On The Other Side

Episode 007: Arrival

                "Olivia left?! Why?" Mi-Ok asked. "I'm not sure. I told her to wait while I helped you two, but she said no, and that she'd be better off on her own. Then she left." Eli knew that everything he had just said was a lie, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Mi-Ok what had really happened. That didn't stop the memory from replaying countless times in his head, though. "No! Why save them?! I worked so hard to make sure that they wouldn't kill you, but you're going to ruin everything!" Olivia had covered her mouth after saying that. She had known she shouldn't have said that. "What are you talking about? Did you set this up?!" Eli had exclaimed, outraged. "Fine! This was all planned, right from the very moment you all saved me. I made a deal with the monsters. I promised them I would befriend a group, then lead said group straight to the monsters. If I did that, they would let me live. Then, I met you, and I couldn't let them kill you. Don't go risking your life for them! Let's get out of this world together and live happy lives! Please, Elijah." she had pleaded. "No. There is no place for a traitor in our group. Leave now, or I'll kill you instead of simply allowing the monsters to do it if they catch up to you. I suppose they won't be too happy about you failing to hold up your end of the deal." Eli had said coldly. Olivia had fallen to the ground when Eli had forced her to release her grasp on his arm." Then, he had run towards the monsters to save Mi-Ok and Hyun-Ki.

                With Olivia gone, everything was quiet, for a few days, at least. Mi-Ok still didn't understand why Olivia had left so suddenly, though. As she followed Eli, Mi-Ok realized something. They had never really thought about how they would get out of this world. They had all just assumed there was a way to get back to their world, but what if there wasn't? What if they were stuck here for the rest of their lives, with no way to get back to their families, no way to comfort them, or tell them where they were, or even that they were still alive. She decided to that she should say something to Eli, since he had been there the longest, so he was the most likely to know if there was a way to get back. "Eli, are you sure that there's a way to get out of here? I mean, what if there isn't? We can't just keep looking for a way to get back that we aren't even sure exists forever." "I have a theory that will determine whether there is a way to get back or not. We just have to keep traveling for a few more days, then we should reach the place. Once we get there, I'll be able to make sure that my theory is correct." Eli told her. "Oh, alright..." she replied, not completely satisfied with the answer she had been given.

                Two days passed, and Eli still hadn't given any signs that they were nearing the place he had mentioned. "Eli, can I talk to you for a moment?" What Hyun-Ki said sounded more like a command than a question. "Ah, sure. Wait here, Mi-Ok." Eli responded. They walked just out of earshot of Mi-Ok, and Eli said, "What is it you wanted to talk about?" "Did you really think that I wouldn't see anything?" Hyun-Ki asked. "What are you talking about?" Eli asked, oblivious as to what Hyun-Ki could be talking about. "What you did to Olivia! I might not have seen much, but I saw the fear in her eyes when you pushed her to the ground! Did you plan for the monsters to surround Mi-Ok and I, but Olivia got in your way, so you got rid of her? Are you going to get rid of us too, once you no longer find us useful? Is everything you said to Mi-Ok about a 'way to get back' a setup, too?" Hyun-Ki was spewing questions faster than Eli could answer them. It was clear that he was outraged, and that he felt betrayed. "Oh, so that's what this is about. Well, I'm afraid you're mistaken. You've got it backwards, actually-" "And why should I believe you?!" Hyun-Ki interrupted. "Do believe me, don't believe me, it doesn't really affect me either way. Just know that I truly want to help you and Mi-Ok get back to where you both belong, safe from these monsters, and in your own world." Eli seemed to be telling the truth, but Hyun-Ki still wasn't completely convinced. "Wait, but, what did you mean when you said you can 'test a theory' at the place that we're going to?" "I can't really go into detail about that, but, when I was looking at the dead monsters in the aprtment building, something i saw gave me a theory that I'll be able to test there." Eli told him. Now Hyun-Ki was more confident that Eli was telling the truth, but the fact that Eli had said that he 'couldn't go into detail' made it seem like someone- or something- was not allowing him to, which made Hyun-Ki uneasy.

                Two more days passed, and they finally reached the building that Eli said he could test a theory at. They entered the building. It was a courthouse. Mi-Ok followed Eli up the broken escalator, Hyun-Ki directly behind her. Eli stopped as they reached a door on the third floor. Mi-Ok peered through the window, covering her mouth as she saw something that she never would've expected. Inside the room was a monster. It's one, large eye was cloudy, which she figured meant that it must be blind. It's body was covered in scars and, unlike most of the monsters, it was completely alone. It must have sensed their presence, because it stood up. But, what scared Mi-Ok even more than that was that, in a low, grumbling voice, it said, "You've arrived."