𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒 || skz

CHAPTER 3: NIGHTMARES

The darkness around him was pushing closer. Seungmin swore that he could see tendrils of black reaching out from the shadows and towards him. He looked around, squinting his eyes as he tried to figure out where he was. But despite his enhanced ability to see in the darkness, he couldn't see anything but inky black around him.

He took a step closer to the darkness, expecting it to move as he did, but he was instead enveloped by shadows and he could feel the tendrils wrap around his ankles. He paused for a second, but there was no tugging from the tendrils. So he just pushed ahead.

Where was he going and why was he just walking right into the unknown? He wasn't sure, but it was like he couldn't stop himself. His feet just moved on their own.

It took a while, but eventually the darkness around him dispersed a little.

He couldn't make out much of the space he was in, and everything appeared monochrome. He was in a cavern, most of the large space taken up by a lake, rocky bits and pieces protruding from the moving surface. In the far end of the cavern was a piece of land and he could see three figures there.

The tendrils were snaking around his legs, wrapping around his ankles and as he looked down he realized that they were octopus tentacles.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm as he stood there in the water. It was as if his ears were filled with cotton. He could hear that the three figures were talking, but he couldn't understand what they said.

Time ticked by as he just stood there, watching the three figures interact. Two of them appeared humanoid, while the third one was twisted and always changing. There was an odd twitch to the third one as it moved around the other two.

One of the humanoids took a step forward, pushing the other back so that they were standing between the humanoid and the creature.

"You're a liar," a voice hissed, causing Seungmin to startle in surprise. It didn't sound like the voice was coming from any of the figures ahead of him. "A liar," it repeated, the words echoing between the cavern walls.

The water around him began to move, and the tendrils around his legs tightened. He could see one of the figures ahead of him draw a sword, pointing it to the creature. But before anything else could happen, the tendrils pulled him below the surface of the water.

Darkness swallowed him again, pushing closer around him and he kicked his legs desperately. The tentacles let go of his ankles, leaving him alone in the darkness. The lack of oxygen was burning in his lungs and he desperately looked for a way out.

Then he broke through the surface.

Everything around him had changed. He stared down at the stone floor where he laid, the water soaking the tiles. He was drenched, and the cold air made him shiver. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stand up. His vision was swimming in front of him for a moment and he blinked to try and focus. He was standing in complete darkness, but that was just a minor inconvenience to him. He took a moment to study his surroundings, trying to figure out where he was.

Realization dawned on him.

He was standing in the corner of a cell, a cell that had since long crumbled. He had left only half of the walls standing.

He began to move towards where he knew the exit was, his body moving on its own. He knew this place like the back of his hand.

The hinges on the cell door squealed as he pushed the door open and he paused for a second, looking back to the cell. He gritted his teeth and headed for the exit.

This place shouldn't exist. It shouldn't be standing anymore. This place crumbled to the ground many years ago.

It hurt to walk through the familiar hallways. He tried to keep his gaze fixed ahead of him, but he couldn't help but glance to the side and into the cells that lined the hallways. Each cell had a different purpose, but he could have sworn that he saw shadows of children cowering in the corners of the cells.