FREAK, seongjoong

ep 02: hammer

⛓️

Seonghwa didn't react fast enough.

Instantaneously, he was submerged in water that swallowed him whole and filled his lungs to the brim. He tried to hold on to anything, but was only met with more tumultuous waves and the raging rainfall.

With all the strength he could muster, Seonghwa pushed himself to the surface, trying to gulp in as much oxygen as he could. His hair was a mess, plastered to his skin and obstructing as much vision as it could.

Sharp streaks of lightning struck through the air, the windy atmosphere almost dragging Seonghwa down under once more.

With shaky palms he hurriedly pushed his hair out of the way, noticing just how flooded his surroundings had became. What now remained of the old primary school was broken heaps of brick and metal, pieces of it floating all around him like deadweight.

What the fuck was happening? His mind screamed, only to then spot Hongjoong up ahead in the sky.

The shorter had that same hammer in hand, a rabid grin on his face that chilled Seonghwa to the bone. There was this -- this huge black thing in front that was engaging in combat with Hongjoong, its large, frightening claws uncurled and aiming for him at a dangerous speed.

But Hongjoong was prepared as he swung that hammer right then. A force so great shook the skies, sending a giant wave of water coming Seonghwa's way.

It flung and shoved him deeper into the flood, causing him to inhale an entire mouthful of salty liquid that almost snapped his jaw in half.

Panic inflamed Seonghwa's veins as he struggled to regain his footing and not drown, but it was proving to be extremely difficult with every fateful second that passed.

Gravity was taking its toll on him. He felt himself starting to sink, starting to lose his agility with nothing but Hongjoong's catastrophic, unbelievable fight with whatever that thing was flashing behind his eyelids.

This is it, Seonghwa thought forlornly, this is how I'm gonna die.

But then he was sputtering and coughing, his clothes getting a tad bit too tight for him. On instinct, his limbs began to flail about, legs kicking at whatever he could to try and get himself out of the water -- only to realize something was dragging him.

"What -- " Seonghwa gasped, coughing yet again.

"Chill out." The dragging got a lot more forceful.

"Hong -- Hongjoong -- "

Hongjoong tore Seonghwa's hoodie off with his hands alone, before flinging Seonghwa someplace out the water that had somehow...lessened?

Seonghwa had no time to mourn over the loss of one of his favourite hoodies. He leant over the gritty ground in a defeated state, trying to stabilise his breathing and cough out the remaining water.