Some time passed, and the merman was awake now. Back to full consciousness and realisation of the situation he was in. He was now more... In shock? He wasn't sure. He just felt such intense fear of what was going to happen to him. He didn't really have time for any other emotion.

He looked through the glass at the male hands that carried his glass box through a grey-ish hallway. Suddenly the box shook and he was pressed against the wall for a moment. That hit was enough to send a painful sting in his side where the wound was. It was now stitched up but that didn't mean it didn't still hurt...

Which reminds him of how he got here in the first place...

...

Taehyung smiled as he thought of their time yesterday and last night. They cuddled, and that is something he wants more of. But he will have to wait till tomorrow before he can see him again. A shame, but he can wait.

And he did, he waited nearby and occasionally came near the surface, just to check if the raven was there. But he obviously wasn't. The time got very late and he knew he should get some sleep. So he was about to go back down into the depths when he heard footsteps. Excitedly he turned around and swam back up only to see unfamiliar faces through the water. He gasped and wanted to swim away.

A muffled sound was heard above him and before he could react an immense pain shot through his torso. He clasped his side and felt an iron thing hot blood mixing with the water around it. He screamed out when the iron thing began to pull him out of the water and drag him slowly onto the sand. It felt as if his ribs were being torn out of his body.

He desperately tried to get it out of him but the people kept pulling it. Dragging him more and more out of the water and closer to their feet.

Humans....

Humans!!!...

HUMANS.

He was going to doe, they were going to kill him, just like everyone else. His escape caught up to him, and now it was his turn.

No...No no..

"j-jungkook!" he began to scream a name.

"Jungkook!!! Help! Jungkook!!"

He didn't come.

"JUNGKOO-"

The pain became too much, his vision clouded and his libs got heavy. He didn't hear his own voice anymore. Last thing he saw was the humans kneeling down with some rope in their hand....

....

A tear left his eyes and was taken by the water. Jungkook didn't come? Why? He said he would be there...

No...Don't think that.

Maybe he got a reason?

But still he can't help but think negatively. The one time Jungkook didn't come will be the time the merman gets killed.

"here he is," a muffled voice said from outside the box.

The researcher smiled "good, put him on the table."

"don't break him this time" The leader spoke. He can't afford any more damage to this creature.

The two workers got the key and unlocked the glass box. Reaching their hands inside the water.

Taehyung curled his tail up further. He didn't want to get out, he would rather stay than get on that table.

"come here stupid fish!" the worker got annoyed and reached further. He got a good hold on the tail with both hands and yanked the merman out of the water. The other worker immediately jumped in and grabbed the memerman's torso. Trying to move his head away from the slapping and scratching hands of the screaming creature.

In the struggle they smacked the merman a bit too harsh onto the wet table. The air was knocked from his lungs and he was still for a few seconds. They took this time to strap him to the table and step back.

"Good work you two, you can relax for now until i have use of you again." The leader said. "so, is he really a male merman?" The leader got a note from someone that the creature they caught was really a male merman. A much rarer one too.

"He is, you should be happy. I have never seen this kind myself. I have only seen them in auction history. But it is safe to assume those are all dead by now. So you can get a high sum for this one."

"that's what i like to hear" the leader chucked. He bend over the merman and looked at the frightened face. "are you scared?" he asked.

The merman didn't answer that.

"Tell me if you're scared." His voice turned very comforting. But his eyes stayed evil. Even so, Taehyung replied by giving a shaky nod. This made the man chuckle. "good...you should be''

The leader stepped back and walked to the chair. The spot for the best view on the researcher's work. First row action.

-

It was dark, there was one small light coming from the thin gap under the metal doors that closed the room off.

Inside was a locked aquarium with water, a little bigger than the first. And inside it behind the glass was a crying creature. His tears mixing with the water around him.

He was finally left alone for now,

He was overrun by thoughts and emotions that needed to get out. Everything caught up to him and he had just started crying.

He wants to go home....

Not to the sea or lake...

Home, to Jungkook....

But... Where is Jungkook? He didn't come... What if he doesn't know... What if he thinks he left him and swam away?

No, he will lose the raven like this. He had to get out of here.

This thought made him hit the glass. But it's hard to get out any force with such limited moving space. The box was already bigger than the first one. He should be glad he could stretch his tail out now.

"Jungkook....." he whispered to himself and gave up, the glass wouldn't budge. These people obviously would have prepared for escape attempts. Trying was useless. He let his head lower onto the glass bottom, one hand covered the stitched wound. It was still hurting everytime he moved a muscle in his waist. The pain makes him want to cry again.

And he did, it's not like he has anything else to lose here.

And sadly it wasn't the only thing that hurts. They stole one of his scales from his tail. They cut it right out of him, so in his beautifully shimmering tail was now a gap with missing scale, red flesh was seen through.

The scale will grow back eventually. But it's not Normal to just lose them, its like taking away a part of human skin.

The merman closed his eyes. Maybe sleeping through it would at least make him forget the pain and go into a happy dreamland.

But he doubt that he could even fall asleep like this.

---

Thank you for readinggg! See you in the next chapter!

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