Haru stood beneath the steady stream of hot water, trying to let it wash away the heaviness clinging to him. The incident at Maria's place—Kenji, the Ouija board, the candles—kept replaying in his mind like a broken record. The flickering flames, the chilling answers, and most of all, the words that escaped his lips against his will.
"I want to see you."
He didn't even know why he said it. It wasn't what he meant to say. The phrase felt as though it had been forced out of him, spoken by something that wasn't him.
Steam curled in the bathroom, fogging up the mirror. Haru sighed, letting his head rest against the cold tiled wall. He had always hated silence, but tonight, even the water hitting the tub felt muffled, like the world was holding its breath.
Suddenly, the lights in the bathroom flickered—once, twice—and then went out with a soft click.
"Great," he muttered, blinking into the darkness.
He reached for the glass door to slide it open, but just then—
A cold, clammy sensation crawled up his spine, like a finger made of ice trailing slowly from the base of his back to his neck.
He froze.
His breath caught in his throat.
No. No, no, no—
With a shout, Haru stumbled out of the shower, slipping slightly on the wet floor. He threw a towel around himself and fumbled for the door, flinging it open. Light flooded into the hallway from the living room.
His chest rose and fell rapidly as he turned around.
The bathroom was still dark.
Only the bathroom.
The lights in the rest of his apartment worked just fine.
Shaken, Haru walked slowly to the kitchen, glancing over his shoulder every few seconds. He grabbed his phone, opened the flashlight app, and went back to inspect the bathroom.
Nothing. Just steam.
"Maybe it's just a short circuit… I'll call an electrician tomorrow," he mumbled, trying to convince himself.
But even as he dried off and changed into his night clothes, his skin still tingled with the sensation of that touch.
---
It was past midnight when Haru finally crawled into bed. He stared at the ceiling, blanketed in shadows. The city lights outside barely seeped through his curtains.
He closed his eyes.
And the world disappeared.
---
He was lying on his back, but it didn't feel like his bed. The sheets beneath him were too rough. There was no ceiling above—only endless red, like a sky painted in dried blood.
He blinked.
Couldn't move.
Sleep paralysis, he thought. Maybe.
But this place… this wasn't his room. This wasn't even his dream.
The air was heavy, thick with something unnameable. It smelled like rust and rotting wood.
Fear wrapped its fingers around his throat.
Then—
A squelching sound.
He turned his eyes downward and saw it.
A slick, wet, elongated creature crawling towards him. Its form was hard to define—part human, part nightmare. Its fingers, webbed and long, reached out and latched onto his ankles.
Cold. Wet. Strong.
And then—it began to drag him.
"No—!" Haru screamed, voice muffled by the weight of terror.
He clawed at the ground, but there was nothing to grip. Just more of that red, dusty terrain, stretching into nothingness. Ahead of him loomed a cliff, jagged and crumbling at the edge of reality.
He kicked, thrashed, sobbed.
"LET GO!" he cried, voice cracking.
But the creature hissed, its lips peeling back to reveal rows of sharp, broken teeth.
Then—
In a gust of wind, it turned to ash.
Right in front of him.
Gone.
The weight on his legs vanished. Haru scrambled backward, chest heaving.
He looked around.
Still in that red, endless place. Still not awake.
He sat there, shaking, until he screamed again—
"Why can't I wake up?! I hate this place!"
Silence.
Then—
A low chuckle, soft but sinister.
"Are you sure?"
Haru whipped his head around.
Someone—something—stood several feet away.
It had a tall, lean frame, but its presence took up the whole space. Shadows coiled around its body like smoke. Eyes—red, glowing, inhuman—pierced through the gloom. Two sharp horns curved out from its head, and its smile was neither kind nor cruel. It was simply… knowing.
Haru's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
He tried to back away, but his limbs felt like stone.
The thing stepped closer, the ground beneath it turning black as soot. Haru's breathing grew shallow.
The creature crouched in front of him, eyes never leaving his.
Then, in a voice smooth as silk and laced with wickedness, it whispered:
"Run."
Haru blinked.
"W-what?"
The smile grew wider. Teeth sharp like obsidian.
"Run," the voice repeated. "If I catch you... I'll fuck you."