Record #03

The surprise in the boys’ eyes and Anri’s, who was expecting me saying those words and even giggled, didn’t take me by surprise. The latter was indeed hoping me to come with that suggestion. She didn’t oppose, but supported me. And she convinced the duo to take me.

We used the same helicopter, Jungkook as pilot, but this time I was sitting next to Taehyung in the back. As we waited to arrive at North once again, I got to ask Taehyung where we were. Where the basement was settled. And the answer took me by surprise. The basement was settled in South. One of the biggest Senrate, one of the wealthiest, the one who possessed the most advanced technological inventions, and the Senrate which provides energy to the rest of sectors. No wonder the place looked clean, developed and fancy enough. Never had I been in such a neat place.

North wasn’t the taintless place. We provided the agriculture to the rest of sectors. In comparison with South, which houses and buildings were made with insulating materials, concrete and steel, and its breathtaking design and tallness, our houses where made with different kinds of wood with simple one floor designs.

Now that I think about it, Taehyung and Jungkook had a reason to come back to North. Reason I haven’t ask nor had the guts to question them about it. I was oblivious about it. Besides what intentions they had, I had my own too. I wanted to see how North was. I just wanted to be there. At least, for a last time. And to find some answers too.

The moment I step down, the sound of the helicopter motor still echoing in my ears, I freeze. I felt like standing in a place I haven’t even imagine in my worst nightmares. Everything was covered in ashes, houses were destroyed and remains covered in still fresh blood. A rotten smell was starting to scatter around.

I took a shy step forward and the feeling of a cracking startled me. Before my left feet was a crane, a pulverized crane. I felt like lifting my head towards where the crane came from, to my left, but someone prevent me to do so. I looked to my right instead, at Taehyung with broken eyes and he shook his head, as he wasn’t allowing me to see the disaster and atrocity that other side showed. He leaded me to another way, a path which was covered with dust, rocks and a smaller amount of corpses.

Even if I wasn’t that fond of my Senrate, it was the place I grew up. Even with its discrimination, people here were kind, the majority was kind, and it was me who decided to live far away from them. Because I wanted to be free. Because I didn’t want to be judged. Because if they discovered me as a Hybrid, my sector will pay the consequences of having me hidden, or at least that’s what I thought so.

I guess I was trying to be kind with the society that had been criticizing us the moment we came alive to this world.

What did North did to end up in ruins?  We never pronounce ourselves to the point to be address as a hindrance. Yet, they destroyed us as a plague.

“They were searching for you,” Taehyung said. “There were ten Hybrids hidden in North. We found seven so far including you.”

Was that the only reason?

Other nine as I am. I’ve never met someone like me before until now. This just showed how indifferent I was with my own kind, and I regret it. I had other priorities in mind. Yet I wondered how my life would have turned up to with I met the other Hybrids, whose other three bodies were found by Jungkook in our way. I cringed when saw them. Jungkook left an annoyed sighed and buried them near the woods, as where the civilization ended. There was a taste of sensibility running in my tongue for them, even I never met them, but the sight of two younger boys and a girl around her twenties bodies made me trembled about my future. There was a possibility I end up like them. The image of someone killing me intrigued me.

I asked Taehyung, who was standing calm next to me, as he was protecting me if I collapsed at any moment, what about the other six Hybrids. He told me they were safe. Some had injuries, but they were safe and sound. That fact gave me a slight of hope not only for them, but for the people in North. A chance for them is all I want.

As I walked away from Taehyung and Jungkook I stooped at the sight of my old home, not the one hidden behind the tall and deep trees, but the one made of light and bright wood. The place which I grew and held my childhood memoirs. That´s when it came to sight reminisces of my parents and me, with happy and cheerful voices echoing, fresh and delicious food placed in our table for breakfast and dinner, grateful visits from the ones who were precious to them and the multiple wise words from them.

But this place became empty after my parents passed away.

And now, after the sudden attack, it was covered in dust, the main door was destroyed, old furniture turned upside down and windows broken.

I stopped at the discernment of a wide wooden door in the floor in the inside, which was perfectly hidden. I found it easily thanks to my sharp vision, but people, even Hunters, must know about its existence to realize its existence.

I don’t remember having this door when young. I opened it carefully and entered, where stairs welcomed me and headed deeper down in darkness. It was difficult to see and every step I took downstairs made me trembled, not because I wasn’t able to perceive my surrounds, thing I was able to, but because what’s upon the end of it. I touched the dusty walls and I walked. The air was loaded in such a way I can’t describe. It took my about ten minutes to finally arrived at the end of the stairs, and upon my eyes was placed a dark and thin twenty meters protective bars, which only can be opened with a code. I’m not able to enter this place if I wanted to, so I turned feeling fatigued.

“Eunbyul?” My heart skip a beat when I recognized the female voice. It was one of my mother’s friends, Juna. She, who traded me the rabbits for money, stood behind the bars with a weak smile. She stretched her arm to reach me and when she did so, she caressed my cheek fondly. Her soft green eyes were puffy and her face covered with dirt, as well as her clothes, her hair was dark and short and a bit messy, but it didn’t stop her from glowing. “I’m glad you are fine.”

I nodded trying to contain my tears. Juna was one of the few who accept me as a Hybrid and helped me when she could. She always offered to trade the animals I hunted for money or clothes. I felt so grateful to her and glad she’s alive. She was one out the few people I really wanted to save.

I asked her about this place. When Juna address it as a basement my parents build in case of a war begins, I broke into a smile. Just about two hundred out the four thousand people in North were inside this cave. I asked for the kids I used to live with. She gave me a weird look, a mix of content and sorrowful feel. I knew what to expected, and hoped I won’t collapsed. She mentioned me one was indeed inside, the middle one, a boy around eleven, but she didn’t know about the others whereabouts. The sight of a charred body in the debris of my home came to me. I took the bars with force and rested my forehead against it. One of the five was alive. Just one. I felt terrible, I felt awful, and I couldn’t protect them from this horrid events, from me.

Juna caressed my head as interpreting my thoughts. She told me it wasn’t my fault. She told me it was inevitable. And I believe her. I did everything I could to protect them and keep them alive, it was just a sudden change of events that took me by surprise.

 “You are just like your parents. Trying to protect everyone they can.”

 I’m indeed like them. They build this force underground to the people in North and I tried to protect my little family left, and hoped the ones who took care of me as I grew were safe.

“I should have stay with them. I could have saved them,” I said. My eyes were in the verge of tears.  “I could have fought against them and saved them.”

“We already talk about this, Eunbyul. We agreed if the Hunters came to search for you, you’ll have to runaway even if it meant leaving the kids behind,” she added and caressed my hair. “I informed Jul about this hidden place and told him to bring the little kids here when things get worst. But it looks like Jul shown them how to arrive by themselves.”

I runaway to protect them. I don’t know how, but the Hunters can find Hybrids fast and easily. And if they saw us together, they’ll have to pay the price. I thought if I disappear, the kids could survive. I thought if I distracted them, the Hunters wouldn’t have hurt them, but I was wrong. They targeted everyone.

I lifted my eyes to her as her words echoing in my head. Her voice calmed me somehow. She always help me reflex about my decisions and her advices were always helpful for me.

I was about to ask Juna if she needed anything, when someone’s voice made me turn around immediately. The sight of a running Taehyung and a calm Jungkook analyzing his surroundings made me smile.

“Don’t disappear just like that!” Taehyung warned. “I got shocked when I didn’t see you around.”

I had left the floor door open, so they could find it easily and came inside.

I apologized sincerely and notified them the good news. Some of the people in North are safe behind these protection bars, which were designed by my parents. The boys seemed to be pleased with my words. I noticed Juna looking at the boys with curious eyes. Her wise eyes told me she knew: that they were like me, Hybrids. And the realization of seeing her happy for me warmed my heart. “Take good care of our Eunbyul,” she caressed my cheek once again.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine here?” I asked as our hands locked, hers still soft and strong.

“We’ll be fine,” Juna assured me. “We have everything we need down here and once it calms down up there we’ll leave this place.”

I nodded and asked her to take care of one of my kids, probably the only one alive. And she had one last request for me before I left. To be strong.