Immortal (transfer)

Author: wtrqry
Word count: 2821
Adapted from the Japanese manga “LOST” Following her, through the dark and winding corridors, we stopped in front of a room, and the rusty black iron door exuded a strange atmosphere. I stopped, I hesitated, not knowing if I should move on. I knew very well that one more step forward would completely change my life. I am only sixteen years old. If I walk through this door, I will lose my youth forever. However, everything behind the door is like a treasure exuding infinite attraction, reaching out countless hands, firmly grasping my soul, and bringing me to her. She turned around and looked deeply into my eyes… “What? Are you scared?” Her voice was gentle. “En…” I didn’t want to admit it, so I lowered my head, not daring to look into her eyes, because that would shoot my heart out. “It doesn’t matter, I understand your feelings very well. I can’t remember how many boys like you have met. It’s no wonder, because you don’t know what will happen now. But don’t worry, I will give you everything you want. Here, you will find many friends.” “Come on! Welcome!” She stretched out her hand and stopped in front of me, “Welcome to the place of eternal life…” My heart shook heavily, as if an invisible force forced me to raise my head again and look into her eyes. I raised my hand and held her… The iron door slowly opened, bringing with it the frozen time. It didn’t seem to belong to this world. It was dark, damp, and smelly, and there were more than a dozen naked bodies lying neatly on the ground. Their necks and limbs, which are as small as twigs, are firmly fixed to the ground by shackles. Their skin is pale, without a trace of blood on the white ground, and the ribs like mountains on the protruding chest are clearly visible; they all have an ugly face, dry and dark skin, high protruding cheekbones and nose bridges, deeply sunken eye sockets, and rotten lips. They were like dead bones covered in loose human skin.
The place is filled with the breath of death, only their dignified breathing shows that they seem to be still alive… Eternal life? Is this the eternal life she promised me? “Are you nervous?” She turned around, took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off my forehead, “Look, how happy they are!” Indeed, in their protruding eyeballs, I couldn’t see any pain or sorrow; on the contrary, I saw expectations, like a baby’s expectation for its mother. “What a lovely child! They are the same age as you. They didn’t come here because they were bullied by others, nor because they were betrayed by their peers or for other reasons. No one forced them. They are willing to give up everything to come here, kneel at my feet, and give their lives to me because this is their mission and the only value and meaning for them to come to this world, just like you.”