01

She stuck her hands into the pockets of her jacket and huffed. It was a craziness of her to go out now. It was already past midnight and the wind was too strong for her to even walk straight. The wind blew into her face, whisking her cheeks with her own hair. It was unusually cold for these months, but she did not care.

Her arms ached in dull pain and she clawed on the fabric, scratching the spot. She winced in pain and frantically rubbed her wrist. The milky light from the moon was enough for her to see the reddish spots on her porcelain skin. Ignoring the annoying feeling, she stomped her feet and continued walking. Rotten twigs were cracking under her feet, the sound loud.

The girl gripped onto the bark of the nearest tree for support and climbed over one fallen tree. She turned around to observe the dead phylum. The roots were sticking to every direction, little dust particles flying all around her. The wind blew again and she squinted, her eyes hurting. Something flashy flapped in the breeze and she reached out for it. The material was sticky and cold and she winced in discomfort. Scanning through the sheet of paper, her gaze caught on many faces displayed on the flyer.

"Midnight Carnival's Freak Show, huh? What a hustle." The girl threw the paper away with a disgusted grimace and sighed, tilting her head. The never ending creaking of the trees were creating a scary atmosphere, but it was welcoming her. She liked it.

Shortly, she heard some commotion going around and knocked it off as a fragment of her imagination. The whispering soon turned into loud muffles and they caught the girl's attention. Slightly annoyed, she tiptoed to get a better view of the fuss. Little did she know that the sight could make her regret - it wasn't supposed to be seen by anyone.

Two casually-dressed men started transforming into creatures, how was that even possible? Amazed and thrilled, she was careful not to let her inner personality take over by squealing out loud in excitement and shock. After all, she was a big fan of supernatural and freaks. Scared? No, in fact she was the opposite. She couldn't wait to get a closer look at their transformation. It was a fascinating sight in slow-motion.

The wind got stronger and she noticed how one of the creatures lifted his hand. He started gathering fire in his palm, the wind creating a little vortex as it in the air. He closed his palm just to open it again. The bright light blinded her and she shielded her eyes reflexively. The taller creature cowered from the light and it crashed into the nearest tree. The booming sound echoed through the night and she clamped her palms over her ears, eyes wide with excitement. The adrenaline rushed through her veins as the taller male spun on the ground and let out a loud yell, more like a growl.

The trees shook with the impact of the growling man and the tree and she fell down onto her . A flash of fire hit his chest and he groaned, rubbing the spot. Whimpering in shock she climbed back on her legs and watched them, unable to tear her gaze apart. The fire boy was shouting something, but it was like they were both trapped in a soundproof bubble.

The bubble suddenly disappeared and she cringed upon hearing the cussing words from both males. They were too loud for her liking. The air trembled like in a hot day and something started creating in a puddle of fog. She did not want to blink so she wouldn't lose the sight in front of her, but she couldn't otherwise.

Another man joined the scene. She squinted to see his face better. Empty. His face was completely emotionless as he was slowly walking towards the battling creatures. The air was filled with the scent of burned hair and wood, but he ignored it, stepping over a log which was set on fire by the fire boy a little while ago.

His facial expression changed and he frowned. His lips parted and she observed it, like in a slow motion. She could literally see as he inhaled the oxygen and the sound coming from his mouth:

"Behave yourselves, guys. We have a guest." His voice was cold and had to it a certain pitch which sent shivers down by her spine. It took her some time to comprehend that they were talking about her.

Silence filled the air and the sound of the branches swaying violently could be heard. The men looked around; spotting the girl that was squatting down behind a bush. They glanced at each other and started moving slowly, towards her. The girl knew that running was the only choice to escape thus she let her legs carry her out of the scene.

The coldness enveloping her shoulder stopped her and she glanced up to meet a face of a predator… His eyes were dead. She tossed in his arms, but there was no way for her to escape. She wailed in despair and terror and turned around to face the creature. His eyes were staring at her in an icy demeanour which could be murderous. She wanted to run away, away from him.

"Kris, you're hurting the girl. Let go..." Another man entered their little encounter. This was certainly becoming a scene and she felt like a fly caught in the net. There was no escape.

"It seems like he wants to see her."

Kris' grip loosened up and she quickly stepped away from his reach. She took a deep breath, grateful for the late-comer’s words. But there was something weird. He mentioned her.

 Lost in her thoughts, she went through the list of people she knew and inquired if she did offend anyone of them. She looked up at the man, who looked more like a boy and he smiled, showing off his dimples.

"You do not know me. I am only someone who could help you with your little problem..."

The words lingered in the chilly air and she shivered. She was not a girl to have any problems with anyone. One light bulb lighted over her head when she remembered one problem she had recently and she scratched her wrist unconsciously. After all, it had always been on her mind recently, and it was the cause of her running to this freaky place. Initially, she knocked it off as a part of her puberty changes, but it did not give her to sleep. Even after checking the books and the Internet, she still felt uneasy. 

This shouldn't be happening to an average girl.

If that man could really help her, she would be more than willing to follow these dubious creatures even to the heart of the Hell itself.

"Hyemin, you're coming?" That totally knocked her out of her thoughts. How did the stranger even know her name? He winked at her triumphantly and smiled. He looked like a happy pixie that just got the last piece of candy. This whole thing was eerie.

Hyemin eyed him dis-trustingly, debating whether she should follow those strangers or run away as fast as she could. There was no way she would run away or that they would let her and what was more, there was nothing wrong on going with them and ask for the help-line. Going was better than regretting later.

It was certainly a reckless decision.

As you can see, we created this chapter in a different manner compared to how we started the first chapter inititally, so I hope you like it! Horror, suspense and action are coming! Oh gosh! Four upvotes? Thank you for upvoting, I love you guys!