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“This is literally the stupidest fuckin’ idea you’ve ever pitched to me before. I honestly don’t know why I’m standing next to you right now. I actually hate you,” Taehyung grumbled as he stood next to his excited best friend of 6 years. He held a camera around his neck with a bag on his back filled with different lenses to attach on.
“The only thing you hate is the fear of pissing your pants when we get in there and see some ghosts!” The best friend- Jungkook- in question, quipped back. Having a pocket full of batteries and a ready to go ‘state of the art’ camcorder in his hand he was practically giddy. Black pants, white tee and a jean jacket over his shoulder with a black cap on his head to cover his messy black hair. Taehyung, on the other hand, was a bit more creative in clothing with his blue skinnies and checkered button down, a black bandana strapped around his forehead.
“I’m gonna kill you and throw your stupid body in that house so you haunt it for the rest of existence.” Taehyung seethed. He wasn’t scared per se, he’s used to Jungkook’s ‘ghost hunting’ by now. It’s just that he had a recital coming up soon and he wanted to be home right now practicing for it. Not breaking and entering into a property that is no doubt private by now.
Jungkook new this, but tonight was the perfect night for a good ole ghost hunting! The moon was high, shining brightly with the light of the full moon and not a cloud was in the sky. The stars speckled the sky and the soft spring breeze was calming and warm. It wasn’t cold, nor rainy and the full moon so clear had to be a sign! It was now, or never. Of course, if he explained why it had to be today to Taehyung, he’d ultimately leave him behind to hunt on his own. Every famous ghost hunter needed an assistant; even if Taehyung denies that he is.
“We go in, walk around a little bit and batta-bing batta-boom, we’re out. If we don’t see a ghost in the first 2 hours, then I promise we’ll call it quits and we can go for a late night burger run.”
“And I expect you to be paying for this burger run?”
“Well, that’s up for debate.” Taehyung rolled his eyes as he hiked his bag up his shoulders more and clicked off the camera’s lens cover for it to dangle. Seeing his fall into submission of Jungkook’s scheme, he cheered and fired up his camcorder. “Alright! Exploration and investigation of 12th Avenue’s mystery house is officially underway. Let’s get it!” He charged off the sidewalk and weeded through the knee-high tanned grass- if you can call it that- all the way up to the porch. Taehyung followed, taking the walkway up to the door, however, and watched as Jungkook turned and swiveled in every which way to capture anything he could on his cam.
Taehyung sighed as he watched his friend even film underneath the old, broken table that sat on the very unstable, rotten wood. “I’m leaving your sorry ass behind I swear to god,” he muttered as he looked at the front door. Or the poor excuse for one. The hinges were all busted, the door handle rusted and the front oval shaped glass broken. The wind whistled in through the broken glass. There was no way the door wasn’t going to fall off if he touched it.
Jungkook stood next to Taehyung and cupped his chin. “Maybe we can just pluck it off the frame and move it? If we make too much noise, the ghosts may hide.”
“You made enough sound going through the treacherous jungle that is the lawn. I’m pretty certain the ghosts- if there are any- are already well aware some fuckboy is trying to get in.” Jungkook walked forward and hooked his camcorder to his belt as he gripped over sides of the broke door and jerked. Once, twice and the third time he nearly stumbled backward. The door flew off the hinges ti was barely attached to and Jungkook blinked.
“Yo, we wanted to take the door off, not destroy the damn frame.” Jungkook moved the door to the side as Taehyung examined the wooden, splintered frame. “That was some force you had, Jesus.”
“It.. no. It felt like someone kicked the door at me.” Taehyung ticked a brow up at his friend as he rolled his eyes. Already not believing him. “I’m serious! It felt like someone pushed the door off for me!” Taehyung just waved him off as he stepped inside. Jungkook huffed as he followed him in. “Damn,” Jungkook looked around, “this place is a wreck.”
“No kidding. It’s been vacant for a while and no one bothers with upkeep around here.” Taehyung answered back as he snapped pictures here and there. The flash of his camera igniting the dark room for milliseconds, leaving only outlines of objects behind. “No doubt the power’s been cut.” Jungkook unhooked his cam from his belt and switched the camera mood to ‘night vision’ and trotted to Taehyung’s bag on his back.
He pulled out two small flashlights. There were small and like 4$ at the local drug store, but damn they were bright and the batteries lasted- what Jungkook swore- eons. Not to mention it was a sweet deal when they came in packs of 2. Just what he needed for only 4$.
He flicked them both on, already stocking it with prime AA+ batteries, and tossing one to Taehyung, keeping the other for himself. Of course, out of the two colors, he tossed the pink one and kept the blue. Taehyung only rolled his eyes as he separated from his friend to waltz into the living room.
“Hey! Rule #1 in hunting in old, creepy houses is not separating!” Jungkook scolded. Taehyung only flipped him a slender, middle finger as he rounded the doorway into the dusty room. Jungkook swung himself around. “Fine, get molested by a ghost. I don’t care.” He walked into the kitchen.
The island in the middle of the open room was dusty and a glass vase filled with cooking utensils caught his eye. Why would they be here? Did the last family who lived here- whenever that was- leave them? He shrugged as he filmed the room thoroughly, capturing anything.
Cobwebs hung and swung in the slight draft in the air from the ceilings, connecting to walls. The tiles of the floor were cracks or just flat out broken as Jungkook crunched them under his feet or kicked them with his heels. The counters were a mess, dusty, grimy and coated in a thick layer of dirt. The windows were cracked and covered in a hefty layer of dust. Opening the fridge, he cringed as he saw a dead rat in the lower rack of the fridge door.
Shutting it back, he looked up at the ceiling. Damaged and moldy. “Gross,” he muttered as he filmed. Working his way back out into the main room, he followed Taehyung into the living room, seeing his friend capture photos and looked around furniture.
The house was still almost completely furnished. A love seat and 4 person couch sat adjacent to one another with an old-style box TV the size of a bathroom window sat on an old, open shelved audio tower. The shelves were lined with dusty DVD and VHS players with a small collection of about 20 movies below on the bottom shelf. Jungkook zoomed on the old piece of technology.
“Woah, dude. This is older than I thought. Just how long has this place been vacant?”
“Don’t act like you didn’t watch back to back Sailor Moon on VHS when you were 5. It’s not that ancient.” Jungkook gasped.
“Don’t insult me. Everyone knows Sailor Moon was the best anime of its era.” Taehyung opened up an old china cabinet, still filled with expensive china.
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever weeb.” The two continued to investigate and look around. Directly behind the living room, the dining room sat. The table oval and fit for a large family with 6 chairs surrounding it. A vacant fishbowl was filled with far-stale water with stupid rocks in the bottom and things floating in the water that Jungkook would rather not guess the name of.
The house creaked with each step of the grown men, being an almost all wood floor home. Rugs placed here and there, basically attached to the floor by grime and some mystery fluids here and there. Honestly, if some homeless beggar, squatting in the corner popped out at any moment, he wouldn’t be surprised.
Having gone through the downstairs enough, they set their sights on the staircase leading up. By now, even Taehyung was thoroughly invested in the exploration of the house. Not that he wasn’t before, Taehyug literally wrote a report in high school about this house and the weird vague origins around it. He was hardly able to dig up any information on it, even when he called up the retailers, they just hung up on him and never picked up again. Jungkook nudged his arm with a broad, shit eating grin on his face.
“You’re having fun. Admit it. I’m a genius.” Taehyung shoved his shoulder as he started up, testing the wood of the stairs, making sure he wouldn’t fall through with each step. “Hey! It’s the team leader’s job to go first!”
“How humble,” Taehyung monotonously replied as he headed up. The wooden stairs were in the middle of the main entrance by the front door. Kitchen to the right, living room and dining room to the left. The stairs themselves weren’t looking so hot. A torn and tattered rug lining each step upwards posed a threat of someone tripping and subsequently dying, but thank god for rotted, old railings, right?
After a careful hike up, the two looked around the upstairs landing. In front of them was a large, bay window. The portion of the window poking out for aesthetically pleasing selfies or calm poetry sessions were covered with a sense of dread. A lone, torn and stained teddy bear lay face down on the bay.
Jungkook walked over to the window and knelt, getting a close up on the bear. “If ever I’ve seen a cursed object,” he muttered as he moved to get another angle of it. Taehyung walked up behind him, snapping a picture of the window letting in the moonlight as it illuminated the landing on the ground. Taehyung gently picked up the teddy bear as Jungkook rolled his eyes. “I just said it was probably cursed, and what do you do? Pick it up.” Taehyung gave yet another famous eye roll.
“Shut up. It’s a bear with a hole in the side of it. If it’s cursed, then surely its eyes would glow red and it’d bite my hand off or something.”
“That’s a horrible picture, thank you,” Jungkook shook his head as he stood. Taehyung was gentle in setting the bear back down, only now sitting it up and against the wall comfortably. The bear will surely remember his kindness.
Jungkook moved around and went to the left side of the stair landing while Tae took the right side. Down Jungkook’s end was one door and the other side was 2. Of course, the unspoken agreement was to open and explore. Taehyung went into the first of the two room and scoffed. Typical.
There was a bunk bed against the east wall. The bottom bunk had a hole in the mattress as springs pierced through clumps of polyester covered in grime. The floor was covered in toys that had paint chipped away or were broken and well worn in time. Climbing a step up the ladder in the bed, the top bunk seemed oddly in place A blanket thrown over the mattress and a pillow, albeit devoid of a pillowcase, wasn’t torn at all. All with a stuffed elephant standing against the pillow. He snapped a shot and descended to look in the closet across the room.
The closet door was stuck. Even with digging his heels in the floor and jerking, the door just wouldn’t budge. So, with a huff and a little fixing of his shirt he had bunched up, he turned and abandoned that hope. Not realizing the reason he couldn’t open it was the hand holding the doorknob from the other side.
The other room was nearly identical save for the lack of a bunk bed and only a king. Fit for parents. The room was lined with shelves with empty or broken frames. The frames that held pictures of people, the faces were all scratched out or cut out completely. He’d be lying if Taehyung said it didn’t give him the chills. This room had the door of the closet completely off, only there was absolutely nothing inside. Not even a mouse trap.
On Jungkook’s neck of the woods, the room he entered was the bathroom. It was pretty old styled. The toilet sat against the back wall with a shelf above it where one would place towels. Next to the throne was a broken toilet paper holder. Further along, the main wall was the sink with a mirror opening to reveal a medicine cabinet inside it. When he opened it, old prescription bottles rolled out, crashing into the sink’s bowl and scaring the poor boy. He shut it back as he took the bottle that fell and read the label the best he could.
“Chlorpromazine,” he read, reading each syllable out he could. Not knowing exactly what it treated and the label being far too damaged to read, he simply placed it on the side of the sink and turned to investigate further. “What the fu-” he trailed off when he looked at the bathtub. The tub filled to the brim with water, clear and freezing. The shower curtain lay on the floor under his boots as the shower head dripped with a never-ending water splash into the tub. “Oookay, right. Moving on.” He spun, not able to capture the small ripple rip through the water’s surface.
He caught Taehyung coming out of the second room as he waved to him and leaned against the wall.
“Find anything?”
“Maybe. Just the kids and parents room, a lot of dusty shit but there were a few creepy things, not gonna lie.” Jungkook’s face broke into a smile.
“Lemme see!” He pushed off the wall, ready to rush to his friend to go through the sweet picture he got, but he hardly got two steps in. The floor gave way under a particularly hard step and buckled under the young man’s weight.
“Jungkook!” Taehyung screamed as he watched his best friend fall through the floor. Rushing down the stairs, nearly falling on that damned rug, he stopped at the bottom and looked around and up at the hole above him. Yet, at his feet, didn’t lay Jungkook groaning in pain. He wasn’t in the kitchen, the living room, the dining area, the landing, the front yard, he just wasn’t there. Not even hanging pathetically from the hole he fell through. He just… disappeared?
XXX
Jungkook groaned as he rolled from his side and onto his back. He coughed as a shiver ran up his spine. Cracking open his eyes, he expected to see Taehyung peering up at him with a hole in the floor where he very clearly remembers falling through. But, to his shock, he stared at a perfectly whole, wooden ceiling.
“He probably just moved me,” Jungkook reasoned as he pushed his sore body up and grabbed the back of his head. A nice lump on the head and a killer headache are exactly what he didn’t need. Beside him, his camcorder lay completely busted. He gasped as he grabbed it. “Aw, man it’s completely fucked.” He sighed as he popped open the battery compartment and ejected the SD memory card and carefully pocketed it. Whatever was recorded on this puppy was all he would have, unfortunately.
Leaving the broken piece of metal, he forced himself up and thank god for dollar store flashlights. Seeing the light of the torch he hobbled over to it and picked it up. Bending at his hip to pick it up and then straighten back out his light shone into the face of a someone.
“AHh!” He screamed as the person he was pretty sure he just blinded screamed back at his own scream. Jungkook, ever the baby, fell back onto his ass as he whipped his light back up to see who he just shone his light onto. But, no one was there. He took the broken cam and tossed it into the darkness of nowhere, only to wait. There was nothing.
Next thing he knew, the cam was flying back at him, skimming past his shoulder as he quickly leaned out of the way.
“Hey!” He scolded into nowhere. “Don’t throw my shit!” Suddenly, a person’s face hung upside down and annoyed in front of his face.
“You threw it at me first!” He screamed again as the person, floated above him? Their- her- feet off the ground and body languid and iridescent? “I swear, men are the most pathetic thing.” She floated around, just relaxing in the air as her body was transparent and she wore older clothes. She looked no older than 19, and her capris and loose, untucked stripped teeshirt were at least early 2000s fashion.
“What the- I mean- you’re a-” An actual ghost was floating right in front of his eyes and his damn video camera was conveniently broken. God, what awful timing. He jumped when he heard the squeaking of the floors above him. Where was he, or rather where was Taehyung?! He was missing all the action! The ghost girl gasped as she grabbed something and threw it at Jungkook, grabbing his wrist as his body disappears.
“Shh,” the ghost hushed as he clutched a cube of scented wax in his hand, the thing the ghost threw at him and listened. The squeaking moved and soon was down the hall, and before he knew it he saw something pass through the floors above and come down. It was just across the room from him. It, he didn’t know what it was. It was tall, completely shadowed, it twitched, red hazy red like unfocused cat lasers. It was unbelievably tall, hunched as it’s pointed shoulders and chin seemed like it could impale steel. Soon, the figure who had sniffed around searching for anything-anyone that could be around- phased away. Where to, Jungkook really didn’t want to find out.
The ghost girl let go of him, as Jungkook became visible once again. A cold sweat gathered at his nape and traveled down his spine.
“What in the hell was that thing?” He fearfully whispered. Just looking at it instilled him with pure terror. He’d never experienced freezing fear before, now he has. He moved to look at the ghost who had moved to kneel on both her knees in front of him, sitting politely as she signaled for him to look at the cube of wax in his hand.
“That should keep you safe. It’ll make sure he doesn’t smell you. His eyesight isn’t good. If you don’t move and don’t make a sound with that cube, you’ll be safe.” The ghost explained, but that didn’t explain hardly anything at all.
“Who are you?” Was the only thing he found himself asking.
“My name is Y/n. I lived here a long time ago. My little brother, father and mother lived here with me.” You leaned closer to Jungkook and inspected him. His style, his face, his hair, his clothes, his shoes, everything. “What year is it outside? Time is kinda jumbled in here.” He opened his mouth.
“Uh, 2019 just started.” You gasped.
“It’s been that long!” You hushed yourself immediately and looked around, making sure no one, or rather, nothing heard you. “I’ve been dead for that long?” You lowered your voice significantly, almost in disbelief.
“So, you know you’re dead?”
“Well, of course. How else could I logically explain glowing, floating in the air and just conveniently turning invisible.”
“You were also able to touch me. How’s that work?”
“It took me a while to get that down, but with enough focused energy, I can become tangible. It’s pretty hard to do though.” He shook his head as he blinked and put his hands in front of him.
“Wait, wait, hold the fuckin’ phone. This is all way too much to process.” He took a moment, pinching the bridge of his phone, eyes skewed shut. “Right, so you’re an old, but young, dead girl. There’s some sort of demon? Roaming around? And I fell through the floor into a whole other room.” He opened his mouth, trying to make sense of it, yet it still left him utterly confused. Then his mind jumped back to Taehyung. “Oh god, Taehyung.”
“You’re friend?” You had seen him? He nodded.
“Yes! Oh my god, is he going to be okay?!” You nodded. “You’re way too calm about this. That thing is somewhere and my best friend also happens to be somewhere and I have no idea what to do about it. I don’t even know where the hell I am!”
“Calm down. My brother’s animals will see to it he is kept safe. He was very kind after all.” He blinked, falling further and further into confusion.
“Animals? What, so there are ghost animals too?”
“Not exactly. My little brother was forced to leave all his possessions behind when Mother left with him. He cared so much for his little stuff animals, they now possess souls. Your friend was very kind, so they will keep him safe.”
“Kind? When was he-” Jungkook remembered him picking up and replacing the teddybear ever so carefully. “The bear,” he said in realization. You nodded as the bear in question waved to you from the far end of the room behind Jungkook, before phasing out. “That small thing is gonna keep him safe?” You stood up, hopping up to have your toes brush the ground as you lazily floated.
“There are others. My brother had many toys. His favorite animal was an elephant,” you chuckled as you remembered him running around his room, elephant toy in hand making the most obnoxious sounds.
“An elephant ghost?!” You swore you saw the human’s eyes light up, just like your brother’s. He must be rather immature himself yet.
“Come on, I’ll get you back to your friend. You two should get out of her as soon as possible.” Jungkook sprung up, chasing after your elegant, flowing body. Your hair wisped behind you, like spider webs. If you stood on the ground in front of him, he’d be quite a bit taller than you. Actually, even for a ghost, you were rather pretty.
He followed you to a small ramp to a trapdoor above the two of you. He watched as you phased through the door above and he heard a click of what he assumed to be a lock and small bang on the door. He crawled up the ramp and pushed the door open. It squeaked with rusty hinges as he pushed it and it fell open. Peaking out, his hair whipped around, the cap he had lost previous somewhere no long restraining it in place. He was outside? Be looked around.
“The cellar?”
“That’s right. This house had an extensive cellar that runs underneath a good portion of the house. Now hurry, we need to find your friend.” He stopped you.
“I- I haven’t told you my name yet.”
“Why would I need to know it?”
“I know yours,” that was a fair point. You turned to him and sat with your knees to your chest as you got eye level with him. Waiting patiently for his name he was so eager to give. “My name’s Jungkook.”
XXX
He kept following your back, like a lost puppy. He felt oddly too trusting, but you didn’t seem like you’d walk him into a dangerous situation. I mean, you gave him a way to hide and stay safe and reassured him his best friend would be alright. He was worried about Taehyung, he was worried about when he’d get to go home, how long he’s been here and just exactly who were you?
You said you’d use to live here, with your family in this house. And your reaction when he told you the year out, you were shocked, too shocked for your death to be anytime in the last decade. That’s to be expected though, this house hadn’t been lived in for as along as Jungkook could remember.
He had a bazillion questions in his head, but his main priority was to find Taehyung. He needed to located and secure his best friend’s safety first, then maybe he could ask you a few questions.
You had led him around the house and back to the front door. The door had been replaced on its hinges and even locked shut.
“What the..” he looked at the door. It was like he never ripped it off in the first place, in fact, it looked better than it did before! “I- does that stupid shadow thing fix doors?” You shook your head.
“No. That was probably a different spirit here. There’s some here who don’t like it when stupid kids destroy their property.”
“You mean there are others here?”
“Of course. You’ve run into 3 already. Even your friend didn’t realize he was right in front of one before. Of course, Vivi doesn’t like it when people try to go into the closest without knocking first. It’s just bad manners.” Your hand phased through the doorknob, twisting the lock and opening the door perfectly. Opening like a door should. “We here aren’t allowed to leave until we’re found.”
“What- found?” You nodded as you both reentered the house. It was just as before, the hole Jungkook fell through still there. “Oh sure, fix the door but not the floor that’s convenient.” He spits in spite. You focused enough to whack him on the head as he cursed your stupid ability to become tangible in the first place.
His whining was cut off by a scream up above. It was Taehyung. You were off, floating in speed up the stairs in which Jungkook followed. Checking each room upstairs, not to fall through again, he didn’t see his friend. He very clearly heard him up here though! You stood in front of the bay window, Jungkook joining your side.
“The- that damn bear is gone!” You nodded.
“He probably has your friend.”
“Well, how do I get him back!” You looked up at the ceiling. “What? Is there something important about the ceiling?” You rolled your eyes as you floated up and soon revealed a hidden attic door. Dangling the custy pull, he rushed open and gripped it. Yanking it, he squawked and backed up as quick as possible before the stairs relentlessly fell onto the floor. It was like some cheap ass booby-trap. You flew up into the opening as he carefully climbed the how-ever-old ladder.
His head popped up the opening and he gasped as he saw his friend backed in a corner, that small teddy bear in front of him while that same shadow man-thing stood around. Taehyung had his palms clamped over his mouth as his nose exhaled harshly, making the tall shadow try and pinpoint his location. The bear hovered around Taehyung’s head, dinging like a soft bell. With each ring, the shadow twitched until it screech. It was a god awful sound.
Jungkook almost let go of the ladder to cover his ears, but you stopped him as you covered them for him. Your hands that you made physical were soft over his own, and it as like he was listening to the ocean waves. He didn’t realize that ghosts had such a pleasant internal sound.
The shadow screeched and seethed as it slashed through boxes, torn fabrics, threw anything it could touch in madness. It was horrific. What if what he was doing was done to a person? They would be mutilated, ripped, torn no doubt killed. The thought chilled Jungkook as you felt the change in his atmosphere. You hung upside down in front of his face and stopped his eyes from reaching that horrid, shadow.
“Don’t look,” you mouthed but didn’t speak. Soon, the shadow seemed to have enough and Jungkook once again saw it fade into nothing, leaving nothing but cold behind. You removed your hands and spoke. “You’re friend,” Jungkook was quick to get the rest of the way into the attic and rush to Taehyung’s side.
His hands had dropped to his stomach, holding it like he was going to retch. The teddy sat at Tae’s side, swaying in the air like it had marionette strings attached to it. His eyes were wide and he was shocked to see his camera in one piece around his neck yet.
“Tae! Tae! Hey, snap out of it!” You floated down to your knees as you knelt beside the frozen young man. He looked to you. “Can you help him?”
“I’m going to try.” You looked at the small teddy and asked him for something. The teddy rung again, a pleasant sound and a small cube sat in your palm. It was just like his scented one, so the bear is responsible for creating those? You held it up under his nose and soon he began to cough. You smiled as Taehyung seemed to come around as he gasped and held at his shirt. Jungkook smiled as he pat his friend on the back, trying to soothe him.
“Thank you,” Jungkook whispered to you.
“What the fuck was that?” Taehyung practically whimpered. Jungkook looked at you.
“That’s what I’d like to know. I have more than a few questions for you.” You nodded as you sat and crossed your legs. After Taehyung gathered himself, Jungkook caught him up on the situation to the best of his ability. Though, after that, the questions just kept growing.
“Alright,” you sat, ready for a questionnaire. “What do you want to know.”
“Everything,” Jungkook answered. “What the hell is going on? Why are you here, how did you die, when and-”
“What the ever loving fuck was Mr. Shadow-beast?” Taehyung injected in the final question. You sighed. It wasn’t a hobby of yourself to revisit your death, much less the last leg of your life, but if it will stop their questions and make sure they don’t come back like horror-driven kids tend to do, you’d tell it. The full story. Your story.
“I lived here with my family. We moved in the early 1990s. I was only a teenager at the time, and after 4 years of living here, my mother had my little brother. A family of 4, and we were happy. For a time, but then my dad started to get sick. He was ill, not right in the head. Nothing we did would pacify him. He’d get angry over any little thing, he’d push us around and scream and terrify my little brother. Soon, mother wanted out, so she ran out, taken my brother with her and leaving me behind. I was 19, so I could leave whenever I wanted, but…” you stopped as you looked around at the mess.
The mess that shadow man-made.
“Father, he became too ill. He stopped me from going anywhere. He locked me away in a secret room, told me ‘they’ told him to. He’d keep me there and I was never allowed to leave. Soon, I just lost track of time and one night when I fell asleep, I woke up-” you gestured to yourself “-like this.”
“You’re dad… he killed you?” Taehyung asked delicately.
“In a sense.”
“That isn’t ‘in a sense’, Y/n! He killed you. He forced you into a cage and killed you!” Jungkook scolded. “Is that why you can’t leave? You’re angry at your father?” You shook your head.
“No, that’s not it. Dad, he hid me. I can’t leave before he’s hidden me and he won’t let me leave. You saw earlier what happens when I try.” You looked once more at the wreckage.
“No way, that thing is your dad?!” You sighed.
“I don’t know what happened to him, but I don’t really care either. I’m sure he’s in a lot of pain, but what he’s put everyone threw, he deserves all the pain he’s receiving. Even after death, he won’t stop.” You looked at the two boys. “But, he’s confined here. He can’t leave this house, this property. He’s stuck here too.”
“When you say he hid you, do you mean your body?” You nodded. “So, what you said earlier, about being found. You want someone to find your body so you can finally go?” You nodded again. Jungkook shook his head in confusion though. “But, we were in the house, Y/n. Where could he possibly hide you in a house you know so well?”
“I don’t know, Jungkook. If I just managed to get close to my body- wherever it may be- I’m sure I could sense it somehow. Even a ghost has limits, and finding their own body is a major one. Why else do you think it takes exorcisms or man-lead discoveries for spirits to move one. We can’t do it alone.” The teddy that sat beside Taehyung rung once, twice and moved to fly and circle your head. It was almost trying to cheer you up. You smiled after giving the small teddy a poke as it floated back to Taehyung. You giggled. “I think he likes you.” Taehyung rolled his eyes.
“Y/n, what if we found your body?” Jungkook proposed. Taehyung looked at him shocked.
“Woah, what? Did you hear her, she doesn’t know where it is?”
“I know, but I don’t feel comfortable keeping her here with him. She’s helped us and with these,” he showed his wax cube, “he can’t see us. I swear, if we do this, I won’t mess with ghosts ever again.” Taehyung squinted at him, obviously skeptical. “I’ll pinkie promise.” Taehyung gasped.
“Oh my god, you’re serious.” Taehyung thought it over. “Well, I suppose we can’t have a full-on horror movie themed adventure without concluding the obvious plot slapping us in the face, now can we. I’m in, but you’re so giving up your title after this.” The two clasped pinkies- like real men would- and you interjected.
“But you can’t! You need to go!”
“Sorry girlie, we’ve already done promised on it. Do you know the punishment for breaking a pinkie promise? It’s not fun man,” Taehyung said. You just huffed as you cradled your forehead, making the boys chuckle in the small moment of amusement.
“Boys.”
XXX
Jungkook lead Taehyung around to the still open door to the cellar. Crouching and shuffling down the ramp the 2 of them practically sashayed inside. You floated behind them, silent the whole time. Now, they were here, but where to look? Jungkook rubbed the back of his neck.
“Just, start looking around I guess?” Taehyung just shrugged as he turned and began doing just that. That same teddy floating ever near at his back. You stayed near Jungkook as he looked around. Behind boxes, barrels, under tables, he even pulled objects from shelves expecting a secret room to pop out from the wall. But, nothing. You sat on a box, a hopeless look on your face. You never expected to see yourself again and refuse to get your feeble hopes up.
“Y/n, don’t worry. We’ll find it- er you.” You shook your head.
“You shouldn’t have bothered,” Jungkook wished you were something, someone he could touch. He’d hold you, tell you it’d all be okay. But, how do you comfort someone who has already died while you search their old house for their body? With their demonic father stalking around no less.
Speak of the Devil.
Taehyung froze as he sunk back into the shadows, teddy at his chest to ‘protect’ him. You gasped as the shadow, your father, just barely caught sight of you. The shadow moved fast- too fast. The walls behind you morphed, sucking in the shadows as they peeled off the wall like twisted arms. THey grabbed your body, sucking you partially into the wall to keep you imprisoned. You struggled as your father approached, danger in every footstep.
Just as he always did when he saw you. He’d suck the energy out of you, growing darker- stronger- with each time you allowed yourself to be so foolish you were seen. Just as he did when you were alive. He’s taking everything away from you, even in death.
The wall would sink you further and further in, sucking you through space. Taehyung watched as Jungkook quickly started moving, knocking over anything he could in his wake. “Idiot!” Taehyung screamed at him before he realized that they were both now side by side, and easily located by the demon that once was your father. The Shadow turned towards the sound, making out the faint, blue, breathing outlines of the two men and the small pesky bear that floated at their side.
The scream the shadow emitted was very different this time. Directed directly at the boys, they covered their ears and you struggled against the shadows that forced themselves down your throat as you choked and gagged and wanted so badly to scream. Jungkook swore he almost saw what you would look like if your body wasn’t see through- if you weren’t dead. He thought he caught a glimpse of what or who you would be if you were still alive.
All before he was thrust away, and found himself and Taehyung none to gently thrown back into the front lawn. They don’t know exactly how they got back out there from the back of the house from the cellar, but nonetheless, there they lay in the tall unkempt grass. The bear sat on Taehyung’s leg, latched to his thigh with those stuffed arms of it’s. The two sat up with a collective groan and endless whining as they rubbed their shoulders, back, arms, head, anything that hit the ground with at least minimum force.
“What the hell just happened?” Jungkook whined as he looked around the outside. Still dark as a pupil with the moon covered by clouds that appeared from nowhere. Masking the once bright guiding light it provided. “Y/n?” He looked around, you weren’t there. He quickly stood up, too quickly as his vision blanked for a moment and a wave of dizziness washed over him as he stumbled. Rubbing his eyes as he regained his sense of balance, he looked around the abandoned yard. Taehyung moved to stand next to him, a much slower pace than his best friend.
“He threw us out,” he murmured. Taehyung looked behind him at the property line leading to the road and away from the godforsaken house. “He must be telling us to leave,” he looked at Jungkook, “but we aren’t, are we?” Jungkook shook his head.
“Abso-fuckin’-lutely not. Not when we know what’s going on and that people are being hurt.” He looked down at his feet, at his palms and remembering the broken camera and the memory card in his back pocket. He could go home now, prove so much about ghosts and the dead that roam around this house. He can’t though, his conscience wouldn’t let him. He couldn’t leave you without solace. “We promised her,” was all he said.
He was going to find your body. He swore. Taehyung nodded as he plucked the bear from his thigh and placed it on his shoulder where it sat upright and steady on his shirt. Was it strange to say a grown man walking around a haunted demon house was comforted by a possessed teddy bear who protected him? It’s a phrase best left unsaid, for his pride’s sake.
The two men started to go back around, but something stopped them. When they came back to the cellar door, it wasn’t there anymore. The door was just gone. The place in the ground where the entrance would be, was just dirt and mud with a water spigot on the side of the house, dripping with something they both assumed was most definitely not water.
Jungkook dropped to his knees, in a frenzy started digging with his hands into the disgusting mix of mud and the mystery ghost fluid in the ground. Surely if he dug, he’d bust through into the cellar he knew was there. Taehyung grabbed the back of his jean jacket as he yanked him up, screaming at him to get ahold of himself when a window from above caught their attention.
The old, rickety window shambled open and all was silent for a moment as the two boys looked up in curiosity. Thinking some random ghost who just wanted to smell the good ole night air opened the window, they were quickly jumping out of the way of something that was thrown out.
It was small, not larger than the palm of Taehyung’s hand, as it hit the grass at their feet. Taehyung looked at the curtains that were sucked out by the wind’s breeze while Jungkook knelt and picked up whatever was thrown out. Taehyung tore his eyes away from the window above with caution as he looked at the now rising Jungkook, holding a medicine bottle in his hand.
“This was in the bathroom, I found it when I was in there before,” the familiar word ‘Chlorpromazine’, reflecting in Jungkook’s vision.
“So,” Taehyung drew out the word as he hooked his thumbs in the belt loop of his skinnies. “We’re going to the bathroom together? Adventurous.” Jungkook threw the bottle at his friend who was obviously trying to get Jungkook out of the panic he buried himself in. The gesture was recognized and greatly appreciated. No wonder the ghost bear liked him so much.
The two of them hiked it back to the front of the house where they saw a blurred silhouette of a very blurry dog. Remembering what you told him earlier about the animals being coherently on their side, he reassured the friend at his side who raised his fist. Yeah, like he was going to throw hands at a ghost, real clever fella he is in the face of danger.
Walking inside for the third time for the young Jeon, he noticed that there were animals in the rooms. The living room held a dog, the same dog from earlier as he sat in the doorway. His ghost tongue hanging from his almost smiling chops. The kitchen was a monkey, Taehyung almost smiled as he saw it’s figure having a ball along the ceiling and the small noises of it swinging to and fro from whatever was in there. From further back in the house, Jungkook practically fist pumped the air with the loud, vibrating belt of mighty elephant. He whipped around to an ever confused Taehyung as he looked at the car laying on the top of the landing at the top of the stairs.
“These are the spirits Y/n’s little brother gifted to his toys. Tae, they’re not going to hurt us.” Taehyung relaxed as he saw his best friend no longer frowning, but smiling at the animals who signified a save zone. Even if temporary.
The two made it up the stairs as the cat that lay at the landing stretched and pranced around the giant hole in the floor and turned into the bathroom. Okay, so whatever was in there was harmless- the animals said so after all.
With care sidles along the wall, the boys came into the tiled, dirty bathroom with the water still dripping one drop at a time into the full tub.
“Was that always full?” Taehyung questioned as he pointed accusingly at the tub.
“Yeah, it was earlier too,” Jungkook replied.
“Ah,” a rather short, unpleasant response of confirmation. Enough to get the point across that it was both disturbing and confusing for this full bathtub to be a thing when the water has long been shut off. The two watched as the cat sat at the side of the tub and then both boys let out unattractive shouts of terror when someone started to come out of the water.
The clear water turned murky when a little boy with the shaggiest, wet hair sat up. The water of the deep tub hit just at his chest as he sat and piddled his hands in the water to make small splashes. He was just a child having fun and playing at bath time. Jungkook looked at Taehyung as he just shook his head.
“No way,” he whispered at his gaze as Jungkook then approached the tub’s edge in the end. He knelt down and placed his fingertips in the water. The little boy followed the foreign ripples and looked at Jungkook, and Taehyung with the bear behind him. He smiled so innocently.
“Hello there,” Jungkook softly spoke. “Do you like playing in the water?” The little boy nodded eagerly. “Would you mind if I played a bit too, with you that is? The boy silently seemed to want to laugh as he turned and motioned to a dirty rubber duck on the edge of the tub where a bar of soap could sit snuggly. Reaching over he looked at it.
The yellow paint was chipped in places and it was horribly faded. The face had only one eye still painted black while the blue and purple paint scarf was patchy. The sailor hat on the duck was still a shade of navy blue though. It was stiff, not having the warmth and usage of a child for a very long time. “Is this your favorite toy?” The boy nodded again. “Well, he’s mighty dirty. I think this sailor needs a bath too.” The boy splashed happily as Jungkook scrunched his nose cutely to his new little friend and stuck the toy under the water and gently cleaned it.
He thumbed off the as much dirt he could. Some coming off in chunks other bits smearing and wiping off. Soon, the duck wasn’t perfect, but significantly better. The little boy smiled as he reached out for it, wanting to bad to have his toy back. Jungkook gently placed the toy in his hand and it was like the toy and little boy were alive again.
The little boy’s body glowed and his skin was honey tanned and hair dark and damp. The duck looked bright and newer than ever. The boy mouthed a happy ‘thank you’ without actually speaking before he disappeared and the tub began to drain. Once the water was gone, at the bottom of the tub sat a hairpin. Picking it up he stood and bowing once to the tub, trying to honor and say goodbye to that sweet little ghost boy as he went to Tae’s side.
“So, you played with a ghost kid. We’re just meeting all sorts of ghosts, huh?” Jungkook nodded as he showed Taehyung the pin. It was thin, black and one of those you could run your thumb over and glitter would suddenly be fused with your skin for the next three days. It was far from a fancy pin, but if a little girl who had long bangs needed to pin them back, it’d be the perfect hairpiece. “So, where too now chef?”
“Y/n mentioned something about a ghost in the kid’s room closet.” Taehyung though as he cupped his chin.
“Come to think of it, that closet didn’t open for me. I couldn’t get it open to save my life.” Jungkook nodded as Taehyung took the hairpin from his palm and held it in his own.
“It’s because Vivi doesn’t like people who don’t knock.”
The two of them moved carefully to the children’s room. Inside on the bottom bunk of the bed sat plethora of small animal ghosts. Small bears, snakes, tigers, lions even a T-rex sat miniature sized on the torn up mattress. Y/n’s little brother sure had a heart full of love for all his toys, just as you said.
They moved to stand in front of the closet as Taehyung moved forward. He was the one who tried to barge in earlier, so he’d suck it up and stop being a weenie for once and apologize for his lack of manners: in this case, not knocking. He took a shaky breath, gripping the hairpin in his hand as he knocked three soft times.
The door handle turned as the door cracked open and a little girl, no older than 7 stood at Taehyung’s midsection. Looking up at him through her long, thick locks that covered half her face. Her one visible eye a shining blue contrasted to her colorless body. He knelt down to one knee as the girl’s head followed him as they were eye to eye now. He smiled to her, making her shoulders drop any tension they once had.
“Why are you hiding in your closet? I’m sure all the animals here would love to play with you?” The older man suggested as he gestured to the animals gathered on the bed. “Wouldn’t you like to play with some friends?” She nodded but remained in the closet, hands gripping the door handle in fear.
“They would tease me,” she whimpered.
“Tease you? A sweet little girl like you? No way,” he cooed as opened his palm and showed her the hairpin. “Tell me, is this your hairpin?” He saw her eye shine in recognition. “A sweet little boy showed us where you lost it and asked to give it back to its pretty owner next door.” The little girl peeked out just a bit more to glance over into the bathroom across the way.
“Did he finally get to play?” Taehyung looked over his shoulder to Jungkook behind him, then back to the girl in front of him.
“He had a blast playing with my friend here. They splashed and played with his favorite duck. Now, it’s your turn to play with your friends.” He slowly reached forwards and the pin was able to clip into her hair, pulling her bangs fully back where the other half of her face showed an empty socket where her other shining blue eye should be. So, she lost an eye somehow. How tragic for such a small child. “Is that why you’re too shy to go play?”
“The grown-ups always made fun of me,” she cried as her one eye allowed a small crystal tear run down her ghostly face. “They wouldn’t let me go out and make friends because I was too scary.”
Taehyung shook his head as he poked at the little girl’s tummy and smiled at her when she let out a little giggle. “Well, can I be your friend then? And this little guy will be your friend too,” Taehyung spoke to the teddy still sat on his shoulder. “If we’re your friends, then those fun little rascals behind me would love to play with you for as long as you want.” She gasped in glee.
“Would they play hide and seek with me?” He nodded.
“It’s their favorite game. Go on and play now, Vivi.” She smiled wide as she pushed open the closet door fully and stepped out. She hugged Taehyung around his neck as she giggled in his ear and placed something in his hand before she ran off to the crowd of animals behind her. She chatted away before running out of the room, laughing the entire way until the laughter faded, leaving only a gentle, pleasant breeze.
Taehyung stood up as Jungkook clapped his back. “Good job, now we both have some cute little ghost friends.” Taehyung laughed as he looked at the key in his hand. It was old, really old. The end looped like an oval while the front of it was shaped like it would slide into a music box. “Where would there be a music box around here?”
“I think I remember seeing one downstairs on one of the dining room shelves.” Taehyung recollected. The two worked their way out of the room, but not before saying goodbye to their friendly ghost companions. They would surely remember to always mind their manners now.
Just as Taehyung said, downstairs sat a single, wooden music box. It sat about eye level with the boys as they tried to take it off the shelve, but it shouldn’t budge. It was like it was attached on. Not wanting to possibly break anything and create a panic or worse stir up more trouble, Taehyung just placed the key in the music box on the shelf. With 3 good cranks, the key locked in place, sticking out of the keyhole and started turned counter-clockwise and a small melody began to play.
It was a soft tune, friendly and warm. As Jungkook listened, the more it reminded him of you and how you were a warm presence, despite you being a ghost. Once the soft lullaby ended the key was spit back out and the wall next to the shelf slid open to reveal a hidden wall. A secret passage of sorts. Taehyung picked up the key and placed it next to its rightful partner; the lovely little box of lullabies.
“Well,” Jungkook chirped, “if ever I’ve seen a horror movie-”
“We’re so going into the new hidden door. Let’s move Mr. Ghost-Professional.” Taehyung interrupted as he shoved his friend’s shoulder and the two began to shimmy through the small passageway. It wasn’t long before the passage leads to a small opening in the floor with a ladder leading down.
“This has to go to the cellar.” The ever attached bear of Taehyung’s moved to his head as the two began to descend the ladder without second thoughts. It’s not like they’d through in the towel now anyways. The assumption was correct. The boys had indeed found themselves back to the cellar.
You were held captive against the wall from shadows, but the demon was nowhere around.
“Y/n…!” Jungkook breathed as he ran to you and touched the black restraining you. The shadows were just shadows. They were a strange, disgusting black goop that felt like slime and peeled like tar as he shook his hand away from it’s gross, slimy texture. Though, regardless of how revolting, he reached your mouth and dug away the grime from your throat. Once you were free of the black from your tongue, you coughed and hung your head low. “Y/n,” he repeated, “please, talk to me. Say something.” He pleaded as Taehyung joined his side.
The bear looked at your ‘unconscious’, dull eyes figure and as it did before when it comforted you. It shook it’s furry body and rang like a bell. The ringing reverberated in your head as your eyes came back to life, regaining their ghostly glow as you were finally able to see the two boys- two friends in front of you.
“Jungkook, Taehyung?” The nodded. “How did you get here?” They looked at each other and smiled.
“Vivi and the little boy in the bathtub helped us. Oh, and the animal’s of course.” Jungkook chirped.
“You.. you helped Vivi and Jacob?” The two of them explained how they were able to help make the two children smile and laugh. “Jacob was a little boy who was drowned by his mother. She believed her child was cursed since he was born without a voice. Vivi was a little girl teased constantly because when she was younger, she lost her eye in an accident. You helped them both?” The boys nodded.
“They were very sweet little kids.” You smiled.
“Thank you,” you bowed your head, best you could. Then your smiled faded as you looked back at them and turned seriously once again. “You two need to go. If he comes back, then he’ll-”
“No. We promised you, remember,” Jungkook interrupted.
“You don’t understand! Please, just-” You stopped short when you stiffened. “Go back, back away to the walls. Now, hurry!” They did so without argument. Just as they were on opposite walls, the demon pulled himself up from the fucking floor. From below? Could there be- was there another section below the cellar? The shadow moved and stood in front of you, your body that was once relaxed now shaking uncontrollably.
Jungkook stood still, staring at your expression. For the first 2 times, he’s been saved by you, you hadn’t shown your fear. Now, you were close to crying- weeping rather- as your father disgustingly stood above you. Ghost tears, it was almost an interesting concept if they weren’t being threatened to be spilled by you.
He slowly shuffled to a shelf, grabbing a nearby bottle and quickly throwing it. The bottle shattered on the ground, making the shadow turn and screech. Jungkook covered his ears, hissing. The shadow stepped away from you, just a bit. He still hadn’t located Jungkook yet.
Taehyung understanding gave his small, stuffed possessed companion a nod. A shield of sorts surrounded the both of them. Taehyung was officially safe. “Hey!” He shouted. The shadow whipped around. Seeing the spiritual essence around Taehyung, he marched with heavy steps forward.
“Wrong way!” Now, it was Jungkook’s turn. He held that scented wax so tightly in his warm palm, it threatened to begin to melt. He remained completely still, not moving a muscle. When the shadow turned again, Taehyung sprint to a shelf of alcohol bottles. Pushing every bottle off, they shattered on the hardwood floor one by one.
“You’ve had enough beer, pal!” Taehyung chided. You watched the two continue to jerk around and confuse the shadow- your father. Back and forth, like a game of pong with your father as the ball. While the boys continued to distract the reel shadow demon, the teddy by Taehyung’s side rung, that same rining echoing into the small enclosure of the cellar.
A loud screech ripped out of the shadow as he turned his back on the sound. It seemed to cradle it’s head as it screamed and the shadow of its body almost seemed to fluctuate. It was like bells hurt the beast? The beast raised it’s arms into the air, ready to strike into the ground.
You forced yourself from the shadow’s harsh imprisonment for the first time ever. You focused your entire body before you ripped free of its confines. You were quick to get to Jungkook’s side who was currently in the way of taking the brunt of the soon to come smash of your father’s fists. Desperate to save him, you made your entire body tangible and wrapped your arms around his shoulders, your head next to his own.
Jungkook instinctively held you against him. It was odd, holding you. You were solid, but light. It was like he was hugging a breathing person, but you were so cold. He didn’t fell the beat of your heart, didn’t feel the pushing of your chest against his when you breathed. You were a dead person, a ghost, yet he held you.
The shadow slammed his fists into the floor with utter rage, the wood splitting and creating chaos. Taehyung lost his balance as he fell against the back wall, the bear floating to his chest, still protecting him with a shield of sorts. The hole created by the beast was jagged as Jungkook and yourself fell through it. All while the demon faded away for the time being mid-tantrum.
Jungkook groaned, falling through the floor for the second time that night. He looked at your exhausted ghostly body. Your spiritual glow fluctuating as you seemed so tired, too tired. He wanted to open his mouth and ask about your state, but the sound of bells silenced him. They weren’t the sound of that dumb bear. This sound was much different. So pure, innocent in a sense.
Jungkook got up, following the sound of the bells, leaving your ghostly body to lay on the ground. He didn’t exactly know how to help someone he could no longer grasp. He ran until he found a single case hidden in the underneath hideaway of the cellar floor. Inside that case was none other than a skeleton, full body with a set of bells next to the yellow and while colored skull.
Down the way, your spirit fluctuated until it blew into a graceful wisp of blue. You traveled the wind until you found Jungkook; until you found your bones. Jungkook watched in awe, it was like your soul was dancing around the body long lost to you. A bright flame of peace. He smiled as the bells floated towards him and he reached out with his palm as they fell into his hand.
Your spirit manifested once more- for the last time- now in a beautiful, white sundress. He smiled as did you. You came towards him, relief in your ghostly gaze. You kissed his cheek, your flame giving warmth and spreading a wisp of blue along with it.
“Thank you, Jungkook. Give my thanks to Taehyung as well.”
“I will,” he almost choked. Your spirit sprung to life, your fire bright as your spirit shot up the ceiling and out of the cellar floor- scaring the poor Taehyung mind you. Your fierce, powerful, free spirit easily located your tainted, evil father in the house and quickly wasted no time in surrounding him. Your fire latched onto his shadows, devouring it as the spirits and ghosts of your comrades, his other victims, joined your plight to finally put your father down.
“You’ve done enough, Father.” The shadows pulled back from the host form of your father just enough to see his grotesque face once more. Burned, disfigured and rotten was his flesh from the long age of his demons. His time was ending, and he would get what he finally deserved. You seethed and sneered at his face. “Begone, you wretched disgrace.” Engulfed by his shadows once more, he was ignited by your pure light and disappeared. Along, so did you. Your presence, and those others not gone.
The house was finally vacant.
Jungkook climbed back up to the cellar, Taehyung helping him as he looked at the motionless bear at Taehyung’s feet.
“Was she- I mean did Y/n?”
“Yeah. she’s gone now.”
“Oh,” he spoke with a dip in his voice. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
“Let’s get out of here, Taehyung.” Tae nodded as he reached down and grabbed the bear at his feet, not hesitating to take the little guy along with him back to the surface. Perhaps he had gotten a bit attached.
With the disperse of the demon, the cellar door had reappeared and the two men crawled out onto the lawn outside once again. They rounded the house and soon took the way walk back up to the sideway at the edge of the property before turning and staring back at the house.
“So,” Taehyung started, “what was it like?”
“What was what like? Nearly dying?”
“Hitting on a ghost.”
“Oh my god,” Jungkook left, Taehyung laughing behind him as he held your bells tight and safe in his palm.
XXX
The following week, your remains were found by the police when Tae put in an ‘anonoymous message’ that someone was found going into that house. Now, somehow that house- your house- was scheduled for destruction within the month. Jungkook sat in Taehyung’s room as he flipped through his newest comic he nabbed at a store downtown.
“You think they’ll rebuild over the property?” Taehyung asked as Jungkook shrugged.
“Beats me. It’d be nice if they didn’t. Maybe put a small little cemetery or memorial instead.” Taehyung nodded with a smile.
“You should pitch that idea. It’s a good one, and I’m sure the city hall would listen since a body was discovered.” Jungkook smiled as he looked out the window of his best friend’s room. The sunny sky devoid of any pesky clouds.
“You know, I think I just might,” Jungkook said. He wanted to put a grave down for you, and all the other ghosts too. For Vivi and for Jacob who were just innocent children who hadn’t done wrong; far too young for death’s unfair grip.
That’s what he thought as he watched over the sewn up and cleaned teddy bear on Tae’s window sill. The jingling of the two bells around his wrist that had been weaved and carefully placed onto a precious new bracelet he wore wherever he went- without exception- as they always seemed to jingle in approval.
Yes, a memorial was a fine idea. Maybe he did like you a little bit- just a ghost of a crush.