World of the Dead (24)
World of the Dead (24)
The room was stacked with neatly lined shelves which carried different supplies for the teachers. There were chalks, markers, pens, notebooks etc., all kept in categorized boxes.
"Markers…"
She glanced through the boxes, looking for the black markers but could not find any in the box in front of her. The light above her flickered and she was so engrossed in searching for markers that she did not notice that the door behind her was slowly closing. Her eyes went to the top shelf where there was another box labeled 'markers'. The box was out of her reach so she stood on tiptoes. But she still could not reach it.
"Ugh!" she exclaimed. "I hate being so short!"
Gayoon looked around and spotted a stool. She placed it near the shelf and stood on it, finally being able to get the marker box.
"Got one!" she declared and was about to get off the stool when the light went off. Startled, Gayoon scanned the room but it was pitch dark in there. She did not bring her phone either and there was not an iota of light inside the dingy room.
Her heart was racing and she slowly climbed down the stool, trying to make her way towards the door. She held out her hands to hold on to the shelves so that she could guide her way towards the door.
"Can anyone hear me?" she yelled. "The lights went out! Please open the door!"
Her palms touched the rough wooden shelves, trying to find the way. Her leg suddenly caught on something and she tripped.
"AHH!" she screamed as she crashed on the ground. Gayoon staggered to stand up but her knee was bruised and it was paining.
"Ugh!" she groaned as she clutched her knee. She felt warm liquid oozing out of it; it was bleeding. Gayoon tried to find a cloth in the darkness which would stop the bleeding but to no avail. She tried to stand up again but the pain in her knee was worsening with every movement.
"Help!" she shouted. It was a little odd that no one was coming to her rescue. There were classrooms in that corridor so she was sure that someone must have heard her.
"Help, I'm stuck in here!" she yelled but no one was coming to answer her pleas. She was now starting to panic. Fear began to form in her heart as she tried to crawl towards the door but there was nothing but it was like her eyes were veiled by a black cloth. It was nearly impossible to see anything and she was not even sure if she was heading for the door.
Using her hands to lead the way, she was crawling on the floor. She touched the floor, trying to figure out which direction she was going towards when suddenly, her right palm landed on what felt like a shoe. There was someone inside the room with her!
"Who's there?" she asked in a shrill voice. "Who are you? When did you come in here?"
The person did not speak and Gayoon was gripped by a paranoia. She went very still, trying to assess her situation. The person moved as if stooping down.
A cold hand touched her face, making her squirm in disgust. She tried to flinch away but the hand held her cheek tightly, making her face him.
"Gayoonie…" Seungjo whispered in her ears. She felt disgusted as his breath touched her skin, making her feel nauseous.
"You still have time, Gayoonie," he warned. "Come to me and no one else will be hurt."
Gayoon's face was contorting in disgust and she felt sick to her stomach. Her hunch was right. Seungjo was behind Yoo's imprisonment and also caused the accidents of his friends. The ghost was harming everyone around her in order to get to her.
"Kill yourself, Gayoonie," he begged in a low tone. "Come to me. We can be together in death. For eternity."
"I'd rather spend a million years in hell than with you," she spat. His whole existence was a blasphemy. Even when he was alive he was unbearable and in death, he was worse than a demon. She never thought that someone could be so crass and vindictive.
"You're testing my patience!" he growled. "I know you love me! I know that you're only mine! We're meant to be together! This is why you can see me even after my death! We're soulmates, Gayoonie!"
"You're nothing but a disgusting pig!" she shouted and flinched away from him. She used her strength to run forward and luckily, landed in front of the door. She banged on it, crying loudly.
"Help!" She shouted. "Let me out of here!"
Seungjo grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground. Gayoon crashed into a shelf but thankfully, it did not fall on her. Spitting out blood from her mouth, she was panting heavily. Seungjo's cold hands, grabbed her neck and before she knew it, she was pushed against the wall He was throttling her, making her wheeze.
Gayoon struggled, trying to gnaw at his dead hands but it was of no use. He was a ghost who did not feel pain from her feeble scratches. On the contrary, he was laughing at her useless attempts.
"You can't win against me, Gayoonie," he cackled. "Don't you know that I'm a ghost? I can't get hurt! I'm invincible now!"
"You're a weakling and an asshole!" she cursed. In her panic, she had forgotten that she had one thing which he was weak against. She had some salt in her pocket!
"I'm yours and you are mine," he claimed. "We're meant to be together! All you have to do is die, Gayoonie! Why don't you get it? We are destined-"
Suddenly, Gayoon threw a handful of salt at him. Seungjo screamed in agony as the salt burned through his pale skin, causing him to let go of Gayoon and fall on the ground. He was writhing, holding his face as he rolled on the floor. Seizing her chance, Gayoon managed to find the door and sprinted out of it.
The ghost's screams were echoing through the corridor, unheard by everyone else but her. She did not stop to check if he was still following her but ran on and on until she reached the library.
"Gayoon!" the librarian exclaimed as she barged in. "What happened?"
But Gayoon could not speak. She did not want to recount her encounter with the demon and had no intention to do so.
All she wanted was to get rid of him for once and for all.