Vendetta

Chapter 15

Bright fluorescent lights assaulted Jeongin's eyes as he woke to an unfamiliar environment. Keeping his eyes in narrowed slits, he peered around the room, his heart hammering against his ribcage at the thought that he could have possibly been separated from his siblings. From what he could see, he was in a large white room, void of any decorations except for a TV and three night stands.

    To his left, there was a green curtain separating him from the person next to him. The beeping of machines came in at unsynchronized intervals and it took every ounce of willpower not to beg for the noise to stop. Multiple needles were stuck in his arms and he tried to follow the mess of wires to the machines they belonged to without success. Just out of view, was a whiteboard with illegible writing on it, though he could make out something about conditions.

    After a few minutes, he realized with a pang what had happened at the police station. He remembered having a camera tucked into the elastic waistband of his pants for safekeeping, but with the baby blue hospital gown he now wore, the camera was nowhere to be found. He noticed that whatever machine was next to him began to beep more rapidly as he scanned his surroundings, thankfully locating the camera on his nightstand.

    "I'm here to help, I won't hurt them," a calm voice said from the other side of the room. The voice was followed by the sound of nails on a chalkboard as a curtain was rolled back.

    "If I see you lay a hand on them without the intention to help, I'll make sure it's the last thing you do," Changbin growled, his voice slightly hoarse as if he had just woken up. Jeongin was beyond relieved that they were together, resisting the urge to call Changbin and alert him to his presence. Would they hurt him if he did?

    "Good afternoon, Mr. Yang," someone in a blue nurse uniform said as they pulled away the curtain to his left. "I'm so sorry that you guys had to go through that after being god knows where for the past twenty years. If it makes you feel any better, there will be a full blown investigation starting tomorrow. With any luck, the officers involved will be fired."

    "I just... why would they do that to us?" Jeongin asked, thinking about the searing pain that had torn through his body. "They're supposed to help, aren't they?"

    The nurse nodded in reply, stepping away from the curtain. Without it in the way, he could see both Changbin and Seungmin sitting up in their beds with wide smiles that were laced with terror. Slowly, Jeongin lowered himself out of bed and curled up next to Seungmin, comforted by the warmth of his body against his own.

    "There were a few tests run immediately after you were admitted here," the nurse began, glancing down at a clipboard in their hands. "All of you have suffered some quite severe injuries that you're lucky to have survived. There will be lasting complications for some of you, but it's nothing we can't fix or treat. I don't even want to know what you have all been through."

    Changbin visibly shivered, possibly thinking back to what he had been manipulated to do to Minho. Chan had always treated him as less-than, and hurting others was the only way he could receive the love and attention he craved. On the other hand, Seungmin didn't react to the statement, his voice once again stolen away by the tragic experiences he had been forced to endure. Jeongin couldn't blame him. They were all experiencing more stress than they were equipped to handle.

    "What about the others?" Seungmin signed. Jeongin was prepared to translate, but the nurse appeared to understand just fine.

    "They're in the room next door, but it's..." the nurse paused, searching for the right words. "It's a bit of a mess over there. They all woke up afraid and immediately went into fight mode. They're being calmed down right now." After meeting a withering glare from Changbin, they added, "in a civil manner."

    Jeongin's breathing felt restricted, wondering what could possibly be happening in the room next door. He clung tighter to Seungmin, wishing that he could be there to comfort them. Maybe whatever remained of Minho was uplifting them, just as it had to him as they approached the city.

    "Can we see them?" Changbin asked anxiously, nearly halfway out of bed and ready to bolt to the door at a moment's notice.

    "No, not now," the nurse replied sympathetically. "Even if you happen to be close, I think that more people being around will cause them more stress. But don't worry, they're all in great hands."

    Heavy silence fell on them for a few minutes, making it possible for them to hear slight traces of conversation beyond the wall. Wordlessly, the nurse slipped a small notebook and pencil into Jeongin's hands, meeting his confused expression with a warm smile.

    "That's for you to write down what happened to you over the past few years," the nurse explained. "If it's too painful, there's no pressure for you to. However, it would help with a police investigation and apprehending whoever kidnapped you all those years ago. Maybe it could give them a clue as to where the last child might be as well."

    Jeongin felt as if he had been dunked in ice cold water as he looked down at the notebook in his hands, absentmindedly leafing through the empty pages. He glanced up at the nurse with a helpless expression. Just that morning, he had been clueless to the true horrors that lurked around him. Even if he was the only one with the full story, his older siblings should have been the ones to give their testimony. They had more right to than he did. The police didn't need the testimony of a murderer. More specifically, a murderer who had killed the exact person they were looking to arrest.

    "I uh- I don't think I can do this," Jeongin stammered, pushing the notebook just out of arm's reach. "Even if I did write something, it wouldn't be of much help. All the people the police are looking for are dead. The camera might help better than words on a page."

    The nurse froze, their warm and compassionate smile never wavering even for a moment. "I'm sure anything you write will be of use, but there's still no pressure if you really don't want to. However, writing your experiences might capture what you went through better than whatever is on the camera. It also might help you begin to recover."

    Seungmin gently squeezed his hand, pushing the notebook back to him with an encouraging nod. If the world wanted a story, they would get one with excruciating detail from beginning to end. A tale of horrors that no one should have ever had to experience.

    "Just think about it, okay?" the nurse said gently before changing the topic. "Also, all of your biological parents have been contacted and will be visiting you tomorrow if you consent. They're all overjoyed that you've been found and I'm sure you can't wait to meet them."

    With that, the nurse left them to their own devices. Mixed emotions of fear, joy, and sorrow hung thick in the air, no one knowing exactly what to feel. What would happen when they met their parents? What would they even say? It had been so long that none of them could even remember their parent's faces. What about Minho's parents? How did they feel knowing that their son was the only one that didn't make it out alive?

    All of those questions went unanswered as the three of them cuddled up on the hospital bed, counting their blessings under their breath. All that mattered was that they were alive and together. Soon enough, life would begin to seem normal. At least, as normal as it could be.