district 9; bang chan

-4

+ha eunhae

time moves by slowly, the creaking and clacking eliminating any conversation. around half an hour ago, i guess, my cheek stopped bleeding but, not without trailing blood down my face.

as my eyes begin to feel heavy, the piercing screech of the brakes has yerim and i raising our heads. the muffled sounds of feet on gravel, get louder before the the wooden door is swung open.

'get out, the two of you.' the guards enter the carriage and grab our arms and forcefully remove us despite neither of us resisting. 'you're looking rough.'

the guard seems amused at the sight of my cheek before i turn my head. a red brick wall stretches for what seems like miles in each way. it's also towers over us, maybe eight feet or taller. 

before i can take any further glances, a rough shove draws my attention to a large metal gate. it resembled those of a safe in that it was made of thick metal however, it only had a lock securing the two sides together.

we approach the gate, guided by the guards as they unlock them before pushing us through and we're met with another gate made of barbed wire.

behind the barbed wire is what looks like a town, only deserted and wasting away. it was similar to the many on the outskirts of major cities, although instead of being fully developed and inhabited, it was empty.

the guards fiddle with the lock, their grips still painfully tight. finally, we're thrown roughly through the barbed wire and onto the rough concrete floor. i wince from the impact as seulgi is just behind us although she's more rowdy and resistant.

'you will fucking pay for this!' she finishes as she's thrown down next to us. she huffs, still shooting daggers at the guards with her eyes.

'welcome to district 9, strays.' a guard tells us a smile plastered to his lips, before they all disappear behind the wall. a loud crash confirms their exit yet, i sit still until i hear the train depart distantly. 

seulgi and yerim both inspect the place which is now our home, hesitating to take a step forward. forcing myself up, i make my way next to seulgi.

'fuck, eunhae your cheek!' seulgi says as i catch her attention, her eyes trained to the cut. 'it looks deep!'

'it'll be fine, now let's go find someone.' i dismiss her concern and begin to take a proper look at our surroundings. 

taking the risk, we begin walk through the streets, all of them deserted. it felt wrong and eerie, the buildings varied in condition, some looking as if they were only a few years old whilst others crumbled. my mind slips momentarily into the memories of warmth and comfort of my life, old life.

'oh my gosh! seulgi! yerim!' a girly scream is heard, making all three of us jump and immediately whip our head round. relief washes over me, seeing someone who we knew and could trust.

'joy!' they shout back, excitement spilling. sooyoung pulls them into a tight hug, smiles prominent on all of their faces. shyly, i look away and to the surrounding, attempting to not invade on their moment.

'eunhae, right?' sooyoung asks and i nod. 'how did a good girl like you end up here?'

i laugh lightly in response, shrugging and she shakes her head with disbelief. 

'come with me.' she starts to three of us.

we're guided through the streets, small talk sparking between us. a lot of sooyoung informing us of things, the others asking how she is etc. 

eventually, we end up at a more suburban area, the noise of bird chirping settling slightly. all the houses identical to each other, the empty houses spark an eeriness as we walk past them.