Everything’s too dark. Kathleen caresses her hand on the cold and empty floor as she pushes herself up in one hand. “Where am I?” She asked as she watched everything around her in confusion. Her eyes squinted as a blinding light, from nowhere, hit her eyes. Furrows formed on her forehead when she suddenly found herself standing in a hall. She turned from corner to corner only to find out she’s in Samantha’s old house.
“Hello?” She called to no one in particular—thus—no one answered either. Her heart started pounding; she could feel the muscles in her neck stiffen when the floor suddenly tilted from one side to another, but oddly enough, she’s still standing unmoved. She only stared into nothingness when a much brighter light struck from above leading towards the second floor of the house. She’s never been there before neither any of their friends; Samantha’s rules, and Kathleen wondered—what’s up there? She felt like a strong magnetic force is slowly pulling her towards the stairs until she found herself going up. Not long enough, she came face to face to a door at the end of a long and empty hallway to where the light is coming from. Taking few big steps, she heaved deep exasperated sighs, as she approached the mysterious door and opened it. For some unexplainable reason, she already found herself standing in a meadow. “Kath!” Kathleen looked back and almost tripped when she saw Samantha––no––she saw a young Samantha together with a young her. She only watched the two of them picking poppies. The young Kathleen picked the orange ones––Samantha’s favorite color, while Samantha picked the purple––Kathleen’s favorite. Her lips parted when Samantha suddenly looked at her and slowly walked towards her direction to hand her the poppies. “Together forever?” Samantha asked in a high, pleasant tone. Slowly, a smile crept on Kathleen’s thin lips. “Of course! Together forever––,” just when she was able to finish what she was saying, the poppies turned black and wilted and then everything disappeared: the meadows––them––she's now back in the hall. “You know... nothing lasts forever.” Kathleen turned around and saw Samantha dressed in white. Her eyes are droopy, her face is a bit pale. She was sitting on her old couch and was staring at her best friend from a distance. Her heart started beating a little tick quicker when Samantha stood up and looked outside the dusty window. “Love, compassion, and even life…” she chuckled. “Even secrets can’t be stayed hidden––everything has an end.” Kathleen’s throat dried. She always hated horror movies and now, seems like she’s one of the casts. “What are you trying to say?” Her voice is coarse, she hardly understood what she just said. Samantha looked at her in an exasperated grimace, turned towards her heel, and pointed the frame hanging on the wall. It was a portrait of a woman dressed in a Russian court gown which was evidently not there a while ago. “Her name is Lada Proebrazhensky; an evil and a heartless woman who lives in a place near the abandoned chambers in Chukhloma,” she began. “She killed her husband, Christopher Brown, to take all his wealth on her own, with their only child, Daniel Brown––my father,” her eyes dropped down the cold floor. “She molded my dad to be as heartless and wicked as her and married Josefina, the heir of the Smith family, just for her wealth. Their real plan was to kill her after months, but dad really fell in love with my mom which made my grandmother gobble in range, cursing one of the two beating hearts inside her womb.” Kathleen stood immobilized when Samantha turned to look at her. “'Twas the night of November 13 when me and my twin sister were born. It was me; I am the cursed one, and was the one who’s supposed to be taken away by that who inhabits the other realm on the night of our 7th birthday but my sister took my place to save me in a form of a ritual she made behind my back.” Kathleen felt chills sprung through her spines by Samantha’s rancorous remark. “A-And who is that––that who inhabits the other realm?” Samantha’s lips tightened. “The personification of my curse, Mors,” she suddenly placed a finger across her lips. “You should never speak its name or your soul will be hunted.” Her light steps towards Kathleen and the way she held her freezing hands made the woman freeze even more. “Your hands are usually warm, but I quite understand,” she whispered and looked directly in her eyes. “Just underneath our minimal perception lies another world—a world humans shouldn’t know; the world where I belong and it calls me again. This is the only safe place to where I can speak about them... about those dreadful creatures,” Samantha’s shoulders settled down and tears started dimming her eyes. “Every time it’s back, it takes someone I love. I thought it was over, when I tried offering what it needs, but I was tricked. I am a cruel and a horrible person. I have killed lots of people who cared for me, even children, with my own hands as an offering in return of my freedom, but nothing happened. The curse can’t seem to be broken.” Kathleen felt her words vaporized before she could even open her mouth. “Am I hearing things, right?!” “Every time I see my victim lie on the sacrificial table surrounded with black candles, my heart breaks, but because of my fear in death, holding that cold knife with my two shaking hands felt like a remedy. As I raise the knife and stab it into their hearts, their cries... their cries seem to heal my cursed and dying soul.” Kathleen only stared at her—there being nothing else she could do, nothing else she could say— disregarding the angst that clumped her entire anatomy, spurning the horror that held her heart in an icy fist; can believe nothing of what Samantha is saying. But looking at her while uttering all of those with a devilish smile on her face, something just seems to make sense. “I no longer deserve to live, Kath. I’ve done so much cruelty and I need to pay for it. Forgive me for keeping this as a secret from you. I am so scared that if you knew, you’ll leave. I just can’t lose you either,” Samantha bit her lip as her grip started to loosen. “W-What are you doing?!” Kathleen stuttered as Samantha started walking backwards to where a peculiar faceless man who stands 7 feet tall, with hair which looks like moving spider legs—as what Kathleen would describe—is waiting for her; beside the man stood a familiar little girl. “You!” Kathleen screamed when the girl held Samantha’s hand and led her towards the dark, away from her. “No! Shane! Stop right there. Don’t go with her!” Samantha only looked at her for the last time and smiled before completely vanishing in the dark. “H-Hey!! NO! WAIT!” Kathleen tried chasing after her but her body froze into a statue. “Deaths stops curses, so whatever you do, do not ever try and look for me.” Kathleen broke into a loud cry when Samantha's soft voice echoed through the empty spaces of the dark place to where she’s now standing blankly at. “No, I will come! Devils curse me for all I care—I will come!” Her voice vibrated in her throat. “I will come no matter where you are! We promised each other we will be there for each other through thick and thin, right?! Right?!" She waited for a response, but seems like her voice could no longer reach Samantha. “NO! NO! DON’T LEAVE! PLEASE! SHANE!” Kathleen gasped and opened her eyes to find herself drowning in her own tears. “Love! Love are you okay?” She looked beside her to where she saw Christian; behind him stood Kim and Junel. They all looked extremely worried. Goosebumps crawled in Kathleen’s whole body not because of the cold. She’d never considered herself so imaginative and that dream, just now, felt so real—yet again. “Where’s Shane?!” She groaned. “Where is she?” Everyone’s mood nose-dived. “You were the only one inside her car when the rescuers arrived, Kath,” Kim muttered. Kathleen caught Christian staring and dropped his gaze in gloom. “What do you mean?” “You were asleep for three days now, love.” “S-So Samantha’s gone for already three days?!” Kathleen screech. “Are Scott and Kaiser looking for her?” She asked but none of them answered; she looked at Junel and his eyes widened. “W-We don’t know. We haven’t seen him s-since they broke up.”Kathleen's jaw clenched, scrubbing her hands in anger. “That piece of shit!” She winced, pushing herself up in one hand. “How heartless can he be?!” Her curly, dark brown hair, fell into her face as she eyed her huge black leathered purse placed on the bedside table. “Hey! Love, stay still! You’re not fine yet,” Christian tried laying her back down the bed but she fought and even pulled her IV out. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP!” He yelled, restraining both her arms. “Love, please calm down,” Kathleen only stared at him, feeling the blood creeping down her hands. “I can’t just sit here and wait for an update to what happened and what’s happening to my best friend,” she whimpered. “I’m all she has now,” Kathleen pulled her hands and wiped all the blood with the blanket. Despite her head turning, she managed to stand up and stepped out of the room. Kim and Junel helped her walk while Christian went to talk to the doctor. “He's been seeing his ex-girlfriend behind my back quite some time now,” Kathleen sagged against the wall, emotions weakening her knees. She looked at Junel and Kim, tears falling down her cheeks. Both of them watched the thought cross Kathleen face and looked down. “I’m so sorry,” Kim broke into a soft sob. “I didn’t know this would happen. I-I just don’t know how to tell you—I don’t know how to tell Samantha. All of you are my friends and we cannot seem to side anybody so we remained quiet. I-I should have done something but now she’s gone. I’m so sorry. They stood there for a moment, staring at each other. Kathleen, struggling against her desire to lose her remaining sanity, had a violent impulse to snap their hands off, and before she could, she chose to leave. Christian found her sitting beside her car when he reached the parking lot. She never said a thing until they reached home and spotted Christian scrolling through a familiar F******k account. He looked at her with a frown. “This might be a wrong timing, but I think it would be better if you know earlier.” Kathleen looked at him as he handed her his phone and her body shook in rage. Scott is engaged with his ex-girlfriend just an hour ago. “Holy mother of Titans,” she scoffed in disbelief. “So, the reason why he didn’t even show up because of this? That’s very humane of him, actually.” “I'm sorry you have to go through this because of me. Please take care of him for me, o-okay? I-I love him so much––very much.” Kathleen could only bite her lips when she heard Samantha’s voice resounding in her mind out of nowhere. She held her head when she remembered the dream she had earlier. Everything’s so vivid. Everything felt real, or are they? She’s bewildered. But what she’s certain of is that Samantha is in danger and needs her help. She rested for hours and waited for Christian to leave for work so, she could sneak out. She only wore a SpongeBob oversized shirt, fitted jeans, and yellow converse, then went on her way. She’s about to lock the gate when a guy approached her. He’s wearing all black. From his tic-tac shoes to his jeans, to his shirt, and to his leather jacket. “Hello,” his voice sounds sweet, but his tone… “Does he want war?!” Kathleen thought. “Ah... hi?” “You’re Kathleen, right?” Her brows twitched. “Y-Yes, why?” He nodded. “My name is Takumi Takahashi, Shane’s senior psychiatrist. And I have something to tell you.” “About what?” She saw his Adam’s apple rolled. “About Shane.”"What kind of a sick joke is this?!" Kim's fist slammed against the table, the sound reverberating through the dusky room Her patience had already worn thin, but now, it was crumbling entirely. Her gaze snapped to the man seated beside her, who was flipping lazily through the grimoire—the supposedly cursed artifact that had cost them so much to obtain. The same one Tomoya had handed over through Jess. "We've spent days trying to decipher whatever secrets this book holds," Kim seethed, voice sharp enough to cut through the tension, "and you're telling me that none of this makes sense?!" The man, utterly unfazed by her outburst, merely arched an eyebrow before lazily flipping to the next page. He hadn’t slept a wink since being summoned to assist with some so-called "historical witchcraft discovery," only to find himself drowning in this absolute nonsense. He ran his fingers over the inked text, his expression caught somewhere between amusement and intrigue. "I'm telling you,"
Theresa’s gaze flickered toward Samantha, her fingers absently tightening around the hem of her sleeve. She sat on the couch across from her, positioned beside Tomoya, but despite their proximity, she felt miles away from the conversation about to unfold. Samantha, for her part, remained unnervingly still. Beside her, Kathleen’s posture was equally rigid, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, as though bracing for the inevitable. No one in the room looked prepared for what was coming. The silence stretched, thick and suffocating, until the sharp chime of the doorbell shattered it. Tomoya sprang up, his movements quick—almost desperate. He didn’t make the same mistake as before. This time, he peered through the peephole, his shoulders visibly relaxing only after confirming the identity of the visitor. With a swift motion, he unlatched the door, revealing Takumi. The moment he stepped inside, all eyes locked onto him. Except for Theresa. She couldn’t bring herself to l
“H-How is she—”Theresa’s voice wavered, her disbelief evident in the tremble of her words.Tomoya didn’t hesitate. In a swift movement, he stepped between her and Samantha, blocking her view as if shielding something fragile, something that shouldn’t exist.But Theresa was quicker.She sidestepped him, her eyes locking onto Samantha before widening in shock.“D-Did you guys really open a portal…?” she whispered, the color draining from her face.Her words sent a chill through the room.Kathleen tensed beside Samantha, her fingers curling into fists. She darted forward, gripping Theresa’s arm with a careful but firm touch.“Theresa,” Kathleen’s voice was soft but urgent. “Come inside.”There was no resistance. Theresa allowed herself to be pulled in, her eyes never leaving Samantha, as if afraid that if she looked away, she would vanish.Tomoya, still on edge, cast a quick glance over his shoulder before shutting the door. He lingered for a moment, scanning the dimly lit hallway, ensu
The morning erupted in chaos before Samantha even had a chance to process where she was. The muffled sound of a ringing phone reverberated through Tomoya’s small apartment, followed by the sharp clatter of something being knocked over. From the kitchen, the scent of burnt coffee mixed with the faint tang of disinfectant, remnants of whatever frantic cleaning had taken place the night before. She sat on the worn-out couch, her fingers curling around the fabric of Tomoya’s blanket draped over her lap. Her mind was sluggish, heavy with exhaustion, yet confusion gnawed at her. Why was she here? Why Tomoya’s apartment, of all places? If Takumi wanted to keep her safe, wouldn’t Kathleen’s home have been a more logical choice? Kathleen would have welcomed her without hesitation. But instead, she had woken up to Tomoya pacing the small living room, muttering to himself, his laptop glowing with lines of code she couldn’t decipher. Samantha’s pulse quickened as she tried to recall the las
The stillness of the Takahashi estate lingered in the air like a suffocating fog, broken only by the hurried footsteps of Anwar and Anthony as they dragged Gerald back inside. The young guard’s face was pale, his wide eyes darting around like a hunted animal. “I… I swear I didn’t mean to wander around,” Gerald stammered. “Something… something pulled me into the garden. I just… got lost.” Takumi’s sharp gaze pierced through him, but he said nothing, gesturing for Anwar and Anthony to continue their investigation. When they reached the surveillance room, the scene before them deepened the mystery. Two guards, barely conscious and bloodied, were slumped against the consoles. Their wounds weren’t life-threatening but told a tale of a brutal struggle. The air in the room was thick with the metallic tang of blood and the faint hum of the untouched monitors. “Junel,” one of the injured guards managed to rasp. “It… it was him. He attacked us out of nowhere… like he was possessed.” Anthon
Takumi’s movements were measured, calculated, as though the air itself had grown heavier, amplifying every sound and motion. He approached Samantha cautiously, wrapping his coat over his hand before carefully prying the knife from her trembling fingers. The blade clattered to the floor beside Junel’s lifeless body, a stark and chilling punctuation to the surreal tableau before him. “Don’t call the cops unless I say so,” Takumi instructed, his tone steady but low, carrying an authority that brokered no argument. Anwar and the butler exchanged uneasy glances but nodded, their training overriding their questions. Anwar knelt beside Junel’s body, pressing two fingers against his neck to confirm the absence of a pulse. Meanwhile, Takumi grasped Samantha by the wrist, her skin cold to the touch, and led her down the dim hallway to the nearest bathroom. The silence between them was deafening, broken only by the soft shuffle of their footsteps and the faint hum of the overhead lights. As