Records Dyed Red

Chapter One

Kim Roksu opened his eyes to darkness and a pleasant feeling of warmth.

Usually, he'd see the faint glow of the far off city lights through his apartment window, and the flickering of his electronics from various corners of the small room.

Now, there was just darkness.

Had the power gone out again? It happened more often than not nowadays, but no one ever complained.

Having power at all was a luxury.

He fumbled for his phone, faintly hoping it'd inform him dawn was far off and he could go back to sleep.

He usually worked the night shift so those who had families could go home, but this had been one of the very few nights he'd gotten to go home himself.

He'd been reading a book series, and drifted off just at the end of the fifth book.

None of those books seemed to be scattered about him now, and his reaching fingers couldn't seem to find his phone.

Actually, now that he was more awake, he noted he couldn't feel his bed beneath him, or see the faint glow of the full moon that had been hanging low in the sky when he fell asleep.

The warmth pressed in as if demanding attention, curling around his body like a heavy blanket. With a start, Roksu realized it wasn't just a feeling of warmth, it was a thing that was warm. A slippery, fleshy thing encasing him on all sides. It seemed to pulse and move like a thick membrane when he pushed on it, but showed no sign of giving way.

Son of a —- had he been swallowed by a monster while he slept??????

He'd never live it down if he had. Who the hell slept through being eaten ??

He began to thrash, struggling to find something to give him the traction he needed to really move.

The membrane pressed against his face, molding to his features like a suffocating mask. Panic surged through Roksu as the fleshy cocoon tightened around him, squeezing his chest and limiting his movements. His heart pounded frantically, each beat echoing in his ears.

He clawed desperately at the slick walls encasing him, but his fingers found no purchase. The membrane yielded slightly to his touch before springing back in place, unharmed.

Roksu began to swear internally. Damn it all, what about his slacker life? What about all the hard work he'd done? How the hell was he going to face Choi Jun Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk in the afterlife and tell them he'd died so damn stupid ?

Those two would really never let him live it down.

The space he was in rocked suddenly, and his heart leapt into his throat. Was the damn thing trying to digest him? He hoped he gave it a stomachache.

Let him smack it on the back of the head at least once as he went out.

In the far off distance, someone started singing.

Roksu froze in surprise, listening to the faint voice. He couldn't make out her words but, as the gentle voice washed over him, he began to feel an inexplicable sense of calm. The frantic beating of his heart slowed and, almost against his will, he felt his body start to relax into the thick membrane surrounding him.

The warmth surrounding him suddenly no longer felt suffocating, but comforting.

Now that he was calming down, Roksu could feel a gentle pulsing sensation all around him, steady and soothing. It matched the rhythm of his own heartbeat, as if they were synchronizing.

It was probably not a good thing, but it was oddly relaxing?

Getting swallowed alive was turning out to be a surprisingly comfortable experience.

Whoever was singing must have a voice related ability, and a strong one at that if it could affect him all the way in here. Was she trying to put the monster to sleep before extracting him? Was his team out there with her? They must have found him quickly, before the monster had a chance to digest him or escape to a different location. Good on them.

The woman, whoever she was, didn't sound upset or in any particular hurry. Had he been swallowed by something weak? If that was the case it might be better to just get eaten than deal with the flack he'd get over it.

Maybe whatever it was had choked on him and was slowly dying?

Hehe, serve it right, the bastard.

In any event, whoever was outside didn't seem to be in danger, and he felt fine despite his current circumstances. More than fine actually, he thought, as the gently swaying warmth encased him like a cocoon.

Might as well take advantage and get some rest while he could. They'd wake him up when they reached him.

His body relaxed into the warmth of the membrane, and allowed the woman's voice to wash over him. Vaguely, he wondered why he'd never heard of her before, and made a point to try and recruit her for his team. He could just imagine how much easier fights would be if the monsters could be put to sleep first.

Until then, however, might as well relax and let the others figure it out.