Sighing, I slid down on the floor, for my legs have given out and were too weak and trembling to stand back up.
“Hey! Are you all right?”
A broad shouldered man stood in the corner of my blurring vision. Wait… was is my vision blurring? Then, I noticed a slight coldness in my lap, and heard a couple of drops. After that, a couple of more drops splashed onto my lap and that’s when I finally realized that I was crying. And crying like there was no tomorrow. “Uh… Do you need a ride?” A little bewildered, the strange man spoke uncertainly. Looking up, I saw a more clearer version of the man. Tall and broad-shouldered, he had the look of a fighter. However, his facial features contradicted with his concerned expression that only meant that he was soft-hearted on the inside.
Sniffing slightly, I nodded to show I meant yes. From all the crying and becoming all tearful, I wouldn’t, couldn’t talk.
“I… I could give you a ride, you know…” said the man. He was trying to stop the girl from crying, but this, however, rose suspicions from the girl.
Right then, he grabbed my hand and started dragging me with him. I realized right then that he was a stranger, and that I should not be speaking to strangers.

It’s dangerous in these areas, where I live. Everyone who knows better avoids each other. If you think about it, it’s kind of sad, for no one trusts each other and dares to speak to each other. Of course, though, there is a good reason on why the residents of Gens Amicaux acts this way.
Over a couple of years ago when Gens Amicaux was first formed, there was a huge incident.
On July 7th, 1999, many people had gathered around on the southern plateau of Havelyn. Cooperating with each other and dreaming of the perfect place they would soon live on, these people created the town, Gens Amicaux. This town was specially made by architects from all around the world and people who hated their society system or wanted to live in a safe, protective, and happy place had gathered around to be now the citizens of Gens Amicaux.
However, their wishes didn’t come true. That day, a serial kidnapping happened. A week after the kidnapping, the person who got kidnapped showed up dead right on the doorstep of their houses. Nobody knew why the murderer/kidnapper had targeted this town, and after a couple of months, the serial killing stopped. However, a message was drawn by blood on the door of the last victim’s house. It read:
I AM NOT DONE WITH YOU ALL
TAKE CARE
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN…
This made everyone shiver with fear and so, just in case the murderer comes back, everyone started avoiding each other completely. This incident also shattered the people’s hopes of having a safe and friendly town. Besides, our town name, Gens Amicaux, is a French name for friendly people. Surely that’s not true anymore, but was true before this whole disaster.

Anyway, back in the reality, I broke away from the stranger and started running. I zipped away past the stores, past the factory, and finally, past the park where my school lay hidden beneath the heavily wooded hill.
Panting, I stopped to catch my breath as I checked my watch. I sighed in relief, for I was right on time for school.
But not Mr. Hunter. Mr. Hunter, who was a bulky-looking teacher, was always in charge of who’s being late and who’s on time. He gets really pissed off when we are even a second late. I know, that tells a lot about him.
At the end, I did get punished for being two seconds late and had to run two laps around the soccer field.
Later on, I was panting hard and running yet again to go to my first period class. Thankfully, I wasn’t that late for class. But like this morning was a little off than normal, the school didn’t start “normal” either.
“Ladies and gentlemen, today, we have a new student in our class,” our teacher said. All other students around me either grumbled or ignored the news. The boy, who was evidently the new student, smiled broadly as our eyes met in mid-air. The boy’s smile widened and lifted his hand to wave at me. God, he didn’t know that we don’t do that here, does he?

I was right. He didn’t know of our dark past. However, he did something unbelievable. Other boys, who hang out with him out of pity, had changed and are still changing. They were like any other people in the town; gloomy and not trusting and just never smiling. But, this changed as the new boy started to do his own magic. It was slow at first, but the result was plain obvious at the end.
All the boys who had hanged around with the new boy, Ethan, had become tiny bit more open and more smiling. They seemed to trust each other more too. But… how was this even possible?

In fact, many other students started wondering too. They gathered around in their private area to ambush the new kid and to “teach him a lesson”. However, as we beat him up, Ethan’s friends came right in time to beat the rest of us. They even threatened us that we won’t be surviving much next time. We all just gaped as we saw them patting Ethan’s shoulder and asking if he was all right. He answered, “I knew you guys would come so there was nothing to be afraid of. Besides, I trust you with my life!” Then, he and his friends all laughed and went away.
We didn’t know what to do. I, for one, didn’t know what he meant by saying that he trust them “with his life”. That’s impossible here where I live, you see.

Weeks later, on a Saturday morning, I heard a scream. A scream so loud that many others were peeking through their curtains of their houses.
Running all the way to my window, I pushed aside the billowing curtains with my two hands. There, a shape lay on the ground. A shape that seemed to be motionless. A shape that seemed so out of place. A shape that seemed to be lifeless. A shape that had a red color on it. Wait… a red?!
“I-Is that blood?” someone whispered. Because the screaming had subsided and everyone was gathered around the dead body and were dead silent, the voice that had spoken up seemed really loud to my ears.

The following day, Ethan didn’t come to school. Nobody knew why; but some had a theory. The following days Ethan never came to school.
Worried out of death, his group of friends sent a message throughout the whole school that they will be searching for him and anyone interested should come too. This confused most of the people for we have never gotten really close to each other to actually go searching for each other when one was missing. However, out of curiosity, many students came to search for the missing boy.
I, too, were there screaming his name and running around for his teal black hair and light shade of skin. It was strange that when we looked for his house with the address given, there was none matching.
Later on that day, all of us were searching the boy without any luck on a seemingly dark alley when the leader of the search group, Adam, suddenly stopped. Other students were confused as their leader abruptly and haltingly stopped.
Adam hissed at the rest of us when some of them try to start searching again. When he saw us stop and look back at him questioningly, He then put a finger to his mouth and shushed us.

For five whole minutes, we waited. Waited and waited until we got so tired and confused at the same time. What did Adam hear to make us shush for five full minutes?
Right then, I heard it. Looking around, I saw that more people heard it too. Adam motioned us to be quiet and directed us to go to the place where the sound seems to be coming from.

Unfortunately, that place was an abandoned warehouse. Of course, nothing was wrong with a warehouse; it was just that this specific warehouse was very well known for being haunted by ghosts. Many famous explorers and adventurers went inside but never came back out.
So, all of us reluctantly went while slowing our pace until only Ethan’s group of friends were walking faster and faster. They glared at us while gulping slightly and opening the door that might lead them to Ethan. In my opinion and probably in most people’s opinion, this was a very, very, very bad idea.
A hand shot forward as if waiting for the door to be fully opened and grabbed the wrist of  Adam. He shrieked and tried pulling away but failed completely at it. We all saw in horror as we saw clearly the woman and the man who were holding Adam’s hand. The man… oh god. He was the exact same person who had tried to grab me this very morning! My mind swirled as I realized that the two people were entirely covered in reddish liquid. Most of them were sticking already to their clothes, a sign that it was a long time since that blood had been slashed on them.

Then, I saw something.
Gasping, I backed away. There, right behind them, sat Ethan. Ethan. The one who we were searching for so hard this time. Ethan seemed shocked that we were here;his mouth was agape as his hand started shaking really badly. Many bruise covered his body and when he regained his composure, he yelled at us, “Run! They’ll kill you!”
As some kids ran for the door, Ethan’s friends just stood there, for once lost with words.
“They’re your friends, Ethan?” the woman asked. Her voice sent shivers down my body.
“Y-yes, they are. B-but don’t touch them, t-they didn't do anything!”
“Oh well, too bad. Whether they are your friends or not, I don’t really care.” Her next words shocked us even further if even that was possible. “Kill them all, Ethan.”
“No! I-I won’t!” Ethan refused.
“Is that so? Then… Can you kill them, darling?” The woman looked at the man who had been quiet for the entire time. However, when hearing that, he smiled wickedly and took out a knife, which he licked it with his blood stained tongue.
“My pleasure, dear,” he replied. He then lunged at us when many fainted at the sight. However, the man never reached us for something hard had blocked his path.
“Ethan, are you trying to betray us?” The woman gasped mockingly to give him the message that that was not his best choice and that he’ll regret it soon. “Darling,” she said, towards the man who was swearing to Ethan, “our young apprentice, Ethan, seems to have betrayed us. Now, that means that there is no reason for us to keep him alive, yes?”
The man snickered in Ethan’s direction where Ethan was trembling with fear and nodded slightly. We, however, were lost beyond words. Ethan, our cheerful, outgoing friend, was actually an apprentice of two of the most feared serial killers?

“Then kill him too. We don’t need him anymore.” The woman said in finality. The man happily complied and lunged at Ethan, for he was the more threat than us cowards.
The next thing we knew, Ethan lunged at the man too and all we could see was a blur of motion and a knife that glinted in the fading sunlight.
After what seemed like forever, the fight was finally over. The result, however, was not what we had expected.
Ethan, who was sweating all over and all covered in blood, was sitting on top of the grumbling man; his hands were bloodied and he was choking the man with all his might. His hands shook a little but his grip on the man’s throat was completely firm.

Nobody said anything.
A second passed.
Then two.
Then three.
Finally, I let out a breath that I didn’t realize I was holding back. Some others had also regained their composure and many who had fainted were also regaining their consciousness. Even some kids were helping others stand up. Partner-work is not something we usually do but this was a special case. I too helped some kids stand up and regain their footing.
Ethan, who was the main reason why we went here, took several shaky breaths and when some of his close friends, such as Adam, glanced at him, he smiled; a happy and genuine smile that warmed all of our hearts, even those who had bullied him in school.

Later, when everything got more settled, we all just started laughing and the tension that was in us when we first came to this “haunted house” had vanished like it had never happened. Some bullies, including me, murmured sorry and as Ethan had kindly forgave us, we all decided to become friends.

Weeks passed and Ethan was now the most popular kid in our school. Many girls swooned over him when they heard that he had beaten the two murderers who had been scaring the town for more than a year with his bare hands. He literally became a legend.
I became rather exceptionally close to him and made every girl jealous. However, I didn’t mind that at all and was just thankful that our once gloomy and dark town had returned to its original state and that our neighbors were now friendly to each other, trusting each other more and saying sorry to each other of the times when they were not trusting and more selfish. I seriously loved this town that had changed so much over the past few days.

Now, the town of Gens Amicaux had the name that truly fit them and the town grew and grew as more people heard of the fact that our town was the best not just in France, but in the whole universe. Nowadays, our town isn’t a town anymore. It became a city. And a big one, too. The residents of the town had changed their name, Gens Amicaux, into Les Paradis, which meant paradise in French. The president was pleased to see this growing population and as Ethan got many awards for getting our once small town back to its normal state, our town, which later on became a city, finally became… the capital city of France.