"J-Jile. I-I…you said you were ok," Klaus whispered, his voice trembling as he closed the book. This time, he placed the book down firmly and took a deep breath. He glanced at the fire crackling left of the table under the chimney.
"They always had this burning…" he thought as he stared at the fire. Shaking his head, Klaus forced his gaze away from the fire and turned toward the two doors.
He pushed the left door open, and nostalgia struck him.
The bedroom was just as he remembered: a dirty white bed with tiny bloodstains; a lonely lamp on the floor, its bulb flickering irregularly; and the muffled sound of wind gliding against the walls. The floor creaked beneath his steps, and his eyes caught the tiny holes scattered there–holes that hadn't been there before.
A faint murmur broke the silence. It came from the bed. Inching closer, Klaus began to see a black orb hovering above the bed, its several cracks revealing hot red within.
"Th-this voice," Klaus thought as he stared at the orb, its energy drawing him in. He couldn't look away. It felt like home.
Every nerve in his body screamed, "Don't touch it," but the whisper lured him in like a predator to prey.
The moment he touched the surface, a violent energy tore through his body. He collapsed and gripped his head as the whispers erupted into shouts, overrunning his mind. His body's late response proved detrimental, as his muscles tore apart, and his eyes bulged.
"Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop," he stammered, his voice failing against the weight of the energy ripping him. He writhed on the floor, unable to think, unable to breathe, the orb searing its image deep within him.
Then–light.
Not from the orb, but warm and sharp, it was piercing through the chaos. The whispers dissipated.
Klaus gasped, his body limp and trembling. Warmth seeped into him as his eyes fluttered open. At first, he thought it was sunlight, but the light wasn't quite right—it was uneven. As his vision cleared, he realized it wasn't the sun but a reflection of the bright wood above him.
"W-what the fuck…am I in the cabin?! Is this real or some trick?"
Creak…
Hearing this noise, Klaus sat up and saw a familiar figure carrying a food tray. Or at least what they could get.
"Honey? What's wrong? You're pale."
Staying silent, Klaus touched the wet blanket covering him.
"Feeling sick? I-"
"No, I…just need a second."
The figure turned its head before sighing.
"The tale stays true huh?"
They laughed.
"Tale?" Klaus thought as he looked at the figure.
"That's not important right now…"
Noticing Klaus spaced out, the figure stepped closer and gently placed the tray on the bed. They sat down on the edge of the bed and patted Klaus's head.
"Jile." they whispered. "You know you can tell me, right? Whatever's bothering you. I'm your mother."
Klaus's stomach dropped as he heard that last line. He was hoping he was wrong.
"What day is it?" He muttered, staring down at the tray of gray food.
"U-um let me see…" The mother hurriedly grabbed a notebook next to the lamp and opened it. She flipped through it and stopped on a page.
"May 1."
"Year?"
"1982."
Klaus let out a deep sigh and looked at the mother in her eyes, bruises all over her body. Her striking yellow eyes were not to be mistaken with anyone else. She was Jile's mother.
Sharp thorns from plants poked out the sides of her rough, white pants and fresh cuts all over her arms. Her brown hair rested on her shoulders despite being disheveled with dirt and blood.
"Just how I remember her--what the hell is going on?!" Klaus thought as he analyzed the mother.
"Hey! What's happening to you? So odd!" She teased.
"Such a strange question. You've been here for a while now."
Klaus remained mute, bearing no response to her. In response, the mother pursed her lips and gently rubbed his leg, waiting.
Finally conceding, she stood up and said, "Promise to tell me later, ok?"
She waited at the door for a few seconds before biting her lip and saying:
"I love you Jile."
Shut!
As soon as the door shut, everything in the room lost gravity. Out the window, the seasons passed like flashes, snowflakes and rain falling in reverse, the sun racing the moon, and the trees becoming prey. Were they ever bright to begin with?
Suddenly, a light invaded his eyes and blinded him, causing him to cover his face.
Ring…!
A ringing sound dissipated as he opened his eyes and–
Crash!
The light slowly faded from his vision like it was pulling away from him, giving birth to the scene before him–a fire. He was sitting on a chair and covering his head, but a fire wasn't in front of him; no, a table was.
"This...can't be real. I have to be-"
"AHH!"
A loud shout interrupted his thoughts. His heart pounded as he focused on listening to the sounds.
"If I go out, I'm dying. If I go out, I'm dead. If I go out…"
The voice repeated the exact phrase, getting louder with each one.
Klaus raised his arm and looked up at the window, seeing it pitch-black and moonless. He could only discern a faint tree swaying and the stars in the sky; wait, no. As he peered closer, there was something else. Far behind the tree, crouched behind a log, was a faint, red glow.
"Firefly?"
Klaus was proved correct as the bug flew away but revealed much worse. Behind the log was the outline of a figure, its red eyes, stari--
"AHHH!" the voice shouted again.
Klaus jolted and lost balance, pelting onto the floor with the chair.
Bang!
"Huh?"
Regardless of the door opening, Klaus's head flew up and glanced at the window; it was there, watching. He immediately shot his head down.
Step, step, step!
"Jile...why are you shaking? Did you have a nightmare?"
Klaus desperately tried to pretend he was asleep.
"Why am I so afraid? I just have to go to sleep. Sleep. Slee-"
"I know you're awake," the voice said, closer now, almost in his ear.
Klaus shuddered as he began to whimper. A tear trickled down his face as he instinctively clutched his head.
"You know what happens when you stay up." A sharp, shing sound flew from the voice's pocket.
"This is your punishment, Jile."
Klaus yelped as the voice pierced his leg with a knife, the pain almost convincing him this was real. They twisted the knife in his skin before ripping it out and aiming at his foot.
He glanced at the mother and begged, "N-no-please-AH!"
Gush! Gush! Gush!
Klaus's entire leg ached, blood pooling around his body. He blinked aggressively, hoping it was all a dream.
"Hahaha! Haha...!" She laughed as she gave him a short moment of respite. She glanced up at the window before raising the knife. Klaus followed her gaze and saw the red eyes glued to the window, their breath fogging up it up.
"That's none of your business." The mother slapped Klaus's face.
"The other one now. Come on, move. Good boy."
"N-no!!!"
Suddenly, the light again invaded him and flushed out everything in the room. After a few moments, Klaus felt a chilling cold bite his skin.
He opened his eyes and saw the fire. The light faded once again, and the sound of buzzing became apparent. Strong winds blew against the window, carrying heaps of snow.
"Cold...buzzing...am I experiencing what Jile did? And the past experiences were in the cabin, too."
Klaus's hands went to the dwindling fire.
"I feel so scared. Is this how you felt, Jile? This hopelessness. I can barely move. It's too cold.
He tried to move, but the cold restricted him; all he could do was use his fingers. He noticed an open journal on his lap with a pen between the final page, dated December 25, 1983.
"Ah," Klaus groaned as the fire blew out. He fell over and closed his eyes.
"It's over, huh? Sorry, Jile. Well, that light or whatever should come save me, no? I wonder what it is..."
Indeed. The light cleared the room, but this time, a loud giggle emanated from it. Klaus recognized it as the giggle from when Luna had healed Grandnew.
"No way..." he muttered to himself.
Suddenly, he found himself back in the room from the cabin, reaching for the orb that was no longer there.