Far Cry | JJK x OC

Chapter 71 // Bad Town

A.N.: ⚠️this chapter is triggering ⚠️

There's anxiety bordering on panic throughout, gaslighting and manipulation, open talks about heavy themes like human trafficking, abuse and death, name calling, violence, and assault.

Please tell me if I forgot something.

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Everything was black and the world was shaking. Leah was sweating, overheating, surrounded by a disgustingly sweet scent, and smothered under a thunderous laugh that was making her turn inwards. Pure acrid aversion coursed through her veins, and it kept returning every time she came to. The back of the car seat kept her from falling as she shut down and went inward again.

This time she managed to go to a better place. They had visited Hobi that morning and he was struggling to keep anything inside his stomach. Leah saw him lying back on his bed and chatting with Jungkook while rubbing his stomach, with a sheen of sweat covering his face while his clothes were soaked.

"Don't worry, it's just that your stomach isn't used to it anymore. Refeeding syndrome is serious, but Ella is doing it right," she remembered smiling at Hoseok, who nodded.

"Yeah, I have to push through it," he answered. "I'm just shaken up."

"Well, isn't that normal?" Jungkook voiced. "This place is hell."

She suddenly was extremely hot, compacted, and pressured, but she heard Hoseok's response.

"I can't believe you guys are dealing so well."

She looked down and Jungkook shook his head, "Trust me, we're not. We do what we can as we go."

The car came to a stop and she drowned in dread. She tried hanging onto the memory of Hobi trying to eat a bit of bread with his juice and Jungkook rejoicing when he did.

"You're ready to come home!"

Hobi had been hopeful too, which later prompted a discussion with Ella, who didn't agree. This led to Jungkook taking Leah to see butterflies and swim naked in their own reverie and—

A strong tap above her head snapped her awake.

"Leah?"

She opened her droopy eyes and turned to see — Noah had hopped off and hit the car roof to wake her up. He was grinning, and she could see it because there were lights all around them challenging the darkness of night. Where were they?

"Come on, princess."

He extended a hand for her to grab and she tried moving on her own, almost crawling over the seats to get out. Only for him to grab her arm and pull her out, immediately pressing her to him as they walked.

She looked away with a grimace displaying all the aversion twisting her stomach, but he stayed calm. If he had noticed her state of mind, she couldn't tell.

She looked around with suspicion as he dragged her along. That place resembled Sosung camp way too much, with narrow streets and wood houses, but as they advanced uphill, she realized it was very different. Those people were free to observe their arrival and move around, to even be armed. It felt odd to have all those eyes on her, mostly from armed men or workers, and even from women dressed provocatively in heels standing on the street. Those disgusted looks were what hit her the hardest and made her realize that Noah was almost parading her.

As they kept going, she noticed that the conditions improved significantly, which made the state of different areas stand out. The creek crossing that village was dirty, hence the rancid smell in the air there, but it couldn't be smelled anymore at that height. Armed people surrounded the workers closer to the entrance, who looked worn-out. Meanwhile, the further uphill they went, the cleaner and more relaxed people were, just drinking, smoking, and gambling. Finally, the women on the street there had make-up on and looked elegant, like they were choosing their customers instead of begging for attention.