The air was stifling. An uncanny quiet muffled the place, but for the ominous caws of crows that skulked overhead. The world was awash in shadows, a shadowy aura so oppressive that it seemed to crush the very essence of hope. The atmosphere was heavy, a chilling sensation crawling over the skin, and faint whispers of an unseen force lingered in the distance.
"Ahhhhh...H-help, someone help-ahhh"
Then the screams came: raw, guttural wails of pain that echoed through the nothingness. They cut through the silence, and shivers ran down his spine. Jihoon spun around in a daze, his breaths shaking and shallow, but there was nothing – only swirling black smoke that slithered over the ground like a living thing. The screams faded away to a low, guttural growl, rumbling through the earth like thunder.
The earth shook beneath him, his knees buckling at the vibrations. Something dangerous, something monstrous, was close. Jihoon's breaths were speeding up as he blindly stumbled backward, his wide eyes casting through endless voids. His heart flapped and bashed in his chest like a caged bird, and cold sweat trickled down along his spine.
He tried to run, his feet pounding against the uneven, shadow-covered ground. But just as he picked up speed, something yanked him down with a jarring tug, sending him thudding onto palms scraped raw by jagged ridges. Gasping for air, he looked down to find that his ankle was ensnared by dark, smoky veins-twisted, thorny tendrils spreading from the ground itself.
The thorns drank him dry, their tips sinking into his flesh and drawing dark, luscious lines out of his skin. Jihoon clawed wildly at the ropes, but they were animate, constricting with each jerk. He tried to cry out, but his voice seemed plugged, muffled by the weight of the air. The veins continued to spread, like snakes uncoiling along his body, the thorns slicing deeper and deeper. His lungs are burning as he fought, his quaking hands holding the smoky strands now knotted around his neck.
Again a primal growl echoed, louder and closer. Jihoon froze, terror rooting him to the spot. He turned his head with painstaking slowness, laying his gaze on a swirling mass of dark smoke forming a circular pool on the ground ahead. From within it something was rising—a monstrous figure, its shape flickering between beast and shadow. Its body seemed carved from smoke, its edges constantly shifting as if it were both there and not.
Jihoon's breath caught as eyes opened. Bright green, blazing with an intensity which seemed to cut through the darkness. Not angry, necessarily, but truly radiating pure bloodlust and hate and loathing. But Jihoon thought he glimpsed some thing beneath the fire..... a fear.
"No… no, no, no," he whispered hoarsely, shaking his head in disbelief.
The beast stepped forward, its thorns gleaming wickedly. Jihoon screamed as it surged toward him, its green eyes locking onto his with a malevolence that froze his blood.
He jolted awake with a guttural cry, sitting up in his bed so quickly that his head spun. His chest heaved, beads of sweat rolling down his face and soaking his collar. His hands gripped the sheets tightly, knuckles white with tension.
"Fuck…" Jihoon gasped, his voice barely above a whisper. He ran a trembling hand through his damp hair, trying to steady his breathing. His heart was pounding so violently it felt like it might break free from his ribs.
Swinging his legs off the bed, he stumbled toward the nightstand, grabbing the glass of water with shaking hands. He downed it in one go, the cold liquid soothing his dry throat, but it did little to calm his racing mind.
"What the hell was that?" he muttered to himself, setting the glass down with a clink. His voice wavered, and his eyes darted around the dimly lit room as if expecting shadows to lunge at him.
He sat on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. The images of the dream—no, the nightmare—flooded back, vivid and horrifying. The green eyes. Those thorns. The suffocating darkness.
Jihoon shook his head violently, as if the motion could dislodge the lingering fear. "Get it together," he muttered, his voice rough with exhaustion. "It was just a dream. Just a fucking dream."
But it didn't feel like just a dream. It had been too real—the pain, the terror, the oppressive aura. Even now, the memory of the thorns digging into his flesh made his skin crawl.
He glanced at the clock. 5:00 AM. Only two hours before he had to get ready for university.
"Great," he muttered sarcastically, leaning back on the bed and staring at the ceiling. "No sleep for me tonight."
The faint light of dawn began creeping through the window, painting his room in soft grays. Jihoon shifted restlessly, turning onto his side, then his back, then his stomach, but sleep wouldn't come. His mind kept returning to the dream.
What was that thing? Why did it feel like more than a figment of his imagination?
And those eyes… those piercing, hateful green eyes. Jihoon exhaled shakily, closing his eyes again, only to see the same image burned into his mind.
He sighed deeply, staring at the ceiling with a furrowed brow. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he whispered.
But deep down, he already knew. Something wasn't right. Something was coming. And somehow, Jihoon felt as though that nightmare had been more than just a warning—it was a promise.
To be continued.....