Hide and Seek.| Lee Felix

Six.

Felix and the beautiful ghost were running down the building's stairs. Felix had to stop by his neighbor's unit, Jisung, to ask him for his car. The boy owed Felix a couple of favors and always wanted to pay back so, he lent Felix his car happily. Soon, Felix and the ghost were in the car, heading to where her mother lived.

Felix never thought that one day, he would be driving a car at maximum speed with a breathtaking ghost by his side while she was sniffling cutely as she was doing at that moment. She was trying to hold her tears back as much as she could but obviously, she was failing.

"Y-You are bleeding." She said between her sniffles.

Felix looked at the palm that he had cut earlier while trying to write down the bloody spell. It was still bleeding badly and he didn't even notice. "Ah! That... it's okay."

"Why did you go to the extent of cutting yourself?" She looked at him with her teary eyes. Felix glimpsed that before he looked on the road again. "Am I that scary?"

"No, umm. It's just... I don't like being involved with ghosts. Especially, virgin ghosts. No offense, but they are the worst." He replied cautiously.

"Virgin what?" She gasped, making him look at her with confusion. Her face turned playful like she had a switch. "You thought I was a virgin ghost?" She scoffed. "You thought I was there for... you?"

"No?" He questioned.

"No! Oh, God!" She chuckled. "This is just embarrassing. I'm not a pervert who follows men around for her personal needs!"

"How would I know?" He snapped. "The first time I saw you, you looked overly beautiful on that bus stop an-" Felix paused once he realized what he said. He cursed himself internally. He just confessed to finding her beautiful.

An awkward silence filled the car. The girl tried her best not to snicker at him and his flustered state.

"It's Norah, by the way." She said, trying to break the silence.

"Felix. And you know that already." He chuckled. "So, why did you ... uh.. umm.. leave?"

"I didn't end my life." She sighed. "If that's what you are asking. It was an accident. But it happened to be just after I had a fight with my mom. She told me I was a useless daughter and I told her I'll go kill myself if that would make her happier." She paused. Her tone was going heavier again. "Neither of us meant that but she just couldn't take it well. She believes I threw myself in front of a speeding car."

"But you didn't?"

"Of course not! It was really an accident with a bad timing, making it look like it was intentional, but I never thought of doing something like that. We used to fight, yes. But it was never overboard. It's just like how every kid bicker with his or her parents. I'm sure you know."

"I know." He sighed, remembering what he had just done with his mother earlier.

"Here! Here!" She yelled, startling Felix. She pointed at a nearby house that was dark inside out.

Felix pulled over and stepped out of the car, followed closely by Norah. They stopped facing the dark house. Felix started ringing the doorbell while Norah knocked on the door, as if it would be heard. Minutes passed with no answer.

"That's not working!" Norah huffed. "Check the spare key under the third staircase."

Felix nodded and crouched down to check the mentioned stairs. Once he found it, he stood up and tried to open the door. Just before he pushed the door open, he stopped and looked over his shoulder to Norah. "Is this considered as trespassing?"

Norah rolled her eyes. "For God's sake! Not the right time, pretty boy. Hurry up." She almost pushed him.

The two of them rushed inside the house. It was pitch dark that they couldn't see where they were stepping. Or that was what Felix thought before he turned and found no clue of Norah. Before he could question, he heard her scream loudly from upstairs.

"Felix!" Her scream echoed as if she was begging for her life.

"Coming!" He yelled before sprinting upstairs. He was about to ask her where she was but he figured it out on his own. It was obvious where she was from the closed room at his left that had smoke leaking from underneath the door.

Felix rushed to that door and opened it. Inside, there was a woman unconscious on her bed. Norah was by her side, sobbing loudly while screaming her name. The room was filled with greyish smoke that came from the multiple pots that had burning coal. The smoke was suffocating and Felix started coughing. Hardly, he could make it to the window that was closed and taped to keep the smoke in. His eyes were burning already but he tried to focus and open them. Once the window was open, he gasped for air before he turned to Norah and her mother.

"Shit!" Felix cursed as he leaned beside them. "Let's get her out of here," Felix said but Norah was away from listening to whatever he said. "Get a hell of a grip, Norah! She's alive but she needs to go to the hospital now!" He yelled which made Norah snap out.

Felix grabbed the unconscious woman and carried her. He ran downstairs with her fragile body in his arms. Out of the house, he placed her in the backseat of the car before he jumped in the driver's seat. Norah was surely by her side, still crying and sobbing while calling her name.

The nearest hospital wasn't that far but the way seemed like it wasn't ending. Felix didn't care what speed he was driving at. He had to save the woman. He had to tell her not to let guilt eat her up alive. She had nothing to do with her daughter's death.