Not a Nightmare
Not a Nightmare
The citadel loomed over the city like a storm cloud, dark and menacing, exuding the same tension that came after a lightning strike. The atmosphere swirled around the fortress in a poisonous miasma, the highest point being so clouded the tips of the towers seemed to fade into the sky. Sungmin cowered every time he so happened to glance out his tiny window, the opening placed at just the right angle for the spectator’s view, the ultimate sight of the ominous stronghold.
Now, Sungmin lived in the slums of the urban district, in an insignificant shack that was on the verge of collapse, far away from the fort which managed to creep into the boy’s nightmares each night. Yet, Sungmin couldn’t shake the fear that threatened to transform into a phobia because of the bricked structure. There were folklores about who lived in the castle, numerous tales explaining why the man or woman never ventured into town—then even more of a creature that did slither into the village. They say it only stalked around at night, seeking out corpses to lacerate. Those who had recently passed on yet haven’t been buried to rest underground (there were many who still resided six feet above the dirt floor in this town) were found with body parts torn, limbs tossed aside from their lifeless bodies and left out for the dogs to snack on, decapitated heads mutilated and no longer resting peacefully after death.
The townsmen had named the one responsible for the cruel treatment Kyuhyun, as though he was a man and not a beast who massacred the already-dead. It sickened and frightened Sungmin, hearing these accounts of mangled bodies and bloodied corpses. He didn’t want to believe another human being could handle someone’s remains with such disrespect. These stories had led Sungmin practically insane with anxiety that evoked a sensation of dread that spread throughout his veins, compelling him to rush home each evening before the sun set as though the devil himself were at his heels.
His friends laughed about it at school, imitating the beast by playfully tugging and biting at arms and pretending to gnaw on any exposed skin. They drew crude comics of a shadowed humanoid hiding behind buildings with scattered, broken, zombie-like carcasses in a trail behind him. Some of them made up new rumors, that Kyuhyun was actually undead himself, that he was so disgusted with other dead bodies he wanted them to suffer even after they died. The name Cadaver Kyuhyun spread around the school within days, then to the rest of the town. It scared Sungmin, the things his friends said and drew. Though the young man was old enough to know that such things were impossible, it sent shivers up his spine anyway. The guys he considered buddies made fun of him, telling him that Kyuhyun would be waiting for Sungmin to die just so he could tear his body apart and eat his intestines. Sungmin ran out of the lunchroom at that point, bursting into a bathroom stall just as his stomach emptied itself.
It embarrased Sungmin, to be so scared of a made up story that was meant to frighten little kids, but something about it, about the citadel and the string of slashed-up bodies and the fact that some thing was out there doing such things. It had to be an animal of some sort, Sungmin tried to reason, and the castle was probably abandoned, had most likely been empty for years. He straightened his shoulders, determined to get over this stupid fear of his.
Eunhyuk and Donghae, two of Sungmin’s closest friends, apologized for teasing him the next day at school. Sungmin forgave them, bravely telling them that he was going to stop being so scared for nothing. The two boys gave each other Cheshire smiles, the same grins that always made Sungmin wary of their antics. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to forgive them so soon.
“Let’s go check it out,” Donghae urged.
“Check what out?” Sungmin asked.
“Kyuhyun only comes out at night, so let’s go out tonight! We’ll figure out if this is really some psycho or if it’s just a rabid animal. We can solve this whole mystery!” The two boys gleamed at each other, excited already at the thought of being credited with getting to the bottom of all the gossip.
Sungmin froze, the nervousness spreading in his chest once again. He didn’t want to go out at night, didn’t want to find out what was doing all of those cruel things to the unburied bodies. He wanted to go home, do his homework before it got too dark and eat dinner with his family, going to bed just as the sun was set and waking back up when it was rising. He’d already developed a habit of avoiding nighttime all together; it was safe that way.
Pausing, Sungmin wanted to hit himself for what he’d just thought. Was he that pathetic? He was hiding from the dark, from the night, because of this ridiculous story. He was letting it lead his life; it controlled his actions and was making it so he couldn’t even think of having fun with his friends.
“Fine,” he declared. “Let’s go out. Meet me outside my house at sunset, tonight. We’ll find this Kyuhyun and stop him.” Eunhyuk and Donghae howled and patted his back in a manly gesture. Sungmin smiled and laughed with them, but it was easy, during the day, under the light of the sun and inside the safety of the school. It made him confident, so sure of himself.
It would fade away with the daylight soon enough.
Donghae and Eunhyuk arrived at Sungmin’s house just as darkness fell on the city. Both of the younger boy’s parents had gone to bed an hour ago, so they snuck out without being detected. For a while, they simply wandered around town, goofing off and joking about school, their friends, girls, anything they could think of while they walked. It helped get Sungmin’s clear of his fear, his mind settling back into a time where he wasn’t afraid of the dark, and instead adrenaline filled his body from the risk of getting caught sneaking out.
They didn’t find anything after four hours of walking around town. By then, all of them were tired and it was nearing 1 A.M. The three boys shuffled towards home, Donghae and Eunhyuk lived beside each other, so they both said goodnight to Sungmin together, sleepily separating to their respective homes.
“Too bad we couldn’t find Cadaver Kyuhyun, huh?” Donghae has asked while yawning.
“Eh, I bet he isn’t really anyway. It was probably some stupid story some kid made up to scare his younger siblings. I’d do that, if I had thought of it first,” Eunhyuk replied. Sungmin agreed half-heartedly, ready to crawl into bed and sleep for the rest of the weekend.
Now he had to walk the rest of the way back, and the young man really wished he had thought to bring his bike. At least that would have gotten him home faster, for it would take another half-hour to get home at the sluggish rate he was walking. Sungmin took a break half way there, bending over to catch his breath. By now it was almost two in the morning, and he knew his parents would kill him for staying out this late if they knew.
A sudden crash from the alleyway ahead of him startled every nerve awake, jerking him to stand straight, then halt, waiting for any other noise. It was just a cat, he thought, trying to reassure himself. He urged his feet to move, to start walking back home, but they wouldn’t listen. It was like they were glued to the concrete. Another noise broke the silence, a crack this time. Sungmin winced, not sure what to make of the painful sound. Like a whip, but more muffled, like it had come down hard on a plump pillow.
No, he told himself, I can’t let this be a weakness of mine. It’s just a cat, it’s nothing. Go home, Sungmin, so we can sleep. His foot seemed to weigh fifty pounds when he lifted it, but a few steps later and he was speed-walking towards home. He couldn’t stop himself from glancing into the shadowed alley as he passed though, and the cat he expected to see never appeared. See, it was nothing. Nothing to be afraid—
Someone’s face emerged from the darkness, pale, scared skin shining as though a spot line was placed directly on them. A mop of brown curls wrapped around—Sungmin guessed the gender—his head, framing a pair of black eyes and thin lips. It hadn’t noticed the younger boy yet, and as the man stood, Sungmin noticed how his clothes draped his body, that they were far too baggy and large for someone his size but… this man was tall. A good six feet, Sungmin estimated. Then he saw a flicker of more ashen flesh, the t-shirt the man wore exposing his arms, those skinny, emaciated arms. The guy was skin and bones, literally.
Sungmin must have made a noise, a gasp, a whimper in reaction to the man’s skeletal figure, because those dark eyes flashed to meet his. Time seemed to stop, as their eyes met. Sungmin found himself enchanted by that hollow gaze powerful and inconsiderate. They say a person’s eyes are a window to their soul, but they never said anything about being into them. Before Sungmin could even think to open his mouth to scream, the man had dashed to slam his huge hand over Sungmin’s face, blocking his nose as well. He shouldn’t have panicked, shouldn’t have struggled. It made him that much more lightheaded when he couldn’t breathe.
“Be quiet,” he commanded, jerking Sungmin’s head harshly. Sungmin whined, clenching his eyes shut, flinching away from the deep, intimidating voice. The man repeated himself and Sungmin could only bob his head once in acknowledgement. Sungmin could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears, echoing so loudly he wondered if the man could hear it, too. His legs shook, muscles tightening and relaxing against the instinct to run.
“Such pretty skin,” he muttered, his free hand trailing down Sungmin’s face, past his temple and over his cheek bones, admiring the lively, pink skin that was smooth and perfect, so unlike the disfigured man‘s. “It makes me jealous.” Sungmin shivered as the rumbling voice spoke right above his ear. “Do you know my name, beautiful? I bet you don’t. You just know the name the town has given me. You can call me Kyuhyun, though. I’ve come to like the name.”
This was Kyuhyun? This was the monster who was mutilating corpses in the dead of night? This withering man who had such forceful skill? Suddenly, Sungmin began to wonder if Kyuhyun was responsible for more than the disrespectful treatment of the deceased; perhaps… Kyuhyun caused the deaths as well.
Sungmin screamed. Screamed loud and hard from under Kyuhyun’s slackened hand. He kicked, bit, punched, yanked, and pulled; every fiber of his being was telling him to escape, to get away. Now. Kyuhyun was caught off guard for only a moment, before the hand around his mouth wrapped around his neck, cutting off his air, and the streets became silent. Sungmin’s nails did nothing to loosen the grip, but he clawed at them nevertheless. He fought. He couldn’t die. What would his family do without him? What would Eunhyuk and Donghae think when they heard? Would they feel guilty? Would they blame themselves?
“Shh, shh, beautiful. It’s not as easy when they scream. I have to make it easy, so don’t get caught, right? Shh, now.” Kyuhyun cooed. Sungmin’s eyes were wide as they stared into that glassy, sinister gaze. “I have a for pretty skin, you know. And yours is perfect. Smooth and beautiful. I’m envious, though, because I wasn’t as blessed.” He smiled, but only through his lips. “But the problem with flawless skin, I have found, is that it’s so easy to ruin.”
Sungmin’s vision started to dim, black spots appearing in the corners of his sight. His throat ached and his lungs burned from lack of oxygen. His head felt heavy and weightless at the same time, and Kyuhyun’s words started to blur and become meaningless. Life didn’t flash before his eyes; he couldn’t see it if it did. He was fading. His heart thudded in his chest, and it was all he could hear, rabid beats that became slower and slower. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thu—
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