Kayo saw a greenish aura swirling around a male figure standing in the thick smoke. The smoke rolled… drifted… faded away slowly, layer by layer, letting Kayo's blurry vision settle on the silhouette ahead. The fading aura dimmed along with the smoke—fzzz… fzzz…—until the figure finally came into view.
A tall man, perfectly still, stood before him.
Kayo's eyes scanned him from head to toe.
A white man… low taper fade haircut… coffee-colored hair… clean, sharp face… striking green eyes. He was weirdly dressed, in attire Kayo had never seen. A long pipe was affixed to the side of his neck, curving behind him and into a large backpack strapped over his back.
_________________________________________
{Man's POV}
Kayo looked to him like a newborn baby.
Clothes soaked with his own blood… bluish fluid smudged around his mouth… pale skin… white hair… slit blue eyes… long eyelashes. His clothes were torn, hanging off his body. An unusual mark glowed faintly on his neck: three circles combined inside a triangle, thin lines of aura leaking from the hub.
Kayo's hands were bleeding.
________________________________________
The man spoke first.
"So," he asked calmly, "you are a criminal, or were you falsely executed?"
Kayo blinked, taken aback. His throat quivered as he muttered, "Huh…?"
A moment passed-drip… drip…-blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He immediately crouched down.
Zip! He opened his backpack and pulled out a strange black roll. Tore a strip off. Shrrrip! Black bandage. He rubbed ointment on Kayo's injured arm, smear, smear, and wrapped the bandage tight around it.
Kayo flinched, pulling his hand back. "Why?" he coughed.
"I am not a criminal," the man quietly replied.
And as he uttered that, something flashed into his memory.
FLASHBACK — WHOOSH!
He was tied to a pole, the thick ropes digging into his skin. Spikes jabbed his back.
He screamed, "I am not a criminal! I am innocent! Please leave me!!"
His voice cracked as he kept shouting, "I am not guilty! I'm not guilty!!"
But the crowd only roared louder—
"EXECUTE!"
"EXECUTE!"
"EXECUTE!"
CRACK!
The executioner slammed his staff to the ground and opened the portal. Without mercy, they threw the man into it. He fell, still screaming for forgiveness, until his voice disappeared in a place nobody could hear.
Present.
Kayo coughed again. "Wha. what's your na. name?"
The man wiped his eyes. "Sparsh. And yours?"
"Kayo. Kayo Rashek… Rashek is my dad's name…" he coughed again. "My dad's name.
Sparsh took out a small bottle, unscrewed its cap—click—and said, "Open your mouth."
Kayo obeyed.
Drip… drip… drip… three drops of syrup fell onto his tongue.
Then Sparsh offered his hand. Kayo grasped it weakly and pulled himself up and stood.
FWEEEEET!
Sparsh whistled sharply.
A firm voice echoed from behind, "So! He whistled."
A man wiped the truck's mirror—wipe, wipe—and started the engine.
VROOOOM!
The truck rolled towards them. A huge cargo truck with spikes on its wheels and graffiti splashed all over the trailer. Sparsh ushered Kayo gently ahead.
"Sit," he said softly.
Creak—Screak—Krrrk!
The trailer doors opened. Shhhhhhhh—smoke flowed out everywhere.
As that cleared
"Hello champ."
Several voices said in unison.
Kayo blinked. He couldn't understand what was happening. A girl stepped forward and offered her hand to help him inside. Sparsh climbed in. Then—
Creak—Screak!
The doors slammed shut. Everyone settled down.
Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
For an entire mile, nobody said a word.
The girl finally broke the silence.
"What did you do to get executed?"
Kayo swallowed hard. "I… I don't remember anything I have done. I only remember people shouting… EXECUTED!"
Some people gave him suspicious grins.
Some gave him gentle, trusting ones.
Kayo continued, "But I want to get out of this place anyhow. Where… where are we?"
Everyone was silent again, as if teasing him in their minds—wants to escape but doesn't even know the place's name.
Sparsh finally answered.
"Park is the name of this place. The portal they threw you into… that place is Park."
He breathed deeply-PUFF-and continued,
"Criminals or falsely accused people are all thrown into Park.
He paused again, and asked carefully,
"Do you remember anything about your powers?"
No human being can survive falling from that height. That's why Sparsh asked him.
Kayo shook his head. "No… I don't remember. Do I… have powers?"
Sparsh nodded, but he did not look satisfied.
The truck suddenly halted-JERK!
Creak—Screak!
The doors swung open. Everybody stepped out into the open.
Kayo had fallen asleep. Sparsh carried him gently on his back.
The landscape stretched wide, cliffs… towering trees… some trees burning… others strangely blue. A colony-like settlement was made up of row after row of tents. The air smelled metallic. Bzzzz… bzzzz… weird insects buzzed around.
It wasn't paradise.
Wasn't hell either.
It was a place where leaving was almost impossible.
Sand everywhere, no roads, just a harsh and deserted spread of land.
Next Day.
Kayo sat on a couch with several others. The girl from earlier walked towards him.
"Hello Kayo. Am Enie."
Enie was beautiful. Black hair tied in a bun. Red eyes. Wearing the same strange outfit as Sparsh.
Kayo was thinking, Why are there suddenly so many people….?
He replied simply: "Nice to meet you. Where am I?"
"You're at Radiators HQ."
"What?"
"Kayo," she explained, "people who were falsely accused and executed come together to escape Park. We call our group the Radiators."
So much information was hitting Kayo at once that his head felt heavy.
He finally asked, "Can I… also get out?"
"Yes. Of course."
"How… how do we get out?"
Enie didn't answer. Instead, she just stepped aside.
Sparsh walked in, carrying a black briefcase—thud.
He handed it to Kayo and told him to change.
Kayo entered a tent, changed, and came back. Now his outfit matched Sparsh's and Enie's.
BEEP—BEEP—BEEP!
A shrill emergency siren pierced through the tents.
The receptionist slammed her hand on the desk-THUD!
"Another peril state, Sparsh"
________________________________________
*
"I'll protect my friends even if I have to kill you!"
Kayo yelled at a girl who sat casually atop the bulky man from the truck, his body lying motionless on the floor. The ground was soaked in dark, thick, sticky blood.
Nobody was behind Kayo anymore.
The girl smirked.
"Come on then. Try. Try! I love people who protect their friends. Come on, you idiot."
Kayo lunged forward-FWIP-and charged at her.
Dash! Dash! Dash!
His feet barely touched the ground. Only his toes tapped the surface—
Tap… crack.
Tap… crack.
Tap… crack.
Every step caused the earth to split slightly with him.