Sleeping in this place became easy all of a sudden. Maybe it was the coldness of your room, the silence that fell all around the house, or just the exhaustion of doing nothing. You had been sleeping in peace, not even a dream to stir you or scare you. All was calm, until something had woken you from your slumber with a heavily beating heart. Your eyes snapped open at the sound of a loud scream that echoed in the hallway that passed your bedroom door. Your body tensed up as you sat up right, looking around your room that was dimly lit my moonlight. You pulled your duvet around you and up to your eyes and held your breath, listening closer. It was suddenly silent again but you could feel tears welling in your eyes from fright.

You listened closer and closer, wondering if you were just having a dream after all, or if you were just going insane.

The silence was broken again with the sound of a whimper that paired with a voice too familiar.

‘Leave me alone…’ Taemin’s voice called out. ‘Somebody help me!’

You gripped tighter onto your bed sheets, not knowing what to do. ‘Help!’ Taemin’s voice sounded desperate and tortured, you shut your eyes tight. Who else could possibly be here?

His cries progressed, getting increasingly louder and more painful; you threw the blanket off you and looked around your room for a heavy object. You saw a large gold candle holder designed in the style of thistles, sharp metal thorns embellishing it and a considerable weight. Perfect. You took a deep breath and still half asleep and half startled to the point of a heart attack, you coiled your fingers around the door handle, and opened it.

The sound that greeted you was a projection of Taemin’s excruciating wails that flowed throw the hall way and bounced off the walls; part of you didn’t even want to go and find out what was happening. Your heart pounded so hard you were convinced you could hear it in your ears. Your breathing quickened and you thought you were going to be sick with nerves as you looked towards the direction of the screams.

It was his bedroom. But even with the door shut, the boy’s cries for help couldn’t be muted. You gripped onto the makeshift weapon you clasped in your hand, and left the strange comfort of your own room to cross the hall, feeling the creaking of cold floorboards beneath your bare feet.

Hesitating at the front of his door, you stood there with a pale face and wide eyes, hands trembling not only from cold but from fear. You tried to plan what to do next, tried to muster some kind of courage.

A further agonising scream from beyond the door was enough to startle you and you impulsively reached for the door handle, pushing it open with all the strength you had.

A/N: sorry for the really really short chapter here, this is supposed to be a suspense builder for what is to come. i'm aware that i should have probably gone into a lot more detail in this chapter to create more atmosphere but it's nearly 2am and i'm sleepy ;;