Serial Admirer

Johann's eyes could catch nothing but darkness upon the moment he lifted his lids up. Engulfing his whole being, Johann felt an undeniable weakness as he slowly pulled his body up and forced himself to sit, arms still in tremble. He could hardly move and there was nothing more terrifying than the confusion swallowing his mind entirely—memories, right, he had to regain his memories. It felt to him like he did not know what happened and how he ended up in that position, feeble as a noodle strand with wrists both tied firmly with a thick rope. He let out a sigh before he tried harder to recover his vision, and when he did, he realized it was hopeless. His blurry perspective could not be helped by the pitch-black vicinity. He instead thought he must use his other senses. Yes, indeed, Johann could remember a few bits about the car crash. He lost consciousness right away—or perhaps, all of his group members did, too. Well, that was the correct memory trigger; he performed with his bandmates at an award show, received their trophy for the category they won, and went back to the van to drive themselves back to the dormitory. Was it really them, XYZ, that won the best new artist? He couldn't tell if it was a dream or not. All Johann knew was that there was a car crash, and he apparently survived. That must be the reason why he could feel his entire body aching. He decided to open his mouth to initiate a word—perhaps a shout, to call for help and rescue. "Help me!" The sound of Johann's voice echoed around as if he was enclosed in a very spacious yet empty room. Could that be the case? Johann could not care less, for his shout did at least bring him to sanity. Upon trying to feel his arms and confirming the existence of the rope around his wrists, Johann heard a voice which seemed to resemble a response he'd always hear from a close friend of his. "Who's there? Who are you?" The stuttering voice was oddly familiar. There was only one person in Johann's mind; June's voice was so distinct, Johann could tell it was him right away. "June? June, is that you?" "Who was that? Don't come close to me!" "Calm down, June, it's just me," Johan said, his voice audibly worried. "It's Johann. Just relax, okay?" "Johann! Oh, thank god. Please, help me, I can't move," June's voice cracked. He sounded as if he was about to cry. Both his hands were tied as well, and he shared the vision of an almost blacked-out darkness. Something about the smell of that place made Johann cough uncontrollably, right before he could respond to June's request. "I'm sorry, June, I can't do anything. My hands are tied—I don't know what happened. I just feel weak." Johann could feel the freshness of his wounds, making him assume he must have been brought to a terrible state by the car crash. June felt worried. "Where are the others?" He asked. If anything, he was always the member that worried about everybody. "I have no idea. I can't even remember what happened properly," Johann grumbled, his head beginning to ache like crazy. There was a force weighing on his shoulders that seemed to push him down to exhaustion—it was the weakest he had ever felt. He was never a weak guy. In fact, it was him that is viewed as one of the strongest anywhere he goes. Not long after, Johann and June's conversation awakened another voice, which they found entering the conversation. "Johann? Is that you?" The random voice resembled the familiar warmth June and Johann had longed to feel again. Johann knew what terrible fate had come for him and his ten other friends and bandmates, but upon hearing Sebastian's voice, he felt at ease. Though temporary, he smiled upon speaking to him for the first time again. "Seb... I know your voice," Johann smiled right after a very faint gasp of surprise. "God, Johann! What's happening? Where are you?" Sebastian asked immediately. He was unable to pick himself up, but he certainly was afraid. He remembered the car crash after the show, and the way everyone was covered in blood before his final vision of that scene disappeared as he passed out entirely. "Seb... I have no idea. I just... I don't feel good and I can't see anything," Johann responded with a low and unsteady voice. June was already sobbing. "Seb, help me, they also tied my hands..." "June... Oh, June, I don't think I can do anything. I think, perhaps, they tied us all," Sebastian groaned as his worried voice scattered around the dark room. "Where the hell are we?" Sebastian asked quietly, taking a look at his surroundings. He looked around and tried to see through the darkness, but he could not catch anything. It was so dark—like a room with no lights and with the door shut. All the three of them knew was that the dust and heat in the air mixing with the smell of blood and sweat was nearly suffocating. The empty feeling of their stomachs and dryness of their throats to their lips could drive their thoughts to desperation; they all felt like dying. How is it that they ended up in a place so unknown, terrifying and fetid? There should be a person behind it. It is for the fact that they are celebrities that made them certain it could happen—the pieces all points to this as a case of abduction. "I don't know, all I can see is darkness–" Johann didn't get to continue what he was going to utter when he suddenly heard a mumbling not too far away. It wasn't the mumble of the wind or the movement of things—it sounded like a person. He knew that it wasn't the voice a single person talking, and he assumed it would perhaps be of two or more. Could it be another of his friends that he just heard? Johann's mind was stretching into a near fleeting madness.