eyeglasses. "I wasn't looking to where I was going. Sorry!"

Violet's cheek flushed as her white shirt is now wet. "It's okay. You don't have to worry", she says, removing the remaining ice away from her chest.

The man tried to brush it off, but Hanbin stop him as it was obvious his touch were hurting the girl and he backed off, looking more chagrined. For some reason, Hanbin find the fruity shake was a wrong flavor and as he sniffed it more, he couldn't help but get a feel of slight dizziness.

He watched him walk away, contemplating whether or not he should go after him. He couldn't even begin to understand what he had just smelled, and he had no idea what he could say to Violet, so he let her go back to the task of handing candles to their other classmates and only for her to find it empty now.

Violet looks down at her box and smiled. "I need to get home now. You should be careful, Hanbin", she says, turning to go, and she was stopped by him.

"Do you need a ride? I can call for the taxi, so you would be sure you were not alone waiting", Hanbin offered, and the only response he received was another smile.

He was willing to say anything just to rid his mind of the thoughts of any serial killer. Violet regarded him, her eyes bright as they swept over his anxious face before she says, "Thanks, but I wouldn't want to be a burden. You have enough worries as it is"

In the distance, they both perked up at the start of the parade and at the first signs of the students now slowly sharing lighters to lit their candles.

"I have to to go now. My brothers are waiting for me at home", Violet said lightly as she hugged the box in her chest. She prodded for Hanbin to join the parade. "My house is near. I can walk there by myself. You should start joining them now"

As she walked away, Hanbin thought of how she should've been more careful than him. He was part of the crowd in the moment, she'll be leaving it alone and expose for anyone to go after her. Cautiously, he steped back to the front of a bridal store and closed his eyes.

His head swam, the effect of whatever is mixed in the fruity shake is taking over him. The drum line began to play in the band, and his eyes popped back open, paranoid that he was about to see Sungchul - that he was about to attack Violet and him - when he caught a flash of camouflage in a window across the street.

He glanced wildly around if anyone else had seen it, but everybody was looking in full attention at the parade and they were now moving in a slow procession. He opens them and stared hard at the thrift store's dark windows.

Nothing. There was nothing there, and Hanbin was certain it was probably his paranoia playing against his sanity.

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Nothing. There was nothing there as Taeyong retraced all the spaces where he tried to recall as to what place he could of have left his white gloves. Wherever it had fallen, it no longer mattered. The drum cadence had begun. The sharp rap of the snare reverberated off the thin walls of the empty store. The band was on the move and he wasn't still out there in the line.

Have they forgotten about him? What will be the reaction of his dad?, he forced himself not to think about it too much. Forget it, Taeyong. This isn't about you.

He kept the thought sharp in her mind as he left the front area of the store, concentrating hard as he whispered over and over to his mind the apologies he needs to say, when a sudden noise told him he had a company inside the thrift store.

All was silent as he hurried past the door to the employee's space as his eyes looked around wildly, praying that it was only a rat scurrying away for its hole and he almost smiled as he finally reached the exit.

"You aren’t supposed to be here", It was the first coherent thought that Taeyong could complete.

He found it increasingly difficult to not panic. In his only way as exit, a hooded figure is standing and he was using a white gloves in his hands, holding a knife.

And then, suddenly, it was exactly about him.

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