Through the Darkness

The Truth - Part One

A/N: Mention of r**e/Non-Con and Heavy Angst

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Kongphop glanced at the cell phone resting innocently on his desk, few inches away from his hand, before he averted his eyes back to the papers in front of him. Though it was an early Saturday morning, and even though he couldn’t sleep well the previous night, Kongphop was in his office since 7 o’clock, burying himself with work in a desperate attempt to get his mind off the events of last night. Still, his hand was itching for him to grab his cell phone and make the call he had been dying to make for the past three hours.

Finally, he dropped his pen, taking a deep breath before grabbing the phone and dialled the number.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Dear was in his garage, trying to fix his motorcycle when his phone rang. Picking it up, he was surprised to see Kongphop’s name flashing on the screen.

“Hello,” he answered.

“Hello, P’Dear,” Kongphop’s voice seemed hesitant for some reason. “I apologize for calling you at this hour.”

“It’s alright, Kongphop. How can I help you?”

“Umm ...I just wanted to ask you about P’Arthit. How is he doing?”

Dear let out a soft sigh, wondering how to answer this question. It was evident that Kongphop was very worried, but Dear wasn’t sure how much he was allowed to tell the other man.

“P’Dear?”

The older man snapped out from his thoughts. “Um, he’s in a stable condition,” he replied.

“Did you see him?”

“No,” Dear replied. “but Knott said that the doctor had reassured them that Arthit’s condition is stable.”

“P’Dear, may I impose on you a little further?”

“Sure, Kongphop, anything you want.”

“Can you, please, keep me updated on P’Arthit’s condition?” Kongphop asked. “I don’t think I will be welcomed at the hospital.”

At that, Dear sighed, remembering the scene that Knott created at the hospital’s entrance.

“I will keep you updated,” he replied. “But on one condition.”

“What?”

“I want you to answer me honestly about something.”

“Of course.”

“Why did you and Arthit break up?”

“I don’t know, P’Dear,” Kongphop replied. “P’Arthit broke up with me one day, suddenly, without explaining.”

“Didn’t you ask him?”

“I did, but he refused to give me a straight answer,” Kongphop responded.

“If Arthit was the one who broke up with you, then why did Knott said that you had hurt him?”

“I don’t know.”

Dear sighed deeply. “Kongphop, I know that you’re already engaged to someone else, but are you still in love with Arthit?”

Dear smiled softly. “No need to say anything, Kongphop,” he said. “I got my answer.”

“P’Dear—”

“Listen, can you meet me this evening at Bright’s bar?”

“I haven’t been there for a year, and I doubt that my presence will be appreciated, P’Dear.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll be with me. Meet me there at 8 pm sharp, okay? We will talk more then.”

“Okay. See you then. Bye.”

“Bye.” Hanging up the phone, Dear sighed, shaking his head. Even after graduation, it seemed that he was still stuck with the senior’s role to his former juniors.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Kongphop stared nervously at the entrance of ‘FIN JUNG,’ seriously doubting that going inside was a good idea. He didn’t want to repeat the hospital’s little episode in case he ran into Knott again. It wasn’t that he was afraid of the older man, but it was still embarrassing to cause another scene. However, he had an appointment with Dear, and the older man would surely back him up. Taking a deep breath, he braced himself and entered the bar. The bar was crowded since it was Saturday ... others took even the place where Arthit and his friends always sat. His eyes scanned for his senior but couldn’t see the man anywhere, so he walked up to the front bench and ordered a glass of beer.

“Kong!” Bright’s voice was as cheerful and loud as ever. “It’s been too long since you came here!” The older man draped one arm over his shoulder.

“Hello, P’Bright,” He greeted. “Yeah, it’s been a while. I’m meeting someone here.”

The older man looked at him with a serious face that didn’t suit him. “Meeting someone? Who?”

“P’Dear. He told me to meet him here,” Kongphop replied.

Bright frowned upon hearing that. What would Dear want Kongphop for? He was about to ask when someone slapped his back.

“Hello, Bright,” Dear said. “Kongphop, how are you?”

“Hello, P’Dear.” Both men greeted back.

“Bright, I want a large glass of scotch and a private place so that I can talk to Kongphop.”

“Will my office do?” asked Bright.

“Perfectly.”

“Oi, Dear!” The three looked behind and saw Tum followed closely by Knott approaching them.

Kongphop looked at Knott uneasily, but the older man chose to ignore his presence altogether. After greeting each other, Tum looked at Dear.

“Are you ready?” He asked.

“Yes, Bright offered us his office.”

“Good. I want a scotch, Bright,” Tum said.

“Me too.” Knott seconded.

With that, the four men headed back to Bright’s office.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Knott took a deep breath, trying to ease the heaviness he felt in his chest. Tum, Dear, Kongphop and he were sitting in a small sitting area in Bright’s office, while Bright, who insisted on being present after learning the reason behind their meeting, was sitting behind his desk.

Knott wasn’t sure why, but he felt like a first-year attending his first hazing session. He looked at Kongphop, who was sitting opposite him, feeling that his upcoming task had gotten even harder. It was hard enough for him to be talking about Arthit’s problem to his seniors in the first place, let alone in front of him.

When they were about to enter the bar, Tum informed him that Dear had invited Kongphop to their little meeting. He tried to object, but the older man wouldn’t hear of it.

“Knott,” Tum began. “I believe you have something to tell us.”

Knott sighed, nodding slightly.

“Well, one Monday morning a year ago, my phone rang around 5:00 am,” He began.

FLASHBACK

Knott groaned upon hearing the loud sound of his phone ringing. He reached out his hand to where his cell phone was without even bothering to open his eyes.

“Yes?” He asked, answering the phone.

“Knott,” A hoarse whisper came from the other side of the line. “Help, please.”

Raising off his bed, Knott looked at the phone screen to see who it was. “Who is this?” he asked after seeing an unknown landline number on the screen.

“Arthit,” came the harsh reply followed by a rough cough.

“Arthit!” Knott exclaimed, fully awake. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Help me,” Arthit’s voice spoke of tremendous pain. “Please...”

“Where are you?”

END OF FLASHBACK

Knott paused to take a deep breath in an attempt to contain himself. Although a year had passed already, remembering that day still wasn’t easy.

“I quickly rushed to where Arthit was,” he continued. “and there...”

FLASHBACK

Knott climbed down his car and rushed towards the cabin’s front door, taking the front stairs two at a time. He tried to open the door, but it was firmly locked. His eyes darted around the place, looking for a hint of light inside, but there wasn’t any. The thought of breaking the front door did occur to him, but then he decided to look around the small building first.

Circling the cabin, he noticed that the door leading to the basement was slightly ajar.

“Arthit!” He called as he entered and climbed down the stairs.

“Arthit!” he called again, opening the glass door that separated the entrance from inside the cabin. The first thing that met him was darkness and an unpleasant smell of beer, weed, and cigarette. He grimaced and felt his stomach turning as the awful smell filled his nostrils.

He tried to focus his eyesight, but all his eyes could make out were the silhouettes of unidentified heaps in the very poorly lit place. He turned to the wall next to him, looking for the light switch. Soon a bright light filled the room. Knott scanned the room and what he saw made the blood froze in his veins.

His best friend was lying unconscious on the wooden floor among the trash and empty alcohol bottles, completely naked and shivering violently. A landline telephone was lying next to his head while the receiver was lying a few inches away from his hand.

“Arthit!′ Knott rushed to his friend’s side, gently raising his body and laying it on his lap.

Arthit’s pale body was ice-cold and was covered with red and purple bruises. The unconscious man whimpered in pain and let out a soft “no,” but his eyes remained closed.

“Arthit, wake up!” Knott called out agitatedly, but the other man didn’t respond. Knott looked around him and saw a half-empty bottle of water lying around. He carefully reached for it before pouring some water into his palm and spraying his friend’s face with it until Arthit’s eyes snapped open. A couple of minutes passed before Knott saw some recognition inside of them.

“Knott,” Arthit whispered. He tried to raise his hand to touch Knott’s face as if to make sure that he was really there, but he hadn’t any strength left, so his hand fell midway.

“What happened in here?” Knott asked, noticing the red lines that surrounded his friend’s wrists like bracelets.

Arthit shook his head weakly as a tear escaped his eyes, not wishing to offer an answer.

“Take me home,” he pleaded softly instead.

Knott nodded in understanding. He looked around, trying to find something to cover his friend’s nakedness before they leave this place.

They were in a large hall, divided into different smaller areas to serve as entertainment and resting zones. Gently, Knott picked up his friend’s body and laid him on a sofa before he roamed around the place.

While looking for clothes, Knott spotted a black cellphone very similar to Arthit’s lying around. He picked it up and tried to open it, but it was out of battery. Knott wondered if he should take it, regardless. Turning it around, Knott smirked, noticing the small sun sticker on the back. It was indeed Arthit’s.

Continuing his search, Knott managed to find his friend’s wallet, thrown under the pool table. Finding no clothes, he took one of the couches’ throws to cover his friend instead. Returning to his friend, Knott tenderly lifted his friend’s body. His eyes blazed in anger when Arthit’s legs accidentally parted, and he noticed bloodstains on his friend’s inner thighs. Biting his lower lip to calm himself down, Knott wrapped the throw around his friend and picked him up.

Arthit whimpered softly and unconsciously tried to push away the two strong arms that held him.

“It’s alright, Arthit,” Knott said reassuringly. “It’s me, Knott.”

Cradling his friend against his chest, Knott took Arthit out of the cabin and back home.

END OF FLASHBACK

“I took him back to my apartment,” Knott concluded his story. “He slept continuously for two days. When he finally woke up, I managed somehow to make him tell me what happened,” —Knott inhaled sharply — “He—He was lured into the cabin where a gang of five men tied him up and...raped him repeatedly over the weekend” —Tum and Dear exchanged shocked looks — “He only managed to call me when he woke up that day and found himself unbound and the place empty.”

“Who were those men? And how did they lure him into a cabin?” Tum asked heatedly. His former junior wasn’t an i***t or a child to be tricked or lured into a cabin by unknown men.

“I don’t know, neither did Arthit,” Knott replied nervously.

“It doesn’t make any sense that Arthit would be lured into unknown places by people he doesn’t know.” Dear pointed out.

“This is what happened,” replied Knott mysteriously, stealing a glance at Kongphop, who was paralyzed with utter shock at what he was hearing.

This stolen glance didn’t go unnoticed by Dear, who sensed that Knott didn’t want to elaborate on the matter because of the presence of their young friend.

“Did you report what happened to the police?” He asked, trying to change the subject.

“No.”

“Why not?” Dear almost yelled.

“Arthit refused to report what happened to the police,” Knott replied. “He refused to even go to a hospital. I couldn’t force him.”

The two seniors wanted to smack both Knott and Arthit upon hearing this. Whatever their reasons were, they should have reported this to the authorities as soon as it happened.

“And the cabin?” Tum asked, trying to keep his rising anger at bay. “Didn’t you at least tell the police about it? For all you know, it could be a den for a dangerous gang.”

Knott shook his head, again stealing a glance at Kongphop.

“I can’t believe this!” Tum exclaimed in frustration.

“What happened to Arthit later on?” Dear asked.

“He insisted on returning to his apartment,” Knott replied. “I was anxious about him, but he swore that he was fine. I offered to stay with him for a week or two, but he refused.”

“Typical I-Aoon!” Tum grumbled under his breath.

“Then what happened?” Dear asked.

Knott shook his head. “I kept an eye on him for the first week, and he seemed to be fine,” Knott said. “I even was under the impression that he had returned to work, which he hadn’t, as I have later discovered. The only major event that occurred was his break up with Kongphop,” — Knott glanced at Kongphop — “I saw him several times after that and I did notice a decline in his physical health, but he always explained it as a result of working for long hours. No matter how much I pressed him, he wouldn’t tell me what was bothering him. When I asked him why he had stopped coming to the bar and hang out with us, he simply said that he wasn’t ready to face us all. I didn’t want to pressure him, so I dropped the subject. Until one day, two months later, Prem and I were visiting him when we noticed that his apartment’s door was open. We rushed in to find him in the bathroom, naked and unconscious in a puddle of his blood. He had slit his writs.”

Tum inhaled sharply upon hearing this.

“And then?” Dear asked, placing a comforting hand on Tum’s shoulder.

“Since I couldn’t take him to the hospital, Prem and I bandaged his wounds and waited for him to regain consciousness when I confronted him about what he had done,” Knott said. “After much coaxing, persuading, pestering, and even threatening, Arthit confessed that one of those men had been coming to his apartment and assaulting him for the past two months. A—”

Knott was interrupted by the sound of someone choking. Everyone looked at Kongphop, who looked very ill.

“Kongphop! Are you alright?” Dear asked.

Bright was the fastest to act, recognizing the signs of a man about to empty his stomach. He quickly jumped from behind his desk, rushed to Kongphop’s side, pulling the younger man to his feet and leading him to the bathroom located in his office.

Kongphop barely made it to the toilet seat before the contents of his stomach came pouring out of his mouth. His stomach turned and crunched painfully as Knott’s voice describing Arthit’s plight kept echoing in his mind until there was nothing left inside his stomach. Tears trickled from his eyes, but he couldn’t care less.

“Come, Kongphop,” Bright said as soon as he stopped vomiting, helping him to his feet. “Wash your face.”

Kongphop nodded and walked to the sink, and splashed some water on his face. When he left the bathroom, Dear was standing nearby with a glass of cold water.

“Thank you,” Kongphop said, accepting the glass.

“Kongphop, I think you should go home and rest,” Dear said.

“But, P’Dear—”

“Don’t argue and do as you’re told,” The older man said firmly. “Bright, make sure that he reaches his house safely.”

Nodding, Bright held Kongphop’s arm and led him out of the office.

“I shouldn’t have invited him here in the first place!” Dear said regrettably with a sigh as he returned to Tum and Knott.

“I can’t blame him for his reaction,” Tum remarked solemnly. “I’m feeling sick myself.”

“So, Knott, I hope you’re going to tell me that you reported the assault on Arthit to the police this time,” Dear said, looking pointedly at his junior.

“No.”

“Are you two out of your minds?!” Tum snapped. “You didn’t take him to the hospital; you didn’t report the assault to the police! What were you two thinking?”

“Knott,” Dear said, trying his best to keep his anger in check. “Why didn’t you report this?”

The young man took a deep breath. He was still hesitant to say anything; however, seeing that he had already spilled the hardest part of the story, an additional detail wouldn’t make much of a difference. “Because that man had been blackmailing Arthit with some photos they had taken of him while they were in the cabin. The man threatened to send these photos to Arthit’s co-workers, friends, acquaintances and most importantly, to his father. Arthit couldn’t let that happened.”

“Wait for a second, you mean his father doesn’t know? Until now?” Dear asked astonished.

Knott shook his head. “He thinks that Arthit is depressed only because of his break-up with Kongphop.”

The two seniors let out a deep defeated sigh.

“Why didn’t you report to the police what had happened in the cabin in the first place?” Tum asked. “You could’ve at least informed them about the cabin’s place!”

“We couldn’t report this either.”

“Why not?”

“Because that cabin belongs to Kongphop’s family.”

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{