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

Chapter 28|Me, myself and I|The Hourglass

As everyone else left for their duties, Hongjoong stayed alone in the club room and sighed. It was strange being all alone without the others. He just hoped that he could finish his task quickly and that the others would be back soon too. After all, the sun was slowly setting outside. You didn't have to provoke anything to happen to anyone. Hongjoong looked down at the letter in his hand and mused.

»Find the hourglass in the club room and let the sand trickle through it.« he read aloud.

»What's up with the hourglasses?«he asked, thinking of the hourglass he'd seen in the museum back then. It was the same one in the mansion in the chamber and on the illusion in the captain's office there was also an hourglass on the bookshelf. Without thinking twice, Hongjoong started searching. He first started with the obvious places, in the boxes surrounding him and under the couches, but his search was unsuccessful. For an hour he turned the warehouse completely upside down, turning every stone, until his motivation left him and he sat down on one of the couches again to rest from all the searching. He still had a headache from his recent unconsciousness and he was also thirsty again. He grabbed the water bottle that was on the table in front of him, opened it and took a few sips before setting the bottle down again and sighing. Annoyed, he scanned his surroundings. It couldn't be that hard to find an hourglass around here. If it was the same one that Hongjoong had seen over and over during her time in this hell, it was about eight inches tall, made of gold, and covered in light-colored sand. So heavy, it certainly couldn't be overlooked in all this garbage. He was probably just being stupid, he thought and wondered where else to look. As he thought, he leaned back and stared at the ceiling, his eyelids slowly growing heavy as the minutes passed, then he fell asleep.

Hongjoong faced himself as if looking in a mirror. He saw himself and although he knew it was himself, he hardly recognized himself. His counterpart had a stylish mullet and dark make-up on his face. He wore the outfit that the Halateez always wore, except for the missing mask, which allowed Hongjoong to see the slight grin on his double's lips. A shiver ran down the back of the black and white haired man. Suddenly the Halateez raised his hand and Hongjoong spotted the hourglass he was looking for.

»Where did you get these from?« Hongjoong asked, holding out his hand. The Halateez handed the hourglass to Hongjoong and nodded.

»Turn it upside down.« he said. His voice sounded really creepy, like a ghost's, but Hongjoong listened to what the Halateez was saying. He turned the hourglass around and let the sand trickle through the narrow opening.

»What is gonna happen now?« Hongjoong asked his double and the Halateez shook his head.

»I don't know. Just don't let him stop you.« Hongjoong made a confused face.

»Who shouldn't stop me?«

It was the sound of an object being dropped on the coffee table that roused Hongjoong from his nap. Sleepy and a bit off track, he stared straight ahead and sat frozen. In front of him was a Halateez, who put the hourglass Hongjoong was looking for on the table. The force with which he slammed the fragile object onto the table shattered the glass of the hourglass and the sand spilled onto the table and spilled over the edge onto the floor. Hongjoong stood up and faced the Halateez.

»Hey, i needed that!« Hongjoong said, when the Halateez growled in a low tone, what made Hongjoong immediately shut up. The Halateez thwarted any attempts to escape as he stood in front of Hongjoong, between him and the door. He was standing in such a way that Hongjoong could not have walked past the coffee table to the left or right to get to the exit, which, as Hongjoong saw by looking past the black figure, was locked anyway. Hongjoong swallowed nervously. He hesitated and didn't know exactly what to do now. He just stared at the Halateez for a while. Due to the shadows cast by the Halateez's hat and the mask pulled up, Hongjoong could not see the Halateez's face. All he noticed was his tall one. Was it Yunho's double or Mingi's? the boy with the Cruella hairstyle wondered thoughtfully, but then shook his head. It didn't matter. The fact was that Hongjoong was trapped and didn't know how to get out of this situation. He continued to look around unobtrusively in his immediate surroundings. He could try jumping the couch and getting past the Halateez, but even if he made the jump, the door would still be closed. He wouldn't be able to escape and Halateez would catch him. The little black and white haired one was starting to get nervous. Hongjoong was frightened by the way his counterpart stood there without moving, completely still, yet with a menacing air. Especially since the Halateez were unpredictable. Anything could happen in this warehouse as long as the others weren't back. Hongjoong considered. The sun had already set. Maybe the others were already on their way back to the warehouse and would save him from this situation. Mingi and Yunho could certainly take on this Halateez with ease. He, on the other hand, was reluctant to mess with the person in front of him. For several minutes, Hongjoong and the Halateez just stood facing each other and still no sign was seen or heard from the other. Where are they? Hongjoong wondered nervously in his mind, looking past the Halateez towards the door when he saw the shadow of a person behind the door. Hope shimmered in Hongjoong and he smiled as the Halateez suddenly moved. Hongjoong winced. The Halateez went around the coffee table to the left and grabbed Hongjoong, but - thanks to Hongjoong's quick reflexes - missed him by inches. Hongjoong walked around the coffee table on the other side and hesitated. The door was locked! He had nowhere to go! He was just about to run and find an exit somewhere else when suddenly his collar was grabbed from behind.

»Let go of me!« Hongjoong tried to fight back against his opponent's strength, but he didn't stand a chance. The Halateez held Hongjoong and put his arm around his neck, then squeezed. Hongjoong started coughing because he couldn't breathe.

»H-stop a-stop... I can't.. breathe..« he stammered in panic, feeling his breathing become more and more difficult until he couldn't breathe anymore and he gasped desperately for air. Help! Somebody help me!! He could only think of his cries for help. His voice no longer obeyed him. His grip on the arm tightened around his neck and he felt his fingernails marring and scratching his attacker's skin. However, the Halateez didn't seem to care about the pain the scratches must induce. On the contrary. He only put more pressure on Hongjoong's throat, causing him to stop scratching. Painful pressure built up inside Hongjoong's head. His vision began to blur and just as he realized who was outside the door witnessing the situation, he lost consciousness.