Zero Encounters

Flames

        After Taejoon's visit, Jisung diligently worked on his restraints while keeping an eye on Yeonwoo. She was his reminder to stay calm and work through their dire situation like how they were taught. His negotiation tactics failed as their captors had no interest in listening to them. All that was left was for him to break them out and worry about what lies behind the unsettling door. He hoped at one point, Yeonwoo would come to her senses and help him navigate what she knows of where they were; however Iron kept tabs on them like clockwork. Every fifteen minutes, he would peek his head through the door or go up to Yeonwoo to check on her. Whether be him or Mr. Lim, either of the two would administer the sleeping agent to Yeonwoo at every hour or whenever it seemed like she was fully awake. Jisung hated the fact he could only quietly watch them harm her, but he needed to free himself without them knowing so with that, he pretended to be unconcious when they emerged. It had been two hours since they had seen Taejoon and with the time ticking, he anxiously waited for his team to find them. He tried his best to keep Yeonwoo awake, knowing she was subconsciously fighting the drug, but with her increased dosage, her delirium only worsened. He couldn't bear to see her that way and hearing her mumble heartbreaking pleas for someone to not abandon her made him hurt. He wanted to know how much pain she endured on her own and how much burden weighed on her shoulders.

"Yeonwoo, wake up. Please, wake up." He whispered every few minutes to catch her attention.

"Jisung.." She said before passing out again. Her willpower diminished and she no longer wanted to fight. Her body went through the highs and lows, one feeling numb to all her surroundings while the other ached from the injections. All she wanted to do was lay down comfortably and sleep to her hearts content. Her sabotaged reality only made her question his presence. The concerned look in his eyes, the sweat beading from his forehead and his garbled voice would harmonize with the rest of the background noise. There would be moments  her eyes would set on a smiling Jisung, talking passionately and sipping on his coffee of the day. Voices of their team members echoed throughout the room, propelling her back in a long meeting they endured previously. Thunderous crash followed suit, clearing out all the chatter before her eyes shut again.

"Please, you have to stay awake for me so I can get us out of here." He said a little louder. He glanced at his watch to see they had ten minutes left before the next check in. He managed to slide his chair over by sheer power and used his head to nudge her. "Zero, please." He whispered, holding back from admitting defeat, "I need your help."

The door swung open and Iron walked in, sporting a bruised eye from his previous scolding. He dragged Jisung's chair far from Yeonwoo and slapped him for causing trouble. The sheer force tipped Jisung over and he landed on his side with the wind knocked out of him. Iron muttered under his breath and lifted him up while threatening him with a closed fist. Before he left, he merely glanced at Yeonwoo to check her breathing. Jisung tried to scoot over again, but the distance exhausted him. His chest ached from the impact and his arm stung as the ropes dug into them.

"Yeonwoo." He whispered again to only see her head hung over. He knew her body wouldn't be able to take another dose and had no other choice, but to dislocate his thumb. He clenched his teeth to hold in his cry and placed it back in place. He lets out a deep breath, feeling the adrenaline take over and took off his restraints efficiently. He pushed her hair out of her face and began to work on the knots.

"Go... Go without me...You can make it out." She whispered weakly and tried to make eye contact. He touched her skin and then her hands to feel the drastic difference in temperature.

"You're burning up." He whispered and cursed to himself. The knot around her was tighter than he expected.

"Use the chair. Quickly." She looked at the window in the top left corner of the room. Before he could make his decision, he heard footsteps approaching the door and ran back to his chair. He quickly looped his ankles back in the ropes and pretended to be bound from the back.