Good Night | Dreamcatcher [COMPLETED]

30

The four girls shivered, skin prickling with an unforgivable cold. The dark room imprisoning them seemed darker than usual.

As usual, not many words were exchanged as they sat, curled up in the blackness. The held each other for support, a tear falling down one's cheek, another simply staring blankly at the floor. They all wondered when it would end. They'd been wondering that ever since they'd been captured and locked in here. But wondering did nothing except provide them with a fruitless hope that maybe, just maybe, one day someone would rescue them.

They missed their families, they missed their friends. What had become of the others? Were they trapped too? Perhaps they'd escaped the forest. Or perhaps they were dead.

There was a tentative knock on the door. One lifted her weak head up slightly, looking with bleary eyes.

'It's me. Don't worry, I just came to bring you food,' whispered the familiar voice. The girl with the dark brown hair nodded lifelessly, not even turning her head to look at him.

'Thank you, N,' said one of the girls, her voice a ghost drifting through the air.
'D-don't thank me. You deserve so much more than what I've been putting you through.' His voice broke, and it almost sounded like he was crying.

'When will it end?' questioned the quietest girl, hidden in the shadows in a corner. Her voice was husky and croaky from lack of use. Her voice contained no resentment, no anger, just tiredness.

'I don't know.'

It was an honest response. The girl nodded and bowed her head. None of them had lifted a figure to touch the bread and water that had been placed at their feet. There was a creak as the door began to close. It's creaking mingled with a muffled sob from outside.

'F-for what it's worth... I'm...' He didn't continue. They all knew he'd been about to say 'I'm sorry' and they all knew that wouldn't change anything. The door swung shut.

The dark brown haired one squeezed the hand of the girl next to her. The droopy red bow sitting on her light hair sat more lifelessly than ever.

'Do you hate him, Jiwoo?' she asked her.

The girl with the bow lifted her head up, her eyes shining with tears. On her face was a sad little smile.

'No, I don't hate him,' she replied, the smile remaining. 'I think he's as trapped as we are. He's lost in his own dark mind, and he doesn't even have anyone's hand to hold so he can see through the darkness. I hope he finds peace.'

The girl next to her only held her hand tighter in response.

***

'There's some people I need to introduce you to.'

'Ughhhh.' Dami groaned loudly, pulling the uncomfortable covers over her head. 'Could you wait for us to wake up first? What are you even doing here?'

'I literally just said why I'm here, but okay, I'm here because you asked for my help and I know some people who can help you,' said N. He waited for her to emerge from her duvet cocoon and gestured to the figures standing next to him. Dami blinked her sleep-filled eyes. And then sat up quickly.

'You...'

They were the eight figures who Dami had been so curious about, the ones who'd first appeared the very first day they'd been captured, who'd screamed and tried to prevent them from leaving when they'd escaped. The only difference was, now their hoods were down and their masks were gone, revealing the faces of eight girls.

'Who are you?' asked Dami in wonderment. Her friends were beginning to wake up properly now, rubbing their eyes and staring with confusion. N motioned at the girls, and one of them stepped forward to speak.