Stuck in the Shadows

Kibeom’s mind begins to stir, and his body tries to move but it cannot. It feels as if he has lost all control of his own limbs.
Its dark. Oh, I haven’t opened my eyes. Should I?
His mind whispers things to him, as he tries to move. Slowly, Kibeom manages to open his eyes. The room is dimly lit, and the ceiling that Kibeom stares at is a dull white. Feeling begins to return to his limbs and Kibeom starts to return to his senses. The bed he lies on is soft and his pillow is slightly firm. The blanket is not too warm yet not too cold. It’s perfectly comfortable here, but he suddenly realizes that this is not a room he should be in.
“Where am I..?” He mutters to himself, slowly rising. The blanket falls from his torso and Kibeom notices that he is only wearing a wife beater.
“What the-? Where’s my shirt?” Still in a daze, Kibeom staggers out of the bed and tries to hunt for his missing shirt- but to no avail. The room is completely empty save for the bed and the small table beside it where Kibeom’s phone and watch lay. There doesn’t even seem to be a door. Kibeom picks up his phone and presses the ‘on’ button, but groans in frustration when the dead battery symbol appears.
“What am I going to do?” He grumbles. He looks at his watch, and the time reads 3:15. “That could be in the morning or at night…”
“You humans are such interesting creatures.” The voice of a little girl suddenly echoes around the room, and Kibeom jumps. He slowly turns around, trying to find the source of the voice but there is no one in the room. How odd.
“Such silly creatures~” The voice giggles and it seems to be coming from the bed. Kibeom spins around but the room remains empty.
“I’m going nuts. This is probably one of those dreams where everything feels real…”
“Not dreaming! Silly human!”
“Who’s there?!” Kibeom feels the hair on the back of his neck rise and he continues to look around the room.
“Guess! Guess! Guess!” The voice chants.
Kibeom ignores it, and walks to the wall. He places a hand on it and tries to find a door.
“Why aren’t you guessing? Come on, human, play with me!”
Deep in concentration, Kibeom continues to ignore the voice. Suddenly, the room is bright and Kibeom winces, shielding his eyes.
“Oh gee, what the hell? Why is it so bright all of a sudden?”
“Human! Play !!” The voice sounds annoyed and demanding. Before Kibeom could answer, though, another voice breaks the silence.
“Kiera! What are you doing here?! How many times have I told you to stay out of the control room?!” This new voice sounds more like an adult, and an adult with authority at that.
“Daddy! The human won’t play! Why?”
“Kiera, you need to leave, please. Find your brother and play with him.”
“Ok…”

Several minutes of silence, and one of the walls suddenly splits open and one side slides away. A figure appears, and walks into the room. Kibeom stands in the middle of the room, tense and ready to fight.
“Calm yourself, human. Sit.” Kibeom watches the man enter but doesn’t make any move to sit.
“I said, sit!” The man suddenly snaps and Kibeom feels himself pushed to the floor by an unknown force. He sits down, but the force does not lift itself.
“What’s going on?” Kibeom asks. All his senses are telling him to get out, but it feels like he’s tied down.
“You do not need to know. However, you do need to be obedient and do everything you are told to.”
“And if I’m not?”
“You don’t want to contest me.” The man glares at him, and Kibeom glares back. This man looks normal, so why are they all calling him human?
“Why are you calling me human?”
“Is that not your title?” The man raises an eyebrow.
“Yeah, but what about you?”
“That’s where we differ from you simplistic creatures. Now come.”
Kibeom feels the force lift from him, but then he feels something push him up and urges him to walk forward. He stumbles, but picks himself up and walks after the man. He leaves the room and observes his surroundings. The hallway he walks through appears to be a hotel hallway, but Kibeom’s gut tells him this place is not ordinary.
“What’s going on? Where am I? Who are you?”
“You are in the Galactica. You have been chosen to become a guardian and we are heading towards the training centre. I am your trainer.”
“What are you on about, man? This isn’t even funny anymore. This joke’s been taken too far.” Kibeom looks around for hidden cameras, and can’t hide his confusion.
“Fear not, human. I would not jest about matters such as this. Now hurry. You are already 5 minutes late for your first training session. I loathe tardiness.”
“No way.” Kibeom abruptly stops walking, and stand in the middle of the hallway with his arms crossed. “Quit it, ok? This has been taken way too far. Can I just go home?” The man turns to face him, his face thunderous.
“As I have said, this is not a matter to take lightly. Stop acting like a brat and continue to walk.” The man’s voice is steely, and the unknown force is suddenly back and pushing on Kibeom’s back. He has no choice but to continue walking.
“I will explain everything in due time. For now, your cooperation is all that is required.”

Notes