10
Yesung arrived half an hour later carrying a large jar of something with him. Donghae watched him and had to wonder if he made the right decision to invite Yesung to his house. He was very different from the paranormal people he’d seen in the movies and he was beginning to second guess whatever they were about to do in that moment.


Despite Donghae’s doubts with his decision, there was a sense of urgency and the look of assurance Yesung gave Donghae somewhat comforted the latter. Yesung’s eyes quickly scanned the walls of Donghae and Hyukjae’s home, as though he could see something Donghae’s couldn’t.


“Donghae-ssi, I have a favor to ask of you tonight,” he said looking a bit grim. “Whatever happens, whatever I ask or do, I need you to follow my lead no questions asked.” Before Donghae could object he continued, “I’m not going to ask you to do anything dangerous or against the law so you don’t have to worry about that. I just need you to trust me.”


Donghae closed his mouth and swallowed whatever protest he was about to say. He took a minute to ponder Yesung’s request in his head and after nodding his head, the other began his work.
 

Yesung started by spreading what looked to be a sand-like substance from inside the jar and splattered it in random directions of the house. The musky smell of some exotic herbs began to surround the whole unit. Donghae half-expected for him to start dancing and chanting a weird mantra around the house.


Yesung didn’t of course, instead he finished spreading the sand around the apartment then took the available seat adjacent to Donghae.


“Now we wait,” he told Donghae.


Donghae was skeptical at his plan and couldn’t help but ask. “Wait for what?”


“Wait for the Dumas Sand to work,” Yesung answered.


Donghae was about to ask what Yesung was talking about when he noticed something strange. The sand Yesung spread around the house began to rattle in place before starting to move like they were being attracted somewhere. It was such a bizarre sight to watch and, if Donghae was being honest, it creep him out a little bit. The sand started to flow towards the coffee table forming a bizarre shape that Donghae wasn’t sure whether or not he recognized it.


It took him a few seconds before he realized that the shape was following an outline of a dog, and that was when it hit him.

Choco...


This was the place where Hyukjae found his dog dead that day.


Yesung frowned, “Did someone die here recently?”


“Yes,” Donghae confirmed in a soft whisper, still a little shell shocked at what he had just seen. He closed his mouth and swallowed the lump he felt in his throat before sharing the truth with Yesung.


“Hyukjae’s dog, Choco… She died about three months ago. We-...He found her here.”


“This sand acts like a tracking device for supernatural activities that had happened before,” Yesung explained. “Whatever took Hyukjae must have killed his dog first.”


Yesung hummed to himself before opening up the jar one more time to spread more sand around the unit. Donghae couldn’t tear his eyes away from the dog shaped sand on the floor before him, the image of Choco’s lifeless body appearing in his head followed by Hyukjae’s hunched over back as he cried for his beloved dog dying in his arms.


A deep sinking of shame and regret started to rise in his chest and all Donghae could do was close his hands into a fist.

He should’ve seen it! He should’ve seen the signs and took Hyukjae away -- far away from the apartment before it was all too late! He should have taken Choco’s death more seriously and listened to what Hyukjae was telling him.


This is my fault. It’s all my fault...


It didn’t take long for the new sand Yesung spread to start moving. However, instead of the slight rattle like it did before, this time it was like a huge gust of wind started to brew inside the apartment. The furniture scraped against the floor and before they knew it, all of the sand flew towards Donghae and Hyukjae’s bedroom.


Yesung and Donghae both shared a surprised look with each other before running off to follow the direction of the sand. Donghae’s heart pounded against his chest as they approached his now abandoned bedroom. He hasn’t been inside for a few days and he wasn’t exactly sure if he was ready to find out whatever was in there.
 

He led the way for the both of them and the light of their bedroom. The audible gasp that came out of him upon seeing the shape the sand took form in was all he could do to express the horror he felt inside him.


The door to his and Hyukjae’s shared closet was slammed open and the sand gathered in front of the large mirror in it, following the shape of a very familiar somebody. Donghae’s mind immediately flashed to the day he found Hyukjae’s unconscious body. To the day he cradled his seemingly lifeless body in his arms. The pain he felt that day when he thought he had lost Hyukjae forever had not faded away.


“Is this where you found him?” Yesung asked.


Donghae’s body jumped when he heard his voice and had to clear his throat in order to gather his thoughts together before answering. “Y-Yes. Right...It was right there.”


Yesung did a single nod and made an attempt to touch the mirror but before he could even get close enough, he winced and covered his ears. He could hear a loud screech in his head that was making his ears bleed. Yesung tried his best to fight against it but eventually, the pain became too much and he was forced to take a step back. Donghae’s brows furrowed seeing such an intense pained expression on Yesung’s face.


“What’s wrong?” Donghae asked kneeling next to him as his Doctor side started to take over. “Ar-Are you okay? What is it?”


“I sense something.” Yesung managed to gasp out and pushed himself to look at his and Donghae’s reflection in the mirror. There was something in there. He could feel it. “There’s a strong paranormal activity behind that mirror.”
 

Donghae followed his line of sight, but to him, it was only a mirror.

“What do you mean?”


Donghae watched with confusion as Yesung raised his hands up in the air, arms stretched forward and started to make strange gestures in the air.


When he was done, he turned to Donghae with an extended hand and said, “Donghae-ssi, do you mind if I have the salt now?”


Donghae ran to the kitchen to grab the container of salt as quickly as he can, When he returned, an obvious frown was etched on Yesung’s face as he contemplated the surrounding area of his closet.

“Here,” Donghae called out announcing his presence.


Yesung didn’t bother to look his way as he blindly reached for the salt Donghae was giving him and muttered a quick “thank you.” Donghae took a step back to give him some room and quietly watched as Yesung poured a handful of salt on his palm, creating a small mountain, then silently gasped when he unhesitatingly threw it towards the mirror.


Donghae’s first instinct was to protest and reprimand him but when he saw the salt disappear before his eyes, he ended up just gaping at the mirror with his eyes as wide as they can be and mouth hanging open in shock.


Yesung’s eyes narrowed at the mirror. He threw another round of salt at the mirror just to confirm his theory, and when it once again went through the mirror like a window, he knew that that was his connection to the other side. He took a deep breath before braving a step closer to the mirror, this time the voice was fainter and weaker due to the enchantment he attached with the salt, and very carefully touched the mirror as though he was gauging its powers.


His hands followed the outline of the mirror, gently hovering an inch over it, leaving just enough room so the monster on the other side does not notice his presence. Then, he turned to Donghae and using a calm, quiet voice he asked him, “Do you have anything to break this mirror?”


Donghae stared at Yesung for a couple of seconds, trying to determine whether or not he was serious, but when all the other did was keep measuring the mirror with his hands, he decided to just follow his earlier instructions and looked around for something to break the mirror with. He wasn’t exactly sure if Yesung had a specific item in mind or if any item would do, but Donghae just followed his instinct and handed him a nearby object.
 

Yesung turned when he felt Donghae tap him with something hard and blinked. “Uhh, sorry, but I would need something bigger than a book.”
 

Donghae made a soft, “oh” then threw the book he was holding onto the bed. He looked around the room one more time until his eyes fell on a wooden chair by the vanity mirror that Hyukjae used to use. “Would a chair work?”
 

Donghae wasn’t sure if that was too much but when Yesung beckoned to give it to him, he bit his tongue and handed him the chair.


As soon as Yesung had a good handle of the chair, he didn’t heave any warning before raising said item over his head and throwing straight to the mirror.
 

Donghae gasped and covered his face as he retreated a little away from the shattered glass that scattered all over the place. After his nerves had calmed down from the sudden shock of Yesung breaking his bedroom mirror, Donghae was once again tongue tied when he saw a dark long hallway hiding behind the mirror.


“Huh,” Yesung uttered as he kicked off the few shards that fell on his shoes. “I bet that wasn’t on the blueprint.”


Donghae was too shocked to react to Yesung’s poorly made joke. He only reacted when he saw Yesung approach the barely lit hallway and instinctively grabbed his arm to stop him.

“What are you doing?” Donghae’s eyes showed fear and Yesung can’t say he blamed him for it. “You can’t go in there! We-...We don’t even know what’s in there!”

Yesung pursed his lips together and gently took Donghae’s hands off his arm.

“You want to save Hyukjae, don’t you?” He asked, already knowing the answer. Yesung took Donghae’s silence as his confirmation and walked inside the hallway.

Donghae’s instinct still told him to stay put and to probably call the police. Nothing about what was happening tonight made any sense. He was a man of science. He’s a doctor for crying out loud! But medicine and science hasn’t helped Hyukjae, and if whatever Yesung was doing will help then-...then he would just have to ignore his instincts and follow the other’s lead.
 

With that in mind, Donghae threw caution in the wind and ran after Yesung inside the dark hallway to find the answers to Hyukjae’s condition.
 

It was musty and cold inside. Donghae used the echoes inside the wall to follow after Yesung. Each step they took made Donghae’s heart pound against his chest but the more they walked inside, the more it felt familiar to him. Donghae’s hand touched the walls and his eyes scanned around the room. There was barely any light to make out anything concrete but he was sure that whatever this was, wherever they were, it was a mimic of the hallway of the apartment building.


Yesung was the first to pull his phone out of his back pocket and the flashlight to see more of the path they were taking. Donghae saw it and couldn’t help but look back to where they came from and saw the entrance of his bedroom shrinking in sight.


“What is this place?” he couldn’t help but ask. Despite his resolve on wanting to save Hyukjae, a good part of him was still telling him to run.


“To tell you the truth, I have no idea,” Yesung replied without looking back. His eyes still looking firmly ahead as though