Another Life

He can’t remember the last time he felt safe walking around the city. He can’t remember the last time he saw a smile on people’s faces as he passed them. Everyone was always in a hurry with fear written on their faces but his pace was slow and steady. He was not in a hurry even though he was afraid of what had since long been living above them. His eyes traveled up above the buildings reaching for the sky and there it was. Barley visible behind the clouds the metallic color that reflected the sky so well it was almost hidden from your eyes but the people had seen it for so many years it couldn’t hide any longer but still that thing only scared people to death. They had come to earth to keep their own civilization alive using humans as batteries, or that’s the most anyone knows, no one really knows what goes on behind those walls.

Lee Hongbin had lived in this world since birth, how the creatures from the sky even came to be there was a mystery for him. His mom had told him they came before his father’s birth and had been living of the humans since and the population had decreased tremendously and how much longer people would be able to survive was just a matter of time.
Hongbin lived with a few friends he made over the years. His parents already picked up by the space creatures and now he found comfort with his friends. A black haired male named Hackyeon, He was really like the mother of them all not that anyone could complain any more. Another one who had blonde short hair, Wonsik he was one of the calmest of them along with Jonghyun or JR for short and Nara. Then there was another blonde whose name was Sanghyuk who was really close with Hongbin and you could always find them together. Lastly there was Alice she was funny person the same age as Hackyeon. During nights when they all were laying down on mattresses around the living room too scared to sleep she would sing soft melodies until every single one of them had fallen sound asleep. And that’s how they lived, together always trying to comfort each other when those days when the fear just wouldn’t leave.

The space ship had closer to the city which it did just right before what had become to be known as the harvest. People stopped going out during those times stocking up on canned food and taking one step outside their homes.

The screams from people being taken echoed through their walls, Hongbin sat with Sanghyuk in his lap shaking. Sanghyuks parents had been taken by the creatures when he was only seven and it left its marks. Hackyeon and Wonsik where sitting together whispering as the screams was still coming, Alice was singing once again sometimes Nara joined in as to calm herself too, the singing was soothing but it didn’t chase the fear away.
They survived this harvest too even if when they could hear the footstep outside their door.

“Why are they not ascending again?”
“It’s becoming worse I guess”
“I just wish they could leave us alone”
“If it only was so easy” Hongbin whispered as he laid his head on his pillow looking at Wonsik who was staring at the roof. There was always the same pattern, they came closer to pick people up and then they returned to their place in the sky.

Hongbin was carefully looking behind the curtains to the kitchen window.
“They are even lower than yesterday” he whispered. Since the ship hasn’t disappeared since the last harvest it freaked people out. And it did not help when it was coming closer and closer.
“It feels like they will land any day now” He whispered and pulled away from the window.
“Don’t say that” Said JR as he hanged a blanket over the window cutting out any light from entering the apartment.
“it will probably go away soon” he then added.

It didn’t disappear, it came lower and lower every day and until it finally landed. The horror that spread through the city made no one go outside and they lived on the canned food that they managed to get when a mass panic spread and everyone broke into the supermarkets and got whatever they could.
“They’re coming for us all” Sanghyuk whimpered as Hackyeon tried to comfort him. Hongbin sat and played some cards with Wonsik trying to forget the world for a moment.
“It’s painful to watch your friends slowly crumble in front of you” Wonsik whispered laying his cards down.
“Sometimes I feel like I just want to forget everything, just fall asleep and just forget. Let them take me and get it over with because I am scared. But then at the same time I don’t” Hongbin threw down his cards too and looked as Wonsik walked away.
“I wish that too sometimes” He mumbled.

There was a loud banging from the door and Hongbin once again held the shivering Sanghyuk in his arms whispering soft words of comfort as the younger was pulling at his shirt.
“It will be okay, Shh don’t cry it will be okay” he whispered trying to calm the younger one down
*Bang*
They all jumped as the door gave away from the force and they saw how the door was bent towards them and how they soon would be into their apartment. Tears were building in his eyes as he held a tighter grip on Sanghyuk burying his face in his blonde hair.
*Bang*
The door bent in even more and they could hear a scream from Nara that was silenced as Alice shoved her hand in front of .
*Bang*
The door fell in towards them and they stepped inside. Black suits covering them from top to toe and helmets covering their heads nothing they looked really human if it wasn’t for their height. They tilted down as they walked inside the room, they looked around and whispered something.

Loud screams were heard but all Hongbin could think of was to hold onto Sanghyuk as if his life depended on it.

There were only four of them left now, Hongbin had listened to Sanghyuk crying himself to sleep that night. It was only Wonsik, Hackyeon, Sanghyuk and himself left now the other three where gone. Taken. He could still hear their screams echo in his head and he had cried in silence on the toilet. He wasn’t really close to them but he still considered them friends and now when they were gone his heart hurt. Alice sweet voice no longer filled the room, JRs stupid jokes. It was just empty.

It became more silent the weeks to come neighbors disappeared in the night without a sound it seemed like the creatures who had been here for so long was just picking up the leftovers to get this over with. Hongbin hoped in silence they would leave them alone and they could finally let go of their fears. Sanghyuk was cuddled up against him in the sofa and Hongbin was playing carefully with his hair.
“What if they just decide to let us go and leave” he whispered and Sanghyuk moved his head to meet his eyes.
“If only” he answered with disbelief.
“I’m serious” Hongbin mumbled
“And how well will be of if they leave, the world leaders were the ones they took out first with such ease. The world would be a dangerous place to live in if they leave” Sanghyuk pressed his face against Hongbins chest and whispered something inaudible.

Three days later they came again and Wonsik and Ravi was taken from them.

Sanghyuk was clinging to Hongbin as he held him and sang one of the songs he remembered Alice singing. Doing what he could to make the younger feel safer. Not that he succeeded but Sanghyuk fell quite against his shoulder. Hongbin hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek.
“This will end soon” he whispered.
“I hope” he added silently.

Half a year passed, the space ship had disappeared to the sky barley just hiding once again. Life was back pretty normal Sanghyuk had started smiling again and Hongbin had stopped worrying about the younger every second of the day. They did things they did before everyone was gone, strolling along the empty streets laughing at stupid jokes. Sharing a kiss behind the old fountain, sitting in the old park with too long grass.
“Imagine how this looked back in the day” Hongbin said looking down on Sanghyuk who was almost sleeping in the grass.
“It must have been really beautiful” he answered with a bright smile and Hongbin laughed and attacked him in the grass hugging him tightly. They stayed there for a while before returning home again.

The happy days didn’t last as long as they had hoped as the ship had come closer once again. The cold autumn nights they spent together cuddled under a blanket listening closely some nights they heard the screams that made the hair on their back stand up but they seemed to make it every time they heard steps outside their dented barely hanging door. They didn’t speak about it but they knew their days were counted; it was only a question about when.

“We could run, live somewhere out in the forest always moving” Sanghyuks eyes glowed with hope but Hongbin just shook his head.
“That wouldn’t do would it? What life is that?” He asked as he looked through how much food was still left which was not much.
“it would be a better life then this” he muttered and sat down on one the mattresses and looked outside the window, the ship had landed once again and his heart screamed for him to get out of this place but somehow even if he wanted he couldn’t not only from what Hongbin said but all the memories that was hidden in every corner of the apartment.
“Maybe, but what if they still come after us”

“They will be here at any moment” Hongbin stood close to the window holding Sanghyuk close listening to the screams and steps that was coming closer and closer.
“I love you Hyung” Sanghyuk mumbled and turned around and kissed him softly on the lips.
“I love you too”
The door was lying on the floor once again and they did not scream as they were ripped apart or dragged out of the apartment.

Hongbin couldn’t remember how long he had been hanging in these chains any longer. A lot of strange things connected to his head and chest. It made him lose track of days and he never had the energy to do anything, his bones were sticking out and he felt weaker than ever. But he was still trying to figure out how to get out of this place
He remembers stepping inside the ship for the first time, Sanghyuk had been taken down another corridor almost directly and they had escorted him further down. On his way down he had seen a sight that terrified him and made his heart ache, Hackyeon lying pale and just skin and bone on the floor, he couldn’t stop his tears as he stared at his dead friend. That memory had him always going and thinking even when he felt like he couldn’t anymore. He couldn’t let that happen to Sanghyuk. He wouldn’t allow it, but how the hell would he get out of these chains was the only question.

How many more days had passed since he had been taken? He did not know. He lifted his head but the movement was too much and everything went black.
He slowly opened his eyes again and found himself in the cold corridor. Did they think he died and just took him out? It seemed so even if it seemed suspicious but he was too tired to even acknowledge it. He stood up slowly looking around before he started walking, one hand on the wall to support his weight.
He walked around for what felt like hours before he found that first corridor. He walked faster even when his vision went blurry he continued, he turned into a new corridor he don’t remember ever walking in to. He found one door at the end of the corridor and it opened as he approached it and he found him. He had found Sanghyuk, his eyes empty staring at the floor, the bones poking out from his body and he seemed lost just gone somewhere else.
“Sanghyuk” He croaked his voice failing him but it still reached the younger a small glow appearing in his eyes as he raised his head.
“Hyung?” he whispered and looked at him with a weak smile spreading across his lips. Hongbin made his way through another door and he was there hugging the younger one again. He pulled out all the cables and tubes connected to Sanghyuk and like it was connected to the chains holding him they opened both of them collapsing to the floor.
“I found you” Hongbin whispered as he kissed the younger who was crying softly in his arm.
“You totally did” he sniffled and hugged Hongbin tight.

They just stayed like that, they couldn’t move their bodies too weak to even try but just having Sanghyuk in his arms again was a enough for him. But as time passed Sanghyuks breathing was heavier like he was falling asleep.
“Hyung” he whispered
“I’m so sorry Hyung” he kissed Hongbin weakly on the lips and pressing his face into his shoulder.
“I am so tired, So so tired, I…” he choked on his words and Sanghyuk had lifted his head staring at something that was standing behind him. As Hongbin turned around he was met with goat like eyes that shone in bright purple and red color. It held a harpoon looking thing in his hands and it was whispering something before he threw it at them.
Sanghyuk was gone, Hongbin was holding his limp body crying the creature watching him before walking up and ripping the younger from his arms still whispering things in his own language before taking the harpoon thing and threw it at him. Hongbin fell cold to the ground and as his vision disappeared completely he could see his friends smiling at him.

AsianFanfics

Another Life

Comments