{ Nowhereland }
{ Chapter one; Unpleasant encounter}
A dimmed light crosses over the dark rusty apartment to rest on the face of a sleeping guy that looks filled with bruises and scars, the room is silent, and the only noticeable sound is the constant ticking of the wall clock and the voice of someone else yelling at the guy to wake up, it only gets louder with time until the boy finally opens his eyes.
" huh.. where am i?, who are you? ", he finally opens his eyes wide to see a woman standing in front of him hands crossed, she looks in her mid twenties, wearing a full black suit, and giving an awfully dark atmosphere.
" you finally woke up, it took you so long, what do you think this is a hotel? "
" What the hell are you saying, who even are you? "
the woman uncrosses her hands and begin to speak, " I'm lumen, i know that you're feeling confused about why you're here or what is this place, but i don't have much time to explain because I'm being pursued by some people, for starters let me know your name "
" my name, it is… wait…. What's my name?I don't remember. I don't remember anything, how did I end up here or who am I, why is that? "
" Great. Just great, now I'm stuck with a mysterious boy who lost his memories and I'm about to be ambushed, look just don't stay here without doing anything, stand up quick and help me scan the area around us "
" wait why do i have to take orders from you?, i suddenly wake up without any memories and the first thing i have to do is help you hide from someone "
" look boy, if you don't shut up and get to work we both could end up de….. wait… don't mind just get up and follow me, I'll explain later "
despite his anger and annoyance at the lack of explanation and the altitudes of the sturdy woman next to him, he complies and starts to roam around the apartment, checking if anyone is approaching or stalking them from distance, meanwhile, lumen is locking all doors and checking the room for any handful items, suddenly, the boy speaks " you sure someone is after you, seems like some nonsense "
" and what do you know, just keep quiet and don't make any unnecessary moves"
" I'm done with this, just tell me who are you and why the hell we're hiding "
" can't you just shut up for one damn min….. ", suddenly, a knock on the door stops them both, the banging at the door keeps getting louder with each strike, lumen instructs the boy to hide at the bathroom while she gets closer to the door and peeks to see who is the one knocking, she sees a tall man wearing a suit and a thick dark glasses that hides his eyes, she immediately understands the situation she's in.
she avoids causing any sound or noise and slowly pulls out a gun from her suit and takes cover behind the sofa, she takes a small mirror and uses it to have a view on the door, after several minutes and when the man realized that no one is coming to open the door, he starts kicking it aggressively and trying to force himself inside, after some minutes of kicking, he finally enters and starts to search the living room but he finds no one there, the place is clean and organized in a suspicious way, he keeps roaming around the room, checking the closets and the kitchen, the he heads upstairs and as he's so close to opening the room where the boy is at, lumen hits him with a quick yet silent strike to his head knocking him down.
" hey boy, get out of that room and help me drag this idiot to the bathroom "
" what, you really knocked him out, you're scary, who the hell are you? "
yet she doesn't answer as it's not the time for these questions, they drag the man to the bathroom and drop him in the tub.
" So what will you do with him now, he will wake up soon and we will be in trouble. First we have to tie him up or something and take his weapons, plus we need to search for his ID or anything that has personal info.... "
The shocking soft voice of a bullet shot with a silencer gun interrupts the boy's talk.
" what… you… you just killed him?, you killed someone, what's wrong with you "
" isn't it obvious, why should i care about all the pain and struggle that comes with trying to hold him hostage, plus i have no use for him so that's the better option "
" you freak, you just killed a guy and that's your reaction, someone died "
" I know that he died, that's the point, these guys are not the type that you would have sympathy for, one wrong move and i would have been the one bleeding in that tub with a blown skull, they would have done the same, but it's weird for them to send only one guy after me "
suddenly, a buzzing sound starts to vibrate from the man's suit, it keeps making a beep sound and it gets louder and faster, and lumen finally understands what's going on "
" SHIT… RUN AWAY IT'S A BOM… " but before they could react, it explodes destroying the bathroom and setting the apartment on fire, after some minutes, lumen finally opens up her eyes to see herself covered with scars and burns, she watches the boy in front of he barley trying to stand up as he's in the same shape as her. but he manages to stand and approaches her, freeing him from the rubble she was buried under, they both try to walk out of the apartment.
" I should have known that those bastards have set up some traps " but before she can finish her sentence, two men standing at the entrance of the apartment start firing rapidly and without any hesitation or mercy, lumen and the boy take cover behind a large wooden table but it can't hold for long as it starts to get pierced by the bullets.
" at this rate we will just get overwhelmed by the bullets and die, hey boy, take this gun and on my count to three, you stand up and shoot the bastard on your side while i take on the other one "
" huh, when did you get that gun?, and i can't shoot I've never do..., but he stops before finishing his sentence and nods in acceptance to the insane plan, for mere seconds, it felt like his demeanor changed a bit "
" one….. two.... THREE " they both stand and start shooting, lumen shots the man on her side in the head killing him at sight but she gets shot at the same time by him, the bullet rips through her right shoulder and let her drop on the ground in pain, unable to hold her gun, meanwhile, the boy shoots the other man in front of him, managing to hit his left leg and right shoulder, the man finally drops on the ground.
" hey get up you crazy woman we finally did it, don't you dare die on me now after dragging me to all this insane shi…. "
A quick bullet interrupts the boy's last words as it pierces through his head and shatters his brains to pieces, scattering the blood and flesh all over the floor and killing the boy with one shot. lumen watches in pain and anger, the hole in her shoulder is still causing her immense amounts of suffering but seeing the boy's dead body laying on the ground annoys her more, she tries to crawl towards him to pick up the gun but the man gets up and stomps on her hand making her scream in pain.
" we finally got you, you little shit, how many people do you think got killed just to get you? "
" See if I care, I was simply defending myself against some creep stalkers, don't you think I'm the victim here? "
the man gets angry and starts beating her up by kicking her rapidly and aggressively, he then picks her up on his shoulder and prepares to leave
" as much as i would love to kill you now and tore you to pieces for all what you done, they need you alive unfortunately so i will hold myself for now, items time to leave "
as he starts heading to the apartment exit to leave, suddenly, the dead corpse of the boy starts with move and rise again on its feet while the head is still smashed and half of it is gone, the man turns around to face it in fear and disgust to the terrifying scene that's unfolding in front of him.
" what the hell are you, you fucking freak, get away from me! " he drops lumen on the ground without any hesitation and starts running away from the apartment but the boy quickly catches up to him from behind and with one strong kick he drops on him the ground, but he doesn't end it there as he picks up a torn piece of broken glass and starts stabbing the man with his full force, the boy's head starts to grow the flesh and skin back out of nothing, then the skin grows too leaving him as he was never even shot through the head.
the man cries and screams in sheer pain as he gets stabbed, and the last thing his eyes saw before dying was the cold and almost lifeless eyes of the boy, they were so dark and empty that it felt like the boy was moving and breathing without having a single shred of soul inside his body, and with this last gruesome image, the man dies on the ground surrounded by his own pool of blood.
lumen watches in utter disbelief but another strange feeling builds up inside her, she tries to stand up and make the boy go back to his senses. " hey you idiot, wake the hell up, it's not time to be going all crazy, we have to leave "
but he doesn't listen and instantly goes outside to check for something, walking slowly and scanning the area as if he knows that someone is still there, and his hence was right, the last man was taking cover behind a car in the parking lot outside the apartment complex , holding his gun for deer life and praying for the boy not to notice him, and as he moves slowly to check his surroundings, he drops a lighter from his pocket, making a small faint noise.
" shit, that's the worst time ", he tries to pick up the lighter quickly but the silhouette of the boy behind him makes him freeze in terror.
he turns around and points the gun at him trying his best to maintain himself.
" what… what the hell do you want, get away from me or I'll shoot you, you want money??, I'll give you some just let me leave ", but the boy just stands there without saying a single word, just looking him right in the eyes with sheer menace.
" damn you, don't look down on me you little bastard ", the man shoots all his bullets, piercing the boy's body and filling it with holes, but the boy doesn't flinch or react, it almost looks like he's possessed by something, and he can't feel pain, the boy lifts his gun up to the man's head and with one shot from his trigger, he kills him instantly.
" you really managed to kill them all you freak, you've made such a bloody party out here, but you need to calm down and go back to your senses "
lumen points her gun at him, but not expecting to make much of a threat after the massacre that she had just witnessed, the boy starts to approach her with clear murderous intent but as he gets closer, suddenly his vision gets blurry, and he starts to find difficulty in being conscious.
" the drug finally starts working huh, it was smart of me to keep it in my pocket all this time , although i must admit that i thought it would never work on a monster like you "
The boy starts to bleed heavily from his eyes, and coughs blood rapidly before he faints and drops to the ground unconscious.
" hey hey what the hell is that, i only drugged you to make you sleep, this should not be happening, or it might be from something else, well no time for puzzles here, i bet get going "
she grabs the unconscious body of the boy and slips him into her car, she gets in the driving seat and starts driving while treating her wounds and trying to stop the bleeding,
After several hours, the boy wakes up to find himself sitting next to lumen in the car while she's still driving and smoking a cigarette.
" so it wasn't a dream huh, great, as if i needed more trouble "
" hey now don't be so gloomy after you just woke up, you were really wild back there, moving like a viscous beast or something "
" what are you even talking about, i don't remember much, last thing i remember is getting shot in the head, that's all "
" oh, so you really went on full blackout mode while doing that massacre, well to sum it up, after you got shot, you got back up and killed everyone brutally, you was even ready to attack me but i managed to drug you and here we are "
" wait cut that crap, you seriously expect me to believe that, how did i even get up again after my brain just got blown to pieces "
" well, since we both finally have some free time while driving, let me tell you a little about the situation you're in, and let me introduce myself more properly, I'm lumen, a former government agent in some secret branch you don't have to know about, i was running from those men in suits because they wanted to abduct me, and took this apartment complex as a hiding spot, and as i was searching the area around me to secure the place, i found you in one of the apartments, the door was open, and there was one of the men standing there wearing a suit just like the other we encountered, and you were there also, but the thing is, you were already dead on the ground, the man was holding a knife and you were bleeding from your neck, laying dead on the ground "
" Wait. Why were those government men after me in the first place, what do they want from me? "
" you tell me, after i killed him i started searching your body but i found nothing, no ID or student card, no driver license or anything that can lead me to knowing more information about you, you're like a ghost "
" that's some craze nonsense, i can't believe this, what should i do now "
" well whether you believe it or not is up to you boy, you can be delusional about it or just accept your new reality "
" that's easy for you to say, after you dragged me in your secret government bullshit, and shop calling me boy, it's irritating "
" then what should i call you, i don't even know your name, and you don't know either, but by the look of you, you seem to be eighteen years old or slightly older, yet you're still acting like a brat, grow up already boy "
" thanks, but i don't want a lecture from someone who claims that I'm some kind of immortal Ghost that gets revived each time i die "
" well that's what happened, i saw you die two times and yet you're still here alive and kicking, well i still have a lot of things to explain to you but i don't have energy so let me drive in peace for some moments "
" speaking of that, where are we even going, this is the highway and we're in the middle of the night, seems so suspicious "
" We're heading to the borders of this country of course, and j can't drive freely at morning "
" borders?, why are we going there?" Lumen gives a sigh of annoyance like she's fed up with all the questions and takes a slow drag from her cigarette to calm down.
" hey toro, had anyone ever told you that it's rude to keep asking questions and expect answers all the time "
" I want to know where the hell you're taking me and why I'm stuck in this mess without any memories of my past self, and who the hell is toro? "
" come on it's a cool name, i borrowed it from a manga that i love, it's your new name since you don't have one at the moment "
" Don't you dare call me that again, and stop avoiding questions "
" Then let's have a deal, you will shut up about all those things you want answers for until we get to our destination, then after we arrive, I'll try to answer as many of your questions as I can, ok toro? "
" Tsk, go to hell " but he complies and goes silent, leaving her to drive in silence while still smoking on her cigarette, the next hours pass by with quietness and a strange yet calm atmosphere around the two of them, leaving them to get lost in their thoughts, until they finally arrive at the borders.
" ok, time for work, get out of the car " they both get out and approach the borders, " it looks weird, is that really the borders, it's just some signs and wires blocking the road, i think you got this wrong we have to drive past it "
" no, we're already here, just go in front of the signs and check " toro approaches the signs in confusion wondering about what lumen is even thinking about, and suddenly, he feels a leg kicking his back from behind and pushing him past the wires blocking the road.
" hey what the hell is wrong with you, don't kick me out of no…. " before he can even continue to talk, he gets shocked by the scene in front of him, it's as if he crossed paths into another world, he realizes that he's now standing in a polluted desert, the air is thick and lethal to the point that he can't even take breathe for seconds, the ground is dead and without any signs of life or prosperity, it's as if he entered hell.
before he could even catch his breath, he starts cough vomit and blood all over, he wants to scream but he can't, his voice is not coming out and it looks like he's about to die again, but suddenly he feels an arm grabbing him from his jacket collar and pulling him back to the world behind the borders, he lifts his head up to see lumen standing next to him, she's saying something but he can't hear her because his ears are leaking blood.
" I thought that the best answer is to show you what we're dealing with rather than bore you with long essays of explanations "
he finally starts to regain his consciousness and the bleeding finally stops.
" why the hell did you do that, what was that? "
" this was the sight of what lies beyond the borders of this country, or should i say, beyond the borders of this world, hey do you still remember our country's name? "
" Gloria, don't assume that by just by losing my memory i wouldn't remember my country name, this land was built and protected by the hands of those who fought hard for its freedom and dignity, they offered their blood and sweat to achieve peace and freedom in this land, don't try mocking it "
lumen gives him a small smirk and she can't help but laugh a little " pff.. so than what they taught you, well i can't blame kids for having ideologies that were created by adults, you mentioned the this country fought for peace, but, can you name me other countries they fought against? "
Toro tries to speak and argue with her points but he falls silent as he realizes that he can't mention any other countries names, it's as if everything but Gloria had been wiped out from everyone's memory, he grins on his teeth in anger.
" just as i thought, you don't remember, well no one in this land remembers anyway, to put it simply for you, This land, Gloria, many years ago, it used to be called the united states of america, and everything beyond our borders now, is simply the other part of this world, it's destroyed and uninhabited right now because of this lethal pollution, so basically, the world as we know now is nothing compared to the large fields and the massive amount of landscapes and nature, many cultures and countries that were thriving with tradition and history at a certain time many years ago, well that's what happens when you cause a full on world war "
" a world war? " lumen looks in surprise at toro confusion, but then she remembers " oh right, i forgot that the citizens of this country are unfamiliar with this term "
" How do you know all this?Who are you? "
lumen takes another cigarette from her pocket and lights it up, takes a drag from it and proceeds to talk.
" Hey, would you believe me if I told you that I would… no, we will be the saviors of this world "
Toro looks in shock and disbelief, still at the ground as he's trying to form some words after all the unbelievable information his brain had been invaded with, but the only words he can confidently speak were this.
" you truly are, an insane woman "