Trust Me

The agitated woman and his first neighbour had descented into the darkness and YoonGi sure as Hell wasn’t going to wait around on his doorstep to find out what was about to happen. TaeHyung had said himself that he’d lived there his entire life, and she was already dead, and this kind of thing didn’t seem like a one-off, out of the blue type of deal, so they obviously must have weathered whatever weird thing was going on.

Stepping back inside and slamming the door shut behind him, YoonGi fought with the heavy duty bolt which had rusted open. Hearing the child directly below him scream bloody murder gave way to a wave of other cries, overlapping and echoing like it was coming from inside every wall. Covering his hand with his sleeve, he managed to force the bolt into the slot just as anguish and panic filled the evening air. Falling back onto the barrier, sharp eyes landed on the Golden Hour past his balcony. The last moments of dawn were upon him. Sky streaked with flushes of violet and crimson, the sea rippling like liquid gold, the fierce coastal wind suddenly stopped. The final rays of sunlight sank down past the horizon and for a split second, a beam of gold shot out along the skyline. Easing up as the scene burned into his brain, the tenant was temporarily dazed by what he was seeing. The temperature of his home dropped to sub zero levels, even colder than it had been that morning, but YoonGi was still enamoured by the sight which had drew back off the small town like particles of sand being pulled into the ocean when the tide receded: Every inch of warm light had vanished within a few seconds.

“Striking beauty is usually the sign of foreboding trouble.”

Spinning around to see HaeYeon stood at the other end of the kitchen counter, the brunet pointed out in front of himself with a dumb look on his face. “Have you seen that?” His voice escaped as a whisper, and his feet began to move on their own.

“That happens every night, but you can only see it like that from here.” Following the newest tenant towards the sliding glass door, HaeYeon stopped a pace before crossing onto the balcony. “There is nowhere like this concrete plot in the sky anywhere in the world.” Dropping down on the floor and crossing her legs, the pink haired female heaved a breath and took a carton of cigarettes from her jacket pocket. Taking a stick and the lighter which she had pilfered a few moments earlier, she lit the end and held it to nervous lips. Actually able to inhale the fumes for the first time in forever, the woman’s head fell back in ethereal bliss. “But...” Keeping her head back, she looked to the homeowner. “If you don’t shut that door soon, it will be the last time you ever see it.”

Words finally piercing his train of thought, YoonGi turned around, looking lost. “How so?”

“How about you come inside and I tell you?”

Doing as she said and sliding the barrier shut behind him, the brunet leaned his back against the smearless pane. Only know noticing the oddity, he furrowed his brows and hunched forward. “You’re smoking?”

“I am.” She took another drag and held up her vice. “I don’t know what’s happening. Since your friend found that necklace and put it back together, I’ve been able to do stuff I couldn’t before; people have been able to see me, I’ve been able to physically touch things outside of this room...what’s next?”

“You couldn’t touch things outside of here?”

“I’ve always gone straight through solid objects: walls, tables, beds. But it’s always been the same in here. I have to physically open the doors, and I could consume, but never feel satisfied.”

“Then, the smokes?” He gestured to the smouldering end in the woman’s hand.

“They belonged to Tae’s father. We experimented with what I could do when I got him home.”

“Excuse me?”

“Wha-Oh, no. Not like that.” Waving him off, the female shrugged. “He knew I couldn’t grasp anything from this world outside of this apartment, but I knocked into his lamp by accident. He thought I should see if I could do anything else.”

“I bet.” The homeowner turned his nose with scoff.

Brows furrowed, HaeYeon threw the end of her vice in the sink. “What are you trying to say?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“No wonder your girlfriend left you.” She shook her head and was about to turn around when a hand grabbed the top of her arm.

Ragging the woman around, YoonGi shoved her into the counter. Leering over the figure beneath him, the brunet realized what he was doing. Backing off with his hands up in apology, he stared at the woman with wide-eyes. “I didn’t mean it.” Taking another two steps back, he held his head in his hands. “I really didn’t. I’ve never done anything like that to anyone before.”

Pulling the hem of her vest down and clearing , HaeYeon crossed her arms under her bust. “I believe you.”

“Don’t say that so easily.”

“I never do. But...” Lighting another smoke, she leaned back with her elbows propping her up. “I’ve seen this happen a million times before. It’s this building.” She tilted her head with a shrug, not even surprised by what had happened. "It does things to people. It changes them."

Hands on his head, YoonGi ran for the door. “I need to get out of here.”

“Please, don’t leave me.” She unintentionally shouted after the back running from her. “Please...” Lowering her eyes, her hands gripping the opposite sides of her ribcage, the woman retracted into herself. “I need your help.”

YoonGi wasn’t a hero, he never had been. He used to run into his parents arms after having a nightmare, hid from bullies, and even made sure his girlfriend slept over when they had watched a horror movie - just in case. Now, there was a woman on the verge of begging him. He had never had anyone rely on him before. Especially never a ghost trying to find out who she was while creepy ran about the halls. Thinking back to that, what had happened out there.

“I won’t go.” Gathering his strength and trying to appear as if he wasn’t going to crap his pants, the homeowner turned around. “But you have to help me too.”

Posted: 9th Feb 2015 - 18:33
Updated: 18th April 2018 - 14:01