Good Night | Dreamcatcher [COMPLETED]

22

N sat down at the black, stone table, trying not to start drumming his fingers on it. Every cell in his body seemed to be rife with unshakable nerves, a feeling that hadn't disappeared ever since he'd welcomed a murderous demon into his home.

The cave-like ceiling dripped water onto the floor, each tiny splash echoing loudly. They were deep underground, in a place even the demon didn't know. He hoped it didn't know, anyway.

He forced himself not to look at the black, metal door on his right, tried to ignore the scuffling sounds coming from within. He didn't fancy being eaten up by guilt today, not when the lives of his friends lay in his hands.

The five of them sat around the table, facing him expectantly. They were the desaturated, fragile ghosts of the people he'd known all his life. Eyes that were once full of life were reduced to dark pools of gloom, encircled with grey. N knew he looked just as washed-out as they did, but it still gave him a dull pang of sadness to see only shadows of the people who could have been the brightest stars in the universe.

Could have been, if it weren't for him.

Hyuk was the first to speak. 'Haky—N, what are we doing down here?'

N faced him with a serious gaze, not really knowing where to start. 'We can't be heard here,' he said simply. Hyuk's response was a confused frown. The coldness in his eyes was always a mild shock to N, because it seemed like only yesterday that they had gleamed with youth and optimism. But these days, N was finding it harder and harder to excuse the youngest's actions. The truth was, he wasn't young anymore, he'd long ago grown into an adult who was responsible for the decisions he made. Hongbin hadn't been alone when he'd turned the girl into a vampire, and N had a horrible feeling that his accomplice was staring right at him.

He shook those thoughts away. They weren't important now.

'We've hit a tiny snag in our plan,' he explained uneasily, the silence surrounding him feeling louder than it should have. 'The demon is... more uncontrollable than we—I thought, and I think it has plans of its own.' He swallowed, not sure how to say the next sentence. 'Some of the vampires have gone missing.'

Raised eyebrows. Shifty movements. No obvious hints of concern.

N continued, 'My control over the witches is slipping, and I fear the demon has no use for them other than playthings. If it keeps it up, they'll be tortured to death. I need to know if you've seen anything odd.'

The five of them exchanged looks, Leo looking uncertain, Ravi afraid. Ken, Hongbin, and Hyuk's faces were unreadable.

Leo said, 'Assuming the demon came from the room with the mirrors, we know there are others still trapped inside there. My guess is that the demon plans to raise them, using the missing vampires or maybe the girls as hosts.'

'But then what?' asked Ken, 'What does it want to achieve?'

He looked paler than usual, N noticed. He half-wanted to ask him about it, but thought better of it. He knew the reason anyway.

'I don't know,' he replied. 'Perhaps it wants the same as us. To leave this place once and for all. Or maybe there's something darker going on, and we just can't see it.'

'It would help if we knew which demon it was,' murmured Leo. 'Then we'd at least know how powerful it is.'

Ravi said, 'And if it's too powerful? What if it kills us? Or worse... If events repeat themselves...'

Ouch. That stung. N knew Ravi hadn't purposely meant those words to be hurtful, but everyone in the room knew what had happened, and whenever it was mentioned he felt a stab of guilt.