Retribution 10
Retribution | NC-17
Suho is definitely out of his mind.
The small shack is filled with silence. Everyone seems to have a hard time taking that in. Even Luhan thinks he hadn’t heard right. Suho? Turn himself in?
It’s Chanyeol who manages to find his voice first.
“We just ran away from all that and now you want to turn yourself in?”
Suho sighs. He sounds tired and frustrated. “I can't get those compounds out of my head. It’s ours. But I don’t know how they got it.” He looks at each and everyone of them. “I want to know how they got it.”
“Suho,” Kyungsoo speaks up. “I can understand if we messed up. I can accept that. Maybe we hadn’t cleaned everything up. Maybe we did leave some things behind. But to turn yourself in? Just to know how they got it?” Kyungsoo shakes his head.
“This is important to me. To us.” Suho looks at Kris and there’s this pleading gaze in his eyes. “This is ours. Whoever these people are, they’re playing with it.” He sounds angry now and Luhan understands the intensity in his eyes earlier when he and Kris were arguing. “A lot of people have already died because of what we did. And it’s still happening. It’s even worse now because it’s meant to hurt us.”
They are a family. For a long time, these people, every single one of them in this shack, is a part of their family. And Luhan can understand, truly, that Suho is very much overprotective of all of them.
But to turn himself in for the sake of saving everyone else?
Suho looks at all of them. “I can put a stop to this.”
Kris shakes his head. “What good will it do if you turn yourself in?”
“I can get in there. I can get answers. I can destroy whatever this is.”
“Suho, they'll kill you first.” Kris reasons, the strong persona he has cracking at the edges as he says this. Luhan understands what love is. He feels it with Sehun and towards everyone around him. But Suho and Kris have always had that special kind of bond and love, a relationship that goes beyond friendship. They treat each other like family, like brothers who were together in the womb, like Suho has always been Kris’s dearest friend. They’ve gone through everything together. The joys of scientific breakthroughs and the horrors of it. They went through life together. And to listen to all this, to hear it from himself that he’d turn himself in, to sacrifice himself, is something Kris obviously cannot accept.
“They’ll kill you.” Kris repeats quietly, tone helpless and pleading.
“They can try.” Suho only says in a bold and firm tone.
“No.” It’s Chen who speaks up this time. He isn’t accepting any of this, just like the rest of them. Suho looks at him, an apologetic look on his face. He then turns to everyone else.
“Aren’t any of you tired of running? Because I am. I'm tired of running. And hiding. I want us to be safe. But not like this.”
“Suho, don’t you remember what they did?” Tao says. It’s the first time Luhan has heard him speak since they’ve left the house. “They took us before. They… played with us too. I don’t know about you but… I sure as hell don’t want to go back.”
Who would want to go back? Who would want to relive the nightmares? All those horrors…
“I understand.” Suho nods. “Truly. And I’m scared too. But i've made my decision. I want this to end. And it won’t just end if we all stay here hiding.”
Luhan doesn’t have to look at everyone to know what they’re thinking. None of them like this at all. Suho may be right. Hiding isn’t the answer. But hiding is the only thing they can do at the moment.
“I’ll come with you.” Chen says. Suho obviously hadn’t expected this as he looks at the man he loves with a horrified expression on his face.
“Chen, no. I- I don’t expect you to come with me.” Suho looks at all of them. “In fact, I don't want anyone to come with me. This is something I want to do.”
“You can't say anything else to stop me.” Chen replies. It’s obvious he had made up his mind as well.
For once, Suho seems speechless. He doesn’t say anything. Nor do the rest of them. Two of their friends have already decided on a choice that none of them are brave to make.
“I’m getting some air.” Suho finally says, walking out of the shack. They all leave him be. Except for Chen who follows after a few minutes.
The silence of the shack feels different this time. It feels hollow and cold. There isn’t any fear but dread. Suho’s plans are still lingering in the air.
“Kris,” Xiumin speaks up. Kris looks up from the fire he’s been staring intently at to look at Xiumin. “We can’t let Suho go.”
“I know that.” He replies with a heavy sigh.
“He’s also right,” Lay adds. “We can’t just sit around and do nothing.”
“I also know that.” Kris sounds so tired. “I’ll think of something. I’ll talk to him.”
No one leaves to head back to what they were doing earlier. They huddle around the middle of the shack, keeping themselves warm. Some of them eat. Some of them go back to sleep. Luhan sits there unable to do anything.
Suho returns and no one brings up the subject of him turning himself in. It’s still too early to convince him otherwise. He still looks determined on the plans he has and Kris doesn’t talk to him about it yet.
They all drift in and out of sleep. But they’re all awake every time they hear some small movement. Luhan sees Sehun trying to sleep but he does notice him tossing and turning. Tao still looks nervous even if he’s tucked under Kris’s arm. No one seems to be able to sleep soundly. Baekhyun, who’s bored after awhile, heads out to get some fresh air too.
“That’s it.” Sehun sits up, hair mussed from where he had been lying on and he runs his hand through to fix it. “I can’t sleep.”
Kyungsoo looks at him. “Want to have what Suho used to give me? You’ll be able to sleep for weeks.”
Sehun chuckles. “No thanks. How are you feeling?”
“Better. Lay’s helping me.”
Lay gives a small smile at that, throwing an arm around Kyungsoo.
A small breeze fills them as Baekhyun returns, causing the flames to flicker. Luhan shifts to make room for him since he had been sitting beside him earlier. But seconds pass and Baekhyun doesn’t take his seat.
Xiumin, who’s seated nearest to the door, looks up at him. “You okay?”
Baekhyun doesn’t answer. But there is a small whimper coming from him that Chanyeol stands from where he’s seated to get to him. They hadn’t noticed, but Baekhyun looks like he’s been crying. There are tear tracks on his face. He also looks so pale and rigid that for a second there, Luhan thinks he’s sick.
“Baek?” Chanyeol nears him. “What’s wrong?”
Baekhyun only shakes his head, telling him to stop. They all wonder what’s wrong with him when they realize someone is behind Baekhyun. Luhan is about to get to his feet when something shiny glints in the flames.
There’s a gun pointed at Baekhyun’s back. Luhan feels his body turn cold at the sight of it. They all watch as the gun presses further in Baekhyun’s back, pushing him inside the shack. The light from the flames slowly reveal who the gun belongs to.
Luhan recognizes his face. He’s seen him before. They did their research on him and have seen his face in photos.
But Agent Jung Yunho looks even more striking in the flesh.
“One small move,” He says. “And I swear, he gets it.”
a/n: i know. short chapter again. next one and the succeeding ones until the 16th are a bit lengthy.
Chapter 11
Suho is definitely out of his mind.
The small shack is filled with silence. Everyone seems to have a hard time taking that in. Even Luhan thinks he hadn’t heard right. Suho? Turn himself in?
It’s Chanyeol who manages to find his voice first.
“We just ran away from all that and now you want to turn yourself in?”
Suho sighs. He sounds tired and frustrated. “I can't get those compounds out of my head. It’s ours. But I don’t know how they got it.” He looks at each and everyone of them. “I want to know how they got it.”
“Suho,” Kyungsoo speaks up. “I can understand if we messed up. I can accept that. Maybe we hadn’t cleaned everything up. Maybe we did leave some things behind. But to turn yourself in? Just to know how they got it?” Kyungsoo shakes his head.
“This is important to me. To us.” Suho looks at Kris and there’s this pleading gaze in his eyes. “This is ours. Whoever these people are, they’re playing with it.” He sounds angry now and Luhan understands the intensity in his eyes earlier when he and Kris were arguing. “A lot of people have already died because of what we did. And it’s still happening. It’s even worse now because it’s meant to hurt us.”
They are a family. For a long time, these people, every single one of them in this shack, is a part of their family. And Luhan can understand, truly, that Suho is very much overprotective of all of them.
But to turn himself in for the sake of saving everyone else?
Suho looks at all of them. “I can put a stop to this.”
Kris shakes his head. “What good will it do if you turn yourself in?”
“I can get in there. I can get answers. I can destroy whatever this is.”
“Suho, they'll kill you first.” Kris reasons, the strong persona he has cracking at the edges as he says this. Luhan understands what love is. He feels it with Sehun and towards everyone around him. But Suho and Kris have always had that special kind of bond and love, a relationship that goes beyond friendship. They treat each other like family, like brothers who were together in the womb, like Suho has always been Kris’s dearest friend. They’ve gone through everything together. The joys of scientific breakthroughs and the horrors of it. They went through life together. And to listen to all this, to hear it from himself that he’d turn himself in, to sacrifice himself, is something Kris obviously cannot accept.
“They’ll kill you.” Kris repeats quietly, tone helpless and pleading.
“They can try.” Suho only says in a bold and firm tone.
“No.” It’s Chen who speaks up this time. He isn’t accepting any of this, just like the rest of them. Suho looks at him, an apologetic look on his face. He then turns to everyone else.
“Aren’t any of you tired of running? Because I am. I'm tired of running. And hiding. I want us to be safe. But not like this.”
“Suho, don’t you remember what they did?” Tao says. It’s the first time Luhan has heard him speak since they’ve left the house. “They took us before. They… played with us too. I don’t know about you but… I sure as hell don’t want to go back.”
Who would want to go back? Who would want to relive the nightmares? All those horrors…
“I understand.” Suho nods. “Truly. And I’m scared too. But i've made my decision. I want this to end. And it won’t just end if we all stay here hiding.”
Luhan doesn’t have to look at everyone to know what they’re thinking. None of them like this at all. Suho may be right. Hiding isn’t the answer. But hiding is the only thing they can do at the moment.
“I’ll come with you.” Chen says. Suho obviously hadn’t expected this as he looks at the man he loves with a horrified expression on his face.
“Chen, no. I- I don’t expect you to come with me.” Suho looks at all of them. “In fact, I don't want anyone to come with me. This is something I want to do.”
“You can't say anything else to stop me.” Chen replies. It’s obvious he had made up his mind as well.
For once, Suho seems speechless. He doesn’t say anything. Nor do the rest of them. Two of their friends have already decided on a choice that none of them are brave to make.
“I’m getting some air.” Suho finally says, walking out of the shack. They all leave him be. Except for Chen who follows after a few minutes.
The silence of the shack feels different this time. It feels hollow and cold. There isn’t any fear but dread. Suho’s plans are still lingering in the air.
“Kris,” Xiumin speaks up. Kris looks up from the fire he’s been staring intently at to look at Xiumin. “We can’t let Suho go.”
“I know that.” He replies with a heavy sigh.
“He’s also right,” Lay adds. “We can’t just sit around and do nothing.”
“I also know that.” Kris sounds so tired. “I’ll think of something. I’ll talk to him.”
No one leaves to head back to what they were doing earlier. They huddle around the middle of the shack, keeping themselves warm. Some of them eat. Some of them go back to sleep. Luhan sits there unable to do anything.
Suho returns and no one brings up the subject of him turning himself in. It’s still too early to convince him otherwise. He still looks determined on the plans he has and Kris doesn’t talk to him about it yet.
They all drift in and out of sleep. But they’re all awake every time they hear some small movement. Luhan sees Sehun trying to sleep but he does notice him tossing and turning. Tao still looks nervous even if he’s tucked under Kris’s arm. No one seems to be able to sleep soundly. Baekhyun, who’s bored after awhile, heads out to get some fresh air too.
“That’s it.” Sehun sits up, hair mussed from where he had been lying on and he runs his hand through to fix it. “I can’t sleep.”
Kyungsoo looks at him. “Want to have what Suho used to give me? You’ll be able to sleep for weeks.”
Sehun chuckles. “No thanks. How are you feeling?”
“Better. Lay’s helping me.”
Lay gives a small smile at that, throwing an arm around Kyungsoo.
A small breeze fills them as Baekhyun returns, causing the flames to flicker. Luhan shifts to make room for him since he had been sitting beside him earlier. But seconds pass and Baekhyun doesn’t take his seat.
Xiumin, who’s seated nearest to the door, looks up at him. “You okay?”
Baekhyun doesn’t answer. But there is a small whimper coming from him that Chanyeol stands from where he’s seated to get to him. They hadn’t noticed, but Baekhyun looks like he’s been crying. There are tear tracks on his face. He also looks so pale and rigid that for a second there, Luhan thinks he’s sick.
“Baek?” Chanyeol nears him. “What’s wrong?”
Baekhyun only shakes his head, telling him to stop. They all wonder what’s wrong with him when they realize someone is behind Baekhyun. Luhan is about to get to his feet when something shiny glints in the flames.
There’s a gun pointed at Baekhyun’s back. Luhan feels his body turn cold at the sight of it. They all watch as the gun presses further in Baekhyun’s back, pushing him inside the shack. The light from the flames slowly reveal who the gun belongs to.
Luhan recognizes his face. He’s seen him before. They did their research on him and have seen his face in photos.
But Agent Jung Yunho looks even more striking in the flesh.
“One small move,” He says. “And I swear, he gets it.”
a/n: i know. short chapter again. next one and the succeeding ones until the 16th are a bit lengthy.
Chapter 11