Losing Oneself

Lin Tao's eyes flickered open, his head pounding like a hammer had struck it.

His vision was blurry, but he could make out that he was hanging upside down.

"Ugh... what the hell?" he groaned, trying to move, only to feel ropes cutting into his wrists and ankles.

Nearby, Zhao Ping let out a shaky grunt, his voice barely above a whisper. 

"This... this can't be happening...We're tied... to a tree," he muttered, like saying it out loud would somehow change things.

"Lin Tao? Is that you?" a weak voice called from his left. Jiang Wen sounded confused and drained.

"Yeah," Lin Tao responded. "Where are we? And why are we... upside down?"

Jiang Wen groaned, twisting slightly. "I don't know. Last thing I remember, we were running from Fang Xuan... then nothing."

Lin Tao's breath caught in his throat, his mouth going dry. "Fang Xuan...?"

The mention of his name made them freeze. The memory of the massacre played over in their minds.