TWs: Kidnapping(?), crying, worrying/anxiousness, feelings of impending danger. Stay safe :)

"Ugh..." A groan escaped Tom's mouth as he wearily blinked his voids open, "My head..."

He huffed as he sat up and yawned, blinking away tears.

Then froze.

He had been lying on the floor in a bedroom, except it wasn't his room. He wasn't in his apartment.

Slowly getting up, he glanced around. The walls were a light grey. There was a bed in the corner harboring blue sheets. A dark wood dresser next to a door with a mirror hanging from it.

There was an object on the bed, a familiar one. A stuffed toy that Tom has had with him for what felt like forever.

'Why is Tomee bear here?' He thought, 'And why does he look so... clean?'

The bassist was weary about this model. It wasn't his Tomee bear; it didn't have any scrape, wear, or tear anywhere on it. He frowned as he turned his sights on something else.

Stepping up to the dresser, Tom picked up a framed photo. It was an old photograph, judging by the coloration and yellowing around the edges. Looking closer at it, Tom was able to see who was in it.

His eyes widened as he picked up the other frame. It only worsened his anxiety as he placed them face-down and backed away from the dresser.

"Okay, take deep breaths, Tom." He told himself, "You're just dreaming. This is just a dream."

He laughed as he looked around the room, memories flooding back to him as his heart thumped against his ribcage.

"Just a... fucked up dream." He muttered, scratching at his wrist.

It didn't help that he thought he heard something outside the door.

Edd was woken up by banging at his door. Drowsily, he got up and decided to open it despite the warnings in the back of his head that it might be a serial killer.

Well, his head was half-right.

"Edd! You gotta help me!" Matt cried desperately.

"Uh, why...?" The taller scrunched his eyes.

"It's Tom- he's missing!" The ginger was wailing loudly that Edd was concerned everyone in the apartment building might hear.

"Calm down, Matt; what do you mean Tom's missing?" Edd furrowed his eyebrows in concern.

"I let Tom go to the bar for a few hours, like usual. Tom lets me sleep at his place since there's a ghost haunting mine-"

"There's a ghost haunting your flat?" Edd questioned.

"Long story. Anyway, Tom didn't come home after two and a half hours, which is the time I gave him. I shrugged it off as him having too much and forgetting, and you know Tom, he can take care of himself, so I went to sleep..."

Matt looked down, tears in his eyes. Edd frowned, seeing how much this was hurting his friend.

"When I woke up to get something to drink a few minutes ago, he wasn't there. He hadn't slept in his bed all night. His scent was still there, but he... wasn't."

"Have you tried calling him?" Edd asked.

"Of course, and there's no response!" Matt yelled, "He always responds to me, doesn't matter if he's drunk or not feeling well; he always lets me know how he's doing!"

A few tears ran down Matt's face as he wiped them away furiously.

"Please, Edd..." He sniffled.

This was serious, Edd noted as he glanced across the hall, "You stay here while I get Tord."

Letting Matt inside, Edd peered at the clock, noticing it was seven in the morning. He sighed, hoping Tord wouldn't be too upset to be woken up at the ungodly hour.

Going across the way, Edd banged on the door a few times. He waited a moment before knocking again.

He heard something fall inside, then a swear shortly after before the door opened.

"Wha- Edd? What are you doing here?" Pau asked, peering through a squinted eye.

"I need to talk to Tord; it's an emergency," Edd spoke.

Pau didn't ask what the emergency might be, only going back inside to wake Tord.

There was a shuffle of movement, hushed voices, and a groan, Tord showing up a few moments later.

"Min kjærlighet...?" He muttered, "What's going on?"

"Sorry to wake you, but it's about Tom." Edd said, "Matt said he didn't come home last night."

Pau perked up at that, glancing at the two conversing in the doorway.

"What?" Tord frowned, "Has he tried-?"

"Yes, he's tried calling and texting him, but he's gotten no response." Edd crossed his arms.

"That's weird; I thought he always kept his phone on." Tord hummed.

"He does- wait, how do you know that?"

"I looked through his phone one time." He shrugged, "Anyway, where's Matt?"

"In my flat. He's probably crying about this right now."

"Let's go then." Tord sighed.

As Pau saw the duo leave for Edd's apartment, he remembered something his mentor told him.

"Have I ever told you about the Black Army, Pau?"

"No...?"

The woman in red kneeled beside him, "They only ever work in the shadows, stalking their prey around before going in for the kill."

Pau looked up at her, watching as she shuffled a deck of cards.

"Surprisingly, they haven't been caught in any media..." She muttered, "They've been around for a while now."

"Are they the bad guys?" Pau asked.

"You could say that." She smiled, placing the deck of cards neatly on the table.

"So, we're the good guys?"

The lady in red frowned, wincing as she peered at him.

"Uh, well... let's just say there are no such things as 'good guys' when it comes to war." She spoke softly, "Okay, Pau?"

The kid nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

His mentor smiled as she ruffled his hair, "What have I told you about calling me that? Makes me feel old!"

Pau blinked. He had a strong feeling that something happened to Tom.

He needed to wake the others.

While Matt was sulking on the couch with Ringo trying to comfort him, Edd and Tord were in the kitchen.

"He could've gotten lost, and his phone died..." Tord muttered to himself.

"Surely he would've made it back by now, right?" Edd glimpsed at the clock, seeing that it was almost an hour later, "Besides, he has a friend at the bar that can drive him if he's too drunk to walk himself."

Tord huffed, "Man, I really don't want to admit to Matt that Jehovah might've gotten himself kidnapped... again."

Edd glanced at him, giving him a dead-set look.

The Norsk groaned, "At least it wasn't me along with him."

Stepping into the living room, Tord saw Matt sitting curled up, looking at his phone.

"Hey, Matt." Tord forced a smile on his face as he sat beside him, disturbing Ringo's sleep, "How are you feeling?"

"What does it look like?" His voice came out quiet, strained from all the crying.

"Well, we can't say for sure that Tom is... fine." Tord started, trailing off as he saw the ginger's eyes flash red, "He might've gotten himself in some sort of trouble."

"Tommy..." He muttered, staring at a picture on his phone.

A knock at the door startled the group. Edd quirked an eyebrow, wondering who it could be at that hour.

"Pau?" Edd glanced behind him, seeing Pat, Yan, You, and Clay standing in a tired daze, "Need something?"

"I have a feeling your friend is in danger." He spoke.

"Hope they heard of something called karma." The lady in uniform grinned as she split the cards evenly, "Do you want first or second go?"