Where the sea sleeps [HoonHao] ✔

16

The relief that washes over him when midnight strikes is undeniable. Every muscle in his body is aching and all he really wants is to lay down. He doesn't want to move.

It's not his choice. The guards have a hold on his arms, dragging him out of the cell. He can barely stand, the pain and exhaustion merging together while his body screamed in protest. Not wanting his legs to drag behind him, he forces his feet to make contact with the ground. The guards move fast and he unsteadily does his best to keep up.

"You could have made it easier on yourself," one of the guards says. It's the other one. Blue eyes does not look at him as they walk. Woozi's struggle must be that evident if he's being told that. They reach the prisoner transport vehicle, which is basically a wagon and Blue eyes releases his hold on him to go and unlock the back gate of the wagon. It's like a cell on wheels.

Nothing is said as it opens and he's thrown into the vehicle like a rag doll, elbows scraping against the wood. Woozi can barely push himself up. Drowsiness lurks in him; oh how badly he wants to sleep, but something deep down tells him not to. Except it's increasingly difficult the longer he stares. His gaze hasn't torn away from the guards who, rather than going to wherever it is the other guards disappear to, stand on either side of the gate. His vision is fuzzy and unclear, his eyes refusing to focus.

Of course, despite his best efforts, he ends up with his eyes closed. There's a waging war inside of him as he tries to fight off the sleep. Surely allowing himself to doze off when he's knocked his head multiple times is a bad thing. The temptation of sleep, however, is much stronger than his will to fight it. Exhaustion starts to grab at every limb, numbing out the pain that he was once too aware of. Really, how could he say no?

He doesn't know when, but he does eventually fall into a doze. That is, until the echo of a sound somewhere near the wagon that jolts him awake. Tense, he looks at the gate, peering into the darkness (nevermind the fact that he can't see what is out there.) He sits up, alert. Starts pushing himself back into the wagon, hands trembling. Another thud echoes, followed by the jingle of keys.

When the gate opens, he doesn't expect to see the familiar head of hair that pops in. At first, Minghao doesn't see him; it's too dark to really be able to (Woozi can barely see Minghao himself), but then his eyes fix on him and a soft, relieved smile curls across his face. "There you are," he murmurs, shifting forward and stretching out his hand.

"H— Hao?" Woozi stammers. There's a tremble in his voice that he's unable to shake away. He doesn't take his hand. Not yet. The disbelief bursting through his chest is consuming. He can't help the surprise upon seeing the Captain who seems to freeze for a moment. His face is a blur to Woozi, but he can still make him out slightly.

Minghao hums, hand curling around Woozi's arm carefully, an apology flying past his lips when he hisses. The faint remnant of pain lingers through his arm. Through his entire body. "C'mon," Minghao says delicately. "We're screwed if we get caught."

When Minghao hops out of the wagon, Woozi is already shaking his head. He can't feel his legs so walking would be the last possible thing. His legs felt wobbly. He didn't trust them landing him safely on the ground. When their eyes lock, Woozi sends a silent plea his way and for the most part, Minghao seems to understand.

In one single move, he's wrapped Woozi's arm around his shoulder and scooped him up, placing him on the ground while still keeping hold of his arm. "Woozi," Minghao murmurs softly. "Do you think you'll be able to walk?" Despite asking, he seems to have already deduced that he will, in fact, not be able to walk. Not by himself at least. He's looking somewhere beside him, but Woozi can't find it in him to see what he's looking at. His body starts to slump against Minghao's right as his other arm is taken.

"We've got you." At the sound of Vernon's voice, surprise flutters through him. "But we need to hurry," Vernon says. Woozi has managed to turn his head to take a proper look at him and the pure relief that washes over Vernon's face elicits a slight smile across his face. Vernon smiles too before it wipes away completely. "I know it hurts, but we need you to bear with us, okay? Help us out until we're a safe distance away." The urgency and sincerity in his words are unmatched.

The two don't wait for a response; they start moving at the sound of groans behind them. The guards were starting to wake and they needed to move fast. He doesn't see the way they smile when he starts walking as they move.

They've gotten halfway when a siren-like sound goes off. Woozi flinches. In the blink of an eye, Vernon and Minghao hoist one of his legs, moving a little quicker. In the distance, he can hear the guards yelling. Some of the houses suddenly light up at the disturbance, but nobody moves from their homes. With a glance back, he can see people peeking through their windows. Children being held tightly to their parents.

"We need to hurry," Vernon says.

They're jogging at this point. A jog that turns into a run. The ship comes into sight and relief wraps around him like a blanket. Vernon drops his arm and calls out. A moment later, Hoshi's head pops up on the side.

"Hosh, we're going to need you to grab him," Minghao calls out to him. He's already started lifting Woozi up, Vernon doing the same. "Zi, grab onto Hoshi, okay?"

A flicker of surprise startles through him, but there's no time to dwell on it as he reaches out his arm. It's still dark and he can barely make out Hoshi. Flailing his arm around, he stops when he knocks something and with the way Hoshi grips his hand with his own, the other arm stretching out to grab his arm, he presumes it had been difficult for him to see as well. They count to three when Minghao and Vernon boost him, Hoshi automatically going to pull him up onto the deck, both of them landing flat on the deck.

Hoshi props himself on his elbows. "Woozi? Woozi, are you alright?"

There's the faint brush of something against his cheeks, but he can't find the energy to open his eyes. His head is pressed against Hoshi's knee, and there's no feeling in his limbs; they've gone completely numb. An echo of footsteps make their way over, the faint mumble of words that follow, but he can't even begin to care or the very least try to.

His senses slowly but surely shut off as he succumbs to the welcoming darkness, body completely relaxing as the exhaustion finally wins. The last thing on his mind is the relief to know that he's safe; he's back with the crew so nothing could harm him.