Chen's memory was all a blur. He opened his eyes slowly; something was sticking to his eyelids that irritated him. He reached forward and grabbed a conveniently placed tablecloth.
After rubbing the powder off his eyes, Chen sat up straighter. There was an unpleasant grainy taste in his mouth, which made him long for water. He took a sip of the unknown liquid from the glass in front of him.
Red wine.
Chen hated wine, and the bland taste of whatever remained in his mouth hadn't washed away.
Finally admiring the set table sprawled in front of him, Chen spots three other people clustered around the table. He recognized O'Four, with his infamous lip chain. To Chen's left was Mr. Frost, and sitting next to O'Four was Kai, the delusional man with the cuffs.
Chen found it oddly reassuring that he wasn't alone, that there were others here with him. It seemed as though the doctor, the one behind this all, was finding more test subjects to add to his growing collection of young men.
Being the only one awake at a set table felt wrong. Chen remembered how when he was just a child, his mother would get upset if not everyone was eating together in the dining room. Seeing three sleeping others at the table made Chen feel as though he were to be punished.
Something flickered on Kai's wrists that caught Chen's attention. He leaned forward and spotted a new set of cuffs occupying his hands and neck. There was a faint sound of electricity crackling; energy surging through the cuffs that made Chen's stomach somersault.
Chen leaned just a bit closer. Kai and his arm were asleep on the table, almost inanimate if it weren't for Kai's steady breathing. Eyeing the blinking blue lights on the metal cuffs made Chen curious. He couldn't help but to reach out and touch Kai's wrist.
As Chen's finger met the cold metal cuff, electricity buzzed and sparks flew, making Kai jump.
Chen quickly retracted his hand, surprised that he didn't feel any pain on his finger. Perhaps his heart was beating too fast for him to feel said pain. Or maybe the cuffs transferred the pain to Kai.
"I'm still here, I swear!" Kai clutched his wrist with his good hand, seeming to have been woken up from a dream. His eyes met Chen's gaping mouth, and Kai's eyes turned into slits. "You."
He gulped. Kai sounded furious, though also surprised. His stern look transitioned into a concerned one as he saw the way Chen pulled at his finger in a peculiar way. "Why are you so shocked?"
"I'm sorry," Chen held out his hand.
"That hurt, you know," Kai waved his hand around, trying to feel his hand again, and Chen lowered his gaze.
"Whatever," Kai began to create sympathy for himself. "They shock me all the time."
Chen nodded, his curiosity was slowly starting to drain out of him. He decided to shake Xiumin awake, for this one had been asleep for a long time.
The latter replied with a low groan, and sat up sleepily. His eyes were droopy from the overdose of pills and his mouth slanted downward into a slight frown. As Chen's hand touched his sleeve, Xiumin jolted upright.
Xiumin yelped, and looked around the table. He pointed a shaky finger at Chen and Kai, confused. He then eyed O'Four, whose head was buried in his arms. As Xiumin shook him awake, Chen introduced himself politely.
