I stood up from the uncomfortable wooden chair they had given me. The window that rested high above the wall let in sounds of cries, sirens, alarms and guns beamed with light today. The light reflected off the metal bars that locked me inside of this filthy and empty prison cell. I stared at the clouds and how they moved slowly. Closing my eyes, I brought myself back to that dream, reliving every second.

It was a beautiful dream where I was in the Galaxy, free from everyone. With only one other being.

 

The Galaxy had no cage.

 

Opening my eyes, I looked down at my hands. My tears fell on my knuckles, letting the breeze chill those little areas. Being on Earth felt like a cage. This senseless war and the innocent people hurt because of it. It pains my heart just thinking about children wandering around alone, desperately searching for the hands of their mother and father. It pains my heart to see young newlyweds cry in front of their battered companion.

 

It pained me to watch people die and it pained even more to think of loneliness.

 

Ever since I was put in this cage...no, ever since this senseless killing started, I’ve lost my mother. Rebel soldiers shot her in front of me, demanding that I give them intellectual on where people were hiding. I was as clueless as they were.

 

My mind was a mess. It was hard to concentrate on anything. My mother was the only one that I had left. Once she was murdered in front of me, I couldn’t even think straight. Languages flew out of my mouth, swearing in english and a mix of Korean and Mandarin. They threw her body into a pit full of lifeless bodies, bloody with murder.

 

Lately the crying of other prisoners stopped. I wonder if they were taken out or killed. I’d rather stay here in this filth than to go out there into the lonely war field.

 

I want to die…

 

“Oii...don’t cry…it doesn’t suite your style.”

 

I didn’t move or flinch, but the tears kept falling. I looked at the black slacks and my dirtied dress shoes, finally realizing that I had my black suit on for the celebration of my mother’s birthday. My sniffles echoed in the quietness of the jail cell.

 

“Don’t cry…”

 

The voice again.

 

“Who are you?” I asked, my voice trembling.

 

“Your neighbor…” came the voice again.

 

I turned my head to the right, looking at the other side. The prisoner sat against the bars, his back facing me. Unlike me, he had no window. He only had a dark wall strewed with spider webs and dead flies. I could faintly make out the dyed golden strands of hair poking out of the cage along with the black roots growing again.

 

“Ever since you got put in there, I’ve been observing you. You never shed a tear, never uttered a curse. Unlike me who tried to break these walls down with my powerless arms and legs. I cried and shouted every swear word there was in my dictionary. But you never uttered a word. I was sad and mournful for you. Like a broken machine, you sat on that chair and looked out the window. A young person like you, broken by people who didn’t even know you.”

 

He turned around, facing me. Even though his cheeks were starting to sink in from no food, I could tell by his facial features that he was young.

 

Why won’t the tears stop?

 

“Hyung...let me tell you a story of a dream I once had…”

 

I said nothing, only nodded.

 

“There was twelve brothers who worked together. They sang, they danced. They laughed and struggled together. They were happy with just each other. Before they met each other, they were just ordinary people who walked the streets with their friends. One of the twelve boys was walking alone somewhere and something hard hit him from behind. The boy turned angrily around and was prepared for anything. But there was no one there. He looked up and there was someone dressed in all white on the edge of a tall building. Worried that the man might suicide, he ran inside the building without thinking and kept on climbing the stairs until the rooftop door was right in front of him. Pushing the door open, he stopped as the man in all white spread his arms out and closed his eyes, facing up to the sun. Then he jumped…”

 

He stopped. I looked over at him.

 

“And then what happened?”

 

“He started to fly. He didn’t have wings...but he didn’t fall. A dragon flew by his side and then he was gone.”

 

“An angel?” I asked.

 

He chuckled a bit and from the corner of my eyes he was nodding his head yes.

 

“Like an angel.”

 

“What happened to the boy?” I asked, intrigued by the fantasy in the story.

 

“The boy woke up in his room, alone. No brothers. Only the fading memory of his made-up brothers dancing and singing alongside him were left. Only just a dream,” he said sadly.

 

“Was...was this your dream?” I asked.

 

He chuckled childishly.

 

“Yes...only just a dream.”

 

I turned to look at him. He was slowly turning his head my way and looked at me with his bright hazel eyes that twinkled with mischievousness. The doors opened and a big heavy  guard came in, kicking at the bars and waking up the prisoners who were sleeping.

 

“Who in here is named Baekhyun?”

 

He turned to look at me and growled.

 

“Is it you?!” he asked, kicking the bars. I looked at him.

 

“No...my name is Wu Fan…” I whispered.

 

The guard kicked the door again before turning around to my neighbor.

 

“Are you Baekhyun?!”

 

“Yes I am. What do you want from me?” he asked, dripping with attitude.

 

I turned. No...the first person who had spoken to me. Was he going to leave me as well?

The guard opened the bars and grabbed both of the guy’s...no it was Baekhyun. They grabbed his arms and locked it behind him, dragging him out while he struggled to stay. Kicking and screaming, he managed to get himself free from the guards grasp only to be kicked in the stomach. Baekhyun while in his struggle made the guard drop many of his things into the pile of rags he was laying on. Without noticing, the guard half dragged him out and towards the door he came from.

 

“I’m Baekhyun! What’s your name?” He shouted towards me.

 

I automatically stood up and held the bars with both my hands.

 

“My name is Wu Fan! I go by Kris!” I shouted.

 

I only heard a distant “Nice to meet you” before the door was shut closed. I stood there in silence as my only neighbor who was keeping me company only just a couple of minutes ago left behind a deafening silence.

 

I don’t want to stay here any longer...I want to go. I want to fly...just like the man in the dream. A beautiful dream of the Galaxy...I want to fly back there.

 

I looked at the pile of blankets where he lay before being dragged out and to my surprise, what the guard dropped was still on the blankets. I couldn’t really tell what it was but moved to the side to get a better angle.

 

Keys...he dropped the keys. I looked around me. The wooden chair and a pile of rags in the corner that I never touched. I froze as I heard the door open again the same guard came back.

 

“Where are those damn keys?!” he shouted.

 

He walked back to Baekhyun’s empty jail cell and saw the keys laying on the rags. Grabbing them, he turned to me and saw me looking at him. I coldy glared at him, which seemed to intimidate him.

 

“What do you want you pampered princess?!”

 

I closed my eyes in disgust at his oily and pimply face. I fixed my posture, standing up straight. I stood taller than him by a foot. Looking down at him, I grinned.

 

“Open this jail door. Then I’ll show you what I want, pampered prince.”

 

He took it badly, grabbing his gun and pointing it to me.

 

“I will shoot your ugly face off,” he shouted.

 

I laughed...but I was wondering what I was doing. Was I trying to get myself killed?

 

Before I could reply, he shot a bullet into my arm. I stared at the blood that was hard to see. The pain was excruciating and my vision faded into a deep darkness that slowly dotted with stars and comets.

 

I was back in the Galaxy.

 

I stood there wondering if the extreme pain was making me hallucinate. But then a voice reached me.

 

“Hey Dui-Zhang...now is the time to wake up.”

 

I looked around in confusion. Who here was calling me duizhang? I turned around and there stood Baekhyun and two others. One with beautiful heart-shaped lips and another with dark circles.

 

“Duizhang! Wake up!” shouted the one with eyes bags. The wide-eyed one smiled and nodded his head. Baekhyun did a thumbs up. I closed my eyes and smiled.

 

It’s time to wake up.

 

Opening my eyes, I was back in the cell. The pain in my arm was no longer there and the bloody wound disappeared as if I was never shot in the first place. I starred the guard in the eyes and smiled.

 

“You fool.”

 

He was enraged but I only laughed as he brought up his gun to shoot me again. He missed a lot and it only hit the lock that kept me from escaping. The door flew open automatically once the shooting completely destroyed the lock.

 

He cursed when his gun ran out of ammunition. I laughed. Walking out the jail cell for the first time in many weeks, I stretched. Turning to look at the guard, he pumped up his fist to fight me.

 

“You soldiers are useless without your crappy little guns huh?” I said with a smirk.

 

He ran to me, ready to punch me. But I grabbed his arm, flipping him on his back. It seemed to be enough to knock him unconscious. I laughed a bit before making my way to the door. I opened it and a flood of light enveloped me. It lead to a dark quiet room. A guard was running up ahead of me toward my way, screaming out orders to the few guards present.

 

“Test subject number 4 escaped! Go get him while I get the head Warden!”

 

I hid behind the door, waiting until the guard ran past me into the cage I just freed myself from. I ran out, secretly behind other guards who were leaving to go outside.

 

Outside. I want to go outside!

 

I ran up the flight of stairs in front of me. I didn’t want to follow the other guards. Maybe just like the “angel” in the dream, I could escape by going up the roof. I heard footsteps below me. Fearing it to be a guard, I ran faster until I reached a door with a sign that said “roof”. Opening it and running out quickly, I made my way to the edge. My eyes were stinging from the beautiful light of the sun. The wind blew through my hair and for the first time ever since this war, I was thankful to be alive. I opened my arms to the sides, like a cross and faced towards the light. I didn’t even notice the door open and close.

 

Then, I jumped.

 

I expected to hit the ground soon, but when I felt the air stir quickly and the rumble of wings flapping I knew I wasn’t going to fall.

 

“Kris!”

 

I opened my eyes and turned back to look at the familiar voice that called out my name.

 

“Kris! You are that person!”

 

Baekhyun…

 

The door bursted open again, this time with the head Warden who I beat up earlier.

 

“What in the world?! Monsters!” he shouted at me. The dragon I was calmly sitting on growled and the guards ran back inside the building. Probably running for their lives.

 

“Baekhyun! Hop on!” I shouted.

 

He smiled and made his way over to the edge. I held his frail arm and helped him onto the back of the mystical creature.

 

Without even giving a word of instruction, the dragon knew where to take me. I felt it. Maybe the dragon is me?

“I should’ve taken a better look at you before I left. You are the brother in my dream who flew on the back of a dragon.”

 

“An angel...more like a Dui-Zhang,” I said smiling.