章 29: - As Above, So Below

It was not a smooth landing. Not even close.

First was the impact on the atmosphere of the planet. Hyunji squinted, watching as flashes of orange and yellow flames poured off the outside of the ship.

She glanced over. Jade was squeezing his eyes shut, gripping the armrests of his chair.

Min-jun still sat behind her, looking out the window with a bored expression. How could he be so calm?

Sofia was holding on to Dante's arm. "We're gonna fucking die!"

"No no no! Just hang on for one more second," Kenji mumbled with frustration.

Everyone lurched forward as the ship came in contact with an object, the shrieking sound of tearing metal piercing their ears.

"Sorry," Kenji said. "I just hit a skyscraper."

A second later, they had skidded to a stop.

They stumbled out of the ship one by one, each taking in their new surroundings. Hyunji looked up in awe. There were buildings surrounding them, each thousands of meters tall, piercing the clouds. Even more mesmerizing, there seemed to be another city in the sky, though it was so far away, Hyunji couldn't be sure.

Everything above them was beautiful.

But where the ship had landed, it was a different story.

"We're pretty close to my friend's shop. I landed us a little far away, but it should be a short walk." Kenji said, interrupting Hyunji's thoughts. He beckoned them with his hand, and the group followed him down the road. Hyunji kicked through trash as she walked, her boots squelching in a thick mud like substance. This place was…vulgar.

"Where the hell are we, Kenji?" She asked, glancing around. There was only a small amount of light, filtering down from the luminescent lights of the city far, far above. There was a scraping sound, and she looked over. There was a group of small kids kicking a ball in an alley.

Little monsters, Hyunji thought.

"Yeah…this place is a little different than I remembered. It's a lot more…gloomy," Kenji replied, glancing around.

"When was the last time you were here?" Jade asked.

Kenji thought for a moment. "I wanna say…seven years. Yeah. Those were the days. Anyways, let's find Terry. It's just around this corner. Damn…why'd they make it so hard to see? I swear it's darker now."

Hyunji rolled her eyes. "Did you happen to last visit during the daytime?"

Kenji scratched his head. "Actually…yeah. That would explain it. Well, anyways, his place is right up here."

They arrived in front of the mechanical shop, a sign dangling from its last nail.

"Terry's Workshop, Now Open!" The sign read.

Kenji walked in the front door, which had been propped open. "Terry, you home?"

Someone who was in another room of the shop came sprinting out past the group, clutching something tightly in their arms.

"What the fuck?" Kenji asked with surprise. He shook his head and walked to the back room. Hyunji followed close behind, looking around warily. Min-jun, Jade, Dante, and Sofia stayed behind, exploring the lobby.

Hyunji followed Kenji into the back room, where Terry was slumped over, a hat covering his head. He sat in the back corner of the room, gripping a shiny revolver in one hand.

"Terry! You awake?" Kenji asked, stepping up to his friend. He reached out, pulling up the hat. The face beneath made Hyunji sick. His eyes were rolled in the back of his head, skin and flesh peeling back. She noticed something else. A syringe, still hanging out of his neck. The veins around it were purple and enlarged.

Kenji reached out a hand, placing it on the opposite side of Terry's neck. He paused for a moment. "He's dead."

"Damn," Hyunji cursed. "How're we going to get the ship fixed now?"

Kenji shook his head. "I don't know. What the hell happened to you, Terry?"

"He shot himself up with something," Hyunji said, pulling the syringe from their neck. Upon closer inspection, she saw that there were a few drops of purple liquid left.

"Terry wasn't like this…," Kenji said with dismay. "He was a respectable shop owner. A good guy. I don't understand."

Hyunji tossed the syringe off to the side. She reached for the revolver in Terry's hand, wrenching it from his grip. "I'll take this." Pushing out the cylinder, she smiled. "And it's loaded too." She looked up at Terry. "Thanks for the present."

He stared back at her with his dead, white eyes.

A growl emanated from deep within his throat and he lunged forward, wrapping his cold hands around Hyunji's neck. Terry's weight forced her to the ground, and she began to choke. Drool poured from his mouth, splattering on her face. His eyes had rolled back in place, bulging and red.

The gun was still in her hand, Hyunji realized. She brought it up, but Terry placed a knee on her shoulder. He pushed down even harder on her throat.

Purple liquid covered Hyunji's face, and Terry's head flopped down next to her. His limp body fell to the side, dead.

Hyunji wiped the purple liquid out of her eyes and looked up.

Kenji stood above her, holding his katana, which dripped with the purple blood. "Hyunji, are you okay?"

She didn't respond. Something was wrong. The blood had gotten in her mouth. It was sweet, but also bitter. She began to gag and cough, spitting it out.

Kenji wiped his finger across his blade. "This isn't blood…." He glanced back over at the syringe, and Hyunji knew what he was thinking.

She stood and immediately stumbled. Her head felt fuzzy, the same kind of buzz she got from whiskey. She coughed into her hand, covering it with more of the purple liquid. The poison…it was in her.

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