Prompt: Leo agreed to house sit for a distant relative, and asked for you to tag along. Weird things had been happening all day in that house, but you both figured it was just nothing. What happens in the house once the sun sets and the both of you realize it’s haunted?

 

Provided by: starlighting-with-vixx

 

How many movie references can you point out in this one-shot?

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You had just entered a vacant house with your lovely boyfriend, Jung Taekwoon. This home belonged to one of his distant relatives who had asked for him to house sit while they were away. Not up for spending time in a big house by himself, he asked you to join him. You didn’t put up a much of a fuss to accept. Plus, it would be fun spending some quality time with him. It would just be you and him a large house.

“Wow! This house is beautiful and so big,” You commented.

“Yeah, it’s been a really long time since I’ve stepped foot in this place. I barely remember anything except for it being really big,” he replied, closing the door behind him.  

You both took a moment to look around and admire the structure. There was a long rug that ran through the corridor ending at a door at the end and bunch of rooms in the middle. It would be interesting to explore and discover the home.  Out of the blue, you jolted when a sudden chill whizzed passed you causing goosebumps to develop.

“Are you alright?” Taekwoon asked, breaking you out of your daze.

“Huh? Yeah.” You shook off the chill then walked further into the home.

It was a late morning and he decided to get to the work his relatives left him with. As they entered the living room, he pulled out the list and reread it through to himself.

 

Dear Taekwoonie,

 

Here are the list of things to take care of while you’re in the house.

 

1. Check the tank water heater from time to time. It likes to change temperature. We don’t want you getting scalded.

2. Water the gardens both in front and backyard.

3. Remember to turn off any unused appliances like the toaster, TV, or radios.

4. Please, please, please don’t leave any dirty dishes in the sink. When they’re done being cleaned, dry and store them away in the right cupboards.

5. Make sure you put Mi Sun to sleep before sunset.

6. Clean out the garbage. If we left any in one of the bins, can you kindly take them out? Thank you! ^_^

7. If you go out, lock all the doors and close the windows.

8. Sorry to request this, but some of the bookshelves need dusting off. Can you tend to them please?

9. Once again, please remember to check the tank. It’s in the small room under the stairs.

 

Thank you so much Taekwoonie. It’s too bad we can’t spend time with you, but you are welcome to bring any friends if you ever feel lonely. Just make sure they don’t make a mess of things. You can leave the keys to the house under the doormat when you leave. Thanks again. Love you! ^_^

 

After reading, he decided to check the water tank since it was mentioned twice and you followed him. Leo the switch and ventured in while you stood outside to give him space. The room wasn’t very wide since the stairs took most of the space, but the tank was there.

“Do you know how to work that thing?” You asked. You heard a muffled “yeah” and a few taps from him. He glanced at the meter and nodded. Nothing appeared to be off about it, he’d have to check later.

“Everything’s fine for now. Remind me to check on it later. My folks told me the knobs aren’t steady.” He turned off the light and closed the door before standing next to you.

“Sure. So what do we do now?”

“I could prepare lunch. We didn’t get to eat anything earlier.” At the sound of that, your tummy growled making you blush and hope he didn’t hear, but he so did. He chuckled softly and patted your head. “I’ll get started.” Once you both left the area, a squeak could be heard from outside of the room he was just in.

You two ate and enjoyed each other’s company then washed the dishes together. He did most of the washing while you had a towel to dry the off what he handed to you. You were both busy with chore, you failed to notice some of the chairs shifting behind you.  Just as he passed you the last plate, he turned off the pipe and watched as you took your time and effort to wipe it dry. He could imagine the two of you doing this in the future.

“What?” You wondered feeling his stare as you tip-toed to the cupboard to carefully place the dish inside. Once you were done, he leaned in closer, never breaking his gaze and you smirked. His hand was still wet as it wrapped around your waist to squish you against him. You puckered your lips and closed your eyes then felt his lips caress yours tenderly. He gripped you tighter as the kiss lasted longer than intended before parting to breathe. You were about to go in for a deeper one until a loud -smack- startled you both. Your heads zipped to find a chair toppled to its side. Confused, you glanced at each other wondering if either of you were the cause. Coming to a conclusion that it wasn’t either of you, he went over to pick it up and slide it back in place.  The odd occurrence ruined the mood and you both continued tidying up the kitchen.

Later, you were both outside watering the plants in the gardens. To make things run smoother, you were in the backyard while Leo was taking care of the front. Since the house was big, you couldn’t see nor hear him on the opposite side, but you’d join him once you were done. The gardens were beautiful. All the flowers waved at you making you feel tempted to pluck one to study it, but you refrained from doing so. Before deciding to water them, you rested on your knees to chuck out the weeds that were ruining the scenery. Most likely your boyfriend was doing the samething. You were very careful to tug out the right root without messing with the flora. You were so patient and focused, you didn’t sense the green garden hose coming to life and begin slithering its way toward you. The sound of the grass parting matched the way the gentle breeze would, so there was no way of suspecting a thing.   

It took a good few minutes to clear part of the flowerbed and so you took it upon yourself to inspect the flowers. You bent further to sniff and admire their beauty, completely unaware of the movements inches from you. The hose twisted and curled like a snake ready to pounce on live prey. Excited, the head meandered even closer. If you weren’t hovering over the flowers, you might have heard the rubber squeak ever so often.

“I’ve never seen this kind before. I wonder what it’s called,” You marvelled, investigating a peculiar plant. “I’ll get Leo to ask his family later.” If you had the chance.  The head was right by your ankle; it was even daring enough to make slight nudge against the sole of your shoe as it rose a little to coil around your left ankle.

You shuffled to the right before it could, unintentionally avoiding the danger to continue on with the job on the right side of the garden. You rested on your knees again and gazed at the new sight while the hose resumed the hunt. This time you heard something snap from your left. It wasn’t loud, but enough to distract you. “Taek?” You called, assuming it was he coming around the corner.  You looked around to find no one else but yourself, the hose had long stopped its course blending perfectly and silently in the grass. You waited a few seconds more then shrugged it off to continue weeding.

The head lifted high behind you like a cobra, waiting for the right moment to strike; your neck being its main target. You felt something chilled brush against your back and immediately sensed a negative force.  Just as you were slowly turning to meet the phenomenon, Leo turned the corner and the hose fell to the ground before either of you noticed.

“You’re still weeding?”

You blinked away the strange feeling then spotted your lover. “I’m almost done.” And you hastily got back to work. He motioned over to observe your work and gave a small smile.

“You’re good at this.” You looked up at him and returned the smile.

“Thank you.” He noticed the hose beside you and bent over.

“I’ll start watering this side then.”

“Sure. The hose is back by the sh--” You paused when he reached down next to you to grab the head.

“You forgot the nozzle,” he informed.

“B-But I didn’t even…” He left to go fetch it while you stared confusedly at the hose trying to understand how it got here. You would have remembered taking it by the shed, wouldn’t you? You reached out for it then felt the ominous chill. “Can’t be…”

“I got it,” he interrupted, scooping it in his hands, twisting on the nozzle then scooting away to sprinkle the plants.

“Whatever.” You mumbled, shaking off the silly thought and finished up the job. “Here, let me take care of the rest,” you insisted, taking the hose from him before he could stop you. The whole thing must have been your imagination because as you watered the plants you no longer sensed anything off.  You did gasp when you felt Taekwoon envelop your waist from behind, pulling you against him again. You relaxed in his hold as you continued showering the flowerbed. He left gentle pecks on your neck making you shiver in delight, but you were busy. “Taek… I’m trying to do a good job here.”

“You are… I’m just sharing my views on it,” he mumbled, his bottom lip brushing up and down your neck. You bit back a moan and tried your best to steady yourself. His mouth moved up to your ear and he whispered, “I know other jobs you can help me with that you’re pretty good at.” You surprised him by quickly spraying him.

“Cool down, kitty.” He shook his head to rid of the water then chuckled. He released you and walked away to turn off the pipe since you were clearly done. After that, he took care of the hose and guided you back into the house.

Leo and you were cleaning off the shelves and other furniture. The job they provided you with gave you the opportunity to explore more of the house. You were never too far apart and occasionally fooled around in the middle of work.

“I’ll go get the dustpan,” you alerted, leaving him to continue sweeping the floor.

He started humming while doing so not knowing the flower pot hanging from the ceiling shifting. The hook holding it up was becoming loose and he was gradually making his way under it. He swept a cloud of dust mites into a pile on one side of the room and seeing that you hadn’t returned yet, started on the other side.

“Do you know where it’s kept?” He heard you ask from down the hall. He halted to think then remembered he used it to clean up the kitchen.

“It’s beside the fridge.” He waited until he heard you exclaim that you found it and laughed softly, continuing his progress. A patch of dirt from the plant above caught his eye and he moved to take care of it. As he swept, he was oblivious to the movement right above him. The screw was rotating the opposite way and the weight of the pot weakened the support of the hook.

You entered the living room and looked around. “Oh! You already swept quite a bit.” Your appearance captured his attention and he walked from under the pot in order to sweep the dirt that was in front of you into the pan, but as soon as he stepped away, the flower pot detached from the hook and fell with a heavy -crash- shattering on the floor mere inches behind him. You gasped and he looked back surprised by the scene himself.

“Are you okay?” You asked coming over to check on him. He nodded, but you both realized the terrible accident that could have happened if he hadn’t budged making you shudder. He cleared his throat and proceeded to clean up the new mess. “I hope your relatives don’t blame us for this,” You grumbled, aiding him.

A couple hours later and all the main work was done. You both did a little extra than needed, but once it was over, you relaxed on the couch for a break. It was late in the afternoon and you both chilled in the comfy sofa watching television.  His arms cradled you and you had your legs entwined. The rest was mostly silent, but it did not bother either of you. Moments later, however, you felt a little needy and shuffled closer to rub up against him. Your approach roused his attention and he kissed the top of your head then grazed his hand up and down your back. It was a kind gesture, but it wasn’t exactly what you wanted so you groaned out,

“You and I are alone in a comfy house doing nothing, but lounge.” He hummed into you as you lightly rubbed your hand over his chest. “I wonder what else we could do.” Your rubs soon turned to circles getting him to glance down at you to meet your sultry gaze. His lips curled up then he shifted into a better position.

“So needy,” he teased, sniffing your hair then lowered to your temple.

“And you expect me to believe you aren’t? Don’t you want to continue with act you started in the backyard?” You teased back, kissing under his chin. When you pulled away, he was on your lips in break necking speed. His arm kept you still and the other hand came up to support your head.  You smiled into the kiss then moaned when it quickly deepened.

He continued altering his position until you were pinned under him, your back resting on the cushions. He pulled away from your lips and you looked up at your lover hovering above.  He brushed your hair away from your neck, exposing it for him to see then leaned in to mark it. You emitted delightful sounds and held him closely, savoring every kiss and nibble. In the midst of what was going on, you sensed something stirring. An eye peeked then both shot wide open when you spotted a white orb floating just above you and your boyfriend.  Feeling you abnormally tense up, Leo broke away and pushed himself up to look down at you in question. You saw the orb move up right above his head when he rose then let out a scream and accidentally butted his head with yours getting you both to cringe in pain. Temporarily forgetting what caused your fright in the first place, you both sat up to tend to the injuries.

“What was that for?” he groaned, rubbing his aching forehead. You snapped out of it and looked around for the orb while explaining.

“Th-there was this thing right above you.”

“Ugh… What thing?” he replied still trying to soothe the throbbing.

“I-It was white and shaped l-like a ball. It was right here.” You said so, but couldn’t find it. He finally opened his eyes to look for what you described, but didn’t see such a thing.

“I don’t see anything.”

“It was right over you, I swear!” He took another moment to search and noticed something above him.

“Are you talking about that?” He pointed. You glanced up and saw the ceiling light that was covered with a white fixture. It certainly did appear like what you described, but it wasn’t it.

“N-No, it wasn’t that.” He sighed and patted your head trying to get you to calm down. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”

“Not at all. I think you’re hungry and tired. I’ll go get supper started.”

“B-but Taek,” you babbled.

“It’s okay,” he assured, giving you a peck. “I’ll get you some ice,” he added, noticing the red mark forming on your forehead. He got up and you grasped his arm and remained there like glue. You were no mood to be alone. He was puzzled by your contact, but didn’t stop you as you headed for the kitchen.

You sat at the table, holding the ice pack to your head as Leo prepped his materials for dinner. You recognized the note on the table his relatives left for him and looked it over. “Hey, we gotta check that tank again.”

“Oh yeah. I’ll do that in a minute,” he replied, slicing up some onions. You continued to go over the list until something stumped you. “Babe, who’s Mi Sun?” You heard him gasp then looked up to see him slipping off his apron.

“I knew I forgot something.” He hurried out of the kitchen and you hastily followed.

“What is it?”

“Mi Sun is a doll they keep around. We saw it before.” You and he did pass by it when you were cleaning, but you hadn’t had the chance to get a proper look. They reached the room where it was kept and flipped on the switch. “I was asked to tuck her in.” You walked up to the doll and smiled. It was a Ddung Doll and they were absolutely adorable. This one had jet black hair ending at her shoulders and her bangs fell like a curtain above her eyes. was a small dot always making her look quite curious and her cheeks were tinged with pink. From the looks of it, the doll was made of PVC plastic.  “Does it belong to one of the kids here?”

“There are no children here,” he answered simply. “And you know the only child in my family is my little Minyul.”

“Yeah, so why are your relatives taking care of it?” He shrugged and set her down on her back.

“Its theirs, I won’t judge them for it.” You watched him tucking it in as if it were his child and you couldn’t help but feel fuzzy inside. But a thought crossed your mind.

“They said before sunset right? Well it’s past that.”

He huffed and said, “I know which is why I’m doing it now. It’s better than not doing it at all.” And you agreed. You both took one more glance at her, closed the light and left the room. Once you left, the doll sat up again.

You returned to the kitchen and finished the preparations; you set the table while he was busy cooking. To the both of you, it gave an idea of how it would be if you lived together and it was a pleasant feeling. Seeing that you were done, he told you were free to clean yourself up and relax while he finished. You hugged his back before leaving for the bathroom upstairs.  A gust of wind passed you from behind, but it didn’t deter you and you walked in the bathroom then closed the door.

You the sink waiting for the water to warm up then washed your hands thoroughly. Once they were cleaned, you started on your face, but when you reached under the faucet again, you screeched. You immediately pulled your hands away and waved them around. “He forgot again,” you grumbled then opened the door.

Taekwoon remained in the kitchen testing the simmering ingredients until he heard you calling down to him informing that he forgot to check the tank again. He put down the spoon and stepped out of the kitchen. “Uh oh. Did you get burned?”

“A little,” he heard you say then felt guilty. He took off his apron again and headed for the small room. “Sorry, babe. I’ll go fix it now.”

You sighed then moved to the sink. You decided to wait until he fixed the problem before testing it and while you did, you heard a series of soft giggles and looked around. Seeing nothing, you believed it to be your imagination running wild again.  It was weird though, how many times has your mind played tricks on you today? Ever since you stepped in this house, nothing but unexplainable events have happened. You were deep in your thoughts not realizing the shower head moving out of its socket and started moving for you. The door to the bathroom also closed silently and a faint click sounded.

Meanwhile, Leo was under the stairs minding the knobs until the door of the closet shut behind him. He glanced back in wonder then the light in the room flickered until it completely died out, leaving him in total darkness. He wasn’t scared, just annoyed at the troublesome situation he was in. He reached into his pockets to fish out his cellphone to get some light then faced the tank again.

Up above, you still heard nothing from him and was about go down to check, but found the door you left open was closed. Maybe that was the reason you couldn’t hear him. Before you moved for the door, your peripheral caught something on the other side of you. You zipped to where the shower was and gasped, looking straight at the shower head floating toward you. Whether you were crazy or not, you dashed for the door to call for Leo until you found it was locked, but there was nothing to lock it to begin with. Scared, you twisted and pulled hard, but it was no good.  You looked back to find the shower hose right behind you and you shrieked. You faced the door and started banging. “Taekwoon! Taekwoon! Leo! Help!” You were doing absolutely everything for him to hear you and he did.

For the moment, he was busy concentrating on turning the knobs carefully and checking the meter. “I think that should do it.” Just as he left the machine, he heard banging and screaming; not knowing the cause, he ran for the door. It was dark, but he remembered where it was. When he reached to turn the doorknob, he came to realize that there was none on his side.  He tried pushing against it, but it wouldn’t open, for all he knew, he was locked in.

You were still banging until you felt the hose fall over you and drag you away from the door and into the shower. The action made you yell even louder and you couldn’t use your hands to tangle away from it since it quickly wrapped around you twice keeping your arms at your sides. You were twisted around to face the head and let out a panicked scream.

Leo heard you frantic cries and rammed against the door calling out for you. His heart was beating fast and he repeatedly cursed himself and the damn door. Whatever was happening to you, he was held back from getting there and that alone terrified him.  

In the bathroom, the hose held you tight, preventing you from slipping out and soon the knob of the shower began turning and you could make out the squeaks as it did. You peeked down to see it twisting on and struggled knowing what it was planning to do.  You were helpless to stop it and in the next second you were doused with water. The door downstairs finally gave way and he flew up the stairs to find you.

You were dripping in the tub, no longer being held. As if disappointed with the outcome, the hose released you then returned to its original place leaving you trembling in the tub. Not too long after, Taekwoon barged in and found you soaked in your clothes and slouched in the bathtub looking up at the shower head.  He ran up and pulled you out of the tub and into his warm arms. The whole event had left you partially paralysed until your boyfriend was in your line of sight.

“Leo!” You cried, clinging onto him like a koala.

“What the hell happened? Why are you soaked?” He gasped when a possibility struck him and looked you over for any burns, but didn’t see any. “Was it the hot water? Are you burning anywhere?” You didn’t answer, but just remained there crying, letting out the horrific experience replay in your mind. He held you close trying to calm you down, so you could explain.

At last, you took a breath, it was jerky, but it was enough to allow you room to try and tell him everything. When you opened your mouth, nothing but tangled words sprang out. “Th-the sh-shower try-tried--pull-pulled-in-burn-tried to b-bu- I think… I think...” He didn’t understand a word you were telling him, but kept rocking your back and forth. You attempted to explain again until a loud -crackle- and then -pop- was coming from downstairs, startling you both. He wrapped you in a towel and helped you down the stairs to find where those noises were coming from. They had stopped, but he figured it was coming from the kitchen.

It was now dark outside and once you both stepped in the kitchen, loud gasps flew from your mouths. The spotless room was now splattered with Leo’s broth. The pot that was resting on the stove, was tipped over and the liquid didn’t just end up on the floor, but all over the place. The stove top, counters, cupboards, and the table that you set, but the dishes on the tables were gone. Where were the plates, cutlery and glasses, you carefully placed for you and your boyfriend? One cue, you both felt something from above and your mouths dropped open in utter shock. Just as you found your missing items, they fell with a terrific -crash- and Leo quickly pulled you and himself away before they could injury either of you.

“What’s going on?” He demanded and you held him tightly.

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I think this house is… is--” You were cut short when your ears picked up the sound of bouncing coming from down the hall. It was the sound a plastic ball would make whenever it hit the floor. What followed after, was the soft giggling you heard from the bathroom. The towel dropped to the floor and the hairs on the back of your neck stood up and you clutched onto Leo as you both looked down the hall waiting for whoever it was to appear.

 

                                        Bounce…

               

 

 

Bounce…

 

 

Bounce…

 

You were clinging tighter and he held you protectively as the sounds came closer. The giggling stopped making everything go silent. Your arms started shaking when you felt the chill air whip through you. It was the same air you felt when you first entered the house, but this time it stayed. You could see the vapours of you breath as you shivered. “Come out,” you heard your boyfriend bravely demand. You weren’t up for whoever it was to come out, but you weren’t alone, so maybe it was going to be okay. You squeaked when soft words that didn’t belong to either of you fluttered in the short distance.

“It’s great to finally see you again…” In the next moment, what stepped out of the shadows was none other than Mi Sun.  “Cousin Taekwoonie…”

The both of you stared in awe at the very doll Leo tucked in, only this time it was up on its own two feet, holding a red ball. What surprised you more was when it called out for your boyfriend. The doll didn’t have the curious expression, but it was in fact smiling right at him. Taekwoon remained calm and swallowed before speaking to it calmly.

“What are you doing up? You should be asleep.” He spoke it as if it was a real child disobeying him.

“Aw...But I want to play with you…” she replied. “Can we do that before I sleep? It’s been a really long time since we’ve played together…”

This doll was speaking to him like they had encountered each other before. You tugged his sleeve and he glanced at you. “You knew this doll was alive?” And he shook his head. He was just as surprised as you were. He then whispered to you suggesting to just play with her for now. “Are you nuts? She tried to scorch me to death.”

“I was merely playing… I wasn’t going to hurt either of you…” you heard her say, replying to the circumstances in the bathroom. You looked at her then sighed. If this was the only way to get rid of her then fine. Leo saw you give a nod and he faced her too. “Yay… Let’s play catch…”

The doll threw the red ball across the hall and you were both ready to catch it, but what you weren’t expecting was that it grew in size. It expanded into a giant sphere and it was coming down right for the two of you. You both jumped to either side of the hall, dodging the massive ball.

“Hahaha… You missed…” The ball rolled back to her shrinking to its original size. “Let's try again…” she insisted and threw it up again. This time it came hard and fast, expanding as it did last time and it was coming straight for you. Taekwoon swooped in and pulled you out of the way before it crushed you.

Upset, Leo turned to chide, but she was gone. You both got to your feet to look for her when you heard her giggles from behind. You turned around then let out a shout when you saw the giant ball rolling towards you. You both ran down the hall to try to evade it and would look back to see how far it was. You turned into the living room then watched red ball roll by and heard it smack into the wall at the end of the hall. You both got up to check, but she and the ball had disappeared.

“That was fun… Now let’s play…” The lights in the house flickered until they went out. “Cat-and-Mouse… I’m the cat okay?” You stepped closer to Taekwoon, hoping to not separate from him. A loud meow vibrated in the room making you shriek and grab onto him or so you thought. Your sense of touch could only feel something furred and your hearing picked up purring.

“L-Leo?” You stuttered and you heard him reply but it wasn’t from next to you. You turned your head to whatever you were grasping and made direct contact with huge yellow eyes.

“Got you!” It said making you scream. Taekwoon tripped backwards over the foot rest when a big shadow was standing between him and you. When the lights , he sat there gaping in shock coming across a big white cat with you pinned under it.

“___!” he shouted, jumping to his feet. As Leo sped toward you and the feline, it laughed and said,

“Now it’s your turn…” it leapt off of you and reformed into the doll running out of the living room. Your boyfriend dusted you off and checked for any injuries. You assured him that you were fine and decided to chase after the doll. Who knew what would happen if you didn’t.

You and Taekwoon ran down after her then noticed she made a sharp turn to the left. You followed her right into the messy kitchen and froze. All the cutlery were floating in the air, pointed and ready to fire. In a flash, you were shoved to the side and heard a series of thuds and a yelp from the side. You twirled your attention to the cause and gasped in horror. Leo was up against a wall and all the sharp cutlery were darted right around him, his head was hanging low and you feared the worst. You shot yourself up and ran up to him.`    

“Taekwoon!” To your relief, none of the forks or knives hit him, but his silence scared you. You lifted his face in your shaky hands and felt him sweating and panting heavily. He was conscious and alright, but just freaked. Why wouldn’t he be? You wiped away the sweat with your sleeve then hurriedly helped him down. The doll’s laughter started up again from behind and instead of being panicked, you turned to her with a scowl.

“That wasn’t funny! You almost hurt him.” The volume of your voice took her by surprise and changed into an “o” shape. “Can’t you see he’s distressed?”

“B-But...I…” arched and her lids lowered putting on a sad expression.

“Bad girl,” you chastised and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The next moment, the doll covered her eyes and began to cry, but it wasn’t just a cry. It was a earsplitting bawl and it was enough to make the entire house quake. You both covered your ears and crouched trying to block out the wailing, but it didn’t help in the slightest. You couldn’t even try to speak to calm her down, it was too noisy. Looking back at the doll, your heart skipped a beat, because the expression she had was something you never wished to see. was still arched, but her eyebrows were now dipped and eyes were glowing a fierce red.

“Now I'm mad!!” She yelled making more noise along with the crying and everything in the house rattled. In a blink of an eye, she was gone and all the windows shut and the power in the house died out, leaving you and Leo in nothing but darkness. You both held onto each other tightly, covering from anything that was threatening to fall on top of you. You regretted voicing your anger, because now all was worse than it was before. “Those who make me mad must be punished!”

One of the ends of the long rug from down the hall wiggled and bound around your ankle and forced you out of Leo’s embrace and dragged you out of the kitchen then down the hall. Taekwoon felt you suddenly slip from his grasp then heard you scream and it was fading away fast as you moved further from him. “___!” He shouted, getting up and bolting after your screams. He could hardly see a thing, but did his best to follow you. At some point, he could see the end of the hall with a door wide open shining a mysterious white light and that’s where you were headed. Whatever it was, he knew it wasn’t good and ran with all his might.

 

You heard him calling out to you and thanks to the only light in the space, you could see him coming for you. Ragged and weak, you reached out your hand, hoping he could grab it. He was closer now and used all your strength to push yourself even closer to him. Your face was streaked with tears and your knees were on fire, but still you held out your hand for him. Just as he was about to jump and grab it, a book came zooming out of nowhere and struck him in the face, knocking him off balance. “Taek...Taekwoon!!” You cried.

He shook the pain off and still kept running, but was now just a little further and before he could catch up, you were pulled right into the open door and it slammed shut, the light vanishing, and all the ruckus in the house ceased. “No!” We swung open the door a second too late and was met with an empty closet. He searched for you still, but could not find a trace of you. He was panting widely and knocking things over. “No no no...” He ran back out the closet and listened for anything, but it was absolutely silent. “___!!” He bellowed then stared at his quivering hands. He couldn't believe he let you slip out of his fingers. Why didn't it take him instead?

“L-Leo?” His eyes widened when he heard your voice and called for you.

“___! Can you hear me?” he shouted. There was a moment of silence before he heard your voice again.

“I-I can hear you.” For the moment, he was thankful he could just hear you, but he needed to know where you were.

“Are you okay? Where are you?”

“I think so and I-I don’t know.” Your voice was echoing all around, giving him trouble to just track it down instead.

“Can you describe where you are?” There was another moment of silence.

“It looks like I’m in a room. The bed and the walls are pure white and there are toys everywhere. I can’t get out, because the door seems to be blocked off from the other side.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll come find you.” He had no idea what room you were referring to, but he’d search for it. You were somewhere in the house still alive and that’s all that mattered.

“I-I’m scared Taek…”

“It’s going to be okay. I’ll find you and we’ll get out of here,” he promised, moving for the stairs knowing all the bedrooms were on the second floor.

“Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“Those footsteps. Are they from you?” He couldn’t hear footsteps and had stopped walking to make sure it wasn’t himself. What you said next made his heart skip. “I can hear them down the hall.” It wasn’t him. He was absolutely standing still.

“That isn’t me,” he notified then quickened his pace for the stairs.

“Oh my God! They’re coming closer, Leo.”

“Hold on, I’m coming!”

“Hurry, they’re moving faster.”

He found the stairs and made his way up then tripped, missing a step. It was still pitch dark so it was hard for him to see anything in front of him. He winced, but got up and kept moving. He had to find you fast.

 

Thump…

      

                      Thump…

 

                                            Thump...

 

“It’s coming for me. Let me out of here!” You pleaded. The heavy footsteps gained speed and you had no place to run and hide. “LEO!”　He searched through every room and closet and still didn’t find you. The poor boy’s heart was racing hearing your desperate cries then he froze in midstep. “T-Taekwoon? Please tell me that’s you…” he heard you whimper then the house went silent. All he could hear was his heart thumping audibly in his chest.

 

B-bump…             

 

 

 

B-bump…                   

 

 

 

B-bump…

 

Then, out of nowhere your agonizing scream echoed and vibrated throughout the entire house. It lasted for the longest few seconds in his life then what was worse was when not pin drop could be heard. “N-no, ___!” He roared. He sprinted down the corridor, his body almost spent, but he didn’t want to give up. Suddenly, he spotted the same white light he saw from the closet and it was coming from the side underneath the bookshelf. He skidded to a halt and inspected the semi-tall bookcase. “B-back here?” He was still breathing heavy as he moved to the side and began pushing and pulling away the bookshelf.

Once he got it out of the way, he took a moment to catch his breath then noticed a door and the ominous light glistening through the cracks. It was definitely here. He didn’t waste a second longer and burst open the entrance, not caring it broke apart. He fell to the floor with a thud then looked at his new surroundings.

The walls, the ceiling and even parts of the floor was white and he found toys littered everywhere. This was the room you were describing, he had found it. He pulled himself up and called for you. It was a feeble call since his body was worn out, but he kept looking around. It took him a few seconds to spot a bed with white sheets, but what was resting on it nearly made him faint. He ran up to the bed not believing what he was seeing and hoping it was just his imagination. Once he got there, all was as it seemed. You were lying on the bed, your expression frighteningly placid, but everything about you was wrong. Leo easily, but carefully picked you up with two hands and held you in front of him. “___?” He was trembling and staring right into your eyes, but you were not responding, not even giving a blink to reassure him that you were fine. How could you? You were now cold, weightless, small, and worst of all made out of plastic.

 

That was right. Leo was staring directly into the face of a doll. It was you, because each and every feature he knew so well was carved and painted into the lifeless puppet. Your face all the way down to your feet, your texture all the way down to your complexion, and even the clothes you were wearing today; it was all you. No words could come out of his mouth and he slumped to the ground with you his in his hands. He hunched over and cradled your petite figure into his chest, wishing that this was all but a terrible nightmare.

“Cousin Taekwoonie…” The same child-like voice spoke from behind. He heard her, but was not in the slightest feigned by her appearance. Mi Sun glided closer to him and could make out a mixture of whimpers and sniffles. “Cousin?”

“Give her back...” he mumbled. This was all his fault. He should have never had you step foot in this house and he desperately wanted to make up for it.

“But those who are mean should be punished.”

“Please… Give her back to me…” he begged, still not facing the entity.

“Will you promise to play with me?”

“Anything… Just... please…” He couldn’t finish since he was choking down his sobs.

“Yay!” She giggled joyfully. “Hang on a second.” That following second, there was a flash of blinding white light that showered over everything and everyone. The entire house inside and out was covered with it.

What seemed like a timeless effort, everything in the house was as it should be. All the rooms were spotless and repaired, even the flower pot had been restored. All was well and done except for what was behind the bookshelf. In the child’s room, the Ddung Doll was seated comfortably serving her playmates.

You and Leo were sitting along with her, having her freshly made tea and cookies. They were delicious and Mi Sun was happy with the compliments. “Oh! I’m sorry cousin Taekwoonie. I almost forgot, would you like coffee with that instead?” And he made what seemed like a nod and she quickly dashed for the plastic kitchen to get his favourite mug. When she returned, she gasped and ran over to him. “Oh no! Are you okay?” He had fallen over, so she quickly scooped him up and placed him back on the chair between the teddy bear and you. “That’s better. Now who wants to play dress up?” She asked, waiting for her adoring company to respond. She sipped her tea and made eye contact with two lifeless dolls then beamed happily. “Alright, we’ll all play together then.” And her endless giggles reverberated throughout the room.

 

The end?

 

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So... How are you are you folks doing? Are you liking the one shots so far? I hope so.  Let me know by kindly leaving your feedback down below. 

Note: Don't worry -and-Bull will return once this is all done ;)

~Happy Halloween!