Scraps

WC: 1196

The constant sound of dripping water resonated in Jongin’s head. He groaned and opened his eyes slightly, the broken fluorescent lights casting off a faint glow that was bright enough for him to just see beyond the metal bars that caged him in. Across from him in the other cell there was someone else laying crumpled in a heap. He tried to shift his weight and hissed at the pain that shot down his arms, he had reopened his cuts. He glared up at the shackles that pinned his arms to his ears. He had already given up trying to slide out of them and his wrists were raw and crusted over with dried blood. His throat was burning and his voice was hoarse from calling for help. His yells had increased once the poor man across from him was thrown into a cell and had not moved.

He tried to remember how he had gotten there, but could not get past the moment he out.

~*~

He and his friends, Suho, Chanyeol, Sehun, and Baekhyun, had just finished practicing for the underground battle that was to take place in about a month. They were only rookies in this scene and were still looking for the final member to complete EXOPLANET. The duels were held on a weekly basis in various locations and it was somewhat similar to the Roman gladiator battles, except, one did not fight for his own life, but for the life of his partner as well. And the fact that these battles were completely illegal in every form. Each team was ranked by the number of wins and those with the highest number of wins before the semi-finals were given an advantage. So far, EXO had barely scraped by, sometimes using Tao as a stand-in for the particularly difficult battles. They had made it to the semi-finals but there was no way they could win without a more permanent partner for Jongin and Wu Fan needed Tao more than ever since Yixing had taken a rather nasty injury during the last duel.

Jongin sighed, “I’m going out for a bit, be back later.” He reached for his checkered coat and shoes.

“Wait! I’ll go with you!” Sehun called out and jogged over to Jongin, his hair flopping with each step.

Jongin waved his hand in dismissal and shook his head. “No, thank you, I have some private business to take care of.”

“Alright then.” Sehun deflated, he hated seeing his best friend like this. So distant and pulled into himself.

He looked around him and grinned, it just stopped raining outside and the roads were slick and deserted. At this hour most people were asleep soundly in their beds dreaming of tomorrow. All of the shops were closed save the tavern that Jongin was headed towards. The dim light from the taverns windows was a beacon to Jongin’s muddled mind. He shook his head as if to shake the thoughts out of his head but to no avail.

He felt them before he saw them. Before his hand touched the handle of the door, there was a sharp pain in the back of his skull. Everything went black.

~*~

There was a dull ache in Jongin’s shoulders from t