his back was hunched as he sadly sat on the bed, his pasty pale legs extended in front of him as he absently worked out some tangles in his hair, staring into nothingness as his hands limply dropped to his lap. day 3: no food, or contact with anyone. been drinking water from the tap.

he subconsciously tugged at his bottom lip with his teeth, eyes glazing over as he solemnly stared at the small writing in the door, his eyes rereading the simple phrase dozens of times. who is in control? as he continued to read the words until they were burned into his memory, baekhyun decided to examine them closely, pushing himself off of the bed so he could look at the engravings in detail. his small feet padded across the floor gently, his knees resting on the cold, dark hardwood floor as he ran his fingers over each letter.

"what could this mean?" he wondered aloud, directing the question at nobody in particular. he stayed there for a few more moments, before his ears perked upon hearing something unusual. footsteps...? indeed, he heard the soft creaks of feet on the groaning stairs, causing his blood to run cold as he wondered if he should be wary or thankful. his lips pursed cautiously as a sense of dread washed over him in hot waves, making his heart hammer mercilessly against his chest. he quickly scuttled backwards from the door until his back hit the bed, breaths leaving his lips in quick pants.

his thin eyebrows were drawn together, hands splayed against the floor below. as his heart continued to thump quickly, his lips parted and his tongue darted out to swipe over them, him inching his way towards the bathroom. as he finally felt the cold floor of the bathroom beneath his fingers, he pushed himself up, standing precariously on the tiled floor. i'll go take a bath. maybe that will calm me down.

he stood tall and looked at the bath, placing his hands on one of the faucets and twisting them until a calm flow of water started spewing. allowing the water to graze over his fingers, he adjusted the temperature to his liking, and began to strip away his clothes. catching sight of a towel, he hung it on the hook next to the door, so he could dry himself off.

finally in front of the tub, he precariously turned the water off, slipping into the warm water. a content sigh escaped his lips, the water warming his cold skin. he felt at peace, if only for a few moments. as he closed his eyes and let the water flow around him, he breathed through his nose, holding his knees to his chest.

in a split moment, his head was under the water and it began filling his fragile lungs, his arms and legs thrashing in the tub as he was held down. his eyes looked around crazily, pasty pale hands gripping the edges of the tub and pulling himself up. what the hell?

stepping out of the tub, he quickly wrapped his towel around himself, heart beating quickly against his chest. he coughed out whatever water was left in him, eyes closing in pain. as he finished up, he pushed his hair over his forehead, his heart still hammering against his chest. it felt like someone was pulling me down. catching sight of the cabinet under the sink, he opened it and began rummaging through it, trying to find clothes or another towel.

holding up a pair of faded blue pajamas that he discovered, he quickly slid into it, marvelling at the way it fit him perfectly. he let out a halfhearted giggle at the way it gave a show of his collarbones, the pant ending just short of his ankle. he turned around to unplug the tub, but a scream stopped in his throat at what he saw.

the tub was filled to the brim with bloody, crimson water.