Beyond the Walls

Dreams and Reality

The silent crying of Elijah took more than half an hour. He was like a child that had been reunited to his parents after being lost. Lucas took Elijah’s cries silently but he made sure, he gave warmth to his comrade. He patted and repeatedly said “It’s okay.” from time to time.

Elijah is now lying on the floor with his back facing Lucas.

“Are you sleeping?” Lucas asked.

“...”

Lucas smiled. “You can’t be sleeping, we are on watch duty… I should wake Kiko then.” He teased him.

Elijah’s body perked up and stood sitting but his back still facing Lucas.

“I, I am awake.”

“I see.” Lucas nods.

Lucas' silence was comforting to Elijah. He never let out his feelings to anyone and he was internally glad that he chose the right person to tell. He cleared his throat and slowly turned his body forward.

“Are you okay now?”

Elijah was surprised, he almost jumped out and his heart almost fell out. “!.. Ah! Yes!”

“Shhhh!!”

Lucas immediately covered Elijah’s mouth.

*Flap flap

“EIIIIIIRK! EIIIIRK!!”

Thankfully the nearby mutant didn’t spot them.

“Sorry…” Elijah apologizes in a whisper.

“Ah… Your eyes… Can you still see anything?” Lucas asked after seeing that Elijah’s eyes are puffy. He already has thin slanted eyes to begin with but with his crying earlier it swelled. Now his eyes looked like it was stung by bees.

Elijah immediately released himself and cower near the moonlight where he carefully let a light come and shine at the mirror he is holding.

“Holy Moly… I looked like shit.” He hissed.

A small laugh on the side was let out by Lucas. Elijah is back to his usual self.

“Don’t ever tell this to anyone!” Elijah warned sternly and seriously but it was hard to keep a straight face when he was looking like that.

Elijah gave up and massaged his eyes while lying on the floor.

“Ughh. That’s not how I expected it to go…” He complained while groaning.

“...”

“Hey, Lucas, Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“You said you were an outlander for years right?”

“Yes.”

“I think, I know why sometimes you look different from your usual self… I think You are like me.” Elijah brought himself to sitting before he continued.

“I was a thief for as long as I can remember. Though I said I would quit, because I’ve been through hell because of it and I don’t want to experience it again… but deep down I know I can’t change my nature, It’s part of who I am. I am always a thief just like how you are always an outlander.--- Hahaha. It’s just my thoughts…” Elijah laughed at the end but he continued but Lucas was already on his thoughts.

Time went by and when Lucas sees Elijah’s head is swinging and trying his best to stay awake, Lucas decides it’s time to shift.

Kiko and Aaron took their place.

“Good night man.” Elijah said while yawning.

“Yeah. Good night Elijah.” Lucas said back.

Elijah was fast asleep while Lucas put his hand on his head to act as a pillow and he tried several times to fall asleep but his mind was wandering back to what Elijah had said.

‘I can’t change my nature, It’s part of who I am. I am always a thief just like how you are always an outlander…’

Outlanders. That’s the official name for people who lived outside the walls for years…

‘That’s our label nowadays… but before that they were known by different names.’ Lucas thought as he dozed off.

In his mind, he is now voluntarily searching for his memories, for the first time. He seeks it, first.

Visions are starting to appear like pictures and videos in an irregular and chaotic manner. Frowningly, Lucas didn’t stop. He can see the previous memories he had seen before. The birthday cake, the birthday song, the news, then the screams, explosions, cries and shouts. The deeper he digs the darker the images he keeps seeing. His mother’s tears. Their companion’s betrayal, the transition of his mother’s expression, on the last of it was the man in white drenched shirt. His sleeves are rolled messily, his blonde hair is down. He has an ax on his left hand and a gun on his right. His features are still as blurry as ever but Lucas can see his mouth moving. He is saying something, Lucas can’t make out of it.

*Drip

As if Lucas is walking on water, every step he makes the water move.

The man was gone and replaced by an old red door. He came closer to it and when it’s on arm’s length he saw that it wasn’t a red door. It was a white door tainted in dark red paint. The blackish red color was flowing like a thick slimy liquid dripping down.

Looking down there was no handle or anyway to open it.

*Drip drip

As if it was the only color in his darkened world, he sees a pool of the same color liquid as the door flowing out to his bare feet.

‘Blood.’ He realized but there was no sense of urgency nor panic.

It was... It felt normal.

*Creak

Soon the knobless door is creaking open slowly. It stopped from opening and just showed nothing in the inch space.

There is something seducing him to come closer and when he reaches for it…

A bloody eye opened and stared at him so closely.

Pair of hands had stopped him from coming in. He slightly looked up.

It was that woman in white coat. She is more than a head taller than him. Her hand felt real but she was as faceless as the first time he had seen her. There was nothing in her features but her long black hair dangling down in her shoulder.

“Lucas, you can put the scary memories away, just put them right behind the door.”

Mouthless but her compelling voice is so sweet to his ears.

“...put them behind the door and don’t open the door.” She continued her angelic voice tempting him to step away from the door.

“...That’s right. Take out only what you need… You don’t need those scary memories anymore… you are safe within the walls.”

He begins to listen to the voice serenading him. One step, two steps…five steps.

*Creak

Looking back, he saw the door closing little by little.

“That’s right, you are now safe…”

He slowly looked up and the faceless woman was getting faraway. He tries to reach for her but she keeps backing away with open arms like she is telling to run to her arms.

Then at one step, the water seemed to be whispering something to him.

"It must've been tough. I can't imagine how the young you survive in such…. Hell. "

It was Hiraya’s voice.

'What was it like the previous world?’

Then it was Donald’s.

As he kept on moving forward, the conversations he previously had with others had repeated back to him.

*Thud

Overwhelmed by the surge of conversations he is hearing in his head, his knees give out. He put his hands on his ears. Futile attempt to block the noise.

“Stop…” He mumbled

But the flood of noise didn’t stop.

“STOP!!! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!” He shouted in tears.

“Why?”

The noise was lessened after a man’s voice spoke to him.

In tears he opened his shut eyes. He was greeted by familiar worn out shoes. He traces it up.

“...!”

He is looking up to himself. Identical to what he was wearing during the games the man wearing the same face as him was looking down at him with indifferent eyes.

“Why?” He asked again. The coldness in this man’s eyes sent shivers to his spine.

Familiar yet unfamiliar. Conflicted but somehow he knows the man.

“You don’t know who I am? I thought my face would give it away.” Asked the man.

“..w,who are y,you? W,where am I?” tremblingly he asked, unable to look at the man.

The man squatted down and it’s blank cold eyes felt like Lucas was being undressed and all his thoughts were out in the open. “Stop acting stupid. It’s getting tiring. People around you already noticed it.”

“N,notice w,what?”

“You don’t hear it?”

“What–!!!!”

The noise started to get louder again and his vision was distorted.

“...You are no Hero.” Athena looked at him with a snide smirk and scrutinizing gaze before walking away

“...You sometimes scare the hell out of me.” Aaron looked at him with a surprised face.

“…It’s like I am dealing with two different people.” Elijah complained.

“Just how many faces do you have?”

The scene all throughout the games, flashes through his head. Feels like he had run through a marathon, his heart and head pounding hard.

Looking up, the man with the same face as him. He is waiting quietly but not patiently.

“I… know you.” He blurted out.

Lucas finally knows who this man is.

“Finally. Hello, Lucas.” The man greeted with a side smile.

This man in front of him, is the same man, he had seen the videos during the ranking part. He is also the same man who resurfaces from time to time during the games.

He is…him.