The place smelled like trash, which was evident from all the random litter and takeaway boxes on the floor. The ceiling lights in the room had been broken for who knows how long. The only saving grace was the sole make-shift light bulb that dangled dangerously from the ceiling. It was clear that this place was not inhabited for a long time.
Sato sat in a rustic wooden chair that looked like it was going to break anytime. His head leaned naturally to the right, his long fringe covered his closed eyes. After an unknown amount of time, Sato finally woke up. He was welcomed with a splitting headache that hammered down on his weak body.
Only after withstanding the pain for a whole minute did Sato get his bearings together. Where am I? Sato thought without much of a clue. He looked around the garbage-filled room to only feel disgusted by his environment. There were many small insects, cockroaches living in the empty cupnoodle cups, maggots wriggling around on the chipped wooden floors.
Even back when he had stayed in a cheap one room flat, Sato would always take care of his hygiene and the state of his house. From a glance, he was able to tell that the place was definitely inhabited beforehand. No one with a right mind, would be able to bear living in an insect infested hell hole.
"So, you have finally awaken from your beauty sleep, young Sato." A voice loomed from behind. A man dressed in black stood still by the door frame.
"What do you want?" Sato spoke, unafraid of what the kidnapper could do to him.
"Oh? What do I want?" Yroth repeated Sato's question. He walked closer to the tied up young man, leaning in before peeping over at Sato. "What do you think I want!?!?"
The shouting from Yroth would have normally jolted any civilian that was in the same situation as Sato. However, to the young man who had undergone special training with Gray, Sato was unfazed.
Yroth walked around the chair to finally come eye to eye with Sato. Throughout, he spoke out with anger and frustration. "Do you have any idea how much shit I had to go through thanks to that fucking boyfriend of yours?!?! The amount of setbacks I had, the amount of money I lost, the amount of customers I have chasing after me?!?!"
"Look at my face right now! You see that bandage that runs across my handsome face?" Yroth squeezed Sato's cheeks tightly as he lifted the boy's face to make him look right into his eyes. With his other free hand, Yroth removed the bandage roughly. The movement had agitated the fresh wound, causing a few of the stitches to break. A rough stream of red flowed down Yroth's face.
"This cut was given to me by that son of a bitch Gray! And now, my face is forever ruined because of that fucking bastard!!" Yroth's eyes were red and strained from the emotional and physical pain that he felt.
Sato had not lose eye contact with the devilish man from the very beginning. In fact, his mind was devoid of fear at this moment. Sato chuckled, his laughter stifled due to Yroth's grip on his cheeks. Seeing this, it made the cartel leader more enraged.
"Why are you laughing huh? Do you think I'm joking around?!" Yroth let go of Sato's face. He followed up with a tight slap that slammed like a truck on the young man's left cheek. The momentum of the slap had knocked him over sideways. His face and body flew into the pile of trash and insects that laid everywhere.
"Pick him up!" Yroth shouted out for his lackeys to get him off the ground. Within second, Sato was back to his original position, except now, he had a bruised left cheek and a few maggots lying atop his head. Even with that, Sato did not get scared or anxious, rather, he stared daggers at Yroth.
"You truly are one feisty youngling, I tell ya..." Yroth gave Sato three light taps on his bruised cheek. He was starting to like how stubborn his victim was. "Don't worry, Sato. I shall make sure that your death is worthwhile. Even move I make on you shall be used to inflict harm on that beloved boyfriend of yours. Even with your death, I shall not hesitate to send him your dismembered corpse for him to keep!"
That statement he spoke at last finally struck a chord in Sato's heart.
Sato was never worried about dying in the hands of Yroth. However, what he was afraid of was how Gray would react to it. Nevermind dying, knowing the amount of mental trauma Gray would go through, started to affect the young man's mental state.
"Hoho... I see you are finally giving me some reactions."
Yroth was like a greyhound when it came to sniffing out a person's deepest fears. For Sato, it was Gray.
"Now it looks like I am truly in for a treat!" Yroth rubbed his hands together. He walked out of the room, leaving one last sentence for the immobilised boy. "Rest well, young man. For tommorow, there will be a great lineup for you!"