Act iv: Oblivious Sea (I call History)

Chris growled, as his rage burned hellishly in his eyes. Hyunjin smiled, knowing the mere mention of that name was enough to rile him up.
"Oops! Did I say it out loud? Slip of the tongue." He shrugged.

"I did know him, Chris. We were once... friends. Just as you and him were at one time."
Chris shook his head, shooting him a face of disgust.
"W-why are you... telling me this? What's the point?"
"Because I think you deserve to know. Well, in a sense. It's a shame what happened to him. Such a waste of potential." He shrugged, twirling a silver chain that was around his neck. Chris kept his eyes focused on the younger Male.
"Potential? What was he? Another one of your sought after experiments? Like I am?" He laughed at the sheer stupidity of that statement. He came to regret uttering those words a few seconds later.

"Well, yes. Precisely Chris."

"What?!" Chris said loudly.

"He was our original target. But when we realized that he was no longer available due to his unfortunate infatuation with you, we... Well, switched gears so to speak." Hyunjin confessed.

Chris's rolled his eyes. He was tired of hearing the shit that was continuously pouring out of his mouth.

"You're sick. Both you and Dr. Park. I fucking trusted both of you. But I guess that's what I get for being too naive. So it was you two who corrupted his mind. That makes me fucking sick. Unless, this is exactly what you wanted all along. I- Goddammit. He was. . ." Chris looked away as if he remembered something from long ago. His sentence trailed off, but he resumed after gathering his composure.

"Yes he did. I would know." Hyunjin shrugged away too casually.

"But, enough of that now. I'm done having a heart to heart with you. When the Doctor gets here, you will be all his. I have other things to attend to." He whistled a tune while slipping his hands into his pockets. Chris had no words. He was absolutely devastated. Nothing he could be told from here on out would surprise him. One thing he did know, was that he had to put up his guard. Build an impenetrable fortress around his heart. He cannot afford to open himself up so carelessly anymore. It had gotten him into trouble way too many times. He was done being the victim. He was through with being bullied and pushed around. He was going to fight back.
When I get my chance... No matter what I have to do, I'm getting out of here alive. I have to. I h-have to fight. The only way I get to leave here with my life, is if I- If I... Kill the Doctor. Fuck. I'll have to.

But what about Hyunjin?

'Shut up. He's a different story.'

He betrayed you.

'He was influenced!'

But he kidnapped and tortured you?

'S-stop it! H-he was probably forced to do that to me.'

Or... he did that on his own.

'Shut up! I c-can't kill him. H-he's only a kid.'

So was Felix.

Out of nowhere, a wide, creepy grin slowly stretched across Chris's face. He lifted his head so his eyes could meet Hyunjin's. Something inside of him snapped. It made the younger one feel unsettled.

"Just wait, Hyunjin. I will get out of here."

Hyunjin shook off the weird vibe he got and laughed nervously, folding his arms. "Sure you will, Chris. Hate to break it to you. But you are not leaving this place, alive. Like I have stated earlier, no one will.
"No one will come looking for me, right? Yeah. We will see about that, Hwang Hyunjin." Chris threw his head back and laughed. Hyunjin froze in the spot to survey Chris. He noted his behavior had shifted. Though strange at first, he eventually chose to ignore it. He was about to open his mouth to say something to the obviously troubled older man, but he heard the front door lock click and open.

"Ah! That's the doctor now. Too bad for you, Chris. Happy hour is over." He spoke in sing-song while turning around and practically bolting out of the door. He closed it behind him while he approached Dr. Park. Chris was left alone once again. But that wasn't a problem. He had time to think of a plan. He began wriggling his hands inside of the zip ties, trying to get the clasp part close to his fingers. At the same time, he tried to listen on to the conversation outside.

//

"Dr. Park! You're here!" Hyunjin walked up to his elder with a happy smile.

"What do you suppose we do first? How will we prep him? Do we-"

In the middle of speaking, he was suddenly backhanded across the face by Dr. Park. Hyunjin's head jerked to the side. He lifted a hand to cover his now stinging cheek. He had a look of shock on his face while he stared at the ground.

"D-doctor Park?" He whimpered. He looked back up to meet the doctor's eyes. He saw a look of rage plastered on his senior's face. It was not pretty. It almost made Hyunjin cower down.

"What do you take me for, Hyunjin? Injuring my patient." He angrily took one step forward. Hyunjin retreated back one step.

"W-w-what? W-what do you mean?"

Dr. Park chuckled coldly while straightening out his collar.

"You told me over the phone that you mistakenly lost control. So, naturally, I had to see for myself. Do you think that I wouldn't see what you did to him? Hm? I have hidden cameras installed in that room, Hyunjin. I saw it!" He snarled while taking a wide step towards Hyunjin. Hyunjin let out a small whine as he retreated back once more. His eyes widened as his skin went white as if didn't know about the cameras.

"I- what? Y-you do? Y-you did?" He chewed on his bottom lip. Jinyoung was so quick on his feet that Hyunjin didn't even see it coming. He was shoved back causing him to fall onto the floor.

"D-doctor, please! I'm s-sorry. Forgive me."
"Do you know what this would have cost me?! If you had done even worse damage to him?!" He kicked Hyunjin powerfully in the stomach which made him collapse to the floor.

"P-please, I-I'm s-sorry!" He stuttered.

"Finding specimens for my WORK is costly!!" Jinyoung snarled out in blind rage. He didn't care that the young one was already on the floor. He was kicked again and again. Hyunjin whimpered and cried out for him to stop. Jinyoung stood up straight and took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"I don't even know why I took you under my wing in the first place."

Hyunjin forced his aching and sore body up to his all fours. He bowed so low to the floor, that the crown of his head touched the carpet.

"I'm so sorry, Dr. Park. I w-was out of line. I w-will keep my emotions in n-next time. I promise."
Jinyoung closed his eyes while straightening up his tie.

"Good. Now, go clean yourself up and get the room ready. We are going to transfer him to more of a cleaner area."

Hyunjin knew he couldn't move. His body was now covered in so many bruises, that he almost felt paralyzed. But he had to get up. He had to force his body to move. So, he did. He slowly got up and put back the pain and bowed again at his superior and shuffled off to the bathroom. After he was out of the room, he went to Hyunjin's room where Chris was being kept in.

//

[Chris's P.O.V.]

I could hear rustling outside. I couldn't quite pinpoint the exact topic of the conversation, but someone was yelling. One of the voices was loud. Perhaps it was Dr. Park? I don't know what was going on in there, but they were arguing. I don't have enough time. I had to keep working on these handcuffs. I wriggled my wrist as much as I could. It resisted against my skin. Tugging and tightening around my wrists. But I had to continue to try and loosen them. I vigorously twisted and tugged my hands inside the plastic zip ties. Finally, I managed to get one side opened up. So I grabbed the tip of the plastic with the ends of my fingertips and slowly tried prying at the inside mechanism. I have never picked a lock before, but I've seen it being executed. Don't ask me how or why.*

*(Chris watches too much criminal minds and crime documentaries)

I could hear footsteps. Someone was coming in here.

"Shit!" I'm not going to have enough time to get out of these. But at least I loosened part of the plastic zip ties. It was something.

Next, I could see the doorknob turning. It twisted and squeaked. My heart raced. My breathing quickened to an almost unbelievable pace. I was panicking.

No. No no no, Chris. Don't panic! Calm yourself. You've been through worse shit than this. You can get out of this. Just wait for the right time. That's all you have to do.
Before I could get the handcuffs fully unlocked, the door opened and in came Dr. Park. Seeing his face in this situation, made me sick to my stomach. To think that he even cared for me and looked after me while I was in the hospital, made me want to vomit.

How stupid could I be?
"Ah, you're awake. Good to know." He spoke with a full faced grin. I scoffed and turned my face away.

"Shut the fuck up. I don't even want to look at you."
Dr. Park laughed and walked over to the bed. I could feel his presence nearby.

"We are no longer at the hospital. Therefore, I do not have to keep up with appearances, nor do I have to treat you fairly. You do realize that, right?" He leaned down and whispered near my ear. I could feel his hot breath against my neck. I turned my head back and looked dead in his eyes.

"I understand that perfectly, but I don't give a flying fuck." I smiled back at him. He narrowed his eyes at me like he was bothered about me throwing his words back at him.

"Well, we will soon wipe that sarcastic grin off of your face and give you a new attitude. After I'm done with you, there won't be one disobedient bone in your body." He chuckled darkly as he grabbed my chin and squeezed it. I growled at him, pulling my face out of his grip.

"Come in here, Hwang! Help me move him to the room." He called out back behind him, through the open door. After a few seconds, Hyunjin came stumbling in. Something about him seemed off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why.

"Y-yes? You called?"

"Has the room been set up?"

"It has, Sir."

"Excellent. Administer an immediate dose of anesthesia so this trouble maker doesn't cause any serious problems for us."
Hyunjin bowed and stepped away to rummage through a nearby dresser. It had all kinds of medical supplies in it. When he came back, he had the syringe ready to go and stood on my left side, while Dr. Park was on my right, about ready to undo my handcuffs.

"I hope you secured him well enough beforehand so we don't have to worry about him escaping." He said while lifting a brow at the younger doctor. He bit his lower lip.

"I- did my best sir. Via your instructions."

"Good. Now then, give him the anesthesia."

Hyunjin gave him a wicked grin and then turned his face down at me.

"With pleasure." He bent down, lowering the needle next to my arm and I writhed. There was no way in hell I was going to let him stick me with that. Whether I was bound or not.

"No! Hyunjin, don't! Please!!"
I begged him as I pulled at the plastic ties even more, hoping to get one of my hands free. Hyunjin shrugged.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Bang. This is my job. There is no way around it."
Dr. Park probably saw me attempt to wriggle out because he immediately held my arms, slowing down my escaping process. I cursed out under my breath. Just as Hyunjin was about to poke my upper arm with the syringe, I managed to get my right hand free. Dr. Park was surprised about this, but had no time to react. Lucky for me, I was quicker. I was athletic and fit. I expertly snatched the syringe out of Hyunjin's hand like I was James Bond and stabbed Hyunjin in the shoulder with it. He cried out while clutching the spot where it hit.

"Agh!! Shit!" He whimpered out. Dr. Park watched in horror as it happened.

"What the hell, Hwang?! I thought you said you secured him!"
Hyunjin gasped and froze from shock.

"I-I did!!" He pulled out the syringe and threw it away.
"Help me grab him!" He barked while Hyunjin visibly stumbled. The medication was starting to affect his movement. Hyunjin did his best to run around to the otherside to apprehend me. I knocked Dr. Park away as far as I could. He fell backwards. Pushing them around wasn't all that hard. Hyunjin was preoccupied with his condition so he tripped and fell all by himself. While they were struggling to get back up, I dug into the pocket of my sweatpants to look for something.

Come on come on! Let it be here!
I felt around my pocket until my fingers found an old bobbypin. I grabbed the long, thin object at the top and yanked it out.

Luckily, it was still in these old pair of pants I kept around. I immediately dug it into the handcuff lock and twisted it, instantly unlocking it. They must not be up to standard ones. They're not even special grade. Fucking lucky for me.

Then I went to work on the ties on my feet. Dr. Park was slow and Hyunjin was slowly losing feeling of his body. I went to stand up, but I was tackled by the older male as he grabbed my wrists and was bounding my hands together again. I resisted and wrestled to throw him off.

"NO! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO RUIN THIS FOR ME!!"

He snarled. He was angry. Scary angry. It was almost unbearable to see.
"Don't do this, Mr. Park! Y-you are a good man deep down. P-please... You can do the right thing!!"
Dr. Park threw back his head and laughed.

"You don't get it, Mr. Bang. I don't care about doing the right thing. But where it stands, you can be replaced. There are more neglected, faceless, children out there who are waiting to be snatched up. You were not the first. And you are most certainly not the last!" He clocked me in the temple with his elbow as I wasn't paying attention and yanked me up by the hair and began to drag me out of the room. He pulled out a knife and held the blade to my neck. I was afraid. But I wasn't about to let him take me. I swept his feet, making him stumble. It was the perfect opportunity. If I didn't take this, than I wouldn't get out of here. What I was about to do was outrageous and unforgivable. There will be no coming back from this. This was something that was going to live on my conscience for the rest of my natural life.
I wrapped my newly bound wrists around his neck and I pulled back hard. The restraints pressed against his throat and I started to strangle him. He coughed out and clawed at his neck to get free. But I wasn't about to let him go. I knew Hyunjin was watching me kill his mentor, but he won't be able to do anything about it. He was practically paralyzed and falling asleep.
"No! Let him go! He is my teacher! You will regret it! L-let him go!"
I heard Hyunjin yelling at me, but I didn't care what he had to say. I continued to strangle and asphyxiate Dr. Park. The curdling, dry, gasps of air echoed in the open as his lungs lost oxygen. Truthfully, my adrenaline was running so high that I didn't even know I was stabbed again. I had completely forgotten that Dr. Park had a knife. Or a scalpel. It clattered to the floor earlier. But I guess Hyunjin crawled over and grabbed it. I released Dr. Park momentarily to force kick Hyunjin back. He crashed into the ground as his head smashed into the corner of a table. His body fell limp to the floor and I resumed strangling Dr. Park until he took his final breath. I didn't care enough to check to see if Hyunjin was alive. After it was all said and done, I had to forcefully pull myself away from the body. I was so enraged in my bloodlust for survival, that I had almost let my mind wander to a dark place. I was breathing heavily. My head spun as I tried to bring my mind back to Earth. It was difficult to try and compose myself after what I just did. I looked down at my violently shaking hands. When my brain connected the dots, and relayed to the rest of me of what I had done, I broke down in tears. I sobbed for what seemed like hours. Dr. Park's lifeless body was on the floor and my back stung with a searing hot pain. I pulled the weapon out and cut the restraints. They fell to the floor and I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I realized I had some work to do. I turned back to Hyunjin and yanked off his gloves. I did the same to Dr. Park. I made sure that their finger prints and DNA were all over the instruments used on me. It took me a while to find my phone as it was locked away. I had to bust open the drawer to get my stuff back. I called 119 and then walked out of the bedroom, made my way to the middle of the living room and I fell to my knees.

//

[Author's P.O.V.]

"10-9 on that last statement."

"We've got a 10-53 and a 10-54 in progress. I also found a young Male who says he had been kidnapped and held against his will. Might need an 11-41."

"10-4 on that. But what happened there? Do you need backup? Over."

"Aside from what the victim has told me, he hasn't said a word. He only said that it was self defense. He won't talk. Over."

"Roger. Sending an ambulance as requested. Standby."

The officer let go of his intercom and walked back over to the boy on the floor. He crouched down in front of him and gently laid his hand on the youths shoulder.

"Come on, let's get you up and sitting on the couch."
The male stood up with the help of the police officer. He began to take him over to sit on the couch but the boy refused. "No. I don't want to stay here." He softly whispered. That took the Police officer by surprise because he hadn't uttered so much as a few words since he got there.

"I don't think that would be wise to move you with your injuries."

"Please. I want to go outside."

The officer sighed and gave in.

"Alright. I'll help you out. Come on." He gently held onto the Male and walked him outside of the apartment. As he did that, the forensics team went by and filed into the room. He walked him out into the hallway and to the elevator of the complex, hitting the down button.

"Can you at least tell me your name?"

"My name? My name is... Chris. Christopher Bang." He answered quietly with his head down. The elevator doors soon opened and they stepped inside. When they closed, he looked back at Chris again.

"Chris? It's nice to meet you, Chris. I'm Officer Wang. I'll try to help you out. Okay? We're going to get you checked out by a medical team."

Chris said nothing. He was silent and stoic. No emotions were displayed on his face on the rest of the elevator ride, or when he was handed over to the medical professionals outside of the apartment complex. Onlookers crowded out around outside to watch the scene unfold. Whispers and murmurs could be heard from all around as they try to decipher what happened here. When Chris was propped up on the medical bed inside of the ambulance, the staff inside went to work on checking his injuries. It drove off and was on route to the Hospital. The Police cars followed suit.

//

After the Hospital visit, he had given his statement to the Police. He made sure to tell them that he killed them because they attacked him first. It was his survival instincts. He was defending himself. He didn't mean to kill them. It was upon reflex.

"I didn't mean to. I... swear." He looked down at his hands, still unable to process it. A Doctor laid a gentle hand on his shoulder while another officer jotted some notes down.

"Well, since you have no family, no relatives to contact, there isn't much else we can do for you. The tests came back on the samples we took at the scene and they do seem to point over to your favor."

The Doctor looked over at the Officer with a solemn expression.

"This young man has gone through a lot and seems to be experiencing some obvious signs of trauma and PTSD. He should be treated at a facility that handles these types of cases. I looked his name up out of curiosity and he hasn't had the best life."
The officer snapped his neck up to look at her.

"What do you mean?"
Before the Doctor could respond, Chris lifted his head up and cut into the conversation.

"I don't care where you take me. As long as I can have some peace of mind. Please. I'm begging you." Chris gripped his hands together and began to shake again.

"I hate life. Everything I've ever loved has died."
The officer and the Doctor gave each other somber expressions before deciding on their final verdict.

//

(3 weeks later)


Chris walked over and sat down on the green love seat he sits on every morning. He picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip while grabbing the remote control for the TV. Another patient walks in and greets Chris.

"Good morning, Chris! How are you?" The female smiles brightly. Chris looked up and gently nodded his head at her.

"Hey. I'm okay." He responded back. He still wasn't all that talkative and was horrible at social interaction. He had acquired a social phobia of people, thanks to his past experiences. He aimed the remote up and turned on the TV. The first thing to pop up was the news. It was giving a report around something that happened in surrounding cities.

"That's good to hear. Mind if I join you?" She pointed at the couch. Chris shrugged and shook his head. The female took that as an all go and joined him on the couch with her smoothie. She looked up at the television screen and frowned.

"Tch. There it goes again. Always talking about the bad stuff."
"I know what you mean. But it's entertainment for me at the end of the day." Chris turned up the volume so he could hear what was being said.

"...as you can see now, we have helicopters flying above the estate. It is said that this exact home is believed to have been owned by a twenty-five year old businessman, now outted as a drug mule, illegal arms dealer, and hitman. It was reported that over thirty individuals have been arrested, and brought in for questioning. The numbers continue to climb."

Chris tilted his head at this news.

"Where is this I wonder?" The girl stretched her arm out to point at the bottom of the screen.

"It says right there. Looks like Gwanju."

"Really? Wow. That's not too far from here, I don't think."

"It has also come to my attention that an assault and battery took place in two separate homes on the previous day. Both in Daegu and in Busan. The strange part about these, is that they happened virtually in the same timeline carried out by hired hitman by the infamous drug lord. The Authorities say they currently have a member in custody."

The girl sitting next to Chris sighed. "That's awful. I hope those people are okay." She frowned. Chris clicked his tongue and turned off the TV just as they were about to transition into the weather. "I hope so too. But not everyone is lucky in those kinds of cases."
"True." She nodded. As she was about to say something else, a door to the right of them opened as a woman stepped out to greet the patients in this ward.

"Okay, everyone. It's time for your weekly evaluation."
"I guess it's time to go." Chris stood up and made his way to the opened doorway. The young female skipped along behind him.

"Yep! Hopefully I can pass this time. I want to leave and go back home!"
Chris cracked a smile. He found joy and comfort in her presence.

"Yeah, I hope so too."

[END]