The potent smell of alcohol and chemicals dragged my conciousness back to my body.
My eyelids barely peeled apart but quickly glued back together at the unexpected brightness of the room around me.
Everything was washed in white, from the bedsheets to walls the few vibrant paintings breaking up the monotony.
The tense atmosphere around confused me until I looked into my family's watery eyes.
Among the sadness I smell the disgusting smell of pity.
The stares they were giving me were similar as those given to an injured stray puppy.
"W-what happ-"
The words died on my tongue leaving behind a bitter taste.
It wasn't figurative as I cringed at the acrid taste of the medicine beneath the bandages strapped around the lower half of my face.
Just then a man in a white coat whom I presume to be my doctor walked in.
"Doctor Park! now that you're here can you finally tell us what's going on??"
my mother pleaded in a shaky voice, holding back enough tears to fill the oceans twice.
"*sigh* ok, but it will not be what you're expecting, are you you ready for the worst?" he said in a tone of somber, his facial expressions hard.
With a nod the bandages were unraveled to reveal something horrors beneath.
And by horrors I mean something so terrible it my parents screams were audible throughout the hospital wing.
the moment it was my turn to look and my parents stopped crying an ocean it was my turn to look.
A part I was half dreading and half curious about.
That moment was the very moment the weight of the world crumbled and fell onto my chest.
It was impossible to breathe for a whole minute as I dragged my fingers along the stitches extending from ear to ear.
The very same smile my sadistic back stabbing cousin had.
The aftermath of the horrors that happened in that basement forever reminding me of the horrors that happened down there every time I looked into the mirror.
"Oh Chae.. who did this to you.."
"Cousin Ryujin... she nearly killed me in the basement!"
I blurted out, my words barely understandable
"chae.. Ryujin and her family died in an accident on the way to the house, Aunt Sihyeon being the only survivor.."
My dad said in between sobs
I was smothered in my family's arms as a long stream of tears flowed down my cheeks, stinging the wound.
As news in my family spread like wildfire the whole family tree basically turned up at my ward to console me.
Being known as a horrir enthusiast I was left behind many books about witchcraft and the supernatural by my grandma.
After their departure I begined my descent down the mountain of books.
I picked up the first book on the top and flipped onto a chapter on sacred spiritual rituals.
It wasn't until I got to the last page on that chapter did I have to swallow my still beating heart back into my throat.
69
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦
𝖠 𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗎𝖺𝗅 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗉𝗂𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗎𝗇𝗂𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗅𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀.
𝖳𝗈 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗉𝗂𝗋𝗂𝗍 𝗆𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗏𝖺𝗅 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾 "𝗀𝖺𝗆𝖾"𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗈𝗐𝗇𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗎𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝗈𝗌𝖾𝗌𝗌.
𝖳𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝗈𝗇𝗐 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗉𝗁𝗒𝗌𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗅 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝖺𝗇 𝗂𝗇𝖼𝗂𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝗍𝗈 𝖾𝖺𝗋, 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗎𝗅𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗇 𝖺 𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗈𝖽𝗒 𝗀𝗋𝗂𝗇.
𝖠𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍'𝗌 𝖽𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗉𝗂𝗋𝗂𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝗈𝖿𝖿𝗂𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗅𝗒 𝖼𝗅𝖺𝗂𝗆 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗎𝗅 𝗈𝗋 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝖽𝗈 𝗌𝗈 𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾....
My face became a shade paler with every sentence.
Gazing above the pages of the books, I can make out the silhouette of my deceased cousin.
Her murderous intentions projecting through her pupilless orbs as she slid a throat with that same bloody knife.
