You and I | Dreamcatcher

Chapter 4

The person came into existence at the top of the stairs. Her heeled pumps were tasteful and worn cream-coloured objects, matching with her dark purple and mustard yellow floral dress that reached her old ankles.

She stepped with tender, calculated steps down the stairs until she reached the bottom and looked out across the wide wooden-panelled floor.

There was another person in the room, sat on the step to another but much smaller room. Her head was low as she arranged a flowers carefully on a hat, something too small to see.

Careful to stay purposeful and controlled, the woman started across the room, approaching her.

She didn't have to speak before Handong looked up.

"Yes?" She asked politely with a stiff smile and narrowed eyes.

She cracked a half-smile and reached her hand forward.

Thin webs of white shot out from above her palm attached themselves to the rectangular box of hatpins next to Handong. They flew back to her hand as the look in Handong's eyes changed.

"Who..."

Her words trailed off as the woman smiled again and grasped her by the throat, turned and threw her across the room.

Handong flew through the air with a muffled gasp and grunted in pain as her back slammed into the side of the staircase. Her body collapsed to the side as the woman walked over with the hatpins in hand.

For the moment, Handong was stunned so she could do nothing as the woman stabbed pins through her clothes until she was immobilised by her white and yellow shirt to the walls.

Web burst forth from the both of the woman's hands until Handong's immobile body was surrounded by the stringy substance.

Footsteps burst forth and Yoohyeon entered the room in a hurry, stopping as she saw the woman. Her mouth opened, but the woman acted first and raised her hand towards Yoohyeon.

It took a moment before Yoohyeon blinked in confusion and shook her head as if to clear it physically. She dropped her head before she looked up again and smiled brightly.

"Right this way for the photo, please." She walked forward towards the off-room with the woman following.

The woman poofed her hair and smirked with a little inhuman sound of laughter as she trailed after and stepped up into the smaller room.

"Sit here." Yoohyeon gestured and she sat with a serene smile on the settee. She raised her hand to count down.

It was time.

With a small wave of her hand, the woman released her control on Yoohyeon. In canon with the release of her power, lightening flashed through the window strongly.

Yoohyeon looked up with wide eyes as she saw the body of the woman peel away like paper and a larger-than-possible spider erupted from the empty shell.

She opened her mouth to scream at the horrible hovering arachnid and its countless eyes that stared unblinkingly at her with threats of bloody violence. 

In that moment, her mind flashed back to JiU's spider, the magnifying glass, the acrid burning smell... And her lack of control of her own body.

"Wait! I wasn't - I wasn't me!" She shouted helplessly as it lunged for her with its terror-inducing, pulsing body.

From her dazed position, Handong spied Yoohyeon fall with a sickening thud to the floor through her heavy slitted eyes. She raised her head slowly as the spider turned towards her maliciously.

***

With a desperate cry, Yoohyeon awoke, thrown off by her foreign surroundings.

Webbed and shrouded leaves, white sand, and a starred platform.

The sky was a starred petrol blue and stretched boundlessly across the plains and peaks of white sand.

It would take forever to run across the sands and even then, it wouldn't be the end. Across from her lying position on the floor, she saw a large circle of stone stood on its side and leaning forward like someone with a crooked back.

Another cry escaped her mouth and she pushed up from the ground, wincing at the biting sand.

"Where am I?" She wailed helplessly, remembering the last moment of the spider lunging at her.