The Outskirts (ITZY Shin Ryujin)

1

"We're going to be in so much trouble," Max whispered hoarsely to his friend as he hoisted himself over the wall.

Luke stood on the other side, gazing off the jackpot ahead of them with a sheepish grin.

The wind blew weakly at their bodies. Goosebumps kissed their exposed skin and send shivers up and down their tall frames. The frosty spring air was still recovering from the cold of winter but still, neither boy wore a jacket.

Max was a lot chubbier than Luke and he was less fit. Then again, Luke was constantly on the run. Being one of the most wanted people in the country isn't an easy title to maintain without being caught.

Max wasn't a criminal. Max wasn't a troublemaker. Max wasn't curious. But his friend was and was always somehow dragged into the mix.

"Not unless we get caught," Luke said as if it were the most casual thing on Earth. As if everyone stole random parts, pieces and machinery from old abandoned factories that once were the best thing that happened to Ferne.

So much about the country has changed in the last few centuries. It's hard to believe at some point Ferne was the most economically developed country in the world and yet now it's ignored completely but they are surrounded by evidence. Evidence that a Fernian was the first to invent technology. Evidence that a Fernian was the first to invent a car. Evidence that it was in fact a Fernian who landed on the moon first and not an American. Fernian did all that. And now no one has heard of them.

Books are the best pieces of evidence Luke has ever placed his hands on. Such juicy, beautiful content hidden in a fragile leather cover and ripped, brown-ish pages. Most are burnt and hard to read but he learnt how to read between the lines. Others are only burnt at the edges but the most rare ones are the ones that are just layered with sand. No damage done. Out of the five-hundred and forty-eight books Luke has found, only one was like that. And it was a old Fernian history textbook.

The second best piece of evidence is old buildings. Iris, where they live, is full of them. Although most have been bulldozed, few still remain. They stand tall and act as borders. Borders to what, you might ask. The answer is simple: borders separating town from its outskirts.

Ferne has a population of eight-hundred and forty thousand people, all of which are distributed within towns. Carys is the more quiet town, much like a modern day countryside or rural area. Avery is the most advanced town. The capital city of Ferne with all the shops, restaurants, houses and more. Iris is the oldest town to have survived.

When the nuclear explosion happened centuries ago, all the other towns had to start from scratch. Iris was the only one remaining. This is why it's packed with old buildings and whatnot. This is also what sparked Luke's dangerous curiosity.

"Luke," Max yelled a bit now, making the latter turn to him.

"Yes?"

"This is dangerous. Anything could happen."

The building before them now had been made out of metal sheets and Luke was sure it must have been stronger and more pleasant to look at before as compared to now. Rust had eaten up most of the metal and everything looked weak, as if it would fall at any given moment. It had to be at least twenty metres tall at some point but now it was split into two. One side in Iris, the other in the outskirts.

Luke examined it a bit. It was a peculiar building. One that always interested him but it had to be the closest to the outskirts. Now don't get me wrong, he loved finding stuff like this but this mission was just suicide.

He noted how the split in the middle was so sharp, so clean. It's impossible for it to have collapsed due to a natural disaster or corrosion. And the only material that could cut metal so perfectly was a Fernian diamond. The hardest, strongest and sharpest material in the whole Solar System. But these diamonds could only be found in the forbidden outskirts.

Luke shuddered.

"You're right. But I have to. I've read so many stories, Max, and found so much evidence. All of it. Every last bit. It point back to this place. Whatever is is and why it's so important, I'll never know until I enter. Don't you get it? This is the missing piece of the puzzle. This is the answer."

"Answer to what?"

"Why Ferne is the way it is. We were once the most economically developed country. We were once millinniums ahead of every other countries. Why are we suddenly forgotten? Why is the island always photoshopped out of satellite images of the Earth? And why is it masked with the stupid title 'The Bermuda Triangle' when they know exactly what we are, huh?" He paused when he realised he was shouting. The fact that his own home country was seen in this light by the rest of the world hurt him. Why was it so hated? He lowered his voice to a whisper. "And why are the people out there the way they are? Why aren't they human?"

It was obvious who 'the people out there' were. The people in the outskirts. Looking at them, they were visibly human but then things they do. The way they act. None of it can be considered human.

They are monsters. But why?

If you couldn't tell already, I'm a huge JYP fan XD. I hope you guys enjoy this story and are as excited for Itzy's debut as I am.

~SpicyThaiChicken