Chapter 1: Cellmate
Eun-woo had been locked up for four thousand seven hundred and thirty-one days.
Time in which he had not been allowed to have direct contact with another human being.
The screams of the other Specimens and the voices on the other side of the door did not fit into the definition of "contact" in his personal dictionary.
The cell he was in was no larger than five square meters. In the center of one wall was a metal plate that Eun-woo used as a bed, and near the ceiling there was a tiny window with glass at least three centimeters thick.
Perfect to prevent any escape attempt that might arise in his weak mind.
Eun-woo didn’t know the reasons he’d been taken there, and knowing them didn’t make much of a difference. For as long as he could remember, he’d always been confined to a room. First, the basement of his house. Then, the prison cell.
He never celebrated his birthday, nor did he have the opportunity to go to school, or at least hug his parents or have a pet to keep him company. He was alone. Always.
To compensate for the lack of affection, his parents gave him picture books and some recreational games to keep his mind occupied. Thanks to the gifts, Eun-woo was able to cope with the confinement, and he even grew fond of his parents.
When the masked men burst into his home and tore him from his mother’s arms, Eun-woo screamed at the top of his lungs. He cried, kicked, and clutched the door frame as if he could stop his captors.
He begged them not to take him away through sobs, shouting that he wanted to stay with his mom and dad. He even promised to be a good boy if they would just give him a chance.
His voice broke between desperate cries as he begged someone to save him, but no one came.