Hearts Awaken | Chapter II: In The End Itâs A Man Instint
Warnings: foul language, mentions of rape and mistreatment
Never before have your eyes seen so many landscapes in such a short time. Although it was the plains and the dry panorama accompanied by extreme sun and dust, for you it was beautiful. You almost wanted to call the feeling freedom but the wide back that hindered your complete vision of the world reminded you of your current position.
None of them had said a word, or if they did you couldn't hear them because of the blasts of horses and the curtain of dust around everyone.
For a moment you considered throwing yourself and trying your luck, the fall wouldn't kill you âconsidering your ability to withstand Brown's blowsâ but you reconsidered the option as they all had weapons and better physical condition than the old man; catching you or killing you wouldn't cost them anything. Besides, it was you who voluntarily decided to ride with them. Or in this case, with him.
You sighed mentally, looking at the sky and letting the sun's rays caress your skin and looking at it, you had to squint and look back at the rider's back.
Your hands were sweating because you were stuck to the material of the saddle and tried not to fall with every movement of the horse, refusing to hold on to the man's back.
You heard Hongjoong shout something but you couldn't hear, you only saw how he led the others to another direction.
The riders diverted you into the woods. You thanked the shadow and the slow walk of the horses that allowed you to settle better on the steed. With gentle trots Hongjoong led them along a path. The tops of the tall trees made it difficult to see but you assumed it was one of their shortcuts.
In the distance you saw smoke protrude from the heights of the trees. Do you have a camp? The idea alarmed you, especially because of the number of men that would be in that group; for you eight were enough, dealing with more would be problematic.
And annoying, considering you were a girl, an Dakota girl.
âHeyâ.
A voice at your side awoke you from your worries to see the smiling face âlike that of a catâ of whom you remembered was San.
He forced his horse to imitate the same rhythm as your companion âand savior as well?â to stay by your side, extending his arm towards you. You instinctively go back, San laughed, amused by your reaction but without stopping his movement..
âDrink, its waterâ he shook the canteen in his hand, waiting for you to drink it.
You looked with distrust at the canteen, would it be some kind of brew to make it sleep so that they could abuse it? You looked him in the eye, wondering if he really believed you'd accept his water.
You denied with a movement in your head, making it snort and frown its lips, surely not content with your decision.
âI thought you'd be more talkativeâ he said as he looked at you, taking off his hat to dust it off.
You noticed his curious reddish tone over the blackness of his hair. It reminded you, for some reason, of a chicken's frisbee. That thought made you laugh.
San, curious about the little laugh he heard from you, looked at you again.
âHey, what was so funny? I didn't say anything funnyâ he said, and you immediately became tense.
Would it be possible for me to have guessed you laughed at him?
Seeing you shut up abruptly and with a serious face, San smiled at you.
âWhat I meant was that you haven't heard my best jokes yetâ and he winked at you before taking over the reins of his own horse and riding at a brisk pace to the front, leaving you confused.
The sun was losing its brightness and the clouds were colored from its remains, the air felt a little cold but nothing that could not be appeased with a light rub on your elbows uncovered.
You heard Hongjoong command from the front again and bowed your head to try to see where they were going.
After having crossed some uncomfortable and rocky places, they reached the source of the bonfire you had seen. You were surprised to see the occupants.
Comanche.
Their tents, the horses without chairs, adorned with feathers - which were protected by the eagle (you assumed that the protective spirit of the tribe was the eagle and its totem) - and with paint marks around their skin. You managed to distinguish some emerge from the darkness, vigilant, but none willing to attack. That made you feel more confused.
There were pale faces invading his field⊠why were the Comanche so calm?
You decided to watch in silence, maybe some of your questions would be answered.
The riders stopped, the people around the campfire âsome women and a few childrenâ looked in their direction and the rest of the men left their posts. One of them, of great height, took the reins of the black horse of Hongjoong, which jumped without problems, walking towards the center of the camp.
The rest of the men imitated the gesture their leader made, something you could not ignore âyou could not stay on the horse all the time; your body demanded time. How could you get down, feeling your legs numb. You snort, surely your ancestors would be ashamed to see your weakness. Horses were the companions of your tribe, animal blessed with the strength and speed of the earth and wind, creatures wonders coming from Mother Nature, and you, who should know how to walk in them, communicate with them you were now in pain.
That's because the pale faces slaughtered my tribe before my father taught me to ride. You thought in a bitter and acidic way, caressing the back of the ash-tone horse that had supported your weight throughout the walk. Thank you that is your thought, wanting to smile at him but you were so tired that you chose to do it later.
Maybe the horse was screwed too.
You stayed close to the horses and away from the camps, watching the stage.
Hongjoong spoke to the same Comanche of great height and the rest of the riders stretched their legs or the women offered them water.
You tightened your blouse without understanding it, why did the Comanche accept these men so easily? Would they have any truce? And how was it possible that Hongjoong could communicate well with them?
âHey, womanâ.
The same guy who had crashed your back against the barn door called you from the camp, you looked at him.
âCome closerâ he ordered you.
Knowing that you had no other reliable escape âyes there were, but in all of them you ended up deadâ you walked towards him. You kept your distance, trying not to get too close.
He sighed.
âMoreâ.
You looked at it again, but you didn't take another step.
A sigh heavier than the previous one sprouted from him.
âYeosang-hyung, your new acquisition is giving me troubleâ.
He had no response from the above, making him scratch the nape of his neck.
Then you heard a laugh that reminded you of coyote puppies.
âWhat are you laughing at, Wooyoung?â.
âYou stink at women, hyung âhe mocked the gray-haired one, looking at the tallest with fun. âIt's obvious she won't come if you ask her to like this.
âAnd how should I ask her?â Thanks to the light of the campfire you observed in the man possessing black gloves the frowning of eyebrows before the comment of the other.
âGently, hyung, have you never heard of it?â Wooyoung took the bridge from his nose, as if he were disappointed. âA woman should always be spoken to gently. Look at her, she's scared of your face, that's why she doesn't trust youâ.
You didn't actually think of any of you.
Wooyoung approached you, you saw him take something out of his jacket, it was a reddish package. He smiled and without you wanting it you felt heat on your cheeks.
I'm sure that blond contagious me of fever you thought when you looked away.
âWe're not going to hurt you, less this big guy, he has the face of an ogre but he's really a puppyâ.
âWooyoungâ Masked the one mentioned.
âWhat we want is for you to get closer to the campfire, the nights around here are cold and your clothes are not very warmâ waved the strange red package in his hand, extending it toward you, that reminded you of what San wanted to do. The mistrust came back. âIf you listen, I'll give you this candy. It's strawberry, very delicious. Actually, it's one of my favoritesâ.
Wooyoung expected a reaction from you, a kind of acceptance but you only saw him and then surround them and approach the campfire, without taking the candy.
Mingi laughed.
âWith what was your kindness?â.
Wooyoung snorted and then threw the candy in his mouth.
The Comanche looked at you and there was contempt in his gaze. The woman who offered you the plate with food didnât even look at you. All their glances were on you, instead of the pale faces with which you would be by their side for how long. You looked at your food, pressed by those eyes. You had never been aware of the news related to the rest of the tribes, when all your people were massacred, the rest was of no importance to you. But as far as they understood, Hongjoong and the chief seemed to know each other, the Comanche were among the few who fought, and apparently despised any native who showed weakness or had been dominated by whites.
They were proud people.
A hand obstructed your study towards the composition and color of that deer stew of several days. You raised your hand and ran into Seonghwaâs face, illuminated by the bonfire. He sent you a slight smile and pointed to his hand, which you saw again.
A piece of bread floated in the stew.
You looked at him again and looked at the blond's countenance, trying to guess his intentions. He only dedicated himself to give you back the gesture but with less sharpness in his gaze than in yours, you encourage you in silence to eat.
Since everyone was eating the same thing you assumed that none of the stew would have any poison or similar substance, so you took a sip. It tasted like glory to you. You didn't know how long you had not eaten or tasted something that wasn't rotten, bitter or smelly, or that will make you hungrier.
You felt once again observed and stopped for a couple of seconds your great appetite, running into Seonghwa's happy eyes again, smiling widely at seeing you eat and not having rejected his bread.
âHongjoongâ.
The chief's raspy voice caused you to divert Seonghwa's attention to fix your eyes on the two figures at the front. Hongjoong finished chewing to pay attention to what the old Comanche had to say.
âWhites come with our people with that stinky whiskey, to poison us. I had to kill the youngest of my children for tasting that poison that made him a being without will, someone weakâ.
Whiskey, that word tasted bitter on your palate. You never tried it. Doing it at Brown's would have been a sure death sentence. But the old trick that pale faces used to win the tribes over, weaken them, make them go looking for more and more, until they became pathetic and vulnerable beings. You'd seen a lot of them beg Brown for whiskey, earning a few kicks from him.
âI'll see what I can do, paraibo" Hongjoong replied as he looked at the fire.
In his eyes you could see the reflection of a flame more overwhelming than that of the bonfire.
âWhy are you taking a woman with you?â You knew he was referring to you by the way he pronounced woman. âYou will delay in your revengeâ.
âShut up, Hinun, Hongjoong has his reasonsâ the chief interrupted the other, looking at him harshly.
âShe is a Dakotaâ such a Hinun did not pay much attention to the chief's words â, weak people who humiliated our ancestors with their surrenderâ he spat towards you and you felt a burning in your chest.
âHinunâ the chief called him again.
âIf you needed a woman, proudly give you one of my sisters, but now be dirty with the weak blood of the DakotaâŠâ.
But Hinun could not continue when the tip of the revolver caressed his neck, silencing him. You looked at the figure behind the man, the quietest of the riders, the one with a mark on his left eye.
The one who saved you more than once.
âYeosangâ the chief spoke quietly while Hongjoong was drinking the rest of the stew, without getting upset. âHinun has the strength of a bear but the temper of a stirred bull and the loose tongue of a snake, I apologize for talking about the girl like that" said the old man â, but if you pull the trigger consider the truce between Hongjoong and I to endâ.
âI'm not upset about the girlâ he spoke in his calm, serene voice. âI don't like arguments at dinnertimeâ.
He walked away and with it his weapon from the nape of Hinun who could breathe a sigh of relief.
âTakeâ.
You could barely catch the object that was thrown at you, it was soft to your touch and warm. You watched the chestnut tree that threw it at you.
âIt's your bed, take care of itâ it was the only thing he told you before he turned around and left.
You unraveled the blanket to spread it over the floor, settling on top of it. After what had happened at dinner, Hongjoong ordered everyone to get back on the saddle, they would camp somewhere else. You didn't blame him, given the circumstances the Comanche could kill them overnight.
However, they did not go far from the Comanche camp, another bonfire was lit to dampen the cold night and all of them had gathered around the flames. You preferred to stay away, close to horses, used to sleeping with animals because of your experience at Brown's ranch. That's when the chestnut boy came up to you and gave you what was now your bed.
No one told you anything or asked you to come near, something you were grateful for. You looked at the sky with the intention of counting the stars but you found it impossible, you would never finish.
A gentle caress on your arm made you blink slowly. You could smell the wet ash from the campfire, listen to the horses scratch the ground and chew the grass and a quiet hand rub your arm. . .
âCalm down, calm down!â Someone shouted when you started struggling.
You came across friendly eyes and a panicked face, but seeing you calm down it seemed to turn into a relieved one and then form a smile.
âI'm sorry to wake you up like this but we have to moveâ he pointed out to the others who were packing their things and preparing the horses.
You just nodded.
âBy the way, I'm Yunhoâ he introduced himself. âWhat's your name?â.
At that question your chest hurt. You had a name but you didn't remember it. Your parents gave you a name but you couldn't remember it anymore.
âWhen things have no name, they don't existâ.
Those were the words of your tribal chief and they hurt.
You practically didn't exist.
âUh⊠sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?â Yunho's voice brought you to your reality.
You wanted to ask how long your feelings mattered. No one's ever cared about your feelings before.
But he looked dismayed.
âHmm, looking at you well, you have the face of a strong but sensitive girl insideâ the smile returned to her lips âbut your eyes are full of dark feelingsâ.
Oh, now you remembered, it was the same one who pointed to your eyes, the one who could read you.
You went back.
âSorry againâ he was sorry. âI don't want to scare you, well, that's inevitable having this height and saying these things, but it's a family thing, you know? My grandmother always liked to tell people what she saw in them or in their soul, a kind of fortune teller. And I heirs from her the gift, or the curse, I don't know how to catalogue itâ he laughed.
For a brief moment you also wanted to laugh but your lips held together.
âAnyway⊠I think your name will remain, but doesn't it feel weird that you're always being called âhey, youâ or âgirlâ?â he was quiet for a short time before snapping his fingers and pointing at you. âI know, how about I give you a temporary name? Of course you must have your name, but it will only be as long as you tell me the real one. What do you thinkâŠ?â.
âI must remind you, Yunho, that she is a person and not a petâ Seonghwa's voice interrupted the jet treatment.
âBut hyung, I'm trying to help herâ.
âIt would help better if you only let her get ready, you only delay usâ now it was Hongjoong looking at both of them.
For a man of short stature, he had a bad temperament.
âI understand, sir, I'm sorryâ Yunho apologized as he stood; he was really tall. âWe'll leave it for laterâ he winked to get his horse ready again.
Before leaving, Hongjoong ordered a visit to the Comanche camp, something that made your mouth taste bad.
Faces you never wanted to see again crossed in your field of vision.
âWait hereâ Hongjoong sent everyone as he walked to the chief's tent, surely to finish speaking.
Yeosang, the rider you rode with, seemed calm. Actually, he was always calm, or so you imagined seeing his outer serenity but after the facts in which you saw yourself involved because of him and his other companions, you could be right to say that he was someone you should keep an eye on.
âHey, Yeosang girlâ.
The nickname made you furrow your eyebrows and make the shoulders of the above-mentioned move.
You watched San and Mingi shaking their heads, Jongho snorting, Seonghwa ignore him Yunho murmuring Was that the best name you could come up with? and Wooyoung smiling as if he had done the good deed of the year, accompanied by an elderly Comanche woman carrying garments in her arms.
âShe's Hute, she'll lend you some clothesâ.
âMy dead daughter's clothesâ said Hute.
âUh, yes, her dead daughter's clothesâ Wooyoung repeated with an uncomfortable smile.
You looked at the woman and knew that it wasn't of her own free will to do so.
You got off the horse, the woman just walked to another tent, which you went to. Inside this one the Comanche woman waited for you, put water in a bucket in front of you.
âThat boy said your smell would give them away, cleanse your dirtâ.
Bathing in Brown's territories was a privilege that only whites were allowed, and due to the scarcity of water in those lands, a distant dream. You wet your face, your arms, and different areas of your body, massaged your thighs painful to have mounted and wet your hair. You repeated the same cycle until the water became dark.
You put on the clothes that the woman had given you, they were not the Comanche women's own or their characteristic clothing, a pair of leather trousers and a white blouse, comfortable and made of cotton. The feeling of clothing with your body felt strange and uncomfortable, but not entirely unbearable.
âI forced her to dress like a man to go unnoticedâ said the woman unexpectedly, but you ignored her by continuing to button your clothes âbut that didn't work. She was raped and killedâ.
You kept getting dressed.
âWhatâs your name?â asked one of the Comanche women.
You interrupted your task of dressing yourself in the clothes that you had and you looked at the woman, who looked at you with her tired but still penetrating eyes.
You buttoned your blouse and left the store quietly; again you didnât remember your name.
The compliments of Wooyoung and San at seeing you with another appearance were not expressed as Hongjoong left the chief's main tent, guiding everyone to the new destination.
You rode Yeosang's horse and they set out. You looked back and the same woman who gave you the clothes of her dead daughter âperhaps the only memory she had left of herâ watched you leave.
The sun was at the exact spot to drive anyone crazy. For example to you, who begged to pass by some tree or place where there was shade. They had left the coolness of the forest to enter the hot desert.
Unexpectedly Hongjoong stopped and ordered a meeting without dismounting.
âSeonghwa and I will go to The Paradise to gather information, you look for a place to camp. We'll find them. Yeosang, you're in charge.
âHim again?â San complained.
âDo you have a problem?â Yeosang asked calmly, but even you had chills.
âYou two, stopâ Hongjoong hissed. âYeosang is in charge, that's my order. Try not to set anything on fire this timeâ he said before leaving, followed by Seonghwa who sent a warning glance to the boys.
You could feel their tension.
The dust clouds disappeared within minutes.
âLet's goâ Yeosang ordered as he rode in another direction.
The road was silent, neither San nor Wooyoung had tried to talk to you, Yunho whistled to distract himself, Mingi was in his own world, Jongho seemed entertained imitating owls. And Yeosang just kept his gaze fixed on the road.
You looked at his back âit was the only thing you could seeâ and wondered if he would be tired of having to carry you around, fatiguing his horse by the weight of an extra person. You started to think it'd be a better idea to ride with one of the other guys or walk.
Better the latter.
The desert field slowly began to disappear you could see large pieces of land bitten up. And shadow.
âWe'll camp hereâ said Yeosang.
All got off the horses to prepare things while Yeosang warned to go and watch that there were no more people, Jongho decided to accompany him and while looking for something to eat, San and Wooyoung opted to lie on the ground and take a nap. And YunhoâŠ
âI saw a beehive, do you want to go get it?â.
Your answer would be no but the boy was already getting you on his horse to return to where he had seen the bees.
The honeycomb was hanging from an old trunk leaning over the top of one of those bitten stones you had seen. He was tall. And even with Yunho's height, you two wouldn't be able to reach it.
âIt can't be doneâ You mumbled.
He denied.
âYes, we canâ.
âIt's too highâ.
-Well, from my height you don't see so high.
âThen go get itâ.
âI can't, I need your helpâ.
âNoâ.
âCome on, I'll give you half the honeyâ.
âI don't like honeyâ.
âWhat did you say? Honey is the sweetest treasure that can existâŠ! Apart from gold, of courseâ.
To you it wasn't. Once, as a child, you thought you could secretly taste the honey Brown had been brought. It would only be a spoonful and the jar wouldn't notice what was missing, but Brown noticed and gave you one of the worst beatings. That's why you hated honey.
You sighed when Yunho decided to talk to you about the benefits of honey.
â⊠Besides Seonghwa-hyung needs it, it serves very well when we have cough and thatâ.
âWhat do you want me to do?â you asked.
âJust get on my shoulders and pull the honeycombâ.
âThe bees will be upset. They're always upsetâ.
âNot if you're carefulâ.
You sighed, that boy wasâŠ
Without any replication on your part you paid attention to Yunho, although having contact with him made you almost lose your balance and wish to return to camp with the others. Yunho told you that you could trust him, that he wasn't going to let you go.
You didn't trust him or anyone else.
âWell, wellâ Yunho massaged his neck. âI understoodâ it was notorious to him that you wouldn't climb on his shoulders and that the contact didn't make you feel good. âI'll go find something to chop the honeycomb with. Just watch that a bear doesn't come and steal our honeyâ.
You nodded and saw him disappear.
A tempting idea crossed your mind. Yunho's horse was there, with its things still attached and ready to ride, there was a wide horizon on which you could ride in search of a better place.
You watched everywhere, waiting for Yunho to appear but it was just you and the option to escape. You soaked your lips, indecisive. You walked towards the horse, which was altered before your presence but you calmed it with âShhâ and superficial caresses, attentive to any indication that Yunho was near. When you thought fit to ride, you did. Obviously the horse did not feel comfortable and began to kick, neigh violently and rise on two legs.
âQuietâŠ! Quiet!â You tried to control it, but the golden horse steed did not lend itself to your requests, rising again.
You could no longer hold the reins or stick to the sides, falling through old logs, releasing more than one whimper and perhaps causing more than one wound. The horse rode away from you, neighing, a noise that was interrupted when Yunho took the reins, resting his right hand on the stick he had gone to find, watching you as a mother sees her son who did something wrong.
âAlpha is very stubborn when others ride him, not even Hongjoong-hyung could handle himâ said Yunho as he removed all traces of old logs and one or two insects hidden in your hair.
He asked you to be quiet to untangle your hair branches, dry leaves and some ants. There were times when your hair was pulled and he apologized, while you sighed, resigned.
The first few minutes you put up with it, but after that time you started to get restless. Not only because of the discomfort, but also because of the closeness of Yunho, which you did not fully appreciate.
âDonât move, Iâll try to untangle itâ.
âJust cut itâ you asked with a frown, tired of waiting, tired of being in that position and, more importantly, for him to have his hands on your hair.
Yunho stopped his attempts to help the branches that had become entangled in your hair come out after hearing your command.
âDo you want me to do it? You have nice hairâ.
âItâs just hairâ you whispered.
He fell silent for a couple of minutes in which you didnât know why, then you heard him sigh and take out the knife stored in his belt.
âDonât moveâ.
You heard the sound of the knife cutting the strands of hair, pulls and rain from this invading the ground. It was just hair, it was not a necessary organ, it would grow back, so that no one would ever take you by the hair again and sink your head into icy water, or whip you to the ground without being able to escape.
You squeezed your lips.
âWhen you grow up and find your life partner, I will adorn your hair with wild flowers, the ones that grow near the river, the yellow ones. You like those, don't you? They will look beautiful in your long hair".
During the nights your mother untangled your hair with soft touches and affectionate fingers, always trying not to harm you or pull it; those were your favorite moments. And when dad brought flowers for your mother, she'd put a few in your still short hair, making you happy.
âLook how beautiful you areâŠâ.
Yunho stopped the cut at the sound of a sob escaping from your mouth.
âWas I too abrupt? âHe asked you, he even wanted to see you, but you hid your face and wiped away your tears, forcing your voice not to break, to bury the memory.
âGo onâ you asked and pointed to the height of your ear. âI want it there. I want it shortâ.
âShe goes with Yunho for a couple of hours and has lost more than half of her hairâ.
As soon as they arrived âwithout the honeyâ San pointed to your new cut, something impossible to hide.
âWhat happened?â Jongho asked, looking at the tall boy and then at you.
âNothing, she just wanted a change of appearance and I gave it to her. I'm good with the knifeâ he boasted.
You looked at him. You had thought that he would tell everyone of your attempt to escape; you preferred to remain silent, perhaps he would say it when everyone was gathered.
âAnd what did you hunt? I'm hungry. The deer lost its effectâ.
Yunho got off his horse and watched you. Then he smiled and winked.
I will keep your secret he said as he moved his lips and then helped you to get down and take Alpha with the other horses, complaining that again Jongho had hunted rabbit.
The night fell, Hongjoong and Seonghwa were still not returning. The campfire made them warm but you felt colder with your neck unprotected. You stopped playing with rabbit bones when Wooyoung sat next to you.
âI think this will do you more good, Yeosang girlâ he gave you a rabbit's foot, which you looked at. âPlease don't leave me with my hand outstretched againâ.
You didn't want to take it but he was insistent, to the point of taking your hands and leaving the rabbit's foot between yours. His hands were warm and soft, much prettier than yours that looked mistreated and wounded.
You found Wooyoung looking at your wounds and then you. If you thought you had seen a cloudy feeling painted in his gaze perhaps it was an illusion because he smiled instantly.
You put your lips together in a line, accepting. You went to where the man was, busy cleaning up his ash mustang.
You saw him so concentrated that you didn't want to bother him, he looked so connected to the animalâŠ
âWhat?â he asked you, youâre sure he'd heard you.
âWooyoung wants you to eatâ was your answer.
He looked at you and then at the plate, he turned his back on you.
âLeave it over thereâ.
Since there weren't many options, you left him near the saddle on the floor, making sure it doesnât turn over.
You backed away, willing to leave but since you had traveled with the riders this was the first time you had a moment with Yeosang. You had really had several opportunities to ask him why he saved you and came back. But you felt this time was the right time.
âCan I ask you a question?â.
âAskâ.
âWhy did you come back?â.
âSan thinks you are useful and Hongjoong likes youâ he answered your questions with his serious voice, not stopping brushing the mustang.
âWhy did you come back and not them?â.
He went on with the brushing. For a moment you felt that it would be all on his part, that he wouldnât answer you and just ignore you, but he turned around. You appreciated his beautiful face and the curious mark on his left eye.
âIntuitionâ returned to his task, in silence.
That left you with more doubts.
You looked at him in silence but he didn't give you the face, his whole world seemed to be the horse. Knowing it was everything, you went back to the others.
As the bonfire went out, the darkness seemed to increase. There weren't even any stars or moon. The regular howling of the coyotes was not heard and it seemed that the crickets were not nearby.
Will we be in sacred territory? You thought of the stories of your tribe chief about the sacred lands of the ancestors, located in spaces of total silence.
You stirred, restless at the thought. Offending spirits and ancestors wasn't something you liked.
You closed your eyes, trying to sleep even though that was impossible. You were far away from Brown but years in vigil so that this one did not surprise you were not erased from one day to another, fortunately you managed to sleep a couple of hours of what you were accustomed but not to rest completely.
A murmur made you wake up, for a moment you imagined that it was nothing and you wanted to ignore it but the noise was repeated; you waited to hear it again, since three times were not coincidence.
You got up from bed, looking for the source of the sound in the darkness. You could hear where the sleeping riders were. You thought they snored but nobody snored like that.
As if he were suffering.
Guided by the noise âand your voice of sleeping reasonâ you approached, being careful not to awaken anyone. You went to the last lump to be removed, it was Mingi.
His breathing was hectic, he was sweating, his eyelids tightened tightly and speaking the language of the sleeping ones.
Nightmares you think.
With a dreamcatcher his problem would end, but the pale face didn't believe in it, so that would be his main problem. You were going to turn around but he kept mumbling, almost crying.
You massaged your neck. The rest seemed to sleep peacefully, but you didn't.
You knelt next to Mingi, doubting what to do. How to reassure him? You didn't know the right words to calm the nightmares or sorrows in that boy's heart.
Curious you observed his body, maybe if you paid attention you could know where to massage to reassure him. And let you sleep for at least that couple of hours.
You gently removed the blanket and noted that his hands were still covered with black toned gloves.
They're probably cutting off his circulation.
Carefully you took his hand, hoping not to wake him up and seeing what you were doing you let him go immediately.
What the fuck are you doing? You reproached yourself, with your eyes open. You, who refuse to have contact with these guys, and here you are, holding hands with one of them.
You shook your head, that was enough. In order not to raise suspicions, you took the blanket again to tuck Mingi in, but it was at a bad time because Mingi's eyes opened and they saw you, almost on top of him.
You were about to tell him that he was talking in his sleep and that he wouldn't let you sleep, but it was enough to see his look full of rage for a cry of alarm to be heard in your head.
A groan was trapped in your chest as your body impacted with the solidity of the ground as the warm body of one of the tallest in the group positioned itself above you. You looked at him with open eyes, succumbing to a familiar fear as you listened to Brown walk to where you slept. You kicked, repeating to yourself how stupid you had been to approach him by seeing him move from one side to the other.
You felt the scent of his gloves on your nose, the superficial caress on your forehead and both male hands around your neck, cutting your breath; you hit to try to take it off, you felt the desperation to breathe again and how your life remembered.
âMingiâ other scream brought you to consciousness and took the manâs body off of you. You coughed and searched for air, taking strong breaths and trying to calm your heart rate.
More voices and a Hongjoong scream.
âSheâs not Alice!â.
You were barely able to rejoin, securing your breath and watching the others calm Mingi who seemed to be out of his mind. You even saw Hongjoong slap him to make him wake up. You instinctively receded more and more, trembling.
You were afraid and inevitably carried one hand to your back, to that ugly place, that edge, that piece of skin marked with the initials of your tribe's killer, which was throbbing.
You haven't felt pain in that part until now.
That was a sign.
You stood, trembling and with the sensation of drowning still present; taking advantage of the distraction and began to run without looking back.
Notes: Thank you for your suppor! And let me know what do you think about the story? I see you in the third chapter! Any suggerence is welcome!