Haruichi peered out the door with Furuya hovering just over his shoulder. He glanced down one end of the hallway to see several doors before the hall turned, and the other side led to a dead end. They had sent Kuramochi out first when it was clear they were no longer locked in. But even then, they waited around in the dark just in case the man was going to come back. After a while without hearing a sound from outside the room, they decided they needed to chance one of them to escape. It had been between him and Kuramochi. Haruichi for his smaller stature and his ability to hide versus Kuramochi for his speed. Eventually, they concluded speed would be better as they were unsure what to expect outside the room, no less where they were even located.
However, it had been some time since Kuramochi had left, and at this point, both he and Furuya were concerned he got caught. The only thing that really quelled the fear was that he hadn't been returned, and there was still no sound of anyone else in the building. Normally, they could hear footsteps from somewhere above them, the only sign of life other than those in the room. They had expected the kidnapper to wander in, only to notice one missing. They were waiting to bear the consequences of it, yet, he never came back and their door was still unbarred. Just recently, they had worked up the courage to risk sneaking out as well, in case something did happen to Kuramochi. Maybe he didn't get caught, but what if he got hurt on the journey for help? He didn't leave in the best of conditions, and they honestly should have taken that into consideration before they sent him. However, that was also why Haruichi was adamant about Kuramochi being the one to leave, despite his argument that Haruichi and Furuya should escape first. He hoped Kuramochi could get medical attention that way.
Still, if they also had an opportunity to escape, then they should take it. Plus, they might be able to find Sawamura and Miyuki. Haruichi could only assume they were still together. He hoped so at least since Haruichi would hate to be in this plight alone, and was positive that opinion was mutual amongst them all. However, a part of Haruichi was also afraid to poke around too much, that they might accidentally stumble across the kidnapper and thwart everything that they were attempting to do. So as much as he would hate to leave the other two behind, it would be better to get people that were actually equipped for situations such as this. Preferably people with weapons.
"Okay," Haruichi whispered, "let's go." He pushed the door open just enough to slide out and into the dimly lit hallway. The rusted hinges squeaked slightly as Furuya followed. Haruichi's pulse skyrocketed at the sudden noise that had him pause and strain his ears for any sign that their kidnapper had heard. Furuya had frozen in place, still halfway in the doorframe, his eyes widened in surprise. They waited for several long minutes without any other accompanied bangs or clatters before Haruichi needlessly held a finger up to his mouth and motioned for Furuya to continue. He slid the rest of the way out, and slowly closed the door behind them.
When Haruichi was absolutely positive they weren't heard, he crept slowly down the hall. He took extra precautions to avoid the dried blood trails that had soaked and stained the cement. Haruichi had to fight not to think about Sawamura and Miyuki. He knew the blood was theirs, he could see the bloodied footprints from Miyuki mix with the longer smears and droplets that had to have been Sawamura. And if he looked close enough, he could see the imprint of soles from someone who had stepped in a puddle of blood and trailed it through the hall. Haruichi couldn't help but gulp at the thought of how much pain Miyuki and Sawamura had to endure, how much they still had to suffer through.
Haruichi hadn't realized that Furuya wasn't behind him anymore until he was near the turn. Abruptly, he spun around, partially expecting Furuya to be gone as if he had vanished into thin air. He sighed in relief to see him further back, stopped in front of one of the other doors. Haruichi retraced his steps, not wanting to have to raise his voice the tiny amount for Furuya to hear him. And as Haruichi approached, questions on the tip of his tongue, Furuya pointed down, putting a stop to any inquiries before they were uttered. Haruichi glanced downward, following the direction of his finger to see that the blood smears disappeared under the door. Instantly, Haruichi knew what he was implying. This was the room Sawamura had been in before he was returned unconscious and thoroughly lacerated.
He lifted his gaze and immediately locked eyes with Furuya. There was a chance Sawamura was brought back to this room, or possibly even Miyuki. In best case scenario, they would both be in there, and in the worst case, their kidnapper would. Furuya reached his hand out to grasp the knob but paused as he glanced sideways at Haruichi as if he wanted a second opinion. There was only one way to find out, they just need to be ready to run at any moment. Haruichi nodded his head to let Furuya know that he agreed. Furuya took a deep breath and gradually twisted the handle, where it clicked faintly as it turned fully. Haruichi's pulse skipped a beat, if it wasn't locked, that meant neither of them was in there, but that didn't mean the kidnapper wasn't. Furuya pushed the door open a crack, and they both crowded it instantly with the need to witness what lay behind the metal.
Haruichi sucked in a shocked breath through his teeth, though he doesn't know why he was surprised at the even larger stain in the center of the room. He saw how bad Sawamura's back was, knew he had to have lost a lot of blood, but seeing it in the location that the torture had occurred was an eye-opener. It allowed his mind to supply visions of what might have happened, how terrified he had to have been. Sawamura was locked in this room, alone and helpless and at the mercy of someone who didn't even know the meaning of the word. The sight paralyzed him. The knowledge and the images the room brought to light will haunt Haruichi for a very long time.
He was physically startled as the door was pulled closed, how it abruptly cut in front of his sight and blocked the scene from his view. Haruichi blinked the grotesque mental pictures away to re-focus on the here and now. Furuya's hand shook as he released the knob, a clear sign that it affected him as it did Haruichi. He reached his own hand out to gently brush his fingers against Furuya's elbow to draw his attention and when he had it, he silently motioned for them to continue. There was no point in them standing around heedlessly in the middle of the hall, where their kidnapper could appear at any moment.
Further down was another door where the bloody footprints started, and since they tried the other door, they may as well check the next one as well. Like the first door, it too was unlocked. Miyuki had been especially tight-lipped as to what happened to him. Unlike with Sawamura, they could make a guess as to what had occurred, but Miyuki's wounds were obscure and suggested they weren't the main form of torture. So when the door swung open to reveal an empty room other than a chair sitting alone in the center, it did not unravel any indications as to what Miyuki went through.
Haruichi understood that taking the escape slow was beneficial, but he was also growing more and more anxious the longer they remained wandering aimlessly. The hallway eventually led them to a cement staircase that they ascended at a snail's pace. The further up they went, the darker it was as the lights on the next floor didn't appear to be on if they even functioned at all. They stepped out into rubble that crunched underneath their feet. Haruichi cringed every time a piece of rock, random debris, or even occasional wrapper was shuffled around as they walked. Any windows that the building had had since been boarded up, either to block out sight or the elements, he was unsure, but it left them with zero light to illuminate their path. Sneaking in pitch blackness was nearly impossible when one of them would stub a toe against a corner or random chunk of the building laying in the middle of a room. It was hard to remain silent when something sharp jabbed them on the sensitive flesh of their soles.
One thing was for sure, however, and that was that the building layout was rather expansive. They stumbled across several locked doors while others were barely hung on by their hinges. The entire place was in ruin, and surprisingly, the basement level was in better shape than the rest of it, and that wasn't saying much. Maybe that was part of the ruse. Maybe it was supposed to look like an abandoned building on the verge of collapsing on itself, while the kidnapper tormented teenagers on the lower level. If Haruichi had to make a guess, he's almost certain the building is off the beaten path and far from civilization.
They turned out of one of the many rooms to see a sliver of moonlight shine through the front door. It had been left ajar, most likely from Kuramochi because Haruichi had growing suspicions that the kidnapper wasn't even there. They hadn't exactly been quiet since they reached the first floor, though they didn't explore the second when they stumbled across a narrow staircase. Unfortunately, they hadn't come across Sawamura or Miyuki either, but as far as they knew, there was at least one other floor, and it was possible there could be more, but as it was, Haruichi didn't think they were cut out for searching an abandoned building with no lights or the ability to get through locked doors. On top of the very real possibility that the kidnapper could return at any time.
Haruichi had to force himself not to run straight for the exit, on the off chance it was a trap, but it was hard to fight the strong urge to be outside after however long they had been held captive. He couldn't help the stinging behind his eyes and the tightness in his throat as they burst through the front door and into the chilly night air. Without thinking, he took a slow deep breath in through his nose, smelling the crisp, clean air after so long of only inhaling mold and mildew with an undertone of rust and blood. Almost instantaneously, his nose began to run as the lump in his throat grew. Haruichi took in a sharp breath and shook his head, he didn't have time to cry, they weren't home free yet, they were standing wide open in a clearing surrounded by trees. The subtle light from the full moonlit them up like beacons compared to the void of the forest and the shadows cast by the building.
Furuya didn't appear to be holding up any better. He stared wide-eyed up at the night sky and the millions of stars they could view. Haruichi nudged him, "We have to go." He whispered urgently. They needed to put as much distance between this place as they could before they were caught.
This time, Haruichi allowed his feet to run, something he had been desperately holding back in fear of the unknown, but now they could easily slip into hiding amongst the trees and foliage. Furuya was directly behind him as their feet pounded the earth without a care as to what poked or scratched them as they darted into the trees. Haruichi barely flinched as branches brushed across his face or arms. He didn't care that his stamina wasn't near as substantial as it used to be, or the straining in his lungs, or even the burning in his thighs. At this point, he wouldn't have cared if it was raining or snowing. It was the most taste of freedom they have had in so long, and just the prospect of being away from that hell was exhilarating in its own right.
Though in hindsight, it wasn't the best idea to charge headlong into a forest in the middle of the night. The number of times he felt something especially sharp slice the bottom of his feet or the number of times they tripped over protruding roots or thick twigs was slowing down their flight, but Haruichi didn't have it in him to take it slow anymore, and he knows Furuya doesn't, either. Not to mention they don't even know where they're going. Haruichi was hoping that if they ran straight from the door of the building, it would eventually lead to a road, however, it was almost impossible to tell if they had strayed from the path. Though, Haruichi would take being lost in the woods over returning to their previous hell once again. The only thing that pushed him to find a road as soon as possible was that Miyuki and Sawamura were still there somewhere and they needed police to raid the place to better search for them.
A light in the distance caused Haruichi to skid to a halt. His sudden stop nearly had him bowled over by Furuya, who grabbed hold of Haruichi's shoulders before he toppled forward completely. Haruichi quickly brushed Furuya's hands off to instead grab his arm to yank him towards the ground. They huddled behind a spindly bush as they observed. His heart hammered away in his throat, as his mind screamed at him that it was their kidnapper, returning from wherever it was he had gone. Haruichi hunkered down more and inched closer to a tree for better cover. As Furuya moved with him, a small twig snapped, the sound pierced the silence and echoed throughout the expanse of the forest. They both instantly froze, as did the source of the light as it no longer scanned through the trees nor did it continue to close the distance between it and them.
Haruichi held his breath, heartbeat loud in his own ears. Once again, the silence was broken by a single rough bark of a dog. The noise was enough to wash away Haruichi's immediate fears. It wasn't their kidnapper. And now that he really observed the light, he could make out multiple sources, not just one. They began sweeping the area again with the beams, making it clear that this wasn't a sole person, but a group. Furuya reacted first as he abruptly rose to his feet, and Haruichi numbly emulated the movement. Was this the calvary? He could faintly hear voices, but not one that he recognized nor could he make out what was being said, but even if they weren't the people sent to find them and were just a random group or night hikers, they could still help.
They crept along, eyes zeroed in on the group as they drew closer. They didn't bother trying to remain silent now that they didn't need to hide their presence. They were close enough now to hear distinct voices.
"Who's there?!" A deep one shouted, but Haruichi couldn't figure out how to make his mouth work, this didn't feel real. The lights continued to scan the forest, and when the one pointed directly towards their location moved slightly, Haruichi was almost positive he caught a glimpse of a head of pink hair. His feet moved on their own as he picked up the pace, the sound as he ran loud enough thanks to the dried leaves and twigs. All the light swiveled to point at them, but now that he was closer, he knows he saw right.
"Ryou-!" Haruichi cried as he burst right through the group to throw himself at his brother. He couldn't be bothered finishing his name as he buried his face into Ryousuke's shoulder as the tears finally fell. Ryousuke's arms were quick to wrap around him tightly in response even as the force of their collision caused him to stagger backward. They have never been the type to hug each other, only as small children, and the older they got, the less there was any typical physical affection between them
"Haru-!" Ryousuke breathed, the shock evident in his tone even as his fingers dug into Haruichi's back like he wasn't going to let go to even confirm it. Though that could have been attributed to Haruichi openly sobbing onto his brother's shoulder. Haruichi didn't know why Ryousuke was here, but he couldn't be bothered to care. He heard more people call his name around them. One was distinctly Kuramochi, while the others sounded like Yuuki, Tanba, and Isashiki. There was more movement and calls directed at Furuya as he made his approach, but Haruichi wasn't going to let go either. Even as strange voices tried to ask them questions.
"Where's Miyuki and Sawamura?" A familiar voice asked amidst the flood of unknown ones. It sounded like Yuuki, but Haruichi still wasn't able to respond in ways that weren't muffled sobs.
"Still there." He heard Furuya mumble quietly. Haruichi grit his teeth, he, Kuramochi, and Furuya were finally safe, but out of the five of them, two were still being held captive.
