A Ritual In the House?

11

Hyunjin gasps for air upon her eyes jolting open, messy coughs leaving her dry lungs.

Blinking away the blurry stars in her eyes, she notices the ceiling below her, rubble and shards of glass everywhere, a suffocating stuffy feeling inside her core. She's upside down, she concludes. It was then she realizes the seatbelt holding her up on the seat, bound to leave a mark on her very human body.

The seat beside her is empty, the seatbelt tore open, leaving it to dangle loosely in the air.

"Jeon Heejin," Hyunjin calls, expecting a reciprocation. But nothing comes.

Crap.

Hastily unbuckling the belt, her frail body falls, making her groan at the hard impact upon landing on her arms. She coughs, the withered state of her throat making it hard when she yells for the girl again.

God, being human is hard.

"Jeon Heejin!" She calls again, scavaging below her for any of their belongings.

A phone rings nearby.

She quickly crawls around to search for the vibrating device. It's hers.

Hyunjin forcefully swipes on the green button once seeing the caller id.

"Heejin? Are you okay? Where are you?"

Her frenetic words were unanswered. Eerie heavy breathes taking place of what she expected to be the deep calming voice of Heejin.

"Hello?"

'My child.' A gritty sound travels through the phone. Hyunjin went rigid as if the world stopped spinning when her brain finally comprehended the voice on the other line.

Her knuckles turn white.

"You have her, don't you?"

A boom of laughter follows. The caller unfazed, unafraid of her firm words.

"What the fuck did you do to her, old man?"

The call ends, leaving Hyunjin neglected, submerging in the rage clouding her brain. With her last drops of demonic strength, the device crushes in her grip.

She's going to fucking kill that man.

^^^

"I heard what happened." Jiwoo frantically makes her way over to the girls in the living room. Sooyoung lightly stroking her side when they come in contact and everyone settles back to eyeing down Hyunjin who was pacing around as she howls into Yves's phone.

"Did you check if everyone on the bus was alive?"

Jiwoo frowned in concern.

"Yes, I sent Chaewon to erase her family's memories. We don't want them to worry just yet. Of course, thank you, thank you. Tell me if you have any update." She hangs up the call with a hand running over her hair, "That was Ryujin, her group sent an ambulance to the rest of the people who were on the bus."

Sooyoung catches the phone tossed in her direction, "What's the plan here, Hyunjin?"

"I don't know. I don't know what to do. I don't know where he took her. I don't even have my abilities to fight him." She stresses, her glabella winkled as they see a million more thoughts run through her head.

"I couldn't protect her." She confesses to the ginger-haired girl, eyes hanging low in shame, "I'm sorry."

Hyunjin feels a light punch on her shoulder, "What are you talking about? You've done enough." About to give her a reassuring hug, Jiwoo absurdly stops, "You're bleeding."