The knock on the door attracted Jooyoung’s attention. Grandma was not at home that morning; her grandmother already informed her that she had an early business to attend. Since she was home alone, she froze in her seat. She is not a person that would open a door to any knocks especially if there was no one beside her in the house.

Staying as silence as she could, she hoped that the person on the other side of the door would give up on knocking and left her alone. She had no idea who the person was and she didn’t even make an effort to sneak a peek through the window caused her walk towards the door will lead to her into a problem. The house is an old wooden house and her step would produce creak sound which eventually could be heard by the person she intended to avoid.

The knocks continued and Jooyoung covered with her hand to stop her from making any noise. “Go away, please go,” she prayed silently as her eyes shut. “No one’s home, you can go now please. Grandma’s not home.”

Negative scenarios began to appear in her mind. The image of her crawling herself away from a stranger, trying to live began to haunt her mind. Her ankle was still causing pain to her and she still wouldn’t be able to stray far with its current condition. It didn’t seem to show any improvement since she got it.

“Jooyoung?” called the male voice from the other side of the door. “It’s me, Jaehwannie.”

Her eyes shot open as her eyes darted to the door. She remained silent, listening carefully to the voice, trying to confirm that she wasn’t fooled.

“Can you open this door? I met Grandma just now and she told that you’re home,” Jaehwan spoke as he tried to open the door but it was locked. Jooyoung got up slowly and sneak a look through the window to see a familiar tall guy.

Feeling relieved, she quickly open the door to see Lee Hongbin with a completely pale face and dry lips. She could practically see his lips cracked open. “Lee Hongbin?” asked Jooyoung shocked and confused. It couldn’t be her sense telling her lie, her eyes and ears clearly told her that it was Lee Jaehwan on the door.

Hongbin hadn’t spoken a thing as he stepped in with a blank stare. Both his hands reached down to cupped her face, alerting Jooyoung. She was not expecting this as she stepped back, terrified. Due to her ankle that hadn’t healed, she crashed down the floor, bottom first.

“What are you doing?” she asked as tears began to well in her eyes. Hongbin was acting strange. He didn’t look as if it was him. He was not Hongbin.

Without saying anything, Hongbin held his expressionless face as his hands remained in contact with both her cheeks. “What do you want?” she began to scream on his face that seemed unaffected. The dark scenario of her crawling for her life flashed back through her head as she felt her tears began to soak her face wet.

“Please don’t hurt me,” she begged as she scooted back from him.

He moved forward to her as his eyeballs started to move as in looking for something. His eyes caught her attention as he began to assess and examine her face. His hand harshly moved her head left to right, the same way when he was finding for the ‘mark’.

“You’re hurting me,” she cried. “Stop it!”

He remained calm as if her words did not reach him before she noticed a drop of blood trickling down his forehead. Her eyes widened in shock as she pointed it with her forefinger, “Hongbin! Your forehead!”

The pushing on her face stopped as he pulled his hand away from her face and the blood that at first was only a drop increasing as lots of blood began to pouring from the top of his head. His finger reached for the blood that was beginning to shielding his sight.

Horrified, Jooyoung sat unmoved as she watched in horror. All of sudden, she lost the ability to speak and move to help him. She could only helplessly watch as the blood began to completely cover his face. The eeriness did not stopped there when out of nowhere; a number of black figures appeared from the front door and moved closer behind him before he was dragged out of the house.

“Hongbin!” she shouted as Hongbin tried to reach for her vulnerably.

Averting her eyes to one of the mysterious figure, her eyes caught to one of the figure that appeared to have only his right eye glaring at her while his left eye was sewed closed. Scream escaped from her as she shut her eyes from the disturbing image.

“Jooyoung!” called Grandma.

Opening her eyes, she found herself facing the ceiling. “Are you okay? You talk in your sleep!” questioned Grandma, worried.

Sitting up, she scanned her room before her eyes finally set on her grandmother’s face. “Did you wash your feet before you get in bed last night?”

Jooyoung stared at Grandma blankly, she was at lost. Did she passed out from the horror she just experienced and she was found lying alone on the living room’s floor? Was that explained why she was on her bed right now?

Grandma’s hit on her arm startling her as she looked at her grandmother for explanation on her action. “I told you to always wash your feet before you get into bed. This is why you getting a nightmare. I have to find something sharp to protect you from those stupid nightmares.”

Getting up from her bed, Jooyoung quickly stopped Grandma from leaving her. She still had her heart beating faster from what she had faced. “What is it? I get you scissor so that you can hide it under your pillow.”

“Grandma…”

“What?” Grandma sat back on the edge of her bed. Her hand reached her granddaughter’s forehead and gently wiped the cold sweat that had formed during her horrifying moment.

“What happened?” she asked, she was normally like this. She is a tough girl that is not afraid of anything related to horror but what she had faced really could haunt her for her entire life.

“You were talking in your sleep! I thought you had waked up because I’m really in hurry. I have something to finish, I have to go fast but you were crying in your sleep. I couldn’t leave you alone when I saw you like that.”

“Did you find me on the living room? Who help you to move me?” she asked as she noticed she had a runny nose.

With furrowed eyebrows, Grandma shot her a puzzled look. “No one move you anywhere. You must be confused your reality with your dream.” Standing up, she pulled the blanket from her body and began folding it. “Stop thinking about it, go take your bath and you’ll forget it overtime. It’s just another bad dream.”

Grandma’s words left her baffled.

“So… it was only a bad dream…?” she thought as she stared into space.

“I made you breakfast, I’m late. Don’t forget to re-apply ointment on your ankle, I go first,” Grandma excused herself but before she left, she walked to the window and pulled the curtain open, brightening the room.

Jooyoung was lost in her mind, trapped into her own thoughts. None of Grandma’s words reached her and she wasn’t aware that she was left alone in the house, once again.

---

She sat restless on her bed. Her appetite lost and she was not fond with the idea of leaving her room. After the refreshing bath, she trapped herself in the room. Not even dare to take a look of the outside of her room. Not even through the window of her room.

The terrifying feeling still haunting her and even though her grandmother had confirm her that it was all only a bad dream, she still felt that something was off with the dream. The image of the blood trickling down his face and the one-eyed figure were still fresh in her mind.

What made her to have that nightmare? The last thing she remembered before she gone to bed was the night sky filled with stars and… Hongbin. She just remembered she was brought home by Hongbin last night.

Looking down to her bed, confusion flooded in her mind. How on earth he sneaked her in without waking her up? He must be having a hard time getting into the window while lifting her. Hitting herself on her head, she realised how a fool she was. She should have awaked and lessened his burden instead of making his life harder.

Soft knocks heard from outside her room. Her eyes dashed to her closed door. She knew, she was alone in the home and the sense of Deja vu flowing right into her. It couldn’t be that…

But it was only a dream. She must have gone crazy since she spent most of the time inside the house now. The knocks were getting louder and she assumed that it must be Grandma on the door. Perhaps, Grandma forgot to bring the door keys with her since she left in hurry just now.

Trying to walk slowly with her injured ankle, she managed to reach the living room and the knocks still could be heard from the front door. She was standing in front of the door and had her hand on the door’s handle before all the hair on her skin stood still and heartbeat fast.

“Jooyoung?” called the male-sounded voice.

“It’s me, Jaehwannie.”

His word threw her back to her dream. What was this? Why did this feel familiar?

“Can you open this door? I met Grandma just now and she told that you’re home,” Jaehwan voiced as he continued on knocking. “Are you inside?”

“No, no, no,” she muttered under her breathe. “This can’t be happening.”

“Jooyoung?” he stopped knocking as he moved to the window that was located closed to the door. Jooyoung inhaled deeply, her chest heaved as she tried to remain calm. It was only a bad dream of all dreams she had. How could it happen in reality? She had that dream was probably because she had faced a terrifying night, nothing else.

On a count of three…

She unlocked the door and pulled the handle down.

…Opening the door slowly, Jaehwan’s tall frame stood still in front of her. Surprise expression spread throughout his face as Jooyoung’s eyes fell on what seemed to be a pair of crutches in his possession. Craning her neck, she shot him a blank look bringing a curve to his lips.

~~~~~~~~

A/N: I think I overwatch horror movies these past few weeks. Subscribe and comment! Thank you ^^