Smoke Song

Awakening

No one was there when he woke up.

Jungkook lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. His chest rose and fell, burns prickling and heating up on his skin. It was a different room, white on white on white. The metal bed squeaked under him as he rolled onto his side, swallowing and blinking tears out of his eyes. It was much smaller, barely large enough for the bed and a desk. Over the desk was a cabinet; tucked into the desk was a chair. The door was firmly shut.

Jungkook sighed, lying back and closing his eyes again. Within moments, terrified by the darkness behind them, he opened them again and traced the outline of the ceiling and the fluorescent lights, round and round until he had to close them again, exhausted by the simple action.

But behind his eyes was the black of the smoke; without the white to distract him, his mind returned to his burns, setting them afire all over again. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay there. Still his hands remained numb.

Relaxation was entirely out of the question. He scanned the room, looking for something to distract himself. Was the door locked? Would someone know if he left the room?

He rolled out of the bed, crouching beside it when his head throbbed. Chills raced up and down his skin, and the burns tingled, heating up. He sucked in a breath, blinking, and forced himself to stand up, swallowing hard. The room tilted slightly, but he walked to the door and, after a small struggle, opened it with his arms.

The hallway on the other end was grey, lined with many doors like the one he still leaned on. He stepped into it, sighing as the cold in the floor seeped up to his legs. No matter which way he looked, the doors continued. He stood quietly, contemplating them, head throbbing. Then he turned left.

Three turns later, he came to a flight of stairs that went in both directions, up and down for as far as he could see. No sign indicated what they lead to, but he chose the upward path, stomach plunging as he swayed on each step.

Which way was Taehyung?

Was he alright?

Why had they been moved?

He made it up one flight, then stopped, panting. The hallway in front of him was the same dull grey, but music echoed from the rooms at the end. He stopped, tensing, blinking at the door from which the music seemed to come. Were they crazy? Who in the world would so blatantly risk catching the antis attention? Did they want to die?

He wandered down the hall, swallowing as his legs started to throb. Outside the door, he could feel the bass vibrating, sending memories straight through his body. Their studio, their music, their life's work and passion... all gone.

He leaned against the door, letting the vibration pass through him for a moment, then pushed it open.

The studio beyond was an explosion of sound. Deep brown wood flooring reflected itself in the surrounding mirrors, echoing back an image of the man dancing in the center of the room. Large speakers sat in each of the other three corners, blasting music so loud Jungkook's heart threatened to burst from the force of it.

How could the man do it?

How could he play that music, knowing that at any moment someone might hear and report him?

Jungkook stepped into the studio and closed the door, looking for a way to turn the music off. The man continued dancing, oblivious to his presence, his body rippling with the force of his moves. Jungkook found himself standing between the door and the closest speaker, against the only wall not covered with a mirror, and watching.

The man was hypnotizing. Each move was bold, honest--he was plainly making it up as he went. His body flowed through the space around him, filling it with something Jungkook couldn't place.

How in the world could he do it?

Jungkook's legs throbbed, and he slowly sank to the ground, pulling them against his chest so he wouldn't get in the way. He didn't need to worry. The man was magnetically attracted to the center, returning just as quickly to it whenever he stepped away. Kicks, long sequences of steps, and wild turns couldn't drag him away from it long enough to unbalance his performance.

The songs changed. And changed. And changed again.

And still the man kept dancing. Jungkook lay down, swallowing hard past the lump in his throat, and relaxed against the cool floor, sighing. The vibrations shook his entire body. The thought of being found for the second time made his insides shake, but it was too late to do anything about it. He was too tired to move anywhere else. He closed his eyes, but the sound was still there. It invaded his head, filling it with thoughts of the music he would never be able to make, never be able to sing again. Tears slipped out of his eyes, stinging and burning his face.

Where was Taehyung?

Where had they taken him?

Would he ever see him again?

Abruptly the music stopped and was replaced with a ringing-- a cell phone dial tone.

"Hello?"

"Hello! Hey, um, you wouldn't happen to have left your studio today, would you?"

"No, why?"

"Jungkook's missing--"

"Jungkook? He's sleeping right here."

"Hoseok, the he--!"

"Hey, I was dancing. He looked okay, so I left him alone. What's up? You need him for something?"

"He's still supposed to be confined to bed! He's supposed to be in a coma! He's supposed to be--"

"That's a lot of supposed tos that aren't applying right now." Hoseok laughed. "He's sleeping on the floor against the wall. Probably went looking for everyone."

"That may be, but--"

"Jin, take a deep breath and come check him out. I'm in the studio. Maybe you could pick up some food for us, too?"

"Hoseok!"

"Alright, I'll check him. Go get the food. I'll call if anything's wrong."

"Fine." 

I said something about waiting to publish chapters, but the internet doesn't turn off for another half hour and most of the beginning stuff is set. It's just the last parts that bug me. 

Quick note-- Jungkook is used to music being forbidden, he doesn't think much about the society he was raised under. To him, Hoseok is risking his life. Thankfully things aren't as they seem... anything you're confused about so far? Let me know, and I can try to work it into the story moving forward. Thank you for reading!