Ping

"I'm home," I whisper as I enter the living room and lock all the doors, ever since this has become my habit once I reach home every day.

Just as expected, I'm greeted by silence. Heaving out a sigh, I take another look at my watch and it shows 12.45 am.

Tired.

This is the only word popping out from my mind. So, I stagger into my own room as fast as I can and throw my handbag by the vanity. After changing into some comfortable home clothes from the wardrobe, I eventually gives in to the wave of uneasiness spreading through my head and tumble down the fluffy bed.

Oh, the light is not off yet and I need the fresh air conditioner to be switched on too.

But suddenly, the sound of someone breaking the glass is crystal clear. Alertness makes me throw the thought of resting behind while my legs commence on walking myself towards my parents' bedroom.

As soon as I'm about to touch the doorknob, I can hear my sister's scream coming from another room before the door in front is pulled open a little forcefully.

Here comes dad with a gun stuffed in his belt. "Get into the room," he whispers. "I'll go and save Ying," he means my sister and I nod. "Take down your specs, you can see clearer in the dark now."

What?

But my mother pulls me into the room before I can even comprehend what my father has said. "What is happening, mum?" I ask in a whisper as she takes my specs away. Just as stated by my dad, I do see clearer without them even in the dark.

I can see every furniture in detailed shapes and also my mother's worried face. One of her hands is clutching on a fruit knife. Her eyes do not flash any weird colours like my father. "I don't know, girl. All I know is your dad saying weird things to me until this happens. He said these things are coming to get you," she answers with her hands cupping my cheeks.

"You can't hide forever, girl." A husky voice thunders through the walls until the whole house begins to rumble. Dust falls eventually and this quickens my heart beat at all times. "I suggest you to show yourself before I break your little sister's neck. Oh and your father, he's dead."

"Help me..." I can hear my sister sobs right outside the master room.

"Don't," my mother stops me as I'm about to leave my hiding spot. "It's a trap, your father is alive."

I take a quick look at my mother only to see blood gushing out from the corner of her mouth. "Mum!"

She coughs and more blood splashes and lands on the floor, forming a tiny blood puddle. "Your dad just told me he's not dead yet in my head..." Her face turns patch white when she continues to talk. "He... he's in the kitchen, injured."

"Stop talking mum," I whisper-shout at her as I can see her lips turning pale. "You're dying." My voice cracks when I brace my mother in my lap, her blood soaking my shirt and jeans.

"They are forcing your father to innertalk with me because I'm a human- and I can't handle the wave..." All of these sound like a riddle to me that I can't quite understand what's going on.

What talk? Why isn't dad human? Why are they after me?

"Our master don't like to wait, young Elaria." The husky voice threatens, reminding me jeopardy my sister's situation is. Her whimper echoes softly through the wooden door, showing that they are waiting for me to show up. "You better show up or your sister's skull will be our next gift to you tonight."

"Don't shoot me..." Ying cries when the husky voice cackles dryly.

"I'm counting to three. One," my mind races when I trying to make a quick decision. "Two," his voice rises and my heart skips a beat. I can feel it stamping violently on my ribcage and trying to break out from my chest. The uneasiness which I've felt earlier returns until my hand reaches for the doorknob and turns it.

After turning back to glance at my dead mother, I let the rage consume me and pull the door open. It collides with the wall as I show myself at the door frame. "Let her go," I demand, bearing the stinging pain at the tip of my ears. My vision turns clearer as I can feel myself on fire. The exhaustion which I can feel moments ago is no more.

"Well well well, look who's angry now." With the clearest point of view I have never imagined in my whole life, I take in everything presented in front of me - My injured sister, a gun pointed at her temple, a figure with vines creeping all over its body... Its hollow eyes stare directly at me, its mouth cracks into a huge creepy grin when it talks again, "You two are coming with me."

"What?" But before I can interpret everything, the viney freak aims its palm at me like Ironman before my neck is crawled with those snakey vines. No matter how hard I've tried to pry the vines away, they end up turning tighter around my neck.

"Please don't hurt her..." My sister's plead turns into the sound of illumination as darkness wraps around me like a huge blanket. My eyes roll upwards while I open my mouth to gasp for oxygen.

"Don't worry, little Alea, our master wants her alive..." The reassurance turns into echoes when it reaches my eardrums. Numbness is what I can sense until I finally give in to the invading dizziness.

_____

How long have I been out?

With the worst imagination planted in my mind if I ever move my eyelids, I allow myself to look around.

What I've expected is a dark, mossy place full of ugly creatures, or a small cell built to lock me up, or being tied to a chair and someone badass sitting like a boss while staring at me with a mischievous grin.

But no.

This place is the total opposite from what I had thought earlier. It is white and clean, with warm orange sunlight penetrating through the uncovered windows. Besides that, someone's hunching figure rests by the bed and it appears to be my mother.

My dead mother?!

Soon, the horrible memory begins to rise up and replay in my brain, causing my fear until I fail to control my emotion and eventually scream.

ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ʜᴇʀᴇ. ɪ'ʟʟ ʜᴜɢ ʏᴏᴜ ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ғʀɪɢʜᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴘɪɴɢ's sᴄʀᴇᴀᴍ.

ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛ 🎆 ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴇxᴄɪᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ʙᴛs' ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ғᴏʀ ɢʀᴀᴍᴍʏ ᴀᴡᴀʀᴅs.

ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ, ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ. ɪ'ʟʟ sᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ. sᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ sᴏᴏɴ, ʟᴏᴠᴇʟʏ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀs.