Taken

Chapter 8

With a slight thud, Haejae's body fell onto the cold floor. There was nothing she could do since every inch of her body was in soaring pain; even she had to work hard to catch a proper breath. Her head was spinning madly, and there was nothing she wanted more but to come home. For the first time, she could see the ceiling of the old room above her. She noticed then that they were all wooden and dusty, as if no one had ever lived there before. That, or the place had been abandoned for a long time. The sound of footsteps alarmed her and brought her back to reality. It was Luhan. He walked in leisurely pace with his signature gentle smile plastered on his face. She used to adore that smile, but then again nothing was like it seemed to be and Luhan was the perfect example for that.

"How are you feeling?" he said while walking closer to her. He bent down and slowly reached for her right hand. He then traced down the stitches on her right arm, as if admiring a true piece of art. All the while, Haejae was squirming out of fear for another action that surely would come after. Suddenly, Luhan jerked her right arm until she was in a sitting position. It was then Haejae screamed her lungs out. She could hear a quiet cracking sound followed by a sharp sting inside her abdomen. Moreover, Luhan's grip on her arm doubled the pain she was suffering. "Scream as loud as you want, dear. Even if you break your lungs, nobody will ever hear you." He positioned himself behind her and slowly upheld her body so she was sitting with her back facing him. Then, ever so gently, Luhan hugged her from behind, forced her to lean on his upper body, and began to shower her bare back with small kisses. Each kiss sent a sudden chill down her spine. "Are you having fun, darling? I know I am," he whispered while burying his face on the nape of her neck.

"Let...Me...Go..." She stuttered each word hoarsely. She was too weak to even beg for mercy. Although she couldn't see his face, she knew that he was smirking as he was kissing her shoulder. "Patience, princess. Everything will be over before you know it," he whispered on her ear. Ignoring Haejae's low whimpers of protest, Luhan leaned back a little bit, only supporting the girl's limp body by only putting his left palm on her spine. He brushed his hand over Haejae's upper back. Up and down, up and down. Goosebumps rose all over her body. Luhan grinned as he stared intensely at her smooth bare back. He was overtly excited that the moment he had been waiting for finally arrived. In a second, he, too, would leave his mark on her. "This might hurt a bit," He said dismissively while pulling out a shiny steel cutter out of his jeans' pocket. A mischievous glint could be seen in his eyes. "NO!" Despite the excruciating pain in her chest and abdomen, she gave her best effort to distance herself away from him. Instinctively, she sensed a worse torture was about to happen. "Easy," said Luhan tenderly. He slowly pinned down the edge of the cutter's blade on Haejae's back just under her left shoulder with his right hand, as his left was keeping her in his tight embrace, preventing her from trashing around.

She let out her loudest scream, one that could shatter her broken ribcage into pieces. "Ssshh... Relax," Luhan smiled, still pampering her with kisses on her shoulders. His other hand was busy carving something on her back. He started with a small diagonal cut and a short vertical line underneath, followed by a small square beside the cut. Every swipe of his blade burned her skin. His low chuckles signaled her that Luhan was actually enjoying this so much. His hand worked very swiftly against her skin, like he had been doing it many times before. The sharp blade went along her epidermal, tore open her flesh. The lines slowly formed shapes on her back, yet Luhan didn't show any sign of stopping any time soon. "STOPPPP....!!!" Haejae cried out out of the agonizing pain that was clouding her nerves but Luhan, once again, was only letting out a low chuckle, proceeding his work.

The other EXO M members paid serious attention of what their mastermind was doing from the other side of the room. They acted as if that was the highlight they had been waiting for; the branding, a sign that was theirs. Haejae's head was pounding hard as she felt the cutter blade carved her skin more. Fresh blood started seeping out of her open wound. The more Luhan preceded his work, the more she realized that he wasn't just making random shapes; he was actually writing on her back. Through her teary eyes she could see her visions were starting to get blurry. Her breath became even slower and hoarser. "Please... Please..." She uttered heavily. Then, a horizontal line was sliced roughly across her back bone. Haejae screamed even harder, her lungs burned. She instantly forgot her reason to stay awake, so that she could see what they were doing to her with her bare eyes. Her brain told her otherwise. The pain overwhelmed her now-fragile body. Her brain shut down, she lost her consciousness and passed out in Luhan's arm.