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“Seems ridiculous, doesn’t it?”

“Well… but it sure is interesting, right?”

Two college boys are in front of the laptop inside the messy room filled with dirty clothes and various scattered papers, stumbling at a website that quickly grabbed their interest like no other.

“Work opportunity like no other, where your whole life needs would be completely compensated ranging from free housing to cheap foods… never have to worry about your own financial trouble anymore… this is, this is just too much even for a marketing scheme,”

“Sean, look at the final paragraph,”

“Wait, let’s see…” Sean found it, written in red letters. “Careful, there’s no going back after the whole registering procedure is finished, applicant would be required to live in designated place for the rest of their life… whoa, this one is crazier than all the previous terms,”

“What do you think, huh?”

“Don’t know…” Sean goes deep in thought. “I just found it too comical… I mean, free housing? Cheap foods? How’s that even work? Petey, come on, I know you’re the one found this site, but don’t you think it’s just too ridiculous?”

“Sean, first, let me ask you this,” Petey sat on the bed. “How’s your parttime job goin’? And… how’s your job-finding journey goes,”

“Eh? Not good, and… not good,”

“Well, this world’s getting shit, isn’t it?”

“Dude, don’t even start with that, come on. Just because of the news about the world’s economy crashing down like never before doesn’t made me justify this one weird offer,” Sean always known Petey for his crazy conspiracy and research, but today might be his most annoying one yet. “This could be a crime organization, man. You’ll never know that this could be a trap!”

“Sean, please, bear with me for a while here. Have you seen the news?”

“The heck it got anything to do with this?”

“The world population reduced drastically in the last few years, and nobody knows the cause, not even the government seemed to care enough to do some investigation about this. Isn’t that awfully funny? Also, remember the last statement in that site: no going back.”

“Man, I usually never had a problem with any of your conspiracy talk, but today I have to say, you’re just annoying at this point,”

“Alright alright alright… how about this? Look, there’s an address list in that website, right? Let’s just drive to the one closest from our location now, observe from afar, and then going back,”

“Oh come on…” Sean just gave up, this is too much even for a patient man like him. “What’s in it for me, though?”

“I’ll buy you a drink tonight, how’s that? Hell, if you wanted to I’ll buy you a dinner for the whole week! I swear!”

“Holy… Petey, are you that desperate?” Sean didn’t even angry anymore, it’s a combination of funny feeling and confusion now.

“Please, dude! I’m just curious! Who knows, maybe something good would happen!”

“Ah, well… okay, you’re lucky I got no assignment tonight, I’ll drive you there. But remember, only observing from afar, alright? And don’t even try to lie about you buying me dinner for a week, keep your words,”

“YEAH! Come on, let’s go!”

***

The address turned out to be located miles outside the town from Sean and Petey’s dorm. Weirdly enough, the destination didn’t seem to be registered on the internet map even if the written address is valid, giving Sean more reason to be suspicious about this whole thing. Even weirder, the address seems to be in the middle of a forest area, far from any public area. Riding the old blue sedan through the mountain road, the GPS prompted the two men to take the offroad path, out from the tarmac into the dirt through the woods. Tall trees obstructed the afternoon sky above them, nothing but trees and dirt roads.

“Sean, stop, I saw something,” brake pressed, car stopped, Petey head out from the car, spotting something in the distance.

“See anything?” Sean still on the driver seat.

“Seems to be… some kind of… a house? Just… a house,”

“That’s it?” Sean exits the car. “No… office building or anything?”

“Wait, come here, it gets interesting,” Petey saw something else; a few parked cars, about five of them. Not even special type of cars, just a bunch of ordinary public cars parked on the edge of the cliff. As if things can’t piqued Petey’s curiosity enough, he also saw a bunch of peoples gathering in front of the house, seemingly waits for something.

“…the hell?” Sean couldn’t help it as well. Bunch of peoples in various ages ranging from teen to even an old guy seemingly in his 50s, all just stood outside the house.

“Well… we’ve got this far… shall we?”

“Ah… okay…” Sean can’t even think of anything from what he have seen. Hundreds of questions floating around his mind yet he knows standing here observing from afar won’t get him nowhere, he HAD to find an answer to all of this if he wanted to sleep well tonight. The two guys got back into the car and rides through the woods until they’re arrived; a small house on the edge of a cliff, few parked cars beside it and seemingly an access behind the house? Looks like a downward path toward a small dock below. Sean parked the car and proceed to join the crowd of seven peoples. There’s a teenager, some young adults, also… a married couple? Then a pretty old guy as well.

“Excuse me, sir?” Sean decided to ask the 50-something years old guy. “Why all these people waiting here? What’s in the house?”

“To be honest, even we have no idea, kid. We’re just curious bunch, saw somethin’ on the internet. You both did it too, right?”

“Well… yeah…”

“Is it true, sir? What they’re promised?” suddenly, Petey stormed in the conversation. “All those benefits? Free house and things?”

“I guess we’re gonna find out, huh?”

“So… sir, you didn’t even know if it’s true, but you’re willing to give it a try anyway? Even if you won’t go back?” Sean just got even more curious.

“Huh, well… let’s just say… got nothing left to lose, my wife was already died by illness years ago, and the rent just goes up and up, so… guess this would be my final shot. Who knows? Maybe it’s true, maybe not, I don’t care,”

Sean and Petey didn’t even have words. Despite their sympathy, their curiosity also peaked like never before.

“Right, uh… so… where did you apply, sir?”

“Just enter the house,”

Without hesitation, Sean and Petey rushes into the house, hoping to find an answer to this whole craziness. From the outside, just a house made of wood, painted white, nothing fancy yet nothing strange at all, just a small two-story house with your usual door and windows, also a wooden bench. Entering the house, nothing but a desk and a laptop with a lady behind it, sitting and typing on her laptop seemingly in her late twenties. Not even any slightest mischievous atmosphere, just an ordinary office lady with long hair and black blazer.

“Oh, are you here to apply?” the lady asked. “Did you find this on the web?”

“Uh…” Sean still confused.

“Is the whole thing true? All that terms on the site?” Petey once again storms in with all the questions, not even hesitate.

“Yes, all of it. All those benefits, we’ll quickly assigned you with the work that matched your skill, or assigned you into training to quickly fit you into one of the work branch. Then, you’ll be compensated with free living quarter and a few starter pack to help you fitting in with your new environment such as clothing, furniture, and etcetera. Oh, and also, free water and electricity.”

Reading it from the website and hearing it from a person surely gave a different kind of convincing. But despite that, it still didn’t help Sean and Petey’s curiosity. Instead of just walking away after discovering it, now they’re fully tempted to dive further to discover everything about this wacky scheme. One thing though…

“But… that one rule… no going back, what’s that mean?” Sean asked.

“Once you are agreed to participate in this program, this would be your lifetime agreement. As said in the rulebook, no going back to your old life. Joining this program would meant starting over your life in this new environment you’ll be in,”

“Lifetime? Whoa…” Sean thought about it. No more of this real world? Stuck forever in this new place that he didn’t even know what it looks like? But those benefits… it’s too good to be true, yet too good to be passed up, no place on this earth gave you that high of benefit, it’s almost impossible!

“Gentlemen, you made your decision?”

***

Edge of the cliff, near their parked car…

Staring into the sea, both college boys are still dumbfounded by the truth that they find. Despite the ridiculous promise, they’re also surprised a few peoples actually signed up for this unknown scheme.

“We’ve got this far… yet somehow, no sign of her trying to hold us from escaping this place… weird, don’t you think?” Sean just throws a pebble into the sea below.

“Agreed… this whole thing… I don’t even know what to say… it’s just weird, like you said,” Petey turned his attention to Sean. “What do you think?”

“Think what?”

“Well, you know… sign up for it?”

“Dude, are you crazy!? Don’t you read and listen? No turning back! That means leaving our lives here into somewhere-I-don’t-even-know-what!”

“I know that! But think! Sean! Whatcha got left here now, huh? I don’t see your economical condition gets better everyday, man! Sooner or later we would be kicked out for unable to pay for the tuition and the dorm!”

To that one, Sean didn’t even have anything to say.

“Sorry for asking you this, but… how’s… your parents?”

Sean just groaned. “…happily separated, not even one of ‘em remember me from what it looks like,”

“That makes two of us, isn’t it? Mine died in fire, already told you few times… look, my point is; I don’t think there’s nothing left for us here, we’ve got rejected many times by companies, parttimes didn’t pay us enough, the owner already asked us for the rent anyway, we have nowhere to go, don’t you think?”

“…yeah,”

“Look, how about this… let’s sign up. Something goes wrong, we’ve got our cellphones to call someone, okay?”

“Well…”

***

The dock below the cliff…

Nine people, lining up on the dock, already instructed by the lady above to wait for a boat.

“You better remember your free dinner promise for a whole week,”

“I won’t forget that,”

Soon enough, a boat arrived. The rider instructed the nine peoples through the megaphone to enter the cabin. It’s tight, no windows, just a few ventilation holes. Sean and Petey took a seat inside the tight quarter along with the others and the boat quickly turn around and go.

No windows, only the sound of the boat cruising through the waves, nobody on the cabin knows where they’re headed. None of them even talk, their expression are all tense, seemingly scared and also curious for whatever awaits them. Sean checks his phone, but weirdly enough, no signal. Petey does the same, yet also no signal for his phone.

Suddenly, hissing noise filled the room. White gas leaked out from the vents, not even giving the people inside a time to respond, they’re all quickly fell asleep…

***

“Ugh…”

Consciousness regained, head felt dizzy. Sean felt he’s lying down on something soft.

“A bed?”

As soon as the blur out of his sight, Sean looked around through the bright light. Looks like an apartment. Bed, kitchen, TV, computer, all in one room. All well furnished, the kitchen utensils are complete, a flatscreen TV, also a computer, not even a cheap one. Surprisingly, his shirt is still intact.

“Where…?”

Looking at the window, Sean looked at a bunch of buildings. Clear blue sky above, normal traffic below, he’s on about maybe eleventh floor, nothing out of ordinary from the normal world before, but clearly Sean didn’t know where he is currently. Checking his pocket, Sean realized that his wallet and cellphone is missing.

“Last time I was on a boat… then… everything went black… Petey… oh god, Petey, where is he!?”

Panicked, Sean runs out through the door, riding down the stairs with his mind still running wild about the whole thing. Outside, bright blue sky welcomes him, the usual sidewalk and road filled with traffic cars, just bunch of ordinary peoples walking to and fro.

“Where the fuck…”

Still confused, Sean quickly asked one of the pedestrians on the sidewalk. “Excuse me, sir! Sir! Where am I!?”

“Ah, you must be just woken up, aren’t ya?” much to Sean’s surprise, the man just smiled. “You’re in Haven City!”

“Haven… what?”

“Young man, I’m sure you’ve got a lot of question to ask, but I must go, I’m in a hurry. I suggest you go to the central information center and ask all the question there, okay? Later!”

“Hey, wait!” no avail, there he goes leaving Sean even more confused. Suddenly…

“E-earthquake?”

Light and gentle quake vibrates the whole city. Sean could feel it, yet it’s not severe enough to break the ground or crumbling down any buildings. Even more bizarre, some weird occurrence happened as the sky slowly… disappeared? It turned into some kind of white wall, but due to the disappearing sky, something else is noticeable by Sean’s sight. Some kind of glass… like a glass dome? Covering the whole skyline on the entire horizon. But what appears next would never be forgotten by Sean…

“Hello, Haven City!”

Loud, echoing girlish voice spears throughout the downtown, accompanied by something unfathomably large appeared on the other side of the glass dome. A girl, ponytail black hair and glasses combined with white labcoat, only visible from her thigh up to her head, giving an illusion that the city might be located on a table judging by the girl’s height and position. Her size alone meant a tallest building might be only a size of grain to her.

 

“Wh-wha…” no words, Sean felt silent, his eyes opened wide in shock. A giant girl? Glass dome? Does that mean…

 

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