The first thing he noticed about the apartment was the stench. 

The whole place reeked of alcohol, blood and tobacco. It was a thick, steamy stench – sickly sweet and rotten at the same time. It made Taehyung want to puke. 

How could Jungkook live in a place like this? What the devil did he do here all day long?

The lights were all out. The windows were barred with decayed wooden planks out of which thin rays of sunlight snaked inside, their colour an alien yellow. Every step, every touch raised a sick cloud of dust. Wet grey paint peeled off the colourless walls.

It was all silent – and very warm. It was suffocating. 

How long had it been since someone opened a window in here? 

It looked like something out of a horror movie, something ideal for a murder scene. It was as if no one had ever lived, as if it had been abandoned for decades. 

Taehyung didn't realize he had started to sweat.

He closed the door behind him, taking another step forward, a little cautiously. His backpack hung loosely over his shoulders.

"Uh... Jungkook? Jungkook, I'm here."

It was creepy, the way his voice echoed endlessly before fading into a void. Taehyung swallowed the rising gulp and tried again.

"Jungkook? Are you home?"

The echoes of his own voice scared him, though he didn't really know why. Was it the emptiness that scared him or was it the suffocated, alienated environment?

Taehyung felt a drop of sweat on his nose. 

It was so silent, he could now hear his breath rasping like he was running a marathon. He suddenly felt very hot inside his jacket. 

He swallowed again. 

His mind raced – what had Jungkook said? Jungkook had told him to stay put till he arrived.

I may not be home, he had said, so just wait for me.

Taehyung calmed himself. Jungkook would be home anytime now. He was making himself scared for no reason – this all was the sole side effect of reading too many thrillers.

Maybe he should just sit down. 

Maintaining his quaky breaths, Taehyung looked around for a couch. 

There was no proper furniture he could see. It seemed as if everything had toppled and turned over during an earthquake. 

He could only see messy lumps here and there – and, yes, he saw a toppled chair.

He approached it – and stopped. Why did it glisten that way? 

Something told Taehyung it was something worse than water. Against his own judgement, Taehyung took another step forward.

The alien yellow sunlight made eerie sparkles appear all over the chair. A heavy stench struck Taehyung and he gagged. 

He stopped right in front of the chair, just as something crushed under his shoe.

Glass. 

Taehyung couldn't keep his legs from shaking.

Glass shards. Green glass all over the floor. Green glass all over the chair. Thin puddles of yellow alcohol doused the chair, snaking into a stinking shallow pool near his feet. Someone had clearly smashed a few whiskey bottles on the chair.

Taehyung whimpered. His legs trembled even harder.

Where the hell was Jungkook? 

And who did Jungkook share his apartment with? 

This couldn't be Jungkook's doing – or was it? Taehyung's brain didn't know what to think. He only prayed that Jungkook should show up right now and tell him this was just a huge prank to freak him out.

Taehyung looked over to the side. A door was ajar. Beyond it, he could see the darkness inside.

He shouldn't go inside. He knew he shouldn't go inside, but curiosity was meant to kill the cat and, with slow, trembling steps, Taehyung went towards the room. 

The sound of wet glass crunching beneath his shoes filled the thick atmosphere.

This was a bad idea, he decided as he put his hand on the door, slowly pushing it. More of that same heavy, steamy stench. Sticky sweat streamed down his face, on his neck and inside his shirt.

"Jungkook?" he called, just on instinct. 

He knew no answer would come. Only his only echo answered back, as if leering evilly at him.

Taehyung felt dizzy. His heart drummed furiously against his ribcage. All his bones felt weak.

He squinted his eyes. He could make out odd shapeless lumps in the dark. 

With another step, he stepped in something wet – was it blood or alcohol? 

Taehyung sniffed and subsequently stiffened.

Blood.