[Hunhan] See You On The Other Side

Chapter Three: [Tainted]

This chapter isnt edited, so I might edit it later and reupload it. Thanks ^^ 

The music died down, new sounds taking hold.

Through the murmuring of the crowd, through the cacophony of the busy streets; harsh new sounds could be heard. They were the voices of a couple.

After a few seconds, the voices got louder and louder. They seemed to be so close now, that the owners could appear any second. It was only once Luhan could distinguish the words that he could see a fight was taking place. The couple burst through the seams of the crowd, the girl breaking through first, the young man following only seconds behind.

Their words were so hateful, so malicious.

Luhan did not think that even the world of colour could have this kind of feeling in it.

For a world so full of light, so full of life, the grey world seemed more than worlds away.

Yet here it was, less then three meters away from him.

The colour world drained of life, the death surrounding this couple soaking up the colour, mutating it into a new feeling: hate.

The first impression Luhan had of this world started to fade, turning as lifeless as the world he had left.

The young man burst from the crowd first, his face slick with sweat. His cheeks were a red as angry as he was, and his fists were clenched. His body language yelled at the eyes of all who saw him.

The young woman followed seconds after, contrasting from the boy. Her face was red, but it was not sweaty. She did not look angry, but she looked as if she would start to sob any second now. Her body was relaxed, too relaxed. She walked calmly out of the throng of people, her hair swaying softly in the wind.

Clouds moved across the blue sky, hiding the sun.

With each and every step she took, her calm air faded. Where once her face had been confident, the lines of worry showed through, their dark shadow turning her relaxed smile into a grimace, full of pain and of hurt.

A few moments later, the calm woman who had walked slowly from the crowd had disappeared. In her place was a frightened, upset, confused little girl. Her green eyes  had turned grey, her hair black smoke, wavering around her head.

The closeness he felt with this world had all but disappeared. The distance between them was now colossal, but only one thing was unbearably close. The girl. Instead of heading in the direction of the young man, she stood still. With lighting quick turn, she faced Luhan. 

Seconds passed.

Her gaze trained on him.

Beginning to move again, every step brought him closer to her.

Her face changed yet again, as the rest of her had.

The grimace morphed into a smile, much too wide, much too round. The smile was anything but welcoming, the cold hard set of her face contrasting with the faint warmth found in her smile. It was truly sinister.

Her eyes bore into his soul, they knew every secret. They knew who and what he was.

The desire to never go back. It was all there, in his head. She knew everything now.

At first her steps had been slow and shallow, but now she was nearly running.

She was getting closer now, but Luhan could not run.

Could not move, could not blink.

Could not, could not could not do anything to resist.

The wisps of black smoke swirled, hypnotic in their movements. 

She paused at this moment, a few steps away.

Even though they had this distance between them, their faces were close to touching.

The smile on her face became wider, growing as time passed. Her mouth opened, and a little pink light sat in her mouth.

He knew this figure.

He knew who this was.

He knew, he just knew.

The manifestation of darkness he had seen in his own world.

He had to turn and run.

His strides were long and powerful, carrying him a fair distance in every step. One step after another, pit pat pit pat. Looking up, the crowd now focused on him. The confused looks on their faces, the children pointing.

Turning his eyes back to the path ahead of him, he noticed  he had become stuck in a dead end. The walls going up the sides were brick, red and rough. Difficult, but not impossible to climb. After all, its that or being taken back to his own world. Without looking behind him, Luhan began his ascent, his shoes holding on to the brick, hands holding firmly to the window sills. The sun was behind the clouds once again, a shade being cast over Luhan.

Luhan cursed under his breath. The shade would give the darkness power, and it would be strong enough to float up to where he was now.

The smoke curled around his feet, dragging him down, clawing at him. The girl whispered messages in his ear, and he could not make out what she was saying. Her voice was raspy, painful. Together with the smoke, they acted as one force to pull Luhan back to the grey world. Glancing upwards, Luhan could see into the apartment above him. Lights were turned on, and the window was open. This would be a perfect opportunity to escape.

The bricks cut more then they had before, the rough surface biting his skin. Brick by brick, step by step, Luhan arrived at the window. Hurling himself through, he took another moment to survey his surroundings.

The flat was simple, wooden stairs leading up to another floor to his left. From the corner of his eye he could see a small kitchenette, cupboards in blue and white. Upon closer inspection, the paint was cracked. Corners peeling, mould had grown beneath the paint, giving it a lumpy finish. Yet this was not where Luhan's attention was focused.

The family portrait on the wall. The smiles of the people in it were sincere, full of love. The mother and father had their arms around their children, the boy and the girl. The smile of the boy in particular was intriguing. Although the rest of the family seemed truly cheerful, the happiness of this boy seemed forced. His eyes showed his pain, told his story for him.

Breaking the silence, footsteps echoed through the apartment. Someone was home, and probably wouldn’t be too happy to see a stranger in their apartment.