3 – The Lightning

Hyoyeon was not a girl to be easily intimidated with and she rarely feels any kind of fear but that day was different. She was so nervous that her back was filled with cold sweat. Byunghyun who was sitting next to her was no better because he kept on crossing and uncrossing his legs from time to time. All that came from the look of someone named Yoon Yoohee; a woman the nation knew as the Head of Homeland Security Council of South Korea. She was wearing a red blazer that day, implying that she was the one in charge.

All of them were sitting inside a meeting room in the Homeland Security Council Head Office by the invitation of a man named Gaeil, the Secretary of Seoul Police Department Consultant Division. He was a big man in his early forties and had a long scar on the right side of his eye. Unlike Hyoyeon and Byunghyun, Gaeil was fully composed under the piercing of Yoon Yoohee’s eyes. 

“It is to my understanding, Secretary Gaeil, that you wish to involve a third party in your investigation and the mentioned party is a non-authorized law enforcer. Is that correct?” asked Yoohee to Gaeil.

“Correct, Ma’am,” said Gaeil with a little smile on his lips.

“Okay. If you care to enlighten me on this matter then, Secretary Gaeil. I had this file on my desk for over a decade already and the President told me not to as much as to look at it unless we are in time of great danger. Now, Secretary, are you telling me that we are in great danger?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Yoohee sighed and then she opened the folder in front of her and rubbed her temple. “What is Helminthia?”

Gaeil straightened his body and cleared his throat. “Helminthia is a term we use for someone with Helminthium Syndrome. It is a condition where one has a certain virus inside their head that enhanced their brain potential to an extent where they could do things normal human couldn’t.”

“You’re saying something like how human only use 10% of their brain and this virus helps them to accomplish more?”

“No, no. That is a very old myth. Actually we use a 100% of it every day. Even when we are asleep, most parts of our brain are active. This Helminthium virus is like a steroid for your brain but a 1000 times greater. The MRI scan of a Helminthia shows that when they want something so badly, this virus reacts to the will and the brain works so hard it moves its surrounding.”

“Like…?”

“Well, take the simple act of pouring your morning coffee. There are activities such as walking to the kitchen, grabbing the mug and pouring the brew into the mug, et cetera, et cetera. All of those are controlled by the brain. In a Helminthia’s case, they could just simply think of the activity and their surrounding will do it for them.”

“You mean the mug will move on its own?”

“Telekinesis. It’s one of the most common skills among Helminthias. Some could even fly or create an earthquake by the flick of their fingers,” Gaeil took a quick glance to Hyoyeon and Byunghyun when he said that.

Yoohee rubbed her temple and Hyoyeon caught the look of disbelieve on her face which was quite rare for her to witness. In most cases, normal people laugh or make fun of the fact that there were people with extraordinary skills in the world similar to things they could only see on TV. But Yoohee did not make fun of the explanation. Instead, she took the information in and really gave it a thought.

“Then,” Yoohee sighed, “the connection between them and this serial killer case?”

“I believe that the criminal behind all this murders is a Helminthia.”

**

The flashes of lightning went into the cafeteria windows and blinded everyone’s eyes for a second before disappearing again as fast as it came, leaving a white spot in Yuri’s eyes. So she blinked her eyes a few times to get rid of it. When she got her normal vision back, she found Jessica was sitting in front of her, putting her head on the table, using her hands as pillows.

“Wow,” Yuri said. “It’s amazing how you need sleep more than a bear does.”

“Shut up. I’m sleepy,” Jessica yawned, “I didn’t get any sleep last night. Krystal snuck into my bed at two, saying that she saw a scary woman yesterday and could not sleep alone.”

“She’s afraid of ghost?”

“And she kept on sneezing. She’s been playing in the rain it seemed.”

“She has a cold? What kind of ghost is she?”

“She’s 19.”

The sound of thunder jolted everyone from their seats and Jessica sat up in annoyance. “What the hell is up with the sky? There were no thunders before and suddenly now they’re giving us lightning’s storm?”

Yuri turned to the awfully dark sky. No sunlight could be seen from behind the black clouds and it made the day look older than it should be.

“When will the rain stop already?”

**

The sound of thunder echoed in the meeting room and it silenced everyone and only after a good three seconds, Yoohee asked another question to Gaeil after skimming through the document in the folder.

“And you’re saying that based on what?”

“Based on the coroner’s report of the victim’s bodies. They could not determine the cause of the victims’ death. It’s like all of them died from severe fatigue. A Helminthia, in compensation of having a power that exceeds human’s logic, this Helminthium virus drains their energy away constantly. So no matter how much they eat, no matter how much they rest, they will always feel so weak. If it goes on, a Helminthia would die three times faster than anyone else,” Gaeil elaborated.

“Okay…,” Yoohee tried her best to keep up.

“So in order to keep on living, they need a Host. This Host is someone with energy so abundant they could support a Helminthia.”

“Wait…,” Yoohee shook her head. “I don’t get it. Energy?”

Gaeil put one hand on his chin. “Hmm. You know how human gives off energy, right? Like aura? If you use a special kind of camera, you will see that everyone is surrounded by a colorful cloak. That is our energy.”

“And how a Host could sustain a Helminthia’s life by giving their energy to them?”

Gaeil smiled. “Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly how it works but when a Helminthia meets a Host, they’re immediately connected. They share the same dreams, thoughts and even share the same skills if they are together long enough. Through this connection, the Host will transfer their energy to the Helminthia and keep them alive.”

Yoohee, once again, showed a very confused face but she did not say anything. Hyoyeon who watched her from the end of the long table they were sitting felt a little of respect toward this woman.

“So without a Host, a Helminthia will die.”

“Yes. And finding a Host is not easy, Ma’am. It’s like finding the love of your life, your soulmate. It is so hard that if you already found one and lose them, a Helminthia will surely die.”

“Why? What’s so difficult of finding a Host?”

Hyoyeon sighed and thought to herself that if finding a Host was so simple, she would find one for Taeyeon.

“A Host has to be compatible with the Helminthia and even when they are compatible, the Host has to be someone with sixth sense, because they emit the biggest energy out of anyone else in this world.”

**

A loud thunder crashed the sky, flashing lightning into the cafeteria and the next thing happened was every light in the university gone out. Everyone was startled, some jumped out of their chairs and Yuri even yelped at the sudden darkness. The only light came from the windows, hitting the water stream on the glass and creating terrifying shadows on the floor and on people’s faces. Making everyone looked like they were bleeding on the head.

After everyone got used to the darkness a second later, Jessica saw a man – a suspicious man with black clothes from head to toe – standing by the window staring at her with worried eyes.

“Oh, no,” she said and took Yuri’s hand.

“What?” asked Yuri.

The man sighed and walked in a very fast pace toward Jessica.

“No, no, no,” Jessica clenched Yuri’s hand tighter when the man stopped right in front of her and leaned forward. “Keep away.”

Yuri looked at Jessica in horror. She was talking all by herself looking at the empty space beside her. “Sica?”

Jessica was looking straight at the man. “What?”

“You can see me, can’t you?” asked the man.

“Ye – yes,” Jessica said.

“Good,” the ghost moved a step and looked to the ceiling, “up there, on the rooftop.”

“Sica!” Yuri shook Jessica’s hand and turned her head to her direction. “What’s going on? Who are you talking to?”

Jessica took a glance to the ghost next to her before returning her eyes to Yuri. “He said there’s something on the rooftop.”

“Says who?!”

**

“Oh,” Taeyeon exclaimed when the electricity in the house went down. She was watching a very interesting talk show and quickly disappointed when the TV went black on her. She stood up from the living room to the kitchen and tried the lamp. Seemed like the house lost its electricity.

“Sunny! What’s wrong with the electricity?!” she shouted as she walked to the window and looked outside.

“I don’t know! Can you give me an emergency light?! I’m in the shower!” answered Sunny from the bathroom.

Taeyeon smiled so wide when she heard that, thinking that she could take a peek on Sunny’s devastatingly beautiful body if she gives her the emergency lamp. So she rushed to the storage and grabbed one. With hurried steps she walked to the bathroom but then she had to stop midway. Her body felt so weak all of a sudden and she had to lean on the wall to support herself.

She dropped the lamp and fell on the floor, feeling the suddenly heavy breath. Taeyeon sat on the floor for a whole minute

and Sunny came out of the shower only wearing a towel.

“Oh, God, Tae!” she rushed to her friend.

“Oh, wow, Sunny,” Taeyeon forced a smile.

“You okay?” Sunny pulled Taeyeon up and sat her down on the sofa. “Oh, God, you’re so pale….”

Taeyeon shook her head, “I’m always pale.”

Then, tears trailed down Sunny’s cheeks. “No, no, no.”

“Hey, hey,” Taeyeon wiped the tears with her fingers. “I’m okay, Sunny. I was just a little tired.”

Sunny nodded but she knew the truth, she knew that Taeyeon was running out of her energy. She had been living as a Hostless Helminthia for over than three months. Most of them die within the week they were parted from their Host but Taeyeon had tried so hard to keep on living for the sake of her friends. But her time was running low, her body could not stand it anymore.

“I’m fine,” said Taeyeon again and she put her hand on Sunny’s cheek.

It was cold to Sunny’s skin. “I’m scared…,” said Sunny. “Don’t go….”

Taeyeon’s smiled faded a little. Seeing Sunny looked so terrified like that induced fear inside of her. She was not ready to die.

**

The Head of Homeland Security Council, Yoon Yoohee, went off the phone and looked at her three guests in the meeting room. All of them were quite surprised by the sudden black out.

“It seemed that a lightning has struck one of the city’s main power plants. We will be in electricity shortage for awhile,” said she. “I hope you don’t mind the dark.”

Gaeil nodded, “No, Ma’am.”

Yoohee cleared and continued on with her inquiry. “You were saying that there is a Helminthia out there somewhere who lost a Host and is currently looking for a new one so desperately he builds a connection with anyone he meets. But no one is really compatible to become his new Host so he killed them instead.”

“Yes. Because ordinary people could not sustain a Helminthia’s great need of energy. So when they build a connection with just anyone, they would their energy dry and killed the Host,” Gaeil concurred.

Yoohee took her glasses off and closed the file in front of her. With her sharp eyes she looked to Gaeil and then to Hyoyeon and Byunghyun behind him. “This is all too absurd for me to believe, Secretary, I have to say. Not only that everything sounds so weird, I feel like I’m being given a plot to a science fiction movie which I think would not be a very good movie.”

“This is the truth, Ma’am,” Gaeil said, “I have proof if you need it.”

“I’m not saying that I don’t believe in you, Secretary. I believe that you brought your friends into this meeting not because they want to see an old lady ranting. They are Helminthias, I presume. One who could fly and could create earthquake.”

Hyoyeon felt like her chest was being pierced by a very long sword when Yoohee gazed at her from behind her horn-rimmed glasses.

“I have seen things so strange from where I sit right now but this one takes the trophy. I know that the FBI has their own supernatural division to solve cases too hard for ordinary minds so I do not think that you are playing with me,” said

Yoohee, “nevertheless, these guests you brought are still civilians which have no authority whatsoever to interfere in a police investigation, moreover in a case this dangerous.”

Gaeil nodded. “I understand, Ma’am. But if you reconsider, because-.”

“I’m not finished,” Yoohee raised her hand, stopping Gaeil from continuing. “In consideration of the scale of this case – if it is indeed everything you just said – then your guests are indeed necessary. So, I would like to suggest them to join your division so we could provide them with security in case something happens.”

Gaeil smiled and then he turned to Hyoyeon and Byunghyun.

“So we could suppress the possibility of them getting hurt like you did back in April, Secretary,” Yoohee cleaned up her things and stood up. “This meeting is adjourned.”

Hyoyeon stood up quickly as soon as Yoohee rose from her seat and walked to the door. Byunghyun did the same and then he shook Secretary Gaeil’s hand after the woman had left.

“Great job, Secretary,” he said.

“I did nothing,” Gaeil sighed. “That woman had been briefed by the President a long time ago about your kinds, Byunghyun. This meeting is just a formality to put you under the police wing so when things go bad like it did back in April, the police could give you support.”

“She knows about April?” asked Hyoyeon.

Gaeil touched the scar on his right eye and smiled. “She knows everything.”

**

“What’s on the rooftop?”

In the dark hallway, Yuri was clutching to Jessica’s shirt as they treaded their way to the roof top. The ghost Jessica met at the cafeteria was following closely behind them. Then, when they reached the stairs to the roof top, he stopped and turned around. Jessica looked back at him.

“You’re not coming?”

“I’m right behind you, Sica. What are you saying?” said Yuri.

“Not you,” Jessica knocked Yuri’s head lightly. “You, Ghost.”

“Nah. I’m not even sure if the thing up there is even a ghost to begin with,” the ghost shrugged and left.

“Fine,” Jessica climbed the stairs, dragging Yuri with her.

“What did he say? Did he say something about me?” asked Yuri.

“He said he’ll skin you alive when you’re asleep next time you meet.”

“Oh, God!” Yuri kicked Jessica. “Don’t do that!”

The two girls reached the door to the roof top and they could hear the rumbling sounds of the rain from behind it. Splashes of water went through the small gap beneath the door, showing that the rain had piled up enough water on the roof.

“What are we looking for exactly?” asked Yuri in a trembling voice.

“The ghost said he saw someone here.”

“Then what are we doing here? We shouldn’t be looking for trouble.”

“The last time I ignored a ghost, my bus crashed, remember?”

Wind went inside and blew away the girls’ hair as soon as Jessica opened the door. The rain was heavier than Jessica thought she could barely see what was on the roof. Yuri leaned forward, almost sticking her head out to see clearer.

Yuri gulped a huge amount of saliva and moved back a few steps behind Jessica. “There, on the edge of the roof, just by the railing.”

It was exactly after Yuri said that, the sky let out a huge thunder sound again, creating a bright white flash around them and Jessica could see a silhouette of someone standing on the edge of the roof top. It was a girl and she was wearing a worn out wedding dress. Her arms were spread apart to the sides and her face was looking up to the sky.

“What is that?” asked Yuri. “Is it a ghost?”

“I don’t think so,” Jessica shook her head.

“If it’s a human what is she doing-, oh, no! She jumped!” Yuri ran out to the roof top when the girl in wedding dress leaped

off the building.

Jessica followed her friend and both of them looked down to the street, hoping to find a dead body but they were mistaken. The girl in wedding dress was levitating in mid air. Then, she swooped up into the sky, flying in the rain and attracted lightnings to strike her body.

“Oh, my God! What the hell is that?!” Yuri shrieked.

“She flew! She just flew away, Yuri!”

“I thought you said she’s not a ghost!”

“She is not a ghost!”

“But how can a girl fly away like that?! And she got struck by lightning! Three times!”

“I don’t know!” Jessica yelled out.

A huge wind blew their bodies away, pushing their body to the railings and then when they regained their balances, they found the girl in the wedding dress was hovering above them.

Jessica fell down on her bottom, too shocked by what she was seeing.

The flying girl’s face was pale, paler than a ghost. Her black long hair danced in the wind along with the tip of her dress. There were stains in the wedding dress and it was torn here and there. And the scariest thing of all was her eyes. They were filled with hatred and anger, looking at Jessica with such revulsion it sent more than just chilling sensation to her spine. It was the feeling of despair and utter horror.

“Die….”

**

Taeyeon felt chills down her spine and her mind played an image of a girl she met yesterday. “Jessica….”

Sunny looked at Taeyeon’s worried face. “What?”

“Jessica,” Taeyeon stood up and grabbed her coat.

“Wait! Taeyeon!”

Taeyeon was weak but she pushed her limit. “I got to go!”

Sunny could only watch Taeyeon went out the door and ran under the rain. “Damn it! Hyoyeon!” she yelled on top of her lungs.

And in the meeting room inside the Homeland Security Council Head Office, Hyoyeon heard Sunny’s voice in her head. She then turned to Byunghyun. “Something’s happening, Oppa,” said Hyoyeon and without waiting for a response, she levitated in the air and flew away through a window, breaking the glass as she did.

“What?” asked Gaeil.

“It’s Sunny,” Byunghyun ran out the room and headed straight home.

--