The Hostages

Chanyeol opened his eyes slowly. There was a bright light above him and people bending over him. He could hear machines beeping nearby and feel hands on his arms and legs. They captured me! he thought, panic rushing through him. He bucked them off and sat up, though his head was spinning horribly. There was something taped to his arm and he clawed at it until he was free. He was on a bed, so he swung his legs over the side and tried to stand. His leg screamed in pain and someone tried to grab him, but he shoved them away and stumbled toward the door. The light got brighter and he shielded his eyes as he ran, ignoring the dull cacophony of voices behind him.

“Chanyeol!” he heard someone yell, but it was garbled and indistinct. Don't listen, he told himself. If you go back there, they'll kill you. Gotta find the others.

“Chanyeol!” the voice repeated, closer this time. A hand closed around his wrist and he tried to break free, but his throbbing leg gave way and he fell to the ground. “Get off!” he snarled, struggling against his captor. “I'll kill you!”

“Chanyeol, it's me!” the voice called. “No one's trying to hurt you! You're safe!”

There was something familiar about the voice and he tried to focus his eyes on the speaker's face. “Who are you?” he demanded feebly.

“It's me, Chen,” the voice said. “You were rescued a few hours ago. You're safe.”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “This is a trick.”

Someone put hands on either side of his face and he almost pulled away, but there was something familiar about them and he blinked hard. His vision was still swimming, but he managed to make out Chen's face leaning over him. “Are… are you real?” he asked suspiciously. Chen nodded, tears pouring down his cheeks. “Yeah, buddy. I'm completely real.”

Chanyeol reached out and touched Chen's face. He felt real skin and real tears, though his brain couldn't believe it. I'm… safe?

Chen smiled through his tears and wrapped him in a hug. Chanyeol slowly put his arms around Chen and felt the warmth of a real person. This is real. It's really happening. He buried his face in Chen's shoulder and sobbed tears of relief.


******


Kai sat by Taemin's bed, watching him closely. D.O and Chanyeol were still in surgery, so he'd come straight to Taemin's room. He was just bruised and dehydrated, but after he punched a nurse they had to restrain him with padded cuffs. The doctors cautioned them that there was likely extensive mental and psychological damage. Don't worry, Kai thought, covering Taemin's hand with his own. We'll help you through this.

The door opened and Onew came in bearing coffees. “Any change?” he asked, setting the drinks down on a side table. Kai shook his head. “The doctor said the sedative should wear off soon,” he replied. He glanced over at the other SHINee members. Minho leaned against the wall, staring blankly at the floor, while Jonghyun and Key were dozing on the little couch by the window. Onew handed Minho a coffee and the three of them drank in silence as the minutes ticked by.

Eventually Taemin groaned and they all crowded around the bed instantly. “What's going on?” Key asked groggily.

“I think he's waking up,” Onew murmured.

Taemin's eyes cracked open and he groaned again. He sat up, trying to break free from the restraints. He struggled like his life depended on it, heedless of his friends around him.

“Taemin!” Kai called, attempting to calm him. “It's okay! You're alright!”

“You're in the hospital,” Minho said soothingly. “You're with us, Taemin.”

Taemin stopped and looked around wildly. “On-Onew?” he stammered. “Minho? You're here?”

“We're here,” Minho sighed, tears running down his cheeks.

“Thank God you're alright,” Jonghyun murmured, sitting on the foot of the bed. Taemin caught sight of Kai and tried to reach for his hand, but the restraints were too snug. “Why… why did they do this?” he rasped.

“You don't remember?” Key asked. “You were fighting the doctors and anyone else who came close to you. They had to tie you down just so you wouldn't hurt anyone.”

Taemin sighed. “I'm very far from alright,” he whispered.


******


D.O woke suddenly, like someone had flipped a switch somewhere in his consciousness. He was lying in a bed on his stomach, staring through a hole at the white linoleum floor. Something felt strange, though he couldn't place it for a while. Wait a minute, he thought. My back doesn't hurt any more.

As his sight continued to clear he saw a hand dangling in his peripheral vision. He reached for it and closed his fingers around it. The hand responded immediately, clasping his hand tightly, then there was a noise like a chair scraping back. “D.O?” a voice called softly.

“Suho?” D.O croaked. He tried to sit up, but his back was weighed down and he couldn't move. “Lie still,” Suho told him. He crawled under the bed and looked up at D.O with a smile. “The doctors worked hard to fix your back, so they put you on this table while it closes up.”

D.O noticed dark shadows under Suho's eyes. “You look terrible,” he commented. Suho laughed. “This from the guy strapped to a table after reconstructive surgery,” he teased. D.O tried to look around again. “Where are the others?” he asked. “Are they all safe?”

“Safe and resting,” Suho assured him. “You were the one they were concerned about. Taeyeon was asking about you before she had fully regained consciousness.”

There was a knock on the door and Suho glanced at it. “They only let us in one at a time, so we've been taking turns,” he explained. “It's Baekhyun's turn now, so I'll let him in while I round up the others.”

D.O nodded and Suho squeezed his hand again. “Welcome home,” he said. He crawled back out and D.O heard the door open.

Home.


******


“Please miss, it's important we get as much information as possible.”

“Can't you do this later?” Krystal demanded. “She's just been rescued from a sadistic kidnapper!”

“Calm down,” Amber said, putting a hand on her arm. “I don't mind.”

The officer uncapped his pen and Amber tried to organize her thoughts. You can do this, she told herself. You can do this.

“Start at the beginning, please. We need to know what happened so we can treat you accordingly.”

“The first night, we nearly froze to death,” Amber said quietly. “A few nights later several of us were slipped some kind of psychoactive drug.”

“What side effects did you have?” the doctor asked, jotting down notes.

“Vomiting, shaking, blindness, um…” A few blurred memories surfaced and she shuddered. “Uh, our arms and legs wouldn't work, anger and hallucinations.”

“Which of you were given the drug?”

“Everyone except D.O and Taeyeon.”

The doctor wrote this down. “Anything else?”

Amber nodded. “I was beaten just before we were able to escape. Taemin was… forced to beat Taeyeon.” Taemin's sobs echoed through her mind and she closed her eyes as she tried to banish the memory.

“Miss Liu?”

She opened her eyes again. “I'm sorry, I… I don't remember much else,” she lied. “When can I see my family?”

“They'll be brought directly here upon their arrival,” the doctor promised. “Thank you for your help, Miss Liu.” He left and Amber closed her eyes again.

“Amber? Are you okay?” Luna asked tentatively.

“I need to be alone,” Amber murmured.

“We can help-”

“No,” she said dully. She opened her eyes in time to see her friends quietly leave the room, and for the first time she allowed herself to cry.


******


Taeyong sat in the hallway numbly, ignoring the people passing by. He'd been going back and forth between Mark and Jeno's rooms for hours and he felt shaken. Jeno had lost so much blood Taeyong thought he was dead, but the doctor assured him that he would eventually make a full recovery. Mark looked haggard, like a man rescued from a desert island. He wouldn't say anything to Taeyong, except to ask about Jeno and the others. Taeyong buried his face in his arms and let out a long sigh.

“You okay?”

Taeyong looked up. “I don't think anyone is okay right now,” he muttered. Johnny sat beside him and pulled his knees to his chest. “Mark’s family just got here,” he said quietly. “Jeno's should be here soon.”

Taeyong nodded silently.

“It worked.”

“What?” he asked dumbly.

“The planning, the detective stuff. It actually worked.”

Taeyong nodded again. “I guess.”

“Have you been to see any of the others yet?”

“Wendy, and Chanyeol. They wouldn't let me in to see D.O or Taemin. Taeyeon's with her family and Amber's refusing to see anyone.”

Johnny nodded. “That's understandable, I guess. I can't even imagine what they've been through.”

Taeyong sighed again. “How are we supposed to move on from this?” he whispered. “How are we supposed to help them move on?”

Johnny shrugged. “I don't know,” he admitted. “Maybe we aren't supposed to know that yet. We'll just take it one step at a time until we look back and realize it's behind us.”

“When did you get so wise?” Taeyong wondered.

Johnny just smiled and they sat together, waiting for what would come next.

Notes