The Scent of Your Blood

Chapter 4

(5:13 AM)

Hongjoong couldn't fall back asleep after having that nightmare, so he got out of bed and was now sitting on the couch in the very dim room with a blanket wrapped around his body to keep him warm. He was holding a hot cup of coffee as he stared into the darkness, mind blank and a tired expression on his face.

He was thinking of telling his friends what had happened but now that more strange things were happening, he wanted to keep it to himself and not stress them all out, especially Yunho. That man will do anything to protect Hongjoong, he will take a bullet for him. They all care about one another and would do anything to protect each other, even if it got one of them thrown in jail.

Speaking of jail, Wooyoung had actually been put behind bars as a stupid prank. Typical, Wooyoung thought of the idea and San called the others to tell them that his best friend had been thrown in jail. Yunho flipped out and Hongjoong didn't know what to think while the others knew this day would come sooner or later.

They had arrived at the police station to see a banner that said, 'you've been pranked, lol. love Wooyoung.' Let's just say poor Wooyoung got no ice cream that day as punishment for pulling that prank.

Hongjoong smiled at the memory and placed his empty cup on the small table next to him before lying down, falling asleep.

(7:56 AM)

The sun shone through the windows, lighting up the room which woke Hongjoong and he slowly sat up, his hair sticking in all directions. He ran a hand through the strands then stretched his arms above his head, his back cracking and he twisted his neck, letting out a sigh when hearing it pop. He stood up and walked into his bedroom, going into the bathroom to have a shower.

Hongjoong turned the taps, adjusting the temperature to his liking before undressing and stepping under the water. He pulled the curtain shut and closed his eyes, letting the water wet his hair. He stood like that for a few seconds before beginning to wash his body and as he was washing his hair, he heard something move in the bathroom, like soft footsteps growing closer, closer, closer...

He wiped the water out of his eyes before opening them and his heart sped up when he saw a shadowy figure standing on the other side. He started to feel anxious, a sick feeling sitting in his stomach and in his panicked state, Hongjoong decided to slowly grab the curtain. He ripped it open...

He was alone. No one was there. He calmed himself down, letting out a sigh as he looked around the empty bathroom but his heart was still beating quite fast. It was so strange 'cause he swore he saw someone; someone looking in on him as he showered. He closed the curtain, washing out the shampoo and conditioner.

———

Hongjoong was sitting on the couch with his laptop in his lap, scrolling through jobs that were currently hiring. The rent wasn't that much; around $270. He had enough money in his bank for food and to pay the rent next month. Somehow, Hongjoong had drifted away from job searching to other interesting topics, that topic being the apartment. He bit his lip as he typed into the search bar; what is a blood demon? He hit enter then clicked on Wikipedia.

A blood demon is a type of evil spirit that has a thirst for human blood. Similar to a vampire and an incubus which is a demon in male form who, according to mythological and legendary traditions, lies upon sleeping women in order to engage in sexual activity with them. But the blood demon doesn't feed off of sexual activities.

The blood demon will drain its victim of all their blood before burning, chopping them up into little pieces or dragging them down to hell. This demon can change its appearance. It has 4 different forms; its normal demon form, spirit form (which is covered in a black mist), half-demon half-human form and its human form.

It is very attractive in its human form, using its looks to lure people into its trap before killing them and draining their blood. This demon is not nice and whoever comes into contact with it, will be murdered.

The blood demon is summoned a lot in sacrificial rituals and it will grant you whatever you desire, but be careful what you wish for. This demon is playful and cheeky so it will trick you.

Hongjoong opened a new tab typing in, how to get rid of a blood demon?

Blood demons are summoned, so if a blood demon is living in your home, there is no way of getting rid of this evil spirit. Not even a priest will try to rid your home of it because it is pure evil. Moving out is the best option in this case.

Opening a new tab, he typed; sacrificial ritual in apartment 66, butterfly road. He tapped enter.

Hongjoong clicked on the first website and it showed a picture of the apartment building he was currently living in. He scrolled down and started reading.

On 13th June, 1966 a group of cultists performed a sacrificial ritual in the apartment building on Butterfly Road at 3:33 AM in apartment 66. The 24-year-old man that was sacrificed in this ritual, will not be named for the family's respect and privacy.

His blood was completely drained, his limbs were amputated. The head was left in the sink which was filled with ice while his arms and legs were left in the bath that was also filled with ice. No drop of blood could be found in the apartment leaving authorities questioning how they were able to drain the body and amputate without leaving a mess.

The cultists were never found and they had left a message on the wall. "The blood demon is pleased with us and we will be granted everlasting life."

A picture shows the words painted in blood on the wall above the bed in the bedroom.

Warning: graphic images are shown below.

Hongjoong inhaled then exhaled before scrolling down, his eyes widening when he saw the gruesome images and he threw a hand over his mouth, slamming the laptop shut. He sat like that for a few minutes before opening the laptop again and cringing at the gory images.

A pentagram was carved into the wooden floorboards in what looked like the lounge/dining room and in the pentagram laid a mutilated body; the limbs had been amputated and were nowhere to be seen in the photo. The next picture showed the victims severed head in the bathroom sink, his eyes gouged out, blood rolling out of the sockets and his bottom jaw had been ripped off, it placed on the bench to the left of the sink. His arms and legs were in the bathtub and there was a lot of blood that covered almost all of the white tiles.

Hongjoong placed his laptop next to him and stood up. He pushed the couch over and lifted the old rug that had probably been there for years, but looked like it had been recently cleaned before he moved in. Moving it to the side, his breath hitched and he crouched, running his hand over the carving of the pentagram.

"How the hell did I not see this?"

His bedroom door slammed shut causing Hongjoong to jump up and he stared at his door before quickly making his way over to open it. He looked in the room and saw nothing. The wind maybe? No, Hongjoong didn't have any windows open.

He walked in more when an unseen force harshly shoved him against the door, causing him to knock his head hard and he fell unconscious...