"Oh my god.." Minho managed to breathe out as he stared at the dirt-covered face in front of him. A child. The face belonged to a child, he couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl but it was obvious that the tiny body that belonged to the child had been stuck in the old cabin for quite a long time.

Neither of them moved an inch. Minho didn't want to scare the child so he kept his distance while continuing to examine him or her from afar. The whole body was covered in dirt which made it harder for Minho to see but from what he had seen so far he could tell that the child was extremely malnourished. After minutes of complete silence the child finally started to move, slowly making its way towards the fireplace with curious eyes. Minho was now able to see the whole body, it was a boy. 

He was only dressed in a pair of torn briefs which made it easier to guess its gender. Bones were sticking out from all kind of places while his ribs already was clearly visible. The boy seemed fascinated by the sparkling fire as he kept crawling closer. Minho watched carefully as the boy inspected the warm source but as he was about to reach his hand in Minho yelped, "No, that's dangerous!".

The boy immediately snatched his hand back from the flame as he heard the older speak. He crawled back to the corner of the room where he stayed hidden from the tall man. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.." Minho said as he made his way to the fireplace and sat down. "Look, this is very hot.." Minho explained while reaching his hands close to the fire so that the boy could understand him better.

"And if you touch it you'll be in a lot of pain.." He continued as the child only stared at him with frightened eyes. "Hey you don't have to be scared of me, I won't hurt you" Minho said in a much softer tone which seemed to calm the child down a bit. Not knowing what else to do Minho grabbed his bag and took out his lunchbox he had made for himself before he left the house this morning.

The boy watched curiously at the box while Minho opened the lid. He brought up a banana and peeled it before placing small pieces on a tissue. He then placed the tissue down on the floor and slowly pushed it closer to the boy. Once the tissue was in the middle of them both Minho moved back in order to let the boy confront it by himself. The boy stared hesitatingly at the strange looking fruit for a few minutes before he started to crawl towards it. He stopped in front of the tissue, without taking his eyes of the man who was sitting in front of him he bent down and sniffed the fruit.

It didn't take more than five seconds before the boy started shoving the fruit down his throat. Minho felt a pang in his heart as he watched the boy off every single piece left on the tissue.

He must've been really hungry, Minho thought as he noticed the boy eyeing his lunchbox. "Y..You want some more?" He asked as the child was now giving him a wild look, almost like an animal eyeing its prey. Minho gulped as he carefully pushed the lunchbox forward.

He only managed to push it halfway before it was snatched away from him. The boy emptied the lunchbox in less than 60 seconds and was already craving for more so Minho brought up a small bottle of banana milk, he put the straw through the cap and took a sip to show the boy how to drink it.

He then placed the bottle on the floor so the boy could take it. And just like Minho showed him, the boy grabbed a hold of the small bottle. He sniffed it before taking a sip of the sweet liquid.

As soon as the bottle was empty the boy started chewing on the plastic straw, "No, no you can't eat that" Minho warned only to receive a growl from the child. He stayed still so that the boy could confront him, and just as he presumed Minho could now hear the light footsteps making its way towards him.

He was walking on all fours as if he hadn't been taught the ability to walk which caused the older to frown. Who could've done this? Who would have the heart to leave a defenseless little child locked up like this? It was so hard for Minho to understand why someone would do such a thing.

The boy had somehow found the courage to confront the young man and as soon as he came back into the light Minho could finally steal another glance at his face. Even though it was covered in dirt Minho could clearly make out the beautiful features of the boy's face, it amazed him that someone with such a tiny body still could remain those chubby cheeks. He wanted to pinch them so bad but stopped himself from doing so since it would probably terrify the boy even more.

It was strange though, someone in Minho's situation would surely feel some sort of fear being alone in the middle of nowhere with a 'wild' child creeping up to them. But instead of fear Minho felt the sudden urge to take care of the boy, like there was some sort of connection between them.

​As the boy was now only one step away from him Minho took the opportunity to make eye contact for the first time. He was met by a pair of dark-brown orbs staring back at him.

The stare was fierce yet so innocent. It was as if he didn't quite know how to react to the young man, almost as if he hadn't been in any kind of humanly contact for years. It seemed like he wanted to reach out for the older but quickly stopped himself from doing so as a growling noise escaped his stomach.

Minho looked down at the boy in confusion as he took a few steps back before crawling back to the dark corner of the room. But it didn't take more than a few seconds before hurling sounds filled the small room, the boy was throwing up. As soon as Minho heard that he mentally slapped himself, he should've known better than to give a starving child so much food in one go.

He waited till the hurling stopped and only a couple of weak coughs managed to escape the boy's mouth, only to be followed by a light thud coming from the corner. Minho was almost certain that the boy had fainted due the lack of food and nutrition, he must've been exhausted.

Minho quickly got up from his spot and made his way to where the boy was laying unconsciously on the dirty floor, and without hesitating Minho carefully lifted him up in his arms. It was like carrying a feather, the boy was weightless which only increased the worries Minho had for the child. He walked back to the fireplace and sat down with the boy in his lap. He then shifted the small body into a laying position so that he could rest more comfortably. Minho reached out for the damp towel which was still hanging loosely over the armrest and brought it up to the boy's face.

He brushed away a few hair strands before gently pressing the white cloth against the boy's forehead. He had shoulder length hair which was messily sticking out in every possible direction but what surprised Minho the most was the color of the hair, it was in a light shade of caramel brown.

He couldn't possibly have dyed it could he? Either way Minho was amazed by the boy's appearance even though millions of unanswered questions still floated around in his head. But first things first, he had to get the boy cleaned up or at least as clean he could get with a damp towel.

Minho carefully moved the towel from the boy's forehead and started to clean his face. After minutes of wiping, the dirt finally started to come off only to be replaced by several cuts and bruises.

Minho was able to take care of all the visible wounds since luckily he remembered to bring the first aid kit, plus some extra medical equipment for his studies. As soon as the boy's face was completely cleaned aside from the cuts and bruises, Minho was finally able to see what he really looked liked.

The sight was breathtaking, it was like seeing a piece of heaven and Minho found it very difficult to take his eyes off the angelic creature that was sleeping peacefully in his arms.

Moments later Minho reached out for his bag again, he picked up a bottle of water and placed it down on the floor while looking through his luggage, trying to find some clothes that might fit the boy. He pulled up a navy blue hoodie which his mother had got him for his 18th birthday.

He let out a sigh, "You need it better that I do.." Minho said as he looked down at the blue hoodie with a sad smile before picking it up and gently slid it over the boy's head. The shirt was almost as big as the boy himself but at least it would keep him warm. Minho then grabbed a hold of the bottle of water and opened the cap, he lifted the boy's limp body up into a sitting position and tilted his head back before bringing the bottle up to his lips. He poured a small amount of water into the boy's mouth and made sure that the boy had swallowed it before giving him some more.

But just as Minho was about to bring the bottle up to his mouth again a frown suddenly appeared on the boy's forehead, he was waking up. Minho placed the bottle back down and waited for the eyes he longed to see open, though he felt a bit nervous about how the boy would react.

He watched as the boy started to move his head from side to side, letting out a groan every now and then. Minho wasn't sure if  he should say something or just let him wake up by himself.

But his thoughts were interrupted by a pair of fluttering eyelashes and Minho was once again greeted by those familiar dark eyes. At first the boy just stared at him with an unreadable expression but as soon as Minho was about to open his mouth to speak his eyes widened in shock.

And in less than two seconds the boy jumped out of the warm embrace and crawled back to the dark corner of the room. "No, no it's okay you don't have to run away from me.." Minho said, trying to sound as calm as possible so he wouldn't frighten the child any further.

But every time Minho intended to move from his spot the boy flinched back and tried to crawl closer to the wall. It was a painful thing to watch but he knew that if he was going to have the slightest chance of communicating with the boy he had to confront him somehow.

"How did you get here?" Minho asked only to receive silence, "What's your name?" He tried again but the boy remained silent. A deep sigh escaped Minho's lips as he slumped down with his back resting against the sofa, how was he suppose to let the boy know that he was harmless?

Instead he watched the boy from afar as he seemed to have noticed the hoodie Minho put on him. He was sniffing it and inspecting the long sleeves that reached all the way down to his knees.

"Do you like it?.." Minho asked with a smile. This time he actually managed to get the boy's attention, he was staring at him with curious eyes, almost as if he was fascinated by the older's smile.

What happened next caused Minho's smile to expand to the fullest, the boy was reaching up for his own cheeks, pulling at each end of his lips as he managed to create an awkward kind of smile, the action was almost too adorable for Minho to handle. But what bothered him was the fact that the boy didn't seem to know how to smile, like he hadn't even been taught about the expression.

"You like that huh?" Minho chuckled while giving the boy a loving smile. And when the boy finally seemed to have gathered enough courage to confront Minho again, he slowly placed his hands down on the floor and started to crawl out of the darkness, making his way to the fireplace where the young man was sitting. Minho watched as the boy came back into the light, "It's alright, you can come closer.." Minho reassured the boy who was currently hesitating if he should go any further.

But after seeing that smile plastered on the young man's face, so warm and full of love, the boy couldn't help but to let his curiosity get a hold of him as he carefully started to move forward.

He stopped in front of the fireplace and tilted his head from side to side, examining the man from a short distance. "Don't be scared, come here.." Minho said in a gently tone as he slowly stretched his hand out for the boy to take. With much hesitation the boy leaned in and sniffed the hand before he finally crawled up to the man. Minho just stayed still while observing the boy's actions.

He leaned in and smelled the man's shirt, he seemed to recognize the smell from the hoodie he was wearing. But then suddenly the boy started his head against Minho's hand, purring softly at the warmness of the palm. It was a heartwarming scene to watch yet so tragic at the same time. Minho wanted to say something but he was afraid that he might frighten the boy again.

"H..Hey.." Minho finally whispered out ever so softly, not wanting to startle the child. But instead the boy looked up at him with those big innocent eyes, it was hard to read his expression but it didn't seem like he was afraid, more curious. And that's when Minho felt a pair of cold hands cupping his face.

Instead of acting shocked by the action Minho smiled warmly, earning another purr from the boy.

"Can you tell me your name?" Minho asked but he only received a growl in respond. Then it suddenly hit him, did this boy even understand what he was saying? Had he even been taught the ability to talk? But Minho was quickly brought back to reality as a loud bang could be heard from upstairs and the boy immediately crawled out from the room in an inhumanly kind of speed.

"No wait! Where are you going?" Minho called out as he now could hear the boy making his way up the wooden staircase. He knew that he had to bring some sort of light if he was going to follow the boy upstairs so Minho looked through his bag till he found what he was looking for.

He brought up his new digital camera and turned it on, "Please work.." Minho prayed to himself while pressing a few buttons on the screen, and with that said a strong flash of light filled room.

Minho mentally praised himself for loading the batteries before he left. He stood up and started walking towards the staircase with only the light of the camera in his hand.

Minho took a deep breath as he now was standing in front of the old staircase which looked like it was about to fall apart any second. "Come on Minho, don't be such a coward" Minho muttered to himself while shifting the flashlight to see where stairs ended. It was dark even with the flash and the strange noises coming from the second floor didn't really make it any easier for him.

The first step he took creaked worse than the floor but he kept going, though as soon as he was halfway up a horrible smell came gushing through his nose. It was a mixture of rotten mold and...death?!

Minho had to cover his nose with his sleeve to prevent himself from gagging. But he kept going even though the smell grew stronger by the second. "H..Hello? Are you..*cough*..up here?" Minho called out as he reached the top. He could hear the noises much more clearly now.

It sounded like someone was chewing. Minho swallowed hard as he started walking further into the room but immediately regretted doing so when he witnessed the source of the strange noise.

"Oh...god.." Was all Minho managed to breathe out as his gag reflex quickly had taken over. There, at the corner of the room sat the little boy, chewing on a half dead rat. Minho couldn't control himself anymore as he ran over to the other side of the room and started coughing up the contents of his stomach. Minutes passed and the coughing finally came to a stop and so did the chewing.

And Minho was now preparing himself to take another look at the boy. He brought up the camera again but this time he put it on night vision since the boy didn't seem very fond of the strong light and he also pressed the record button. The camera started rolling and Minho slowly brought it back up to film the room. But as he zoomed in on the floor he had to cover his mouth again.

The whole floor was covered in piles of dead animals and insects, mostly rats. 'Please don't tell me this is what he's been feeding on' Minho prayed to himself as he noticed a broken bucket in the middle of the room. There was some water at the bottom of it and as he turned his attention to the sealing, he could spot a small leak just above the bucket. 'So that's how he gets his drinking water?' Minho thought as he could feel a lump starting to form at the back of his throat.

This wasn't how a child should be raised, this wasn't how anyone should be raised, no, this was pure torture. But as he moved the camera across the room he noticed the patterns on the walls, just like the ones downstairs they were covered in drawings of a stickman. Minho kept filming until he stumbled on six big letters written in between the drawings,

"...T-A-E-M-I-N..."

A/N How are you liking the story so far? I know it's a bit different but that's what I'm going for keke~ If you have any questions just let me know in a comment below and I'll get right back to you! Thanks for taking the time to read this, I love you all!! <3