Playing The Dreams // a Dreamcatcher story

Chapter 20

❝ 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐀; 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬. ❞

~

The elevator made a ringing sound before it opened. All seven figures who stood in front of it marched inside with their snacks crunching in their mouths, but not all of them had it. They had just finished their weekly promotions hence their bodies let out a deep sigh.

"Siyeon unnie," whined someone while tugging the person beside her, "give me a bite." She left her mouth wide open for Siyeon to stuff some chips in her mouth. Siyeon lowered the chips and looked at the person asking for it. "Gah.. Gahyeon?"

"Yah, I asked for the chips."

"Oh.. R-Right.." Siyeon handed it over but then locked her gaze at the maknae. "I-Is that really you?"

Gahyeon laughed, "Of course unnie." She clicked her lips and went back to dig into the chips. "You're getting drowzy."

Siyeon started to laugh faintly too. "Gahyeon, I---"

Boom!

The elevator shook harshly. Siyeon ducked but was aware that Gahyeon was standing still, frozen, pale. A moment later, the elevator shook again. "Gahyeon?" Siyeon called trying to get up with wobbly knees after scanning the elevator which was now empty. It shook, knocking Siyeon off her balance and falling flat into the corner. She bruised her elbow on the corner of the elevator but the shaking had stopped. Her arms spread out on the elevator walls, trying to keep safe.

Her breathe was even more shaky. "Ga.. Gahyeon?!" she screamed. Her lungs suddenly felt pressed, her chest being crushed, ribs feeling like it was almost breaking into pieces.

She suddenly felt suffocated. Her eyes throbbed, but she knew what she was seeing was happening. The elevator walls started to shrink, darkness surrounded her and kept her company like the cold chilling wind. "Unnie?" Gahyeon's voice kept echoing in her ears, but she was not there, not even a single presence of her members.

Siyeon's pupils ran across the room, trying to dart a way of escape.

The walls started to push onto Siyeon's toes and fingers. She tried to push them off but was barely successful. Her shortness of breathe worsened and she could not find a way out. She grabbed her neck and chest and tried to feel her breathing. "H-Help.. A-Anyone.. J-Just," she took a deep breathe, "HELP!"

There was a huge bang when the wall fell onto Siyeon's body, shoving her into another new surrounding. Her lungs felt hollow, lacking oxygen, but now she was calmer. Her forehead was splashed with sweat and her hair was nearly soaked. She shut her eyes and swallowed her saliva down her throat. She did not want to even scan the area she was in, she was too afraid.

She wrapped her hands together and blew into them, eyes still shut. "It's okay Siyeon, you've faced this before.. You.."

Her eyes cracked open and her heartbeat suddenly kicked up a notch.

She screamed again as the room merged into a small attic, spiderwebs swaying at the corners, buckets surrounding her. "No.. No.. Not again, please," she murmured. She shut her ears while crying with some other noise from the other side that suddenly started from the door. "Not again.. Please!"

Her eyes opened wider each cry, trying to forget this terrible memory. She was grown up now, but she could never forget the start of her phobia. Trauma. Locked in the attic as a young child. She could not take it much longer.

She crawled towards the door and banged it. "I'm stronger now, I'm not a child anymore." Fists thrusting at the door, she kept crying and crying. She saw Gahyeon before and others, she could have spoke, but she did not. When you are in a dream, you barely have control.

She finally heard a huge bang, it was hope. "Help me! Help---" Siyeon choked as the air suddenly felt densed. She held her neck again. "P-Please," she begged while falling on the floor. The moment she closed her eyes, the door was unlocked but what Siyeon saw before blanking out wad a huge flash of light and a silhouette. The buckets and boxes crashed into each other, collapsing over Siyeon's unconscious body.

She felt arms wrap over her shoulder with a call of her name --- unrecognizable. The arms brought her upwards and tried to shake her awake, but Siyeon still did not feel anything.

➳

"What did you call me for, Namjoon?" Taehyung asked sternly with arms wrapped behind his back. "Something's not right," he swiped his tablet, "it's number three, Lee Siyeon."

"What's wrong?" he stole the tablet to his hands. "Her heart rate is up and she's feeling alot of fear but it's going down. Something's not right, it's supposed to keep going upwards."

Taehyung zoomed into the screen.

"Interactions."

"Are you sure it's not her subconscious?"

"It might." He turned the tablet and handed it back. "Why is this happening? I thought we already got the algorithms correct."

"We did, it's just.. Once they do meet someone, not just their subconscious, the dreams can just.. Change."

Taehyung hummed. "Keep an eye on her, I want to know her condition. We can't let them have interactions."

a/n:

hello world. i don't know if i'll update much throughout this month because i've been bombarded by alot of schoolwork and exams. but with this, i'll try my best to update frequently..

ty for your understanding ❤️