As Kai was down there, he felt his blood seeping out of him, a warm, sticky trickle that soaked into his clothes. He had no idea where he was bleeding from, as pain throbbed all over his body like a relentless drumbeat, blurring everything into one agonizing haze. He would fall unconscious and wake back up, slipping in and out of awareness in disorienting waves, his mind foggy and detached. Sometimes, he would hear a voice in his head, faint and murmuring, but he had no idea what it was saying—whispers that teased at the edges of his thoughts, elusive and maddening. He had no sense of how much time had passed, the darkness swallowing minutes or hours alike, leaving him adrift in a timeless void.
Suddenly, he woke up, and he felt no pain at all, his body strangely light and unburdened. He thought to himself, *Is this death? Is this how death feels like?* As he tried to look around, he could faintly make out where he was: still trapped in the mangled car, surrounded by shadows so thick they pressed in like a suffocating blanket. He wondered if he had imagined all that pain and injury, running his hands over his skin to find not even a scratch, his flesh smooth and unmarked. He wondered how to get out of there, his mind drifting back to the mundane as he thought of his potatoes. "I need to get them to the mansion fast," he said to himself, the words echoing weakly in the confined space.
But he couldn't stand up or get out of the car; it looked completely mangled, twisted metal caging him in like a cruel trap. He did the next best thing he could think of, desperation rising in his chest, and started screaming for help, his voice raw and echoing off the walls of the chasm. He screamed until his mouth got tired, throat burning with each cry, but he heard nothing in return—only the distant rumble of the earth, mocking his isolation.
Then suddenly, he heard an echo: "Is someone down there?" The words bounced down to him, distant but clear, cutting through the silence like a lifeline.
He felt a surge of joy from the voice, a flicker of hope warming his numb heart, but fear also set in, cold and creeping, as he wondered, *Could it be a ghost?* He had never encountered one before, but the many ghost stories from the other slum kids were enough to traumatize him, tales of shadowy figures that lurked in the night, waiting to drag the unwary into oblivion. He wasn't scared of the dark itself, but he was terrified of what might be hidden in it, the unknown horrors that could slither out unseen.
He then remained silent, breath held in tense anticipation, but the echo returned, more insistent: "If someone is down there, then say something."
He realized he wasn't in a situation where he could afford to think in such a silly way, his survival instincts overriding the childish fears. He then screamed back, his voice cracking with urgency: "Yes, there is! I am down here! I am here—please help me!"
He heard silence for a while, stretching into an eternity that made his pulse race, then the echo returned: "We will be there soon. Just hang in there."
He sighed in happiness, a shaky breath of relief escaping him, his body sagging against the wreckage.
He then suddenly saw something coming toward him—a figure descending on a long rope, silhouetted against a beam of light that pierced the gloom from above. As the person approached, he looked at the car and said to himself, "How is this person still alive?" Then he thought, *Maybe he is one of us.* He said to the person in the car, "I got you."
As Kai wondered how this stranger could possibly get him out of here, the twisted metal seeming impenetrable, the person said, "Don't worry, I am one of those things." Kai wasn't sure what this person meant, the words cryptic and unsettling, but he said, "Okay," his voice small and uncertain.
Then suddenly, he couldn't believe his eyes: this person used his bare hands and ripped open an opening through the car, metal screeching in protest as it bent and tore like paper. He felt a wave of fear crash over him, his heart pounding wildly. *Is this hell? Maybe I am dead,* he thought, and unknowingly said it out loud, the words tumbling from his lips in a whisper.
The person chuckled, a low, reassuring sound that echoed strangely in the confined space. "Well, everything is now a living hell for us, so in a way, this is hell for us right now." Then he said to Kai, "Give me your hands."
Kai stared, unsure what to do, his mind reeling from the impossible strength he'd just witnessed, but he accepted his fate and gave his hands to this person, trembling slightly as their grips connected.
The person grabbed him firmly and talked into a radio: "Pull us up." The rope dragged them both up, the ascent jerky and slow, the light growing brighter as they rose from the depths.
A few moments later, he found himself being checked by some doctors, their hands probing gently, but they found nothing wrong and said he was clear, their voices professional yet puzzled.
Then the person who saved him came toward him and took off his helmet. This person looked like a model, chiseled features and effortless confidence that made Kai's stomach twist. Kai was a bit jealous; he had always hated handsome men because he never felt like he could be on their level, forever overshadowed by those who seemed born with an unfair advantage. He didn't just hate handsome men—he also didn't like beautiful women, resenting how life seemed so easy for people like them, handed opportunities on a silver platter while he scraped for scraps.
Then this person looked at Kai and said, "Hey, my name is Rai. What is yours?"
Kai looked at him and said, "My name is..." The words caught in his throat, refusing to form.
Rai looked at Kai and said, "Your name is???"
Kai then said, "Sorry, my name is..." His eyes opened wide as fear crept in him, a chilling realization dawning. He thought to himself, *Why can't I say my name?*
Rai looked at him and said, "Can you not remember your name?"
Kai said, "No, I can, but it won't come out of my mouth." He looked at Rai and said, "My name is..." Panic rising, he said in worry, "What is wrong with me?" Then he said to Rai, "What is happening? What is wrong with me?"
Rai said, "Calm down. Nothing is wrong with you. I think it is your curse."
Kai looked at him, dumbfounded, confusion swirling in his mind like a storm. Of course this felt like a curse, but who would curse him? He had made sure to mind his business all his life until when it started. Then he said, "Did that woman curse me even after I saved her child???"
Rai looked at him, unsure what Kai was blabbering about, his brow furrowing in mild concern.
Then Rai said, "Since you can't say your name, just write it." He went and got a paper and pen and gave them to Kai.
Kai, still confused why someone would curse him like this, grabbed the paper and then looked at the man and said, "I can't read or write."
Rai looked at him and blinked fast in shock, his composed facade cracking for a moment.