Krist was still for a few minutes. His mind blank.
The only thing he was sure of was that he wanted to get out of that room as fast as he could.
But how...?
How could he do it ...?
His eyes began to roam the small room, noticing for the first time how some of his things didn't seem to be where he had left them.
His books were out of place and some of his photographs were missing. But the worst part in all of that was that, without a doubt, the drawer of one of his cabinets was ajar. A drawer where he had his underwear.
A few months ago, one of its screws had broken, making it possible to close it only by lifting the drawer a little and applying pressure with a hand. Something that, without a doubt, he used to do practically out of habit.
"And I'm sure I did it this morning ...", he said to himself as he paled even more than he already was because ... why the hell could anyone want to look into his underwear?
Only one type of person did something like that and ... the very idea was filling him with terror.
It was then that his eyes fell on his phone, which was on the nightstand next to his keychain.
Biting his lip, the young man stretched out his arm trying to move as little as possible. Finally, when his fingers touched the cool device, a slight smile appeared on his lips. Smile that got frozen as soon as he began to hear a slight dragging noise under his bed.
Heart pounding in his chest, Krist took the device and, turning it on, held it to his left ear.
- "Hi Joss!" - he exclaimed aloud - "Is something wrong? I was not expecting your call .."
Krist waited a few seconds and, after verifying that the noise under his bed had stopped, continued speaking as if Joss really was on the other end of the phone. All this while trying to take, with his free hand, his keys .
- "Really ?! I wasn't expecting something like that ... But if you think it's necessary, I can go to the office right now. But tell me, what are the points that we need to check?"
Meanwhile, having finally been able to take his keys in his hands, he got up while making slight sounds with his mouth. Sounds he hoped would make whoever it was under his bed think he was still talking to Joss.
- "I understand ... it's certainly a problem ..." -he whispered while, as calmly as he could, he approached the door and left through it.
Seconds later, however, he dropped the mobile to the ground and then, slamming the door, locked it with one of the keys. All this while thanking all the gods, he could think off, for letting him rent an apartment with locks in all its doors.
- "I used to rent it to university students, so each of the rooms has a lock while the bathroom was shared as was the living room and the kitchen..." - the owner of the apartment had told him when he had gone to see it for the first time.
And now he certainly couldn't have been any happier with his decision to keep the locks and its keys in his key chain.
Krist sighed, feeling calmer when, unexpectedly, a strong hit caused the door to shake.
- "Kriiiist ..."
Unable to prevent a scream from escaping his lips, Krist took the mobile from the floor and began to run towards the door of the house.
A new blow reached his ears as he stepped out into the hall. Seconds later he had closed the main door of the apartment and ran for the stairs. It was only when he got to the street, stopped a taxi and ordered to be taken to Joss's house that he realized that he did not have his wallet with him ... that he was not even wearing a shirt nor his shoes.
Krist groaned as he stared at his fingers, completely pale on the vehicle's black mat.
- "Why?" - he murmured- "Why is this happening to me?"
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER...
- "Are you crazy?!" - Joss asked as he handed him a cup of steaming tea.
Krist grunted and, without saying anything else, raised the drink to his lips. Some of the liquid, however, fell on his pants because of how much his hands were shaking.
- "You can't go back to that house!" - growled, meanwhile, his friend. All this while still pacing the room like a caged animal.
- "But all my things are there. I ..."
Joss looked at him with such an expression on his face that Krist could only shut up and look down at the mug that was in his hands.
- "Tomorrow I will go to your house with some of the company guards and we will collect everything you need ... now the important thing is to go to the police and report this."
Krist bit his lower lip, then nodded wearily.
Now that everything had passed, he was beginning to feel exhausted ... as if a great weight had suddenly been placed on his shoulders. A brief yawn left his mouth, causing Joss to stop in the middle of his walk to stare at him.
- "Go and rest in the room ..."
Krist shook his head as a second yawn escaped his chapped lips.
Joss sighed and, moving closer to him, took his hand and pulled his to his feet.
- "Rest for a while. I'll take a shower and get dressed then I'll go with you to the police station..." - he whispered as he began to pull the boy towards one of his guest rooms.
---------------------------------
Joss sighed while watching the policeman that, with a calm expression on his face, was talking on the phone with one of the detectives who had gone to his friend's house. For a few seconds he wished he could yell at the man, demand for him to stop smiling and focus on whatever it was they were saying to him from the other end of the line. Yet he kept quiet, waiting patiently next to Krist who, from the way he moved in his chair, was already nervous enough for both of them.
- "Calm down ..." - he whispered to his friend as he placed a hand on the young man's.
Krist looked at him with a grateful expression on his face that, unfortunately, disappeared as soon as he saw the policeman turning towards them with a serious expression on his face.
- "I see .. ok ..."
Joss swallowed hard while Krist just began to pale until he was as white as the paper that was on the table.
- "I'm afraid I don't have good news for you ..." - the policeman finally told them - "the person who entered into your house took some of your belongings ..."
- "Money?" - Krist asked in a hopeful voice
Yet the man shook his head.
- "All your money and jewelry are in the house ... there are some photos of you missing and several items of clothing ... well ... some underwear."
Krist's skin turned slightly green, causing Joss to clench his hand trying to give him strength.
- "Besides ... I'm afraid that no door has been forced so that person must have the keys to your house..." - the policeman continued after a few seconds of silence - "and ... well ... he has left a message ... "
Joss, like Krist, looked down at the paper that had just been put in front of him. A couple of sentences had been scrawled there that made Krist nearly pass out at the police station...
REMEMBER YOU ARE MINE!
I WILL RETURN AND THEN WE WILL NOT SEPARATE AGAIN, I SWEAR..
- "We will find him, don't worry ..." - the policeman muttered - "but in the meantime, try not to be alone... remember that we don't know who he is ... that in reality, it can be anyone"
Krist shook his head as, in a shaky voice, he began to tell the man everything he knew about Mr. Park and his obssesion with him.
As Krist answered the policeman's questions, Joss got up with the excuse of going to the bathroom. However, as soon as he left the room, he dialed a number and waited patiently for an answer.
- "Hello bro ... something has come up and ... I'd like to ask you a favor ..."