05 - Welcome to Paris

I stepped inside with my dirty boots. Mud and half-melted snow met a floor more transparent than mirrors itself. The walls of the building were so white it would make people blind.

The Pilot, who I figured wasn't a human but a demonic spirit, walked in front of us in silence, only punctuated by the steady clicks of her pointed heels. She was a living contrast to the walls: dressed in black, her hair black, and her soul black too. The evil silhouette kept walking and walking to a place we didn't know of. She lured us inside the deep, white forest, uninviting and isolated. The hallway never seemed to stop. Pillars stood nears doors, waiting for us to open them.

The Pilot made her high heels click one last time in front of the door on her left, the no 43. She knocked it, then opened it.

No sound exited the room. I couldn't see what was inside, but since she knocked, it meant someone, something, was in there. It wasn't reassuring.

She gestured us to come over, using the same gesture that the one at the military service. If this was a trap to attempt to kill me once again, I'd rather not come here. Did we have a choice though?

Jieung-yong and I entered a white room with black lockers. Lots of people were inside, wearing tuxedos in the same colors as the Pilot. They seemed to come from every place in the world. There were African people and Antillean people. Some came from Nordic countries and some more from Asian countries. Did she... kidnapped those people too? And did she do that all alone? I had no clue to all of those questions, but I knew one thing: Fear united us all, as diverse we were. All these people were paralyzed and paled in front of the Pilot.

"So many people! Why?" I said out loud.

She chuckled and closed the door without answering my questions. She walked away, the sounds of hers clicking heels fading in the distance. Soon enough, her footsteps became inaudible.

Everyone sighed. Even I surprised myself by relaxing from anxiety.

An Antillean girl came toward us, "How are you?" She said in English, "You're wounded."

A Japanese guy guarded the place against a little window on the other side of the room, "They came from the helicopter. They're like us."

He must have seen our brutal landing from the sky, "So there were more? I don't understand anymore."

The Antillean pointed two black lockers facing the door: the only ones closed.

I got close to the lockers and touched a golden name tag. It was written, "Lee Jieung-yong" on one and "Yoh Song-ho" on the other.

"That's crazy..." I opened my assigned locker. Black tuxedos rested inside, among with street shoes and a hat. I read the tag on the jacket.

It wasn't a standard size you could purchase anywhere. That was my mensuration. My exact mensuration. I was sure of that. When I closed the locker, they could read the confusion on my face.

The others joined me in my pained state. They knew nothing more than that.

The Japanese spoke, "Same here for everyone. We're saved from certain death, then we're thrown in nature before bringing us here."

I took my head in my palms, "But why do this? Making efforts to save people, learn their language, and realizing their wishes..."

"They fed us, but that didn't stop them wanting our death." The Antillean puncher her locker, "Do they want to test out limits? Is that a game for them?"

Jieung-yong raised an eyebrow, "Wait, you said something important. "Test out 'limits'. Maybe this is it. Maybe they want us to pass a test."

"For what?" I asked.

"I still don't know." Jieung-yong took his clothes in the locker, "Is there a more...private place?"

The Japanese showed his right, "There are even showers. These motherfuckers are packed with cash."

He went into the showers.

That was a gift from a deranged person. Nobody should accept it. What was on his mind? Did he trust them? But, on the other hand, my own clothes smelled like sweat and blood...And for him, who was in a T-shirt, it was worse.

I had no choice. And I hated it.

I took my tuxedo and went into the showers. I needed warm water.

The stream of water relaxed my shoulders. I closed my eyes, relishing in that fragile bubble of peace. You never know when bad news comes overwhelmingly you, so... Relax. You really need it. The shower gave me the wanted illusion of peace in that way too complex world.

I wanted answers, and here I was with more questions in my mind. Mom. The Pilot. Everything. If it could all drown with the water in the basin, I would love it.

I came out from the shower, all fresh and more peaceful. These sons of bitches even thought of suggesting bandages andSurgical tape At what level of cruelty did I fall in? Despite my lamentations, I could heal myself a bit. I was lucky-None of my wounds were deep enough to threaten my life. The bullet that bit my body in the harsh snow of Manpo wasn't inside.

After putting bandages on my cheeks and body, I dressed up. Unsurprisingly, the clothes fit me perfectly.

Comfy but suspicious.

I walked toward the locker room and sat in front of my locker. Jieung-yong was already ready.

I was pocking my bullet wound on my back when someone knocked on the door.

My face became white.

The knocks on the door were slow enough to play with tension and horror turning inside our tummies.

The young Antillean stepped back, terror on her face until her back slammed against her locker next to me.

Jieung-yong then did what nobody would have dared to do. He positioned himself in front of the door, his feet staying on the ground, as he shouted, "Monsters! Do you come to kill us? What's your goal in that childish game?

"Jieung-yong! It could be dangerous."

"Look at me, Chihye's son. This is how a man should act."

A blade pierced the door. It was only some millimeters from Jieung-yong's belly. Enough to shut him up.

I didn't know what to expect from the person behind the door. Was it a human being? Was it some kind of monster able to smell your fear? I held my breath, hoping it would be enough for the monster to go away.

A second blade pierced the door, and the monster behind it raised the two weapons from Jieung-yong's belly to one head above him. Two thin windows enable us to peek into the monster. Instead of the immaculate hallway, we saw darkness and two shiny eyes, like those of a hungry leopard.

"You're intelligent. The test was successful." He (It ?) said with a low voice that resounded in me, "The second one will test the best fighters."

The door was projected in the air, planning just above Jieung-yong. I was behind him. I lowered myself and let it keep his route. The door landed on the Antillean's guts, who died without a word.

Fear and regret overwhelmed me. I should have been the one hit by the door, and I shouldn't have protected myself shouldn't I? It was all my fault, again. I killed her, didn't I?

I took my head in my hands and screamed. The others screamed at me.

The leopard raced towards a Chinese guy, screaming to death, and sliced his throat. The noise died with him. The leopard was a tall Black man with an unbuttoned white tuxedo.

Jieung-yong didn't move anymore. I couldn't blame him. After the death sentence, my mom, the helicopter, and...this, I understood he couldn't stand more bullshit.

It would be hard to beat the leopard, but since we were a lot it could've been possible. My hopes died But a huge quantity of men and women with sunglasses and white tuxedos came into the locker room. They were holding with semi-automatic guns and tasers.

Will they keep the strongest? That was the goal of the test? What kind of sadistic person would think that cutting heads, flowing guts, bullets shots, and electrocution would test anything on traumatized people?

I looked behind me. The Japanese had disappeared. The window was open. After half a second I saw him raising from the lawn and running toward the exit.

I could join him.

No. Getting exposed in front of the world was a ticket for Manpo's ropes. But still, I didn't want to become a corpse in their little party. There was a small chance we could become citizens here, and if the chance was only 1%, I would hold on to that hope.

"Jieung-yong, move! We can get out of this."

"Get lost! You're the one putting is un that mess." He turned his head back to nothingness when the leopard raised his sabers behind him.

No!

"I'm running. Join me when you can!" I shouted, making the sentence longer as possible.

Most of the tuxedos stopped their murders and came toward me.

The leopard threw me one of his blades.

I lowered myself and made a backflip before landing on the leopard's saber and escaping by the window.

At least, Jieung-yong was safe. For now.