CHAPTER 11 - CAPTURED BY THIEVES

Taehyung awoke to the sound of screams. At first, he thought it was a nightmare, so he remained quiet and prayed it would go away. After, he heard Y/n's voice shrieking out pleas. Pleas that included his name. And that was what had him snapping up to see what the fuck was going on.

Right as his eyes opened, he saw Y/n being dragged by the hair by some man Tae had never seen before. That was when he was convinced it was a nightmare. However, another man came, and this time he grabbed Taehyung. "What the fuck!?" Taehyung shouted, thrashing in the hold of the man.

Taehyung was weak despite having replenished on food and water. He was well-fed and decently strong from working out with his best friend a lot, but he was no match to someone who attacked them while they slept. It appeared as though Taehyung's fear of these men was not high enough. He cursed at himself as the men dragged him and Y/n through the brush, him holding back his tears.

The night sky was fading, but it was dark enough that Taehyung could still barely see where these people were taking them. Perhaps to a camp? Did they have a camp? Taehyung kept his mouth shut, not really wanting to know the answer, but he figured he'd get it in a minute anyway.

And he did, for the brush cleared, and Taehyung found himself face to face with a group of about a dozen men. All of them were men, not a single woman or child. All men with unkept faces and grime littering their skin. Taehyung panted as the one carrying him tossed him on the ground as if he were nothing, Y/n getting the same treatment. It made his blood spike with fury, and he went to stand only to be held down.

"Get the fuck off me!" Taehyung screamed, but it got him no where. Well, it got him somewhere, just not where he wanted to be. His head got whacked by the man gripping his hair, Y/n shouting for them to leave him alone. Tae's vision went blurry for a moment, and when he regained his sight, he saw a fire being made.

The flames were skewed because Tae got thrown to the ground, him laying on his side to observe the way the fire scowled at him. The hues resembled that of a sunset's, the frown on the object's face making Tae tremble. "Let him go!" Y/n said in a shout, thrashing around. They didn't hit her, but they held their ground, keeping her on the ground next to him. "We don't want any trouble, you pricks!"

Although Tae's panic was high, he managed to calm himself enough that he sucked in the smoky air around him. It washed through his lungs like a wave from the ocean, his lips parting. No noises came at first, none other than a cough, and he cursed at himself for allowing such weakness to overcome him. Finally, he got a grip on the situation as his eyes burned from the nearby flames.

They were surrounded. Even if Tae could fight back, their foes had the numbers and the strength. That was without mentioning they got the jump on them and weakened them. A group of men versus another man and a woman was going to shift in the group's favor. If Tae and Y/n were going to survive, they needed to think smart about their steps. The first step was determining the language barrier. Seeing as Tae and Y/n's plane was heading to Seoul, it's possible these people were natives of the island who spoke not a lick of English. Or, if they did, they could have a limited vocabulary. So, that was the tactic he went with first. Determining the language.

"What are the odds they speak English?" Tae asked, snorting to incite a response from the strangers.

"High," one man said, Tae's face going pale. The man was the tallest of the bunch, which wasn't saying too much. He was taller than Tae, but only by a couple inches at most. Maybe he was 6'1, but no taller than 6'3. The others were around the 5'8-5'10 range, and since there were no women or children, that was it. Despite their height being around Tae's, they were twenty times the size when it came to muscle.

Tae was no weakling. His muscles were defined and poked out of the holes on his clothes. Thanks to Jimin's obsession with the gym, he got Tae a membership. It also helped that Jimin was like an alpaca; he could die of loneliness. That led to Tae following him to the gym to keep him company while he did his sets. From there, Tae got curious and joined in. At first, it was cardio workouts. Then he did the classic leg and arm day exercises Jimin showed him. Taehyung wasn't exactly someone with a 6-pack, but he had arms that would scare off many other men. He told himself that, anyway. It made him feel better about himself.

The man circled Tae, kneeling not far away from him. The fire cloaked his face, making him appear more like a shadow than a person. "Who are you, and why are you bothering us? We're trapped here, we have nothing of value to offer you," Tae said, peeking at Y/n a few times. He was trying to determine if she was hurt, and based on the way her breathing was even and she had no bruises, he was willing to bet she was fine. For now.

If her state changed, he was sure he'd pull off incredible feats. Adrenaline was on Tae's side. That was the only pro surrounded by a sea of cons, but he clung onto that hope that his fight or flight instinct would allow him to do more than the average Tae could. He thought of Y/n hurt, and it made his vision blur with shades of carmine and crimson. They blended together until the man's irises became the same color, the whites of his eyes fading and replaced by a dripping scarlet that appeared similar to blood.

"My name is Ezekiel, we're survivors from a boat sinking near here. We've been here for months. Who are you?" the man, Ezekiel, said. His voice matched Taehyung's pitch, but there was a hitch to it that Tae didn't have. It was coarse. Almost like it was hardened by battle.

Tae spat on the ground and got on his knees. He was about to get whacked back down when Ezekiel held his buddies up, Tae shooting him a grateful look. Deep down, Tae wasn't even a tad bit grateful. Y/n and him were perfectly fine on their own. Why did these assholes come to ruin that?

Regardless, he didn't want to get on Ezekiel's bad side. Like with Y/n, back when they were at odds. He had a strategy to appeal to her and tell her what she wanted to hear. As he stared down the beast before him, he realized he had to do the same. Only this time, it was a matter between life and death, not whether or not someone liked him.

"My name is Taehyung, that's my girlfriend, Y/n." Claiming her as his girlfriend flew over his head in that moment, for survival was much more important. He'd let the butterflies come after they were released from this man's custody. "We were in a plane crash, I don't even know how long we've been here. Long enough to know I hate islands."

The joke didn't land; they all gazed at him with no change in their faces. Okay. Whatever, Tae didn't want to be a comedian anyway. "You went to the river recently. Why?" Ezekiel asked.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe because we want to fucking live?" Y/n said, her remarks earning her several glares.

However, Ezekiel ignored her completely and instead kept his attention on Taehyung. "What are your intentions?"

"We're two people, what do you think our intentions are? We want to survive until a rescue comes," Tae said, resulting in a scoff from the leader.

"No rescue is coming. No one ever came for us."

Tae scanned him up and down, chuckling. "Well with the way you're acting, I'm not surprised."

Ezekiel punched Tae, and he took it, coughing out blood while Y/n scrambled to writhe in their hold. It got her no where, as expected. Taehyung motioned for her to calm herself, and she did when she met his relaxed expression. He was far from serene, but he needed to keep his girl safe. That was the top priority. Fucking dammit, they already had to deal with dangerous fauna and starvation, why did they have to deal with people too?

His sarcasm and jokes were supposed to ease the tension, but that was a mistake. Looked like he was doing the exact opposite of his goal. Instead of appealing to the man's humanity and logic, he was spitting on him. Quite literally. Tae decided to set his jaw and refocus himself. However, before he could speak and apologize for his words, the leader of the group spoke up.

"I asked you a question. Answer it without being a wiseass, got it?"

"We have no ill intentions with your people. I didn't even know you fucking existed until not too long ago, and I had absolutely no plans of harming you, okay? How hard is that? Y/n and I only want to survive until a rescue comes. My best friend would tear this Earth upside down to find me, he wouldn't leave me out here. There has to be someone coming for us, and they can come for you too, but not if you have us tied up like this. What the hell do you want from us?" Tae asked, keeping his voice less aggressive than before, but still demanding so they could receive answers as fast as possible. As fast as Ezekiel would allow, at least.

Ezekiel took too long to answer, Taehyung giving him the best pleading eyes he could muster. It resulted in nothing more than a harsh shrug to push Tae off. Ezekiel ignored Tae's pleas, trekking over to a few of his colleagues and muttering words Tae couldn't hear. His eyes met Y/n's, hers quivering up and down, tears soaking her eyelids. He attempted to mouth 'it'll be okay', but he halted halfway. The truth was, he didn't know if it would be okay or not. And something he knew she would value was honesty. Even if it hurt.

Y/n shifted her gaze to the ground as Ezekiel came back over, his arms on his chest. "As much as I'd like to believe you, we found a knife in your possession," Ezekiel said, Tae resisting the urge to snap at him. Well, he failed. The urge overtook him and whacked him in the face until he spewed words he probably shouldn't say.

"I'm sure. It's called a tool for survival, ever heard of it?"

Tae didn't care if he got punched again, he wasn't about to let this man twist Tae's true intentions to fit a narrative. These people were batshit crazy. The lack of human interaction must have fucked with their brains. Tae couldn't imagine what isolation would do to humans. Would it happen to him and Y/n too? No, he didn't want to think about that, so he shoved the thoughts out of his mind.

"If you're so confident that a rescue is coming, why don't we wait for one together?" he asked, his grin shimmering in the light of the fire.

Tae peeped at Y/n, but her gaze was casted down. With a huff and a sigh, Taehyung ultimately agreed, figuring there was no other option. And the silence that stretched on had Tae wishing he could gouge his own eyes out. He didn't want to see these people anymore. Why were they tormenting others they didn't even know? What was the point?

If they were going to stay with the group for a long period of time, then they had more problems to pile on. Now their struggle for food meant nothing. What if the group didn't feed them, or was careless with their feedings? What would they feed them? Would Tae and Y/n be desperate enough that they'd eat anything?

Those questions hit each cell of his body until he shivered. They were questions he didn't wish to ask, but he knew he had to. If he didn't try to find a solution for them, then they'd die. Although, it seemed as though they had time until they needed answers. The optimistic side of Taehyung wanted to believe a rescue would come before he needed to act. Maybe he'd take action by hurting the tribe, or by begging and pleading. At this point, he was willing to go to the extreme to protect himself and his woman.

The group sat in their own corner, speaking quietly amongst themselves. Tae waited a minute before scooting over to Y/n, the woman keeping her eyes on the dirt beneath her. "Listen, I don't know how we're getting out of this, but for now, maybe we should just play along. If they were going to kill us, they would have by now," Tae said in a hushed tone, ensuring the others couldn't hear him.

"As wonderful as that sounds, I'd rather not wait to find out their true intentions. They're using us for an escape. If one doesn't come soon, they'll kill us."

"Why do you think they'll kill us?"

"Tae, you're one of the smartest guys I've ever met. Really, you are. But you are far from the most observant." Tae knit his brows together, Y/n motioning to their attire. He scanned over it, noticing how half of them were shirtless, and the half that wasn't had scraps for shirts.

"Am I supposed to see something?" Tae asked, averting his eyes so he didn't get caught staring.

"They're wearing teeth as necklaces," she whispered, Tae freezing up. "Human teeth."

And that was when Tae's heartbeat went to an all-time high. He had never felt his adrenaline rush like that before, and he never wanted it to rise that fast and that high ever again. Regardless, they had to find a way out, otherwise they were beyond screwed. "Cannibals?" he asked, his voice trembling as he said it. It was like a statement, but Y/n did her best to calm him anyway.

"Maybe, I don't know. Either way, they killed people, and if we aren't careful, we'll be next." Tae didn't reply to that. How could he? The very prospect brought his blood to a halt, threatening to end his life. His skin went clammy and pale, Y/n using her hand to stroke his hair. What she said meant one of two things. One, there were other people on this island. Or two, they had a larger group at one point. "We'll get out of this, we just have to be smart. Running now isn't our best move. You're right, we have to play along, but we can't do it so long that we get killed."

"We won't. We'll be careful." He leaned his head on her shoulder, and she gladly accepted the comfort, placing a hand on the side of his head. His eyes met the sky, and he was sure constellations were staring back at him, but he couldn't make them out. Nor did he possess the energy to do so anyway. "I miss Jimin."

She let out a soft sigh, keeping her fingers tangled with his locks. "I miss my job."

He chuckled, snuggling against her. "You and your work ethic. Do you miss anything other than your job?"

To his surprise, she actually considered the question, and her lips pursed in thought before she grinned. He could see the nostalgia in her stare, her peering at the fire. The little cracks reflected in her irises, her pupils expanding more as she fell into her daydream.

"There was this ice cream shop a block away from my house, and every Friday, my dad and I would sneak out and go there. Every Friday at the same time, every week without fail. We did it for years, started when I was only a kid." She smiled more, and Taehyung swore he saw a galaxy in her eyes. "And I'd get extra sprinkles even though I didn't like them."

"Why'd you get something you didn't like?"

"It made me take longer to eat, and to me, all I wanted was more time with my dad. My superstar." She let her head rest back more, her chin pointed toward the sky. "And he told me that no matter what, if anything ever happened, there was one place I could go to find him. And it was that dumbass ice cream shop." Tears pooled in her eyes, her not even attempting to hide it. "Ever since he stopped calling, I went to that ice cream shop every Friday. Every week, without fail. Same time, same table, same place. The same everything. I mimicked it from when I was just a kid. But he hasn't showed up yet. It's been too long for me to even remember the last time he did. The last time we did."

She trailed off for a moment, Tae backing away from her so their eyes could lock. A small, dry chuckle left her lips, her shaking her head. "I'm here with a stranger that I magically have feelings for now, there's dangerous animals and insects all around me, rescue may or may not be coming, and to top it all off, I got kidnapped by some tribe that could be cannibals. But despite all that, the only thing I fear is that he'll go to that shop looking for me, and that will be the first time I wasn't there. All because I'm on this stupid island rather than waiting there for him with my extra sprinkles, ready to take an hour to eat it because I just want to be in his presence one last time."

Y/n went to wipe her tears, but Taehyung did it for her, his thumb cherishing her skin. He hoped he brought some comfort, even if it wasn't real. She sniffled, smiling her thanks. That was what Taehyung admired so much about her. She smiled through the pain, and although she was certainly no angel, she did want to do the right thing. He believed that she did, even if it was hidden deep down.

"I miss that ice cream shop," she said, swaying back and forth at an almost unnoticeable pace. "But I miss who I used to be more than anything. If I was the same person I was, maybe I wouldn't be waiting every Friday. Maybe I would have never had to wait at all."

Tae took her hand and kissed the back of it, laying his head on her shoulder again. There was no way to reply to that other than to come closer, and he knew she didn't want a response. Merely ears to listen to what she had to say. He was happy to provide that. Maybe desperate to. He wasn't sure what the difference between happiness and desperation was anymore, all he knew is that he felt one of the two, if not both, whenever he was around her. So he drank in both emotions, praying that he'd find a clear answer.

A few minutes passed, more silence overtaking them. Even the group was quiet now. There was not much more they could do. Y/n was most likely going through cramps and bleeding badly, Tae craving to stop her period all by himself, but he knew he was completely powerless to do anything about that.

Powerlessness was an enemy of Tae's, just like isolation. He was grateful he had someone like Jimin who made him feel neither of those things. In fact, it was quite the opposite. With Jimin, he felt like a superhero who was capable of doing whatever he put his mind to. He prayed he made Jimin feel the same way. The desire to see Jimin swelled inside Tae's heart until he thought it'd burst. It didn't, and he was left with the shallowness that was there before. The shallowness that hadn't dared departed his flesh since the day they crashed on this island.

The silence ended when Ezekiel came over, standing over them and cloaking them in his shadow. "When do you think this rescue will come?" he asked. Once again, he only peered at Tae, acting as if Y/n didn't even exist. It made Tae's skin crawl with disgust, fury boiling in his nostrils, flaring them until the stench clogged his senses.

"I don't know, but I'm guessing sooner rather than later, we've been here a while now. I'd appreciate it if they came here quick, but I wouldn't know. We should get to the beach if you really want this rescue."

"And why's that?"

"Because we drew 'SOS' in the sand, not to mention we have supplies there like food and flint for fires. I know you have food and flint already, but it couldn't hurt to have more, right?" Ezekiel toyed with Tae's request, Taehyung taking Y/n's hand and squeezing it. She returned the sentiment. "If the rescuers will go anywhere, they're gonna go to the 'SOS' sign. On top of that, the wreckage for our plane is there; they'll go for that first. If we aren't on that beach and they drop down, they might not find us in these woods. They may deem it a lost cause, I don't know how rescue teams work. Let's just move to the beach and wait there, yeah?"

Ezekiel backed up, going over to his posse to chatter about Tae's proposition. Great, left in the dark again. Taehyung bit back a grunt, squeezing Y/n's hand a bit harder than he meant to. He muttered an apology, but she didn't give a shit, so he eased up and stayed close to her warmth. 

The fire they built was nothing compared to Y/n's touch. The way she gave him a kind, gentle stare. It was uncharacteristic of her to be so kind and caring. He was expecting something cold. Brutal, even. But no. Here she was, gazing at him as if the ones who captured them meant nothing. And that was when Tae realized he may be in love with her.

Tae remembered reading articles about romance. Not by choice, rather because Jimin, the romantic, made him read them with him. It was said that shared trauma made for a good love story. Was Taehyung experiencing that? He was falling faster for Y/n because they had shared trauma. Because they were the only two they had to rely on. There was a poetic beauty to that, and Tae made sure to smile, even if it was fake. He hoped to whatever was watching over them that his smile made her feel safe, that his hold gave her a consolation no one could match. He wondered if she felt the way he did, if her heart jumped whenever she thought of him. All these thoughts had Taehyung's heart racing. Wow. He truly did love her. Even if it happened fast, he knew he did.

Ezekiel came over and interrupted Tae's mental proclamation of love for his kind-of girlfriend, the group staring at them as if they were animals. That was yet another thing that made Tae's skin crawl. He hid his disgust as the leader stepped forward, then, he knelt to be eye-level with Tae. It was a tiny sign of respect, but any sign was a sign of progress. Alright. Tae really did need to play the long game. He wondered how he could do that, but he forced the thoughts away when Ezekiel actually smiled.

"I'm choosing to trust your instincts. We'll wait by the beach for one week. You will have access to your food and water, but no weaponry, not even flint. No rocks, no knives, no wood. Just you and your bodies. Does that sound like a fair deal?" he asked.

"I understand why you don't want us armed and all, but to be fair to you, there's two of us and lord knows how many of you. Is it really a crime to pick up some rocks and bang them together? I like skipping stones in the water. Even if you have to monitor us, can we please at least do that? I need something to do," Tae said, Y/n agreeing with him. But of course, he didn't give a fuck about Y/n's presence. And again, that made Tae boil. Almost over the edge.

"Fine, but you will be monitored. Those are my conditions. No breaking them."

Tae didn't agree or disagree, Y/n shifting and coming a bit closer to him. He accepted her closeness, Ezekiel backing away and telling the news to his group. And soon enough, they came over, hoisting Y/n and Tae to their feet. Tae mumbled a curse under his breath, peeping at Y/n only to see her giving him drooped eyes. He saw her posture tense, her lower lip quivering. 

The group didn't give them a chance to regain their balance and posture. Tae and Y/n were dragged away as if they were prisoners moving to their execution. The dim lighting didn't help ease his worries, and the more they moved from the fire, the more darkness plunged into his vision. It blocked him off from taking in his surroundings. If there were any snakes waiting to prey on them, they were the first targets in striking range. The group didn't hold any concern for that. They didn't even bother checking behind them to see if they attracted any wildlife. And that was when Tae sucked in a deep breath.

Shit. They were so fucking screwed.