Six months have passed since Do Kyungsoo's abduction. Yes, you read that correctly. Six months. Each and every day he grows weaker, body threatening to give up on him. With his least injured arm he brushes his hand over his rapidly disappearing hair that due to stress and malnourishment began falling out a little while ago. He whimpers as he observes one of the last clumps of hair to fall out of his head, cupping it in his hands and hugging it to his chest. He sighs shakily, his pale face now a ghastly grey, eyes always bloodshot and puffy, underlined with deep purple bags. His skin is pulled taught over his bones, his sweatpants which are torn due to the harsh treatments tightened as much as they are able to. His hoodie quite literally hangs off of him now, the collar now so big on him that it hangs across his chest, showing off his black tee beneath. His clothes are stained with blood and grime, and due to the changing seasons the basement has become damp, cold and dreary. He could smell the mould growing on the walls but has grown so used to it that the scent is now odourless. He can no longer feel if he is hungry anymore and his stomach no longer rumbles. His skin bruises incredibly easily now and he feels disgusted whenever he checks how much weight he has lost. His once thin but muscular legs are now nothing but skin and bone, Kyungsoo moving them every so often to try and prevent muscle wastage. He is now trusted enough to not have to be bound to the chair, more than likely because he is just too weak to do anything.

His head hangs low as he huddles into himself, pulling his bony knees beneath his hoodie in order to keep himself warm. It doesn't help much. His hands are skeletal and he is pretty sure that his face has lost all of its shape, now just becoming sharp features that were once soft. He swallows thickly when he hears the keys jingle in the lock and huddles into the corner, eyes staring into the darkness. His heart still races, but now he does nothing to act upon that nervousness, for if he does, the beatings last longer. Iljung enters the room, keys swinging as he hums lowly to himself. The small man is briefly blinded when the light is turned on- he hates being able to see his captor. As soon as Iljung spots the incredibly scrawny man sitting in the corner, he smirks, his eyes glinting with a crazed look. He sets his keys down and Kyungsoo's eyes follow the noises of the tinkling until they are set on the table. Maybe this is his chance. He tears his gaze away and looks up at Iljung, chest heaving.
"You have been so well behaved of late. I also see that you're balding, that's a little bit of a shame. Oh well, looks like nobody will love you now, because without anything to cover up your face, everybody can see your ugliness." The man sneers, crouching down in front the of tiny man. Kyungsoo only nods, agreeing with the statement.
"You're still as pathetic as ever, Soo. I thought that you would've manned up by now. I guess that I will keep helping you, so no need to worry." He fakes a sympathetic smile and gets straight down to business, kicking the idol in the chest as he tries to crawl towards the keys.
"Oh, so you've still got some fight in you then? I'm glad that you're finally making this more interesting!" The tall man smiles with excitement.
"Xander! Time to go! We've gotta move!" Somebody calls up the stairs and it makes Kyungsoo jump. The voice is feminine. He didn't even know that there was a single female in the house. Iljung growls quietly to himself and roughly grabs Kyungsoo's arms pulling him up onto the chair, rapidly doing the buckles before he grabs the keys, turns off the light and locks the door. The small man still cries himself to sleep each night.

Five weeks later, Kyungsoo's head lolls from side to side, feeling as if the ground beneath him is spinning. His body trembles with shivers from the cold air, but he feels as if he's being cremated. Beads of sweat roll down the side of his face and his lidded eyes search through the darkness, unfocused. All of a sudden, he sees a figure appear from the darkness and he can feel two arms gently wrap themselves around his shoulders. The person whispers, and Kyungsoo can instantly tell who they are.
"Y-Yixing?" He asks in a breathy voice, hands trembling as he tries to reach out to him but can't- he is still restrained. He was allowed to eat a couple of days ago because he passed out when Iljung refused to feed him for nearly six days. The tiny man can feel Yixing's breath caressing his balding head as the older hugs him. Kyungsoo sobs, screams when Yixing suddenly squats down to face him before turning on his heels and walking through the darkness. Two pairs of footsteps run down the stairs, unlock the door and switch the light on. Kyungsoo is alone, shaking with a fever and wide eyes, mouth parted in a silent scream of petrifaction. As Iljung draws closer, Kyungsoo snaps, pushing himself as far back against the chair as he could, trying to pull his bruised and cut up wrists out of the binds. He trembles even more violently when Iljung stops in front of him, a chuckle leaving his mouth. He undoes the buckles, Kyungsoo's arms immediately flying back towards himself, being cradled to his chest. The woman standing at the door watches the awful scene, trying to keep her tears at bay. Kyungsoo is hauled out of his seat and shoved down onto the floor, the young man gasping as the fall sends a jolt of shock through every wound on his small body. He shouts in pain, tears streaking down his face faster than they have ever done. Iljung continues the attack, ushering the woman out of the room and locking the door shut behind him.

It is now just over a year and a half that he has been stuck inside of this hell, the darkness somehow being his saviour whereas before he used to be completely and utterly terrified of it. He hasn't slept in days, hasn't eaten in even more and only gets out of the chair to receive his daily beating. He has given up, almost willingly getting out of the chair in hopes that every beating will be his last so that he can rest in peace, but of course Iljung doesn't allow him to pass out never mind die. Simultaneously, the EXO members still haven't had a comeback, haven't had the courage to return to the SM Entertainment building. They've had many of their idol friends and regular friends come over to the house to offer their condolences. Each and every time there is a mention of a body being found in Seoul the boys jump up, listening for the description of their friend. They assume that he is dead somewhere. They don't know. Should they have hope that he is alive, only to have it crushed when his body is found? They have been depressed ever since, and Kyungsoo's family are worse. His mother has been diagnosed with clinical depression and is undergoing treatment while his father tries to take care of his wife and broken son at the same time.

Then all of a sudden, they get news. Chanyeol flips the news to Channel 4, listening to 'Seoul's Evening News'. All of them watch it while eating dinner, everybody sitting either on the two large sofas or on the floor. Nobody has used the dining table since their friend's disappearance.
"Good evening. My name is Addison Park and today at eleven this morning, police found a teen locked away in a basement, believed to have suffered years of abuse. He is yet to be identified as is the suspect who has been captured. No media images can be uploaded due to the boy being a minor. There will be more information on this story later. Thank you, and back to the studio for more on how people are being scammed this Black Friday."

Ooh! Hey guys, this book is coming to an end BUT I've been wondering, do you want a sequel? It will be about the after effects of something as traumatic as this and all of the complications that come along with it. Thank you all so much for voting and commenting (yes I see you right there 😂💕) and I hope that you've all had an amazing day. Love you, my peanut butter cookies! ❤️🍪

Date: Tuesday 27th November 2018

Word Count: 1495