>_____<;;

The rain had quickly died out when they stepped back outside. When on their front porch they watched as their neighbors peacefully trotted out of their homes with smiles plastered on their faces. Children quickly returned to play and the adults resumed what they’d been doing beforehand. The grass that had been washed by the rain was suddenly now dry and it looked like the rain had never come at all.

“Ok,” Victoria rubbed her hands together unsure how to react to the sudden situation. “I guess we go on our own now. Remember to come to crest hill after dropping him off.”

“I know, you don’t have to repeat yourself,” Chorong slightly muttered and watched her sisters head toward Victoria’s car. 

“Ok,” Chorong heaved a sigh then turned to the troublesome Suho. “Lets go.”

“My love, you cannot leave me behind. Who will protect you if not me?” Suho continuously continued talking from the passenger’s seat minutes later. “It is dangerous. You do not know those beasts. My love, are you listening to me?”

Chorong withheld another sigh, “I have a name. It’s Chorong, Park Chorong.”

“But ‘my love’ sounds more affectionate, don’t you think, my love?”

Chorong mumbled to herself and watched the great blue sky suddenly turn to a shade of purple before it became green.

“What the…”

“The sun’s already setting!” Suho exclaimed from his seat. “What is this nonsense?”

For once, Suho was making sense. The sun seemed to drop from the sky and the moon immediately came up as if animated. Chorong watched the people around her drop what they were doing before heading into their homes and the lights inside. As the sky darkened houses glowed and the streets were suddenly absent of any presence. This was absurd.

One moment they were underneath the blue sky and now it was suddenly dark a second later. Water hoses were left on the ground to soak the grass, balls and cars were abandoned on the street and sidewalks as well as flowers ready to be planted. Everything suddenly seemed so desolate as if no life existed at all. This was not the reality she wanted.

Chorong heard the engine cry out and the accelerator slowly stop working before she pulled over to the side of the street.

“What’s wrong, my love?” Suho asked.

“Just perfect,” Chorong muttered shifting the gear to park before unlocking the door. “You stay in here.”

Closing the door after her she walked around to the front of her car and pulled the hood up. A flash of thick smoke flew into her face before she turned away to cough deliriously. She heard sounds of soft footsteps a second later and thought Suho had dismissed her order to stay in the car.

“Suho?” Chorong tried to open her eyes through the thick smoke, but was unable to see anything. “Suho? I thought I told you to stay in the car.”

Then she heard a loud crash above the car and the hood fell back down causing a wave of smoke to fly into her face blinding her. Chorong let out a scream as she tripped over her own feet and landed on the ground. Her eyes stung and she felt tears flood out. A sense of confusion swept through her chaotically and felt her mind race to pull everything into logic order.

Pushing her hands against the ground she struggled to get up, but suddenly felt a pair of hands on her shoulders shoving her back down. She heard hissing and felt hot drool land on her face. Suddely realizing what it was she hastily screamed and blinding reached her hands up to fight it off, but was unable to get a good hold on the monster.

“Get off her!” Chorong heard Suho screaming a second later before tackling the monster.

She listened to them wrestle beside her and immediately turned to the side to catch her breath. Spitting out the drool that had seeped into she quickly reached a hand up to dry her lips and fought to regain her sight. Chorong could hear Suho groaning in his fight with the monster, but he wouldn’t be able to kill it.

“Suho? Suho?” Chorong called out and was finally able to see the blurred lights of the nearby houses before quickly turning her head.

Two black shadows were engaged in a fight in the middle of the road. The figure on top was slightly larger than the small frame belonging to who she guessed was Suho underneath. The Grim Reaper hadn’t spoken anything about the monsters being able to kill humans, but she wasn’t about to find out.

Clenching and unclenching her hands into fists she pushed herself up and lunged at the monster, which she was glad she couldn’t see. Chorong felt her hands spark when she touched the goo on the monster’s arms and shoved him off before listening to it cry in terror. Its ashes rained down on her as she landed on the concrete with a shout.

“My love!” she could hear Suho calling as he helped her up. “Did the beast hurt you? Are you ok? My love, answer me!”

Squeezing her eyes shut she shook her head and opened her eyes before the blurred lights cleared. Suho was staring at her intently when she turned to him and nodded.

“Did it hurt you?” Chorong asked.

“I am perfectly well, my love,” he exclaimed before Chorong heard a deep growl from beside them.    

She felt a few raindrops land on her before looking at the dark sky that was suddenly filled with gray clouds. Hearing another deep growl she quickly turned to see a large black shadow slowly approach. Chorong felt a kind of fear so deep ease into her body before her legs immediately felt numb.

This thing became larger as it neared and Chorong saw a head hanging at the front with vicious red eyes. It looked nothing like the little monsters she’d been fighting the whole day. It heavily breathed and she watched a puddle of drool slip from its thin purple lips. Its human-like hands were very thin and long with sharp nails. Chorong watched its hands land against the concrete as it slowly crawled closer. And when it did near them she saw the long hair flowing off its head. Every strand seemed to slide off the concrete and she heard it growl again menacingly before she finally pulled herself up. 

Chorong only finally realized how terrifying it was when she was on her feet. The King towered over her, its plam almost the size of her whole body. Her neck craned back when she stared up at it and lost her breath again when he tilted his head down to look at her. She saw a glint in his red eyes and watched him raise his hand at her before Suho pulled her away.

“Run, my love!” he screamed.

>_____<;;

“Oh my god…” Namjoo mumbled stopping in her tracks when she turned to watch the sun drop and the moon fly up. “Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?”

“Don’t look at it. Come on, we have to hurry,” Victoria hurriedly urged.

Turning away from the moon that was now in the sky she quickened her pace after Victoria. The shadows of the tall trees loomed over her before they finally reached the top of the hill.

“Ok, we’re here,” Victoria said. “I know you’re there! Come out!”

“Are you sure this is it?” the male ghost contradicted after them.

“Will he kill us?” the female ghost worried.

“You’re already dead,” Namjoo reminded.

“Oh well…I mean, he might be able to kill us again,” the female ghost shrugged.

Namjoo turned when the Grim Reaper popped out in the middle of nowhere, this time without his scythe.

“Well, well,” he exclaimed before snapping his fingers and a sheet of brown paper appeared. “You didn’t have to bring them here.”

“Well we did and you should be grateful,” Victoria irritatingly stated.

“Your impatience might just doom you one day,” the Grim Reaper mumbled slightly looking up from the sheet of paper before it vanished.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Victoria asked.

“Victoria,” Namjoo called.

“Fine, forget that,” Victoria forced the Grim Reaper’s words off her shoulders. “After this is over, will anyone remember what happened today?”

The Grim Reaper shrugged, “Well, it’ll seem like a dream.” After a stare from the girls he finally said, “No, they won’t. They’ll only remember going over their day with what they usually do.”

“You really manipulate our minds, don’t you?” Victoria questioned.

“No, no, don’t get me wrong,” he shook his head, “this is just for the greater good; to protect your powers and you as individuals. Now if you excuse me, I shall take my spirits now.”

With a wave of his hand they watched him draw open a bright blue whirlpool and quickly headed down the hill before finding out what might happen next.

“Call Chorong,” Victoria ordered, “she should be here by now.”

They stopped at the bottom of the hill in front of the empty road. Namjoo pulled out her phone and glanced into the darkness for any sign of life. It was too quiet and that was unsettling.

She felt her eyes swerve over to the street lights a few yards away and listened to the ringing of her phone before Chorong finally picked up. Instead of being able to ask Chorong where she was Namjoo heard her sister breathlessly pant out the word, “Help!”

“Chorong?” Namjoo frowned and turned to look at Victoria. “Chorong.”

“Oh my god! Help!” Chorong cried before Namjoo heard footsteps pounding against the ground, leaves rustling, a shout from her sister, and then a low growl echo faintly.

“Chorong!” Namjoo shouted into the phone before her eyes widened suddenly feeling the fear trembling through Chorong’s voice.

“What is it?” Victoria asked before reaching for the phone and pressed it to her ear. “Chorong? Chorong?”

“What’s going on?” Namjoo asked when Victoria handed the phone back to her.

“I don’t know, but we need to go look for her, fast,” Victoria told before rushing toward the car.

Namjoo glanced out into the abandoned streets feeling petrified at how deserted everything was. Not even a soul was in sight. All cars on the road had been left behind almost of if no one existed at all. It made her think about how people went in hiding when zombies attacked in movies she used to watch with Chanyeol.

“This is so creepy,” Namjoo whispered.

“Yea, well good thing we only have to deal with it tonight,” Victoria replied. “See Chorong’s car?”

Namjoo turned away from the side window before replying, “Yea. Up ahead.”

When the car stopped she and her sister rushed out to see that the keys had been left in the ignition. There was no sign of Chorong though.

“I don’t get it,” Namjoo said then watched Victoria circle the car for any clue that might have been left behind.

“It doesn’t look like they were attacked in the car,” Victoria measured out.

Namjoo stepped back and glanced down when she heard the faint sound of a puddle being splashed.

“Oh…I think I found it,” Namjoo told.

“What?” Victoria hurried toward her.

“This,” Namjoo lifted her feet out of the drool belonging to the monster. “I think they were attacked here.”

Victoria quickly turned to look around and shifted her body when she saw trees swaying behind the large manor down the street.

“The marshland,” Victoria whispered. “They went to the marshland.”

>_____<;;      

“Chorong!” Victoria shouted when they crossed the long green yard to the trees behind the Lee manor.

It was an extravagant household built after the CEO Lee had purchased the land after a fight with the environmental protection organization. Their house would be built on only a quarter of the land upon the promise that they leave the rest of the marshland untouched. Birds, ducks, and deers needed a natural habitat to nurture their families in and that was why the marshland had been left without being renovated into a building.

Victoria would never have thought that the marshland would look much more dangerous at night than during the day. She could see the moon glittering across the small creek that ran between the folds of dry land. There was tall wild grass growing everywhere and she worried if they might come across a snake.

She let out a shout when she accidentally stepped into the shallow creek before pulling her foot out. Namjoo who was following was luckier. Upon seeing her misfortune she had been able to jump across the creek and remained dry.

“Chorong!” Victoria screamed even louder with her one foot now soaked.

An eerie silence answered them. Not even a bird flew into the sky nor did they hear a cricket cry out for its lover.

“This is just getting way to creepy,” Namjoo muttered sticking close to Victoria in case anything would jump out at them.

“Chorong!” Victoria walked forward suddenly entering the dense woods covering a mile of the land.

Her balance became unsteady when she crossed over onto a few rocks piled up before feeling solid ground underneath her again. They weren’t getting anywhere with just the moonlight guiding them. Victoria needed light, real light.

Fumbling her pockets for her phone she let out a groan when she realized she’d left it in her car.

“Do you have your phone?” Victoria asked.

“It’s dead,” Namjoo answered.

Victoria let out another heap of sigh before they heard a loud pitched scream in the far distance.

>_____<;;

The shadow was still following them and Chorong could feel the ground lightly tremble underneath them as it came nearer. She was breathless and she knew Suho was tiring out as well. He had slowed down since their entry into the woods.

Her heart was beating wildly. She’d never been chased this way before and it was a lot more nerve wrecking than making sure she didn’t get tagged in a game of shadow tag. It was different this time. If she let the King get to them, they could really die.

Suho’s grasp on her hand was still tight and she knew he wasn’t about to let her go. Even if he had turned into this Shakespearean fool, deep inside she had a belief that he wouldn’t let her get hurt just as the normal Suho wouldn’t. Yet, that didn’t mean she could rely on him.

Suho was normal. He wouldn’t be able to fight the King off if he neared.

She could hear him growling in the distance quickening his pace with their every step and imaging him run toward them at full speed was just frightening. Slowing down for even a bit might lead them to their deaths.

Her legs were tiring and she could feel cramps threatening to take over her calves. She knew she should have worked out more. Chorong was quickly running out of breath and she felt like giving up. Her body was at its limit.

They finally reached clear land a few seconds later and Chorong felt her feet splash into the creek before she suddenly tripped. Her jeans were now soaked and she felt Suho stop a few steps ahead of her before turning back.

“No,” Chorong cried shaking her head and let out a cry when she felt the cramps travel up her leg.

“My love,” Suho’s voice was concerned.

The water noisily splashed when he put his arm around her torso to help her up, but Chorong couldn’t stand with the muscle cramps in her leg. They worsened when her feet touched the grouond and she slipped from his hold again. In the distance she heard the King growling hideously before it suddenly appeared from the woods. The trees beside him slightly bent and cracked before it fully walked out.

Chorong felt a breath of horror shudder through her before she turned to Suho, “Let go. Suho, run.”

“No,” he shook his head, his eyes filling with desperation and loyalty.

Chorong felt her heart ache a little and quickly turned when the King began crawling toward them. She saw a glint in his eye again before she slowly realized it was her gem he was seeing. It was after her, not Suho.

Her lips shook before she immediately turned to Suho again and cried when she felt the muscles cramp up again, “Get on dry land. Hurry! Now!”

“No…I can’t…” Suho shook his head, his hand still on her arm.

“Go, godammit!” Chorong shrieked when the King suddenly started running toward them.

Suho’s eyes melted into disappointment before he let her go and splashed through the water before arriving on dry land. Chorong turned back to see the King towering over her. The glint in his eye became sharper and he immediately reached for her without hesitation.

“Chorong!” she heard Suho scream and heard a loud splash.

Unable to look back she could only focus on the King. His claws ripped into her arm and she shrieked in both fear and surprise. Keeping strong she fought to touch the King’s hand and felt an electric bolt zap them both before the current of the water totally numbed her. 

***Water + Electricity = NO NO