For a moment, I stopped breathing.
The moment that I saw the old woman standing behind the TV, I momentarily froze before eventually snapping out of it and taking a step back.
How in the world…!?
‘I swear I heard her go up the stairs!’
I was quite certain about what I’d heard. How was this possible?
It made absolutely no sense to me, but at the same time, I knew that this wasn’t the time for me to dwell on the situation as I felt the old woman’s empty gaze fall on me as she held onto a small candle lamp that flickered across the room.
I slowly pulled the glasses away from my face.
“…So it’s the same young man from before.”
The old woman’s voice was brittle, nearly a whisper, but it was that very fragility that sent a chill crawling up the back of my neck.
Creepy.
It was so damn creepy!
“What do we have here?”
Her gaze eventually lowered towards the photo in my hand.
“Oh… dear.”
The old woman’s empty gaze flickered as she focused her attention on the photo.
“That is a photo that I took with my first husband way back then. He was just about to depart for a long work trip.”
For whatever reason, the old woman appeared talkative. I didn’t stop her and just listened to her words.
First husband?
So she remarried?
Her face grew a little sullen as her head lowered a little.
“…It’s really too bad that he never came back after that trip.”
A brief silence followed her words.
A deep and chilling silence that was shattered by the nursery rhyme that continued to play in the background.
“Drift with clouds, soft and slow ~”
“Where the sleepy flowers grow~”
Click!
The old woman pressed the power button, and the TV shut down.
The room grew a little dimmer as a result.
“But tell me, young man…”
Finally speaking once more, the old woman cocked her head to the side, her empty eyes seemingly growing darker within the dark ambiance. I wasn’t sure whether it was because of the environment or because I was tired, but it almost felt as though her eyes were growing entirely back, and that was when I understood that I had to leave.
I hastily looked around, settling my gaze on the distant door.
As I did, the old woman’s voice echoed once more.
“Why have you come here so late at night? I told you… that I didn’t want anything to do with the situation.”
I was just about to respond when…
Flick!
The lamp in her hand flickered, and darkness took over the room.
Thump! Thump!
“…..!”
It was a darkness that was followed by the sound of muffled steps coming from the direction of the TV, and that was when I understood that the old woman was coming.
I immediately turned around and bolted for the door, sprinting as far as I could.
“Where are you going!? Now that you’re here, you might as well stay!”
No, fuck that!
I kicked the garbage in front of me and rushed with all my might, not caring about what I was stepping on. Although logically, it could be argued that I could beat up the old woman, for some reason, I felt that it was going to be a terrible idea.
That was why I directly headed for the door.
But—
Click!
‘Shit, shit…!’
Of course, it was locked.
Even though I had somehow managed to pick the door, it was locked. There really was something off about this place!
Thump! Thump!
Hearing the sound of the old lady approaching, I thought about picking the lock again, but I realized I wouldn’t have enough time. In quick succession, I looked at the nearby window and rejoiced when I saw that it was open.
‘Yes!’
I didn’t think twice and rushed in that direction, but…
BANG!
The moment I moved, the window slammed shut, and I froze where I stood. The old lady was there again, not far from me, her features obscured by the thick veil of darkness that cloaked the room.
“…L-like I said. You can’t leave.”
She almost growled those words as I started to shiver.
But most importantly, I realized something.
‘She’s no regular person…’
I had already gotten an idea the moment that she appeared out of nowhere, despite me hearing her going up the stairs.
But this went ahead and confirmed all of my suspicions.
This woman, without a doubt, had powers!
‘Fuck!’
I really wanted to curse myself for my luck, but at the same time, I knew that I couldn’t waste time as I tried to move back towards the door, hoping to waste some time while opening it.
It was just unfortunate that the old lady appeared to see right through my intention as she smiled creepily, the edges of her lips curling into a smile so twisted that it made my breath pause.
Flick!
The lamp turned off again, and I could feel her rushing in my direction.
I acted quickly.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I raised my hand, and a tall shadow emerged before me, gliding toward the old woman as I moved past them.
BANG!
I heard a loud crashing sound and saw the Dreamwalker tumbling back with the old woman as she let out a surprised yelp.
I thought about going for the door again, but it was too far from me now, and the old woman was standing not far from it.
‘Fuck, where do I go now?’
Putting on my glasses, I quickly located the stairs and rushed up.
There were always the windows upstairs.
I didn’t know how long the Dreamwalker could hold her up, but I could only hope it was enough for me to escape as I reached the second floor.
“Wha… where do I go?”
Several doors met my sight the moment I reached the floor, but it didn’t really matter. My goal was to break one of the windows and leave.
That was why I reached for the nearest door and tried to pull it open, but…
Click!
It was also locked!
Not just that door. All of the doors were locked.
‘…She really isn’t making this easy for me.’
Thump! Thump!
My heart jolted as I heard the sound of footsteps coming from downstairs. I could tell that she was coming for me.
Thankfully, the Dreamwalker was still alive, as I didn’t feel anything on my wrist.
But given how the old woman was approaching, it failed to stop her.
This made me even more apprehensive.
For her to stop the Dreamwalker… Just how strong was she?
I extended my hand, activated my skill, and pressed a finger to the door key, waiting in tense silence as a black viscous liquid fell into the keyhole.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
In the meantime, the footsteps grew closer, and my heart caught in my throat.
‘Come on, come on, come one…!’
Biting my lips, the steps finally became loud enough for me to fully hear, and I understood that the old lady had finally arrived on the second floor.
‘There!’
It was also in that moment that the makeshift key solidified, and I twisted the door open.
Click!
I didn’t hesitate to enter before smashing it closed.
At the same time that I did, the last thing I saw was a pair of hollow eyes staring right at me.
Clank!