"please....ahhh!" his body jerked forward and he panted heavily, his hair dripping sweat on the concrete. he chokes a sob of pain while continuing to fight against the chains. his body no longer feels like his own, not that it ever has. but it's different this time, because he had a taste of the freedom he longed for all of his life, and for some reason, it's a lot more devastating to get ripped off of it for the second time.
was it such a impossible request to let him live peacefully?
a hand on his shoulder stops him from shaking and moving frantically around. his ear perks up in an attempt to pick up the sounds around him. the hand pushed his body down and presses on the wound he had got when the motel's ceiling fell on his back while trying to shield Taehyun from the debris.
"there, there.... calm down now." the voice said, and the tone shakes Kai to his core. it's taunting and playful, but the horror and anger is present. the psychotic voice echoes in his mind and his body freezes in it's place.
"we haven't even started yet." the deep voice says and Kai's afraid to release the breath he's holding in his already aching lungs. his head's raise up and bent back by force, the sudden movement makes his neck snap uncomfortably. a rough hand is tangled in his sweaty locks and it tugs on his hairs enough to rip a few strands.
Kai bites his lower lip to stop from yelping in fear while his body trembles uncontrollably. a few of the tears that brimmed in his eyes fall and roll down his cheeks while he lets out a silent whimper of agony.
the hand's grip loosens and kai's head drops down unprompted.
his fists clench when he hears the sound of the electric stick tapping the ground, first it comes from afar but now the tapping's a few centimeters from his body, and he knows it's a sign for what's about to come.
"what were the three rules 001?" the taunting voice asks him and his body tries the best it can to back away from where it comes from.
Kai shakes his head, a few tears drop at that and stain his already dirt stained pants. they're torn and his knees are bare on the harsh surface. he feels the blood drops running from his abused wrists on the way down his shoulders and armpits, mixing on their way with the layer of cold sweat covering most of his body.
he's sent stumbling forward when the boss swings the metal stick and hammers it in both of Kai's legs. causing the boy to lose his balance and fall forward with his whole weight supported by his shoulders.
"Ahhh!" Kai screams from the shock of the impact. his injured shoulder can no longer take the pressure and it snaps out of it's place, causing a excruciating strain in his upper back and arms. his legs scramble on the ground to try and regain their stability on the floor and one of them drag behind slower than it should, suggesting it had shattered.
the metal stick's tip goes under his chin and raises his drowsy head.
"I asked you a question, don't make me mad than I already am. what were the three rules?"
Kai's breath became erratic and he could no longer control his sobs for mercy. everything in his body screamed at the man to stop but he knew nothing he'll say will ever buy his forgiveness.
"d-don't... don't t-take off.." he tries speaking but his throat gives up on him and he coughs dryly. dread spreads in his body when a few drops of blood spurt out of his mouth and down his chin.
"speak up" the voice demands and a few taps come through the concrete as warning.
Kai spits the remains of the crimson liquid and his tears continue flowing in rapid speed, soaking the blindfold wet a while ago. his whole body tenses when he waits for another hit to come, and he knows if he doesn't get his shit together and fast, the pain's just going to get more intense. but the fear growing in his stomach is too overwhelming for him to think clearly.
his body sways back and forth while his hands grip on the chains for some some of stability so that he stops moving around and potentially hurt on his shoulder.
"don't take o-off.. y-your b-blindfold" he struggles to voice under his choked tears and scratchy throat. "n-never..never..ugh!.." he stops when a wave of pain flares from his legs. he bites his lower lip to stop from sobbing out loud. he exhales shakily when the tapping becomes more impatient. time's running out.
"never t-try to es...escape.." he barely manages to finish that sentence without wailing in pain. but he goes on regardless of how worn out his body feels. it's too much for him to handle.
"don't fa..hmmm" he suppresses a yelp "don't fall aslee-"
"time's up." the boss says with a frown before taking the second hit under the young boy's chest, slamming the metal right above his ribs. knocking the air out of Kai's lungs causing him to cough more violently this time. blood spewing out of the boy's mouth and straight onto the floor. "should've been faster".
"please..." Kai begs when the tapping resumes. his lungs burn and his stomach flips in it's place. the tapping fastens and at once, it stops, and Kai's readies himself for a third hit. flinching as far back as the chains allow him.
it doesn't stop the metal from colliding into his body, it makes contact with his stomach, and he folds in half before his body jerks forward and he empties the contents of his stomach onto the floor.
the vomiting continues until he no longer has nothing left inside.
the exhaustion wins and he gives up on trying to save his other shoulder as he he let's his body fall forward, hanging solely on his hands that are no longer gripping the chains but letting themself get cut by the cuffs.
his mind's swims in a haze, and he feels the consciousness slipping from him slowly, but he has to stay awake, no matter what. The sounds mix up in a fog and he can hear screaming in the distance, but his tired mind does not care to figure out who they belong to. it's almost as if he's entering automat mode when he feels himself dig into his palm with his nails, a habit he developed whenever he felt the fatigue taking over him.
he digs deeper and deeper, hanging on his awareness by a thin thread. he can't fall asleep.
not anymore.
.................
"why would they separate Hyunnie from us?" Yeonjun dared to ask, but it seemed like both Beomgyu and Soobin were as lost as him.
"did they even take him?" Beomgyu tried to remember exactly what happened back outside of the motel. but everything after they shot Soobin is blurry. just the thought of Taehyun being left alone somewhere in the forest in the middle of nowhere brought a sense of uneasiness in the air.
Yeonjun shook his head in certainty. a disagreeing look on his face.
"no, I saw them loading Taehyun on the other car, the same one you were in Binnie.." Yeonjun looked at Soobin with warm eyes. scared, but warm nonetheless.
Soobin nodded in understanding. his mind gears running non stop in hopes to restore some of the blurry memories. but everything's a daze from the second he felt the splitting pain in his stomach.
"and.. umm, Kai? is he.." Soobin couldn't bring himself to finish his question, his words hang in the air for a while waiting to be answered.
Yeonjun tapped his shoe on the ground to release some of the anxiousness that kept building up in his mind. he didn't have to hear the end of the question to know what Soobin was asking.
"he is.." the older answered, and the heavy feeling lingered when the memories of Kai being shocked back to life resurfaced. and he shakes his head in a lame attempt to shoo them away.
Beomgyu fiddled with the ends of his shirt, thinking of something to say to break the thick tension in the air. but it seemed as if all moral they managed to gather from the situation had evaporated. all three of them occupied with their own fond memories with the young boy.
"do you think we'll ever see him again?" Soobin asked, and the question lingered, yet again.
that's when the room lit up in a dim, cold tone light. their faces pale in disgust and horror as they take in their surrounding, and it takes a lot for three of them not to gag at the sight.
Soobin's seen a lot of grotesque things in his life.
but this is something you only see in nightmares.
and there's nothing they wanted more than to wake up.