fatal flaw - kang sae-byeok

(2)

a scream. it tells a thousand stories.
it leads to a thousand questions. where? why? who? are they in danger? am i in danger?
those were the thoughts that mia was met with when she woke.

she had been to hell and back. and then back to hell. the past few days were filled with violence, uncertainty, and a bittersweet feeling of loneliness. although she had hated being alone before, she found safety and security in the sentiment, whilst in there. besides, you can still be lonely whilst sitting with a group of people.

everyone wanted to win. they'd do anything. threaten, fight, even murder; betray their best friend, their lover. all fuelled by the desire for the thing that makes the world go round, changes lives, ruins them.

money.

these people, some innocent, some not, were blinded by their overwhelming, desperate greed. and mia was no different, despite what she liked to believe. they were forced to be characters on a screen, racing horses, items at the hands of the people who could just sit and observe, hands clean of any blood.
or so they told themselves.

that scream rang out louder and louder, before it stopped. a moment of tranquility. the calm before the storm.
before all hell broke loose.

but like they say, all's fair in love and war.

darkness. although she didn't know what lurked behind it, mia had always found comfort in it. the monsters were hidden. she thought that as long as she couldn't see them, they couldn't see her.
she couldn't have been more wrong.

flashing lights erupted from the darkness, suddenly pulling her out of her imaginary safety net. nobody was safe there. not even the flies on the walls.

heavy breaths were muffled by ambiguous bangs and clashes, until screams and yells began to bounce off the walls. it seemed that everyone was in hysterics for no reason other than one woman screaming. they were sheep. you had to have been to end up in a place like that.

mia shuddered as she could identify the slashing of skin a few feet away from her. she could almost feel the warm blood trickling down her own arm. that was the moment she knew. it was time to abandon her calm and collected persona. she wouldn't survive another day like that. she had to bite the bullet.

she heard heavy, angry footsteps approaching, and abandoned all attempts at tactics. zigzagging through the bodies, some still, some not, she frantically scanned the maze, searching for something. a sense of structure. something that felt the tiniest bit safe.
it was ridiculous for her to even hold the tiniest bit of hope.

eyes scanning the scene, they locked onto a pair. darker than hers. their eyebrows were furrowed, as if they were making a decision. mia had thought maybe they had recognised her from the outside, or saw that she was also alone and wanted to form an alliance. she couldn't have been more wrong.

launching out of the shadows, the owner of the beady orbs was a large man, face littered with wrinkles and splattered with blood. his true expression was hidden behind an army of tattoos, although mia could make out a blood-thirsty look, a look of determination.
she left no time for decisions, as she spun on her heels and attempted to navigate the jungle of violence, whilst keeping her distance from her predator.

she had always resented people who underestimated her. she may have been reserved and polite, but she could hold her own. unfortunately for him, this man treated her like everyone else had, like she was a child.

suddenly, things got all too real. a cold, damp object was held against her lower back. it sent shudders through her body, as she could feel her palms begin to sweat. the blade was held firmly. was she about to die? or was her attacker simply too scared? guilty?

in one swift motion, mia shook herself out of her shocked freeze-frame and defended herself. she gathered all of her dwindling energy and kicked. hard. perhaps it was the adrenaline, but mia had never felt so powerful. although this wasn't something that she'd make a habit of.

carefully, feeling along the blood-stained floor, she obtained the item that was formally against her. finders, keepers.

she decided it would be best to steer clear of any more tigers, so mia did her best to blend into the crowd. that was, until she was struck again.

before she had time to react, mia was taken hostage by someone. her forearm was yanked, sweeping her off her feet and landing her in the middle of a huddle of people. in that moment, she was either about to die, or she was being spared. there was absolutely nothing that she could do to alter her fate.
she felt a burning sensation as a sea of eyes stared into her, but she was never one to enjoy the attention.

she received the cold looks from a middle aged man, littered with smile lines; mia thought he looked nice, wholesome, an old man, who didn't look like the game would bode well for him, 2 younger men, one beaming at her with a smile so warm that she felt her shoulders relax for the first time in days, and a man with glasses, wearing a definite scowl. mia gathered that it wasn't his idea to recruit her.

finally, knelt next to her, was a girl, similar to mia's age. she still had a grip on her arm, as mia concluded that it was the girl's fault that she was crumpled on the floor. after darting her eyes between the group, she had concluded that she wasn't in any imminent danger, confirmed by the indian man's warm smile.

''we stick together''.

three words. the power of three. mia knew it would all be ok.

like a movie, the scene came alive again. mia was forced back into reality.

she lost sight of the quiet, yet clearly compassionate girl, as she was left to fend her herself.

screams, cries, swears, all bouncing off the walls in a way that could easily blind all of your senses.

a naive woman stood at the door, begging to escape. there was no escape from there. just like there was no escape from debt. that's why that scene was unfolding. they were trying to do the impossible. escape.

'you had your chance' mia thought.

somehow, the old man from before had found himself on a podium. a stage, almost, as he wailed to no one in particular.

''stop'', he ordered, ''i'm scared'', that was enough to make mia tear up, although this sympathy was quickly washed away when she remembered why she was there. much to mia's surprise, the game obeyed. the lights beamed and soldiers red and black clad, stormed the room. the players were pushed to the edges as the soldiers examined the damage.

mia was almost huddled with someone sporting a number '67' on their back.

despite the wave of heavy breaths and gasps, an overwhelming, eerie silence washed over the room. those with any kind of empathy were instantly filled with guilt and regret, it seemed the bright lights exposed their true selves. and those who were careless just sat back and watched.

mia felt almost defeated, but not quite. she looked up and saw that somebody was already looking at her.

number 67.
but this time, she could match a number to the face.