Page 261 of Scarbound

But this time, when his hand reached through the fog, someone was there.

And this time, the hand he found did not hold him down.

It simply held on.

CHAPTER 58

Noeul woke sometime in the afternoon. He knew it was afternoon because the light coming through the curtains was too warm to belong to morning. Time still refused to stay where it belonged. He lay still beneath the blanket, listening. Water running somewhere. The muffled sound of television from another room. A cupboard closing. Someone walking past the door.

Ordinary noises.

Nothing happened. No one came in. No one touched him. He kept listening anyway. His eyes moved toward the door. Closed. Not locked. He remembered Duri showing him the lock earlier.

You can lock it from inside if you want.

Noeul had stared at it for several seconds before turning the small metal piece. Duri had simply nodded.

Okay.

Then he’d left. No questions. No attempt to convince him that he didn’t need it. He shifted beneath the blanket. Pain answered immediately. His body still felt unfamiliar. His head hurt less than the day before, but the rest of him seemed to exist in separate pieces, each carrying its own memory he didn’t want. Noeul closed his eyes.

A hand. A bed. A voice.

You belong to me.

His eyes opened again. “Stop.” The word escaped before he realized he’d spoken. The room remained empty. Noeul stared at the ceiling. No one answered. No one told him to be quiet. He took a breath. Then another.

Someone knocked.

Noeul froze.

Three soft taps.

“Hyung?”

Duri.

Noeul said nothing.

“I brought water.”

Still nothing.

“I’ll leave it outside.”

Footsteps moved away. Noeul listened until they disappeared, then waited another minute. Maybe two. He wasn’t sure. Eventually, he pushed himself upright. The movement made his head swim. He stayed still until the room settled, then stood. His legs felt weak, and the few steps toward the door required more concentration than they should have.

Noeul unlocked it. A bottle of water sat on the floor. Beside it was a folded piece of paper.

He stared at it.

His stomach tightened.

Paper.

Beige.

Haneul…