···

Soft hums began to resound as Seulgi regained conscious. She opened her eyes, but saw nothing. She felt something tight inside , and her whole body being wrapped around in a sitting position. Shortly, she realized she was tied down onto a chair and was restricted from making big movements. She scooted the chair over a little while it screeched as it dragged on the floor.

The humming became a little more clear with actual lyrics while footsteps sounded louder and louder.

♪ … When I next meet that fair lady, I’ll plunge my knife into her belly… ♫

♫ … Just stab, stab, stab, stab, stab..! Stab, stab.. ♫

Seulgi immediately got the chills, goosebumps forming under her clothing as the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She was shaking, in fear.

She could not talk.

She could not see.

She could not move.

She was restrained, imprisoned, held as a hostage.

She could only hear.

“I hear, you’re awake now, I’m presuming…?” A man chuckled.

He pulled out something from Seulgi’s mouth.

Seulgi inhaled sharply for more air.

“Wh–who’re you..?” Seulgi’s voice was shaky.

The man only laughed as a response –– disturbingly.

“I don’t know, you tell me.”

Seulgi remained silent, her breathing was uneven.

“We’re going to spend a lot of time together for the next few days,” the man said, “you will surely enjoy the torture sessions as much as I will, yes?”

The word ‘torture’ clicked into Seulgi’s mind.

This was definitely a kidnapping, and worse of all, she’s likely going to be dead afterwards.

There weren’t any parents of hers for a ransom.

Seulgi had no hope of any of her friends to rescue her as they had just recently separated, what more could she possibly think of?

She wasn’t getting out of this alive, she thought.

The man suddenly pulled something up from Seulgi’s head, a black fabric bag.

Seulgi could see again, and see what was actually in front of her.

She was tied up in a chair, her hands bound together along with her legs tightly attached, wrapped around the chair’s legs.

She looked around.

An abandoned warehouse filled with deserted amps and old speakers.

And the man in front of her was such a frightening sight.

His appearance was clearly abnormal.

He had a kit right next to him. He opened the box filled with all kinds of sharp objects.

Dissection nails, hammers, knives, forceps, scalpels, needles, and even more embalming tools that were unpleasant to the eyes.

“Wh–what are you d–doing? What are you going to do to me!?” Seulgi’s voice raised with uneasiness. Her sweat was already running down from her forehead and down her neck. Her heartbeat increased rapidly.

This is what fear does to you.

What’s going to happen next?

“Let’s see, where shall we start? Can you name a body part that you would like to start on first? Anywhere but the head.”

Seulgi only let out a cry of anguish, not wanting to have anything to do with the man in front of her, whatever he is, as she rapidly shook her head side to side.

“It’s impossible if you’ve never heard of me,” he started. He took a pair of gloves and stretched them onto his hands, “I’m a serial killer and I love my job.”

He started picking out and organizing some of his tools, “It’s a job where I’m paid with my victim’s screams and their life. What more could I ask for?” He chuckled.

He held out a scalpel first, obviously aiming towards the goal to cut first.

“Let’s go here, first.”

His scalpel aimed and pointed towards Seulgi’s arm.

Still pleading as much as she could, Seulgi cried, “Please! Please let me go, I’ll do anything. Just, let me go, I’ll do anything, anything that you’ll ask me for!”

The scalpel was barely touching the surface her skin.

He raised his head up and tilted, looking at Seulgi eye-leveled with an amused face,

“Anything..?”

The edge of his mouth curved up.

“Y–yes! Anything that you ask me to do, I’ll – I’ll do it! Please, a–anything..”

The man’s blood vessels in his forehead started bulging out as he started laughing maniacally,

“Then I want you to do so much as to just watch yourself get hurt while I work!”

Seulgi just shrieked once more in misery as she cried with her head pointed towards the ground.

♪ … Need to get Mother some flowers..! … Pretty, pretty flowers… ♪

He has started his work of art, torturing.

Inflicting all the pain that he has to give to Seulgi who suffered heavily from the torment she was receiving. Her cries were full of agony and grief as she wandered in the distress of the torture sessions.

She was cut literally almost everywhere, with blood dripping all around.

The man has never seemed to be fazed by the sight in front of him.

Seulgi did not look like Seulgi anymore, not when her limbs were scarred and hurting.

“Let us call it a day…! I need to rest as I want to have some more fun with you the day after tomorrow, you know?" He smiled.

That horrifying smile that Seulgi loathed within a few hours.

♩…  And if I spy a singing bird, I'll snap its neck before it's heard… ♩

♬ … He he he he he he he he he he… ♬

His singing –– if you could even call it singing –– eventually drained out Seulgi's ears as he left.

Her eyes were bloodshot red from crying, her tears have dried on her face, making it sticky.

Her whole body felt numb.

partially open with her chapped lips spread.

Her face had smears of blood here and there.

The lights were turned off, and the man was nowhere in sight as she had the black fabric over her head once more.

Her eyes closed as she rested within the chilliness of warehouse.

···

“Did you know you are such an interesting girl that I’ve randomly picked up from the streets?” The man talked to himself once again.

Her eyes jerked open once more. The lights were on and the man was back. She lost most of her sensations as her senses were dull.

Seulgi didn’t plan on saying anything.

Another day has begun, and she already knew she’ll die sometime soon. Or.. That’s what she thou