WHO ARE YOU?|ATEEZ FANFIC (In Editing Progress)

Chapter 16|Fire

A cold shiver ran down Wooyoung's spine. Darkness and cold surrounded him like a blanket, made him shiver, and unpleasant goose bumps all over his arms and his neck had been tormenting him ever since he had regained consciousness. With trembling breath he sat on his knees in the center of a black marble platform that was surrounded by an abyss that seemed endless in the darkness of his surroundings. He was only able to move to a limited extent. Heavy chains, which were handcuffed around his wrists and connected to the floor of the platform, prevented Wooyoung from getting up, or even from raising his arms. He was chained to the ground. Hand and foot were in chains and around his waist was a metal belt with more chains attached, which were attached to the marble walls all the way across the abyss around Wooyoung. Even if he wanted to try to escape, he couldn't. And even if he weren't tied up, he doesn't know if he would dare to take the path to freedom. Opposite him was a large red door, with a lantern attached to the left and right walls, which were the only lighting in the room. A small ledge was the only floor in front of the door, the only way from the door to the platform on which Wooyoung sat was a marble beam so narrow that Wooyoung would probably not dare to cross it, even if he had the chance too. The fear of slipping because of the drops of water that kept dripping onto the smooth marble would prevent him from setting foot on the beam. Water dripped from the ceiling into a puddle at the bottom of the chasm, which was the only thing Wooyoung could hear other than his own breathing and heartbeat. It was frighteningly quiet. The environment he was in and the fact that he was in chains like a prisoner was not what frightened him. He was scared, because he was alone. He could hardly remember what had happened before he woke up here. The strange, fuzzy feeling in his head was almost the same as when he woke up in the desert. He had a terrible headache and felt dizzy. His thoughts felt like a muddled mess he was unable to fully grasp. The only thing he could remember clearly was how he left the safety of the camp, where he was supposed to be with his friends and wait for Hongjoong, Seonghwa and San, to explore the surrounding area a little. He remembered the rock and the secret door he had found. And he remembered the Halateez who had overpowered him and dragged him into the dark tunnel that has been hidden behind the secret door. He was kidnapped by them. He couldn't explain why they had taken him with them. Maybe because he had found the tunnel and the Halateez didn't want him to tell anyone, or maybe they had just caught him because he was alone and within their reach. The reason didn't matter in the end. What Wooyoung knew for sure was that he was in danger. And alone. He took a deep, anxious breath and lowered his gaze. What should he do? He couldn't just give in to the fact that he had been captured and give up! He sobbed in despair and squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

"I'm not that weak..." He scolded himself before opening his eyes again and looking at the chains on his wrist. With much effort, twisting slightly in the process, he supported himself on the ground with his hands and pushed his body up. It didn't do much, but it gave his legs a chance to move and he managed to get himself from a kneeling position into a crouch, then took a deep breath.

"Okay, thats better." He gasped, putting his hands around the chain that chained his right foot to the ground. Again he took a deep breath, gathered all his strength, then he pulled on the chain with all his might. He tensed his whole body, pulling with his arms while pushing himself away from the ground with his legs, thus further supporting the pulling power of his arms. The chains creaked from the pull, but even after several minutes, trying out a few angles to pull from, the chains didn't break. When he finally ran out of strength, Wooyoung let go and collapsed to the ground, powerless. He sat there panting, tears of frustration rolling down his face and dripping onto the black marble floor beneath him. He clenched his hand into a fist and desperately hit it on the floor.

"Damn it!" He cursed and sniffed. Sobbing, he lowered his head and laid his forehead against the cold marble while tears streamed down his face. If only he hadn't left the group to go look around on his own. He had been stupid to believe, that nothing bad would happen if he'd be gone for just a few minutes. If the others had already noticed his absence? Yeosang was always extremely observant. He must have noticed Wooyoung's disappearance immediately and knowing him, he was probably right now cursing Wooyoung for his unspeakable stupidity. And Wooyoung understood him. How could he be so stupid? When Wooyoung suddenly heard the creak of the red door opening, he gasped, immediately sat up in shock and stared straight ahead. Frozen, he stared at the dark figure standing on the ledge opposite him. The mask and hat covered the Halateez's face as usual, but Wooyoung knew it was him. He had seen him so many times by now that he could recognize him by his outfit and his physique. For a moment, Wooyoung just stared at him in fear as the Halateez stood at the edge of the abyss. It made Wooyoung shudder in fear. What was he doing here? Terrifying thoughts raced through his head. Was he here to get rid of him? Would he torture him to get information about his friends? He wouldn't say a word! No matter what that bastard did to him, Wooyoung wouldn't say anything! When the Halateez still didn't move, anger slowly began to bubble up inside Wooyoung. He furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his fists.