The House in Which Nightmares Dwell 9.4

[touchturnfly]

4

 

He suddenly opened his eyes.

For a moment he looked up at the dark ceiling in puzzlement. The ceiling was tinged by a faint white fluorescent lamp. The darkness crouched in some places of the room.

A creaking sound occurred and he blinked while he remained In his position in his futon.

The floorboards made a creaking sound.

There was a sliding screen by his side. Beyond that sliding screen there was a staircase by the wide hallway. In the narrow, dark pit of the stairwell that reached up to the second floor, a diagonal staircase was built. He sensed that the creaking sound of the floorboards he heard came in the direction of the bottom of that dark hole.

-- Someone is going up the staircase.

The pounding sound of his heartbeat resonated inside the darkness.

-- It's Kosori.

He grasped his futon.

For example, Kosori would do things like peeping inside the house from outside the window at night. Particularly when the curtains were slightly open, he would approach it quietly and watch him.

Otherwise during the daytime, he would peek inside the house when he was alone at home. He tended to go as far as entering the house and make sounds seemingly on purpose in the next room. At times it seemed to be even more on purpose and traverse behind him. On opportunities whenever he looked away, a hairy arm stretched out and hid the things he had placed in that area, continually pulling pranks on him. He was alone for sure, so he certainly was bold.

Even so, Kosori liked coming in the dead of the night the most.

Kosori entered the house when everyone was fast asleep. And peeked at his face to check whether he was truly asleep. Occasionally he hid in the attic and watched him from the crevices and peepholes of the ceiling boards.

-- Kosori came again.

He held his breath and listened with his whole being.

He was able to imagine Kosori's figure standing below and looking up at the dark staircase beyond the wall.

Kosori's appearance was terrifying. If he had to be honest, he had never once seen Kosori, but he knew his appearance would be chilling to the bone. Surely he had a large ripped mouth, jagged teeth and a long tongue. His eyes sparkled and his toenails were long and curved.

Right now he would surely be standing downstairs and sniffing with his nose. By doing that he was taking in the situation on the second floor.

Kosori was agile and moreover very skilled at hiding. However, given that he was very attentive, he knew immediately that Kosori was there. He was able to catch small creaking sounds with his sharp hearing and sharply detect the shadow crossing the hallway quickly and slipping into the darkness. Even though he was sleeping, he knew exactly that Kosori had come and was able to open his eyes. -- Like now.

-- He had to pretend to sleep.

He secretly pulled up his futon until above his head. He felt that his breaths were getting heavier and inside his tightly closed eyelids red and light brown patterns shone.

-- I am sleeping.

It would be good if he concealed his breath and skillfully maintained his sleeping appearance. Because if he did that Kosori would return back to where he came from.

Kosori must never know that he was aware of Kosori's existence. Kosori would tear up and eat people who were aware of his existence. Therefore, even if Kosori he knew that Kosori hid himself inside the closet, he had to feign ignorance.

An old woman peeked into the house secretly beyond the fence, a middle-aged man wearing a cap over his eyes or someone who was even more virtuous; even if he realized that Kosori had actually aged, he couldn't show that he was aware of that.

A creaking sound happened.

He tightly closed his eyes, deliberately held his breath and pretended to sleep.

-- I absolutely cannot open my eyes, under any circumstances.

To tell the truth, Kosori wanted to be discovered by him. Because then Kosori would be able to eat him.

That's why he expressly made sounds like this. He came inside the dream, show unpleasant and scary dreams and waited until he jumped to his feet and found Kosori.

Again, a creaking sound was heard. He started climbing the stairs. Making creaky noises, Kosori slowly climbed up.

He unintentionally opened his eyes. It was because those footsteps were too real.

-- It's different than usual.

The noises Kosori made were always vague. He wasn't always sure where he was hearing them from, he would think it came from there, but then he heard it from a completely different direction. When he realized  Kosori was there and strained his ears, the noises were no longer heard at once and just as he thought it was merely his imagination he'd hear something from an unexpected place.

So far not even once it sounded as real like this. There had been no occasions where he could clearly tell where he came from and where he was going.

His heart pounded. He knew he was turning as white as a sheet. Something cold brushed down from his forehead to his cheek, melted into his throat and streamed towards his stomach.

-- I was discovered.

He rapidly froze his muscles.

Even though he had been so careful, Kosori had come to know he was aware of his presence.

-- What should I do.

He was about to cry. Kosori had climbed the stairs. He clearly knew by hearing the creaking boards.

He thought of yelling out and calling his parents, but he was tongue-tied and it also took a lot of effort to breathe.

-- Moreover.

There is a chance that Kosori actually didn't know after all. Perhaps he pretended to know and was waiting for him to scream.

-- What... ...should I do.

Should he run away? Or should he stay like this and pretend to sleep?

If Kosori didn't noticed him, wouldn't he enter the room at the moment he pushed aside his futon, got up and ran away?

If Kosori noticed him, wouldn't he be caught in the act and eaten if he pretended to sleep?

He felt that both were about as dangerous. Both options were scary. He was about to mess up and cry out. While half-crying, he tightly shut his mouth and endured it as well as he could.

Something creaked.

-- He's coming.

Kosori went closer towards his room in the hallway of the second floor.

He closed his eyes firmly, pressed both his nose and mouth on the futon and gently breathed. It was difficult and his head was aching.

Kosori slowly walked, step by step, and arrived in front of his room.

-- Coming... ...

There was a creak when he halted and the noises died out for a moment at that point.

He felt the wind of hitting his head. It was the evidence that the sliding screen of his room had opened.

-- He is checking my situation.

He prayed for help while he shivered.

-- Please help me. Please help me.

A creaking sound happened.

He thought he had entered the room, but he had actually passed in front of his room. The footsteps slowly headed towards the inner part.

This time it was the sliding screen of the next room as it made a clogged opening noise.

-- Onee-chan isn't there.

He told himself.

That's why it's okay. She won't be caught by Kosori.

Another sound of creaking footsteps. Kosori walked even further inside. He was heading towards the room of his parents at the end of the hallway.

-- Where did he go.

He prayed harder. The small sounds coming from the inner part of the hallway were faint, and then ceased altogether.

He unintentionally opened his eyes. He softly popped his face out of the futon, inclined his head and looked in the direction where the noises had left. While blinking multiple times, he took deep breaths without making a sound.

-- He left.

Kosori went away. Kosori didn't know he was aware of him after all. He thought he was sleeping.

It happened when he breathed a long sigh of relief.

An intense noise that sound like 'clang' happened.

He jumped a few centimeters inside his futon.

A loud voice shouted.

The voice of his father yelling, the voice of his mother shouting and a terrifying voice that sounded as if it was screaming.

Sound like heavy objects falling down and of things being thrown were all jumbled together with the noise of footsteps.

-- Father and mother were discovered.

He breathed heavily.

-- I have to go. I have to go a look for help.

However, he couldn't move.

-- It might be a trap.

Kosori might be waiting for him to make a sound on purpose like this and look for help.

-- Mother, father.

The sound of running footsteps. It arrived in front of his room. He heard a voice that sounded like a frog and  a violent noise of something falling down.

His eyes went wide open and and he remained lying down. He didn't know anymore what he should do.

-- There's no such thing as Kosori. Aren't you just daydreaming.

His older sister said that. Father and mother also said the same, but Kosori really existed after all. And terrifying things were happening at last. He wasn't wrong. However, he wished something like Kosori wasn't real after all and that it was just a daydream, perhaps this was a bad dream

There was a thumping sound. The sound of the sliding screen being moved.

-- I'm found out.

He found him. Kosori was coming. He was coming inside the room. The sliding screen opened, he had a frightening face, a scary figure, sharp nails, frightening voice and his scary figure was bloody -- he could no longer turn back.

Stop, a dying voice said.

"Stop. Isn't he just a kid? Let him go!"

-- Stop.

"Please --!"

-- Stop.

There was a thick sound and a short scream was heard. The sliding screen was beaten from the outside with a thud and something big collapsed on the outside.

He watched. A person had collapsed together with the sliding screen. A shadow stood on the opposite side.

It breathed like a dog. It filled the room with the smell of blood.

Kosori stepped inside the room.

He wore trousers. His upper body was naked, dirty and speckled and in his hand he held a big hatchet. There was a knife on his belt. The hatched was dirty, but the knife was still glistening.

"-- Stop... ...!"

A woman's voice yelled.

He looked up at Kosori blankly and could only lay there while gasping for breath. He was gazing at Kosori for the first time.

(-- Cease)

Kosori raised his arms.

(-- Escape)

He was merely watching. Perhaps he was no longer able to comprehend what he was seeing.

(-- Cut)

-- Cut the link before it goes any further!

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