Chapter Text
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He had a vague memory of loving the forests, the nature. The great plains of spring flowers, but today, Jisung did not have the same feeling. He was not at peace, he did not have the joy that he had thought was inevitable until now. Short of breath, he ran through this mass of blackened wood and greenery. In this morbid atmosphere, he looked frantically at everything around him. Imprisoned in this continuous space, erected by hundreds of thousands of trees, he ran until his lungs burst. Cracks everywhere, noises everywhere, he saw movement everywhere. He was surrounded, but he was alone. He could not feel anything, only the erratic beating of his vital organ which could stop at any moment. He was afraid, his body was aching, but his legs were moving forward again and again. Without stopping for a single second, as if they knew full well that this would only result in one end. Death. The straps of his charcoal-black sweatshirt were moving in all directions, his converse shoes had never seemed so uncomfortable.
His straight-cut blue jeans, pulled up to reveal his knee-high socks, were dirty. Dirt marks were on his face, revealing the violence of his previous falls. The forest had slopes and holes, yet in some places it seemed flat. The lack of visibility, resulting from the thick greyish clouds invading the sky, not allowing even a tiny ray of sunlight to penetrate, only reinforced the heavy image of this place that could be described as gloomy without further hesitation. But what troubled him most about this story was not the atmosphere, but the fact that he knew nothing. How he got here, how to get out of here, nothing came to his mind. Only his name was the only sure information he could come up with. In spite of many thoughts, he still didn't know. Who was his family, where did he come from? Who was he? Han Jisung. This name echoed in his skull like an object that had been put alone in a box before being shaken.
He ran straight into a gap in the bushes, passing through them with ease. His speed then gradually decreased, feeling a more solid surface beneath his feet. A road. Jisung placed his hands on his knees, trying to regain conventional breathing. The lingering taste of blood in his mouth made him wince. He ran the back of his right hand, covered by the sleeve of his sweatshirt, over his forehead and then slicked his black hair back. He still didn't realize what was happening. It was crazy. Unimaginable. Was he in a nightmare or was it real? With hasty, clumsy movements, he continued on his way blindly, hoping that this parched dirt road would lead somewhere. A place where he would be safe, even if he lingered more in the thought that he was not safe anywhere. His body moved with a slow cadence while his irises moved with paranoia.
He quickly scanned every tree, every stone, but one detail could not help but leave him sceptical. There were no animals, not a single bird had crossed his path. Not a single insect had appeared, nothing. Life seemed to have deserted the place a long time ago. The cold was beginning to get the better of our poor dark-haired man, his violated lips and reddish fingers losing all feeling. He walked, dragging his poor carcass as if each step required superhuman strength. He looked at the landscape behind him, the road stretched out into an unknown infinity, whether in front or behind him. Jisung suspected that the misty clouds forcing their way towards him were poisonous. In view of their distinctive crimson colour, which seemed to be able to annihilate all beings and plants, leaving only a trail behind. Erasing all traces of life, of existence, making no respite. He turned his head towards a sudden noise, which had pierced the void in which he had been immersed for some time now.
His breathing stopped, his body froze in place, there was something with him. But what exactly? He had no idea. All he could say was that he had to run, at all costs. Run. Run. Again and again. Straight ahead, without looking back, running at full speed. Until a shadow passed by, making him veer towards the forest again. This thing that had just crossed the road was anything but normal, anything but human. Nothing like he was used to seeing before. Entering the pile of wood and leaves, he still followed the direction of the road. Not wanting to lose sight of it, he walked along it from a distance. Hoping to be as discreet as possible. It was getting darker and darker, the night closing in on him. A tear rolled down his cheek, then a second, until we could no longer tell. His field of vision was reduced, but he continued to walk. He was in pain, he was hungry, he was thirsty, he was tired. But he didn't give up. Then a sudden shock brought him back to the present moment.
"Fuck!"
He had collapsed to the wet floor with a groan of pain. He had hit someone, and it was a human.
"Who the fuck are you..."
Jisung froze, sitting on the ground, his eyes fixed on the young man in front of him. The latter had already stood up, staring at him with a condescending look.
"Are you... are you a new...?" Asked the unknown man.
"H...huh? What? I don't understand! I don't understand anything! " Jisung exclaimed in despair.
"Get up and follow me. They are close by. If we stay here until dark, we're both dead."
He didn't give Jisung time to reply, as he grabbed his hand abruptly. Then, he began to run, forcing the dark-haired man to keep pace. They ran over a small stream and back to the road, but this time it was a wooden wall that faced them. A huge door was being moved horizontally, leaving a small gap. The stranger ran the last few metres at the heels of Jisung who had dropped his hand in the meantime. The last thing he could hear before he rushed into the gap was a shrill scream that surely did not come from an animal. It was a ferocious beast, a monster whose irregular footsteps suggested that it was in pursuit. The door closed with a loud thud, preventing Jisung from seeing the appearance of this terrifying being. He then caught his breath, collapsing to his knees on the ground. A person, or perhaps even two, came to meet them.
"Damn it Minho... you were supposed to go get-" Said a young man taller than the others, his long hair pulled back by a rubber band and a middle ponytail.
The newcomer didn't finish his sentence, his eye orbs spreading slightly.
"A...this is a new one...." Another shorter one arrived shortly afterwards, looking totally stunned.
Jisung got up slowly, finally looking at the landscape around him. The three young men were staring at him with a serious look on their faces, and he didn't know what to do or how to react to that. A score of others had now approached, wondering what could be creating so much exclamatory noise. They were all looking at him from head to toe with a totally unsettled and frightened look on their faces. But what had he gotten himself into?
*******
Jisung could only look at the top of the walls around him. Huge, dark, weathered logs. The dark atmosphere seemed to persist despite the life that had reappeared. All these people were busy with the common tasks of a village with ancient and minimal practices. He observed what was going on attentively, well maybe not attentively enough since his nose soon collided with the back of the brown-haired man he had been following until now. The latter had suddenly stopped in front of a hut that was much larger than the others.
" What is your name?" Asked the man he pushed around on the forest, casually after turning to the smaller one.
"My name is Han Jisung. What's your's ?"
"Lee Minho. "
He didn't answer anything else, returning to his original position. The dark-haired man blinked a few times, noting the natural nonchalance of this disrespectful being. He already didn't like this one. They entered and were greeted by a dozen people, their serious faces not boding well for our protagonist. Minho went to sit down next to the tall blond man from earlier, and they all stared at the newcomer.
"Minho, can you tell us exactly what happened? "
A young adult, not much taller than the others, with an imposing nose and build had just asked this question. He was standing in the middle of a small raised stage at the back of the modest building. His slightly curly hair seemed to be combed as best he could and his eyes were marked by a certain fatigue. The small young man next to him, with his dark look and big arms, nodded and stared at Jisung from head to toe.
"I had done all my harvest as usual. Only I soon found myself alone, I don't know where the others who left with me went. When I was on my way back I bumped into someone, I thought it was one of them coming back too, but it wasn't. It was just a lost guy that I hit while running and he was a bit of a mess. It was just a lost guy I found on the ground. You're from the cloud aren't you Han?"
"Huh? Ah well I guess so as I ran until I reached the road and the fog was behind me from start to finish. Actually I woke up in a plain with big boxes of provisions around me. I don't know how I ended up there, but I guess the same thing happened to all of you..." Jisung sighed, a little intimidated by the entire situation.
"Was there much supply?" The leader replied with a frown.
Jisung did not expect this question, he stammered a few words while nodding positively.
Cgn: "It's a message, and it's been months since they sent anyone. Something big is going to happen, that's for sure. " Declared another youngster with a frightening look, his body large and his aura intimidating.
"We have to get ready." Said the one with the ponytail.
"But we don't even know if we'll be able to last a week without going out with the resources we have." Said a dark-haired man with a puppy face sitting not far from Minho.
"Then we don't even know where the other outsiders who were with Minho are." Exclaimed a little man with freckles, his grey hair was thrown back in a frustrated gesture as he said this.
"It's too dangerous to go and get the supplies at the starting point, it's far too far. " Said the leader.
" I... can someone explain to me where I landed...?" Jisung asked sheepishly, not really liking being the centre of attention like this.
"It's true that you must be lost. My name is Bang Christopher but you can call me Bang Chan. I am the first one to arrive in this place, I was here alone hanging for a week until Changbin was sent. He exclaimed with a smile, bringing out his dimples.
"Hi, Seo Changbin, the second in command." Said the short dark-haired man, his intimidating air becoming more relaxed.
" Kim Seungmin, the third. "
" Hwang Hyunjin, the fourth."
" Lee Felix Yongbok or just Felix, the fifth." Interjected a pretty boy with silver hair and barely marked freckles.
"Lee Minho, the sixth. "
"Yang Jeongin, the seventh." So it was a small scarlet hair that ended the introductions like this.
"We are the first to arrive here, and we are the ones who manage the camp you have just arrived in. I leave all the honour to the one who brought you here to give you a tour and explain the functioning of our little community." Declared Bang Chan.
The leader scanned the dark-haired man with his eyes, who seemed anything but thrilled to have to deal with Jisung. The newcomer man had the impression that he had become a chore. Minho stood up and gave a deadly glare to the dark-haired man, who remained totally stoic in the face of this gesture. They now went out, Minho slightly in front, showing him the small houses where they all lived together, the plantations, vegetable gardens and various crops. Their stock of food, clothes, weapons and other useful elements for their survival.
"Why weapons? Do you have to fight someone? " Asked the smaller.
"No. We have to protect ourselves from certain things. You probably won't be alive by then, so there's no point in ranting any longer. I've got you all covered, now you can go and help where you're needed. I've got more important things to do, so don't bother me." Replied Minho.
"Oh sorry I'm still alive sir, everyone's survival is on my little self-centered shoulders." Jisung spat back at him.
They glared at each other until the smaller one with the scarlet hair came to separate them.
"Damn Minho, you're really not fit. Go do your stuff and I'll take care of the rest since you can't do your job properly." Exclaimed Jeongin without letting the older, who was about to retort.
He let out a sound of displeasure before turning his back on them with a sudden movement. He stormed off until his figure disappeared into the distance.
"What the hell is wrong with him?" sighed the dark-haired man.
"Leave him. You'll deal with it. In the meantime you'll come with me to the food store. We have to count up what we've collected today and take a census. " continued Jeongin.
Jisung winced as he followed the younger man who smiled warmly and promised him that it wouldn't be so bad. The dark-haired man scanned each shelf and its contents, there was everything and more importantly there was an astronomical amount of it. He was speechless for a moment, before Jeongin came to give him some paper to start his work.
"So ... the weapons ...? What are they for?" Asked Jisung, unable to hold back any longer in the face of previous events.
"There are monsters outside, dangerous creatures like we've never seen before. They are fast, stealthy and blend in very well with the forest scenery. Our outsiders, the more athletic among us, go out and get supplies at the starting points like the one you woke up at or just pick and hunt. They constantly put their lives on the line to bring us something to survive."
"So these walls protect you from these... monsters? And when exactly do they attack?" he replied skeptically.
"Only at night, that's why they only go out during the day in teams of four, two of which are doubles. If they don't come back before sunset, we have to leave them outside until we open the doors again the next morning. No one has ever managed to stay alive until then and we have already suffered many losses. One of our outsiders died before you arrived and when Minho brought you back, he was alone. Four of us have died I think that's why he's on edge. Don't blame him too much." He finished, keeping his smile on his childish face.
"I see.... I hope I can be of help in this case..."
Jisung looked down, it was as if he was in a never ending nightmare. How was he ever going to get out of this one?