Prologue

Something was wrong. They knew it. They could almost feel the atmosphere change in that long, frozen minute. If anyone were to ask what one thing they hoped to never see again, they would have pointed directly to the look on their best friend's eyes at that moment. It was as if time itself held its breath with them as they waited to see what would happen next. The phone was still to his ear, but they doubted he was still listening to the caller on the other end. Whoever it was had stopped him in his tracks, having wanted to step outside to take the call from the unknown number, but he hadn’t even gotten halfway to the door.

They had asked who it was when they first saw him pause, but after seeing the look in his eyes, the same look he had held those short few years ago, they themselves seemed to retreat further into the couch with silenced lips. The last thing they wanted was for the events of the past to replay themselves. Who the hell was it on the other end of that call?

Slowly, he dropped his phone to his side, arm seemingly going limp, unable to hold the device still echoing the words from the caller to his ear. He didn’t even look at his friends before squeezing through clenched teeth, “I’ve gotta go,” and heading out the door at a painfully normal pace. They looked at each other, both with a hint of worry and fear in their eyes.

“Maybe… he just needs to calm down?” the youngest said, hopefully.

The other glanced towards the door. “Maybe.”

***

With the setting of the sun, the room slowly began to darken, but he didn’t care, or at least didn’t seem to notice. He lay on the floor next to an upturned bedside table and a shattered lamp. The bed was crooked on its frame and the headboard was cracked. Three fist sized holes graced the far wall opposite the closed bedroom door. Pissed was too light a word to describe what he was feeling at this point. A fire he hadn’t felt in years seemed to reignite in his chest and burned so deep that it didn’t feel like it could be put out so easily this time around.

The soft beeping of the electric lock drifted to him, signaling someone entering the apartment. He sat up quickly, listening as the entrance door opened and closed while someone fiddled around with plastic bags.

“Woosuk?” a female voice called out cautiously. He quickly stood and pressed his back to the wall close to the bedroom door, bracing himself for the girl to walk through the door.

When the door slowly creaked open and the girl took a step into the room, he quickly grabbed her and threw her body hard against the wall, his arm at her throat pushing hard against her windpipes.

She tried to push him off of her but as she looked in his eyes, she paused, sensing something was wrong.

“Ah,” he laughed. “Right. You're his girl.”

Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried again to push him off of her. “Woosuk, please…,” she squeezed out.

He let her go at that, only to bring the flat of his hand down hard across her left cheek, sending her collapsing to the floor, tears heavy in her eyes as she gasped for air.

“Get this straight,” he crouched down and leaned over her. “If you ever call me by that weak bitch’s name again, I will kill you.” He grabbed a fist full of her hair from the top of her head and pulled her up just enough to be at eye level with him. “My name is King. Remember it.”