TW: more mentions of rape? And more blood.

*****

Yunho hadn't locked the door upon entering the room, so Hongjoong could break out of his dark prison with a rough haul on the sturdy wood. Darkness upon darkness greeted him, but he threw himself into it without hesitation. Arms outstretched, he ran through the black void as he tried to feel for a way out. Based on what he had heard earlier, further back in this corridor was a staircase. If he walked it down, he had to find an exit. The building either had no windows or they had been barricaded shut, allowing neither light in nor a breath to escape out.

Grunts of pain followed him out of the room. Yunho still moved, was still on the chase for Hongjoong.

Hongjoong hastened along the wall once his throbbing fingers found it. His corset restricted his breathing, but there was no time to undo the laces and take it off. Gasping for air, he held back his terrified whimpers as he searched his way. In his mind, he stifled his breath to be quiet so Yunho wouldn't find him in the dark, but his panting and the rustling of his clothes gave him away.

Hongjoong's blood rushed in his ears. His fingers scraped past a drawer, hitting the edge painfully. He ignored it, too terrified of the wobbly light of the lamp that had shifted its shine further into the corridor behind him.

By the time Hongjoong's brain found the stairs, his scurrying feet had already missed the first step.

Hongjoong rolled down the flight of stairs with his arms wrapped around his head protectively. His heavy dress cushioned his fall and took off the edges of the steps. His knee flared in pain, then his lower back, and then his adventurous trip down the stairs ended abruptly. Hongjoong laid in the dark, heaving for air. In a panic, his heart jumped and skittered in his chest as his limbs regained their urgency to bring him to safety.

Steps shuffled over the floorboards above. While Hongjoong picked himself off the ground with gritted teeth and hoped all the bones he needed to run were still in a good condition, the circle of the light appeared in his line of sight.

Tall and threatening, Yunho appeared. The light shone down on Hongjoong's cowering body that twitched weakly.

"Ah, you fell down the stairs. How disgraceful, Molly."

Hongjoong choked when he spotted the blood staining the collar of Yunho's shirt on his left shoulder. The killer had dropped his trench coat, and the fabric had darkened from the wound.

He held the scalpel in his right fist, and it shone again with its endless thirst for blood.

"How- Why are you...?" Hongjoong picked up his arm, finding it twice as heavy as usual.

"It doesn't work like that. You need more to kill a man. These knives need fine handling to deal proper damage. Shall I show you how it works?"

Yunho put his foot on the first step, and Hongjoong rolled around to bolt. The light drawing nearer made it easier for him to tell the wall from open space, but he saw no door that seemed to lead outside.

Like a headless chicken, Hongjoong rammed corners and furniture as he tried to get as much distance between him and Yunho as possible. He found the kitchen, and he threw the door shut behind him to lock it. The click made Yunho chuckle. Frantic, Hongjoong used the faint ray of light that fell between two askew boards that shut the windows to shove the table and chairs in front of the door.

From outside, he heard Yunho near. The shadow of his feet was accompanied by the line of light that crept under the door to reach for Hongjoong with the same pale fingers.

Hongjoong crawled up on the counter and slipped on the bunched fabric of his skirts. Blood dripped from his chin where the cut in his cheek still bled, and his body ached from his fall.

Fuelled by the desperate need to live, Hongjoong shoved open the windows. The glass was stuck to the lower part of the frame, so he had to put his entire weight into it and nearly tumbled backwards from the counter. By clutching the window, he narrowly avoided splitting his head open.

Though that sounded like the better thing to do than fall into Yunho's hands again.

On the lock, Hongjoong heard the scrape of the scalpel as Yunho figured out how to open it. The noise jarred Hongjoong's nerves as he crammed the window open and knelt in the opening.

"Won't you tell me your name?" Yunho called from outside as if he were making casual conversation over some afternoon tea. The grin in his voice had Hongjoong punching the boards in naked horror.

"N-No! I don't want you to know it!"

How did nobody hear them? Was this entire area abandoned? Did the few homeless people curled up in the old houses just not care? Had Yunho left nobody to care?

Once more, Hongjoong's hands suffered, but he barely felt their pain anymore. He kicked the boards, threw his shoulder against them. By the time he felt the smallest give, his limbs were bruised and paralysed.

"I will make you say it," Yunho sing-sang. The lock clicked. Shuddering, Hongjoong clawed at the boards, but there was no way out. Through whatever way Yunho had entered this house, the entrance wasn't accessible to Hongjoong.

This dark building would become his grave.

Hongjoong threw himself around when Yunho shoved the chairs and desk aside. They tumbled over each other, by far not heavy enough to retain the killer.

With the lamp held above them, Yunho dawned in on Hongjoong.

"You sat here for me? How convenient. The kitchen is the best working place for me." The pride in Yunho's voice was accompanied by the insane glow in his eyes. Hongjoong shivered as he sought a route around the man's long arms once more. The kitchen was difficult to manoeuvre and was full of obstacles. Hongjoong had no idea where to run this time, and the scalpel trick wouldn't work twice.

"Where were we? You challenged me to cut you up, after all. Weren't you pleased with your fate? It might have been less painful." Yunho's hand wrapped around one of Hongjoong's ankles when he tried to kick the killer off. He hauled Hongjoong aside like a doll. The anger in his brow alerted Hongjoong that the time for games was over.

"I don't want your damn-" Hongjoong huffed when Yunho's hand grabbed onto his and forced his wrists together. Pinned by the tall man, Hongjoong wound himself on the counter.

"I would rather be gutted as you did to those poor women than become part of your twisted experiments!" Hongjoong spat at him. His knee drove into Yunho's side, but the killer took no notice of it.

"If only you were a woman. I suppose I can't let you choose. Won't you tell me your name? This will be more fun if you do."

"Go to hell," Hongjoong hissed. He wound himself, but he couldn't escape the trap Yunho had created for him. His foot met the lantern Yunho had put down on the counter next to them so he could watch Hongjoong's struggle with that sick pleasure.

The lantern propelled off, but regained its balance and stilled. Hongjoong howled when Yunho brusquely turned him around and crushed his hip bone with his punitive shove. When Yunho pressed against his backside, bile rose in Hongjoong's throat and he thrashed once more.

"Don't-"

"Scared of some pain? How pitiful. That's the downside of liking to be done by men, isn't it? Women's bodies are lewd; they give so easily for this exact reason."

Hongjoong levelled the boards in front of him. If he used his head, he might break through on the risk of killing himself with a head injury.

However, was an acceptable alternative to what Yunho had in stow for him. Hongjoong could feel him cutting at his tights as he tried to get them out of the way without jostling Hongjoong into a position he could fight in. Every so often, the steel grazed his flesh and warm blood spilt over his legs.

"If you weren't so untamed, I would have let you use your mouth first to make this easier on you."

"I would bite your whore pipe off," Hongjoong growled. In Yunho's moment of distraction, he levered himself.

Yunho chuckled.

"I figured."

The moment Yunho tucked the knife under his thumb to rip through the middle of Hongjoong's pants with his hands, Hongjoong drew in his legs. He pushed off the Ripper and thrust himself forward at the same time that the other man stumbled back in surprise.

Hongjoong wailed when the knife embedded itself into his calf as Yunho brought it down on him. The wound stung worse than a cut and it went deep.

Then, his head smashed against the wooden boards. The blast of white stars behind his eyes cancelled out his hearing for a moment. He didn't pick up on the barrier splintering, but his weight dropped once it gave.

Hongjoong landed on the cold, wet ground of London. His forehead bled and his sight was blurry, but he pushed himself up on trembling fingers. As he blinked the blood from his eyes, his hearing returned. His hands were too slippery with blood to draw the knife out, so he laboriously rose on his battered and bloodied limbs. Shaky like a foal; he looked around. He could barely move the leg with the knife in it, but it held up only because the blade was so thin and had hurt no tendons.

Beyond another row of houses, the Thames rushed past. Hongjoong knew where to find the marketplace if he followed it.

He left a trail of blood behind him as he caught up with the walkway along the stinking river. The line of it would have been straight if his vision didn't grow so hazy.

Behind him, Yunho jumped out of the window and came after him. His injury barely slowed him down as he stalked behind Hongjoong's limping form. He had no mercy to catch up with him and end it. Amusement wafted off him as he watched Hongjoong's futile attempts to live.

"Your name? Before I end your pitiful existence?" Yunho called over the deafening rush of the Thames. Hongjoong didn't know how he still moved. His body was a big wound and every step that didn't have him collapse came as a surprise to him.

Something bright shone in the distance. People, perhaps, or a store. Safety.

If only it wasn't so far.

Hongjoong didn't reply. He strained his ringing ears to pick up on the far voices, tried to get his fluttering lungs to cooperate to call out to them.

Until at once, Yunho hissed behind him. His steps abruptly halted, and Hongjoong was the only one who lugged his body over the cobblestones.

"Feck. The mutton shunters."

Euphoria blossomed in Hongjoong. San might be here. Seonghwa might be here. The police were on Yunho's trail.

When Yunho's steps quickened behind Hongjoong, Hongjoong knew the killer planned to tow him back behind the houses to finish him.

How had safety been so close and yet so far?

Hongjoong had no breath to scream. He only had the energy to drop.

The moment Yunho's foot hit the pavement behind him and his fingers stretched out to catch Hongjoong, Hongjoong crumpled under him. The world tilted, and he saw the night sky. Orion's belt wasn't visible because London was too bright to show it, but Hongjoong knew it was there. And it looked like Seonghwa's smile.

The edge of the waterside promenade spun until at once, it was above and Hongjoong was below.

His body hit the dark water of the river and instantly got hauled away by the currents, drawing it along.

The last thing Hongjoong saw was how Yunho turned on his heel and bolted while a group of agitated bobbies yelled after him.

The water pulled Hongjoong under and, with no way to defend himself against its force, he let it swallow his shattered body.