“Don’t go,” Onew gasped grabbing Minho’s arm as a man pulled Minho to his feet. “Let go,” the man snapped then kicked Onew in the face harsh enough to force Onew to let go, and the man dragged Minho off.

“Hyung are you okay?” Jonghyun panicked.

Onew’s just groaned. He didn’t understand way Jonghyun wasn’t fighting or even trying to escape.

“Hmm, lots of muscle,” the man said “any abs?”

The two men currently holding Minho on his knees lifted his shirt showing his entire chest.

“Ya!” Minho yelled embarrassed thankfully his back was to the crowd.

“What the is he doing?” Onew hissed.

“Onew hyung stop…there’s nothing we can do,” Jonghyun said nudging Onew’s shoulder “no matter how much we want.”

“Put him in mining,” the leader smirked.

~*~*~*~*

Jonghyun watched as the leader called out everyone one by one. He himself had been placed with Minho in mining while Onew had been placed into the engineering group. Jonghyun had his eye on Key who was watching him back mouthing small words like ‘I love you’ and he’d whisper back ‘it’s alright.’

“I still can’t see Taemin,” Minho whispered.

Jonghyun turned his attention to the rest of the group. “I can’t either.”

Minho began to panic, where was Taemin? He was there right? Not on the other boat? He had watched hundreds of men being taken onto the woman boat some had even just been shot on the spot due to resistance.

“Lee Taemin age nineteen,” the man spoke.

Minho let out a sigh of relief as two men talked towards the farthest part of the group and pulled him out to the front.

“Do you think he will go with Key?” Jonghyun whispered.

Minho bit his lips as he watched the leader inspected Taemin with a frown on his face.

“Not very impressive on you sheet, model, singer, dancer, drop out, no further education, hmm worth nothing,” the man said.

Minho shook his head “no…he didn’t say nothing.”

Jonghyun’s hand tightened on Minho’s “it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. He’s going to be taken to the other boat,” Minho panicked.

“But, I think you could have other uses,” he said as he held Taemin’s cheeks in one hand looking at Taemin’s facial features.

Minho frowned at the words ‘other uses,’ but as Taemin was shoved Key’s direction, he breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was placed a few meters away.

“Gods, what’s going to happen to us?” Jonghyun whimpered sadly as he watched the last few men be called.

Almost an hour later, the last person was called, however, shot in the end. Minho watched as Taemin whimpered curling up with three other people who had been placed with him. Minho had lost count of how many people had been shot in front of them so far, but he knew that that man wouldn’t be the last one.

“Attention everyone,” the captain called out turning around to address everyone. “I’m sure you’re wondering what has happened to your wives and children along with other useless males well it’s simple, once I press this button…” the captain said as he pulled out the button “…they will all be dead due to an unfortunate accident upon a daytime cruise on a glass bottom boat. There was a faulty wire that caused the boat to explode killing everyone on board, no bodies were recovered, and it is unknown how many were on the ship at the time, such a tragedy,” captain spoke then pressed the button he had pulled from his pocket causing an explosion from behind him.

Men cried, and some tried to fight, but in the end, there was nothing anyone could do. Everyone who was on board that ship was dead already. Minho closed his eyes breathing heavily as the heat from the burning ship was felt on his cheeks.

“You will be taken to new ships until we arrive at the island, men, welcome to your new life,” the captain said.

~*~*~*~*~*

Taemin whimpered as he curled into a ball next to the bars that separated him and Key. “Umma...I’m scared,” Taemin cried as he reached through the bars holding Key’s hand “I’m so scared.”

“I know,” Key said he was trying to be strong, but how could he? They were being taken away to gods know where. Stuck in cells. Only Taemin has three other males in his cell. That’s it. While Key had about twenty.

“Will we see each other again?” Taemin asked.

Key tightened his grip on Taemin’s hand “we’re family. There is no way I or the others will let anything happen to you.”

“Thank you,” Taemin smiled. Even though he knew it was an empty promise, inside it made him feel slightly better.

Key’s heart could have broken at his baby’s smile. It was so sad, helpless. “Let’s go to sleep...we can’t do anything right now.”

Taemin nodded and laid down on the ground facing Key. Key did the same thing, and soon enough the soft rocking rocked them to sleep until holding each other’s hand tight.

~*~*~*~*~*

Onew tossed and turned as he laid on the cold metal ground. He was alone, hell on an entirely different boat to the others, then again he was in one of the largest groups; engineering.

Jonghyun and Minho are in the same groups. He had seen Taemin, and Key get pushed into another boat separate again from the other three. He was alone. His heart pounded as he thought of never seeing his band members again. For all he knew, they were going to three different islands.

“Why? How? Why did I have to make everyone go on this trip?” Onew cried.

~*~*~*~*

Jonghyun and Minho woke to the sound of someone banging something metal.

“Wake up time, everybody sit up,” the captain called out loud.

Everyone sat up, some groaning others yawning or rubbing the sleep out of their eyes.

“Now, we are almost at your new homes. Therefore, one by one will be summoned to the front to receive your numbers and clothing, after your breakfast will be served.” The man spoke.

“Numbers?” Minho gulped as the man finished talking.

“Must be like dog tags or something,” Jonghyun sighed as he moved closer to Minho, he was happy he that wherever he was going at least, he was going to be with his hyung.

~*~*~*~*~

“Lee Taemin,” a man called out.

Key’s eyes widened. Why did his baby have to be first?

“No, I don’t want to go,” Taemin cried out as the man came closer to him.

“Let’s go, pretty boy,” a guard growled grabbing Taemin and pulling him to his feet.

“Taemin! No!” Key cried out reaching to his baby.

“Hey! Pipe down,” another guard ordered pointing a gun towards Key.

Key whimpered sitting down. Waiting for either his name to be called out or for Taemin to come back. He prayed more than anything he would.

~*~*~*~*

Onew didn’t even touch his food. He didn’t even think about his stomach. He was too busy thinking about the letters ENGINEER794T tattooed on the back of his hand.

Onew had asked what it meant while the tattoo was been done. The man said ENGINEER was his department. 794 was his number and T stands for Section T. Onew couldn’t believe it. He was branded. Ink permanently marked the back of his hand. He wondered what the others had on their hands. If they had tattoos at all. He hoped they didn’t.

“Psst, are you going to eat that?” A man asked.

Onew jolted at the voice. It was the man in front of him. “Take it,” Onew said pushing the food towards him.

“Thanks,” the man said.

Onew just nodded. He wasn’t hungry in the least.

~*~*~*~*

Key’s heart pounded as he was taken off the boat in single file onto a beach.

“Welcome...” a man’s voice boomed through a megaphone. To Key, this man was different to the captain of the ship. He looked colder and frightening. His eyes looked down on the captives, and Key couldn’t help by shiver wishing that he was back on the boat with Taemin. “...to the island, from this location, you will be taken to live your new lives,” the man said then looked at his clipboard.

“Section T, report to the red bus,” the man said.

Key looked down at his hand gulping SLAVE055T. Why did he have to be in the first group?

He bit his lip trying to keep calm; he had to go. He has seen so many people get shot already; it was better just to comply.

Key moved following a few others towards a bus just off the beach. Many men were in a straight line, automatic guns ready to fire if any tried to escape.

The bus on the inside was like a prison. First, his hand number was taken down on a clipboard then a guard pushed them through to the back of the bus. The bus was separated into three sections. Key sat near the last gate due to being the last on the bus. Key just watched what was happening on the outside. People who were in Key’s cell went onto all different buses, blue, yellow, orange, green and purple. Key could only imagine how many people were on this island. Truthfully, he was only hoping to see four of them; he just wanted to know if they survived the boat trip. To know if they were alive.

~*~*~*~

“Key,” Onew smiled hurrying to the gate that separated the mining group from whatever group Key was in.

“Hyung, you’re alive,” Key smiled.

“Section T?” Onew asked.

Key nodded. He wasn’t alone; he was with his hyung. By some miracle, they had been placed in the same section.

“Did you see the others?” Onew asked.

“I was with Taemin, but he is still on the boat I think. Hyung, I have SLAVE on my hand, but Taemin had 019. hyung, that’s why there were only extremely pretty boys in his group,” Key said as he began to cry. Just as he did when Taemin showed him what his hand read.

Onew felt like his heart was about to explode “but what was the last letter?”

“He doesn’t have any other...just 019,” Key whimpered. He could only imagine what will become of Taemin. He poor baby.