World of the Dead (34)
World of the Dead (34)
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Gayoon took a deep breath as she stood in front of the school. She had snuck out of her house while her grandmother slept. The police had not found any trace of Minjung but Gayoon knew that they were treating her as a runaway teen. They were not interested in finding her at all.
But she had an inkling that the school had something to do with Minjung's disappearance. The cab she was in had passed this area and if Gayoon's instincts were correct, Minjung must have used the secret passageway.
She climbed into the tunnel and made her way towards the building, stealthily avoiding the guards who were on the grounds above. For some reason, the security had been tightened because Gayoon had noticed quite a few guards were roaming around. They had no idea about the tunnel connecting the school and hence, it was easy for her to maneuver the place without much worry. Turning on the torch in her hand, she kept an eye out for ghosts.
For some reason, there were no ghosts in sight which struck her as odd. What's going on? She wondered. It was strange not to see any of the ghosts popping up in front of her. Even Sooyeon was not there. Gayoon clutched the torch above her head as she walked on.
Suddenly, she noticed something sparkling on the ground. Bending over to pick it up, she immediately recognized the thing. It was a similarly patterned button which Minjung wore!
"She came here," Gayoon realized. Quickly running forward, she made her way towards the end of the tunnel. Climbing up the shaft, she sneaked her way towards the desolate building, avoiding the guards who were on the lookout.
Gayoon stepped on the fifth floor and almost immediately hid behind a wall. One of the guards was guarding classroom 12A with a stern expression on his face. He was not going to move easily and Gayoon cursed her luck. How was she going to find Minjung amidst such security?
If the button was in the tunnel, that meant Minjung was somewhere in the school. Seungjo must have trapped her to lure in Gayoon. It was a trap but only Seungjo knew where Minjung was and without Junho in town, Gayoon would have to somehow figure out how to confront the ghost.
She was thinking hard, trying to figure out how to distract the guard when suddenly, there was a loud crash on the floor below. The guard, startled by the noise, took out a taser and headed downstairs. Seizing her opportunity, Gayoon ran into the classroom and used her hairpin to unlock the door. It took her a few tries and she was afraid that the guard would return but there was a click in the doorknob. She opened the door and entered the room.
As soon as she entered the room, the door shut behind her and a cold air gushed into the room, throwing her backwards.
"AHH!" she screamed as her back hit the wall. Gayoon fell on the ground, the bone in her hand cracking when she landed on it.
"OW!" she yelled, writhing in pain. She looked around but there was no ghost in sight.
"What the-" she began to murmur but she was thrown sideways like a ragdoll. What was going on? Why could she not see the ghost?
"Hu hu hu…"
Seungjo's cold laughter echoed the empty classroom. He was somewhere nearby, watching her. He was toying with her and seeing her at his mercy was his greatest joy. Gayoon tried to stand up but he pushed her backwards again. This time, she stumbled on her foot, breaking another bone.
Her limbs were in agony but she tried not to scream anymore. He wanted her to beg but she was there to know what he did with Minjung. She must find her!
"Where is Minjung?" she demanded, wincing at the pain in her hand and foot. "What did you do with her?"
"Me?" Seungjo's voice reached her ears. "I didn't do anything. I merely gave her a push. She was the one who wanted it."
"Where is she?" Gayoon gritted.
"She's where she should be," Seungjo's gleeful voice said.
Fear began to rise within Gayoon. She was not afraid of the ghost but of what he may have done to Minjung. The girl was already at a fragile state and one more trauma would destroy her. Seungjo was feeding on her trauma and Minjung had no idea. If she ever found out that the person who wronged her was tormenting her from the grave, she would be-
"Suicidal?" Seungjo wheezed, guessing her thoughts. He then let out a loud laughter, cackling in happiness. Gayoon was now panicking, her breath coming in shorts as she dreaded what he was going to do next.
"What did you do with her?" she screamed but then felt an invisible hand grab her throat. She choked as it pulled her in the air, strangling her. A fog began to appear around her, feeding on her fear as she held on to life, trying not to become unconscious. Seungjo had gotten more powerful than she could have ever imagined, scaring her very soul.
His pale face came into view, coldly staring at her.
"She's gone," he whispered. "And unlike me, she'll never come back. Never."
He snapped his fingers and Gayoon fell on the ground. Using all her energy, she backed off, trying to get away from the monster who was hovering above her. She was now fearful of her life and the pride she held on to was slipping away. Minjung was gone. Was she dead or alive, Gayoon did not know.
Gayoon now hated her abilities more than ever. She hated to see ghosts. She hated their very existence. And most of all, she hated seeing the monster who was making her life a living hell.
Curling into a corner, she began to sob. This was not supposed to happen. She wanted to live a normal life. Why was she chosen to face such malevolent spirits? Why?
"Let me live," she begged. "Just let me go. Let Minjung go. Leave us alone!"
Someone help, she prayed. The cold hands were reaching out towards her and she squirmed in disgust, feeling completely helpless. He was going to kill her. Was this the end?
…
"Sir, this is our recreational area," the school's supervisor was telling Minho. The latter was inspecting the school as per schedule and they were on building number two where the gymnasium was located on the fifth floor.
"And that, sir," the supervisor said, pointing at the building opposite to the gym. "That building has the classrooms."
"How long will it take for the school to be completely transferred?" Minho asked.
"Probably two or three years more," the supervisor sighed. "The administration does not want to move until the current ninth graders are done with their national exams."
"Well, the planning for the mall would take a while as well," Minho frowned. "I guess we can negotiate on this."
"Sir, then-"
The supervisor's phone rang up and he excused himself. Minho nodded as the supervisor went off to answer the call. He was staring out of the gym's window when he noticed something odd at the opposite building.
A light was flickering on and off at the classroom building. But that was not the only strange part.
The light was falling on a silhouette of a girl who seemed to be staring at him. He was not sure if it was a real person but the shadow seemed to be facing his way, looking at him. The light kept on flickering, making Minho curious. There was someone on the other building!
He did not wait for the supervisor but went on to investigate himself. The two buildings were connected by a bridge. He crossed it to get to the other side and stepped on to the fifth floor. The light was flickering at the hallway but to his surprise, there was no one in sight.
"Faulty line," he muttered. He was about to turn around when he thought he heard someone crying. It sounded like a girl's voice.
"Is anyone there?" he asked out loud but there was no response. But he was sure that there was a faint sound of someone crying. Following the noise, he stopped in front of a classroom. It was 12A.
Minho pressed his ears against the door. Someone was in there and was crying! He was now completely sure.
"Must be a student," he realized. Was she trapped inside? He turned the knob. It was locked. The student must have gotten trapped inside!
He looked around for someone but there were no guards and the stupid supervisor was too busy attending a call.
"I'm gonna get you out of there," he said through the door. Whether the person heard him or not, he did not know but he took a few steps back before charging at the door with all his strength.
It broke open and he was met with a strange fog. Seungjo, who was almost about to strangle Gayoon, was startled and disappeared in thin air.
Minho fanned the fog away and noticed a small figure lying on the floor. The girl's face was covered by her hair and she was losing consciousness.
"Hey!" he said, softly slapping her cheek to wake her up. "Are you alright?"
But the girl's skin was feverish and she had passed out. He checked her pulse and it was dangerously weak.
"Help me…" she mumbled in a daze. She could only make out a tall figure in front of her. She did not know who he was but she clutched his hand. The person's touch was warm and soothing.
"Help me…" she murmured.
The last thing she remembered was a pair of strong hands picking her up and a gentle voice trying to calm her down.
"You'll be okay," he had whispered to her. "Think of the people you love and live."
That's right. She had to live. She must live.
As he carried her away, Gayoon's dazed eyes fell on a pale figure with curly hair which was waving at her.
"Sorry and goodbye, Gayoon."
With that, Gayoon went completely still, falling into a dark abyss.