Give & Take

Breathing Life

He groaned softly as he adjusted his position in the rough wooden chair that hurt his butt. His wrists tied to the chair handles and so were his ankles, making escape difficult. The mayor entered the dimly lit room with a scowl on his face. The blood that trickled down Minhyun's face had already dried up as the wound had closed up as well.

"Look at what you have brought upon yourself. I trusted you. The people trusted you. Why didn't you just do as told?" the mayor asked while walking closer to Minhyun who scoffed.

"Why should I?"

"Just tell me where you hid him and I'll let you go."

"No. I'm not telling you anything."

The mayor gripped Minhyun's cheeks and lifted his face up. Minhyun didn't resist. He may had healed physically but it didn't mean there weren't any repercussions to being hit on the head. "That man is a monster. We cannot simply let him roam the streets and live among us. He will kill us all someday."

"Monster? Why don't you look yourself in the mirror and say that again?"

The mayor let out a dry laugh and moved away. "Very funny. As far as I recall, the one who killed people was you. Every last one of them."

"Per your order."

"You're not so different from me either. I'm sure you were planning to use his powers for your own use. Taking over my seat maybe? In your dreams."

"I'll kill you," Minhyun hissed lowly.

"I'm not the one tied to a chair now. Whether you tell me where he is or not, I'll find him and have him killed in front of everyone. Even you."

"You just want your position as mayor to be strengthened."

"That's right. How clever you are but that's not going to save you now."

Minhyun growled, tugging at the bonds that kept him restricted. "If you kill him, you'll be killing a friend."

"What are you saying?"

"You know very well who the person you are trying to kill is. I know you do."

The mayor stopped smiling and let out a deep sigh. "He's no longer my friend. Not when he took my mother's life."

"But if you knew it was him all these while. Why did you never make a move?"

"Because he wasn't an issue until now. I wasn't mayor before this so I couldn't be bothered by his existence. I wanted him gone from my life! But then you... And the Earl had to bring him back into my life! You had no idea how afraid I am, having witnessed his powers of destruction firsthand."

"I never asked before but how did you survive?"

"I was lucky. My parents were bringing me to town that day and we were barely on the cusps of his powers. Still, one touch and my mother was gone. My father and I both affected. It was thanks to you that I healed but now, its no thanks to you that he's back in my life. You should have just killed him back then."

"You know he doesn't deserve this."

"Doesn't matter. He's already dead to me."

The mayor left the room after that and Minhyun groaned again, shutting his eyes tightly. He had to get out. He had to bring Baekho far away from here. It was no longer safe for him no matter what Minhyun tried to do to convince the mayor or the people not to kill him. Talking wouldn't get him anywhere but he knew killing them would take too much time. Too many of them were against Baekho's existence. He steadied his breathing and looked at the ropes. He knew what he had to do even if he disliked the idea.