CHAPTER 13:
Narrator’s POV
— I don’t even know how to start explaining, guys, but I saw the monster. The one that was spying on you, Haerin.
Minji said as she looked at her friends after all the reunion and hugs, after they had been separated.
— You saw it up close? How did you escape?
Haerin asked, curious, while the girls listened carefully to what Minji had to say.
— I followed my dad’s voice, but it wasn’t him, it was that creature, the one from the street. It lured me into an empty space, and all I could do was run and find a door by pure luck.
Minji replied, as she looked at the beach, where they were now, talking all together again.
— There has to be a reason why we’re here.
Hanni said, approaching and trying to think of something that could help in that situation.
— The creature was completely strange, but something seemed to bother it when I decided to go against my negative feelings.
Minji replied, looking at Hanni and dropping her heavy backpack on the ground.
— What do you mean?
Danielle looked at her and asked.
— I had a lot of negative feelings, it’s complicated to explain everything to you now, but in the end... I needed to see my dad. I was sad and scared. The creature seemed to take advantage of that.
Minji replied, sitting on the sand next to Hyein, who was attentively observing the conversation of the older girls.
— Since we came to this place, it seems like the more negative emotions we have, the stranger things we see.
Haerin said and looked at Danielle, as if she had remembered something. Then, she continued her reasoning and said:
— Some time ago, when we were in the pools, the water was dark, but I could swear there was nothing in it. But as soon as we entered, that creature appeared
She finished and sighed.
— If there’s one thing I don’t want right now, it’s swimming. But do you mean that thing formed in the water due to our fear?
Hyein asked Haerin, recalling the creature in the water and shivering slightly.
— Haerin and I have swum enough in this place.
Danielle said, shaking her head, also remembering when she and Haerin crossed the room at the command of the talking flowers and almost drowned.
— I see, so this place feeds on our fear.
Hanni said, sighing and pacing irritably, then continued: — Damn it! We’re being played for fools! In the end, we should have just stayed calm.
— No, I feel there’s more to it. We came here for a reason, and we need to get out of here.
Haerin was determined to face whatever it was.
The girls fell silent, each thinking of a solution, a way to escape this nightmare.
The waves gently broke on the shore as Haerin and her friends digested the words they had just exchanged. The air felt heavy, as if the very environment was waiting for something.
The silence was unsettling, until a distant sound of something dragging caught everyone’s attention. Hanni, more cautious, was the first to lift her gaze.
— Did you hear that?
She asked, looking at the building that held the door to the pools.
Before anyone could respond, a metallic sound echoed across the beach, coming from a tall, old building near the sea. The ancient door they had passed through earlier, now rusted, creaked open on its own. The girls exchanged glances, tension growing in each of them.
— This place won’t leave us alone, will it?
Danielle murmured, her gaze fixed on the darkness that stretched beyond the door.
— There’s only one way to find out, and only one way to get out of here.
Haerin replied, taking the first step toward the building.
Hesitation lingered in the group, but an invisible force seemed to push them toward the entrance, as there were no other exits in the endless beach. They followed Haerin, one by one, crossing the door. The air inside the building was heavy, almost suffocating, as if they had entered another world.
— What is this?
Hyein asked, her voice low, echoing through the walls.
— It feels... different from the other corridors.
The corridor stretched out before them, seemingly endless. The light was dim, coming from flickering lamps one after the other, casting shadows that moved as if they were alive. From the ceiling of the long corridor, water dripped. The sound of the droplets falling echoed, creating a sense of anxiety in all of them.
— Something’s wrong here.
Minji whispered, clutching her backpack to her chest.
Suddenly, the walls began to pulse and vibrate, as if the building itself was breathing. The door behind them slammed shut with a loud bang, and the corridor was illuminated by a cold, unsettling light. A low, almost imperceptible laugh echoed in the distance.
— You’re not alone...
Whispered a voice, deep and distorted, as if coming from all directions at once.
Danielle shivered and grabbed Hanni by the arm as they all began to walk faster, trying to ignore the growing panic and make their way down the corridor.
Suddenly, figures began to emerge from the shadows, taking form like the mysterious creature from Haerin’s street. They weren’t human, but distorted shapes, as if they were people who had been corrupted by something evil. Their eyes, empty, glowed with a spectral light as they approached.
— What are these things?!
Hyein screamed, holding onto Haerin’s arm and looking down to avoid meeting the creatures’ gazes.
— Don’t stop!
Haerin shouted back, pulling everyone toward a staircase that appeared at the end of the corridor.
But the creatures weren’t just closing in physically. As they advanced, each of them began whispering something different to the girls.
— You failed...
One whispered to Minji, in the familiar voice of her father.
— You let me die...
— You’ll never be good enough... Another said to Hanni, sounding like a cruel version of herself.
— It’s all your fault, they came here because of you...
A figure murmured in Haerin’s ear, its grotesque form resembling someone she knew but now completely distorted.
The voices penetrated their minds, trying to drain their strength, their hopes, as if feeding directly on their deepest fears. Each step grew heavier, as if they were being pulled by invisible hands.
Minji felt her heart pounding in her chest. Her father’s voice continued to call her, but this time she knew it wasn’t real. Closing her eyes, she fought to ignore the whisper that was eating away at her thoughts. When she opened her eyes again, the door at the end of the corridor was just a few steps away.
— There!
She shouted, gathering all the strength she had left.
— Run! Ignore these things, they’re lies!
With one last effort, they all burst through the door ahead, throwing themselves out of the building and escaping that torture, only to be met with something much worse.
The air was cold. The beach, which had once seemed peaceful, now transformed into a nearly alien landscape.
— Wow, it looks like a post-apocalyptic movie scene.
Hyein said, smiling as she tried to lighten the mood of the girls, who were breathing heavily.
The waters of the sea were black, reflecting the empty sky above, devoid of stars or a moon. And in the midst of the darkness, there it was.
The monster that had followed them here.
Hyein’s smile disappeared as she looked to the horizon, where the creature stood. Its form was somewhat irregular, seemingly merging with the surrounding darkness. Its eyes, two bottomless pits with sad lights, were fixed on the girls. It didn’t need to speak; its presence was enough to crush any hope they still had.
— This can’t be real, I’m tired, I want to wake up...
Hyein muttered, her voice trembling.
Minji, fighting back the panic, remembered what she had said earlier: "The creature feeds on our fear." That’s what it wanted. They all knew that now.
— We can’t... show fear.
Minji said, her voice hesitant, as she recalled the negative whispers. But she quickly sighed, knowing her father would never say something like that to her.
— That’s what it wants.
But it was easier said than done. The presence of that thing was suffocating, almost unbearable. And as if it could hear their thoughts, the monster took a step forward, and the air grew thicker.
— We can’t run forever.
Haerin said, her voice firm.
— We have to face you.
The monster took another step closer, its deformed body writhing as it watched the girls intently. Time seemed to freeze as the confrontation between them drew near.
***
Hello, readers! I hope you are having a good week. I have been busy these days, so I didn't write much. Thank you for reading. Please forgive any spelling mistakes and leave your vote. See you next time!
:)👽