Mei had just shimmied out of the roll-up mini-gate protecting the dog door, pulled the metal protector back down, and jammed the tiniest wedge onto the track to allow her re-entry later that night, when the dark figure turned up the path leading to her house. She turned, and could only just make out Suho's face as he approached. He looked as terrified as she felt.

Just then, a twig snapped in the bushes nearby. They both jumped and froze, staring wildly into the dark green. When a squirrel finally revealed itself, they both breathed a deep sigh of relief. All of a sudden, Mei was feeling less certain about this idea.

Suho gulped. “Hey,” he said quietly. “You ready?”

It took a moment for her to realize her hands were shaking. She busied them by squeezing the lasso of rope that hung around her shoulder, and turned to look at the bright white Moon overhead. She willed it to give her some sort of feeling of confidence or reassurance-- anything at all. But it only stared blankly back at her. Waiting.

“It's beautiful, isn't it,” she said.

He hardly glanced at it. “Yes,” he said, but she could tell he lied. Like all else in the commune, he preferred the Sun. Still, he was out here with her. He was out at night, willing to follow her to quell her ridiculous curiosity for whatever lay beyond the Wall.

She remembered how thankful she was that he was her friend.

“Let's go,” she whispered before she could let herself lose her nerve. Suho nodded resolutely, lips pressed together in grim determination as they turned and began their run.

The people of the commune had always followed the Sun. They rose with the dawn and they retreated into their homes when the Sun fell to the West. But it was for more than just ritual-- it was for their protection, as it was only after sunset that the nightcrawlers attacked. Sure, there was the Wall to protect the commune. But it was foolish to believe it would never be breached. And so the people of the commune protected themselves, engineering complex security systems and sliding steel gates to cover their windows and doors and seal them in against the night terrors. And above all, they made sure to abide by the Sun's strict curfew. Steering clear of the nighttime was their unspoken rule, the crux on which they live their lives.

It was probably the only reason that a civilian hadn't been attacked in a decade. Suho's father was the last one.

But Mei was far too curious to follow commune rules. Without her father knowing, she had always cranked her window gate up just enough to stare into the darkness. That small act of defiance was already enough to make her stomach clench with excited rebellion. But now that she was out, physically out in the night-- her blood was singing so loudly that she wondered if the whole neighborhood could hear.

They ran silently down the empty streets, not at all afraid that anyone would find them because no one went out at night. They turned a corner, cut across a few yards, jumped a gate, and ran past the school, and suddenly, they were there. Right at the inner Wall. Breathless, she held her hand up and lay it across the smooth orange brick. Then, she scanned the wall, craning her neck to look up at its top, and then turning her gaze along its curve.

“There,” she whispered, pointing at a high narrow trellis that spanned the length of the wall. Long wires of ivy grew between its slats. She bolted towards it, Suho following quickly behind. Without a moment's hesitation, she lifted her foot and hoisted herself up.

“Will it hold?” Suho asked uncertainly, reaching up to support her back as she began her climb.

“Only one way to find out, I guess,” she replied.

It was a lot more difficult to get to the top than she thought it would be. She waited, seated at the ledge, for Suho to catch up and sit beside her. Below them lay the dumping grounds, a 50 meter stretch of wasteland between the inner part of the Wall and the outer part that truly separated the commune from the dark outside world. She watched her feet dangle above the dark grounds, and was suddenly overcome with giddy satisfaction. She was really here. She was really about to breach the Wall.

A quick laugh escaped her, and then, suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to hurry up. To keep going. She unraveled the lasso of rope, anchoring one end to the top of the trellis. When it was firmly secured, she got in position to lower herself down.

Just then, Suho grabbed her hand, stopping her. “Wait. Mei.”

“What is it?”

“Are... are you really sure you want to do this? Isn't it enough that we scaled the Wall?”

“Suho. There's nothing in this world I want to do more. I want to see the other side. I want to be on the other side.” She started lowering herself down, but suddenly Suho grabbed onto her arms, holding her in place.

“Yah, Suho!--”

“Mei. Don't do this. Please don't do this,” he begged.

“Suho! We've already talked about this!”

“But why?! What good can possibly come of it? You'll touch the ground, and that will be it. What is so important about knowing what it's like outside of the Wall? How can it possibly help anything? Besides, it's dangerous! We don't know what's out there!”

“That's exactly why I want to do this. We need to know! This entire commune needs to know!”

“Can't we leave it up to the researchers to figure it out?? Why do you specifically need to go?”

“Suho! This is something I have to do! It's just... it's something I need to do.” She stared at him resolutely, her gaze unwavering.

He frowned. It wasn't the answer he was looking for. But looking into her eyes, he knew that there was no winning. He took a heavy sigh.

“Okay,” he finally said. “But let me go first.”

“What?! Why??”

“Just in case, okay?! We don't know what's down there. Please. Mei. I just...” He stared long into her eyes and then, unannounced, he reached up and cupped her face, letting his thumb trace circles on his cheek. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck prick with his warm touch. Then, just as quickly as it started, it ended. He pulled back and stared across the grounds to the outer Wall, and said with resolution, “It's the only way I'll let you do this.”

Mei reached up, stunned, and lay her hand on her cheek where his had just been. She was about to say something when he abruptly grabbed the rope from her and, without another word, began lowering himself down.

She watched until he disappeared into the darkness below. Then, the rope went slack, and she heard him whisper, “Go.” So she took the rope, and began her own long descent.

The ground was softer and noticeably colder, covered with a mushy kind of moss and littered with the commune's discarded trash. The moonlight could not reach most parts of the ground in between the two high walls, so Mei stood stock-still, squinting in the blackness for her friend. She listened hard. And then suddenly, she was acutely aware that there was only silence.

She could not hear where her friend went.

“Suho!” she hissed into the darkness. Only the muffled echo of distantly chirping crickets responded.

A nauseating wave of panic hit her. She gulped, beads of sweat dotting her brow. She released the rope, letting her hand trace the wall as she maneuvered left, eyes darting left and right for any sign of her friend. Where could he possibly have gone??, she wondered. She whispered his name once more, and when she heard nothing, she began to move more frantically.

How long had it taken her to scale down the wall? Five, six minutes? He can't be far, she chanted to herself, hurrying more and more until the palm of her hand scraped rough against the stone wall. Surely, he is just around the bend.

Then, at another turn of the Wall, she came to a spot glowing with moonlight. She froze and gasped aloud, terror seizing her entire body.

There was a gigantic hole in the outer Wall, pouring out into the dark green sea of grass beyond.

And standing at that hole, there was a dark figure. A person.

No. A night creature.

Staring right back at her.

Her first response was to back into the wall. Back up into the shadow. Maybe it didn't see her? Breathlessly, she held still, pressed against the stone. Watching.

But there was no mistaking it. There was no mistaking its glowing, yellow eyes.

Terrified, she watched as it straightened up from where it leaned casually against the wall. It moved with effortless grace, its baggy black clothes dripping off its lean, sturdy body. It began moving towards her, and the idea that she should run popped into mind. But what will that help? How far could she possible get? And what about Suho?

Just as quickly, another idea took hold. What if she stayed right here? Planted at this very spot?

The night creature approached.

She wondered if this was where she would die. It took only a moment for that idea to settle in. And when she accepted it, suddenly the fear drained out of her. It felt so obvious-- so natural, really. She was just a human. Just a tiny, insignificant human, face-to-face with a monster. There was only one way that this would end. There is only ever life and then death.

Maybe it's just like falling asleep, she thought numbly to herself. She drew her eyes upwards to meet him.

He stopped just out of arms' length and stared back at her. He looked strikingly human. Up close, his eyes carried only the lightest hint of yellow. His ears were a little pointy on top. His hair was an unnatural shade of yellowish-white. His skin was immaculate and pale as the Moon. And he wasn't wearing any shoes.

But what struck her most was how nonthreatening he looked. She wondered if it was the adrenaline coursing through her or maybe just a wishful thought, but she suddenly wondered that he may not attack her. His stance seemed contemplative, his eyes wide as he studied her. He even tilted his head to the side a bit, as if he was thinking.

All things aside, he almost looked like innocent and nice. Well, as nice as a monster could be.

Numbness fell away and a renewed sense of self-preservation suddenly flooded through her. She realized that she needed to get away. She wanted to live. And this might just be her chance.

She took a step back, tracing the Wall the way that she came. He didn't move, didn't seem to retaliate. Hope stirred within her, and she took another large step away. One corner of his lips twitched upward, and she wondered if he was amused.

“Y-you're not going to hurt me,” she squeaked.

He stared for a moment, and then he smirked. “How can you be sure?”

“You... you can speak?”

“Of course.”

She couldn't believe it. She was talking to a night creature. All of a sudden, her curiosity reignited and she didn't feel like running away. She wanted to stay, for just a little bit longer. She wanted to hear him talk again. She released the Wall, standing her ground. She drew a breath, opened to speak.

But suddenly, a different sound pierced the still air around them. A blood-curdling scream, cut short with a sickening yelp.

Suho.