I know. This is not how you greet new people or make a good impression on yourself.

But is that important right now?

The people inside the dome were staring at me in shock. I could hear their murmurs and gasps, but their words were drowned out by the throbbing in my ears and the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Everyone was dressed in varying sizes of the same white uniform that I was now wearing. It struck me as odd. The setting around us resembled a garden, with meticulously arranged flowers, carefully manicured hedges, and serene water features that seemed to defy the chaos of the moment.

One of them, a middle-aged man with a mustache, looked up at the hole I had crashed through. It was shattered for a moment, but as if by some unseen force, fragments of glass floated upward, reconstructing the dome's cupola above us with precision.

In a daze, I observed the shards gradually reassembling, piece by piece, until they completely sealed the hole. The murmurs of the people around me grew louder, their fear and confusion palpable.

"No way!" A young woman exclaimed, her voice trembling.

"So we're really trapped in here," an elderly man added, his face etched with worry.

"To think that they were actually glass in the first place," another voice commented in disbelief.

I struggled to get to my feet; the pain in my legs made each movement agonizing. I managed to push myself upright, but my knees immediately buckled as a sharp pain shot through my hip.

Honestly, what was I expecting? To suddenly find myself moving around despite my low health, as though I were playing a video game?

They glanced my way, and my attempts to stand only seemed to amplify their anxiety. Their eyes were wide with fear and confusion.

"Are you crazy? You're in a critical state. Stay down! Someone should quickly hide him and call for the surgeon!"

"The surgeon? No, what if he's one of them? What if he's not human? He came from the sky, god damn it."

Their words crashed over me in a disjointed stream. I collapsed back to the ground, unable to fight against the rising tide of dizziness. The people around me seemed to be arguing amongst themselves, but I could only make out fragments of their conversation.

As I lay there, their voices became clearer, snippets of conversation breaking through the haze.

"We can't just leave him here!"

"But what if he's dangerous?"

"He needs help! Look at him, he's injured!"

"He looks like he's going to die anyway. Let it be."

"And then what? Let them find out that there's a dead body of a person they never knew about?! We're all going to be screwed."

Thud... thud... thud...

Everyone became hushed instantly as we heard heavy thuds coming from a distance. Their eyes seemed to be directed elsewhere, and as I followed them, I saw a double metal door that looked out of place.

It didn't appear as though the door was fastened to a wall or anything else. It simply appeared to be standing by itself in the middle of the grassy expanse.

It was only for a few seconds that those thuds were gone momentarily, but everyone's attention lingered on it. Then,

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A man near me let out a stressed sigh, and I jumped back slightly when he redirected his gaze at me.

"Quickly hide him! We can't let them know there's someone injured among us."

Hold on, what's going on? I struggled to stay conscious as panic shot through me as I tried to make sense of what was happening.

Two people, a young woman and a burly man, hurried to my side. They exchanged a tense glance before crouching down next to me.

"We have to move you," the young woman whispered urgently. "Can you stand at all?"

"No."

The burly man cursed under his breath and then glanced nervously at the double metal door. "We don't have much time. Help me lift him."

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My weight was supported by their combined strength as they gently hoisted me up by the shoulders and knees. Every movement sent fresh waves of pain through my body, but I bit back the groans, threatening to escape.

They half-carried and half-dragged me towards a nearby hedge, where they laid me down as gently as possible. The young woman glanced around nervously before covering me with a few large leaves and branches, trying to camouflage my presence.

The thudding grew louder, each step echoing ominously. Whoever—or whatever—was coming, it was getting closer.

"Stay quiet," the young woman whispered urgently, her eyes wide with fear. "We'll handle this."

I nodded weakly, and the figures moved away, joining the others who were now gathering in a tight group near the metal door.

Thud! Thud! Thud...

The thudding stopped, and a heavy silence fell over the garden.

Creak...!

The door creaked open, and two imposing figures stepped through. I looked through my camouflage, and to my surprise, those two figures didn't look like anything that could be classified as "human."

Two large apple heads, each with a single glaring eye in the center, crowned their tall, humanoid forms. Both of them are wearing formal attire—one in a sharp black suit, the other in a pristine white dress.

One of the apple-headed figures stepped forward, its single eye scanning the gathered crowd. The other followed, its gaze sweeping across the group of people huddled near the metal door.

"We heard something. What's the commotion here?" The one in the suit demanded, its voice deep and resonant. The single eye darted from face to face, clearly assessing the situation.

"W-Well," someone started. "Some of us just got into a little argument about... about the arrangements in the garden. You know how it is; everyone has their own ideas."

The apple-headed figure in the suit narrowed its eyes suspiciously. "Is that so?" it asked, its voice dripping with doubt. "And yet, we distinctly heard a noise that suggested more than a simple disagreement."

Its eye swept away from the terrified faces of the crowd to the garden around it. The apple-headed figure in the suit tilted its head, as though pondering the scene before it.

I don't know what's happening, but I kept my eyes trained on the two figures. As I lay hidden among the foliage, I could see the fear etched on the faces of the people around me. They shifted nervously, their eyes darting between them and me.

"We heard glass," the apple-headed man continued, looking up at the sky. "I don't remember such things in the garden. Did any one of you sneak one in here?"

The crowd shifted uneasily. One of them spoke up, attempting to deflect attention. "Perhaps it was just an accident. The glass... It could have been a result of a malfunction, or—"

"A malfunction?" The apple-headed figure in the white dress interrupted, its tone sharp and disapproving. "This garden is maintained with the utmost precision. We don't simply experience 'malfunctions.'"

"Then what was it?" The apple-headed figure in the suit demanded, stepping closer to the group. Its gaze lingered briefly on the metal door before shifting back to the gathered crowd. "You will explain yourselves, or—"

He stopped for a moment and stood still as he looked at their faces one last time.

"I smell blood."

The words hit me like a jolt of electricity. My heart raced as the apple-headed figure in the suit sniffed the air, its single eye narrowing in suspicion. The crowd around me tensed.

He then turned his head towards the young woman who had helped me earlier.

"You. You're the one who smells like blood."

The young woman's face turned ashen, her eyes wide with panic, as the apple-headed figure zeroed in on her.

She tried to stammer a response, but the words caught in her throat.

"No, it's not me!"

"That won't do. We all know that you're not allowed to be injured, no matter how small the injury is. We have to dispose of you."

The room seemed to hold its breath as the apple-headed figure in the suit declared the verdict. The young woman's face went pale, and I could see her trembling hands gripping the edges of her uniform.

"No, please!" She begged, her voice cracking under the pressure. "I didn't do anything."

"You know how it is. Any sign of blood is a violation. If you had been more careful, you'd last longer."

The commotion around me intensified as the crowd began to raise their voices in a desperate attempt to save the young woman.

"Please, she's just trying to help!" Someone shouted, their voice tinged with desperation. "It's not her fault!"

"Any sign of contamination in your bodies will need to be taken care of immediately."

"We can't let them do this!" Another voice cried out. "We have to do something!"

"We won't let you take another of our people!"

The crowd got into an uproar of anger and determination. They were brave to speak against that thing, but I was extremely anxious the more I watched them from a distance.

The one in the suit turned to them.

"Do you all wish to join her?"

Because, clearly, they are stronger than us human beings.

The apple-headed figure's threat hung heavily in the air, silencing the crowd's desperate pleas.

The young woman's face was a mask of terror, her eyes darting frantically between them and the people who had tried to defend her.

"N-No, we don't," someone finally stammered, their voice trembling.

The figure in the suit let out a low, menacing chuckle. "Then you all know what must be done. Say your silent goodbyes."

Before anyone could react, the figure in the white dress stepped forward, reaching out with a swift motion. The young woman tried to back away, but there was no escape. In one fluid movement, the figure seized her by the arm and began to drag her towards the metal door.

"No! Please!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the garden. "Help me! Someone, please!"

I watched in horror as the young woman was dragged away. Those creatures are going to kill her. Although no matter how much I want to intervene and help her, I don't want to risk any more pain than what I'm feeling right now.

It's my fault that she's getting dragged out of here, I know. But it's not my fault that I fell in here.

The apple-headed figures showed no mercy. The figure in the white dress pulled her towards the metal door with relentless strength. The suited figure followed closely, its single eye still looking at the crowd, daring anyone to defy their authority.

The crowd stood frozen in place. They averted their eyes, unable to see the young woman's fate.

As the figures reached the metal door, it creaked open, revealing a dark, ominous void beyond. The woman's screams grew louder and more frantic, but they were met with silence from the crowd.

Before they left, the apple-headed woman looked back at the crowd and closed her eye as if showing a smile.

"Thank you for another meal."

The woman was shoved through the door, and it slammed shut with a final, resounding thud.

A heavy silence descended over the garden. They were scared and angry, and overall, they were helpless. They couldn't have done anything to stop them.

What they can do, however, is, well, direct their feelings at me.

A woman in the crowd turned and made her way towards me. Her face was a mix of fear and anger, and she moved with a purpose.

"Why did you have to come here?" she demanded, pulling me closer by the scruff of my shirt with a strong grip, her voice trembling but resolute. "You've brought this upon us! Upon her!"

"N-No? Well, yes, but—"

I tried to respond, but a cough wracked my body, and I spat out a small trickle of blood. The sight seemed to deepen her anguish and frustration. I let out a silent sigh.

The woman's eyes widened at the sight of the blood, and her grip on me tightened, though not with the same intensity as before. However, she didn't hold on to me for very long before dropping me, causing me to groan in pain.

"Call the surgeon as soon as possible. I doubt this guy will last another hour." The woman's urgent command cut through the tension like a knife.

The crowd, still in shock from the earlier events, seemed to snap back into action.

I lay on the ground, feeling a little bit relieved. The prospect of receiving help was comforting, but the thought of the "surgeon" was kind of alarming.

I wouldn't believe it if one of them told me that everything that has happened up to this point is only a dream. Everything is too realistic and too vivid. If that were the case, I would have used my mind to fix my broken bones already.

But, no. I can't make reality bend to my will; now, I need a "surgeon" to do that.

"I found him!" A voice rang out after a few minutes, breaking through the tense atmosphere.

A young boy rushed towards us, his face flushed with exertion. "I found the surgeon! He's on his way!"

The woman gave a curt nod. "Good. Let's just hope he can do something about this."

A figure emerged from the other side of the garden, striding purposefully towards us. The crowd parted slightly, making way for a tall, gaunt figure with silver hair dressed in a white coat. The "surgeon" had arrived. His appearance was striking, with a mask covering the lower half of his face and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. His eyes were cold and calculating, assessing me with a detached curiosity.

He looked down on me with a questioning expression. "You're telling me this boy is breathing fine and not dead yet?" He asked, his voice tinged with skepticism.

The young boy, still catching his breath, nodded vigorously. "Yes, he's alive, which is strange, but he's injured. He needs help urgently!"

The surgeon's eyes flicked over to the young boy, then back to me. "I see. Well, let's not waste any time then."

I immediately frowned when I watched him adjust his glasses and pull a set of medical instruments from a case strapped to his waist.