Author's Note: So, this chapter became much more longer than I thought it would be. As a way to not overwhelm you guys, I split this chapter into two parts. I'll be posting the second part soon. Enjoy ^^

Wakey, wakey.

Wakey, wakey, Yerin-ah.

A deep voice called upon Yerin in a playful, friendly manner. Yet, for some reason, when the mysterious voice said her name, Yerin could feel her blood curdle with disgust. It was a bodily reflex which alerted her that the person speaking did not have the right to address her in such a manner.

As much as Yerin wanted to open her eyes and stare directly at whoever the voice belonged to, she couldn’t. Her mind was foggy and every limb felt like a ton. Thankfully, she could relay all her weight on the chair she sat on. Her head drooped as low as possible, the tip of her chin touching her chest. There was a throbbing sensation that reached from the back of her neck all the way to the temples of her head. Though she wanted to sit still and cope with the pain, Yerin’s mind wandered to her last recollection: SinB’s body sprawled out on the cabin floor with a dart nestled in her neck.

It took all her remaining energy she had left, but Yerin managed to force her head up. Slowly, she peeled her drowsy eyelids open. With her vision a bit fuzzy, all Yerin could see were indiscernible shadows among dim lights. Squinting and blinking several times to regain focus, Yerin’s eyesight started to return back to normal as the figures began taking shape.

The fatigued girl regretted it, though, when she saw Virgo’s chiseled face only a few inches away from her own. With her heart practically pounding out of her chest, Yerin’s eyes grew larger than ever, causing Virgo to smirk in return. She wanted to punch him, kick him, strangle him. But, when Yerin looked down, she noticed her arms were bound to her body with heavy-duty rope.

“There she is!” Virgo bellowed loudly, his voice echoing throughout the gloomy-lit room. “The lady of the hour.” He angled his head slightly, looking deeper into Yerin’s fearful eyes before drawing his body back and giving her some much needed space. “I was getting quite worried, Yerin-ah. I knew I should have reduced the amount of drugs I put in your dart. But, I figured that my Yerin-ah could handle it. And, low and behold, you did.” Virgo, dressed in a silvery gray suit, reached out to pet her head, only to stop when he noticed Yerin flinching.

“Don’t call me that,” Yerin warned him through gritted teeth, desperately trying to keep her head up and her posture straight.

“What do you mean, Yerin-ah?” Virgo continued to address her in a way that signaled a close relationship. “Isn’t that your name?”

“Where am I?” Yerin rejected answering his question. “Where’s SinB? Where’s Eunha, Umji, Sowon, Yuju?”

“Calm down, Yerin-ah.” Virgo raised both of his hands, signaling her to stop her rampant questioning. “You shouldn’t be acting so hyper. After all, you did just wake up from a tranquilizer dart.” Yerin narrowed her gaze on him with a look that showed she didn’t want to play games. Virgo let his arms fall to his side, quickly placing them behind his back. “But, if you must know, we’re in the cabin. Can’t you tell? Sure, it may have looked insignificant on the outside, but never underestimate the grandeur of what lies inside.”

“The cabin is actually a portal to another dimensional realm,” Yerin whispered, eyebrows knitted as she put two and two together.

“The Sisters of the Night aren’t the only ones who have access to such mystical technology,” Virgo commented upon hearing the weary girl’s deduction. “How are those old hags, anyway? You know, I always believed the name of the organization had such a pathetic ring to it.”

“Not as a pathetic of a name as ‘Virgo,’” Yerin sneered, head slumping slightly from exhaustion.

Virgo’s lips went taut in seriousness, only to ease into a closed-mouth smile. “I suggest treading cautiously on your choice of words, Yerin-ah.” He stepped closer to her, placed his hands on both sides of the chair’s armrest, and brought his mouth near Yerin’s ear before he hissed, “Especially to the person who saved you from death.”

Never in Yerin’s life had she ever wanted to spit on someone as badly as she did now. It was never her choice of assault, but the message it would send was loud and clear. Unfortunately, was severely parched and whatever saliva she was able to produce slid down in a mild attempt to cleanse it.

“Save me?” Yerin spoke directly into Virgo’s ear, voice trembling and eyes furious. “You killed my Oppa. You killed dozens of innocent people that night. You may have spared my life by turning me into a vampire. But, you also managed to kill a part of me, too, with what you did to my Oppa.”

Virgo pushed himself away from Yerin’s personal space, taking a step back. He pursed his lips before releasing an exaggerated sigh. “Contrary to popular belief, your dear Oppa wasn’t half the saint you always perceived him to be. You see, his job was practically the same occupation I assign to many of my followers, SinB included.” Virgo smirked when he saw Yerin’s demeanor perk up. “What can I say? The market for creeps and s is particularly substantial. Anyways, among the dozens of people he candidly took pictures of, you were among them.” Yerin’s forehead scrunched in response to the confounding secret. “Your picture was in the first batch. He was probably testing the camera out. The moment he captured was of you in a nice, white sundress, smiling as you did your daily chores. When I saw it, I knew I had to keep it to myself. Because I became completely drawn to you. Because, through that single picture alone, I fell in love with you.” He looked at Yerin intensely, the pigment in his eyes transforming into a light gray.

Yerin scoffed. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Think about, Yerin-ah,” Virgo urged the unconvinced girl. “I could’ve burned you to char like the rest of them that night. But, I didn’t. Because seconds before I attacked you, I recognized you from the picture. I turned you into a vampire, instead, so we would later reunite and take on the world together. Of course, I should’ve known that the Sisters would get to you first and force you to congregate with them.

“During my forty-something years of inactivity, I acquired a better understanding of my powers. And, thanks to the demons and witches I befriended, I was able to enhance my abilities and even gain a couple new tricks up my sleeve.” He proceeded to reach into his pants pocket, taking out a garlic clove. Popping it into his mouth, Virgo confidently chewed before swallowing it in one big, satisfying gulp. A smug smile plastered on his face at the sight of Yerin’s stunned expression. “And, I did all of this for you, Yerin-ah. So that on the day we finally reunite, there would be no way for you to reject me.” Placing a hand on Yerin’s cheek, Virgo’s smile grew wider. “Because I would be so powerful that to say ‘no’ would be like causing a sin.”

“I would rather take a stake to the heart than serve an abomination like you,” Yerin, jaw clenched to prevent herself from crying, declared.

Virgo raised his hand. But, instead of a slap like Yerin expected, he gave her cheek several gentle pats.

“I’m sure you don’t really mean that,” Virgo, trying to remain composed, couldn’t help but snarl. “Not when your precious SinB’s life is on the line.” Fishing into his pants pocket, again, Virgo withdrew a remote control. Upon pressing a button, a clear, glass coffin rose from the ground. Lying in it was SinB. Her eyes were open, yet her body appeared to be lifeless.

“SinB…” Yerin softly uttered the name of her true beloved. She leaned forward, wanting to shield the fair girl from Virgo’s wrath. A cold hand was placed on Yerin’s shoulder which tightened, forcing her to sit back in her chair. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Virgo squatting beside her, his hand still resting on her shoulder.

“I put her in trance where she could no longer hear or see the state of her surroundings,” Virgo informed, voice calm and stable. “I present you with two choices. Abandon the Sisters of the Night and join me in my vindictive crusade, and I will free your oh so ‘precious’ SinB. If you decline, I’ll still release her, but with a price.” Though not wanting to lose focus on her poor girlfriend, Yerin turned her head to look directly at Virgo. “I never established this in our terms, but during the time when Miss SinB was working for me, galavanting from dance studio to dance studio, I had my servants install cameras in her apartment to ensure that she would stay loyal to me. I restrained myself from exposing the footage when I saw you, Yerin-ah, protecting her from my ‘minions’ as you call them. But, through those recordings, I was able to see everything she did in her private life.” Standing up, Virgo went to the glass coffin and stared down at SinB. “And, I mean...everything. Refuse me and I will release the footage for all the world to see.”

“Why not just kill her?” Yerin spoke haughtily, tears pooling around her eyes.

“Pain and suffering is far more rewarding than death,” Virgo simply replied.

“You twisted bastard,” Yerin spatted out as she lunged forward in her seat, hoping to break herself free from the rope that constricted her.

Unfazed, Virgo shook his head while bellowing in laughter. “Don’t forget who you’re talking to, Yerin-ah. You should be glad that I’m even giving you a choice.” He looked up at her, expression solemn. “That’s how much I love you. Now, I shall lend you a moment of contemplation. Though, I’m certain you already know what the best choice is for you and Miss SinB, here.”

With his hands behind his back, Virgo walked to the side of the room where a door that Yerin had not previously noticed was located. He gave her a wink before closing the door, leaving Yerin alone with an unconscious SinB.

All of these revelations, from her Oppa secretly taking pictures of her to the gut-wrenching fact that Virgo believed to be in love with her, made Yerin sick to her stomach. But, to see that SinB, her beautiful, wonderful, precious SinB was still alive, helped rekindle Yerin’s determined spirit.

Despite her dissipating strength, Yerin managed to scoot her chair closer to where SinB laid. Her heart ached when she looked into the younger girl’s eyes and saw orbs of emptiness.

Sniffing back tears, the older girl leaned forward as the bounded rope allowed her to. “SinB-ah, it’s me, Yerin,” she said as quietly as she could. “You have to wake up. You have to break out of the trance. I know that it seems impossible and hopeless. But, I know that if there’s any person in the world who can escape from uncertainty, it’s you.” A tear slid down the side of her cheek. “I can’t do this without, SinB-ah. You’re my strength. You’re my happiness. Those things that Virgo was saying, that’s not love. Virgo doesn’t have the sanity to understand what love is. What we have, you and I, me and you, that’s love. I love you, SinB, Hwang Eunbi, whatever you like to be called.” Yerin smiled hopelessly before frowning again. “I love you so much.”

The door unexpectedly opened, causing Yerin to wince in fear. Hands still behind his back, Virgo marched into the room. He looked at Yerin and her tear-streaked face and tsk tsk tsk-ed.

“No use hiding your crying now, Yerin-ah,” Virgo said, sounding disappointed. “I suppose you made up your mind.” Bending down beside SinB’s casket, he looked at the inert girl with admiration. “I can see why you’ve grown so fond of her. Miss SinB is quite the sight for sore eyes. If you don’t mind, I would love to take a closer look at her birthmark that’s always covered by clothes.”

Yerin’s breath hitched as she saw Virgo reaching his grubby, calloused hand into the casket towards the hem of SinB’s blouse.

But, before he could proceed, SinB’s knuckle-protruding fist slammed squarely on his lips. Virgo stood up in surprise, pressing on his lips. He stumbled a couple of steps backward, appearing as if he was in pain. But, the deep, low chuckle that thundered out of his mouth and resonated through the hollow room signaled that it was all a hoax. “Did you really think you could hurt me with that er punch?”

“Just wanted to press my luck on busting open those mealworms you call lips,” SinB insulted, sitting up. Alert and out of the trance, she took the moment as an opportunity to spring out of her deathbed. Jumping into action, SinB scurried to Yerin’s side, trying her best to free her girlfriend from the rough, tightly bounded rope without causing any harm.

Lacking any means to cut the rope, the couple struggled amidst Virgo’s never ending, and rather creepy laughter.

Wobbling towards the pair, Virgo reached into the inside of coat and brought out a switchblade knife, the sharp blade extracted with a press of a button. Sensing a great amount of danger, SinB clung onto Yerin, protecting the older girl from whatever Virgo intended to do. Viciously, Virgo gripped SinB’s shoulder, throwing her on the hard floor.

The manic man looked at a terrified Yerin before grinning slyly. “Allow me to do the honors,” he taunted, walking to the back of Yerin’s chair and slicing through the layers of rope. He proceeded to unravel the cords, letting them drop around the legs of the chair.

As soon as she felt free enough to move her entire body, Yerin bolted out of her seat and perched to the ground, enveloping SinB with a hug filled with care and fortitude. Uneasy and concerned about what Virgo was going to do next, the pair watched as he folded his knife and placed it back in his coat. Hands behind his back, Virgo smiled at Yerin and SinB jovially.

“It wasn’t originally planned, but I’m up for the challenge,” Virgo, returning to his calm and collected self, proclaimed. This resulted in questionable expressions from the couple who continued to hold onto one another. “Go. Let’s see if you two can actually escape from my lair. I’ll even give you a ten second head start.”

The two were understandably baffled. In her years as a Sisters of the Night member, Yerin could earnestly say that she has never come across a person as fickle and disturbed as the person who stood before her.

“Come on, SinB-ah,” Yerin urged her girlfriend, grasping her hand tightly. “Let’s get out of here. He’s absolutely insane.” With Yerin’s assistance, SinB got to her feet. The couple ran out through the only door in the room.

Right after they left, Virgo warped his face for his fangs to sprout and his gray eyes to fully emerge. He took out the remote control, pressing another button. Bringing the control up to his lips, he began to speak into the part that served as a microphone to the intercom which surrounded his lair, “I want you to take this into consideration, Yerin-ah…” his voice boomed in a range that was several octaves lower, “while we play a nice round of hide-and-go-seek inside, your friends out there will be playing an entertaining game of ‘run-for-your-lives: zombie edition.’”

“This has got to be the most excruciating mission I have partaken in thus far,” Eunha grumbled to herself, staring at the flames from the campfire that the group managed to conjure up. She sat on the woodland floor, eyes darted to the door of the cabin, awaiting any signs of life.

In order to keep them occupied and distracted from their growing anxiety, Sowon, Yuju, and Umji gathered in front of a nearby tree and began playing a game of darts with the tranquilizers. Though their darts would typically bounce off the tree’s hard exterior, the group cheered with glee when Umji managed to get her dart to stick. Eunha looked down to smile, happy to see that her friends were able to find a silver lining among all the treachery.

The short-haired girl heard footsteps approaching from behind. Her eyeline met with a pair of slender, long legs which plopped down right beside her. With a small, yet charming smile, Sowon held out a dart to Eunha.

“Wanna try?” Sowon asked. “I think you’ll be really great at it. Yuju and I aren’t really much of a competition for Umji’s vampire strength.”

“Thanks, but I’m not much in the mood to participate in reindeer games,” Eunha declined, diction refined as usual.

“Are you scared for Yerin-ssi?” Sowon gently posed the question.

“I’m scared for all of us,” Eunha admitted, letting her insecurities be known. “For the past several minutes, I’ve been contemplating whether I should go against Yerin’s request and summon an elder for help.”

“Have you tried using your mind reading powers? Try to see that they’re at least conscious?” Sowon whispered, scooting closer to the distressed girl.

“I have,” Eunha answered as she drew her legs up to her chest. “And, that’s the most worrisome part. I can’t hear any of their thoughts. I can’t even pick up on their brainwave activity. It’s either that they’re no longer in the cabin or something is blocking my powers from reaching them. Or, worst...”

Eunha began to rock herself back and forth while nibbling on the edge of her lip. Sowon took noticed of the girl’s apprehensive behavior. The waiting game was a difficult time for everyone. Sowon trusted in Yerin and SinB’s abilities of ending Virgo and making it out alive. But, the reality certainly indicated something if the cool-headed Eunha was slowly tearing apart at the seams.

The tall girl placed an arm over Eunha’s shoulders, causing her to immediately stop rocking. Eunha turned her head to meet Sowon’s dark brown eyes, the campfire’s glow reflecting softly. Her penetrating stare caused the posh girl to look away momentarily. When she glanced back up, Eunha realized that the taller girl’s attention was now fixated on her lips. Slowly, the two leaned their heads toward each other. Every cell in their body anticipating the moment when their lips finally touched…

SLAM

Eunha and Sowon immediately drew away from each other, turning their attention in the direction of the loud noise. Their eyes looked at the cabin with scrutiny upon noticing that the door was completely ajared. They watched as the gleam of the lightbulb fizzled out, leaving the small capacity of the room dark as a starless night sky.

“Sowon-ah,” Yuju called out to her friend, growing frightened by the second, “what’s going on?”

"OOOOAAARRGGHH!!"

Out of the cabin expelled a stampede of mutilated, decomposing bodies trudging towards the group.

“Zombies,” Eunha fearfully breathed out before taking a hold of Sowon’s hand and running into the edge of the woods where the fire’s light failed to penetrate. “Umji! Yuju! Run!” she urged the two girls who were temporarily hypnotized by the terrifying view of the walking dead.

Umji was the first to snap out of her reverie, grabbing onto Yuju’s arm and forcing the older girl to move. They followed Eunha who lead them behind a heap of bushes, the only source of camouflage the woods offered. All huddled together, Yuju and Sowon were catching their breath as Eunha tried to calculate a plan.

“I really doubt garlic is going to help us fend off zombies,” Sowon spoke erratically, placing a hand on her heaving chest.

“Eunha-unnie, I’ve never dealt with zombies before,” Umji trembled out, tightly gripping onto the stake she retrieved from her holster.

“There’s no need to panic,” Eunha assured, though sounding a bit perturbed herself. “Thankfully, those zombies out there aren’t the viciously animated kind who could run all over the place causing terror. These zombies are much slower, but could definitely cause some harm if we’re not careful enough. Now, you’re right, Sowon-ssi. Garlic isn’t going to do anything other than making us more appetizing. The stakes could still work, but we have to aim for their brain.” Examining the ground, she picked up two substantial sized branches, passing them over to Sowon and Yuju. “Use those branches like a baseball bat and whack their heads off or shove them into the campfire. It’ll kill them either way.” Eunha looked at each girl’s nervous dispositions and exhaled a breath. “When we get back out there, I want everyone to stay close. Remember to go for their heads...and try not to get bitten.”

“Zombies?” SinB reiterated what Virgo said. “What the hell?”

The two were quickly climbing down a long-winded spiral staircase, hands tightly locked together. Virgo’s lair perfectly resembled his personality: dark and twisted. There was barely any source of light, making it excruciatingly difficult to see the next step. The railing was also studded with spikes, pricking the palm of their hands when either dared to touch it. Without a clear path out of this hell hole, all Yerin and SinB could do was continue to escalade down wherever the stairs lead to.

“Hopefully, they’re all awake already,” Yerin said, voice jumpy as she tried to not miss any steps.  “This won’t be the first time Eunha has tangoed with the walking dead. It’s been quite sometime, though. Umji, on the other hand, is inexperienced. But, she’s a fast learner. Sowon-ssi and Yuju-ssi should be in good hands.”

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, the couple paused upon facing two identical corridors. Both were long and narrow with pieces of reflective tape on the floor to serve as a guide. It sort of resembled the entrance of a movie theater just when all the lights dimmed off. At the very end of each tunnel-like corridor, though, was a beam of white light.

“Which one should we take?” SinB spoke, her attention darting from the two openings to Yerin’s deliberating eyes.

“Something tells me that Virgo is going to trifle us no matter which path we choose,” Yerin muttered, holding onto SinB’s hand tighter.

The two could hear footsteps clip-clopping down the metal staircase at a leisurely pace. Time was of the essence and so Yerin dragged SinB into the corridor on the left, hoping that they’ll make it to the end alive.

With not the slightest idea of whether they were truly going in the right direction, Yerin and SinB charged on, unwilling to ever let each other go. As they continued to run through the dark hallway that seemed to never end, a strange sensation came over them.

“Yerin-ah,” SinB said, sounding breathless, “I’m feeling a bit dizzy all of a sudden.”

“M-me, too,” Yerin stuttered as she stumbled on her own feet. Reclaiming her balance, she released SinB’s hand before immediately lifting up the younger girl over her shoulder.

“Yerin!” SinB shrieked, surprised at the older girl’s unexpected action. “W-what are you doing?”

“Carrying you,” Yerin replied, stating the obvious. “Virgo’s doing something. I can tell.” Taking in a heavy breath, she readjusted SinB on her shoulder to get a better and more comfortable grip on the girl. “I can’t...I can’t let him affect you.” Filling her lungs with oxygen, Yerin quickened her steps. “I’m strong. Even without my powers. I’m strong like ginseng!”

For once during this terrible predicament, Yerin felt hopeful. She could feel beads of perspiration forming on her forehead, her legs ached, her shoulder that carried SinB was beginning to strain, and the tingling sensation from the dart still remained. Yet, despite all of this and despite her heart galloping in her chest, Yerin was determined to make it to wherever the corridor led to.

The light was getting bigger and brighter, a tell tale sign that Yerin was nearing what she desperately anticipated to be a safe haven. As the dark hall became better lit, no longer in need of those reflective stickers on the ground, Yerin decelerated. She was close to crossing the threshold when a man, his head bowed to conceal his face, stepped in front of her. He slowly lifted up his head and Yerin’s eyes instantly went wide as if she saw a ghost for the first time. And, in a way, she was seeing a ghost.

“Oppa?” Yerin could barely get to speak. Directly staring at her was her older brother wearing that cheerful smile she remembered so well. But, his expression soon changed. His eyes turned grave and his smile devolved into a straight, stern line.

“This is all your fault, Yerin-ah,” Yerin’s brother spoke spitefully.

“What do you mean, Oppa?” Yerin’s voice trembled, feeling small against his tall stature.

“You are the one who killed me,” he said, eyes projecting fear into his sister’s heart. “If it wasn’t for your meddling, I would still be alive. Don’t you see? I wanted to become Virgo’s servant. I wouldn’t have gone to the initiation if I didn’t. The person you should be blaming for my death is you, my dear dongsaeng.”

“Yerin-ah, don’t listen to him!” SinB shouted, able to hear all the hateful sentiments, though unable to actually see what was happening due to her back being turned away. “He’s not your Oppa. You’re Oppa died, and it wasn’t because of you. It was because of Virgo. Virgo did that to your brother. You, Yerin-ah, were the one who tried to prevent your brother’s death. You were the one who tried to save him.”

Through SinB’s words of strength, Yerin was able think rationally. She stared into the grim eyes of her “brother.” No matter how angry he became, the brother Yerin knew would never speak to her like that. She clenched her jaw, fighting off the urge to cry. Readjusting SinB on her shoulder once more, Yerin charged at him with all the strength that remained in her legs.

The figure of her Oppa disappeared into thin air as Yerin made her way past the threshold into a well-lit room. Placing SinB back on her feet, Yerin gave her girlfriend a look that gleamed with appreciation. SinB simply nodded her head, distracted with the grand-sized door which they were now faced with. The two walked closer, eyes glued to the golden door handle that could either be their way out from this topsy-turvy house of torture or just another pesky fork in the road.

“Do you want to do the honors?” SinB said, trying to lighten the mood.

“I think it’s best if we just held our breath,” Yerin replied solemnly before placing her hand on the knob and turning it.

With a slight push, Yerin peeked inside to what appeared to be a ballroom. Of course, it wasn't any ordinary ballroom. The decor, from the magnificent chandeliers to the Baroque styled curtains were all shades of gray, while the tiled floor and ceiling were the color of midnight.

SinB reached for Yerin’s hand, lacing their fingers together in a firm hold. In tandem, they cautiously stepped into the room, halting when they heard the door click to a close behind them. Just when they thought the capacity was safe, a ring of fire appeared before them, only a foot away from where they stood. Yerin quickly placed herself in front of SinB, guarding the younger girl from the flames. Rising from the floor appeared Virgo sitting on a lavishly flamboyant throne. The same smarmy smile that never failed to make Yerin’s skin crawl etched on his face.

“What took you so long?” Virgo jeered at the couple who realized with dread that there was no way of getting out of his trap.