Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 400

“I know a place.”
As we trudged on, human civilization seemed to run out. No longer were there bustling streets and
statuesque sky-scrapers, the area had become empty, and while still sanitary, it was dead. No man's land. Facing
us was a towering wall, threatening and imposing, and on it, in bold letters were the words: Nothing lies beyond.
Do not cross.
Of course, we broke through the seldom-used gate, leaving the Greater Bay Area’s manipulation for
good. Time appeared to have lost its course, we hid behind the dilapidated buildings so broken that they were
rejected by the government and erased from all historical accounts. Here, even the light seemed to crumble off of
the ramshackle walls. We sat around, discussing the secrets of the universe, feeling resentful towards the fate
decided for us for us. Sometimes when we got cold, we’d use Li Jiang’s stolen lighter to burn the rotting piles of
leaves. For a few minutes, with the fire all around us, it would be like we were in hell. Decaying homes and
decrepit alleyways, the smell of burning twigs, the stinging cold air, my only refuge. How do you feel safe in a
place that’s not supposed to exist in the world?
I peeked at Li Jiang. He was leaning against a rickety fence, his tousled head of crow black hair wilting
with weariness. Li Jiang’s eyes, usually shining with curiosity, as dark and mystifying as the depths of space, were
tightly shut while he tried to come to terms with how much of his old life he had just left.
In class, I noticed that he started disappearing more and more, rifling through outdated papers in the
school’s newsroom. One day, he opened a confiscated file, it spoke of freedom of speech, the beauty of
uniqueness, and how Tongism was constructed to stifle individual thought. Slowly and secretly, Li Jiang’s eyes
were opened to the truth. Under the guise of darkness and in the safety of his own room, he devised a plan. A
plan that came crashing down on us. Even though I had always lived next door to him, we had never spoken.
Only a passing glance was shared, a look of recognition. Until one strange and wonderful night aeons ago, when
the entire world was asleep but us. He came knocking at my window, asking me to help in his scheme. That was
the first time he had ever spoken to me, and yet I knew immediately that I would follow him to the ends of the
earth if he asked.
Abruptly, a gust of wind blew over us, and blindingly bright lights trapped us in their glare. All the
quadcopter searchlights were pointed at us. They had caught up to us. In an instant, I was running with him. He
held my hand, tugging at me, dragging me through the demolished houses. We kicked up dust as we went, until
everything was blurry except for each other’s frightened faces. Nothing could be heard over the deafening whir
of the choppers above. All of a sudden, I lost my footing and sprawled onto the grimy cracked earth. Without
hesitation, Li Jiang quickly pulled me behind a pile of debris. Quiet, he said. Just inches from mine, his face was
drenched in sweat, my eyes swimming with tears. Grasping my hand tightly in his, we crouched there in fearful
silence, our wheezing breaths as fractured as the shattered golden sky. At that moment, I felt tranquil, light, as if
without his grip I would simply float out of my body and away. Crawling over the rubble, close to my face, there
was a bright red beetle. I could see every minute dent in its gleaming shell, glints of scarlet reflecting off of it. It
was the most fascinating thing I had ever seen. I curled up into a ball, analysing its little details. There was yelling.
Li Jiang shook me; his hands were like metal claws. I could feel him being ripped away from me. More claws
fastened themselves onto my shoulders. An ear-splitting ringing in the background drowned me in its
cacophony. Very vaguely, like opening your eyes in water, I could see him going away from me, being lifted up
into the air which was already burning scarlet, waving at me, a final farewell. We came apart, and the edges went
dark and nothing was left but me and the red beetle.