Good Night | Dreamcatcher [COMPLETED]

24

The cold was vicious, biting down on her pallid arms and ashen legs.

Purplish veins snaked down the length of her arms, making her skin appear almost translucent.

It seemed that a lack of blood affected the way she felt things. The cold hadn't bothered her a few days ago, but now, Yoohyeon was beginning to feel like a living icicle.

It had already been two days since Leo last brought her blood. They'd agreed the time that was safest for both of them: the exact moment the sun sank below the tallest tree in the forest. He was supposed to turn up today at the time he always did, but that time had now passed, and Yoohyeon was beginning to feel edgy.

She was standing up, leaning against a tree and breathing heavily. She didn't trust her control. She'd been practising and trying her hardest to control her thirst, but it was hard, especially when she was anxious. Already she was feeling a sudden urge to run into the depths of the forest and find something, anything that had blood in it.

She needed a distraction.

Which was why the screams and crashes she heard were quite convenient.

She wasn't sure if it was her amplified hearing that had picked up on the noise, or whether she was just very close. It didn't matter. She could tell where they were coming from.

'Screw it,' she muttered, lifting her weight off the tree trunk and breaking into a brisk walk. Icy winds tore at her exposed skin, but she welcomed the cold. It was a contrast to the warmth of blood she was so desperately craving, so it was another thing she could divert her attention to.

There was another crash, like the sound of rock smashing, and she quickened her pace. What the hell was happening?

As the outline of the old house came into view, she felt something other than fear. Something was causing this noise, and a tiny part of her wondered, What if it's them?

She wanted to see her friends one last time before she left them. Just seeing their faces would make her feel one thousand times less lonely. As she neared it, something inside her was certain it was them.

She wasn't sure what it was.

Maybe it was hope.

***

The voice hadn't spoken to her in a while.

She'd asked it, many times, whether now was the right time. Every day she questioned it, and she was greeted by silence. She was exploding with boredom, so much so that she'd clawed through the skin on her own arms, leaving harsh red marks and fingernails caked with dried blood.

She couldn't quite remember where she was, only that it was dark. Dark, and small, and cold. She'd forgotten what had happened after she'd run to Sua, blubbering like a fool, and practically warned her that she was going to kill her. Her memories seemed blurry, she'd been with Sua one minute and enclosed in the dark the next.

To ease her boredom a bit she'd started making bubbles again, watching with dull interest as the glimmering droplet expanded at the tip of her finger. It shimmered briefly, then popped. She sighed.

'Hello, Gahyeon.'

Gahyeon whipped round, and her eyes fell on the darkened figure who was suddenly beside her. She squinted, her eyes still struggling to see through the blackness, but she soon realised the face opposite her own was a very familiar one.

'Jiu,' she said. Jiu smiled, teeth glinting in the light. Light? What light? Gahyeon's eyes travelled slowly to the source, which lay in Jiu's hand: a lamp with a tiny ball of fire in the middle. The glass surrounding the fire was thick, and there was something odd about the way Jiu held it, almost cautiously. Gahyeon frowned, immediately suspicious and confused. 'How did you find me?'

'Find you?' Jiu laughed, 'I sent you here.'

And then it clicked.

'It's you,' whispered Gahyeon, as the familiarity of the voice sank in, 'you're the voice.' She felt her hands trembling with excitement. The voice had finally come to her. It didn't matter that it was Jiu, she scarcely felt a connection with any of her friends anymore. It didn't matter who the voice was, only that it had come to her. She barely noticed her rapidly increasing heartbeat and the beads of sweat shining on her forehead. She wanted to please it. She'd do anything.

Jiu said, 'Your powers have grown, haven't they?' In response, Gahyeon held up her clenched fist, staring dazedly at it as she felt the currents of water flowing underneath her skin. Jiu's mouth curled into a satisfied smirk. 'Good. You know what you have to do?'

'Wait...' murmured Gahyeon uncertainly. 'I can't do it yet. Not yet, not yet...'

'That's right. I told you to wait. You really have done exactly what I've asked since that little mishap, haven't you?'

Gahyeon blinked, confused. She hadn't remembered doing anything much after what had happened with Sua, though it felt like a long time had passed since then. 'I don't understand. I don't remember doing anything to please you. What did I do?'

'Exactly what you should have done,' replied Jiu. 'You've followed orders. It doesn't matter whether you remember them or not, as long as you remember one thing. And you already know what that is, don't you?'

The words seemed to throw themselves out of her mouth: 'Water will always put out the fire.'

Something glittered in Jiu's dark eyes, something like triumph. Gahyeon didn't understand what there was to be triumphant about, but for some reason she felt it as well. She felt her mouth twitch into a small smile. Jiu's expression softened a bit, and she edged closer to Gahyeon, crouching down. The lantern she held illuminated her face, and Gahyeon could see her for what she was. A loyal friend. A kind friend. Someone she could always trust.

'Gahyeonie, you don't hate me, do you? For hiding from you for so long? For always treating you like a child?' asked Jiu, pouting. Gahyeon shook her head, and Jiu beamed. 'You know I never meant it, didn't you? I always thought of you as the one I could trust the most.'

Gahyeon nodded, and suddenly it all seemed clear. How could she have forgotten about all the trust Jiu had placed in her? She'd always valued Gahyeon more than they others, and she'd never treated her like a child. Gahyeon held a hand to her head, feeling like her memories were re-writing themselves.

'I'm sorry, Jiu. I'll never doubt you again.'

'No, you won't.' She hugged her, and Gahyeon felt happy. Finally, she knew who the voice was. And it was someone who she knew wouldn't let her down. That was what mattered. That was what she'd remember.

***

Harpier cries;

'tis time, 'tis time

The demon had finally set its plans in motion, it seemed. It bellowed and cackled, flaunting its triumph at her.

I've won, I've won, I've won

It had. She let it do its worst, scraping away at her very existence and feeding on her misery. She let it drink her pain and swallow her fear and wrap her in darkness.

Yet there was still the tiny pinprick of light, glaring in the darkness like the end of a tunnel. The demon still didn't notice, it was too busy screaming its victory.

When the time came, she'd turn that pinprick into a crater.

By the pricking of my thumbs,

Something wicked this way comes

yikes this chapter is so short compared to the last one i'm sorry ;-;
i also (badly) quoted macbeth sjksjsks i'm such a nERD