Haunting

Episode I - The Toy Collector

Warning: This story contains themes of death, mild gore, a car accident and other intense situations.

What is this place? Seokjin thinks to himself. And what is that horrible ding dong noise? He hears a voice, "Are you okay?" It's an older gentleman. It sounds familiar. Do I know him?

His thoughts and the world around him crystalize. He's in a convenience store. The sound is the door ringing when a customer enters, but it's on an unending loop. There's a younger man looking vacantly at the shelves and the older man who asked him a question. What was the question? His name is Hoseok, but Seokjin doesn't know that now. It is just an old man with glasses running the convenience store.

"Hey! Talk to me!" the man demands. It drew Seokjin's attention. "Are you okay, son?" The ding dong sound continues.

Seokjin manages to answer, 'My...Lyft...left..." My Lyft...that's right. I'm going somewhere.

Hoseok's voice was reassuring, 'It'll be okay. Hold on and we'll get you taken care of."

Seokjin only had two thoughts, wishing the door chime would end and an urge to pee. "I have to go to the bathroom," he told Hoseok. He moved through an aisle of snacks towards the bathroom door. I must need to go bad. It's affecting my vision. The air feels smokey.

Behind him he hears Hoseok shout at the young man in the store. "Jungkook...look at me!" Seokjin moves on.

When he returned he felt much better. The store was lit in a warmer glow. The younger man now stared outside the door to the street. The older man greeted him.

"Feeling better son?" Hoseok asked. "I hope the bell on that door wasn't too annoying." That's right, the bell. Seokjin had almost forgotten about it since the noise stopped. "I think my boy, Jungkook, finally fixed it this time. So you say your ride left? Where are you going?"

Where am I going? Oh, that's right. "I've rented an old abandoned house for a short time." Seokjin answered. "The address is..." he looked down at a card in his hand, "...23 North Pine Street."

"I see...that's why you lost your driver," Hoseok said. The mention of the address sparked young Jungkook's interest and he turned to face the two of them. "That place has a reputation."

"A reputation for what?" Seokjin asked.

Hoseok folded his arms, "They say it's haunted. Does that scare you off?"

"Not really," Seokjin shrugged. "I don't believe in ghosts or anything."

Hoseok nods in approval. "Then I'm sure my boy Jungkook could drive you."

Jungkook had clearly been paying attention, but no trace of emotion was written on his face. With certainty he agreed to drive Seokjin saying, "I'm not afraid of anything."

Jungkook drove carefully but glanced at Seokjin with his peripheral vision. Seokjin watched the buildings pass by, looking forward to reaching his destination.

"Why are you renting that old, stinky house?" Jungkook questioned.

Seokjin turned to Jungkook and explained. "I am a toy collector. The previous owners left a lot of things behind, including a collection of toys."

"Toys...from that kid that died maybe?" Jungkook wondered aloud. "That's the ghost people talk about. They say he died in a car crash."

Seokjin remained uninterested. He replied, "Well I don't know and it's none of my business. I'm just there to sort the toys and see if there are any good ones."

When they arrived, Jungkook drove away leaving Seokjin staring at the door. The house was warm for being so empty. Seokjin went through rooms on the first floor that he felt drawn to. A library with the sun's rays pouring over a cushioned chair. A sitting room with an unfinished game of checkers laid out on the coffee table. A study with an ornate chandelier. A desk and the shelves behind it filled with trophies, pictures, and memorabilia. How very cozy? This place is oddly inviting. Makes me want to turn in for a good night's rest. He walked up the stairs to a hallway with several doors. One with the door slightly ajar caught his eye. He entered and sat on the bed which was pushed under a large window. Immediately he felt the stress of the day wash over him. He couldn't keep his eyes open. He laid down, closed his eyes, and let sleep overtake him.