Chapter 11: Pain and Relief
DividedWhere am I?
Stirring awake, the girl could only groan at the pain she was feeling. Her head throbbed and her senses were numbed. Taking deep breaths, she forced herself to focus and try to regain her senses. Only darkness welcomed her as she opened her eyes, mouth taped shut and her body was restrained to the chair she was on. Tied up, gagged and blindfolded. Definitely, not the best way to wake up.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footprints which came to a stop in front of her. The blindfold came off and she squinted, adjusting her eyes to the sudden change in lighting. Once accustomed to the change, she found herself squirming in her seat. Stuck in an old, abandoned warehouse surrounded by big, burly men waiting for the man in front of her to give orders to kill her. What could be worse?
"Good morning, look who's awake." She glowered at the kidnapper. Thrashing and writhing, she did her best to escape her bonds and murder the man in front of her with her bare hands. Chuckling at her helplessness, he slapped her across her face, hard, causing her to see stars. "Don't bother. You're not going anywhere."
"Why would you do this?" She spluttered out after the man ripped the tape off her lips. The man simply shrugged and walked off to the side of the room. Her eyes followed his every movement while her mind tried to search for a means of escape from her restrains. She eventually gave up. There were too many men and she was in no condition to fight all of them. The Director soon came back.
Pulling out a chair, he sat in front of her, staring straight into her eyes as he spoke, answering her earlier question.
"Money. Power. Isn't that what everyone wants? Your father just had to stand in my way. Everyone loved that pathetic fool and he was next in line to be the director. But, he should have known better and kept his nose out of other's business. He found out about my crimes and was going to report them to the higher ups. So I had to dispose of him before he destroyed my only chance of power. Now, that I think of it, I should have killed you all those years ago and save me the trouble." He stood up before continuing.
"You thought you could fool me didn't you?." He pulled out a folder and tossed it on the ground, sending papers scattered along the floor in front of her. It was the fake one she had given him.
Grabbing her by the collar, he lifted her level to his face along with the chair she was on. "Now, where is it?" She spat at him — blood and saliva hitting him in the face. She refused to tell him what he needed to know. Angered, he tossed her to the ground and wiped the gunk of his face. Jihyo groaned, her body slamming against the ground along with the chair. She could hear her bones crack from the impact.
Knowing her stubbornness, he signalled his men. She watched helplessly as they approached, armed with weapons and tools, ready to torture her for the information. She was instantly greeted by a burst of pain as a bat smashed into her chest, breaking her already cracked ribs. A barrage of attacks struck her, sending her body into agony. Grunting from the pain, she kept mum, maintaining her silence and refusing to reveal anything.
The Director frowned. He wanted her to scream, he wanted to break her, anything to get what he needed. A sudden idea led him to record the scene. He sent the video to the team's second-in-command before starting a second recording.
"If you want her back in one piece, bring me the file with all your little friends. Details will be sent shortly." A whimper slipped past her lips, pleasing the man as she finally got a reaction out of her. The young captain was distraught at the idea of putting her teammates' lives at risk like this. She could take a beating without complain, but the idea of her loved ones in danger shook her to the core. They were her weakness and the Director was fully aware of that.
"Leave them out of this!" Jihyo begged softly, terribly weakened from the abuse. The man just smirked and picked up a knife. Approaching the captain's broken form, he lifted her face, making her look at him before slashing the knife across the right side of her face. Unable to hold back, she let out a scream, much to the pleasure of those watching. Blood flowed profusely down her face, the wound preventing her from opening her right eye. Finally satisfied with the recording, the man put away the phone, proud of his work. Grabbing the knife once again, he smirked as he approached her menacingly.
"I wouldn't worry about them if I were you. Now, let's give them a gift they'll never forget."
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Tyres screeched as a vehicle came to a stop in front of the desolate building. Three figures emerged from it and cautiously entered the building, hands against their holsters in preparation for an attack. Creaking, they warily peeked in as the door revealing the dark, dusty interior of the building. As the lights flickered overhead, they could barely make out the silhouette of the one they were looking for. Though aware that this was a trap, they entered the building and made their way to the figure.
"Jihyo." Nayeon ran to her sister, hands cupping the younger girl's face. Her heart shattered at the sight of her sister's condition, She removed the blindfold and gag as Sana and Dahyun worked on the ropes. As the ropes came off, the small figure tumbled off the chair and into the eldest's waiting arms. Alarmed, the older girl hurriedly pressed her finger against Jihyo's neck to look for a pulse. Releasing the breath she held, she shook her sister awake once she confirmed that the girl was still alive.
"Unnie, you shouldn't be here." Jihyo croaked out as she awoke, her voice hoarse from the screaming she .had done earlier. Sana rolled her eyes at the comment as she and Dahyun helped Jihyo stand. They worked carefully, hoping to avoid worsening the injuries. "I can't just stand aside and let them hurt you like this," Nayeon said, her face crumpling into a frown as she watched the younger struggle to get to her feet. Jihyo was about to rebutt but found herself being pushed protectively behind the older girl as someone approached.
*Clap* *Clap*
"How touching. I feel like I could cry." The Director stepped out of the shadows, dramatically wiping a tear from his eye. With the wave of a hand, he signalled the his men to surround the quartet in the room. The girls pull out their weapons in preparation of what was to come. Sana pulled out the file and slid it over to the man before speaking, "Here's the file. Now, let us go."
"I would but you girls know too much. So I have to get rid of you too."
The girls, having expected this outcome, made their move, attacking the men before they themselves were attacked. This prompted the goons to make their move too. Shots flew as the sound of gunfire filled the room. However, there were too many of them and the officers found themselves in a corner. Dahyun pulled out a radio and call for help just as they were about to be overwhelmed.
The windows shattered as another five figures jumped in, taking down several men while they were still stunned at the surprise attack. At the head of the group, a tall figure flipped her hair as she took down men twice her size, giving the Director a cocky smile which only added to his anger.
"Hey sir. Did you miss me?"
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