These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends

Chapter 14: The Blackest Day

You awoke slowly to the sound of machines beeping and a warm blanket on top of you. Despite the annoying sounds, you were unbelievably comfortable. You didn't want to open your eyes, you just wanted to slip back into the comfortable slumber you'd been enjoying, but a strange anxious feeling forced you into consciousness.

You suddenly opened your eyes and found yourself in a hospital room. Wires were attached to your arms and chest. You started to notice a dull ache all over, mostly prominent in your head, and you groaned. Your mouth was uncomfortably dry.

As you looked around for some water, you noticed a man sitting in a chair nearby. His head was leaned back against the wall and he was asleep. You watched him for a few moments... who the hell was he? You'd never seen him before in your life.

Slowly, your memories started to become clearer in your mind. You remembered frantically looking for In-ho before the bombs went off, but nothing after that. How did you get here? Where was In-ho?

You knew if he wasn't with you then something went terribly wrong. You weren't sure if he made it out of the building. He'd been just behind you when it went off. If the two of you were together then, why were you separated now?

Your heart became heavy with grief. No matter what the two of you did it seemed nothing worked in your favor, or only did for a short amount of time. It just wasn't fair. None of it was fair.

Tears started falling down your face and you unintentionally let out a quiet sob. At the sound of your crying, the man immediately woke up and looked at you, his expression unreadable.

You froze and locked eyes with him. You weren't sure who he was to you. An enemy? A friend? How does he know you?

He stood up and walked to the side of your bed. He looked down at you, clearly analyzing your condition. "Do you need anything?"

You eyed him. Was he really here to help? "Water," you spoke, your voice rough and hoarse. You coughed from the dryness in your throat.

He walked to a nearby table with a pitcher of water and poured you a glass, handing it to you silently. You continued to eye him suspiciously as you drank the water. It relieved your throat, but you still hurt all over, and the anxiety from everything that happened wasn't helping. He pulled up the chair next to your bed, letting out a heavy sigh. You sat there in anticipation.

He looked at you directly, an incredibly serious look on his face. "How do you know In-ho?"

You looked at him, shocked. Who the hell was he? "I... how do you know In-ho?"

He clenched his jaw, looking away. "I asked you first."

That annoyed the hell out of you. If he knew In-ho, he had to know where he was. "Where is he?"

The man looked at you, confusion and annoyance on his face. "That's what I'd like to know."

"Who are you anyways? Why are you here? How the fuck did I get here?!" You were panicking. None of this made any fucking sense and you just wanted to find In-ho. The entire time you wished he would just walk in and explain everything, but of course it never happened.

"Who are you?"

"Why the fuck do you need to know?"

"I'm looking for In-ho. Clearly you know him."

"How do you know that? I have no fucking clue who you are."

"You said his name last night. You were unconscious."

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. You started to vaguely remember waking up on the boat, but in your memory In-ho was the one driving it. The panic set in even more.