Groaning and sweating, Ire, who had been moaning in his sleep, suddenly opened his eyes and sat up. He breathed heavily and looked around; it was morning. Other children around him were fast asleep, completely out of it.
The dream he had just had troubled him, and he rubbed his face roughly. In the dream, he had indiscriminately attacked people. Among the people whose limbs were torn off and whose entrails were spilling out were Matteo and his siblings.
“Goddamn it…”
As he climbed down from the bed, every muscle in his body screamed. He went to the kitchen, poured himself some water, and looked out the living room window. The face reflected in the window was so swollen that it was hard to look at.
Last night, he had run into Matteo when he came home, and he couldn’t bring himself to tell him the truth when he pressed him for answers. He lied, saying that they had had a minor argument, but even after going to bed, he couldn’t shake off the anxiety that kept creeping in.
He barely managed to fall asleep in the early hours of the morning, but even that was quickly interrupted by a nightmare.
Licking his parched lips with saliva, Ire went outside, feeling restless. Other than the people who were out on their way to work, there was nothing particularly noticeable. Just as he was about to return home, relieved, he heard someone calling him from afar.
“Ire!”
The person who came running up was none other than Gangsan. He was sweating profusely on his forehead, as if he had run a long way. Ire looked down at him with a tense expression. Gangsan straightened up and gasped for breath.
“Are you okay?”
Ire nodded, and Gangsan looked around before lowering his voice.
“What the hell happened?”
Ire hesitated before explaining everything from beginning to end: how he received the money, how he kept watch as they asked, how he met the strange foreigner, how he was pushed back in the fight and beaten unilaterally, and how he ran away just before he was about to die. Gangsan tore at his disheveled hair. He looked like he regretted making him do such a thing. He said that if he had known, he would never have let him go there. Ire knew that he meant it.
“I’m going to confess. I’m not guilty. There’s someone else who killed him.”
“I know. It’s already over.”
“Over…? What is?”
“I don’t know the details. I just heard about it, but they’ve all decided to hold a quiet funeral. Of course, Hairy’s father seems furious. So listen carefully. No matter what, you can’t let them know you were involved. I don’t know what that grumpy old man will do if he comes here.”
“I didn’t kill him.”
“I know. But parents who have lost a child will try to find someone to blame.”
If they want to blame someone, they should find that guy from yesterday and blame him. Judging by the fact that they’ve already taken care of it, they must have used money or something to cover it up. What will happen to that guy in the future? Will he really not be punished at all?
He had heard that even the guys from District A get punished if they commit a major crime. He had occasionally seen transport vehicles carrying them passing through here, so it couldn’t be a lie. So if the truth comes out, that guy from yesterday will definitely be punished too. He had killed so many people, so he firmly believed that they wouldn’t let it slide.
“What are you two plotting from morning? Huh?”
Ire was startled and turned around. Matteo was looking at them, resting his chin on his hand, with the window open. His tousled hair, as if he had just woken up, sparkled brown in the light.
“P-Plotting…? I came because I missed Michael. Haha, right?”
“Stop lying and come inside, both of you. There’s something important we need to talk about today.”
Surely he didn’t hear everything. Ire went inside, racking his brain for an excuse, and Matteo gestured for him to sit down. Ire looked at Gangsan and signaled with his eyes, warning him not to say anything unnecessary. Gangsan nodded, telling him to trust him.
“Raphael, what did you two get up to yesterday?”
Gangsan shrugged with a nonchalant expression. He lied, saying that he went home early yesterday and didn’t know anything. Ire pressed down on Gangsan’s foot under the table. You idiot. I said I went to see you, how can you answer like that?
“That’s strange? Ire said he was going to see you?”
“H-Haha, that’s right, we met. Actually, I saw a rabbit in the mountains. I thought I could catch it and sell it for money, so I went, but Ire lost his footing and fell off a cliff. That’s why his face is like that.”
Goddamn it. If you’re going to make something up, at least make it believable. Ire looked at him with resentful eyes, but Matteo came closer, leaned on the desk, and looked straight down at Gangsan. Gangsan’s cheeks twitched at the question of whether he could swear to God.
It had been a long time since the church disappeared, and Gangsan didn’t pray much these days. Ire would have preferred him to lie, even if it meant invoking God, but he soon lowered his eyes.
“I’m sorry… Actually…”
Just as Gangsan was about to speak, there was a knock. All three of them turned their attention to the door. A voice could be heard. “Is anyone there?” Ire swallowed nervously. The tone of the other person was very disciplined. Such a tone was mainly used by soldiers, so he bit his lip without realizing it.
Matteo moved to the front door, latched it, and opened the door slightly. “Who is it?”
“I’m from the military. I’d like to see a friend named Ire for a moment.”
Matteo turned around, and Gangsan muttered, “Goddamn it.” Ire stood up to try to clean up the mess he had made. But Matteo soon raised his hand to stop him.
“Stay still. Don’t come out…”
Then he went outside first. “I’m his guardian. You can talk to me.” The door closed, and Ire closed his eyes tightly. Gangsan, who was next to him, was just as nervous.
“How did the military find out?”
Ire put his finger to his lips. “Shh—be quiet.” He put his ear to the door and heard a conversation about last night’s incident and a reference investigation. Ire clenched his fist tightly. So it’s come to this after all. Did that murderer from yesterday talk about me? Or did he frame me for killing him?
Then Matteo’s voice was heard.
-He was at home with me yesterday. There’s no way.
“……”
-That’s something we’ll have to investigate. Move aside. If you interfere, we’ll take you in too.
Then there was a distinct knock on the door.
It was the secret code that Matteo had taught him sometime ago.
Run away.
-What did you just do? Move aside.
With a clank, the chilling voice of the soldier made his heart sink. Gangsan, his face pale, tried to drag Ire to the back door, but Ire opened the front door without hesitation. Matteo’s face was frozen as he turned around, and soldiers were pointing their guns at him.
Run away.
His eyes said. But he couldn’t run away like this. What about Matteo if I run away? What about my siblings? He couldn’t put everyone in danger just to save himself.
“I’ll go on my own, so put the guns away…”
They lowered their guns at the same time, and two soldiers tied Ire up and walked him to the car. Matteo’s face, as he called out to God, was filled with despair. Gangsan was on the verge of tears, and the younger siblings, who had woken up late after hearing the commotion, were also sticking their faces out of the window and looking outside.
As soon as he got into the car, the door closed and soldiers sat on either side of him.
“You better not do anything stupid. You have to think about the family you have left.”
The soldier sitting next to the driver gave a signal and the car started. He deliberately avoided looking at his family. People were coming out one by one to watch the strange car that had visited from the morning, as if it were something new.
The soldiers didn’t ask any questions the whole way. The car left District B and traveled for a long time. It passed through tunnels, crossed bridges, and passed through gates several times. After driving for a long time, he saw a barrier wall towering high into the sky in the distance.
It was similar to the picture that the quack doctor had once described. No, it looked even more magnificent and solid. He couldn’t believe that they had thought of building that while the world was suffering from an epidemic and people were dying.
When they arrived in front of a large iron gate, they radioed in, and the heavy gate rose up with a sound. It felt like it was opening its mouth wide and trying to swallow him, and he felt a chill down his spine. After passing through the gate, it was a tunnel this time.
Bright light poured in at the end of the tunnel. Ire was speechless for a moment at the cityscape that unfolded before his eyes. Unlike the old and desolate District B, everything here was green.
The air was so clean that it was hard to believe it was the same sky, and the tall buildings sparkled in the sunlight. It felt like he was seeing the Earth as it was before it was destroyed, as he had once seen in a book, and his heart was pounding strangely, even though he was afraid.
Then the soldier next to him threw something over Ire’s face. Before he could ask what he was doing, his neck stung. That was his last memory.