Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 134. Exhausted

After not eating nor drinking for two days, Misha didn't have much energy left, his body void of strength. In addition, the bruises hadn't faded and were as painful as ever, making every movement something akin to torture. Even so, Misha was unable to stay still. Waiting while doing nothing was equally agonizing, so he might as well try his luck.

***

"This place is too damn huge," Stephan grunted, his hands resting on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "How the fuck are we supposed to find them?! We've been running around for half a day already, and we found nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

"Complaining won't help, so shut up and keep searching," was Gabriel's answer.

"Oh please, I need a breather!"

"Take it on your own then."

"What? Wait—wait a second! Shit, don't leave me behind!"

While Stephan was pleading for him to slow down, Gabriel made his way to the next building. All he had in mind was to hurry up and bring Misha and his brothers home. Whatever complaints his friend had could wait.

However, Stephan's laments had truth in them: the abandoned industrial park was indeed immense, so vast that the decaying buildings seemed to stretch into the horizon. And to make matters worse, the kidnappers didn't give them much information about the exact location of the hostages, only telling them that they were held in one of the disinfected factories—which were numerous.

"I still can't believe your father didn't bring more people," Stephan growled in a low tone, closely following behind Gabriel. "I know he doesn't want to draw attention, but for fuck's sake! Ten people are not enough! It makes you wonder whether he truly wants to find his sons or is secretly wishing for their deaths."

"It's already good that Matthew brought a search party with him at all. If we hadn't overheard his conversation on the phone earlier, you know he'd have left without telling us anything."

Stephan clenched his jaw, thinking this was ridiculous, just plain absurd. But he didn't comment any further, knowing it was pointless. Some people simply weren't right in their heads, and nothing could change them.

.

.

After rushing to the location given by the ringleader a few hours ago, the group separated into teams of two and scattered throughout the industrial park, each taking an area for themselves. Gabriel and Stephan were in charge of the southeast, while Angela and Matthew went northwest.

They had been searching for hours, yet they still hadn't found anything—no trace was left whatsoever. It was as if ghosts were behind the kidnapping, and it got on Gabriel's nerves; he knew his brothers and Misha were close by but could not find them. No matter how many buildings they turned upside down, all that he saw were empty rooms. It was excruciating.

Where were they?

When are we going to find them?

Will we even find them?

Uncertainties and fears were starting to creep up on him. Gabriel had always been more of a pessimist than an optimist, and the situation was taking its toll on his mind, slowly driving him crazy. He had to find them, and fast.

Before long, the sun began to set, coloring the sky red. The incoming darkness would make it harder and more dangerous to comb through the decaying buildings; some floors were barely hanging on, covered in holes, and most were littered with planks of wood and rusty pipes—it was a landmine of debris. In the dark, it would be risky to venture into such places.

"Let's start with the basement," Gabriel said after entering another weathered building, his eyes falling upon the stairs. So what if it was growing dark? He wouldn't stop searching until he found them. He could always illuminate the area with his cell phone if it came to it.

Not waiting for Stephan's answer, Gabriel carefully ventured downstairs. Every step he took resounded far and wide, echoing in a rhythmic pace. Stephan's footsteps soon accompanied his, the man following along in silence.

They quickly reached the end of the stairs. What then lay before their eyes was a neat room with, in the center, a stainless steel table and a few plastic chairs. There were no rubbles in sight—it seemed like someone had recently swept the concrete floor and dusted off the place.

But what ultimately caught Gabriel's eye was the blue hood left in a corner, spots of blood visibly staining it. Deep down, he already knew whose blood it was.

However, faint banging sounds echoed throughout the room before he could take a closer look. Stephan and Gabriel shared a look, then tacitly hurried toward the noise, walking through a long corridor that led to a sturdy-looking door. A key was left in the doorknob lock.

Gabriel didn't hesitate a second before turning it, unlocking the door.

As soon as it was open, a teenager fell into his arms, his head knocking against his chest. Gabriel instinctively caught him and lowered his eyes. His gaze thus met with Misha's.

"What the heck took you so long?"

"Sorry, we got lost on our way."

"Hm, whatever. Just bring Jake to the hospital asap, he's burning up with a fever. And feed Tristan. He hasn't eaten anything for far too long, and—"

"I will," Gabriel interrupted in a soothing voice, kissing the top of Misha's head, not minding the dirty hair nor the terrible smell. "Now, leave everything to me and rest. I'll take care of my brothers."

As if reassured by the words, Misha responded with an unclear "hm" before closing his eyes and fainting. His body grew limb in Gabriel's embrace, his breathing evening. Ah, God, he was so, so exhausted.

___________________

Edited by Clozed!

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