“Too bad, though... she wasn’t afraid of death, either.”

He steps aside and reveals Krystal. Sohee hears screams from somewhere, probably behind her. Muffled sounds as if someone has trapped her in a bubble, muting everything around her. And time stands still for her. She hears the sound of people storming off, stomping, she wants to join, but she can’t move. Her eyes glued on the red rope that wraps around the petite, pale neck.

Krystal doesn’t move either, and her feet don’t touch the ground. She is just hanging there, like the lanterns, painfully beautiful, from the old oak tree. Her eyes are wide open. Her hands balled into fists, except for her index finger, which is pointing towards the ground. As if she had pointed somewhere else before- well before life escaped her body. out.

Sohee's mouth goes dry, and she has to tear herself away from the view. Her head is spinning, and her legs are shaking. So the rumors are true after all, the door would have never been open if all of them were alive. But does that mean, everything else is true too? Shouldn’t there be a bridge? Shouldn't she be able to bring Krystal back if she stops her from crossing it?

As if he has read her mind, he shatters her hope with a firm, "No,” before adding softer, “you can't. She has already reached the other side..." And Sohee's vision blurs, and black spots grow.

She is used to this feeling. The sense of suffocating. Hands wrapped around her neck. Fingertips that pierce into the soft skin. Her own cries are smothered. She tries to kick, and she tries to hit. To no use, as she can't move. ”Please, please daddy, stop.” She wants to say, she wants to cry, but only wheezes and rattle escape. There is a soft whisper, and she almost believes in feeling a soft touch wiping off her tears. But it can’t be, as it’s only the drunken stranger -she happened to share some genes with- in front of her. His yells are too loud to hear anything else. Not even her thoughts, she can’t focus as blackness takes over.

“SOHEE!”

She snaps out of it as someone grabs her arm and roughly pulls her along. She doesn’t expect them to catch up with the others so fast, but their path is blocked by a beautiful sculpture, a mixture of a lioness and eagle and human with a serpent tail: it's called a sphinx, she recalls quickly. As she draws closer, she is astonished by the realistic details of the beauty. The face of the creature looks so alive. She has a big stubby nose, and perfect winged eyeliner, that frame ice blue eyes that glare at the late approaches. Wait, what?! She has never in her life expected to ever have an encounter with a sphinx, let alone one that has too sharp claws and teeth to her liking.

The lips of the creature suddenly start to move and turn upwards to a joyful yet slightly chilling smile. A motion that makes all five of them flinch backward a few steps. The stone figure blinks, and with it, the stone seems to crack, and beyond the surface is porcelain skin. The sphinx shakes her powerful body, stripping off all the remains and debris. Brocken rocks and dust eddy through the air and become deadly missiles. It’s then when they see the dead body beneath her paws.

“What joyful night it seems like I get to play some more.” The beast smiles and appears to sniff in the air as if to scan the group.

“Oh, my,” Chorong tries to swallow the lump in as it makes it difficult to breathe. “You’re impressive and beautiful…” the oldest finally blurts out awkwardly.

If there is one unspoken rule people should take to heart, then that one is that women always should be supportive and complementing of another. The world is harsh enough on beauty standards, and if stony or not, half beast or not, the woman face truly is beautiful, and Sohee is impressed that despite the paws she somehow seems to have managed to do her make up. And yes she is aware of how ridiculous this may sound, but honestly, she has been deeply impressed, as someone who manages to look like a panda when trying to do smoky eyes herself.

Obviously, Chorong hasn’t done to wrong with her words, as the beast that seems too long for an attack sits back down, smiling almost amiable. “Oh thank you, some disturbers with manners as it seems. I like you. So I won’t kill you right away, and when I do, I will make sure to make it short and painless.”

“Very kind of you …” Chorong probably should have felt grateful for that offer, but she more likely felt like peeing herself right now. Especially when the smell of blood hit her nostrils, and she could almost taste the metallic flavor on her tongue. Accidentally her eyes traveled down to her giant paw and the blood drunken claws. Sohee follows Chorongs gaze, and her stomach turns when she realizes the twisted upper body and the missing body parts. She couldn’t help it, it was too much for her to take in, and throwing up is no longer an option but something that just happens out of reflex.

At least she could turn around and doesn’t hits one of her com