Xi Luhan.

He had been many things during his whole life, and one of them was insane. He had first been locked up in an asylum for the mentally unstable; his name placed on the official register. That is, until he killed all of the workers and other patients, officially branded as a 'murderer'. But that wasn't what had started it all. He had been corrupted from the beginning, his mind rotting from the darkness. There had been no hope for him in the beginning.  

 He was out of control; he couldn't be stopped if anyone had even dared tried. He was inexorable, relentless. He had killed, murdered, cheated, tortured, abused, kidnapped, gambled, and trafficked. Everything. He had done it all. And every time, without fail, he would escape in the dead of the night and disappear off into nowhere.

The police didn't understand how he did it. They were never traces left behind; he made sure of that. Eventually, rumors began to form and circulated throughout the civilians. He was a demon. He was a ghost who fed off a pain. He was a sadistic man who took joy in the darkest things. He fed off of another's pain and suffering. He had sold his soul to devil. 

But it didn't matter. They were just rumors. No one had the privilege (was it a privilege? some wondered amongst themselves) of knowing Xi Luhan on a personal level because he had made sure that they had been the first to go. There was no one who knew Xi Luhan who lived to tell their tale.

He was an insane man who believed that what he was doing was right.

Perhaps that was what made him so dangerous.

An insane man who could not be stopped.

An insane man who was right.

(In his mind.)

He approached her, ever so quietly like a predator creeps up on their prey. She watched him with wide, fascinated eyes that held a touch of fear in them. They had a dull, sluggish glaze to them, as if she didn't really know what she was doing.

He knelt in front of her on one knee, holding out his hand to her. She jerked her hand forward to meet his, but she realized that her hands were still tied. She tried again to break free of the chains holding her arms down but to no avail. The whole time, she was lost in his alluring gaze.

He fluidly stood up, offering her his hand. "Come with me," he urged, his beautiful voice singing to her, seduction overtaking her. She was in a daze, struggling against her bindings. He leaned in close to her, brushing his lips against hers. "I want you to come with me," he whispered.

She began to cry, tears streaming down her cheeks. He caught a falling tear on the tip of his finger. "Why are you crying?" he asked softly. "Don't cry," he begged her pitifully, "I want you to smile."

She cried harder, sobs wracking her body. She struggled against the chains, "I want to go. I want to be with you."

He held his hand out once again. "Take my hand,"  he insisted. 'I can make the pain go away. I can show you the world."

She strained to free herself, sweat beading on her forehead. "Help me," she whispered.

He took a step back, a sly smirk suddenly forming on his face. He stepped towards the window, holding out his hand and gesturing to her, "Come with me," he whispered, beckoning. She watched him with unbearable longing and desire as he lithely disappeared into the night.

She was alone again..

She shook her shackles in frustration. She needed to get out. Now. She would go insane if she didn't go outside. She screamed in agony, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. Her wrists trembled, her chains clinking together. A lone tear fell from her left eye.

Outside, the ghosts began to wail louder.

Mieun awoke suddenly, her head jerking upright.  Her wrists burned where the ropes had chafed against her skin. Angry, red streaks lined her wrists and arms, and her neck was sore from sleeping in a sitting position. She craned her head to see outside the window. It was still pitch black outside with only a small stream of moonlight filtering in.

Mieun squinted her eyes, trying to make out her surroundings. She looked down at her hands, her eyes straining to see where the ropes were connected to the chair. She couldn't make out where the ropes were. She jerked her wrists forward, almost falling flat on her face. In awe, she held her free wrists in front of her face. The cut, fraying ropes fell uselessly from her wrists and onto the floor.

She swung her feet; they, too, were free. She couldn't believe her new-found freedom. A chill rushed through the room, and she shivered. Why was it so cold all of a sudden? She looked towards the open window. The locks that her parents had secured the window with lay on the floor, discarded and smashed to bits.

She frowned. So it had not really been a dream? He had really come, breaking the window and cutting her ropes? She shivered again, but not so much because of the wind this time.

Quietly, on silent tiptoes, Mieun glided towards the windowsill. The cold wind rushed into the room, and Mieun covered herself with her blanket. Yet, she still could not get warm.

She stared outside, looking up at the moon. Dark, smoggy clouds drifted in front of the moon, threatening to hide brightness of the moonlight that pierced the deathly pitch black of the night.

She rubbed her hands together, breathing into them as a feeble attempt to warm them. She flexed the slowly, bending them back and forth. And as she did so, memories from just three minutes ago flooded into her mind.

"Come with me..."

She breathed again, rubbing her hands even harder this time. Yet, they still remained deathly cold. She took a deep breath, shaking her head. But she couldn't deny that, this time, she heard a voice, whispering softly in her ear, "Why won't you come with me?"

Is my love not enough to convince you?

Come. Why are you hesitating so?

Do you not believe me?

Come.

Come with me, and you will see.

Just how much I love you.

She shivered, holding herself tighter. She stepped back from the window and towards her bed. Her hand skimmed the smooth, silky surface of the covers. She quietly climbed into her bed, the wooden frame creaking with her weight. She settled when she was comfortable, pulling the covers up to her head. But she couldn't block the noises. The wailing. The cries.

Why do you tear me?

Why do you hurt me so?

Is there no pity left in your soul?

is that why you have torn me so?

Is that why you have hurt me so?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Mieun covered her ears, huddling under the blankets. She hoped that they would fade away over time. It was just the wind outside. She was probably just dreaming. Yet, when she cautiously let her hands fall away from her ears, she heard the one last whisper in her ear.

But I still want you.

Come.

She glanced around in the darkness fearfully. She couldn't move. The whispers echoed throughout her room like the wind, rustling the curtains and the papers on her desk. Mieun couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and walked over to shut the windows. Her foot nudged the smashed remains of the locks, the cold metal bits. She gingerly pushed them into a corner where they would be fated to rust forever, forgotten.

She tapped the windowpane, wondering why, even now that she had closed the windows, an undeniable chill still permeated the room. She could feel her body temperature dropping lower and lower, her blood chilling. She couldn't help but feel cold hands creeping up her back and closing over her neck. Terrified, she climbed into bed once again, bundling herself tightly with the blankets.

 She gripped the edge of the blankets with clammy fingers. Living in the woods meant no electrical heating or air conditioning. It was something that Mieun was already accustomed to since birth. 

It must have been very cold that night, for Mieun could not stop shivering.

It was pitch black. The clouds had been blown across the sky by the wind, covering up all visible light. The wind wailed, rattling the dead branches of the brittle, trees. What few dead, limp leaves left were flapping violently in the air, barely holding on. Some could not bear the mighty torrent of the wind any longer and succumbed to the zephyr, which blew them to the ends of the earth where they were tossed onto the ground, gradually decaying.

She sat upright suddenly, her blood-shot eyes wide open. She sat there for two minutes, her wide-staring eyes unblinking. Then slowly, as if she were still in a dream, she lifted the covers and climbed out. Her bare feet touched the icy floor, sending chills up her spine. Mechanically, like a robot, she bent down to slip on her slippers made of lamb's wool. Her eyes were glazed over, glassy and unfocused. It was as if she were walking in a dreamlike trance or she was possessed of some sort. She was driven. Driven by some unseen force, whether it be good or bad, to open the door and go outside.

Her movements were clumsy and jerky as she shuffled to the door, her footsteps making a quiet, echoing tapping sound. She gripped the doorknob with unsteady hands but opened it without a moment's hesitation. Her hands tightly gripped the wooden banister as she treaded down the stairs. Her white nightgown billowed around her ankles like a cloud as she walked, swirling and swishing gently with the wind that blew throughout the deathly quiet house.

The perpetually burning candle lit up the kitchen dimly, making the shadows jump out at each other. The small flame reflected off of her ring. It was a ring she wore constantly, given to her by her parents not long after she had been ravaged by the wolf. It was a simple silver band. It had started to already rust at the edges due to constant years of wear. Her mother had given it to her, saying, "Remember to wear this at all times, Mieun dear. This will keep you safe. As long as you're wearing this, you don't have to worry about being burned anymore."

The tiny hub left of the candle was melting into a puddle, and the flame whipped back and forth with the wind, threatening to die out. It became weaker and weaker until it breathed its last.

Mieun was left alone in the darkness again.

But by then, she had already reached the gates that separated her from imprisonment and freedom. She rested her hand on the heavy barricade, her fingertips lightly brushing the surface.

Do it, a voice inside her head urged. Willingly, she began to pull on the locks, rattling the chains softly as the links clinked together. The key. She needed the key. She knew where the key was kept. Every night, her mother slept with it strung on a chain around her neck.

Without even thinking, she turned in the direction of her parents' room where they both slumbered deeply, unaware of all around them. She twisted the doorknob open, letting it softly swing open. Her parents' motionless figures were huddled underneath thick layers of blankets. Mieun quietly d her way about, her squinting to make out objects in the darkness.

She brushed the soft, downy material of the blankets as she approached her mother's bedside. She lightly traced her mother's features, trying to catch a gleam of the chain her mother always wore around her neck. Softly feeling around as her mother breathed deeply, Mieun grasped the chain. She weighed the heavy key in her hands. How would she get it off of her mother's neck without drawing attention to herself?

Slowly and ever so carefully, Mieun twisted the heavy, weighted chain  around her mother's neck, fumbling for the clasp. Her mother stirred, tossing and turning, and Mieun froze, praying that her mother would not wake up. When she was sure that her mother was still in deep sleep, she unhooked the clasp, slowly sliding it out from beneath her mother's neck.

Quickly, she fled from the room, the key swinging freely from her grasp. The floorboards creaked noisily underneath Mieun's feet. But she didn't care anymore. All she could think about was going outside. She couldn't think about anything else, couldn't worry about anything else. All she wanted was to go outside.

Hastily, she jabbed the key into the keyhole, scrambling to make it fit. She twisted it violently to the left and then to the right, only stopping when she heard a click. Letting the key drop unforgotten to the floor with a thud, she clutched the doorknob with shaky hands. The door creaked and groaned on its hinges, letting in a small breeze with a rustle of leaves through a tiny crack.

Stop! She told herself, her right hand grabbing her left hand, which was slowly opening the door. She stared at her hands in horror. The left one kept jerking and twitching involuntarily, straining to turn the doorknob as if it was drawn to the outside by an inexplicable force, but every time her left hand touched the door, her right hand slapped it away. Mieun blinked, shaking her head, and when she opened them once more, her hands dropped down lifelessly to her sides.

Mama and Papa will be angry.

Open it. Open the door.

Don't do it. Mama said not to.

Mama knows best.

Mama knows best.

Slowly, trembling, Mieun backed away from the door.

No!  A voice inside her mind cried. The look in her eyes changed, and she tore for the door. When pulled and pulled with all her might, but the door wouldn't budge. Like a wild animal, she forced herself to squeeze through the tiny opening. Her nails scrabbled in the dirt as she fought to pull herself through. She in a breath, flattening her stomach; her head felt like it would burst from want of air. But she didn't care. She needed to get out.

Now.

With one last heave, she forced herself through the door, her nightgown tearing in the process. She stood up, her hands leaving behind imprints in the dirt path leading to the front door. She ran, the hem of her torn nightgown dragging in the dirt, becoming stained and muddy.

And as she ran, she didn't realize that her ring was no longer on her finger. Unbeknownst to her, the ring lay forgotten in the dirt, lost to her forever.

Once the wooden house was cloaked by the shadows and the looming trees and was far, far away, Mieun stopped to catch her breath. The empty dirt road was lighted by the occasional erratically flickering road light. There wasn't anything to be seen for miles. Just cold, lonely emptiness. Mieun took her time, strangely now enjoying the cold breeze of the wind that ruffled her hair and nightgown that she had been disturbed by earlier. She spun around, giddy and high on the fact that she had rebelled. She was free.

Outside, even the crickets and creatures of the night were silent. The only sound to be heard was the scuffling of Mieun's footsteps along the empty, dirt road.

One of her slippers had been lost in her struggle and frenzy to get outside, so she kicked off the other into the fields of tall, twisting grass. She relished the feel of the powdery dirt shifting underneath her bare feet.

Suddenly the wind began to blow harder, stronger. It echoed eerily through the trees, wailing and whispering. The plants and trees were whipped into a frenzy by the wind, waving back and forth wildly until it seemed like they would fall over any minute. Mieun started to shiver, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth. The street lamp started flickering maniacally, until it abruptly shut off, leaving Mieun in complete darkness.

Before she could utter a sound, hands shot out from the living shadows of the darkness and seized her slender, petite neck, and scorching, burning lips kissed her full on the mouth, claiming what little remained of her pure soul. 

The second chapter is finally up! I would have finished it sooner, but I was just lacking the inspiration. Urk...I'm so busy this April. So stressed. But I want to thank the 23 subbies who have supported this story. I made a decision. I will be continuing this story after the contest. Think of it as a sequel but still in the same story. Thoughts? Opinions? Did you like it? Did you guys catch all the symbolism in here? Care to comment about what you thought it was? 

-kitty.