He walked through his desolate habitations. He saw nothing; emptiness as he traversed the bare paths. It was a true desolation. In this world, there was nothing and nothing was here. His feet trudged through the large dunes of sand that stretched as far as the eye could see. They advanced forward, wearily. His sweat dripped on the ground. The heat breezed through his body. Where did the heat come from? There was no sun but the place was bright. It was illuminated by nothing. He felt the scourge of hotness whip him on his back but he still advanced forward.
He looked at his shadow waving at him from the ground. He was going crazy. Looking ahead, he saw something in the distance. He was intrigued and made his way towards it. As he went forward, he could make out a living being. He felt the breath come out of its inexistent nostrils. He moved closer with caution and fully came upon what he saw.
It was something. An entity, the author would say. An entity without mass. An entity without form. How it exists, we know not. How it existed, we know not. How it will exist, we know not. We know one thing; it exists. He was fascinated by this discovery. He thought a being that draws breath was on this plane. He didn't know he had happened on a being that had neither life nor death. Its existence was of a higher reality than life and death. It was a god.
The entity opened its formless lips and spoke by methods beyond human understanding. The voice that came out could not be understood but was understood. He heard
"What are you doing? Are you fulfilling your purpose?"
The sands disappeared as if they never existed. He stood on the space that was once predominated by infinite numbers of sand. He tried to speak but his voice failed him. The entity slowly dissipated but again it spoke its final words to the sole resident of the world
"Do that which you sought out to do"
Hyung and Mirai walked towards the large wooden wall. Days had passed since Hyung was told he would die. He still continued living like nothing had happened. The days went by like nothing had happened. However today was different, Sonyeo had fallen horribly sick. The little boy was wheezing his eyes out. His temperature had reached 41C. One of them had to take care of the boy and another, buying medicine.
Hyung spoke to a man that manned the walls and there seemed to be an exchange of currency. Mirai had not gone beyond those walls in over a year. Hyung came back and gave Mirai a one day pass. "Mirai, when you get to town, look for a pharmacy in the middle of town and tell them the symptoms of Sonyeo. They'll know what to do" Hyung said. "You know I haven't been in for some time. Have there been any changes?" Mirai asked in confusion.
Hyung had already turned his back and was running back. He shouted as he ran "REMEMBER!! THE MIDDLE PART!!!!" and he was seen slowly disappearing in the distance. Mirai shook his head and sighed. "This is not going to end well" he said. He walked to the wall and gave the guard his pass. The man studied him carefully and stamped the ticket. A ladder was thrown down and Mirai nimbly climbed up the forty foot high wall.
People could be seen as far as the eye could go. Shops lined the stoned streets and guards could be seen walking around. Little children played happily with themselves. It seemed like a stark contrast to the devastated parts outside these walls. The reader thought "Why do more people live outside the walls where there is severe danger than inside the walls where everything looked peaceful?"
Mirai looked warily. He stared deeply into the heart of the city. He grimaced at what he saw and jumped down. He had seen through it a thousand times. As his feet touched the ground, it could be seen. The bubbling city from the outside was nothing more than a wasteland filled with humans. The streets were not filled with stone; that was a pipe dream. He saw the miniscule number of shops that opened. They sold nothing but old rags and rotten meals. Children lay the streets, naked with flies buzzing around them. He hated going through this town. He hated the illusion of a bright life that it produced. It was nothing more than show to lure people into the town. The reader asks again "Why don't the people simply leave?"
The putrid smell of decaying humans hit Mirai's nose and he quickly started going to the middle parts. Thoughts flashed through his mind as he looked at the dying people who were in the illusion they were happy. He couldn't free them. He was not allowed to bring this people out of their bondage to a fake world they lived in. "At least the outside is still better" he thought as he passed the rotting houses.
He made his way to the centre of the town that was somewhat better than the previous. The people there were a little free of the illusion that pervaded the city but it was still a horrible place for life to exist. He scaled the wall that divided the parts of the town from each other. These parts didn't have death on the streets but rather in the people. They were mad. Their sanity had been turned upside down. They stared at the human that had crossed into their world. Mirai walked through quietly amidst the loud stares that were directed towards him.
The small pharmacy that he stood in front of served the entire middle parts. He walked inside and met a young lady at the dilapidated counter. It creaked as she rested on it. "Hello….. I want a prescription" he said in a calming tone and a heart-warming smile. She looked at him intensely and opened her mouth. No sound came out but Mirai understood. She spoke to his mind and asked him about what he wanted. Mirai spoke more to her about the sickness and she was surprisingly a big help. As he collected the drugs over the counter, he realised that she became static. He looked at her and tried to interact with the lady but she showed no signs of life. He then touched her face. "That's weird" he thought and removed his fingers from her.
A loud rushing of feet could be heard. Mirai did not notice the people following him. He felt strange and turned back of see hundreds of people running towards him. Their eyes were soulless and Mirai heard their thoughts
"KILL. KILL…..THE INTRUDER….."
He turned back slowly and ran like his legs depended on it. But he couldn't be faster than hundreds of humans chasing him like zombies. Each step he took, the people took ten. He ran and ran but his legs failed him. He felt a sharp pain through his chest.
Mirai had been stabbed. He looked down to see a knife go through his heart. He fell and the people descended on him.