danger

1: ablaze

♡

It was nearing mid-afternoon when Ahn Minjun was permitted to leave school. Clad with only a bookbag above his uniform, the teenage boy began his brief trip home without sparing a word of farewell to his classmates.

The summer was passing at record speed. The sun that had once warmed his pale face now sat as a mere lantern, illuminating the shrivelling environment.

Not a tree in sight was still dressed in its succulent fur coat of nature.

Minjun's school shoes crumbled against the leaf-smothered walkways, occasionally kicking a few of the dead remnants of summer into the road.

Opting not to dig around in his bag for earphones, the boy's hands draped loosely by his legs, the sleeve of his blazer being stroked as he waggled his fingers in cold discomfort.

"There are people to the front of the house, we have to leave through the back."

Three pairs of heavyset footsteps bustled through the halls of the Ahn household. Behind them, an uneasy heat was drawing the attention of neighbours, a few mumbling sympathies and a couple of them on their mobile phones.

"It's easier access to the car anyway," another man answered hastily, "are we ready to go?"

The three of them picked up their belongings, along with a newly-filled duffel bag of the homeowners' most valuable possessions, and walked towards the backdoor.

It slid open with ease, the glass dimly discoloured from the black smoke that caressed the ceiling. The trio was quick to leave the deteriorating building behind them and head towards the back gate.

The spreading fire was getting concerning, filling almost the entire downstairs and licking the carpet-covered stairwell as it ascended.

"Firestarters?"

"My bag."

"Lighters?"

"Those too."

"Did you get the spare gas mask?"

"Shit."

Two of the guys stared in disbelief at the other as he halted with an exasperated look playing on his soot-covered face. He propelled his bag towards the taller of the two and turned back, "meet you in the van."

He re-entered the property, regulating his face covering as a cloud of dreary gas hit his face.

He produced a gruff cough, bending towards the ground to snatch the abandoned gas mask that he'd previously dropped. Wasting no time, he swirled and evaded any scalding flames, vaulting out of the doors.

The man drew his mask below his chin, absorbing in a few puffs of well-needed fresh air from outside. He accelerated himself and swung the garden gate open as soon as he reached it.

He came face-to-face with a shorter boy. Ahn Minjun stood with his eyes astonishingly wide and his mouth hanging ajar in bewilderment. His dark pupils flickered from the man in front of him to the mess that once resembled his home.

Hair-raising flames tore through each window, fighting through open doors and merging.

The young boy who now had fiery tears pooling down his face, released a jittery gasp as he stumbled backwards. His eyes remained fastened onto the man before him, allowing his rucksack to collapse from his arms.

A choir of curse words were heard before his arms were suddenly caught up in a blood-restricting hold. He kicked around, legs weakly smacking against the bad man's legs, but it proved hopeless as he was carried away from the house.

He shrieked for help, the terror in his voice enough for the abductor to cringe. It shocked the teenager at how strong his upper limbs were held, unable to move them an inch and provoking more harsh sobs and cries to leave his lips.

"Just shut up," the man seethed, "it's this or your murder."

Ahn Minjun couldn't bring himself to lower the tone of his wails. He knocked his head in all sorts of directions, hoping to hit the man but found it ineffective.

"Please!" He gurgled, writhing in the man's arms.

He was silenced by the nauseating sound of car doors sliding open. He opened his misty eyes and observed the scene while trying to reacquire his breath.

The side of a van was opened up, another man dressed similar to the one carrying him stood to the side of the entrance with his hand out in assistance.

Minjun bawled out desperate pleas, his head hammering from the sinfully wicked change in emotion.

He was thrown into the far end of the van. On his hands and knees, he was tempted to scamper along and dash out of the van before the two men could realise, but he was frustrated and scared to watch as they pulled the door closed.

"What's with the kid?"

The man who'd grabbed Minjun stalked closer, a fatigued look in his eyes as he seized the weeping teenager by his collar and inspected him closely. Minjun fought his hands off, whining while pushing himself as far away as he could into the corner.

"He saw me," he snarled, "right outside the house."

"Why didn't you just kill him?"

"I gave you my bag," the man replied. The vehicle began to rumble and Minjun wept with double the power as he was driven away from his home with two strangers scowling at him.

The one who'd accompanied the abductor walked closer with a coil of rope in his hands.

"I promise you, I won't hesitate to kill you if you make even the slightest of movements against me." He finished his statement by showing Minjun the gun in his belt, commanding the boy to turn around.

Minjun, traumatised and feeling incredibly vulnerable, obeyed the orders. His fingers twitched in defiance but he knew better than to make a move.

"Good," the guy said, pulling Minjun's shoulder so that he faced the both of them again. His wrists were tied together with so much force that he found it unendurable from the moment he tied the knot.

"Pl-please," he lamented.

Neglecting the kid, both of the gang members sat together with half a dozen bags surrounding them, conversing with each other, planning how to tell the rest of the boys that they'd taken a hostage.