Never Give Up

Chapter 42

POV: Y/N

When you woke up, you wanted to curse because you were still in this disgusting place. One eye was completely swollen shut, but you looked around desperately. Did I miss anything earlier? Rotting curtains covered cracked windows sealed by iron bars. No furniture in the room meant there was no way to create a lever to pry at those bars. Considering the state of the carpet, you were kind of glad there was no furniture. More items meant more filth and you already wanted to vomit with what you saw and smelled. Heck, your blood was probably the cleanest thing in the room.

After your survey of the room, you saw a glint of something metal surprisingly close to your hand. You had to turn your head to look at it closely and you discovered what looked like a steak knife. It looked amazingly clean in this hellish room. You weren't going to question how Ahnjong could make such a fatal mistake. Instead, you grasped the knife as best as you could and sawed at the rope ties around your ankles. You knew the ability to run was the first thing you needed to restore. As the ropes parted, you had to stifle a moan of relief. Ahnjong had not tied you up "gently" and the return of blood was almost as agonizing as when they'd been tied up. Your fingers were tingling a bit and you knew it wouldn't be long before you lost feeling in your fingers. You turned the knife carefully to cut at your remaining bonds. Some rustling in the next room caused you to drop the knife in panic.

Ahnjong had said she was going to the concert. Was I asleep that long? You had been wanting to get loose to give yourself a chance of fighting back. You were fairly certain you could overpower that little girl. However, if she was back now... You held your breath, straining to hear each and every noise. Steps came toward the door and you thought your heart was going to stop. The noises ceased for a minute, but after a few moments, they moved away and you could breathe a bit. It sounded too heavy to be Ahnjong, and the thoughts of a stranger was even more terrifying. What would they do to you? If Ahnjong was their leader, it wouldn't be good. You would swear that, if you got out of this, you would beg Jungkook and Jimin to teach you some self-defense moves.

With the knowledge of another person in the area, a frisson of fear ran down your spine and lent an urgency to your movements. You grasped the knife again and sawed more desperately at your bonds. You couldn't get a good angle and you'd scraped your skin more than once. The extra blood made the handle slippery, but you persevered. When the final strand eventually parted, you sent a prayer of thanks to the universe.

Steps approached the door again, but this time you heard metal scraping in a lock. Shit! You looked around and gathered the parted ties to hide them. You laid back down with your back toward the door. You gripped the knife in your hands and tried to slow your breathing. You wondered if you would have the guts to use the knife on a person if you had to. When the door opened, you wondered if your time had run out. Thoughts of your beloved soulmates ran through your mind. You realized that, other than telling them in a rather offhand manner, you hadn't told them you loved them. You had thought that it hadn't been long enough to admit such deep feelings... like time was the determining factor in love. You didn't want to die here, because you had to let them know. But if it was between you and them getting hurt, you would do anything to protect them.

Slow steps moved toward you and you stayed as still as possible. "Damn, that crazy bitch! If she dies here, am I going to be left holding the bag?" You were shocked at a slightly familiar male voice speaking Korean. You knew that, in times of stress, a person defaults to their native language. Is it someone from the boys' staff? Someone I know? How did they know Ahnjong? Why would they do this? Demanding answers defeated the purpose of this little act of yours. However, if he realized you were playing possum, you'd try asking your questions to delay him. It was entirely probable that your soulmates would have realized you were missing by now and everyone would be frantic. But Chicago was a big place, so you had to buy them as much time as you possibly could so they could find you.