Soul's Requiem (Chapter 12)
Needle-like grains of sand dug into his back, setting his skin on fire and jerking him from the grips of unconsciousness.
He felt something press against the tears on his back, gritty sand rolling over his skin. Pain. So much pain.
“Stop.” He choked, a sob constricting his throat as he tried to pull himself across the floor. He couldn’t move his arm or legs, his body too weak to even roll over.
“Blood. Blood, blood, blood, blood. Bad blood.” Junsu chanted form above Jaejoong as he took another handful of sand and rubbed into the wounds on Jaejoong’s back in an apparent attempt to get the blood stains off of Jaejoong’s skin. Unfortunately, all he was doing was opening up the wounds and allowing more blood to seep from Jaejoong’s fragile body.
“Stop it, don’t do this to me, Junsu!” He begged, body shaking as he was overwhelmed by a sudden bout of tears. He couldn’t remember a time in his life when he’d sobbed so harshly. He had no restraint, his emotions exiting his body by way of strangled cries of agony. It wasn’t just the pain anymore, it was the mental stress that was pressing down on him. He couldn’t take it anymore, yet he couldn’t fight it either. He was too weak to do anything. He was broken.
Something in the corner of the cell caught his eye, a petite figure standing there watching Jaejoong and Junsu with sad eyes.
“B-Boa?” He sobbed in disbelief, a prickling of joy nudging his dying heart in an attempt to offer some relief to his decaying mental state.
“Boa?” Junsu jumped from his squatting position, spinning around quickly and looking all around the cell.
Jaejoong watched as the boy’s eyes skimmed right over the corner where he could see Boa standing, simply casting the two of them a rather regretful smile.
How could he not see her? She was right there.
“Boa?” Junsu called again as he began to make his way around the cell, his voice still edged with child-like hope.
Boa was there, why didn’t Junsu see her? Jaejoong mustered the strength to reach out his hand, numb fingers extending as if to somehow magically pull Boa closer.
Junsu caught Jaejoong’s action and made his way into the corner that Jaejoong was reaching for, brow furrowed as he studied the floor and walls thoughtfully. “Boa?” He called softly, smalls hands pressing against the cool stone.
As soon as Junsu made his way into the corner, Boa disappeared, simply seeming to vanish into thin air like some kind of magician.
Jaejoong felt his chest constricting as he realized he’d just had a hallucination. She hadn’t been there. He started gasping for breath, eyes open in panic as the reality of what had just happened settled over him. He was going crazy, seeing things that weren’t there. He was losing his mind.
“No, no, no, no. Please, no.” Jaejoong sobbed as he gathered the strength to pull himself across the floor. He couldn’t move himself into a sitting position, so he simply laid on his belly in the corner, moaning sobs filling the empty chamber.
Some part of his mind noted that his clothes were crumpled on the ground near where they had whipped him. Jaejoong wasn’t really sure when Daniel had untied the rope and left him a sobbing and pain-ridden lump on the floor, but it wasn’t long after that that Jaejoong had finally lost consciousness in the dank cell that he had come to know as hell.
He had dreamed of his father and Changmin; of warm water and gentle hands washing away the literal and metaphoric dirt from his skin. In his dream he was new and happy; he had never been broken and dirtied.
But the dream was just that…a dream. It could never be a reality for him again. He was broken and dirty and no gentle hands or warm water was going to wash away the stains from his skin.
Never.
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Changmin furrowed his brow in confusing as he passed yet another door in yet another hallway that look oddly the same as the past six hallways he’d passed before. Was he going in circles?
He stopped and looked down the hallway’s length from left to right, his eyes narrowed as he tried to recall if he’d been there before. There was nothing on the tan walls that would give any sort of marker for him to judge by. There were no pictures on the walls, not even a different shade of paint. Everything was exactly the same.
“You look lost.”
Changmin flinched slightly as that insanely peppy boy bounced up to meet him in the hallway, his eyes alive with a deceptively sweet glow. Out of everyone in the group, this kid was amongst the few people here who actually made him nervous. Sungmin, the short and non-muscular boy, set Changmin on edge.
“Yeah, I’d say lost pretty much sums up what I am right now.” Changmin bobbed his head slightly as he took a step away from the boy. He made it look as if he were simply making his way down the hall, but he was really just trying to maintain some distance between himself at that little freak.
“Oh, that’s okay, Bert-sshi!” Sungmin exclaimed as he darted forward and linked arms with Changmin, dragging him down the hall.
Oh how Changmin hated being called Bert. Sungmin had started it when Changmin had arrived yesterday. It seemed that everyone was absolutely tickled-pink by that clever little nickname, and so it was sticking like white on rice.
“You’re going to the dining room, right?” Sungmin questioned as he continued to tug Changmin along after him, not really seeming to care what the answer turned out to be.
“Of course I was.” Changmin responded falsely, offering the boy a forced smile. He’d actually been trying to figure out a way to find Jaejoong, but had somehow gotten lost with the labyrinth of hallways that seemed to compose the Jung headquarters.
Changmin had hardly been able to sleep knowing that Jaejoong was in the same building as he was, probably sitting in some cell, unfed and unloved. He had to figure out some way to get the information out of one of the members. Sungmin seemed like the most obvious choice for coercing, but Changmin was slightly nervous about what the boy would do to him if the game was revealed. He could have chosen on of the animal-like dolts that he’d comet to know as Shindong and Kangin, but they had muscles that rivaled even Siwon’s, so the thought of taking them on in a fight hardly made Changmin feel confident.
It seemed that they reached the dining room with in a matter of moments, Sungmin flinging the door open dramatically to reveal not just the customary things that one would find in a dining room, such as plates and utensils…but a feisty looking red-head bent over the table who happened to be completely naked and in the process of getting fucked by the guy that Changmin had dubbed “Mouse Boy” upon their first meeting.
“Honestly, Chul, what’s wrong with your room?” Sungmin sighed as he led Changmin past the two, towards a door in the back of the room.
Changmin pursed his lips, fighting to keep the content of his stomach in his body. That was really the last thing he needed to see. What kind of gang was this? That same red-head had been flirting with him for hours the other night, making it clear that what he wanted was Changmin’s dick up his ass. How did Changmin know? Because the guy had just come right out and said it. Talk about suave and seductive. Changmin rolled his eyes as he followed Sungmin through the door, his eyes skimming across the kitchen. It was relatively small with a fridge and freezer, some counter space, a microwave and an oven. The colors were usual for a kitchen, dull whites and beige, along with the stainless-steel appliances.
“Would you like to help me cook?” Sungmin asked as he easily sat on one of the counters, head cocking to the left as he gave Changmin a pleading look.
“Er…sure…who are we cooking for?” Changmin questioned as he walked further into the kitchen, not really sure if he should warn Sungmin about how he couldn’t cook to save his own life. In fact, it seemed hat the only thing he could do in kitchens was have some awesome sex and nearly burn down the building.
“Prisoners.” Sungmin responded simply as he looked about the kitchen thoughtfully. “What should we make them?”
Changmin felt his entire body stiffen and his breathing shorten as he realized what Sungmin had said. Prisoners. Did that mean Jaejoong?
“Prisoners?” He managed to choke out in a seemingly normal voice, “Who are your prisoners?” He didn’t have to fake his interest in this matter.
“Oh, no one really important…” Sungmin trailed off as a loud moan drifted through the door. “He’s going to get himself in trouble for being such a whore.” He smiled brightly at Changmin as he referred to Heechul. Had it been anyone else making that statement with that kind of face, Changmin would have laughed full-out. But somehow, when Sungmin said it, it was as if he was making some veiled threat against Heechul.
“So what are we going to cook for the prisoners?” Changmin attempted to bring the conversation back to his desired topic. He could feel his heart thundering in his chest and his palms growing slightly moist. He was so close to finding Jaejoong that he could almost taste it; it was taking every fiber of his self-control not to simply force Sungmin to show him where the prisoners were kept.
“I don’t know…” Sungmin trailed off and glanced around the kitchen as if he thought the answer was just going to pop out of one of the white cabinets. “I guess we could do rice and a bowl of broth.” He concluded as he strolled over to the pantry and soon emerged with a bag of rice in hand. “Can you set this on while I work on the soup?” He asked, extending the bag to Changmin with a bright smile. For some odd reason, Changmin felt as if the question had been more of a command.
So he busied himself with putting the rice into the rice cooker, trying his best not to make his movements rushed and anxious. He didn’t want to give away just how flustered he was.
Idol chatter commenced between the two of them as the minutes waltzed slowly by. Sungmin asked most of the questions, receiving short answer from Changmin.
It didn’t seem that the rice would ever finish cooking, or that the broth would ever reach its desired heat.
Finally, after what seemed like days, the rice cooker clicked at the orange light came on to show that the rice was finished.
Changmin leapt out of his chair and grabbed up some bowls, hurriedly spooning in a generous amount to both bowls before he turned to find Sungmin carefully arranging the bowls of soup on a black tray.
“Isn’t it pretty?” He asked as he took a step back to admire his work. He’d laid-out two paper napkins and placed two sets of disposable chopsticks on the napkins before he arranged the bowls on the tray. Even with the simple arrangement, he was absolutely beaming with pride.
“So, lets get going.” He gave a firm nod of his head as he hoisted the tray, careful not to jostle the food too much.
“Oh, could you grab two bottles of water for me?” He asked as he paused near the door and turned to look at Changmin with raised brows.
“Erm, sure.” Changmin turned and strode towards the fridge, hands gripping around the cold steel of the door handle for a moment before he pulled the door open. There were an assortment of different things in the fridge; however, Changmin didn’t take the time to look before he grabbed up two bottles of water and turned back to Sungmin.
When they made their way back into the dining room, Heechul and Kibum had disappeared, as of they’d never been there in the first place.
‘I guess they don’t cuddle after sex in this gang.’ Changmin thought dryly as he shuffled after Sungmin through the door and down a long hallway. He was determined to remember how to get do the cells.
He watched everything around him carefully, noting the marble floors and even marks on the walls, anything that would help him get back to Jaejoong in the future.
They took a left and walked for about a minute before they pulled up in front of elevator doors.
“Could you call the elevator?” Sungmin asked, nodding his head towards the button on the wall. “We’ll be going down.”
Changmin lifted a numb hand to push the button, his heart thundering in his chest. They were close, he could feel it. It was almost like Jaejoong was crying out for him, his own soul searching for his friend.
“Since when do prisoners get such nice food?” He asked to cover the tense silence he’d fallen into.
“Oh, I don’t know. Do you think this is being too nice?” He asked as the elevator doors swished open and he entered the small room.
“Oh no, I never really got why people starved prisoners. What are they good for then?” Changmin supplied as he followed after Sungmin, turning to lean against the wall near the buttons.
“Which floor?” He asked, hand hovering over the white buttons.
“Level one.”
“Aren’t we on level one?” Changmin questioned as he jabbed the button with the large 1 on it, relaxing against the wall as he felt the elevator begin to move down. He hadn’t thought it was possible for his heart to beat any faster, but it now seemed intent upon thundering its way out of his chest.
“Well, level one is considered the underground level .” Sungmin bobbed his head slightly, bright eyes pinned on Changmin. “Are you okay, Bert? You look a little pale?” Damn that kid and his keen little eyes.
“Oh, do I?” Changmin asked, doing his best to look as if he were unaware of how pale he probably was. It was getting to the point where holding conversation was getting hard to do. He was so close to finding Jaejoong, to seeing him again. Even so, Changmin couldn’t help the sense of foreboding that settled over him as he imagined just what state Jaejoong would be in.
“I guess it’s just that I didn’t sleep very well last night.” Changmin supplied as the doors swished open and they both exited.
Everything on the underground level was made of stone, giving it a very claustrophobic feel. They walked for a minute more before the came to a corridor with large, metal doors lining the left side of the wall. The whole setting felt very ominous.
“Er, let me see, I think it’s this one.” Sungmin said as he walked to about the seventh door down. Just as he was about to set the tray down to reach for his key, the door swung open and none other than Daniel Henney exited the cell.
Changmin felt sick when he saw the look on Henney’s face. It was like a tiger that had just been fed, and if his swollen lips and tossed hair were any indication, then Jaejoong’s body had been on the menu.
He wanted to take the water bottles in his hands and shove them down Henney’s throat; he wanted to grip that throat until that pathetic life fled from Henney’s dirty body.
“I need to talk to you.” Henney told Sungmin, not even lifting his eyes to acknowledge Changmin’s presence there.
“Yes, sir.” Sungmin responded submissively as he turned and pushed the tray towards Changmin.
“The door’s already open, but make sure to shut it tightly when you go in and when you leave. One of them has already tried to escape.” Sungmin told him as he placed a key on the black tray, offering Changmin a slight smile. “I’ll see you later, Bert.” Henney snorted at the name, raising his eyebrows at Changmin for a moment before he turned and began to walk down the corridor, obviously expecting Sungmin to follow.
Changmin stood and watched them make their way down the corridor for a moment before he balanced the tray on one hand and pulled the door open.
The waft of air that hit him in the face made him pull back slightly, his nose crinkling at the smell of decay and mildew hit him in the face.
Anticipation ate at his heart as he walked into the room, eyes adjusting to the dim lighting as he scanned the room. Over in one corner of the room was a boy that was curled into a ball, manic eyes pinned on Changmin’s form but looking as if he didn’t even see him standing there.
Changmin shuddered and then turned his gaze further around the cell.
“Oh my gosh.” Changmin breathed into the silence when his eyes landed on a quivering mass in the far corner of the cell. He felt tears pooling in his eyes as he set the tray on the ground and nearly ran over to the corner.
It was Jaejoong.
Changmin felt like getting sick as he saw the long, angry gashes across Jaejoong’s back and the black and purple bruises that marred most every part of his body. Why had they done this to him? Jaejoong didn’t deserve this kind of thing at all.
“Jaejoong.” Changmin choked out, tears in his eyes.
Jaejoong flinched slightly but made no other move to respond to Changmin’s voice, his body shaking slightly and his eyes pinned on Changmin’s face with a slightly panicked look sitting in his pupils.
Changmin saw his mouth move and faintly heard the sound of his voice. He leaned in closer.
“Not real, not real. He’s not real.” Jaejoong’s voice was raspy and broken, as if he had a bad case of laryngitis.
“I’m real, Jaejoong. I’m really here.” Changmin sobbed softly as he reached out his hands and smoothed them over Jaejoong’s dirty and knotted hair. Whatever it was that he’d expected to find of Jaejoong, it certainly hadn’t been this. He looked as if he were going crazy, his eyes glassy and distant. All the life had simple left his body, as if his soul had simple died, leaving behind this shell of a man.
“Please don’t hurt me.” Jaejoong sobbed, body quivering harshly under Changmin’s touch. “I don’t know where it is.” He rasped as he closed his eyes and tensed his body.
“Jaejoong, I’m never going to hurt you. It’s me, Changmin.” He tried again as he fell to the ground and pulled Jaejoong’s body into his arms. His skin was on fire with fever; sweat was coating his skin in a dewy blanket of grime.
The words appeared to hit something in Jaejoong and he seemed to muster the strength to lift his head and fully look at Changmin’s face.
There was a brief pause before his face crumpled and he began to sob harshly, hands coming out to fist into Changmin’s shirt as if to ascertain if Changmin was really there with him.
“Changmin. Changmin.” He cried, his voice not just a sob, but a wail of agonized relief.
“It’s okay, Jaejoong.” Changmin breathed, tears pouring down his cheeks as he pulled Jaejoong closer, letting the smaller male’s head rest against his chest. “It’s all going to be alright. I’m here now.” He wanted to believe his words; wanted to know that he could really keep Jaejoong safe. But what could he do? He could do nothing to keep Jaejoong from getting hurt again.
“You’re here….you’re here.” Jaejoong sobbed into Changmin’s chest, gripping tighter to the green shirt.
They sat within each other’s arms, Jaejoong clinging to Changmin and moaning his agony into the other male’s chest, while Changmin sat and did his best to comfort Jaejoong.
“Get me out of here. Please get me out, Changmin.” Jaejoong groaned, lifting his head and looking up at Changmin with red eyes. “I’m going crazy, I can feel it. I’m going to go insane here if I stay.” He breathed, panic edging into his eyes as his gaze darted around the cell as if he were looking for some hidden enemy within the shadows.
“I’m going to do everything that I can, Jaejoong, I promise you that you will get out of here alive.” Changmin vowed as he tried to regain some of his composer, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment to keep the tears from pooling in his eyes. Seeing Jaejoong like this was nearly killing him. Jaejoong had always been such a vibrant person, optimistic and funny. Now he was bordering on crazy, dark eyes expressing their hopelessness and terror. What in the world had happened to him?
“Changmin, lets go now. You have the key, get me out of here before I go crazy.” Jaejoong sobbed, his grip on Changmin slackening slightly as he seemed to lose the will to hold himself upright.
Changmin drew in a shuddering breath, eyes fogging with tears again as Jaejoong’s ardent plea rang through his head. He couldn’t do that right now. There was a plan to be stuck to and he would stick to it like he’d been told. But oh how badly he wanted to scoop Jaejoong into his arms and run off with him, leaving this dank and disgusting cell to fade into a memory of a violent past.
“I can’t.” His voice broke as the first sob shook his body, his arms tightening around Jaejoong in order to support the other man’s weight. “I can’t take you right now, Jaejoong.” He breathed after he’d had a moment to compose himself.
Jaejoong lifted dark, betrayed eyes to Changmin’s face, the tears pouring from his eyes as he stared up at Changmin. “But…don’t you care…” His breathing was shorter now, his eyes panicked as he searched Changmin’s gaze for something. “They…I…I can’t take it. I’ve been…r-raped and whipped and beaten…s-s-surely you aren’t going to let them h-hurt me…?” His body was shaking now as his shattered hopes settled across his face, twisting the knife of pain that had already been lodged deep into Changmin’s heart,
“I love you so much, Jaejoong. Don’t ever think that I would want this to happen to you. But I can’t take you out right now, I have things that need to happen before I can escape with you.” Changmin spoke as he leaned down and planted a soft kiss on Jaejoong’s dirty cheek.
Jaejoong flinched away.
“No. No. You’re not…not…real.” He stuttered as he hurriedly pushed himself away from Changmin, falling weakly to the floor without the strength of Changmin’s arms around him.
“No. No.” He panted harshly, eyes rolling in his head as if he were trying to cope with some painful reality.
“Jaejoong!” Changmin sobbed fully now, reaching out to touch Jaejoong’s hand. “I’m here. I’m really here. Please don’t do this to me. Just hang on a little longer and wait for me. Please!” He begged, inching closer to Jaejoong’s writhing form.
“No. Go away. I want Changmin. Changmin! Please, Changmin!” Jaejoong yelled, voice echoing throughout the cell as he pulled himself away from Changmin’s grip.
He turned huge, fear-filled eyes on Changmin, as if he was seeing someone else.
“Don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me. Please, Daniel.” He whimpered as he pushed himself across the floor, not even seeming to notice the pain from the dirty and hard stone rubbing against his back.
Daniel? Changmin felt his stomach tighten and a wave of nausea prickle at the back of his throat. Jaejoong was delirious from fever, not crazy. He couldn’t be crazy; he couldn’t be seeing Daniel Henney when Changmin was sitting right in front of him.
“Jaejoong, it’s me.” He reached out his hand to touch Jaejoong’s arm.
“NO! Please don’t!” Jaejoong sobbed, tensing his entire body and squeezing his eyes shut as if he thought Changmin was going to hit him.
Changmin felt his breath coming in short huffs as he watched Jaejoong whimper on the floor, his eyes glassy and cheeks flushed with fever. Changmin had to get him help before he died from infection or malnourishment.
“Jaejoong, I will get you out of here if I have to die doing it. If I have to sacrifice my life for yours, I will. Just hold on and don’t give up. Wait for me.” He spoke to Jaejoong’s shivering form before he stood from the floor and pulled in long, calming breaths. He couldn’t let anyone see him like this.
Glancing around the cell, he caught sight of a bundle of clothes on the ground. Assuming that they belonged to Jaejoong, Changmin’s strode over and picked up the tatty pieces of clothing, eyeing the with distaste before turning and making his way back to Jaejoong. While he wouldn’t be able to dress the older boy, he could certainly give him some protection from the biting chill of the cell.
He carefully covered as much of Jaejoong’s shaking form as he could, being careful not to touch him in case that caused Jaejoong even more panic.
Changmin let out a shuddering breath, fighting back the tears as he moved back to the tray and grabbed Jaejoong’s food. There was no spoon, so things were going to be a bit hard for Changmin now. How was he going to get the soup into Jaejoong’s mouth?
He just sighed, casting the person in the corner a brief glance before he made his way back to Jaejoong. The rice would be enough for now.
“I’m sorry, Jaejoong. I will get you out of here.” Changmin vowed again as he pulled Jaejoong’s back against his chest and began to feed him.
Changmin would do whatever it took to get Jaejoong out. No matter if it meant sacrificing himself in order to do it. He would not let Jaejoong die such a miserable death.
But was he ready to stick to the commitment of “over his dead body”? Only time would tell.