29 |twenty-seven|

Run. That's all I can do. Heavy footsteps follow after me, growing quicker and quicker with each passing second. They never falter. My knees ache and my heart races as the world begins to close in around me. Where do I go? There's no where left to run. A dead end sits in front of me.

"Ari—" An unnerving voice croaks from the darkness.

I back myself into the corner and slide down the wall. I can't help but cry. There's no where to go. I can't breathe. The world fails to exist. All there is is me and the creeping of a monster. As the monster inches closer, the outline of their body comes into view. They look human—frail and broken.

"Ari, Ari, Ari." My heart drops as the creature stands before me. It's almost as if I'm staring at my own reflection. The only difference is the fragile state of the person staring back at me.

"You couldn't stay out of places you didn't belong. You ruined a gentle soul's life. He was doing so well, then you came along. You couldn't accept reality." I swallow hard as the creature reaches out to trail their claw like fingers along my jaw.

"He could've gone far, but you had to step in. If you would've let him be, he could've had the world in his hands. Now—look at the mess you've made." The creature chuckles eerily as its neck snaps toward a brightly lit corner of the room.

JiSung lays on the ground, his face bloody. He's motionless except for the shallow breaths in attempt to hold on to life. I can feel my will to live slip as I watch him struggle to keep holding on.

"Even if you leave, the damage is already done. You have your fingers wrapped around his heart already. There's no turning back. All you can do is watch him crumble." The unnerving laugh signals the creature's departure. They quickly dissolve as if they had never truly existed.

I stare at JiSung as my hands tremble uncontrollably. There's nothing I can do—is it true? Have I already made too big of a mess? Can I really not fix it? JiSung coughs up blood and I know I've truly made a mess of something that was once perfect. I destroyed the person he had become. I filled his head with even more worries. He's on edge constantly now. He's looking out for not only himself, but me as well. He's still working and practicing. He's exhausted.

Without warning, the creature's claws reach out to wrap themselves around JiSung's legs. I lunge forward and try to crawl toward him, but I'm not nearly fast enough. The creature drags him away without protest from him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I shoot up between MinHo and JiSung, my heart racing uncontrollably as tears fall down my face. JiSung rubs at his eyes as he sits upright. I wrap my arms around him tightly and bury my face in the crook of his neck.

"What's wrong?" JiSung asks groggily as MinHo groans.

"I got kicked, that's what's wrong." MinHo complains as he rubs at his leg.

"Not you, her." JiSung sighs as he returns my embrace.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I sob as I do everything I possible can to get closer to him. If I've truly destroyed his life, the least I can do it try to make it worth it while I have time.

"What—why are you sorry? For kicking MinHo? Don't be—he probably deserved it." JiSung attempts to lighten the mood, but it doesn't do much. My mind is still filled with the horrifying movie.

"I did not. I was sleeping peacefully and I got kicked in the thigh." MinHo pouts as he tugs at his blanket.

"What happened? Why are you crying?" JiSung asks as he pushes me back just enough to see my face.

"I—I ruined everything. You—you were on the ground bleeding. Everyone—they hated you—they hated me." I stumble over my words as I try to explain the hell I went through while in tears.

"It was just a dream. Look at me—I'm fine. No blood. I'm right here with you." JiSung cups my face and presses his forehead to mine.

JiSung and I turn to MinHo as his phone goes off. MinHo glances down at it before sighing and hitting answer.

"Yes? Can I help you?" MinHo gets to his feet and begins pacing the room.

"Ignore him—look at me—calm down and tell me what happened." JiSung takes my hands in his and squeezes them tightly before reaching up to dry my eyes with his sleeve.

I take a shaky breath as he pulls me in for another hug. I close my eyes and listen to his beating heart. My hand rests on his chest—feeling every small breath he takes. He's here. He's alright.

"Welp, we've got visitors coming. They're bringing us clothes." MinHo stuffs his phone in his pocket and kneels down to start picking up his pillow and blanket.

"Can you go meet them outside and give us a second?" JiSung asks shyly as he tangles his fingers in my hair.

"You've got like three minutes." MinHo warns before heading toward the door.

"Tell me everything." JiSung scoots back and watches me intently—prepared to talk sense into me once I'm done.

"I—I was all alone. It was dark and someone was chasing me. There was nowhere else to go—I got trapped." I swallow hard as I try to keep my emotions in control.

"The dark can't hurt you." JiSung places his hand on my knee and squeezes before nodding for me to continue.

"It was me—but it wasn't. My eyes were pitch black and I had claws instead of hands. I looked sickly. Do I really look like that? Do I look like a monster?" I ask hesitantly—do I really want to know the answer?

"Of course not! You look amazing. Every inch of you is perfect." JiSung frowns as he shakes his head in disappointment.

"You were on the ground covered in blood. You weren't moving much and your breathing was really shallow. It was all my fault. People found out about us and—and they turned against you. Then—then the monster took you." I lower my head as my hands tremble uncontrollably. I can feel my chest tighten at the thought of losing him.

For so long, I had never imagined I'd have him, but now that I have him, I'm afraid of losing him. I can't imagine how life would be without him.

"About us? I told not to think of it like that. If it's better we're just friends, that's fine. We don't have to be 'us.' I'm willing to wait until you're ready. Don't let your nightmares get to you." JiSung closes the gap between us and hugs me before getting to his feet.

"They'll never go away. The nightmares are always there." I whisper softly as he reaches his hand out for mine.

"You need to go wash your face to wake yourself up. I'll go wait with MinHo. If you need anything you know where I am." JiSung smiles as he smooths my hair down.

I reach up to grab his hand. I guide it to my cheek for a moment before letting him go. His touch—it's like a drug. His warm skin is something I still can't believe I love. I will never understand why his touch is so comforting compared to others.

I watch him slip out of the house, my chest tightening a bit at the thought of something happening to him out there. He's only safe when he's here next to me. No one can judge him if they can't see him. If they don't know where he is or what he's doing, they can't attack him. I lower my head and drag myself toward the bathroom.