RUTH❌

45. the executioner

Jennie's POV

My eyes came open.

Still. Silent. There was a moment of nothing, but the cruel pain quickly interrupted it. Sharp, throbbing agony rushed to my head. It continued to thump harshly, unapologetically, and felt like a heartless kidnapper who kept their victim in tight shackles.

Tight shackles? Is that what I'm in? I realized I was slouched up against a wall as my eyes met with a ceiling. The ceiling seemed so far away; I predicted if I lifted my arm up, it wouldn't be able to reach even a sixth of the view above.

But I couldn't test that, because I couldn't move.

I tried desperately to move, knowing a mere nothing would come out of my efforts—nothing but loud noisy jingles that harmed the silent atmosphere.

My eyes drifted downwards and I visually saw the deadly chains around my feet and wrists. I cursed repeatedly, swinging my arms around in the chains. I hadn't looked up from my hands or legs—hadn't looked at anything else but the ecru ceiling and the chopped up chrysanthemum flowers spread across the floor—gaining no true awareness of where I was.

"Shhh, you'll wake up Dad."

No...

Why do I recognize that voice?

I immediately wanted to bust out in tears once I noticed all of them, "Mom..."

The other wall was far from where I was, but the closest three people I had in my life were sitting against it.

She tried to smile in a hopeful way, seeing my eyes glistening more and more by the growing second, "Hey, Jennie." I couldn't ignore the hoarse tone in her voice. Her throat must have been scratchy and dry.

Right next to her was an awake, bruised, and chained up Kai and my sleeping, bruised, and chained up stepfather who was the only one with black duct tape on his mouth.

There was dirt, dried deoxygenated blood, and darkening bruises on both of them, and their hair was greasy. All looked ghastly [extremely unwell] from their heads to their chained hands and feet.

"No. No," I continued to sob, "I'm so sorry. I'm the reason you're all here."

"Shhh, don't worry honey. I know we'll get out of here soon. We'll be all right."

A shudder ran through me. I took a look around and instantly felt closed in. There was not even a window in this large, beige room. Just space. Just four, extremely far and dirty walls.

Trapped. We were trapped, and we were confined within the walls of this room.

The area reminded me of the place I found Nayeon in, except it was much bigger and scarier, and seemed more sound resistant—like an oversized dungeon [/basement].

It was too overwhelming to know I put them in this situation.

It's my fault.

"H- How long have you been in here?"

"A long while.." My mom replied, "...maybe...few days...that I can remember."

"Days?" I sniffed as I openly observed her bruises, "I can't believe they did this to you."

"It wasn't them."

My attention transitioned onto Kai, "What do you mean?"

"I mean..the bruises didn't come from who you think."

He was initially holding back from elaborating. To my dismay, his next words caused my body to turn cold,

"Dad came back."