The Outskirts (ITZY Shin Ryujin)

10

The voice sent shivers down Luke's spine as he inched further away from the man while still in bed. It was the unfamiliar voice from his dream.

The man with a head full of messy, curly locks cocked an eyebrow.

"So are you going to respond or was I talking to the air?" He asked.

Luke gulped, not wanting to engage in any of this man's motives but he wasn't budging.

"Who are you?" Was all Luke responded.

"Of course, I forgot. My name is Tinsel."

"Tinsel? As in the thing you wrap around Christmas trees?"

"Not that thing, you idiot. Tinsel is a tough, masculine name."

"It's really not-"

"Don't test me, human," Tinsel glared at him. "You don't know who you're messing with."

Luke cocked an eyebrow.

"Do I want to know?"

The man glowered, face growing red with anger.

"Weren't you scared of me just moments ago?"

"That was before I found out your name is Tinsel. It really made you seem ten times less intimidating."

He rolled his eyes.

"Look, this isn't the reason why I'm here."

"Then why are you here?"

"I think you'd remember from your dream. Beware of the girls... Especially Ryujin."

"Ryujin? She saved me from a siren... Or at least I think she saved me. She made it seem as though they are bad news."

"Just listen to me, Luke. Don't."

"And how do I know to trust you?"

"I know things you don't. I've been in the Outskirts the longest. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

"So what? Should I just leave? Can I even go back to the towns?"

He shook his head.

"You'll burn if you do. Now that you are used to living in radioactive conditions, you wouldn't survive there."

"Radioactive conditions?"

"Haven't you ever noticed the yellow-green air? And when you first came, didn't your skin burn before Lia gave you the medicine?"

Luke recalled the liquid Lia had injected into him when he had woken up for a moment after he was pulled in.

"So that's what it was..."

"Unless you have another medicine to help you get used to the non-radioactive condition, you can't go back. And unfortunately for you, one hasn't been made yet."

"Then what am I supposed to do? Run off?"

Tinsel shrugged.

"Precisely."

"Wouldn't there be worse things outdoors? Lia told me to never leave because the Outskirts is full of creatures that intend to kill me."

"Why, of course it is. But if you leave, I'll protect you. I have limited powers and time to do anything here. Their base has a security code and I can't stay for long. But outdoors, I can reveal to you my power. All you have to do is leave them-"

"Don't listen to him!" Luke's bedroom door burst open, revealing Ryujin. Her bed hair was dishevelled, face was puffy and eyes were red and heavy from exhaustion. Luke was almost surprised it was the same girl that lured him into the Outskirts.

"Ryujin. How've you been?" Tinsel approached her with a smile and open arms as if she was that relative you had been trying avoid throughout the whole family reunion but they still managed to find you.

"Shut it, Tinsel." She turned to face Luke. "Don't listen to a thing this twit tells you, yeah? He's bad news."

"Don't worry, honey," the man grinned. "I already told him about your dark secret. Think he'll trust you now?"

In no time, she grabbed a book Lia had placed on Luke's desk and threw it at Tinsel. It directly hit his nose, sending him stumbling backwards as he screamed out curses.

"I probably deserved that," Tinsel uttered once his nose stopped hurting as much but his words didn't stop him from pouncing on Ryujin.

If the other girls hadn't heard Tinsel's curses, they were sure to hear the loud thud of her falling to the ground.

And they did. Ryujin didn't even get time to wince at the feeling before Tinsel began attacking her. However, luckily at that point, the remaining four girls were at the doorway.

They were all dressed in their pyjamas which was mainly a baggy tee and shorts or checked bottoms. Not to mention they all, except Lia, had messy morning hair which was just as bad as Ryujin. Only Yeji's had to be ten times worse. Maybe it was because she was, in fact, 100% human.

Lia, on the other hand, showed no signs of just waking up apart from her long night-time gown. Her hair was neatly brushed back with a jewel encrusted hair clip to keep it in place. Her eyes were far from red and were sparkling while her face wasn't even the slightest bit puffy. Luke supposed it was due to being a stoneface. They were designed to be as elegant as one could possibly be. It got him wondering if stonefaces were already so perfect, what made Kingston Blue want to make a 'better invention', and wonder what exactly happened to the sirens.

Luke was snapped out of his thoughts when a hand cuffed around his wrist. It was cold, making him shiver but when he traced it up to Lia's face, he felt warm and giddy inside.

"Come on, Luke," she uttered, her face full of concern and urgency. This was the first time he had seen her face so distant from her usual soft smile. It made him practically jump out of the bed in terror. What if something horrible was actually happening and he hadn't even noticed?

Glancing in the direction on Tinsel and Ryujin, he saw blood staining the floor but he wasn't quite sure whose it belonged to. While Ryujin was beneath Tinsel and seemed to be losing, the latter had a good about of blood cascading down his face. Yeji, Yuna And Chaeryeong tried their hardest to break the fight up but we're all too scared to do a thing. And that was when Luke realised that Tinsel might actually be the creature Lia had been specifically meaning when she warned him of creatures trying to kill him.

One more glimpse at the fight before Lia completely dragged him out, and Luke saw it. Tinsel's face was pale blue with bruises and cuts and scars tattooed on it. Something about him seemed very much aquatic and it reminded Luke of a mermaid. Or at least that was before he opened his mouth to reveal his razor sharp teeth and slimy, black tongue.

It reminded him of Ryujin when she first pulled him into the Outskirts and when she almost killed him in his dream. He shivered at the thought but it never left his mind. Could Tinsel and Ryujin be the same creature? And if so, why were they trying to protect him from the other? Or maybe, they were trying to steal him from the other. Either way, an unsettling feeling grew deep down within him, making him want to vomit. Something about all of this was off. And all of it had something to do with him.