Wanted ||| Ateez

9

May cried out as she continued to be pushed back and forth. Her panic rose as she started to feel her ankle heating up.

No... Not here. Not in front of all these people.

She worked on forcing her way through the crowd, looking for someplace she could hide.

A hand reached out and closed around her wrist, pulling her into an alley way. She was so disoriented she couldn't make out who it was. Something was stuffed into her mouth and she was shoved to the ground.

She screamed. The electricity running through her sent her rolling across the ground.

"I love seeing you squirm." Joe knelt next to her, tilting his head and smiling. "You've been dethroned, Sweetheart."

May couldn't focus. The punishment wasn't stopping. He was drawing it out so much longer than normal. She didn't know how much longer she could last...

"This is your final warning. He is not to make it back to Korea. Got it?" Joe reached out to grab her throat once he could tell the electricity had stopped, but he still wore rubber gloves as a precaution. "If you fail," He sneered, "Let's just say it won't be pretty for you." He slammed her head into the ground, tore out the gag, and walked away.

May felt her eyelids close as she watched his silhouette vanish into the crowd. No... I can't... Help me...

.

.

.

.

"Hey, did you guys see where Alice went?" Seonghwa said, spinning around in a circle.

Yunho stood up on his toes, scanning the crowd. "I don't see her."

"She was just over there a minute ago," The older said, pointing to where he had been talking to her.

"Maybe she went back to the hotel?" Mingi said, also using his height to scan the top of the crowd.

"I don't like this," Yeosang added, his eyes widening a little as he started walking away.

Hongjoong nodded, "It's a big place, but let's at least fan out and try to search. Does anyone have her phone number?" He saw several heads shaking. "Wooyoung, San, why don't you two head back with some of the staff to the hotel in case she did go there."

Everyone split up in groups of two, including some of the staff that stayed behind, and looked around for her.

Jongho and Yeosang made their way to one side of the square, while Seonghwa and Yunho went to the other.

Yeosang scanned the crowd, bobbing his head up and down as the people constantly shifted. Jongho kept his eyes on the alleys. He spotted a shady character slipping out an alley a few yards in front of them and he tapped Yeosang's shoulder before shuffling forward, making sure the man didn't turn around and spot them.

The younger gasped when he saw May laying on the ground, unconscious, but her body was convulsing. He ran to her side and brushed the hair out of her face, "Alice?"

Yeosang stood to the side, his hand covering his mouth. "Wh-What happened?"

Jongho grunted as he lifted May into his arms. He could hear her whimpering and he didn't understand why tremors kept running through her. "I don't know... But call the others and let's get back to the hotel." He held her close to him and ran down the edge of Time Square.

Luckily their hotel was close, so he didn't need to bother with trying to find the group vehicle.

"Hang on, Alice. We are almost back."