My mind stirs, my body tranquil for what felt like only a second before reality came rushing at me. 

   My head began to throb, the pain so intense I had to bite my lip to keep from yelping. My head seemed to pulsate as the pain spread across my head. I try to move my hands, stopping when I heard the clanking of metal from behind me. I pull my arms apart, only to be meet with metal edges digging into my wrists. I wince, but then my heart sinks.

   The memories came flooding back; the five men, the alley, the cloth. I let out a shaky breath, my body trembling in pure terror. I jerk my legs, a thick, thin material restricting any movement. My chest heaves up and down, the realization that I just got kidnapped hitting me at 100 miles an hour. 

   My eyelids hang heavy over my eyes. I peel my eyes open, the effects of the chemicals making my vision fuzzy. I lift my head and scan the room, my vision still blurred.

   Darkness surrounds me, the only light being the singular bulb hanging above my head. A few feet of light enclose me and the chair I'm strapped to, but beyond the ring lies an ocean of darkness. My eyes have finally adjusted to the blinding light, but the darkness is too shadow-filled to make out what's in its depths. 

   I narrow my eyes, searching for any movement among the black. Silence hangs in the air, but that silence was interrupted by the soft tapping of shoes and ruffling of clothing. The fear that once coursed through my veins flowed through my body once again. 

   "Look who's awake," a deep voice commented, his tone sending shivers down my back. 

   Low chuckles rumble from the black abyss, my body tensing up at the malicious atmosphere. The taps of shoes echo throughout the room, the sounds becoming louder as the people come closer. 

   My breath hitches as four men emerge from the darkness. Each man had features as cold as ice; a simple stare from any of the men could terrify someone to the core. And having four of these men staring down at me was the most panic-inducing thing I have ever experienced. I avoid their stares.

   "Let's keep this simple. What did you hear?" 

   I couldn't look them in the eye, their hostile gaze making me freeze. I couldn't form words either, my mind clouded with fear. I swallow dryly, their stares burning holes into my skin. A deep sigh comes from the man to my left. I keep my head hung low, the thought of meeting any of the men's eyes making my heart race. 

   The man to my left comes closer, his feet stopping directly in front of me, and hooks a finger under my chin. He pulls my head up harshly, my eyes meeting his black, merciless orbs. My heart drops.

   "I'm not going to repeat myself," he growled, his white hair contrasting against his dark eyes, "What did you hear?"

   His voice sent shivers down my spine. I let out a shaky breath, my mind trying to form words amidst the horror pulsating through me. I open my mouth in attempt to answer the man, but nothing comes out. 

   The white-haired man notices my lack of response and huffed furiously. He rips away his hand and turns to whisper something to a taller man. The man that held the cloth to my face. He nods at the white-haired man, descending into the darkness. I watch the men wide-eyed. 

   "Well, if I can't get you to talk," he holds out his hand to his side, "then maybe this will."

   The tall man resurfaced from the curtain of black with a skinny, brown object in his hand. He handed the object to the white-haired man, part of the leathery object unraveling itself. My breath caught in my throat.

   A whip.

   The man stepped closer, grasping the whip firmly, and glared down at me. 

   "I'm giving you one last chance," His voice seemed to drop in tone, making him sound even more threatening. 

   I open my mouth again, and nothing but stutters comes out. The white-haired man frowned, inhaling sharply, and raised his arm. 

   "I didn't hear much!" I scream, my head tucked away and eyes stamped shut, bracing for the sting of the whip. But it never came. I pry open my eyes, expecting to see blood, but only seeing smug smiles. 

   "Well, what can seem little to you can mean a great deal to us, so tell us. What exactly did you hear?" a man with chocolate brown hair insisted.

   My eyes scanned the four men's faces. Each man had serious, blank expressions on. The shadows the light created on their faces made them look even more horrifying. My eyes landed on a man that made my heart flutter. The black-haired man. His demeanor was cold, not a single drop of mercy to be seen.

   I bit my lip and sighed. 'The only way to get out of this is to tell them what I know'

"I-I...I heard you guys talk about getting money before a deadline," I swallow hard, my voice small, "I saw you take money out of a building and an unconscious man on the ground. You were holding guns and..." My voice trailed off, a lump forming in my throat.

   "Fuck,  she saw us!" the black-haired man cursed. He wiped a hand down his face. The other three men mimicked the first man, groaning and massaging their temples.

   I looked at the men confused. The black-haired man motioned for the others to come to his side. The three other men quickly done as they were told, forming a tight circle with the black-haired man. They start exchanging hushed, urgent whispers. 

   I lean forward slightly, trying to hear what the men are whispering about. Are they talking about me?

   "Here's her files Boss," someone voiced from the darkness, a head of orange hair bobbing towards the circle of men then quickly disappearing back into the shadows.

   The man's heads all drop down into the middle of the circle. The black-haired man holds a folder, but I can't see what it contains, the men blocking my view. 'My files? What does- Oh my God, they have my information! Shit!'

   I jerk at the metal restricting my wrists, the metal cutting into my skin, and I choke out a pained cry. The men don't turn their heads, completely unfazed.

   "...she could be useful..."

   "...we need someone like her..."

   I whip my head towards the circle, adrenaline surging through my veins. I scoff, loud enough for the men to hear.

   "You're so desperate for new members that you have to kidnap people and eventually force them to join your gang? Am I hearing that correctly?"

   The black-haired man's head sprung up, his expression deathly cold. My chest heaves up and down, adrenaline still coursing through me. 

   The man calmly brushed past the others and stepped towards me, clamped onto my head, and wrenched it up to look at him. His grip on my head was tight, but I didn't flinch.

   "Would you like to repeat that?" he growled, his face only inches away from mine.

   "You heard me," I spit, jaw clenched. "And that's pathetic!"

   The black-haired man's face contorts with pure rage; his eyebrows knit together, his jaw tightens and his eyes are set ablaze. Something whizzes past my head, but before I can react, that something slams into the side of my head and darkness envelopes me once again. 

♢⟺♢

   My eyes flutter open, only to be meet with the painful throbbing of my head. I softly cup my forehead and groan, my eyes adjusting to the gloomy room. I prop myself up on my elbows, examining to new room I was put in. The walls are a thick, ashen grey. I press my fingertips against the wall, dust lingering on my fingertips. I tilt my head to my side. I'm resting upon an old and clearly grimy mattress set atop a metal frame. A metal door stands at the far right corner of the room, the lead colored door the only contrast in the entire room. I push myself up into a sitting position, swaying slightly.

   'At least they were nice enough to put me on a mattress'  The memory of what happened before I was knocked out played in my mind, my breath quickening. 

   I take my hand off my forehead and move my hand slowly towards the side of my head, where the pain is coming from. I carefully tap the area in which I was struck. I press against the area and hiss, a wave of pain flowing over my head. I quickly pull my hand away and glance at my finger. My mouth falls open. Blood coats my fingertip, the liquid a dark crimson as it has dried. 

   A series of clicks come from the metal door and a orange-haired man walks in, sliding the door closed behind him. I recognize the soft orange hair, but my body stills freezes, my eyes locked onto him.

   "I brought some bandages." He holds up a blue box. The man smiles sweetly, trying to ease my fright. I sigh, giving him a weak smile.

   He walks over and kneels down next to me, opening the blue box and taking out some wipes. He gestures the wipes towards me and I grab them hesitantly. I begin to wipe away the blood stuck to the side of my head.

   "Sorry about that," the man pointed at my head, "Mark can be....unpredictable at times." He rubs his neck. I stop cleaning my wound and stare at the man knelt beside me.

   "Mark....was the black-haired man..." I mutter.

   "What?"

   "Nothing," I breathe out, dropping the used wipes at my side. The orange-haired man eyes me suspiciously before handing me a square bandage. As I was applying the bandage, I remembered something. 

   "Why do you need me?"

   The man looked up at me, an eyebrow arched out of confusion. 

   "Before I was knocked out, someone said that you guys needed someone like me. Why?" The man stood up, grabbing the blue box and trash, and chuckled.

   "Isn't obvious? You are incredibly smart, specifically in geometry, you are athletic and quick-witted, you participated in archery contests when you were younger and aced every competition, and you know downtown Kingston like the back of your own hand. We were lucky a person like you was spying on us."

   My mouth falls open again.

   "How do you know all that?"

   "I'm the Informant. It's my job to know all that." He turned on his heels and started making his way towards the exit. 

   "Wait!" I call out, making the orange-haired man glance over his shoulder at me. 

   "T-Thank you." I pressed my fingers against the bandage. He nodded, reaching for the door handle. 

   "What's your name?"

   The man smiled, grabbing the door handle and sliding the door open. 

   "I'm Jungwoo. I'll take care of you while you're in this cell," I grinned, Jungwoo doing the same.

   The metal door slams shut, leaving me in the dark alone.

Thank you for reading!!