He's got the whole world in his hands | Jeongin

Chapter forty-three

They were only located a few blocks from the college campus. Other houses dotted around the scope of the apartment. They weren't alone, but at this time of night, the three roommates seemed to be the only ones in existence.

Han hated it, but he was overruled. At nearly three in the morning, he wanted to be sound asleep in his bed; tucked beneath the covers where no monster nor demon could reach him. Instead, he was curled up against the center of the couch. A blanket was wrapped around him like a burrito, but that didn't shake his fear.

A black lighter flickered in Minho's hands. With a simple flick of the thumb, the angry red dancing flame lit candle wick after wick. Four white candles were set around the living room while Minsi watched from another chair. Her anxiety was brewing, but it eased with the furrow of determination in Minho's brow.

The truth? Minho didn't believe in the bullshit of a wooden board coated with letters and numbers. He believed that it was all just mind tricks. Too scared and freaked out, he assumed your fingers shifted across the ouija board without you even realizing what you were doing. It was an easy way to freak one another out, just a great marketing tactic.

"Minsi, are you ready?" Minho asked after he lit the last candle. He shifted and placed it back on the coffee table.

"Whenever you are."

"Turn off the lights and let's get started."

The blanket tightened around Han again. "Do we really have to turn off the lights?" He mumbled. It was already terrifying without the near pitch black. The only thing keeping them separated from the darkness would be the flickering flames.

Shadows leapt across the room and the unnerving tension began to grow. Minsi pushed herself up to fulfill Minho's wish and Minho rolled his eyes. "If you're too scared to join us, you can go to your room or whatever. Nobody is saying that you have to be with us."

"You want me to go to my bedroom while the two of you are here and fucking around with a demonic board? You want me to leave while you practically invite a demon into our house? Are you cra-" He cut off with a yelp and a jump. His arms jerked around his body tighter and his eyes widened. "A bit of a warning next time before you shut the lights off, please."

"Sorry." Minsi headed back to the rectangular coffee table and sat down on the opposite side of Minho. Her eyes met his and in the process, flames danced in the reflection of his eyes. She sucked in a deep breath and reached out to place her fingers on the planchette. "Are you ready for this?"

"I highly doubt anything is going to happen, but yes. I'm ready to get this done and over with. If there are any spirits, demons, ghosts, or whatever the hell you go by; please feel free to scare the fuck out of the guy on the couch."

"No! No! No! No! Please, please, please don't do that. I'm a nice guy and I'm just here for the vibes. Please don't hurt me, Mr. Ghost or uh devil or uh-"

"Rude to the women, are we?"

"I'm sorry, women! Please don't hurt me, I'm a good guy, I swear!"

"Minho, leave Han alone. Put your fingers on the planchette, so we can get started."

Minho sighed and placed his fingers on the plastic piece. "Impatient, are we? Are you happy now? Shall we finally begin or should we-"

He was cut off by the sound of a chime. First it was one, then two, and it stopped with three. Minho and Minsi made eye contact and Minho nodded. "Three in the morning now, so let's begin."

"Remember to take this seriously," Minsi added.

"Don't worry your pretty little face, I know what I'm doing."

The pair began to slowly slide the plastic heart shape around in a figure eight gesture. Han held his breath as he watched. The terror inside of him caused his heart to beat in his eardrums. The words of Minsi's mom came back to whisper in her ear.

Ouija boards were never supposed to be touched, at least, not by her. Her mother always said they were doorways to the devil. Once a portal to Satan was open, it wouldn't end until he collected your soul. In her mother's eyes, this was the exact reason why Suki was dead.

During that night at the party, Suki was with the rest of them. It was so hard to believe she committed suicide because she was there that night. In fact, during the ouija board session, she sat right beside Minsi. If she drank, she did a damn good job at hiding it because Minsi assumed she was sober.

Their fingers sat right beside each other, so close that they brushed up against one another every now and then. It's part of the reason why Minsi struggled with her death so much. Every time she saw Suki that night, she was laughing and joking around.

Changbin was right there with his arm around her waist. At one point, she found the two of them making out in the back corner. They either forgot they were at the frat party or maybe they just didn't care. A bit of jealousy struck Minsi's heart, but none of that mattered now. Tonight was a different night with the ouija board.

Tonight, no matter what, she was going to find out the truth.