Hyeop tried to remember what his goal right now and that is going to the train that was located inside the ruined train station.
Not long after when he finally reached his destination. The station as expected looked so ruin and old, very looked abandoned by society. He went through the opening on the left and followed the path to the metal elevator, picking up the fire extinguisher before pressing the button to take him down to the subway.
He headed outside from the elevator and continue straight and as expected, when a time like this whenever 12 is near he'll be attacked by a couple of screamers. Face was abnormally dissolved and mouth stretched wide open for them to scream. These monsters were the people who died while screaming.
Either kill them or run, he went straight past where they attacked him and see that there were a couple of wooden weapons he can pick up along the way.
There's only one way for him to go to the other side.
He went down the stairs. Soon he reached the opening of the subway and the sloping path towards the wooden bridge. He began crossing it and, to his expectation, it collapsed.
Luckily, he can pull himself up the wooden slats and until he was on the other side where he wanted to go anyway.
He headed left when he saw the lever that can control on something or whatever. He held it with his two own hands and rotated the lever, then he went through the another opening.
This subway was ended confusing as just how weird they went now after that nightmare began. Half of the subway has been broken but it still created a narrow way for people to go through and there was a wooden bridge they created so the monsters won't catch them from underneath.
Hyeop saw a rock for a weapon but more importantly, there's a pick axe to the left, which is just a bit better.
He headed to the left through a narrow passage before he went through the door.
He kept on running forward then turned around and headed in the other direction. The enemy in the weird looking subway attacked him instantly. He immediately exit this area.
He followed the tracks the people made so no one can get lost until he attacked by a screamer again, screaming while thick white saliva gushing out their mouth.
He used the pick axe and stabbed them right in their mouths that he didn't do much damage before running straight across to the another bridge with obstacle in the way.
He ran and pushed the object out of the way. After then he went through the opening on the left and ran down to another stairs again that Hyeop was so sure that lead underground. He saw a letter from one of the people, telling how terrible the monsters were and how the people went insane, making the subway into a freaking tangled maze.
Hyeop sighed sadly, he felt sorry for the people who were stranded here. He hope he won't be lost. He pushed the door open and then go through the maze. Grabbed the first aid kit inside when he see one and continued go through the next door which has a potential weapon next to it.
Hyeop peeped through the other door and can see the other side with beer bottles scattered in the dirty floor, and there was a crawling monsters around in the ceiling. Their hands and feet were mingled together until it turned into a sharp like needles. They doesn't have eyes and either mouth but only a nose. Hyeop believed that these monsters were the people who let the others die before they die too.
They have no eyes but they can hear and when they hear you they'll be jumping down to fight you.
He held the pick axe. He remembered that once one of them landed on him, that'll do damage. They are stronger than the screamers and can knock him to the ground. They were running in go back and forth between the ground and ceiling.
He slowly opened the door and did his best to avoid the bottles and also the monsters, hurriedly descend the nearby stairs and used the pick axe to get to the ladder, then he began climbing up. He ran again until he spotted another elevator and used it at the end of this run through subway. The elevator started moving forward until he made it out to the other side.
Hyeop continued to wonder around in the mist of town with no one aside from him. He can hear nothing but only his own footsteps and pants. He spat at his time again and see that it was already pass 10:30am. That struggle took so long than he expected.
He stopped when he saw the car that sat in the corner of the small parking lot, engine at rest. He ran to the car and checked it if it was fine but even though it was in perfect working order, it wouldn't be of much use anyway.
The highway was the real problem. The tunnel at the far end of the parking lot that led to the town of Gwasang Town was blocked off by the mist and if he tries to go through there, he'll be end up going back here. The forest too.
There was no way around. There was no choice but to go another way.
But Jeongsun won't let him.
Hyeop was tired of this, everything that happened tiring him to no end but he can't give up now not when his twin is missing thought he can see his figure running into the fog and when he chased him, it will lead him to another dangerous area where the eight of them can exit from that hell he created to imprison them.
"If I just knew this will turn out like this then maybe -- "
Hyeop stopped talking to himself when he heard a rustling sound. He grabbed his pick axe again and followed the source of the sound until it lead him to the stairs.
He descended a stairway at the edge of the parking lot. Hyeop was very skeptical to go after what happened.
A chilly wind caressed his face and Hyeop knew who made that wind. Jeongsun was still behind him, following him whenever he go.
"Leave me alone Yang Jeongsun!" Hyeop screamed and turned around to face nothing but a mist.
He sighed and turned around to look at the stairs. He gathered all of his courage before moving on with each downward step, the fog thickened.
By the time he reached the lake's shore, his entire field of vision was shrouded in white. Moreover, Hyeop was beginning to feel an unnatural suffocating feeling.
However, even in this oppressive atmosphere, his mind was occupied by the thoughts of that time when the needles with threads came out from his wrists. He created a hell like prison and put them there but not when Jeongsun casted a curse upon the entire town and forest near it.
They will come out once the time struck every 12 and be gone at 1. He remembered when Jeongsun swearing.
'Even you put me into the prison you created, you'll end up here with me- with us and you'll seeking me to get you. You may put us in but you will never be in peace and will stuck in vain forever! I swear to you and to the deepest, I will get you and you will never get away this time!'
Hyeop may be in vain right now; but ever since he opened his eyes, he's already in vain. Maybe he will not see his twin anymore and that'll his worst vain.
Jeongsun is a witch and werewolf even while himself is also a witch and gloat. But in this situation, he knew that they are witches. Werewolf and gloat are just addition ingredients to the main dish that the doctor created.
Somewhere far off a dog was barking like crazy with the man yelling at him like crazy too, but he ignored it. He sank into a grave mood, stomping the ground as he continued to walk.
He looked down at the water and see nothing but very discolored water. He's afraid Jeongsun or either Fin or Jihae especially Minhee might reached him through the water. The bottom of this lake is the portal of the town's nightmare like in fantasy movies. When the antagonist jump into the water and swam into the deepest of the sea until they can see the bottom of it that was actually the opening to the new world.
Hyeop continued to walk. Extending along the lake, the end of the path was surrounded by trees and dense fog. Even after just a few yards, he couldn’t see the overlook where he had started from and he couldn't see the dog and that man either. At the head of the valley, the mist also hid Gwasang Lake's magnificent scenery, but Hyeop could care less.
It's not the time to sightsee. As he walked, all he could picture was Junhyuk's betrayal and the thoughts of ten years ago.
However, he found a letter from Homin and Jinki that were also stuck in here. Ten years from now and they're probably in 29 age or maybe 30? They might be enlisted themselves right now in the military service if this town hasn't cursed.
He suddenly noticed the water underneath him moved a little and when he looked down upon it, he saw Jeongsun's reflecting in the water, looking down at him without any emotions in his eyes. Hyeop ground his teeth in frustration.
"Stop following me! I told you before -- " Hyeop stopped when he saw nothing but discolored water again. Jeongsun was gone and he was scared what he might doing right now or planning. "I must find that ward to know the truth... " he whispered to himself before began walking.
The noise of the dead leaves scattered along the path crunched louder as he carelessly trampled over them.
It was irritating how Jeongsun can know whenever he was no matter how hard he tried to use all his ability to block his tracks.
Jeongsun is just too powerful than him. He keep hearing his whispers and the feeling of being watched. How annoying.
Where he must go now?
Maybe in some new places to hide with the talisman?
He brought out his map and unfolded it. There was another town nearby in the town and he assumed that this town is the Dobong Town. He must go there to find some place or maybe his twin was there?
He hoped so.
Hyeop pressed on putting one foot in front of the other like a sleepwalker. Suddenly, Hyeop came to a halt and held his breath when the sirens started howling like crazy. Hyeop cursed before running fast as he could.
The Gwasang Town beginning to perish and turned something sinister as the sky and the brightness slowly painted in blood, sun painted in red, water is bloody red and unseen monsters started to appear. But mostly, the barbed wires started coming out at the tiny spaces; devouring the town.
Hyeop was frantically running away from the darkness that was chasing him until he came into a halt and held his breath once again. Just in
front of him, a human shaped appeared in the fog.
Could it be one of them?
Naturally, it wasn't one of them. Looking at it closer, he found a dark-haired man standing still and staring pensively at a gravestone.
Hyeop can feel his wrist beginning to hurt as the thick threads started to crawl over inside his skin and the needles came out from his wrist, blood leaking out of it.
Sensing Hyeop's presence, the man let out a gasp of surprise and spun around to face him, eyes moving on his wrists. Hyeop hurriedly hide his hands behind him.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you but I think we need to get out -- "
"I have the talisman with me," said the man and showed the talisman on his necklace. "Where are you heading kid?"
"I'm looking for a town called Dobong Town. Would you mind telling me if I'm going the right way? Someone said in the radio that that town is safe."
"Dobong town? You're going to that town?" The man tilted his head doubtfully, the surprise on his face even greater than when he first noticed Hyeop.
Dark, heavy circles hung like shadows under his eyes. All of them were, even though they still had youthful features.
"Yeah?" Hyeop replied, sounding so unsure.
The man hesitated for a moment, then answered, "…Yeah. That's the right way. I know it's a bit hard to see…you know, because of the fog, but… are you really sure to head there?"
Hyeop frowned, he must go now but he was curious about something. He let out a silence pained sound when the needles with threads had been poked out of his skin.
"It would be best… if you didn't go any farther…because… that town is a strange place than Gwasang. I can't really explain it well, but…it's dangerous there."
What was he thinking of that made his words seemed so heavy?
"Dangerous than... this town. I'm afraid those creatures nest was located near in that town."
Hyeop nodded his head and just ran away without anything to say.
The forest slowly painted in crimson blood and the ground beneath him started to wet as the blood leaking out of it or perhaps it is starting to rain blood.
He stopped from running and checked the needles and threads on his wrists. It was floating in the air and it started to spread around him.
"Hyeopil!"
Hyeop turned around to see Hyunsung—his real twin. Spikes cut out from the sides of his hands causing his button-up shirt's sleeves torn off. Just like Jeongsun, his skin is white as snow, lips is red like blood and hair is white like snow too. Blood at the side of his plump lips and heavy red circle around his eyes like a shadow and blood at the corner of his right eye. Spikes were also behind his back but the worst was his left hand that already turned into something horrible like mixed flesh and huge spikes.
Why Hyunsung is already mad?
"Be an obedient child to your hyung, Hyeopil. Come here and go home with us... in the prison you created. We will stuck there all together forever and we make sure that you will be punished until eternity for what you have done!"
"Leave me alone!" Hyeop shouted before running away but a chains wrapped around his ankle and pulled him until he was already hanging upside down.
"Well... well... well... Lee Hyeopil are you -- no... Hwang Hyeopil are you?"
Hyeop held his breath when he saw the upside down view of Jihae. Just like the others, his face was just like them and his clothes too. He was crawling on the tree like a spider, multiple chains linked out from his nape.
"We tried to save you that day but what have you done in return?" Jihae said sadly before letting him go but before he could land on the dirt, Jihae wrapped his chains over Hyeop and brought him close to his face.
He wrapped his hands on Hyeop's face and leaned over before pressing his lips on the younger.
"Hey! No kissing him yet!" Hyunsung shouted and Jihae pulled away, glaring at the older.
"Oh, really huh?" Jihae sighed before dropping down Hyeop on the ground.
He hurriedly crawled away and all he thought that they gonna chase him but to his surprise they didn't. He neared a bit further away from them when another thing wrapped around him and sent him on the bloody ground.
It dragged him forward until he was underneath them.
"We have 45minutes before the clock strike at 1," Hyunsung said. "We need to get him down in there before Jeongsun does and ruin this place with his rage."
"No! Let me free please and I will free you too!"
"You thought, you will come with us," Jihae said and began dragging him towards the crimson lake.
Hyeop started struggling but it was no use even his threads and needles are both helpless especially to the metal. It was easy for Hyunsung to cut it off.
Tears gathered in his eyes and cannot do anything about it but accepted his fate and once put this to an end or let himself escape from the prison he created.
--
Witch are not real perhaps you want to be...
Werewolves are not real perhaps you want to make one...
Gloat... what is that? That is not even in the meek mythology.
What am I... really?
I am... human... no...
I am no human but a soul living in the body that long dead...
To know the truth, I must find that... ward.
Hyeop arose up from the bloody dump bed that was inside the room. He looked around and found that he was back at the basement, tied on the dusty sheet like when he was captured before.
Wait, did he just woke up?
He looked down on his clothes to make sure and he is, he just woke up. His clothes were still the same when he was captured and everything seems just like before. Did he just dreamt?
But why it feels so real?
So then...
Everything were just a dream. He sighed in relief but his relief was cut when he felt something sore on his body. Wait, something was wrong here.
He held his torso and found that he have wound and it was bleeding. This scenario; he have the feeling that he dreamt about him being chained down here in the basement.
Dream is weird.
He was confused and scared, but that won't help him get out of this nightmare. Was he in the nightmare?
Hyeop flinched when he heard the door creaked open and before he knew it, barbed wires looped around him causing him to cage inside the barbed wires. The needles and thread poke out of his wrists with its own before it wrapped around the barbed wires.
He hissed in pain when the two objects starting to mingle together.
"Did you forget?" The voice of Jeongsun rang into his ear. "We mated... "
"We tied together by the knot we created."
"Did you forget about that like how you forgot your past?"
***
Hyeop woke up from another dream and now he is in his reality for sure. It feels forever and he felt like he slept in eternity. He hoped this is not another dream that feels so real and it is not because he can feel his reality.
He was woke up in the forest wearing an old fashioned uniform like in uniforms when the world war still occurred. Now, it hit him, he was hiding in the forest with Fin but really, he can't remember anything surely.
"Hyeop,"
Hyeop turned around and his eyes widen when he saw all of them seating in circle under the huge trees. Junhyuk was there and they're all kind of wounded.
What is really happening?
He can't understand. He understand his dream because dream is kind of weird sometimes and comes up for fake past. His brain is messed up.
Was he really in the past?
Is this the real reality?
He can't be sure.
He tried to speak but there was no voice coming out from his mouth. But every time he tried to do so, his throat will come in sore like his throat is burning in pain. It also hard to cough.
Fin crawled towards him in a hurry and checked his throat. His eyes filled with worries.
He stared at Fin and all of them. He just noticed that all their hair were black and not in colored anymore. Even Junhyuk's hair is black and Hyunsung's hair are not long anymore but just like all of them.
"I thought you're not gonna make it since those soldiers cut your throat and damaged your vocal chords," said Minhee with the hint of relief in his tone. "We actually assumed that you were pretty dead since it was been so long since you comatose. We supposed to bury you somewhere tomorrow."
"We surprised you woke up, miraculous," Seunghyun mumbled and hissed when the wounds on his arm stung him.
Hyeop froze for a moment, holding his throat and felt the bandage around it and he also felt the bump of thick thread that stitched up on his throat. Is that why he dreamed about needles and threads?
"I am the one who took care of you, and Jeongsun too, while the others trying to go back in the ruined city to take food and kits. We assure your safety thought it feels hopeless for us that you have no chance in waking up but look at you now!" Fin smiled and kissed his forehead before his lips. "We are glad that you woke up."
Hyeop mouthed what happened but it seemed they can't read what he was trying to say. He sighed and decided to just keep his words to himself. What if this is another bullcrap dream again?
He stayed like a statue for hours while his companions were talking about going in town by tomorrow morning for food and hopefully find some comfortable places to stay in.
He did not response to anything or do they think his existence like he was still here with them, confused and really felt like a fuck. He needs answers or do they even know that he was having amnesia right now?
He actually don't remember anything much aside that he was with Fin and they were running then that was it.
Hyeop looked at his own clothes that has blood on it. He suddenly crawled outside and saw the light not far away. There was a city, a tower.
The light was absolutely odd. Was there really a war in the city?
Was that Seoul?
He must find answers to his questions. He strolled towards the city but a hand grabbed his arm and roughly spun him over until he saw Fin with worry.
He looked furious.
"What the fuck are you trying to do?!"
Hyeop pointed at the tower, showing signs of his answers.
Fin sighed and dragged him back but Hyeop pulled his arm away from him and took a step back. Earning another curse from Fin is not the thing to hurt his feelings. Hyeop pointed at the tower again and his clothes, the wounds and bloodied clothes.
"We will tell you what happened, but right now, we need to head back inside. It is not safe to stay out in the night."
Hyeop obeyed what Fin was told and they were back under the huge tree with the roots surrounded them. Only leaves and old blankets were the thing for them to sleep on.
That was when he knew what really happened. They were all lovers and studying in the same school and it was already 2022, but they were still wearing old fashioned uniforms?
Minhee told him about the bazaar things going on in the city and how all the things had started.