The Hostages

Taemin banged on the bars loudly. “Hey!” he shouted. “Somebody help! Please!”

A guard came stumping around the corner. “What?” he asked gruffly. Taemin wiped tears from his eyes. “Our friend, we… we think he's dead.”

The guard looked past Taemin at Chanyeol's prone figure on the floor. “Step back,” he ordered, opening the door. Taemin drew back as the guard came in and leaned over the body. “You'd think the tall guy would've lasted longer,” he muttered, peering into his face.

Chanyeol's eyes flew open and he grabbed the guard. “Now!” he shouted, pulling him down. Mark and D.O came out of the shadows and tackled the guard, wrestling him to the floor. The guard struggled hard, trying to reach the walkie talkie on his belt, but Mark threw a hard punch and he fell back, unconscious.

“Nice work,” Chanyeol grunted, shoving the guard off of him.

“Where are the keys?” Wendy asked, searching him rapidly.

“Here!” Amber said, pulling them out of his pocket. “Let's go!”

They unlocked the door and ran down the dark corridor. Taeyeon lagged behind the others, bracing herself against the wall. “Come on!” Wendy hissed. Taeyeon stumbled, so Chanyeol scooped her up and kept running. “Where are we going?” he panted.

“Up,” D.O wheezed. “We've gotta get to the surface.”

The tunnel floor began to incline and their spirits rose. “Faster!” Taemin whispered, putting on more speed.

They heard footsteps and they all stopped, flattening themselves against the walls. The footsteps grew louder, then faded again.

“There must be a passage crossing with this one,” D.O said. “We have to be quick.”

They approached the intersection cautiously, avoiding the pool of orange light on the floor. Mark leaned out slightly, glanced up and down the corridor, then waved them through. They slipped through like shadows, darting into the darkness of the far tunnel. We just might make it, D.O thought, daring to hope for the first time.

The incline increased and the floor grew perilous with loose stones and dirt. A rock bounced down the corridor, the sound echoing off the walls. “There they go!” someone shouted faintly.

“Run!” Amber yelled, taking Jeno's hand. They sprinted up the path, rapid footsteps reverberating behind them. “I see the end!” Mark gasped, pointing at a dark glimmer up ahead. They redoubled their efforts and finally spilled out of the tunnel into the open air. It was dark, but D.O could make out a tree line a few yards away. “Come on!” he shouted, leading the way. They darted into the trees, branches snapping as they tore through them. Beams of light flickered on the trunks like minuscule flashes of lightning, searching for them. “I see them!” someone shouted.

“We're not gonna make it,” Taemin huffed.

“Just keep going!” D.O insisted.


******


Irene lay on her back, staring at the ceiling as she mulled over the previous night. Even if Jonghyun’s right about this Mr. Moa, how are we supposed to find him? she wondered for the hundredth time. There was a knock on the door and she sat up stiffly. “Come in,” she called.

The door opened and Onew poked his head in. “Joy said you were in here,” he said, closing the door. “Are you okay?”

Irene nodded. “I just needed some time to think,” she replied. “What Jonghyun said last night-”

“I know it sounds crazy,” Onew interrupted, sitting beside her, “but I don't know if we can afford to ignore it.”

“What are we supposed to do?” Irene wondered. “Would anyone even believe us?”

The door opened again, this time revealing Taeyong. “I hate to interrupt, but this came for you,” he said, handing Irene a small white box. It felt curiously light, and it didn't make any noise when she shook it.

“Who's it from?” Onew asked. “Your parents?”

Irene shook her head. “There's no return address.” She broke the seal and lifted the lid. “What is this?” she wondered, peering into the box. Taeyong leaned over to see. “It looks like hair,” he said, picking up a piece, “and a lot of it.”

Irene noticed a note taped to the underside of the lid and she pulled it off carefully. “What does it say?” Onew asked as she unfolded it.

“ ‘If I got to them, what makes you think I can't get to you?’ ” she read. She turned back to the box. “I know whose hair this is,” she whispered. “It's Wendy's.”


******


Taeyeon tightened her grip on Chanyeol's shirt and peeked over his shoulder. “They're getting closer!” she gasped. “There's too many of them!”

Chanyeol broke away from the others, veering off to one side. “What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Trust me,” he panted, weaving around the trees. He skidded to a stop, looked around quickly, then set her down. “Climb,” he said, pushing her toward a nearby tree.

“Chanyeol-”

“There’s no time!” he interrupted. “You have to hide!”

He lifted her up and she grabbed the lowest branches, her ribs screaming in pain. She pulled herself up and managed to sit on the branch, her feet dangling as she looked down at him.

“What about you?”

“Don't worry about us,” Chanyeol said. “You've got to go find help.”

“Come with me! I'm sure we could-”

There was a triumphant shout from the guards and a shrill scream not far off. “Hide!” Chanyeol hissed. “Now!”

Taeyeon reached for the next branch and Chanyeol ran back into the darkness, leaving her alone. She climbed quickly, spurred on by fear and pain, stopping only once she made it to the upper branches. The thick foliage covered her like a veil and she took a deep breath. This should be high enough, she thought, pulling her knees close. She could see flashlights waving around like signals and hear her friends yelling as they were dragged back to the clearing.
She heard rustling around her and her heart began to pound as two guards tramped by, waving their flashlights methodically. “She can't have gone far,” one of them muttered.

“Maybe she doubled back,” the other one suggested. “At any rate, she's hurt too bad to get
very far.”

Tears streamed down Taeyeon's face as they searched, but she kept completely still against the tree trunk. They won't look in the trees because I'm too injured to climb, she realized. Thank you, Chanyeol.

Finally the guards gave up and headed back to the clearing. She waited until the lights and sounds completely died away, then she climbed back down the tree. Her ribs felt like hot knives stabbing her insides, but she tried to ignore it as she made it to the ground. Don't worry, guys, she thought, taking off into the darkness. Help is coming.


******


“What if she's dead?!”

Irene took a calming breath. “There's no reason to think that, Seulgi,” she said calmly. “Please don't panic.”

“Don't panic?! This guy just told us we're his next targets and you don't want us to panic?!”

The room erupted into frightened babbling and Irene turned back to the other leaders. “I'm panicking too, guys,” she whispered. “What do we do?”

Suho got up and waved his hands for quiet. “Everyone calm down,” he called. “We've got a plan.”

“We do?” Taeyong asked incredulously. Onew elbowed him and shook his head.

“We're, uh…” Suho swallowed hard. “We're going to the police.”

Everyone fell into an abrupt, stunned silence as they processed Suho's announcement. “How?” Doyoung asked finally. Suho glanced back at the other leaders. “I'm going to sneak out and go to the station myself.”

“Absolutely not!” Chen shouted, surging to his feet. “There's already eight of us missing, and I'll be damned if you're next!”

Everyone started talking again, this time full of disapproval and doubt. Onew grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “That will never work,” he said in a low voice. “Even if we got you out of the building, someone could abduct you before you get to the station. We can't risk it.”

“I'm not going to sit here and wait for a box of my own,” Suho replied. “We're the only real chance they've got.”

“Why don't we just tell someone here at the company?” Sunny pleaded. “Surely they could notify the police.”

“That won't work, Sunny!” Hyohyeon said hotly. “They'll just bury it again and ruin any chance we have of finding the others!”

Haechan whistled sharply and everyone hushed immediately, cringing at the shrill noise. “Thank you,” he said placidly. “I believe Suho was talking.”

Suho blinked in surprise. “Uh, thanks, Haechan,” he said, turning to face the room again. “Look, I know it sounds insane and dangerous, but it's the only way. Someone has to go to the police, and I think I speak for all the leaders when I say we aren't risking any of you.”

“And you think we want to risk you?” Baekhyun demanded. Suho shook his head. “No, but that's the way it has to be,” he said gently. “It's going to take all of us to get me out of the building,” he said, addressing the room again. “Any ideas?”

They all looked at each other, still unsure. “When?” Krystal asked finally.

“Soon. Tonight.”

Some of the idols groaned, but didn't press the issue.

“There's a window washing carriage on the side of the building,” Minho remembered. “I saw them cleaning earlier today.”

“Okay, so assuming he doesn't kill himself in a freak window washing accident, then what?” Taeil demanded.

“I'll take a cab to the station,” Suho replied coolly.

“Are you crazy?!” Kai exploded. “That's how three of our friends were kidnapped!”

“Okay, okay!” Suho said placatingly. “You're right, I'm sorry.”

Kai folded his arms and leaned back in his chair.

“Call the station from a payphone,” Victoria suggested. “They'll send a police car to get you if they think you're in danger.”

“Which you are,” Chen grumbled. Suho nodded. “Good idea. Now all I need is a distraction.”

Ten minutes later they had a plan and were in position near the elevators. Suho peeked around the corner where the night watchmen stood guard. I hope this works, he thought desperately.

There was a sudden shout and several loud thuds, as if someone was ramming into the walls. The guards looked at each other, then stepped away toward the noise. Suho darted around the corner and headed for the stairwell. He put his hand on the door knob and someone else covered his hand.

“What are you doing?” he demanded.

“I'm going with you,” Minho said stubbornly, “and you don't have time to argue with me.”

Suho groaned and entered the stairwell, Minho following close behind. Onew's gonna kill me, he thought, taking the stairs two at a time. “Where did you say that carriage was?” he huffed.

“Fourteenth floor, I think,” Minho panted.

“You think?!” Suho repeated. “I thought you knew where it was!”

“I do, I'm just not sure exactly which floor!”

They made it to the fourteenth floor and they peeked out into the hallway. It was dark and completely deserted, so they stepped out cautiously. “There it is!” Minho whispered, pointing at the far window. Suho could barely make out a glint of moonlight on steel where the carriage hung. “Looks like they stopped between floors,” he said, running up to the window. “We'll have to climb down.”

“Suho, there's gotta be a safer way!” Minho said. “We can go through the basement, or, or…”

“The basement is monitored by security and you know it,” Suho said, finding the window latch. “Let's just be grateful we don't have to shatter a window to get out there.” He opened the window and a blast of cold air hit them, tearing at their clothes. The carriage was only a few feet below them, but from fourteen stories up it may as well have been a mile.

“I regret putting this idea in your head,” Minho yelled above the wind. Suho grabbed one of the cables. “Just don't look down,” he called. He took a deep breath and leapt off the windowsill, wrapping his legs around the cable. So far so good, he thought, his teeth already chattering from the cold. He shimmied down the cable until his feet touched the carriage railing. After a quick glance down he let go and landed heavily on the carriage floor. I made it, he thought with relief. “Okay!” he called, turning back to Minho. “Your turn!”

Minho grabbed the cable and shimmied down slowly. A gust of wind rocked the carriage and he froze, gripping the cable tightly. “Hold on!” Suho yelled, bracing himself against the railing. The carriage steadied and Minho quickly descended to the carriage floor. “I’m okay,” he assured him, though he was shaking slightly.

Suho found the control panel and flipped the cover open. “Okay, up and down. Seems easy enough.” He grabbed the lever and pulled it down, but nothing happened. “That's weird,” he mumbled, trying again. The carriage didn't move, the lever clicking annoyingly as he pulled again and again. “Why isn't it working?!” he snarled.

“Hey, maybe it's this,” Minho said, pulling another lever. The carriage went into a freefall, careening down the side of the building like a rollercoaster. They clung to the railing as Suho tried to reach the lever. His fingers slipped a few times, but he finally managed to lift it and the carriage slowed, drifting down the last twenty feet before coming to an abrupt stop on the pavement. The two of them lay on the carriage floor, chests heaving.

“Are… are we alive?” Minho wondered. Suho flexed his hand. “It seems so,” he replied. He rolled over and sat up, overcome by dizziness. “That was quite the ride,” he commented, squeezing his eyes shut.

Minho pulled himself to his feet. “Come on,” he said, offering Suho his hand, “let's make a phone call.”

Notes