Loving a Faceless Monster

Chapter 1: Dream 

I am waddling through the bitter darkness. My mind warns me to stop and turn away but my consciousness keeps on moving through this inescapable haze.

The sudden coldness in the air brings stinging chills to my spine. And with panic in my eyes, I skim the details of this dreadful house through the gloom that shrouds my sights.

It was the same high windows overlooking the perilous sea. The twin narrow stair leading to the ghastly hall below it. And the dusty abandoned fireplace between the elevated steps.

It was all too familiar. All too clear. The frightening memories begin to rush into my mind and crawl under my skin.

"No, not this again."

I beg while shrugging my head to protest.

I promise never to go back. Never wish to set foot in this horrible place again. But, here I am, dressed in my string nightgown, I reach the end of the dull hallway.

As I hover on top of the wooden steps in front of me, I gasp for air and hold my chest-thumping twice from its normal tic. Hesitant to set my soles upon it, I veer away to flee from the looming terror that awaits me.

Yet the pitch-black void of nothingness seems to devour all the hope I have to escape. When the once dark path I stumble upon begin to vanish like dust in the air. 

Now, I have no choice.

No place to turn to. 

With a deep breath, I sprint down on the narrow wooden boards. My anxiety builds up as each step brings me closer to the wretched hall I curse to see once more.

When I reach the end, it welcomes me with an array of antiques my father collected. The clear glass partitions that encase them boast their uniqueness and elegance.

Then, I pass by a pair of iron knights standing tall and holding their swords upright. Their helms appear to have glowing eyes, following my every flight. 

Suddenly, they march out of their place with the clanking sound of metals echoing through the arch ceiling. When they turn0 their helm towards me, I know they are ought to capture and drag me to him.

So I run away mindlessly through the blackness...

As I turn righ, I pass by paintings of a blurry place. I know it's somewhere I have been before, a familiar estate. Yet I can't seem to recall the details of its setting as the terrifying memories wrap themself within my essence.

When I reach the door, I hear a man calling my name in anger.

"Harriette!"

I step back, I know what will happen next. My skin shivers from my neck to my feet. The hair in every corner of my body tinge with fear. I don't want to go in there. I don't want to see it. The inanimate objects in the corridor seem to disappear in the emptiness that will soon consume me.

Inch by inch I see the door draw closer to where I stand like it has its own feet running towards to drag me inside.

I stand stiff in horror...

The door opens...

The vision appears...

…....

…....

…....

She blinked and recognized the light blue paint of the ceiling in her bedroom. While she laid stiff like a wooden plank under the pink blanket. 

Her body trembled, as her jaws clenched. Teeth-gritting inside her closed lips while she struggled to fight the invincible shadow confining her body.

As her heart whipped faster, her breath became shallow. The terror of dying alone drowned her mind while her body fought to keep her soul from fading fast.

Is this what it feels like to die?

Breathless.

Rigid.

She inhaled steep short whiffs to relax her body. Desperately, trying to move her fingers one by one to make a fist. When she was able to close her hand, she quickly sat up and gasped.

Tears trickled down her cheeks, as she recalled the frightening sights that haunted her dreams. After years of therapy, she thought, she escaped the dreadful memories, but it came back like a parasite gnawing itself in her mind.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The loud beeping sound of the alarm clock startled her. She wiped her cheeks and reached the button on top of the white rectangular digital clock resting at her bedside drawer.

The morning light seeping through the curtain brightened the room. But the deafening sound of silence reflected the gloom that never escaped her.

"I'm just stressed from work."

She said, convincing herself to forget the nightmare. It's seven o'clock in the morning and she have an early appointment with a client. 

When she stood up from the bed and began to perform her daily routines, she slowly forget the uneasy feeling from the frightening dream. She fixed her bed and stepped towards the shower room. Under the flowing water passing through every curve of her bareness, she began to feel soothed by the coldness of the water cleansing her body.

With a white soft towel wrapped around her body, she hovered at the open wardrobe to scan the clothes hung neatly by their shade. She chose a pastel blue long sleeve shirt tucked in by navy blue-colored fitted slacks. Then, covers her top with a knee-long knitted grey robe and matched her outfit with white loafers.

The slight makeup on her cheeks lends a humble blush on her face and the rose peach lipstick on her thin rims provides a natural yet luscious effect on her lips. Her brows are naturally thick in a perfect arch above her brown eyes and her lashes were long making them curl innately above the lids of her sights.

Before leaving her apartment, she took her notebook out of her bedside drawers and set it inside her black shoulder bag. She grabbed the car keys hanging behind the door and sprinted towards the vehicle parked in front of the house. 

She didn't bother making breakfast. As someone who lives alone, it felt tiresome making them for herself. She could always buy something on the way to work and have breakfast in between meetings.

Before she got inside her blue old model car she finally paid full last month she noticed a woman with a kid in her hand walking towards her direction.

"Soojin"