The Hostages

Cry

Chanyeol opened his eyes slowly, the bright light above him making him squint. There were people bending over him, and he could hear machines beeping nearby. They captured me! he thought panickedly. He bucked wildly and sat up, but his head was spinning horribly and he almost fell back again. There was an IV taped to his arm and he clawed at it until he was free, then he swung his legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand.

His leg was on fire and he screamed in agony as he put weight on it. What did the man in black do to me? he wondered desperately. Someone tried to grab him, but he shoved them away and stumbled toward the door. The light got brighter as he broke through and he shielded his eyes as he ran, ignoring the dull cacophony of voices behind him.

"Chanyeol!" he heard someone yell, their voice garbled and indistinct. Don't listen, he told himself. If you go back there, they'll kill you. Find the others and get out of here!

"Chanyeol!" the voice repeated more clearly. A hand closed around his wrist and he tried to break free, but his throbbing leg gave way and he fell to the ground. "Get off!" he snarled, struggling against his captor. "Get off or I'll kill you!"

"Chanyeol, it's me!" the voice called. "No one's trying to hurt you! You're safe!"

There was something familiar about the voice and he tried to focus his eyes on the speaker's face. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"It's me, Jongdae," the voice said. "You were rescued a few hours ago. You're safe."

"No," he said, shaking his head, "this is a trick."

He felt hands on either side of his face and he almost pulled away, but there was something familiar about them. His vision was still swimming, but he managed to make out Jongdae's face leaning over him. "Are... are you real?" he asked suspiciously.

Jongdae nodded, tears pouring down his cheeks. "Yeah buddy, I'm real," he whispered.

Chanyeol reached out and touched Jongdae's face to be sure, and he felt real skin and real tears. Is it true? I'm... safe?

Jongdae smiled through his tears and wrapped him in a hug. Chanyeol slowly put his arms around Jongdae and felt the warmth of a real person. This is real. It's really happening.

He buried his face in Jongdae's shoulder and sobbed tears of relief.

******

Jongin sat by Taemin's bed, watching him closely. The doctors said he was just bruised and dehydrated, but after he punched a nurse they had to restrain him with padded cuffs and heavily sedate him. The doctors had then cautioned them that there was likely extensive mental and psychological damage. Don't worry, Jongin thought, covering Taemin's hand with his own, we'll help you through this.

The door opened and Jinki came in bearing a tray of coffees. "Any change?" he asked, setting the drinks on a side table.

Jongin shook his head. "The doctor said the sedative should wear off soon," he replied. The other SHINee members were crammed onto the little couch by the window, Jonghyun and Kibum dozing while Minho stared at the floor. Jinki handed Minho a coffee and the three of them drank in silence as the minutes ticked by.

Eventually Taemin groaned and they all crowded around the bed instantly. "What's going on?" Kibum asked groggily.

"I think he's waking up," Jinki murmured.

Taemin's eyes cracked open and he immediately started to thrash around, wrenching against the cuffs like his life depended on it. Jongin feared he would hurt himself and he tried to hold him down, but Taemin was struggling too violently. "Taemin!" he called, attempting to calm him, "it's okay! You're alright!"