Into the Flames

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

I rub my eyes roughly, every intention of remaining awake. Daehyun, the one responsible for my kidnapping, is a man who would easily take advantage of me if I let him. So I refuse food, and even water. I simply don't sleep. At least not until I can no longer retain wakefulness. Lucky for me that I wake at the drop of a hat.

So far, aside from shoving me into a room and locking the door behind him, Daehyun has mostly left me alone. Sometimes I can hear snippets of conversation outside the the window, which is barred, but no matter what I try or how loudly I scream no one seems to pay any mind.

If I were to hazard a guess I'd say that I'm likely still in Seoul. Daehyun's agitation is enough to tell me that. It's nerve wracking, how antsy he is. Then again, everything about this situation is nerve wracking.

I have no idea why I'm still here, and why I've been left largely untouched, but I know one thing for sure. Whatever Daehyun plans for me is good for neither me, nor the baby. Unfortunately, due to pregnancy, I am unable to remain as stoic as I might otherwise be. To be completely honest I am terrified.

Will anyone even look for me? It's been a few days already. What if they simply can't find me? Surely Tae would have gotten the entirety of the boys up in arms by now. I wonder if Yoongi knows too.

There hasn't been much else to do in here besides think and I miss him more than ever. What if I made the wrong call? And what if he hates ms for it?

But isn't that for the better?

I haven't felt this vulnerable in a long time.

I've looked for an escape at least a hundred times. For the first couple of days I frantically combed every nook and cranny of my small and dingy room. But no matter how hard I look there's simply no hope. Not this time. But the survivor in me refuses to accept this.

But I'm not sure how much longer I can survive without food or water.

"You're gonna have to eat something soon, " Daehyun shouts through the door, abruptly shattering my solitude as he practically throws a tray laden with a particularly nasty looking gruel of sorts.

I scream in response, willing someone to hear me. Willing someone to find me. But Daehyun only laughs boisterously from the other side of the door.

"No one is coming for you, you know that right?" He taunts me. "If I were you I'd make peace with your situation."

I wish I had a straight line of sight to his face at the moment. I'd love nothing more than to spit in it.

"Someone will find me!" I scream at the door, which is once more locked tightly.

Silence is my only response.

And that silence lasts for days. The cycle of night and day has lost all meaning by now. How long have I been here? Where even is here?

I've taken to looking out the window, hoping that I might yet spot something or someone that will be of use to me in this situation. All I can see is alleyway. Not terribly useful for determining my exact location, but I am at least more convinced than ever that I am still in Seoul.

I've spent so many hours screaming, and my voice has officially given out. My room has begun to fill with flies, and the smell of spoilt food keeps me nauseated. I sit in my corner by the window, and do my best to remain calm. Help will come. I don't know when, and I dont know how. But I know that it will.

The distinct sound of stomping pierces the quiet, starting me with it's sudden arrival. I glare at the door as it begins to open, creaking from lack of use. From behind the door, bucket after bucket of water begins to emerge. Seven buckets in total are carried in and deposited, only to be joined moments later by a gloating SoonMi.

"I hear that the man purchasing you is a sick, old fuck, " she says, wearing a grin that would rival that of the Cheshire cat. "He's due to arrive in a couple hours. Strip."

I continue to glare at her. Strip? Like hell! "Fuck you, " I reply spitefully.

She responds with the kind of laugh that reminds me greatly of nails on a chalkboard.

I place my hands across my stomach, subconsciously attempting to defend my baby as she approaches. But she pays no mind to my midsction. Instead she grabs my dress, ripping it from me in a surprising show of strength.

She then seizes me by the chin, nearly pulling my head from my neck as she pulls. I spit in her face. "You will strip, " she tells me pointedly, wiping the spit from her face in disgust. "Or else I'm afraid something might happen to your baby."

It is with great shame that I follow her orders. Tears sting the corners of my eyes where the shine, unshed. All of this is too familiar. Too close to home. Why is any of this happening to me?

I try so hard to block out my surroundings as she begins to scrub me down with a bristled brush.

"Ugh, " she grunts. "You smell like an animal."

I know that she's goading me, taunting me, trying to get me to retort so that she can crush me once more. I won't give her the pleasure.

"Speaking of, do you think Yoongi and I will ever have a pet? I think, once we're married I'll get him something docile." She tells me nonchalantly. "Of course, I could always give him a baby instead."

"That's never going to happen, " I retort. "Someone will come, and Yoongi won't forgive you for this."

"Unfortunately, you're probably right, " she quips, voice souring more with every syllable. "But it isn't like he can tell the difference when he's drunk. Between you and I, I mean. Sure, when we fucked it was your name that he called. But it was me that he was screwing."

The tears that previously had remained unshed, now begin to flow freely. Much to SoonMi's obvious delight. Her next words send a chill to my spine.

"And I wouldn't count too much on being rescued. The only person that could have helped them find you is Sarah, and I personally put her out of commission."