Let’s play hide-and-seek.

 

Teenage years.

 

                Chanyeol twisted Sehun’s wrist, forcing him back into the room they had just left. “You go first”. He let go of Sehun, and pushed him inside. Chanyeol stepped forward, opened his mouth as if about to speak, but the look in Sehun’s eyes silenced him. He stood there listening to the door being hit and kicked. Eventually there was silence.

 

                Sehun soon realized it was no good to keep pulling on the door handle. Chanyeol had it held fast. He knew he couldn’t open it until Chanyeol let go. He gave up and walked back further into the room.

 

                It suddenly felt colder, night-time cold. Sehun could see his breath forming in misty clouds as he breathed out. He shivered, hugged himself.

 

                There was something else about the room too. Something he didn’t like it. It wasn’t just the cold and the dead birds in the fireplace, it was a sensation. A sadness. He was already feeling lost and desolate but this room seemed to be feeding on his sorrow, magnifying it. And there was something else; a sense of dread and, of terror, moving towards him.

 

                And then he noticed the wallpaper.

 

                In the far corner, the old, damp paper began to crack and peel away from the wall. The black mould seemed to be getting even darker, starting to spread out from the corner.

 

                Sehun felt his heart jump into his mouth, his body begin to shake. He turned back to the door and hammered as hard as he could.

.

.

.

 

                Chanyeol cried and held even harder on to the door handle. Sehun just stood and watched in terror. Sehun turned away from the door, dared to glance back into the room once more. The mould was making its way round the walls towards him, like black wizened witch’s fingers reaching slowly out, ready to clasp him, entrap him. . .

 

                With renewed vigour, he began hammering again.

 

                Luhan was in his bedroom doing his assignment, next to Sehun’s house when he heard the noise. He immediately put down the books he had been laying out and ran to see what was happening.

 

                Sehun stopped hammering. He felt something touch him. He had never been so terrified in all his life. He opened his mouth, let out a silent scream.

 

                “What’s going on?” Luhan screamed from the other side of the door of the nursery doorway. He tried the handle, but it wouldn’t budge.

 

                “Sehun? Chanyeol? Let me in!”

 

                Luhan twisted the handle, pushing and pulling at the door. Realising he was getting nowhere, he let go, curled his hands into fists and began frantically hammering on it. But still it wouldn’t move. His knuckles sore, he tried to find something hard and breaks the doorknob and the door swung open just to find Sehun sitting there quietly while Chanyeol was already crying.

 

                Seeing what was happening, Luhan rushed inside, ready to grab Sehun and Chanyeol, but Sehun was trembling so much, fearing the worst. Luhan moved gingerly towards Sehun.

 

               “Sehun?” he said quietly.

 

 Sehun didn’t look up, just went trembling and sobbing.

 

               "Sehun, are you all right?”

 

               Luhan got no response. It seemed as if Sehun hadn’t even heard him. He knelt down beside him, have him his hand. Sehun took it, and as he straightened up Sehun rose with him. He allowed Luhan to lead him out of the room, clutching his Luhan’s shirt tightly in his hand.

 

              As he left, Luhan noticed the state of the walls. The house seemed to be deteriorating by the hour. But he didn’t have time to dwell on that.

 

              He led Sehun and Chanyeol from the room, and closed the door firmly behind him.