#exo horror

Logic wars with your desire to sprint out of the building and decimate anyone standing in your way to save Chanyeol. 'There were bars on whatever he's being held in, guys. And at least two people sick enough to do this. If we charge in there and get hurt, or worse, we won't be much help to him,' you say, chewing on your lower lip anxiously. 'Maybe we could call the police? Report a break in or something and they'd have to go investigate.'

'You're right,' Suse sighs, running a jittery hand through her hair. 'But, also. You know...' She gestures with her hands out the window and then back to the four of you.

'Fuck it.’ You stand up and pull on your jacket, heart racing. 'You're right. We can't wait.' Pulling out your phone, you dial 911.

Without even grabbing your bag you stride out into the hallway, pressing the phone to your ear. Shuffling follows you as Suse, Jimmy, and Daniel grab their coats and turn off the lights.

A female voice comes on the line. '911, what's your emergency?'

You stop in the kitchen and pull open the drawers, grabbing the only weapon you can think of - the long knife amongst the various utensils you all keep there for the odd lunch or dinner you eat at the station. The blade gleams in the moonlight coming through the hall window.

The distress and fear are all too real as they color your tone. 'Please, help me,' you say into the phone in a high voice. 

The dispatcher carries on with business-like efficiency. 'How can I help you, miss?'

Jimmy holds up the screen beside you as you carry on out the front doors into the night. The address flashes in thick red. You head down the hallway and push out the doors into the freezing night. 

'Some guys just took my friend into this building. We were just - we were just walking back from Schultzy's! They came out of nowhere.'

'Are you safe?' she asks. You can hear the clack of her typing in the background.

You feel the wooden handle of the knife in your hand and look at Suse, Jimmy, and Daniel beside you. 'I'm safe. But please, please, hurry.’ You pause to take a dramatic inhale of breath. ‘I think they had a gun.'

Suse smiles and nods at you. You hardly need Jimmy's whispered directions as you all move silently through the sleeping streets to the address listed. Something within you is pulling you towards Chanyeol and you swallow your fear down and keep walking as fast as your legs can carry you.

'I'm putting your address as 800 NE 42nd st, is that correct?'

Silently, you curse and hurry around parked cars. 'No, no I - I ran before they could grab me. It was 4120 11th Ave NE that they took him into. Please, hurry.'

If she thinks it’s strange you have the exact address ready, she doesn’t show it. 'Got it. I'm dispatching units now, please stay on the line while -'

You hang up and shove your phone in your pocket. Picking up the pace, you sprint over sidewalks until you stand outside the abandoned building. While it's clearly part of the row of stone and brick classrooms on the far end of campus, this one looks as though it in particular has fallen into disrepair. The trees lining the street behind you are dwarfed by the three-story rise of the building above.

The sign out front is warped with age. Albert Hall - Psychology Research Center

'Does it say precisely where in the building he is?' You whisper to Jimmy, as though the slightest sound will give you away.

He shakes his head. 'No. But I'm willing to bet it's through a back entrance.' He nods up at the boarded up front doors.

Your group moves around to the right side, closer to the University proper. Just a street away the city pulses with life and lights and noise, students enjoying the start of the weekend. But in this isolated corner, near the freeway. it's unnervingly quiet. The perfect place to lock someone up where no one would find them. In your mind you make a promise to Chanyeol and to yourself that this ends tonight. No matter what you have to do, by morning he'll be free.

The outside of the building is dark, sloping gently down the hill behind it. A gust of wind comes through the trees and you wrap your arms around yourself, careful to keep the knife's edge away. Holding your breath you wait for any sign of life or movement inside, praying you’re not too late. 

'There!' Suse whispers loudly a minute later, pointing to a flash of light in one of the lower windows.

You start moving towards it, blood pounding in your ears. 

Daniel holds your arm gently. 'The police are on their way, shouldn't we wait?'

The fear in your veins is strong, but something pushes you to keep going. 'It's Friday night in the U District, Daniel. I think it might be a while. I can't explain it but, we can't wait.'

He nods grimly and you all carefully pick your way down the slick grass hillside to reach the decidedly not boarded-up back door. Cautiously, you peek inside the darkened glass. Far down the hallway you see another flash of light, followed by a loud crash.

Suse uses the moment to pull open the creaking old door and she heads inside, leading the way. Daniel at the back gently braces it open with a doorstop and motions you all forward. If adrenaline wasn't coursing through your veins you'd take time to be horrified by the shadows in this place.

Your mind runs away with you in the darkness. Though you now believe that the people responsible for Chanyeol's predicament are in fact human and not supernatural, you can't help but wonder. About women in the night with terrifying eyes and wolves that move faster than they should. 

You reach the room where the noise is coming from and lean in to catch snippets of conversation.

'So what are we going to do with him, then?' a female voice says. It's oddly familiar.

The sound of pacing in the background increases. A male voice speaks, muffled at first and then louder. 'You knew what you were getting into when you agreed to this. There was never any other option.'

The woman counters in a contained scream - 'I didn't think you planned on killing him!'

Chanyeol. You clutch the knife tighter in your hand, readying for a fight. Peeking around the edge you see two figures circling each other in the faint light coming from a generator in the corner of the room.

The man turns and your stomach drops. 'Professor Langford?' you whisper to yourself.

He hardly looks like himself. His jacket is discarded on the floor and he holds a shaking, shadowed object in his hand. 'This was the deal. You help me get someone down here. Your silly little radio station gets a story worthy of national attention. And then we reach the end -' 

He walks closer to the light, pressing her against the wall. When his hand raises you see a gun, the barrel going to her forehead. 'I kill him and get my first-hand, up-close, look at what panic does to a community. I’ll finally have a case study worthy of tenure.’

You're so distracted by the fact that your goddamn professor is the one behind all this, you don't even pay attention to who the woman is.

‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ Suse asks loudly, incredulous, startling you. When you turn you see she's beside you, staring into the room. Arms crossed, ready for war. Suse isn't looking at the man, but at the woman. 'Jennifer?'

'Holy shit,' Daniel says, coming to peek between the two of you. 'Boss, what have you done?'

And holy shit indeed, they're right. The anguish on her face meets the harsh light and it’s aged her several years. Her normally loose blonde hair is braided back and a dark knit cap is pulled over it, but it's absolutely her.

In the startled silence you hear a banging sound against metal. Muted groans come from further into the room and you can just make out a cage in the corner - like a prison cell with thick bars, but slightly bigger. 

He hunches in the shadows, but you'd know him anywhere. For the last week your thoughts have been filled with nothing but him. You want to run to Chanyeol and get him the hell out of here, but the unstable look in the professor's eyes makes you hold your position.

Professor Langord uses the moment to pull Jennifer into his arms, pressing the gun to her forehead once more. The four of you move into the room, surrounding them, blocking the exit. 'Don't come any closer.'

As you stare each other down, other objects in the room come into focus. Noise machines you recognize from the station. Costumes, masks. A large poster is taped to the wall beside you - ice and a frozen lake as far as you can see. 

Disbelief makes you laugh, the sound hollow in the empty room. 'You made it all up?'

Daniel scoffs in disgust. 'You crazy bastard. The cops are on their way. It's over.'

Jennifer sags, shame coloring her features. She raises her hands defensively. 'Paul, stop this. It's over.' She looks at you and your friends. 'I'm so sorry, it - it wasn't supposed to be like this. We're losing our funding this year and we needed the money. I had no idea it would be... this -' she gestures back at Chanyeol and up at the building before lowing her eyes to the floor.

Suse hunkers down for a stand off. 'Let's wait for the cops and then we can resolve all of this.'

The professor makes a noise of distress and points the gun at you instead, shoving Jennifer to the floor. 'No! I'm not going down for this. There's plenty of bullets in here to keep it all quiet.'

He's deranged enough to do it; his hair in wild disarray and a feral hunger in his eyes you've never noticed before. You hold the knife in front of you, stepping around Suse. It’s your fault they all came along and, even if it’s pointless, you’re going to defend them.

With your free hand you shove them all back, behind you. The professor lifts it to be level with your head and terror surges in your veins as you hope to God you can dodge at the right time.

All of a sudden a thunderous bang comes from the corner and the professor turns at the sound. You use the moment, moving without thinking or hesitating. Rushing forward, you reach for his wrist, driving it back against the stone wall. He jerks, nearly losing the gun but maintaining his grip.

He attempts to aim it again, but you're faster. Teeth bared, you lift the knife and hold it to his throat. 'Move and I'll kill you, professor.'

The fight goes out of him, raising his free hand in surrender. You incline your head and call behind you, 'Daniel, grab the gun.'

He does, coming forward and relieving the professor of the weapon. Jimmy appears on your other side, pinning the man's other arm to the wall as well. 'Go get your man, we've got this,' he tells you.

Together they hold him against the wall. Suse flips the light switch and miraculously it still works. She stands guard at the door and watches Jennifer with disgust. Still on the floor, your boss’ knees draw to her chest as she sits upright with her back against the wall. She drops her head into her hands with a groan.

Noise and light spill the hallway, voices calling out. Suse sticks her head out and waves. 'Down here!'

You finally turn to the cage, now fully visible in the light. Chanyeol sits in the corner, his wrists bound in front of him with a length of rope. His wide eyes meet yours emphatically. He tries to speak around the length of fabric in his mouth and you want to sob.

'You're okay, thank God.'

You easily find the key to the enclosure and unlock the door. Dropping to your knees in front of him, you use the knife and cut off his bindings carefully. He reaches up and pulls the material out so he can speak. He's even more ethereal in person - with deep brown eyes, ears that stick out, and a full, pink mouth, he resembles a hero from a fairy tale, even with exhaustion clear on his face.

You can’t help it - you grin and reach for him, instinctually, automatically, before checking the motion. 

Your hands hang in the air and he watches them for a beat before meeting your eyes once more. Faster than you can process he sits up and pulls you against him in a slightly off-center hug. Gripping his arms you steady yourself, face pressing against his neck. The spell is broken and suddenly you accept that he's very real and tangible and here and alive. He smells like the ocean, even down here amongst the old tables and chairs. 

'Thank you,' he says, lips moving against your hair.

For a long moment you hold each other, in this strange and terrifying place, feeling against all odds as though you've finally come home. You want to cry with relief that he's whole. He was so close to you this whole time. You want to hug him tighter and keep him with you, to protect him from the world. Even if it's ridiculous, and though you've never met him before in your life.

But if telling myths and stories of the unknown for so long has taught you anything, it's that nothing is impossible. 'I can't believe you're here,' you say against him.

His hands find your shoulders and he eases you back to look at you, one hand moving into your hair. For a beat he simply drinks you in, amongst the noise and the sound of police in the room he watches you like you're the only person who exists. And then he surprises you completely by pulling you closer and pressing his lips to yours.

For long seconds his cold mouth meets your warm one, tasting and teasing and familiarizing himself with you while you hold onto him, believing abruptly that this must all be a dream. But then you join him, reaching for his face and tracing his skin while you sink into the kiss.

He pulls back and rests his forehead against yours. 'Your voice kept me sane in the darkness.' His eyes open and you know exactly what he means. He tilts his head and motions to a small radio on a ledge in the corner 'I'm so glad you finally found me.'

You blush, unable to help yourself as you push his messy hair out of his eyes so you can see him clearly. 'Any time. For now, how about we get out of here?'

He smiles and laughs, the weak sound finding a home in the hollows of your body. Together you stand, gently helping him off the floor. With him leaning heavily against you, still weak from his days of being in this place, you pull out your cell and dial the recent number.

She answers a beat later. 'Have you heard anything?' Yoora asks, voice tight with sadness.

Instead of answering you press the speaker phone button. Chanyeol bends, reading the name you called and smiling at you. Awe lingers in his eyes at the fact that you knew what he needed before he did. 'Sis?'

'Oh my god,' she starts. You hear the sound of things moving in the background. 'Chan? Are you okay?'

He grins, then winces and presses the hand not around your shoulders to his side. 'Not all the way, but I will be.'

Six months later - June

The station is still hot by the time you arrive in the evening; the summer sun clinging to Seattle well on into the evening. You know how the city feels and you want to hold onto the warmth, too.

Jennifer's office is still dark and you pass by it without looking in. Eventually, someone else will take her place. But for now, Daniel says the management is all filling in. Like so many things after a trauma, life carries on as it always has, and some wounds take longer to heal than others.

You hear his voice when you're in the hallway and grin. No matter how quickly you get out of your class or internship or TA duties Chanyeol still manages to beat you here. His exuberant, deep voice jokes with Daniel and when you peek in the door they're both looking at the computer. They’ve been thick as thieves since he helped you walk Chanyeol out of that godawful place and into the ambulance.

He notices you standing in the doorway and grins, the familiar crinkles coming to the corner of his eyes. 'There she is!'

You never know who does it first. If he reaches for you or if you reach for him. Or perhaps you're both drawn to each other like magnets, always reaching. He wraps his arms around you and you sigh, pressing a kiss to his chest.

Daniel makes a dramatic gagging noise and mutters 'get a room' that all three of you know he doesn't mean. Since the incident he's taken on even more of a protective vibe that now extends to Chanyeol as well.

When it’s finally time to start the show you swap out for Suse, hugging her like always. If anything, this has all brought you and her closer and the four of you are inseparable. 

‘Don’t have too much fun tonight,’ she teases, winking as she shuts the door behind her. 

With a laugh you assume your place on the far side of the desk, settling in where you’ve always sat. The headphones are the same. The switchboard of sixteen lines, waiting for people to call in, is the same. But what isn’t the same is the man who settles himself into a mirroring desk opposite you. 

He gives you a lopsided grin that makes is way into your voice as you start the show. 'Hello and welcome back to The Long Night on 107.9 KJWZ Seattle, where the dial might stop, but we don’t. I’m Y/N...'

After the story broke and everyone learned who you are it seemed silly to keep the nickname. The diehard listeners and people who called into the show know you on a deeper level now, and the show doesn't seem to be slowing down in the least. 

When everyone learned about the financial distress of the station, that Jennifer was hiding from everyone, the donations poured in. The thought of having this program, now shared by your boyfriend, gives you a sense of peace amongst all the change in your life.

'And I'm Chanyeol,’ he says. ‘We’ll be your host for the evening. Let’s get weird.' He winks and squeezes your hand beneath the booth.

~~~~~~~~~

The screeching of the chairs against the linoleum floor and the indistinct chattering of your classmates mixed together like a raucous song. The passing comments of faux sympathy went in one and out the other as you stared at the graffitied top of your desk, the dirty brown wood casting the horrid memories of last week against it like some old projector screen.

“Earth to (Last/Name).” You snapped your gaze to the bespectacled girl that sat beside you, her eyes peeking over the rim of her glasses to observe you in your trance. “Gee, it only took me calling your name a million times to get your attention,” she huffed.

You cleared your throat and hurriedly wiped your desk with the sleeve of your jacket, sweeping your memories to the ground beneath you before anyone else could see them. You bit the broken skin on your bottom lip out of habit, meeting her worried eyes for only a second before the need to release your bottled emotions became too unbearable. You looked away and began to flip through the pages of your textbook to avoid meeting her judging gaze again.

 “Sweetie, are you alright?”

No. That’s what you should’ve said, but you’d already convinced yourself that telling someone of the insanity you were experiencing wasn’t going to help you. It was a fact – at least in your mind – that nobody would believe you. That you would only be ridiculed and thrown into some insane asylum as a result. The thought alone of being seen as crazy was enough to convince you that it was better to suffer in silence.

So, you didn’t utter a word of it. Not to your aunt, who had saved you from that never-ending interrogation at the police station that night, or to your friends, who tried visiting you the week after only for you to turn them away at the door. You decided it was best to keep your madness to yourself.

“I’m fine.” The words felt as dry as they sounded, and you knew as soon as you said them that it was the most unconvincing lie you’d ever told.

“Fine? No sane person would be fine after witnessing a fucking murder.” Her tone was mocking but you knew she didn’t do it on purpose.

Luanna, your best friend for as long as you could remember, was fluent in the language of sarcasm and banter. Conversations with her were never what most people would call pleasurable, and they surely weren’t anyone’s first choice to pass the time. But the thing about Luanna was that she was truly dependable, never choosing your feelings over the truth. You could always count on her to tell you the truth, and whether it hurt your feelings was not her problem.

“Look, (Your/Name)…”

Shivers crawled up your spine when she uttered your name. She never called you by your first name, always your last, or sometimes even sweetie. But never your first. Only on rare occasions did she ever, and it always meant one thing: she was about to be brutally honest with you.

The air clogged your throat as you tried to brace yourself for whatever Luanna was about to toss at you, but luckily for you, the universe was just as unwilling to listen to one of Luanna’s lectures as you were.

The sudden eruption of shrill voices speaking at the same time interrupted your train of thought, and consequently Luanna’s too. The three girls that’d been huddled at the front of the room jumped to their feet, blocking the doorway as they ran to greet the boy who had just walked in. Your view of him was obscured at first, but the amount of comfort that his aura alone brought you told you exactly who he was.

You sat on your leg, craning your neck in search of those warm eyes amongst the heads of your classmates. You needed to meet them just once, just to feel the normalcy for your crumbling life once again. You needed to see them to assure you that this terror you were living with was only temporary.

But when you did, the fear that consumed you snared its claws deeper into your veins. You didn’t see peacefulness or normalcy. You didn’t see the gleam in his eyes, the one that always gave him away whenever he was excited. The gleam that had the power to make everyone around him happy. When you saw him, it was almost you were looking in the mirror, because what you saw was paralyzing fear. You saw dread and sadness and anger, all mixing together like an amalgamation of despair.

Kai! We’re so glad you’re back!

I wrote down all of Mrs. Beck’s notes for you, maybe we can go over them during lunch.

Come sit with us. We’ll help you catch up.

Kai had been trying to push his way past them to reach the empty seat in front of you, but the girls wouldn’t let him out of their grasp long enough to free himself. You were the only person who could understand what he was going through. You were the only person he wanted to talk to, the only person he thought of in days… but you weren’t even looking at him anymore. Instead, you were buried nose deep into your textbook. He swallowed the hurt of being ignored by you and allowed himself to be dragged into the cold and unfamiliar seat at the front of the classroom.

The room buzzed suddenly then filled with a high shriek as the school’s intercom system kicked in for the morning announcement. You could hear the quiet murmuring of your principal as she quickly gathered her notes, completely unaware that her morning aid student had already begun without her.

“Are we on, already? Oh… Gooood Morning, Derry High!” Her booming voice forced everyone out of their tiredness, their ears perking with attentiveness for only a second before they went back to the bobbing mess of sleepy students. “It is Monday, a fine day to begin the week. I hear our two beloved seniors have returned today, please give them a hand and let them know how much we’ve missed them.”

Your stomach lurched as half of the class turned to look at you, clapping half-heartedly, the other half choosing to clap for Kai. Some immediately retracted their attention, but the gaze of others lingered on you for a moment too long. Your thoughts felt like a malfunctioning carousel, flinging wildly improbable theories of why they were staring at you all over the place, each one more worrying than the last.

“In honor of them and the late Noah Rivers, let us please have a minute of silence.”

The silence settled in far too quickly for your liking, its cold fingers tapping the bare skin of your neck as it whispered the horrible retellings of that night. Your heart was accelerating alongside your mind, and your stomach heaving as though it was trying to rid itself of the anxiety that had begun to burrow inside you.

The silence stretched across the entire room, seeping into the hallways as everyone stopped in their tracks to remember the middle school student who had passed away last week. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep it together, and this minute of silence began to feel like an eternity.

You tried to focus your breathing, looking out into the yard toward the school monument sign. You hoped to replace the cruel voice of survivor’s guilt with images of whatever else you could occupy your mind with. The singing birds or the falling leaves or even the littered water bottle that rolled across the pavement with every slight breeze.

You looked away from the outside world, realizing that your wish to be in it only worsened your anxiety. Your eyes darted around the room, refusing to focus on something for longer than a millisecond.

You opted to close your eyes instead, but something caught your eye in the tall rectangular window of the classroom door.

It’s yellow eyes locked onto you, unmoving as they watched your every muscle fight the paralysis of fear. You could see its pointy discolored teeth that lined the inside of its mouth, the string of drool that told you it watered for a taste of you.

Your knee hit the desk as you scurried to your feet, barely managing to catch the chair that you knocked over. You could see Luanna talking to you, trying to make sense of what had set you off, but nothing she was saying was registering in your mind. Her voice was garbled and undecipherable, and you had become hyper focused on the glowering gaze of the clown that sat at the window.

Your principal’s voice reverberated against the classroom walls once again, and for a split second you felt the end of this nightmare approaching. The clown had gone in a blink, no longer creeping in the window, and the world felt like it was stabilizing for the time being. But for some peculiar reason, you couldn’t get your heart to do the same.

The shock wave of having seen the clown in front of so many people sent you spiraling toward the edge of a panic attack. You were hanging on the ledge, your fingers slipping the more you struggled to reassure yourself that it was gone.

Mrs. Beck, your homeroom teacher, started toward you, her polka dotted dress billowing behind her as she made her way to where you had cornered yourself in the back of the classroom. Luanna knelt beside you, the pad of her thumb gently wiping away the tears from your cheeks.

“Luanna, does everything seem to be alright with Ms. (Last/Name)?” Your teacher asked, her voice full of worry. You looked up at her, hoping to match the gentle face of your teacher to her sweet voice, but it was nothing like you remembered.

Her lips were contorted into a wet grimace, dry white paint cracking at the corners of her mouth as though she had tried to wipe off her makeup in a hurry. Her eyes were a nightmarish yellow and they were locked onto yours steadily. The scream in your throat tightened, pressing down on your lungs until you could no longer hold it and were gasping for breath.

And then she giggled. Not the kind that was lighthearted and vibrant, like the kind you would hear from a child, but the kind that was full of venom and hunger. It was a guttural sound, coming from deep with the depths of a dark and horrid place. A place that only someone – or something – truly evil could reach.

“Stoooop!” You wailed, pressing your palms against your ears to drown out the gross sound of your teacher’s voice. You knew it was in your head, you were certain of it, but still it felt so real. The real Mrs. Beck, not the possessed version that was tormenting your already broken self, tried to reach for you in an attempt to force you back into reality, but what you saw was an exposed alien-like hand with murder written all over it. You screamed, springing to your feet as you wasted no time dashing out of the room and into the girl’s bathroom across the hall.

You locked yourself in the middle stall, plopping yourself on the toilet seat as you plunged into a full-scale panic attack. Your eyes were shut tight, your breathing loud and hoarse as you repeatedly slammed your balled fist into the metal wall of the stall, every shooting pain that ran up your arm from the force of the strike creating a faint, sporadic light that lit the way out of your mind. 

Bang.

You groaned in frustration at yourself, your knuckles cracking against the metal as you struck the door with as much force as you could muster. 

Bang.

Your fist dented the metal of the stall, but you could clearly see the exit in your mind. Your sanity was so close. 

Bang.

Blood ran down your fingers, staining your skin and consequently the stall door as well. 

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Pain was temporary, but fear? Well… no one ever managed to outlive fear.

The stall to your left suddenly slammed against the metal lock, shaking the entire stall structure violently. You gasped in alarm, the throbbing pain of your knuckles grounding you into reality as you wondered if another student had heard the insanity of your panic attack. You ran your finger across your mouth, shame setting in when you recalled the show that you had put on in front of the entire class. 

The restroom was silent, save for your heavy breathing, and you decided to leave before anyone else could see the mess that was your current state. You reached for the lock, the coolness of the metal refreshing against your warm, almost scorching skin. Your fingers lingered for a second, and you wondered if it was a good idea to go back to class to gather your things. It was not. You weren’t sure if you were stable enough yet to face the judging gazes of your classmates. You let the idea die and undid the lock. 

A pair of black tattered boots blocked the stall door from opening, and you felt your heart plummet into your stomach. You tried to back up, but by then it was too late.

You felt your throat suddenly constrict against a thick and rough cord, your body slamming against the stall wall as it pulled you toward your attacker. You clawed at the rope that tightened around your neck, the fibers digging into your skin and drawing blood. You were lifted off the ground and you kicked your legs, frantically searching for something to stand on. Your shoes slipped off the ceramic edges of the toilet, and your breath escaped in blubbering gasps.

You were running out of time quickly, running out of breath. Your legs became dead weight, your muscles too weak to lift your heavy limbs. Your vision was darkening, but you fought to keep your eyes open. May Noah Rivers rest in peace, but you were determined to not end up like him. Dead by a clown. Not you.

“Oh, what’s the matter Jelly Bean? Having trouble catching your breath?” Your blood ran ice cold at the familiarity of the voice. It was deep and hoarse, like that of a person who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, and their breath smelled of alcohol and… what was that? Sewage?

The stranger’s grip on the rope faltered for a second, long enough for you to manage to slip a finger behind it and allow yourself one full breath before it tightened again.

“W-who?” You managed weakly.

They hummed, and brought their face closer to you, just enough for you to see them from your peripheral vision. Your eyes stung from how far they had to reach for you to see them, but you caught a clear glimpse of them.

It was your dad… your dead dad.

“Jelly Bean, why did you let me die all alone?” The rope tightened further, causing you to make a gross nasally sound. You pushed your tongue against the roof of your mouth, the words you wanted to say escaping with every short breath you exhaled.

“I was so sure you’d go with me that day.” The rope tightened again. “You should have gone with me that day! Why did you let me die all alone?” Your dad’s voice was deepening into a harsh growl, deepening until it longer sounded like your dad, but like the clown that had been tormenting you.

It laughed maniacally, the bells on its clown suit jingling with every erratic movement it made. “You let him die, huh jelly bean? Oh… what kind of daughter does that?” It jeered, the vulgarity slipping off of his tongue in a way that made your skin crawl with disgust.

You shook your head, tears flooding the little vision you had left as the guilty feelings of that day, two years ago, came back like raging waters. Everyone told you it wasn’t your fault, but you could never fight the nagging feeling that it was. Your mind was clouded with what-if scenarios and you yourself had come to the conclusion that if you had gone on that car ride with your dad that day then maybe he wouldn’t have taken his own life.

And now those guilty feelings were going to be the death of you. Maybe this is what I deserve, you thought. Maybe this is what I get for choosing my friends over my dad.

You fell to the ground suddenly, your head banging against the closed stall door. You were surprised to find you were still conscious, and you took this as your opportunity to crawl out of the stall from underneath, screaming for help at the top of your lungs. You felt a pair of cold hands pull you all the way toward the large wooden door of the restroom, her small frame using all of its strength to help you to your feet while fending off the newly injured clown.

You stood, turning around to get a good look at the situation. There was a broken broomstick wedged between the ribs of the clown, and it had a scowl on its face, as though it was in pain. You didn’t know it could feel pain. Beverley Marsh, the girl who had saved you from death not even a second ago, tugged at your arm as she dashed toward the exit, you following closely behind her.

You never thought you’d find comfort in the nasty smell of hormonal teenagers that wafted through the main hallways of the school, but it felt like breathing fresh air when you made it out.

You crashed into someone as you passed the threshold of the restroom, their arms quickly engulfing you. You looked up to find Kai’s worried eyes frantically searching your face for any signs of injury, but it was full of grief. He sighed and pressed your head against his chest as he hugged you hard, thankful you were okay.

“God, are you ok?” He whispered.

You shook your head, tears staining his shirt as you sobbed. “I ca-I can’t breathe.”

Kai grabbed your hand and pulled you alongside him as he made his way outside. His fingers were intertwined with yours and he didn’t let go, not even when you stood on the concrete steps of the school, basking in the warmth of the sun. He watched you closely, wondering silently if you had gone through what he had in the past week. 

The heat of the sun felt like soft kisses against your cold skin, drying your tears and encasing you in a protective blanket. You felt Kai inch closer to you, his fingers running up the back of your head as he planted a kiss on your forehead. Your breathing was ragged, the residual trauma still pestering you even after having made it out safely.

You wrapped your arm around his waist, your other hand still holding onto his, and you rested your head against him. “I’m so scared, Kai.” You whispered.

He swayed the two of you gently and whispered back: “Me too.” You swore if he kept it up, you would surely fall asleep where you stood, but he suddenly pulled away from you, meeting your confused gaze. 

Whenever I’m with him Something inside starts to burning And I’m filled with desire

Could it be the devil in me Or is this the way love’s supposed to be?

It’s like a heat wave Burning in my heart Can’t keep from crying It’s tearing me apart

You smiled at the song playing on the radio and turned to look at your fiance, Junmyeon, as he drove down an unlit gravel road. His dark hair was parted on the side and combed over, showing off his gorgeous face. You noticed a small smile on his lips as he hummed along to the song playing. Feeling a surge of fondness, your smile grew while you watched him. He had a secret love for girl groups.

You continued to admire his profile as he drove the two of you in his dark red 1951 Chevy Bel-Air to your secret spot near the local orchard. His skin was glowing, even from the lights emanating from the dash. He always looked amazing in your eyes but you could tell he had clearly made extra effort for your date. Junmyeon chose your favorite dark gray slacks and paired it with a crisp white button down shirt with the top button open. You shifted slightly in your seat as you began to feel arousal at the sight of his Adam’s apple just above the collar of his dress shirt. You bit your lip as you noticed it bob when he swallowed.

Over his dress shirt he wore a cerulean v-neck pullover sweater. The shade of blue along with his dark hair and skin tone made him look almost ethereal. You asked yourself for the umpteenth time how you managed to catch the attention of someone who was clearly so gorgeous he could be with almost any girl he wanted.

Junmyeon was always clear, from the moment you met, he only had eyes for you. You had never seen him looking at another woman in any way other than in a polite or platonically friendly manner. You had seen him approached by the occasional brazen fellow co-ed but he always smiled and politely turned them down. If they made physical contact with him, he always moved away and expressed his love for you as to why he wasn’t interested. When he proposed to you at your spot two months ago, you had no hesitation in saying yes. You loved him completely and he had only ever expressed the same. You couldn’t remember the last time you felt such contentment and bliss.

When Junmyeon picked you up in front of your dorm, you noticed the time he took to let his gaze wander over your form. You had bought a new yellow knit dress that reached just above mid-thigh with a zig-zag hem. It was too chilly mid-October to leave your legs bare so you had paired it with black tights and your Mary Jane inspired ballet flats. You completed your outfit with dangly black feather earrings and your favorite dark gray peacoat. Your makeup was simple--a winged black eyeliner with mascara and a pretty pink lipstick you found recently.

With the hungry way Junmyeon looked at you when he picked you up, you knew he liked the outfit and how you pulled it together.

“We’re nearly there, baby,” he said as you slid towards him slightly and slipped your hand into his free one.

“I know. I just want to touch you,” you replied smiling at him.

He glanced over and gave you a big grin. You felt your heart rate increase at how beautiful he looked in that moment, giving you a smile you knew he reserved only for you. Every moment the two of you shared like this reinforced your decision to spend the rest of your life with him.

Junmyeon slipped his hand from yours to down shift as he began to turn into your special spot. You whined a little at the loss of contact and he chuckled at your cuteness. He parked quickly and slid closer to you. Before you could react, he had one hand along the small of your back and the other cupping your face as he pulled you in for a kiss. You sighed and immediately responded to his touch. You could feel him smile as he deepened the kiss, running his tongue along your bottom lip before nibbling on it gently. You parted your lips, granting his tongue access. He took his time as he kissed you, making you feel like the only two people on the planet.

The song on the radio switched to another of Junmyeon’s favorites and you pulled back to sing at him.

My boyfriend’s back and you’re gonna be in trouble. (Hey, la-di-la, my boyfriend’s back.) When you see him comin’, better cut on the double. (Hey, la-di-la, my boyfriend’s back.) You’ve been spreading lies that I was untrue. (Hey, la-di-la, my boyfriend’s back.) So look out now ‘cause he’s comin’ after you. (Hey, la-di-la, my boyfriend’s back.) And he knows that you’ve been tryin’, And he knows that you’ve been lyin’.

“Your boyfriend’s back?” you fiance asked playing along with the song. “Doesn’t he know you’re mine?”

“Oh but honey, Sehun’s going to come after you once he finds out that you’ve stolen me away!”

“I think I’ll be able to take him,” he said with fake seriousness. It became a running joke after you met Junmyeon’s family and was apparent that his eight year old brother, Sehun, had developed a crush on you. When he returned to his parent’s house after taking you home that night, Sehun had matter-of-factly told Junmyeon that you were his girlfriend now. You found it sweet how quickly he expressed his crush to his big brother. Every time you visited his family since the “announcement” Sehun blushed deeply and brought you a flower from the neighbor’s garden in spite of his mother’s half-hearted scolding.

You laughed loudly at Junmyeon’s fake seriousness and his face broke into a grin at the sound. Brushing his hand down your arm and reaching for you hand, he played with your fingers as he asked, “Do you want to walk along in the orchard tonight?”

You pondered for a moment--you loved the smell of fall and your walks with Junmyeon under the moonlight--but decided against it.

“It’s a little too cold for a walk tonight, I think. Besides, you didn’t even bring a coat! You’re not getting sick on my watch.”

“I don’t need a coat when you’re around, sweetheart.”

“It’s because you’re always trying snuggle under my coat with me to steal my warmth!”

“No, it’s because I’m hot for you,” he responded with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“Oh my God! That’s a horrible line!”

“You love me anyways though,” he said with a soft look on his face as he gazed at you.

“For some reason, in spite of the dad jokes and bad puns, I do love you. So much.”

Without another word Junmyeon leaned in to kiss you again. Deepening it immediately, you responded with the same intensity and enthusiasm.

It was quickly becoming too warm in the car and you struggled in your attempt to remove your coat. Smiling against your mouth, you felt Junmyeon’s hands slip under your coat along your shoulders to help you. As soon as your were free, you slipped one of your hands into his hair to pull him closer and moved your other along his jaw. You began stroking his face and down his throat as his hand resting just above your knee slid up your thigh and under your dress.

“Why did you have to wear tights?” he groaned as he pulled away from your lips to skim your throat with his mouth.

“Because it’s cold,” you said breathlessly. “Besides, it’s your turn.”

“But I want to touch you,” he whined.

“You are touching me.”

“You know what I mean,” he growled into your ear as his hand cupped your heat over your tights.

“Jun,” you tried to sound stern but you could tell it wasn’t working. “You made me come the last two times we came out here and wouldn't let me take care of you. I know it must have hurt by the time you finally got to relieve yourself.”

“I just love the look on your face when you come for me. I can’t wait to see the faces you make when I finally get to feel you around me.”

“Jun, you make it so hard to try to wait…”

“It’ll be worth it though, baby. In the meantime,” he began to rub you firmly through your tights and panties and you knew you were soaking already, “you should let me make you feel good.”

You almost gave in. His hands felt heavenly and the pressure was only making you wetter. But you remembered how hard he was last time the two of you came to your spot and how uncomfortable he looked as he adjusted himself. Your dorm mother kept a strict curfew and you hadn’t had the time to reciprocate after he brought you over your edge. Determined to prevent that from happening again, you gently removed his hand from between your legs. He groaned with displeasure at your actions but, always the gentleman, he didn’t try to push his hand back. The two of you had been together long enough that he knew when your resolve was unwaverable.

“Jun, you act like I’ve taken away your favorite toy,” you teased as you trailed a hand down his chest and abdomen before palming him harshly over the bulge in his pants. At your touch he inhaled sharply and threw his head back to rest on the seat.

“Playing with you and making you feel good is one of my favorite past times.”

“Jun, baby, it’s my turn to play now,” you whispered in his ear as you slowly unbuckled his belt.

You watched Junmyeon’s face as he squeezed his eyes tight while you managed to finish unbuckling his belt, unbuttoned his pants, and slowly slid his zipper down. As you kissed him gently on the cheek, leaving the last remnants of your lipstick, you heard him hum in a way that you recognized as him relaxing. You smiled to yourself as you moved and ran your teeth along his earlobe and he sucked in a breath at your action.

“Do you like torturing me?” he moaned out as you reached into his pants to pull out his hard length.

“A little,” you replied cheekily and he sighed dramatically.

“Don’t worry, love,” you cooed in his ear as you gently stroked him. “I won’t torture you for long tonight.”

Before you leaned over to end his ‘suffering,’ Junmyeon turned his head to look at you. He reached his hand up to cup your face and you leaned into his touch and closed your eyes. He didn’t immediately pull you in for a kiss like you were expecting. You opened your eyes to see him raking over your face with an unguarded look of love and adoration.

“I love you,” he whispered as his thumb stroked your cheek.

“I love you too, Jun. More than anything,” you replied knowing your face was shining with all the love and affection you had for your future husband.

He leaned forward and pulled your face into his as he gave you a deep, gentle kiss. As he pulled away, he rested his forehead against yours as his breath stuttered while your continued to slowly stroke him.

“Jun, love, lean back and relax. I’ll take good care of you.”

Without a word, he did as you asked and leaned back to give you room. Adjusting in the bench seat you leaned over and took his tip into your mouth. This simple action caused a loud moan to leave his lips and you smiled. He was so vocal and you loved it. You couldn’t wait until you were married so you could explore all the different ways to make him moan like that.

He was already leaking heavily so you knew he wouldn’t last too long. Licking along his slit, he gasped as you savored his taste and moaned. You weren’t sure what it was but you loved how he tasted. A little salty, a little sweet, just like the Junmyeon you loved.

Determined to make him come, you stopped your teasing and took the majority of his length in your mouth. He groaned as the tip hit the back of your throat. The two of you had been together for long enough that you had learned how to relax your throat to prevent from gagging around him.

You used your tongue to massage the vein running along the underside of his cock and you heard your fiance swear. With internalized glee, you knew he was completely focused on your actions. Junmyeon rarely swore and the handful of times almost all involved the skills of your tongue and mouth.

Using your hand to stroke what you couldn’t quite fit, you began to bob and suck in earnest. You felt Junmyeon’s hand slip into your hair at the back of your head. His hips were thrusting up gently and you had learned this was a subconscious action. You had discussed your desire to try having him take more control as you went down on him, eager to learn the things that would make him feel good but he hadn’t wanted to explore it yet. He was afraid of taking things too far and hurting you in the moment.

You took as much as you could and swallowed around him. He began to chant your name in warning, “Y/N, Y/N, oh my god. Y/N.”

Feeling a slight tug at the back of your head you moaned around him. The vibrations of your moan sent him over the edge. Junmyeon came in your mouth with a long drawn out moan of your name. You kept your mouth around him, gently bobbing as you swallowed his cum with a pleased hum.

You lifted your mouth off his softening length and tucked him back into his pants. You looked at your fiance and observed how sexy he was panting with his eyes closed and head thrown back. All mine, you thought as you enjoyed how wrecked he looked.

After a moment, Junmyeon opened his eyes and leaned over to kiss you. You pulled back slightly, “Jun, you just came in my mouth.”

“I don’t care. I need to kiss you after that,” he replied desperately.

As the two of you kissed and basked in the afterglow, the song on the radio was harshly interrupted:

Good evening local residents. We apologize for the interruption of your regularly scheduled program but breaking news has come in. Information about a dangerous inmate escaping the local mental institution for the criminally insane has been reported by the local authorities. Officials caution that the escapee was institutionalized after he murdered several co-eds living in one of the student housing buildings at the local college. Residents are warned that the inmate is male, in his late 40s, has a scar running along the left side of his face from his eye to his chin, and has a hook for a right hand. It is advised to stay in groups when possible and to avoid empty or deserted areas after dark. If you see a man matching this description, please do not engage and report it to the local authorities immediately.

Once the report finished, the next song came on as if nothing had interrupted the night. You looked at Junmyeon, suddenly scared. “I think we should head back. No one knows exactly where we are.”

“I think you’re right, baby.”

You got settled next to him, now sitting in the center of the bench seat so you could feel Junmyeon pressed to your side. It gave you a sense of security and comfort to feel him so close.

He started the engine and turned on the headlights. Part of you was certain that the man from the report would suddenly appear in the beam of the lights once they were turned on. Fortunately, the lights only shined on the fence and trees along the edge of the orchard.

At that moment, Junmyeon looked over to check the mirror on the passenger side and he let out a shout and very clear, “What the FUCK?!”

You whipped your head over and saw what caused his reaction. A face was nearly pressed into the passenger window. The man’s hair was long and matted to his head and neck. His eyes looked wide and crazed and under his left eye, a distinct and angry looking scar ran along his cheek and ended under his chin.

The sight caused you to start hyperventilating as you could sense Junmyeon struggling with the gear shift, unable to slide the car into a gear that would allow you to escape the terrifying site of the man at the window.

The stranger watched your panic and struggles as a demonic smile stretched across his face. The sheer terror you felt increased tenfold. You watched in horror as he slowly lifted his right arm and revealed a hook in place of a hand.

“Jun, Jun, Jun, we have to go now! Jun it’s the guy, we need to go!!”

“I can’t! It won’t go into gear! Come on, come on, don’t do this, please not now!” he said as he answered you and spoke to the car that was malfunctioning at the worst time possible.

The man slowly ran his hook along the glass causing a screeching sound. He smiled as he watched you both flinch at the noise. Impossibly, his grin got wider and you were able to register his crooked and yellowing teeth. A couple on the bottom were missing that you were unable to see at first glance.

You heard the song change on the radio and you sobbed as you recognized it as Skeeter Davis’ “The End of the World.” How fitting, you thought.

You felt how Junmyeon was panicking next to you and you reached to grip his knee, needing to feel more of him in your fear. You watched in frozen horror as the man pulled his hooked arm back and hit the glass of the window. It didn’t break like you were expecting but that didn’t deter the man. He reached back and hit it again and this time you saw a part of the glass spiderweb. The man’s eyes seemed to turn more manic and as he reached back one last time and you turned to look at Junmyeon.

“Whatever happens, I love you.”

Then you heard the glass shatter.

“Baekhyun…”

With trembling lips you reach out for the boy drinking his gin as unbothered as one could get. When he turns to you with the scoff of an irritated “what?” hanging off his lips, his initial shock is written all over his face.

“What the hell happened with you, sis? You’re drenched,” your brother gapes at you taking in your shivering form and he might not be a gentleman at all times but he covers your shoulders with a towel from the stool beside him. “Tell me you didn’t decide to take a midnight bath in the sea.”

You shake your head vigorously, pulling the towel tighter around your frame. You're still shaking but it's more out of fear than the cold night breeze. You keep looking behind you, afraid that those sparkling eyes will come after you.

“We… have to go, we’re in danger…” you stutter, not being able to get the right words out. Your head is a mess, memories blurry and heart threatening to burst out of your chest, breaking your breast bones with the power of their thumping.

But Baekhyun can’t hear any of that. His eyes are impassive, can be described as annoyed at best and the stern line of his mouth shows his disapproval.

“You’re not making any sense. We can’t leave. It's Junki’s birthday and we still have the fire–”

Yeah, the freaking fireworks, you know, but there won't be anyone alive to enjoy them if you stay on this damned yacht in the brim of the sea any longer.

“Baek… Junki is gone. We… we fell into the water and then something dragged him away,” you tell him and grab him by his collar tightly, not caring about getting it wet. You’ll be all dead if you don’t act as soon as possible.

But by the looks of it, your brother doesn’t believe you. Probably thinks it’s just some kind of sick prank Junki managed to rope you into, that maybe it's all just another bloody trick of his and you naively fell for it. Junki had always been one hell of a jokester.

“What the…” hell are you talking about? is on the tip of Baekhyun’s tongue as he raises his voice but before he could finish, the yacht tilts dangerously to one side as if something crashed into it with a huge impact. “Fuck.”

Both of you almost lose your footings and you grab on the bar counter in last minute to stop your fall. Even though the floor beneath you isn't in your favour either as the water dripping down from you keeps gathering up in a small pool making the shiny surface even more slippery for your naked foot, you manage to get a firm hold on it.

“What’s going on? Shit,” some other guy yells from the upper board as he can barely catch the railing in his drunken haze. As he leans over the fence and sees you talking to Baek, he scoffs and barks out: “I told you, bro, no women on sea or else the waves will hate us.”

He takes another vodka shot, a few drops of the alcohol spilling out of his mouth as he laughs as if he just told the joke of the century. He doesn't even pay attention to his surroundings, the approaching storm ahead of the yacht, the blowing wind that keeps getting stronger and stronger or the darkening clouds above, covering the milk-shite moon.

“This is not the pirate ages, dickhead," Baekhyun snorts and rolls his eyes lazily, not quite grasping the severity of the situation as he yells back: "It’s not my problem I have to babysit my sister.”

His excuse makes your blood boil and your mouth twitch in anger even if it's somewhat pitiful getting pissed about such thing after what you had just seen. You were an adult just like him, living alone and well, you didn't need a babysitter, especially not your arrogant brother who has always cared more for looks and money than what really matters.

What actually happened is this: Baekhyun wanted to throw a party for his college buddy and show off the family yacht but your parents didn't let him trash it without you being there keeping an eye on them. So despite being younger, it’s rather you who has to babysit him and his pathetic excuse of jerk friends.

“I’m the only one who can actually drive this,” you pipe into the conversation with mild anger in your voice and you can hear quite a few complains from above.

"We should have hired a professional captain," one of them says and if you could, you would tell them to get the hell off of the yacht then but another shout reminds you what's going on:

“Where the hell is Junki?” A tall guy, Chanyeol or something, walks off the upper board to join the conversation and he merely shoots a judging look your way, probably wondering why you're dripping water all over the place in the middle of the night.

"He went to get champagne," Baekhyun shrugs not getting anything from what you said earlier, so you raise your voice once again.

“I told you he fell into the water and–” something... or someone took him, you want to say, the words are already on the tip of your tongue but before you can get them out, the yacht receives another blow from the sea, creaking as the metal ship tries to find its balance once again on the turbulent waves.

"Would someone do something to stop the yacht moving so much? I'm gonna throw up," Jongdae also trails down to join the gathering group of people and he looks seriously seasick. That's actually a good excuse for you to get the hell out of there.

"We will go back to the shore," you exclaim not caring about the protests until another guy whose name you don’t know stands in your way towards the steering wheel. Your steps halt and you unconsciously try to cover yourself up more as you feel his intense, suspicious eyes on you.

“You angered the sea, didn’t you? What did you take from it?” he inquires and the knowing look he shoots towards you makes you shiver. He can’t know, right?

“What are you talking about?” you furrow your brows nibbling on your bottom lip and getting a wet strand of hair out of your eyes.

“Minseok is a superstitious bastard. Tell him what you took or you’ll never hear the end of it,” your brother grumbles from behind, already finishing his gin that he just started when you walked up to him.

Suddenly, a thunder shakes the air and it makes you shiver, the way the sea murmurs curses under you. You can practically feel it burning. There’s a melody beneath, a mix of tranquil waves and violent hurricanes. You can hear it loud and clear as it echos in your ears, an otherworldly tune, a frequency nobody else can hear. It’s slowly driving you crazy.

"I didn't take anything. I was just trying to get out when Junki–" you take a gasp of breath but can't finish the sentence, just pull your arms protectively tighter around yourself. The towel might have slipped from the movement or the moonlight suddenly hit you in a different way, you aren't sure but that's when Baekhyun steps closer and notices the brand of angry red spots on your arm where his so-called friend grabbed you.

"What is it? What happened to you?" he steps closer and folds the towel up until he sees the torn strap of your swimsuit over your right shoulder. You can clearly see the moment realization flashes in his dark eyes and fury settles on his lips as he presses them in a straight line. "Did he do it? That bastard..."

"Baekhyun, stop, he... it's over," you grab his shirt, getting wet spots on the front and a few strains of red. You stare at your hands in disbelief and only now you see the blood on your fingertips. You look down at yourself in horror and see long stretch marks of claws down your thighs. They’re fresh, still bleeding but the pain magically hasn’t registered yet.

"Can someone tell us what the fuck is going on?" Jongin looks at you bewildered and you see the slight terror in every pair of eyes settled on you as if you could tell them the answer. But you had no idea why this was happening. The events followed each other too fast for you to catch up. A mere careless action led to such serious consequences you will never be able to erase from your mind.

You were just there, sitting on the edge of the watercraft, swinging your legs in the sea and marvelling at the moon's reflection hitting the waves. The sea was smooth tonight so far, only a light breeze soothed the tides. It wasn't anything out of ordinary until something cold bumped into your leg, a bottle and within a message. You curiously pulled it out of the water and then Junki joined you uninvitedly. He was drunk already, flirting with no end and being all touchy. You told him to stop, tried to leave but he didn't have any of it. It wasn't even on purpose, just a stupid mistake of a moment with the bottle still in your hand. It came in contact with his head too hard and the glass bottle broke into tiny pieces. Junki wobbled on his legs, losing his balance and taking you with him as he slipped in the water. In the drapple with Junki, you didn't even notice the injury or that something circling under you, not until Junki sank under the water. He struggled to get to the surface once, calling for your help but then whatever it was that got him pulled him under mercilessly and you could do nothing but make your way out of the water searching for your brother. You looked back once, over your shoulder and that’s when you saw it… him with bright, devilish eyes staring at you from the water. You ran to Baekhyun and prayed for his guidance like you haven’t done since you were kids.

This action led you here, to this fateful moment, when he rips you out of the shreds of your shaked up self’s memories deciding on what to do:

"Let's get the hell out of here," he says with finality and urges you forward to the captain's cabin as the watercraft keeps rocking back and forth beneath you.

You’ve just gotten behind the wheel and started the engine when the screaming and shouting interfies from behind.

"It took Jongdae, oh my god," one of the guys yells, terror clear in his voice and you hear the ship cracking as it struggles with the heavy waves to move forward. The wind also hits you stronger and colder than ever.

“Go-go-go,” they keep on shouting around you but something must be very, very wrong.

The yacht dives closer to the shore really slowly as if something was blocking the propeller. It’s not even a mile long distance from there but fighting for your lives it seems so much longer.

Your wet hair gets into your face blocking your view as the watercraft suddenly gets a hit from behind and you fell forward. Beside you Baekhyun curses as he crushes into the control panel. You try to steer the wheel to get back into the right direction but with the ship is getting sudden attacks from each sides displaying the fierce power of the sea. The yacht keeps getting drifted to an unpopulated part of the shore but you couldn’t even control the turns anymore.

“Where the fuck do we keep the emergency signal flare?” your brother crouches down searching for the tool in the closet while you try to keep the yacht steady and going.

More shouting and agonizing screams deafen you as you let out not so ladylike curses pushing forward with the ship.

Suddenly the red light burst open like an explosion in the sky, painting the storm burgundy with all of its lightnings and dark clouds. You foolishly hope for lifesavers coming immediately but as the red light burns, the yacht starts sinking and the control panel beeps in endless warning.

“Shit we are sinking,” you whisper looking at the signal on the console board. You have a hole or at least a tear in the dock part of the yacht. The propeller is completely gone or out of service, so now you are just drifting with no control.

“We're not that far from the shore, we should swim,” Baekhyun suggests pointing at the beach only a few dozen meters away. It really isn't much but followed by this creature? You would have rather locked yourself up in the cabin.

“Then it will kill us,” Chanyeol argues in a panicked voice and for the first time you agree with him. He has a point.

“We will crush into the pier,” you warn them when it becomes evident that the watercraft has become absolutely uncontrollable. “Get a grip!”

You hang onto the wheel as if your life depended on it and it really does because the yacht's collision with the wooden structure shakes the whole ship and apart from the damages at least it slows the pace down enough for the yacht to stop. Standing on wobbly legs, you take a deep breath and turning around you see him again.

He’s undeniably the most handsome man you’ve ever seen, looking both young and ageless. You watch him frozen in fear, pulling out from the coldest deep waters enough for you to see his coal black hair swimming in fluorescent hue, eyes bright like shiny seashells and chest shining under the moonlight like pearl. He has a dark look in his eyes and the way he moves slow, almost sensuous and yet harshly like water slipping into every crack (he cut in you).

Then he sees you. You see it clearly: him looking back at you with that dark intent in his midnight eyes. You can't move as if he numbed you just by a look and you feel a shiver running through your spine to your very core in fear.

He seems terrifying. And utterly beautiful. You have never seen anyone like him and his presence leaves you in awe.

Your scream comes too late when all of a sudden he grabs Chanyeol's ankle and yanks him into the sea. The tall boy has no chance even with his attempts at nails scratching the yacht’s smooth surface or grabbing onto the fence during his fall. The creature takes him with himself into the deep end.

Only then when the thunder of skies quiets down do you notice how empty your damaged yacht is. No more voices disturb the rumple of waters.

“All the others are…” you whisper horrified and your brother reaches out for your hand.

“Yeah, let's go,” he says firmly, keeping his voice even and face straight like he wasn't affected. But he is, you know him too well. You might not be on the greatest terms but you have grown up together still. He’s a great actor but not in front of you and the Baekhyun before you now doesn't resemble the man he wants to be seen as. He’s drenched, blood dripping slowly from a scar on his forehead and you see the fear in his ambitious eyes too.

You let him take you by the wrist pulling your numb body towards the shore like you were just one of the ragdolls you two were arguing about at young age. Maybe it’s the shock that still hasn’t settled entirely or a premonition but you keep getting flashbacks of you two in your grandmother’s field chasing down each other, happy and naive. He saved you then from a snake hidden in the bushes and he said that was what big brothers were supposed to do.

As of today, you aren’t sure if he still has the same reason but you trust him with your whole life as you follow him. And there, on the wet sand of the beach, finally feeling steady ground beneath, you think that the horrors of the night are over.

You are proven dead wrong in a swish of a moment.

Neither of you has seen it coming, the arrow just as fast as the lightning zigzagging across the sky. It only makes you stop when Baekhyun falters, stopping and then falls to his knees. Blood pours from the wound on his back where the metal pierced through his back. Blood is dripping from the corner of his mouth.

“Oh my god…”

A scream is ripped off your throat, limbs shaking as you try to help Baekhyun up.

“Go,” he whimpers shakily, more blood bubbling up as he tries to speak.

“But I… I can't leave you here.” To die. It’s unsaid but both of you know what is means. The white material of your brother’s shirt under your hands is quickly turns crimson like water mixed with red wine. His lips are quivering weakly and you see the focus in his eyes come and go.

“Just go. Tell mom and dad I'm sorry I wasn’t a good son.”

“Baekhyun…” Your lips tremble, tears streaming down your face. Your brother's face falls hearing your broken voice and you have never seen his eyes that loving and scared at the same time.

“Go,” he says  it once again with more force now and pushes you away right after you help him stand up.

Looking over your shoulder you catch a glimpse of that otherworldly creature with a bow in his hands pulling up another arrow from a good dozens meters away. Throat dry and lips chapped until they bleed, you can't scream no more when the second arrow hits your own blood in the heart right in front of your eyes and you can't do anything about it, just stand there and watch light disappear from his eyes.

You have no choice but to do as he asked: run from the port.

You’re still in shock, not knowing what to do, what to say, how to react. Your brother and his friends just died in front of you and you barely survived. They were brutally murdered by a human-like monster and you know you’re the next in line. Your only option is to keep away from the port as much as possible because sea creatures can’t reach you on land, can they?

So as soon as you make it out of the shore, you don’t care about anything, people calling after you either in a worried tone or suspiciously as if you were a thug on the street in your wet clothes. You don’t stop at the red lights, at the cars honking, nor in your apartment complex when the old lady downstairs starts nagging and calling your name asking you about your neighbour whose delivery was mistakenly put down at her door. You barely have enough composure to tell her that no, you haven't seen the introvert girl from the apartment opposite of yours at least for weeks now. Running up the stairs, you still spare a glance at the closed door with warrants for payment and dislodgement warnings plastered all over the wood. Any other day, you might worry for your neighbour’s well-being but tonight, you can barely save yourself.

You drop your keys twice before finally getting into your home. But after shutting the door closed behind you, the eerie music following you finally stops and you can breathe again, not feeling choking fingers closing around your throat.

“Why did this happen? Why with us?” You break down crying at the door, not knowing what to do. How would you explain this to your parents? To anyone? Nobody would believe you. You wouldn't believe it either, it’s crazy, like a nightmare.

Crying salty tears onto your cold floor exhausts you so much that you want nothing more than to lay down there, sleep and wake up from this bad dream. But you reek of the saltiness of the ocean and there are blood stains on your torn clothes. You swear to burn them while you get them off and run a hot bath for yourself. You need to wash it from you, both the pang of guilt and croppy smell of blood. Yours and others’.

What if Chanyeol was right all along and all of it was your fault? That it happened because you took something from the sea and used it in the most unholy manner? It can’t be, right? That was just a stupid conviction of elders who still believed in gods and feared the storms on sea.

While the bathtub is filling up, you splash cold water on your face from the sink, wash the stained makeup and mess off your face and hands, then you face the monster you has become in the mirror. A scared little girl looks back at you eyes dark with circles under her eyes and hollows under her cheekbones. It all shows the toll this night – the well-deserving punishments for your committed sins – has already took on you. You took a deep breath trying to force your burning lungs to breathe, to inhale fresh air but everything smells like salt.

And then…

the eerie music drumming in your ears (tearing your heart apart) starts again.

A moment later a long tear breaks the mirror in two and startled, you jump back. Quickly, you turn off the tap but the liquid keeps running. It smells like the sea, salty and musky as the dirty green water slowly overflows the sink.

In your panic you almost miss the clicking sound of metal hitting ceramics but you turn around just in time to see fingers hooking around the edge of your bathtub, water dripping from the luminescent scales splattered across the shiny skin. That monster with the features of an angel is in your bathtub right in front of you, splashing water in all directions as he’s getting out.

“Ho-how?” you gape at him too dumbfounded to move. Even when the wounds on your leg start to stink as the water reaches your ankle. Where would you run anyway?

"Stupid human, you can’t outrun the Sea’s anger. She will find you everywhere," the creature says in a perfectly articulated manner and voice as melodic as the prettiest songs. When he steps out of the tube you half expected him not wearing anything but he wears a waist-cloth made of seashells and golden material. He has expensive-looking rings and the look of a royal with the confidence he walks. He’s dressed in other fancy accessories and a harness over his chest that’s made of a silver chain and seashells glowing in the dim light.

"Who are you? What are you?" You step backwards as he starts to corner you.

“They call me Sehun. It means meritorious deed,” he shrugs, a smirk creeping onto his mouth. “But can't you tell what I am?”

The music. The water. The attack on the sea… it all makes sense very much now that you have a chance to see the scales up-close and the gill thumping on his neck. He stands an arm-length away from you but you still can’t move. He’s just as mesmerizing as scary and his look pins you there. There’s something that gravitates you towards him.

“But that’s just a myth…”

“Humans think they know so much, however they have very little knowledge of the real world. Because people only tend to see what they want and something you cannot explain is far out of your reach,” he taps on your chin in a mocking way. You know he’s right but you still can't wrap your mind around what he wants to do with you. Especially after what he did on that yacht.

“You saved me,” you raise your voice and it sounds like an accusation as if you were blaming him for everything. He just gramices, the displeasure with the situation clearly written on his face.

“I shouldn't have helped you at all. Compulsion isn't a virtue of our kind,” Sehun says while playing with a lock of your hair, light touches smoothing the messy lines of your appearance as the overflowing bathtub and sink keep emitting huge amount of sea water.

“Then why did you?” you mumble not really knowing how you should act. You’re strangely calm, watching the situation unfold with no racing heart, already coming to terms with your fate and the inevitable end of it. The water is already at your waist height and your body feels too light.

“You’re an interesting one. You have darkness in your soul. You wanted that boy dead, didn’t you?” Sehun furrows his brows and his breath hits your cheek as he answers. He makes you wonder: Did you? Was that why you raised your arm ready to attack? To kill him if he dares to touch you more?

You shake your head relentlessly and another question bubbles up from you:

“Why did you kill my friends?”

“Were they really your friends?” the siren tilts his head, thinking out loud but he has already known the answer very well. “It’s the same reason I have to take you with me. She doesn’t like to lose to anyone, so she's angry.”

“At me?” you gulp nails digging deep in your palm, water slipping between your fingers.

“Dear, you should never underestimate the Sea. She's impulsive, wild and rampageous. People keep disrespecting her and eventually everybody pays,” Sehun sing-songs with eyes sparkling under the flickering lights.

The water is already at your chin and the salty smell makes you wanna choke. Still, the bright eyes in front of yours are gorgeous like nothing else in the living world.

“You have heard my song,” he says out of nowhere piercing you at one place with a simple, curious look. But have you really hear him? Was it that melody haunting you, seeping under your skin, threatening to stop your heart? Is it his music so loud that almost deafens you now? Or is it just the rush of your blood and the hammering of your fragile heart?