By The Way, Danplan Oneshots

Snatched 8

Final part here boys! This is the last chance to vote on what you want...however...
As you know, Christmas is coming so I will not be writing the usual one shot on Wednesday. I'll probably start again some time next week, so any requests or votes can be messaged to me then :)
Thanks, and Merry Christmas Eve-Eve

There was a strange beeping.

Hosuh felt himself get pulled from whatever state he was in, but not fully; he kept his eyes tightly shut, wanting to stay inside himself forever.

Why was he here?

Didn't he want to be free? But where was he now? What had his kidnapper done? Where had he been taken to?

And what was that annoying beeping? It was growing more rapid as he panicked and he wanted to shout and scream for it to stop, but realised he couldn't even open his eyes – what had been a choice was now another restriction. All he could do was breathe, and let his mind wander further into an abyss.

The beeping, though still annoying, had slowed down, letting him think easier with his aching head. The first thing he noticed was that he was actually on something soft, like a car seat, but he couldn't be in a car because he couldn't feel the vibrations. The puzzle left his fragile mind quickly, however, as a wave of hopelessness descended on him.

Really, it didn't matter where he was. He was still going to be trapped, because his kidnapper would never let him go. He was forever going to live in a stage of fear that blocked any logical thoughts of anything, and happiness, any hope, any – that beeping really needed to stop being so loud and fast.

Hosuh heard something else amongst the noise, and his stomach dropped when he realised they were voices. If he wasn't afraid before, he was now; fear was threading itself into each of his bones, his skin, everything, like a plague. As the beeping grew faster and louder against his ears, Hosuh tried to struggle, a moan escaping from his lips. The voices also were rising in volume and Hosuh desperately wanted to go back to sleep, away from them all. He thought he was dead!

"Why can't I be dead?" Hosuh whispered to whoever had him now. The voices stopped abruptly. "I was ready to...die." Hosuh still couldn't open his eyes, but he guessed someone took his hand – their fingers were warm, and his hand twitched to hold them back.

So was it his kidnapper? Was it some sick game he was playing – a false sense of security? Because Hosuh felt it was too long since someone touched him like this. If only he hadn't gone and looked for the stupid noodle pot. He would've been home. Not here – wherever he was.

"Hosuh." Someone spoke, blocking out the beeping. "Hosuh I'm sorry. I –" apparently the person couldn't finish the sentence. Hosuh couldn't blame them, talking was very tiring. He was ready to go back to sleep when another voice joined them.

"Come on Hosuh...wake up." That voice, not unlike the other one, sounded familiar and comforting to him. Curiosity was burning inside of him (which was welcome amongst all the fear trapped in his mind) and now he actually wanted to open his eyes. It suddenly clicked – who those voices were, why they were sorry – but he didn't want to believe it.

It was strange, and Hosuh wanted to laugh at it all; the thought of freedom kept him alive, gave him hope. But now he was confronted with the possibility that he was actually free? He was scared and intimidated by it. It was a bit ironic in his opinion, but it could all just be a fever dream as his dying wish, like in so many movies – or was he really getting a happy ending? Was he free?

Hosuh opened his eyes slowly, finding himself staring at a white ceiling. A strong scent of disinfectant that had been lurking just out of his consciousness was suddenly burst upon his senses, making him almost reach. The only place that would smell like this was a hospital. So that's where he was.

He let his gaze shift over to the tubes and bandages covering his arms, and he supposed his legs were the same. He relished the bliss feeling of not feeling any pain. Something was also covering his mouth, a mask of some sort, and Hosuh would have ripped it clean off if the person holding his hand didn't tighten their grip as the thought crossed his mind.

Hosuh's eyes widened as he saw that the person holding his hand was Dan, with Stephen at his side. Hosuh let a small smile grace his lips at the sight of his friends, eyes softening. Both males were looking at him anxiously, Stephen biting his lip. They hadn't realised he was awake yet, staring at the floor.

Hosuh made his presence known by squeezing Daniel's hand – it was probably more like a pathetic tap, but Dan's head snapped up, a smile taking over his features as he saw Hosuh looking at him. Stephen, alerted by Dan's movements, also found Hosuh awake, staring at them both.

"Hosuh!" Stephen immediately scooted his chair closer to his side. Hosuh smiled in response, not having the energy to greet them.

"We thought you fell back asleep..." Daniel muttered. He was holding Hosuh's hand more tightly as an anchor, telling himself that it was real. Stephen suddenly laughed quietly, more of a relieved sigh.

"You're awake...you're gonna be fine...I knew you would pull through!" He said.

"I missed you guys..." Hosuh whispered. Dan's and Stephen's faces lost some of their initial joy, clouded with guilt and anger as Hosuh's own face darkened, his eyes haunted.

"We missed you too." Daniel replied quietly. "So much."

"We kept searching for you, always." Stephen added. Hosuh noticed that both friends had dark bags under their eyes, looking almost dead.

"Thank you." Hosuh smiled weakly. Stephen suddenly scoffed, some humour lightening up in his eyes.

"Only you would thank us for doing something like that." He joked. The three friends all laughed, and Hosuh felt some unease lift from his chest. He wasn't getting tricked, and this was too real for a fevered dream.

"You guys should...get some sleep..." Hosuh whispered, watching their sluggish movements. Daniel yawned only response and Stephen protested like a child.

"I'm not...I want to stay up with you." He argued, making Hosuh chuckle.

"Well I'm sleepy too." He could feel his eyelids closing for seconds at a time. He didn't want this moment to end, but he knew that he was now safe, surrounded by friends that would protect him at whatever cost. And right now, he was feeling complete enough to sleep – not to mention that talking alone had reduced him to exhaustion.

"If that is what Hosuh wants," Daniel yawned again, curling up on his chair. "Then I will do as he wishes."

"Fine. I can't turn down Hosuh." Stephen muttered sleepily, stretching across the two chairs at the side of the room. His legs dangled off awkwardly, but he was asleep in seconds, like Dan.

Hosuh smiled, letting his own eyes drift closed. He let the soft snores of his friends lull him, and a small smile crept across his face. A tear escaped from under his closed eye, but not of sadness – of relief.

He was free.