Wanted ||| Ateez

13

"Excuse me?" Hongjoong said, stepping forward.

May looked at the ground and nodded again. This is it... They will hate me after this. "My name is May, and I'm actually... I was raised to be... an assassin."

She saw several jaws drop, but more faces turned skeptical. They didn't know whether or not to believe her. And she could understand that.

Sighing, she pulled out her suitcase and opened up the secret compartment, exposing her files. She stepped aside and motioned for them to look.

Hongjoong stepped forward, eyeing her cautiously. He picked up one of the folders and flipped through it, his mouth slowly opening.

The others crowded around him, looking from the files to May.

When they got to Yeosang's file, he covered his mouth and dropped to the floor. May wanted to go and comfort him, but she knew she needed to stay where she was.

"What is the meaning of this?" the leader said, his gaze turning dark as he stepped in front of Yeosang. "You lied to us, this entire time? You came to.. to..."

"Yes. Someone was going to pay me to kill Yeosang." She felt her lips trembling as she made eye contact with Hongjoong, hoping she could convey her feelings.

"Was?" Wooyoung said as he knelt next to his friend.

May nodded. "Was. I... I had decided I didn't want to do it anymore. After getting to know all of you, I... I was going to leave that life behind." Her shoulders started shaking, but still she kept her voice steady. "You showed me what it's like to have a different life. I'm sorry I lied to you... I'm sorrier than you'll ever know..." She glanced at Jongho and her breath caught in her throat.

"That gunshot..." Mingi said, breaking the silence.

"Was for Yeosang. My boss had sent someone to help me finish the mission... Joe is his name. He... He is the one you saw with me on the beach back in LA. I told him I didn't need his help, that I could do it myself. But even then, I think he could sense that I was wavering... So, he must have followed us." She dared looking at Yeosang, he was shaking.

No one moved, so she chanced falling to her knees in front of him. She could feel the others watching her, so she kept her movements slow as she reached for his hands. He flinched, but then looked at her.

"I am so sorry, Yeosang, I know I don't deserve forgiveness, but I hope one day you will believe me. I... I don't want to be a monster anymore..." she bowed her head. Now is when she let the tears come. "It's the only life I've ever known... I didn't know there was another way. I want to change." She bent forward so her forehead was resting against their joined hands.

The boys exchanged glances, not sure of what to do right now.

May was just about to give up hope when the hands she held squeezed hers slightly. Then she heard his gentle voice. "So then change." She looked up at him, and although he still looked terrified, she could see the Yeosang she had grown to care for in his eyes. His kind, gentle eyes.

In this moment, May forgot about everything, her old life, who she was, what she was. All she knew is that she wanted to try to be a better person.

Then reality hit.

Yeosang shifted when he saw the change in her face. "Ali... May?"

May looked down at her ankle. He knows... "I-I have to go." She said, standing up, she knew she didn't have much time. No, she had no time.

She vaulted over her bed and ran to the bathroom, locking the door. She had just seconds left, so she ripped off her shirt and stuffed it into her mouth.

.

.

.

.

The boys stared after her when she ran into the bathroom. The instant change was so unexpected, none of them moved. Yeosang was still on the floor, his mouth open slightly, looking at the door.

Then they heard the scream. It was muffled, but it was so long and drawn out they knew something had happened.

Wooyoung was closest to the door so he got there first. He called out, trying to open it.

"Move." Jongho growled. May was still screaming, the pitch getting higher and higher. He gritted his teeth, grabbed the doorknob, and pulled with all his strength.

The door was ripped off its hinges, revealing May shaking violently on the floor. She kept trying to curl into herself as if that would stop the pain, but with each tremor it opened her up again and she would twist back and forth on the floor.

Jongho moved to grab her but Mingi yelled, "Don't!" He grabbed the youngest and pointed to her ankle. They could see the sparks flying from it.

"We have to get it off her!"

"But how?"

"I don't care! Find some rubber gloves or something! She can't take much more of this!"

"Where the hell are we-"

"Find anything!"

The boys were panicking as they ran out of the room. San and Wooyoung stayed behind to keep an eye on her, but they wished they hadn't. Her continued screams ripped them apart. They stood off to the side, clinging to each other.

Finally, Seonghwa and Jongho ran back into the room. The maintenance area had a stock of rubber gloves and had given some to the eldest, while the youngest had gone to the kitchen to get a knife, angering the staff there.

Both of them put on the gloves and edged into the bathroom.

May's screams were getting weaker, but the spasms never stopped.

"Seonghwa, hold her down the best you can. I don't know what it's going to take to get this off." Jongho said, keeping his face neutral as he rolled up her pant leg. The eldest nodded and put pressure on her shoulders while Jongho did his best to hold her legs steady.

He lowered the knife to the device and tried to slip it underneath it, but there was no room. He swore, then tilted the knife and started sawing against the material. He tried to ignore the cuts appearing on her ankle when the blade hit skin, but he didn't know what else to do.

It seemed to take forever, but he didn't give up. He could see that the material was starting to fray. He jumped back when he hit one of the nodes on the inside, though, as it showered sparks everywhere. It also sent a powerful shock through May, and she almost threw Seonghwa off her.

"I'm almost done, just hold on." He said as he resumed the sawing. He only hit one other node as he went, hating what it did to her, but eventually, the device snapped and fell from her skin. Jongho picked it up and threw it in the plastic trash bin.

Seonghwa had pulled May's head into his lap and was quietly shushing her while stroking her hair. She still hadn't stopped shaking, but she was unconscious.

"We should get her comfortable..." Jongho said as he crouched down to pick her up.

The others had returned by now and the six of them were huddled in a corner. They watched as their youngest member slowly lowered May to the bed and tucked her under the covers. He sat next to her head, rubbing it, hoping to help her relax a little.

Seonghwa stood nearby, but he turned to face the others. "What do we do now?" He looked at Yeosang specifically. They all knew he had to make the final decision.