Journey's End (Chapter 2)
Title: Journey’s End
Pairings: Yunjae as a main, but there will also be: JaeChun, HoMin, Minsu and maybe some Yoosu.
Rating: PG to NC-17
Genre: Adventure, angst, romance, drama
WARNINGS: This story will contain adult themes such as sex between two men as well as violence, gore and nonconsensual sex.
He’s drowning. Falling into a black pit that seems to have no end.
Water invades his body, choking him. Pulling him under.
It’s over. Everything is slowly fading into blackness and he can feel the life slowly draining out of him. His soul pressed out by the water flooding into him.
Nothing.
=-----------------------=
Yunho jerks awake with a start, his throat on fire as he turns and coughs up large amounts of salty water onto the beach.
Beach?
Land?
Yunho sits up slightly, startling a rather large looking bird that was sitting close by. The lanky animals squawks its disappointment at finding Yunho alive before it hopes down the beach, wings fluttering.
Yunho sits up, coughs still wracking his frame. His eyes and nose burn and he’s overwhelmed for a moment, his mind totally focused on purging the salty water from his lungs.
The murky water washes across the shore, pushing up over his ankles and legs. He shivers and moves onto his hands and knees, head hanging slightly as he fights to regain his composure.
He can feel the panic nipping at the back of his mind, but it comes second to the confusion that’s wreaking havoc on him.
Where is he? What happened?
All his fuzzy brain can remember is a black sheet of water moving towards the boat. He remembers screams of terror and then he remembers falling. It all feels so far off as if it had just been some dream that was beginning to fade into obscurity.
Yunho pushes himself to his knees and squints at the bright sunlight that burns his eyes. He’s on a beach, sandy shore stretching out as far as he can see in either direction. Further up on the shore, a line of trees begins, thick and alive…almost rich looking.
He swallows, wincing at the raw protest from his abused throat. Nothing looks familiar. Everything is foreign.
He’s about to stand on weak legs when he catches sight of a form sitting in the sand about forty feet away. It looks like a person sitting on his knees, body facing towards the vast expanse of ocean.
Yunho stands, swaying on spot for a moment before he peels off his sopping jacket and lets it fall carelessly to the sand. He doesn’t know how it happens, but his legs are moving despite the heavy feeling resting in his thighs. He stumbles a few times, shoes feeling twenty pounds heavier due to the water.
“Hello?” His voice is rough and comes out sounding as if he hasn’t used it for days. How long has it been?
The figure on the beach remains unmoving, not even shifting when the water laps around his knees.
“Hey, you.” Yunho tries again, stopping about four feet away from the figure.
The figure still sits unmoving, eyes staring blankly out to the horizon. He’s not even blinking.
His hair is completely white and hangs just above his shoulders. Even the stubble on his face is snowy white.
He’s not wearing a shirt, showing a plane of well sculpted muscles along his arms and abdomen. Definitely not weak.
“Are you…” Yunho trails off, not really sure of what he wants to ask. Is he even alive? Who is he? Where are they? He feels nearly overwhelmed from the force of his confusion.
He reaches out his hand, water still beading on his skin, and touches the figure’s shoulder.
Nothing.
“Where are we?” He breathes as he drops to his knees, hand now pushing on the male’s shoulder slightly.
The man doesn’t shift at all, despite the pressure Yunho is applying to his body. In fact, it probably would have done Yunho more good to push against a brick wall.
“Answer me, damn it!” Yunho growls, feeling the sting of being ignored. He doesn’t even care if the figure turns out to be an inanimate object. He needs to get angry at something; he wants to explode and let all of his anger and frustration out.
The figure remains unmoving.
“I told you to fucking answer me!” Yunho yells, fists clenching at his side. He’s never been one for strong language, but he can’t keep it back anymore. He’s just grasping the reality of his situation. He’d been tossed overboard and washed up on some distant shore. He’s angry.
When the figure still doesn’t respond, Yunho pulls back his fist and sends it flying into the side of the man’s face.
“Ah, fucking SHIT!” Yunho howls, clutching his throbbing hand to his chest. His punch had done nothing but hurt his hand. The man remains unchanged, as if Yunho’s punch is akin to the brush of a feather against his face.
Yunho doubles over slightly, clutching his hand to his chest and closing his eyes. The pain washes over his hand, coiling up his arm and turning the skin on his knuckles a bright red.
A moment passes.
Yunho glances up.
The man’s head has turned to face him, black eyes suddenly alive with something dangerous. He remains perfectly still, the only part of his body that has moved is his head.
“Who are you?” Yunho breathes, finding it suddenly hard to pull air into this lungs. That gaze catches him; holds him like a weak animal looking into the eyes of a monster.
A long moment passes in which the figure remains perfectly still; however, Yunho soon notices the crease of the skin along the male’s cheeks. He’s smirking.
“I am the hunter and you are the prey.” His voice is low and rumbles deep in his chest, mismatching his almost angelic appearance.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Yunho breaths, his confusion only growing at the male’s odd statement.
“Run.” He whispers.
Yunho doesn’t know what pushes him to do it, but in a few short seconds he’s fumbled his way into standing and is racing down the shore. He can’t explain the panic eating away at his body; can’t explain why that simple word had been enough to put him on the edge of hysterical fear.
He can’t hear the sound of footfall behind him, giving him the slightest hope that he is outpacing the man.
Just as he feels hope beginning to build in his chest, he barrels into a solid object, the air fleeing his lungs as he crashes to the hot sand beneath him.
His eyes are open wide in panic as he regains himself only to find the figure looming over him, black eyes alive with an evil smile.
“It’s almost not even worth my time.” He states in a lazy manner, watching with apparent amusement as Yunho goes scrambling backwards.
“W-What do you want?” Yunho stammers, unable to pull his gaze away from the towing form above him. The man radiates an air of evil, his pale skin seems saturated with it and his eyes seem to be consumed by it.
“I wanted you to run, but that didn’t work out too well. So I guess I’ll just take you.” His voice is almost lazy as he follows after Yunho with carefully measured footsteps.
“T-Take me? Take me where?” Yunho breaths, voice trembling as his arms grow tired from the strain of pushing himself across the beach.
“To the slave market.” A wolfish smile breaks out across his face for a split-second before he darts forward and easily lifts Yunho off the ground with one hand.
Yunho lets out a shocked yell, the man moving so fast that Yunho fails to catch his motion. He only comprehends that the man as moved when he finds himself lifted in the air, the grip on his arm feeling strong enough to crush his bones.
“Wait!” Yunho yells, convulsing in the iron-grip around his arm. “You don’t have to do this!” He finds himself pleading, eyes stinging from a sudden surge of shocked tears.
“No I don’t, but that doesn’t change much.” The figure chuckles slightly, seeming completely nonchalant despite Yunho’s cries of terror.
He silences Yunho by suddenly darting towards the thick trees that lined the beach.
All Yunho can do is let out terrified yells as he finds himself speeding through the overgrown forest. He can hardly seen anything but green and brown blurs shooting in front of his eyes. How fast must the guy have been running to turn the scenery into nothing but a murky blend of forest life?
Yunho lets out a pained yell as his head makes contact with something solid. Within seconds, the fuzzy world begins to spin and he finds himself being pulled under by unconsciousness.
=-------------------------------=
“Where did you find him?”
“The same place I find all of our market.” The voice is snide and slightly condescending.
A pause.
“I found him on the beach.” The voice returns with a slightly more subdued edge.
“Do you think he’ll be able to make us anything on the market? Look at how scrawny he is.” A third voice joins the conversation, the tone smooth and seeming to flow like water through a streambed.
Yunho found himself slowly regaining consciousness, his ears registering conversation before he can muster the willpower to open his eyes.
Upon hearing the conversation going on around him, Yunho tells himself that he’s going to remain perfectly still.
“Of course he’ll make us a profit. There are plenty of out there who want a scrawny, defenseless slave.” The second voice returns, the tone registering to Yunho as the man who had been on the beach.
Despite his best efforts to remain still and quiet, the moment his body regains full consciousness, a harsh pain rips through his head and he gasps before he can even begin to stop himself.
The room goes silent around him for a moment and he can feel the burn of eyes on his body. He tried to remain still, hoping that they would just return to their conversation.
“His heart’s really going now.” The third voice chuckles smoothly, the sound of shoes against wood drawing closer to Yunho’s ear.
“I know you’re awake. So why don’t you stop pretending?”
Yunho feels a hand fist into his hair and a split-second later he’s jerked off the ground, eyes opening wide with shock at the new wave of pain.
He’s greeted by the sight of an elegant looking male.
“Don’t jerk all of his hair out, Rain.” The man from the beach warns, sounding slightly irritated. “We won’t get any money for him if he’s missing a huge patch of hair.”
“Relax, Marcus.” The one called Rain snarls back at the white-haired male. “I’ll do whatever I fucking please with him.”
Yunho is slightly shocked when the one called Marcus literally growls at Rain, taking a few threatening steps forward.
What the hell is going on?
“He’s mine, so put him down.” Marcus snarls as he reaches down and grabs Yunho’s arm in a firm grip, earning himself a pained yell from Yunho.
“Both of you shut-up and let him go. The market opens in ten minutes. Go get everything ready.” The voice comes from a man who is obviously the leader. He’s tall with a well-built body. His features are smooth and he holds a sort of debonair aura about him at all times.
The two men quickly stand and offer their leader deep bows, taking a moment to cast each other sharp glares from the corner of their eyes.
They reach the door at the same time, eyes narrowing and lips pulling back to reveal gleaming teeth.
“I was here first.” Marcus snaps darkly, trying to push his way in front of Rain.
“My rank is higher, mutt.”
“What did you just call me, you bastard?”
“Both of you get out right now, or you won’t get any of the profit from today’s sales.” The leaders growls in a low voice, eyes alive with a dangerous fire.
Both men are quieted once again, heads hanging slightly as they make their way out of the shack-like room.
“Who are you?” Yunho breathes into the silence, his head throbbing painfully at the simple exertion of speaking.
“Nobody that concerns you.” The man replies gruffly as he takes a seat behind a small table laden with papers and books.
“What are you?” Yunho dares to ask, his hands beginning to shake slightly as he begins to fully recall the moments when he’d been easily hefted into the air and sped through the forest. What kind of person could run that fast?
“An inquisitive mind is not always the best kind.” The male states in a dry voice, a hint of a threat carried under his offhanded tone.
Yunho falls silent and simple pushes himself into one of the corners of the small room. It’s highly dreary with dust and cobwebs collecting in the corners by the ceiling. The room is small and most of the space is occupied by the large table and chairs that surround it. There’s a stone firplace on the far right wall. A kettle hangs over the cinders, black depths empty.
Yunho stomach growls at the sight of the kettle, reminding him that he hasn’t eaten since…he can’t even remember. Everything seems so fuzzy and out of place, as if the happenings on the boat had just been a rather bad dream. So where dose that leave him? He glances back towards the male that’s bent over an open book. Where on earth was this place?
The ten minutes seemed to pass far too slowly for Yunho, his body tingling from the dread and anticipation. From what he gathered, it sounds as if they are planning to sell him as some kind of slave. His gut clenches at the thought.
A knock sounds on the old wooden door.
“Enter.” The male behind the desk calls, breaking the silence that had reigned over the room since the male’s last warning to Yunho.
“Everything’s up and ready to go, Dennis.” Rain peeks his head through the door, eyes flickering to Yunho with a dark smirk.
“Take him and put him with the rest.” The man by the name of Dennis orders easily, never glancing up to meet Rain’s gaze.
“My pleasure, Sir.” He intones smoothly as he pushes the door open and strides over to Yunho. “You gonna make this easy for me, or do I have to pick you up?” His voice is snide and condescending, as if he’s talking to a bratty three year-old.
“I’ll go on my own.” Yunho responds, his voice coming out as a low rasp due to the salt water that had burned his throat. His mouth feels dry and sticky, begging for the smallest drop of water.
He would have asked, had Rains face not been one of such conceited glory.
Pushing himself to his feet, Yunho fights back a wince as a new wave of pain pounds against his head.
Rain leads him out the door and onto a back-ally sort of place. The ground beneath him is made of nothing but compact dirt and the occasional brick imbedded in the ground.
He fallows after Rain, eventually breaking into a run in order to keep up with the male’s stride. How in the world is he moving so fast at a walk?
A take a complicated system of turns before Yunho catches sight of an open square with people bustling about in a preoccupied sort of manner.
“Where is this?” He questions, realizing that the tatty garb of the people around him is not of American decent.
“For you, it’s hell.” Rain chuckles as he reaches back and clamps his hand around Yunho’s upper-arm. “Try anything and I’ll use your bones as toothpicks tonight.” He snarls as he pushes Yunho through the crowd.
As if he’s got some kind of magic replant, everyone in the crowd parts to let him through, voices falling into low whispers and eyes darting towards the ground.
Their walk is not a long one and Yunho soon finds himself standing in front of a long row of cages. His stomach churns dangerously when he sees people locked in the cages. Their faces are worn and dirty, the young ones looking too far aged for their youth.
He’s dragged forward and pushed into an empty cage, his protests dying on his lips as the metal door clangs shut behind him.
There’s hardly enough room for him to stand in the metal contraption, so he opts for sitting down, metal bars digging into his body.
He can feel the panic begging to be released. He doesn’t know to do. Hell, he doesn’t even know where he is. If he has to guess a timeframe, he would pin it around medieval times. The general squalor of the people around him gives him the idea that he’s probably in a poorer part of town. One thing he does notice right away, is that the majority of the people are Asian. In fact, he could only count five, including Marcus, who were not of Asian decent. So maybe he was in an Asian country? He would have said Korea, considering that thus far, everyone had spoken to him in Korean, but Korea doesn’t look like this. At least, it didn’t when he was there so many years ago.
As time slowly slips by, people meander past his cage, some even taking the time to openly stop and stare at him. He tries not to fidget uncomfortably in those moments, but he’s never been that found of being stared at.
He watches as two women are sold to a large, greasy looking male. Yunho pities them for the fate they’re likely to face. It makes him wonder about his own fate. Who would buy him? He prayed fervently that it was someone who might be willing to let him go. If he could just get back on a boat heading to America, he would be set.
He knew in the back of his mind that those thoughts were pointless, but it kept his small flame of hope burning.
The rest of the day passed in much the same manner. Yunho found himself falling asleep on multiple occasions, only to have himself poked harshly in the ribs by Marcus’ wood stick.
When night was finally drawing near, the only ones that remained in the square were cart owners and even they were beginning to pack up their wares to head home for the evening.
Just as Marcus was about to unlock his cage, a war-like cry rang through the air, startling the male.
He swung around, a stream of curses spilling past his lips. He drops his stick to the ground and crouches low. He looks like an animal.
Marcus lets out a sudden cry and spins around and lets out a shattering growl. The venders run horrified from the square, leaving behind all their merchandise in their haste to get away.
Off to the left a cart is overturned, causing Yunho to startle slightly. There’s a tall male there that strikes his eyes as familiar. The man from the dining hall. The sassy one with a love for arguing.
The shock leaves Yunho immobile for a moment, his eyes large as he watches the male crouch to the ground like a cat before springing forward to tackle Marcus to the ground.
The roar that tears from Marcus’ throat shakes Yunho to his core, his body pressing against the back of the cage as he watches the two males lash at each other with animalistic ferocity.
Changmin easily side-steps a lunge from Marcus, spinning around nimbly in order to ram his elbow into the male’s exposed back.
Marcus falls to the ground with such force that the impact leaves a deep hole in the compact earth.
He growls and leaps to his feet, swinging back around just in time to dodge a punch from Changmin.
Yunho can’t believe how fast they’re moving, bodies a mere blur as they continue to dance around each other.
His attention is torn away from the fight when he spots another familiar face making its way down the line of cages.
Jaejoong. He looks much the same, but something about him is colder and harder, as if he’s lived through many rough years.
Yunho wonders if he’s hallucinating when he sees Jaejoong easily ripping apart the metal lock that holds the cage doors closed.
He lets the doors swing open, people pouring out and sprinting into the darkness with cries of joy.
Jaejoong reaches Yunho last, his eyes narrowing as he jerks the door open and steps into the cage.
“You’re coming with us, Jung Yunho.” His voice is low and rough, his body strong and stable compared to Yunho’s weakened state.
“Jaejoong? What’s happening? Where are we?” He questions, desperately wanting to know what’s happened to him.
A look of slight shock whispers across Jaejoong’s face as Yunho says his name. He quickly covers it over and kneels down, “I’ll explain everything after we’ve gone.” He holds out a gloved hand, eyes glittering in the moonlight.
Yunho hesitates for a moment, chewing on his bottom lip as he gauges his situation. If he stayed where he was, Marcus would simply have him back in the cage again, waiting to be sold. What if they didn’t sell him? They would probably kill him. But what does he know of Jaejoong and Changmin? Nothing. How does he know that they aren’t just going to drag him off and slit his throat.
Yunho doesn’t know what pushes him to do it, but he finds himself reaching out without a word to grip Jaejoong’s hand. Anywhere was better than in a cage.
As if his touch sets off some kind of trigger, Jaejoong pulls Yunho out of the cage. “Changmin!” He calls across the square.
Yunho can’t tell what’s going on, but before he even realizes it, he’s been hefted off the ground and is flying through the maze of allies. Changmin’s carrying him, Jaejoong not far behind.
Just like that, they’re running through the night, an angry howl shattering the silence behind them.
=----------------------------------=
A/N: Woohoo! Got it done!
I know it took me a few days, but that’s because school is --forgive my language-- a bitch. Seriously, I’ve only been able to catch a few minutes here and there for the past few days.
I may only be able to update on the weekends because my semester is so busy, but I’ll try my best.
Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed reading the second chapter. The next chapter should explain a few things to everyone!
Thank you to everyone who has commented so far! I love you guys!
Pairings: Yunjae as a main, but there will also be: JaeChun, HoMin, Minsu and maybe some Yoosu.
Rating: PG to NC-17
Genre: Adventure, angst, romance, drama
WARNINGS: This story will contain adult themes such as sex between two men as well as violence, gore and nonconsensual sex.
He’s drowning. Falling into a black pit that seems to have no end.
Water invades his body, choking him. Pulling him under.
It’s over. Everything is slowly fading into blackness and he can feel the life slowly draining out of him. His soul pressed out by the water flooding into him.
Nothing.
=-----------------------=
Yunho jerks awake with a start, his throat on fire as he turns and coughs up large amounts of salty water onto the beach.
Beach?
Land?
Yunho sits up slightly, startling a rather large looking bird that was sitting close by. The lanky animals squawks its disappointment at finding Yunho alive before it hopes down the beach, wings fluttering.
Yunho sits up, coughs still wracking his frame. His eyes and nose burn and he’s overwhelmed for a moment, his mind totally focused on purging the salty water from his lungs.
The murky water washes across the shore, pushing up over his ankles and legs. He shivers and moves onto his hands and knees, head hanging slightly as he fights to regain his composure.
He can feel the panic nipping at the back of his mind, but it comes second to the confusion that’s wreaking havoc on him.
Where is he? What happened?
All his fuzzy brain can remember is a black sheet of water moving towards the boat. He remembers screams of terror and then he remembers falling. It all feels so far off as if it had just been some dream that was beginning to fade into obscurity.
Yunho pushes himself to his knees and squints at the bright sunlight that burns his eyes. He’s on a beach, sandy shore stretching out as far as he can see in either direction. Further up on the shore, a line of trees begins, thick and alive…almost rich looking.
He swallows, wincing at the raw protest from his abused throat. Nothing looks familiar. Everything is foreign.
He’s about to stand on weak legs when he catches sight of a form sitting in the sand about forty feet away. It looks like a person sitting on his knees, body facing towards the vast expanse of ocean.
Yunho stands, swaying on spot for a moment before he peels off his sopping jacket and lets it fall carelessly to the sand. He doesn’t know how it happens, but his legs are moving despite the heavy feeling resting in his thighs. He stumbles a few times, shoes feeling twenty pounds heavier due to the water.
“Hello?” His voice is rough and comes out sounding as if he hasn’t used it for days. How long has it been?
The figure on the beach remains unmoving, not even shifting when the water laps around his knees.
“Hey, you.” Yunho tries again, stopping about four feet away from the figure.
The figure still sits unmoving, eyes staring blankly out to the horizon. He’s not even blinking.
His hair is completely white and hangs just above his shoulders. Even the stubble on his face is snowy white.
He’s not wearing a shirt, showing a plane of well sculpted muscles along his arms and abdomen. Definitely not weak.
“Are you…” Yunho trails off, not really sure of what he wants to ask. Is he even alive? Who is he? Where are they? He feels nearly overwhelmed from the force of his confusion.
He reaches out his hand, water still beading on his skin, and touches the figure’s shoulder.
Nothing.
“Where are we?” He breathes as he drops to his knees, hand now pushing on the male’s shoulder slightly.
The man doesn’t shift at all, despite the pressure Yunho is applying to his body. In fact, it probably would have done Yunho more good to push against a brick wall.
“Answer me, damn it!” Yunho growls, feeling the sting of being ignored. He doesn’t even care if the figure turns out to be an inanimate object. He needs to get angry at something; he wants to explode and let all of his anger and frustration out.
The figure remains unmoving.
“I told you to fucking answer me!” Yunho yells, fists clenching at his side. He’s never been one for strong language, but he can’t keep it back anymore. He’s just grasping the reality of his situation. He’d been tossed overboard and washed up on some distant shore. He’s angry.
When the figure still doesn’t respond, Yunho pulls back his fist and sends it flying into the side of the man’s face.
“Ah, fucking SHIT!” Yunho howls, clutching his throbbing hand to his chest. His punch had done nothing but hurt his hand. The man remains unchanged, as if Yunho’s punch is akin to the brush of a feather against his face.
Yunho doubles over slightly, clutching his hand to his chest and closing his eyes. The pain washes over his hand, coiling up his arm and turning the skin on his knuckles a bright red.
A moment passes.
Yunho glances up.
The man’s head has turned to face him, black eyes suddenly alive with something dangerous. He remains perfectly still, the only part of his body that has moved is his head.
“Who are you?” Yunho breathes, finding it suddenly hard to pull air into this lungs. That gaze catches him; holds him like a weak animal looking into the eyes of a monster.
A long moment passes in which the figure remains perfectly still; however, Yunho soon notices the crease of the skin along the male’s cheeks. He’s smirking.
“I am the hunter and you are the prey.” His voice is low and rumbles deep in his chest, mismatching his almost angelic appearance.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Yunho breaths, his confusion only growing at the male’s odd statement.
“Run.” He whispers.
Yunho doesn’t know what pushes him to do it, but in a few short seconds he’s fumbled his way into standing and is racing down the shore. He can’t explain the panic eating away at his body; can’t explain why that simple word had been enough to put him on the edge of hysterical fear.
He can’t hear the sound of footfall behind him, giving him the slightest hope that he is outpacing the man.
Just as he feels hope beginning to build in his chest, he barrels into a solid object, the air fleeing his lungs as he crashes to the hot sand beneath him.
His eyes are open wide in panic as he regains himself only to find the figure looming over him, black eyes alive with an evil smile.
“It’s almost not even worth my time.” He states in a lazy manner, watching with apparent amusement as Yunho goes scrambling backwards.
“W-What do you want?” Yunho stammers, unable to pull his gaze away from the towing form above him. The man radiates an air of evil, his pale skin seems saturated with it and his eyes seem to be consumed by it.
“I wanted you to run, but that didn’t work out too well. So I guess I’ll just take you.” His voice is almost lazy as he follows after Yunho with carefully measured footsteps.
“T-Take me? Take me where?” Yunho breaths, voice trembling as his arms grow tired from the strain of pushing himself across the beach.
“To the slave market.” A wolfish smile breaks out across his face for a split-second before he darts forward and easily lifts Yunho off the ground with one hand.
Yunho lets out a shocked yell, the man moving so fast that Yunho fails to catch his motion. He only comprehends that the man as moved when he finds himself lifted in the air, the grip on his arm feeling strong enough to crush his bones.
“Wait!” Yunho yells, convulsing in the iron-grip around his arm. “You don’t have to do this!” He finds himself pleading, eyes stinging from a sudden surge of shocked tears.
“No I don’t, but that doesn’t change much.” The figure chuckles slightly, seeming completely nonchalant despite Yunho’s cries of terror.
He silences Yunho by suddenly darting towards the thick trees that lined the beach.
All Yunho can do is let out terrified yells as he finds himself speeding through the overgrown forest. He can hardly seen anything but green and brown blurs shooting in front of his eyes. How fast must the guy have been running to turn the scenery into nothing but a murky blend of forest life?
Yunho lets out a pained yell as his head makes contact with something solid. Within seconds, the fuzzy world begins to spin and he finds himself being pulled under by unconsciousness.
=-------------------------------=
“Where did you find him?”
“The same place I find all of our market.” The voice is snide and slightly condescending.
A pause.
“I found him on the beach.” The voice returns with a slightly more subdued edge.
“Do you think he’ll be able to make us anything on the market? Look at how scrawny he is.” A third voice joins the conversation, the tone smooth and seeming to flow like water through a streambed.
Yunho found himself slowly regaining consciousness, his ears registering conversation before he can muster the willpower to open his eyes.
Upon hearing the conversation going on around him, Yunho tells himself that he’s going to remain perfectly still.
“Of course he’ll make us a profit. There are plenty of out there who want a scrawny, defenseless slave.” The second voice returns, the tone registering to Yunho as the man who had been on the beach.
Despite his best efforts to remain still and quiet, the moment his body regains full consciousness, a harsh pain rips through his head and he gasps before he can even begin to stop himself.
The room goes silent around him for a moment and he can feel the burn of eyes on his body. He tried to remain still, hoping that they would just return to their conversation.
“His heart’s really going now.” The third voice chuckles smoothly, the sound of shoes against wood drawing closer to Yunho’s ear.
“I know you’re awake. So why don’t you stop pretending?”
Yunho feels a hand fist into his hair and a split-second later he’s jerked off the ground, eyes opening wide with shock at the new wave of pain.
He’s greeted by the sight of an elegant looking male.
“Don’t jerk all of his hair out, Rain.” The man from the beach warns, sounding slightly irritated. “We won’t get any money for him if he’s missing a huge patch of hair.”
“Relax, Marcus.” The one called Rain snarls back at the white-haired male. “I’ll do whatever I fucking please with him.”
Yunho is slightly shocked when the one called Marcus literally growls at Rain, taking a few threatening steps forward.
What the hell is going on?
“He’s mine, so put him down.” Marcus snarls as he reaches down and grabs Yunho’s arm in a firm grip, earning himself a pained yell from Yunho.
“Both of you shut-up and let him go. The market opens in ten minutes. Go get everything ready.” The voice comes from a man who is obviously the leader. He’s tall with a well-built body. His features are smooth and he holds a sort of debonair aura about him at all times.
The two men quickly stand and offer their leader deep bows, taking a moment to cast each other sharp glares from the corner of their eyes.
They reach the door at the same time, eyes narrowing and lips pulling back to reveal gleaming teeth.
“I was here first.” Marcus snaps darkly, trying to push his way in front of Rain.
“My rank is higher, mutt.”
“What did you just call me, you bastard?”
“Both of you get out right now, or you won’t get any of the profit from today’s sales.” The leaders growls in a low voice, eyes alive with a dangerous fire.
Both men are quieted once again, heads hanging slightly as they make their way out of the shack-like room.
“Who are you?” Yunho breathes into the silence, his head throbbing painfully at the simple exertion of speaking.
“Nobody that concerns you.” The man replies gruffly as he takes a seat behind a small table laden with papers and books.
“What are you?” Yunho dares to ask, his hands beginning to shake slightly as he begins to fully recall the moments when he’d been easily hefted into the air and sped through the forest. What kind of person could run that fast?
“An inquisitive mind is not always the best kind.” The male states in a dry voice, a hint of a threat carried under his offhanded tone.
Yunho falls silent and simple pushes himself into one of the corners of the small room. It’s highly dreary with dust and cobwebs collecting in the corners by the ceiling. The room is small and most of the space is occupied by the large table and chairs that surround it. There’s a stone firplace on the far right wall. A kettle hangs over the cinders, black depths empty.
Yunho stomach growls at the sight of the kettle, reminding him that he hasn’t eaten since…he can’t even remember. Everything seems so fuzzy and out of place, as if the happenings on the boat had just been a rather bad dream. So where dose that leave him? He glances back towards the male that’s bent over an open book. Where on earth was this place?
The ten minutes seemed to pass far too slowly for Yunho, his body tingling from the dread and anticipation. From what he gathered, it sounds as if they are planning to sell him as some kind of slave. His gut clenches at the thought.
A knock sounds on the old wooden door.
“Enter.” The male behind the desk calls, breaking the silence that had reigned over the room since the male’s last warning to Yunho.
“Everything’s up and ready to go, Dennis.” Rain peeks his head through the door, eyes flickering to Yunho with a dark smirk.
“Take him and put him with the rest.” The man by the name of Dennis orders easily, never glancing up to meet Rain’s gaze.
“My pleasure, Sir.” He intones smoothly as he pushes the door open and strides over to Yunho. “You gonna make this easy for me, or do I have to pick you up?” His voice is snide and condescending, as if he’s talking to a bratty three year-old.
“I’ll go on my own.” Yunho responds, his voice coming out as a low rasp due to the salt water that had burned his throat. His mouth feels dry and sticky, begging for the smallest drop of water.
He would have asked, had Rains face not been one of such conceited glory.
Pushing himself to his feet, Yunho fights back a wince as a new wave of pain pounds against his head.
Rain leads him out the door and onto a back-ally sort of place. The ground beneath him is made of nothing but compact dirt and the occasional brick imbedded in the ground.
He fallows after Rain, eventually breaking into a run in order to keep up with the male’s stride. How in the world is he moving so fast at a walk?
A take a complicated system of turns before Yunho catches sight of an open square with people bustling about in a preoccupied sort of manner.
“Where is this?” He questions, realizing that the tatty garb of the people around him is not of American decent.
“For you, it’s hell.” Rain chuckles as he reaches back and clamps his hand around Yunho’s upper-arm. “Try anything and I’ll use your bones as toothpicks tonight.” He snarls as he pushes Yunho through the crowd.
As if he’s got some kind of magic replant, everyone in the crowd parts to let him through, voices falling into low whispers and eyes darting towards the ground.
Their walk is not a long one and Yunho soon finds himself standing in front of a long row of cages. His stomach churns dangerously when he sees people locked in the cages. Their faces are worn and dirty, the young ones looking too far aged for their youth.
He’s dragged forward and pushed into an empty cage, his protests dying on his lips as the metal door clangs shut behind him.
There’s hardly enough room for him to stand in the metal contraption, so he opts for sitting down, metal bars digging into his body.
He can feel the panic begging to be released. He doesn’t know to do. Hell, he doesn’t even know where he is. If he has to guess a timeframe, he would pin it around medieval times. The general squalor of the people around him gives him the idea that he’s probably in a poorer part of town. One thing he does notice right away, is that the majority of the people are Asian. In fact, he could only count five, including Marcus, who were not of Asian decent. So maybe he was in an Asian country? He would have said Korea, considering that thus far, everyone had spoken to him in Korean, but Korea doesn’t look like this. At least, it didn’t when he was there so many years ago.
As time slowly slips by, people meander past his cage, some even taking the time to openly stop and stare at him. He tries not to fidget uncomfortably in those moments, but he’s never been that found of being stared at.
He watches as two women are sold to a large, greasy looking male. Yunho pities them for the fate they’re likely to face. It makes him wonder about his own fate. Who would buy him? He prayed fervently that it was someone who might be willing to let him go. If he could just get back on a boat heading to America, he would be set.
He knew in the back of his mind that those thoughts were pointless, but it kept his small flame of hope burning.
The rest of the day passed in much the same manner. Yunho found himself falling asleep on multiple occasions, only to have himself poked harshly in the ribs by Marcus’ wood stick.
When night was finally drawing near, the only ones that remained in the square were cart owners and even they were beginning to pack up their wares to head home for the evening.
Just as Marcus was about to unlock his cage, a war-like cry rang through the air, startling the male.
He swung around, a stream of curses spilling past his lips. He drops his stick to the ground and crouches low. He looks like an animal.
Marcus lets out a sudden cry and spins around and lets out a shattering growl. The venders run horrified from the square, leaving behind all their merchandise in their haste to get away.
Off to the left a cart is overturned, causing Yunho to startle slightly. There’s a tall male there that strikes his eyes as familiar. The man from the dining hall. The sassy one with a love for arguing.
The shock leaves Yunho immobile for a moment, his eyes large as he watches the male crouch to the ground like a cat before springing forward to tackle Marcus to the ground.
The roar that tears from Marcus’ throat shakes Yunho to his core, his body pressing against the back of the cage as he watches the two males lash at each other with animalistic ferocity.
Changmin easily side-steps a lunge from Marcus, spinning around nimbly in order to ram his elbow into the male’s exposed back.
Marcus falls to the ground with such force that the impact leaves a deep hole in the compact earth.
He growls and leaps to his feet, swinging back around just in time to dodge a punch from Changmin.
Yunho can’t believe how fast they’re moving, bodies a mere blur as they continue to dance around each other.
His attention is torn away from the fight when he spots another familiar face making its way down the line of cages.
Jaejoong. He looks much the same, but something about him is colder and harder, as if he’s lived through many rough years.
Yunho wonders if he’s hallucinating when he sees Jaejoong easily ripping apart the metal lock that holds the cage doors closed.
He lets the doors swing open, people pouring out and sprinting into the darkness with cries of joy.
Jaejoong reaches Yunho last, his eyes narrowing as he jerks the door open and steps into the cage.
“You’re coming with us, Jung Yunho.” His voice is low and rough, his body strong and stable compared to Yunho’s weakened state.
“Jaejoong? What’s happening? Where are we?” He questions, desperately wanting to know what’s happened to him.
A look of slight shock whispers across Jaejoong’s face as Yunho says his name. He quickly covers it over and kneels down, “I’ll explain everything after we’ve gone.” He holds out a gloved hand, eyes glittering in the moonlight.
Yunho hesitates for a moment, chewing on his bottom lip as he gauges his situation. If he stayed where he was, Marcus would simply have him back in the cage again, waiting to be sold. What if they didn’t sell him? They would probably kill him. But what does he know of Jaejoong and Changmin? Nothing. How does he know that they aren’t just going to drag him off and slit his throat.
Yunho doesn’t know what pushes him to do it, but he finds himself reaching out without a word to grip Jaejoong’s hand. Anywhere was better than in a cage.
As if his touch sets off some kind of trigger, Jaejoong pulls Yunho out of the cage. “Changmin!” He calls across the square.
Yunho can’t tell what’s going on, but before he even realizes it, he’s been hefted off the ground and is flying through the maze of allies. Changmin’s carrying him, Jaejoong not far behind.
Just like that, they’re running through the night, an angry howl shattering the silence behind them.
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A/N: Woohoo! Got it done!
I know it took me a few days, but that’s because school is --forgive my language-- a bitch. Seriously, I’ve only been able to catch a few minutes here and there for the past few days.
I may only be able to update on the weekends because my semester is so busy, but I’ll try my best.
Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed reading the second chapter. The next chapter should explain a few things to everyone!
Thank you to everyone who has commented so far! I love you guys!