Death dive [ NCT 127 ]

♡ Prologue ♡

˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗

Towards the end of October, during a night that brought kisses of starlight upon an ebony sky, was a girl seemingly about the age of 17, walking back home alone. She had just finished off her shift in her part-time job as a nurse, and was walking rather quickly home as not to worry her mother. There was a cold breeze that came as quickly as it left, and on its way back to the streets it let out a sound awfully similar to a whistle. The girl shivered and clutched and wrapped her jacket impossibly tighter, hoping that she'd feel a modicum of warmth in this wicked weather.

"Why did I have to work overtime today out of all days"

She mumbles to herself. The regrets of obeying her boss's request of staying overtime come crashing down on her. Suddenly however, her train of thoughts is interrupted as she stops and looks ahead of the alley beside her. It's an alley she has passed many times, yet tonight it seemed a tad more chilling. She spares it no more than a glance before deciding to hurry up home. There was too big of a chance of something potentially dangerous lurking in there, but the only true threat to her life was her mom if she wasn't home by nine. So she took a step forward, but as she did, she heard a subtle sound of shuffling behind the garbage bins. Her heart stopped in her throat. It was hard to convince herself that the sound was no more than a figment of her imagination. And she was indeed proven right, as she makes out the silhouette of purportedly a woman. The young girl isn't entirely sure of what her next move should be. Depending who the lurking figure in the shadows is, either she herself or they may be in danger.

"H-hello? Anyone there?"

The question comes out shakier than expected, something she curses herself for no more than a second later. If there was someone dangerous in there, the shaky voice would be a death sentence for her, as she now has appeared as a vulnerable prey. The figure snaps their head at the sound of her voice, and slowly walks towards her. She still couldn't get a clear image of the anonymous person, but what she heard was enough to alarm her. The thing was letting out low groans, and the sound of them dragging their body parts behind them was evident. What freaked her the most was the spitty hiss and sound of decaying teeth clashing together, as if though the thing was biting through thin air. She knew she should leave, that she should take advantage of the incompetence and slow pace of that person and quickly walk away, and hurry up to the safety of her home. But her body was frozen in place, still in between the two options of fight or flight.

The creature was slow, steadily making its way to her, and the closer it got the more she saw. The 'creature' was a woman, seemingly about the age of 30, wearing a nurse's clothing, similar to what she herself had been wearing no more than half an hour ago. Her hair was tied in a bun, but hair strands have escaped all over. What was the most alarming wasn't even the blood on the clothes, as she was supposedly a nurse and therefore may have encountered bloody injuries and wounds. No, it was not the blood. It was the corpse-like paleness of her skin, and the green-yellow tint that accompanied it. She was stumbling over her own limbs, spots of crimson red bleed into her clothes and skin like watercolours, and white froth along with saliva mixed with blood was running from her mouth.

At some point the creature stopped, leaving 3 feet of distance between the two. The girl felt as though her body had been paralyzed, as she stood there in pure shock, staring into the creature's bloodshot eyes in shock and disgust. She could feel the wheezes as a result from attempts of breathing escaping the woman's mouth. She couldn't feel herself breathing, she couldn't feel her heartbeat. The creature seemed to be in a daze, staring soullessly into the abyss. The girl didn't dare to make the next move. To take a step back, to take the next breath, to even blink would alert the creature. Or was it already aware? Was it instead just basking in the fear streaming from her, preparing how to end her very last moments?

After a minute of what seemed to be a staring contest, the girl gulped and suddenly was filled with determination. What am I doing except wasting time? This is clearly a sick, homeless woman and nothing more, she thought. The thought of that was surprisingly more comforting and relaxing. She smirks, almost chuckles, at the stupidity of her now previous fears. Her eyes softened and she took a deep breath, catching once again the attention of the woman in front of her. As soon as she made eye contact with those bloodshot eyes, she took a step backwards, ready to leap to safety. But the creature had other plans.

And an anguished, gut-wrenching scream escaped the girl's mouth soon after.

˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗˗

Word count: 890

Date published: 3 jan, 2023