Home; I Found With You // Ryeji FF

gods.

TW: violence, gore and sexual assault (i promise that nothing horrible happens)

She didn't sleep a wink. How could she? The snow on her skin pierced its frozen touch into her bones, causing her to shiver against the cold metal bars that held her captive. Trapped in a hellish nightmare, it all replayed in her mind like a broken record– the screams, the body brutally burned in the bonfire, the cracking and blistering of the skin under the intense heat.

The sickening scent of charred flesh filled the air, making her stomach churn. She couldn't tear her eyes away as the flames licked greedily at the body, turning into a blackened, twisted mass.

Is it morning already?

As the sun rose, its light casting an eerie glow on the white-covered ground, she could see the gruesome aftermath. Limbs scattered amidst the snow, a macabre scene painted by the previous night's horrors. When the sinister figures deemed the body "ready," they cut the ropes, allowing the corpse to slump lifelessly to the ground. They began to drag the body away, its fate unknown to her and she didn't dare to dwell on it.

Surveying her surroundings, she noticed the burnt-out remnants of buildings, cabins engulfed in charred wood. It was once an abandoned campsite, but now transformed into a nightmarish hellscape by those people.

With the morning light casting a harsh glow inside the cage, Yeji could now see the two other people with her. One was a woman, her back pressed against the bars, fingers blackened by frostbite. Her nose was red, visible puffs of steam escaping her mouth in the freezing air. The other was a small, younger teen curled up on the floor, holding himself in a fetal position.

Looking around, Yeji saw no one else nearby. She slowly moved on her knees, the cold wetness of the ground seeping into her pants as she shuffled closer to the teenager. When she was within reach, she leaned over.

"Hey," she whispered, her voice barely audible in the frigid air.

There was no response. Yeji tried again, a bit louder this time.

"Can you hear me?"

Yet again, she was met with silence. Yeji used her knee to nudge the boy, hoping to rouse him from his curled-up position. He rolled over, his eyes wide open and his mouth frozen agape.

A gasp escaped her lips as she recoiled. Falling back on her back, she used her legs to create some distance from the lifeless body. She stared at him in horror, the reality of their situation sinking in even deeper.

As Yeji shuffled back, she bumped into another body, eliciting a groan from behind her. Quickly turning, she saw Lia slowly waking up.

"Lia," Yeji uttered with relief, turning around to use her body to help the girl to sit upright.

"Where are we?" The scientist blinked her eyes open, wincing. "Fuck, my head."

Yeji leaned closer to Lia, trying to conserve heat. "I don't know, but we need to get out of here. And fast."

"What happened? How did we get here?" Lia squinted at the two other people in their cell, "Are they dead?"

It all unfolded too quickly. Yesterday morning, Chaeryeong woke her up, urging her to join them for a supply run. She knew it was a thinly veiled attempt to get her to open up about what had transpired between her and Ryujin. Despite her reluctance to revisit those feelings, she welcomed the opportunity to escape the confines of the cabin.

She could still vividly recall their arrival at the familiar area, scanning the shelves for much-needed supplies. Then, amidst the routine search, a sudden yelp from the other end of the store shattered the normalcy. Before she could react, a cloth was pressed against her face and strong arms enveloped her, dragging her into darkness.