The sky was slowly turning brighter outside, indicating early hours in the morning when Jun opened his eyes and slowly sat up. He rubbed his forehead with a groan, feeling the discomfort of a hangover. His stomach wasn't feeling well either, it hurt like someone would deliver a spinning back kick to his gut. Only the light chill of the morning was somewhat comforting to his bare skin, as he had no shirt on.
He waved with his arm to the right, feeling around with his hand to reach his glasses, but ended up waving in an empty space. Surprised, he looked to the right. There should be a night stand right next to the bed. And there was nothing.
An uneasy feeling creeped into his mind and formed a lump in his throat. He slowly looked around. Now he realized that the room he was in wasn't his own. Unknown walls and decor were a sign that he wasn't in any of his friends apartments either.
Finally his stare turned to the left and he froze. The other side of the bed was occupied by someone he didn't recognize. The man was sleeping peacefully facing Jun while laying on his front and embracing his pillow underneath. He had no shirt either, only covered with the bed sheets up to his shoulder. Meanwhile Jun started to panic inside, he instinctively grabbed the sheets and pulled up, assuming what everyone else would in this unambiguous situation. But on the contrary to his fears he was still wearing his pants with the belt wrapped tight. The beige haired bed companion had some grey sweatpants on.
Jun put the sheets back with a heavy sigh, hunched forward and hid his face in hands. He tried to calm down, wondering what was he doing last night to end up in this situation. The numb headache was definitely a hangover, so he must've go out drinking. After a couple of deep breaths his memory started to come back, bit by bit.
He remembered that he wasn't feeling well lately, like not being himself. He felt fatigued all the time and sometimes reacted aggressively for no reason. The job wasn't going easy on him either, it was a busy season after all, so it was safe to say that everyone was stressed out. His coworkers wanted to unwind and suggested that they all should go out drinking. He agreed to join them, and so they went to a place that they wanted to check out for a while.
It was a nice spacious bar with a calm, soothing mood inside. The minimalist furniture was in black and grey, and some cold colors emphasizing it. The light was set up so that the field of vision was restricted to the nearby tables, everything else sort of faded to black beyond that area. It was perfect to just forget the outside world and relax within the circle of friends at the table. Or alone with your thoughts, your call. The volume of the slow jazz music was just right to hear the conversation at the table, but reducing other people talk to a faint murmur.
For the first time since a while Jun felt relaxed and enjoyed the atmosphere. He was having a good time despite a slightly withdrawn attitude. He just let everyone else do the talking, his replies being short when they turned to him. At the beginning at least. He got more open the more he drank.
At some point after a couple of people got up, Jun's gaze wandered around the nearby tables. Everyone else had a good time in a circle of their friends having civil conversations while drinking. He scanned the area slowly until he stopped at the table to his far right. A few tall men in formal attires, in their thirties perhaps, were having a smoke and the bottles of alcohol they had looked expensive. One of the men was particularly interesting, despite being no different than the other. There was just something about him that Jun couldn't explain. Granted, he was his type, but there was something else. If he had to use colors as an example, the other were dull, dark shades of red and blue, but that one's aura was white. It was interesting, but also somewhat spine-chilling. Why? He couldn't tell.
--
Jun raised his head, then looked at the man sleeping beside him. It was the guy from the bar. He looked a bit different now that his hair was messy and he didn't have the suit on. The place looked too personal to be a hotel room, so they most likely ended up in his apartment. But how? Jun looked away and brushed his chin, taking his memory for another spin.
--
The coworkers noticed that he wasn't paying attention to them and was just staring holes at the other table, so they started to tease him a little. They knew his preferences and quickly guessed who he's eyeing. They encouraged Jun to approach him, but he just cut their chatter short when he stood up to leave for the bathroom. As he did, he glanced at the man again and a chill went through his spine as their eyes met. His eyes were completely black save for the white irises that pierced his mind, nearly instantly making him sober. Like a pair of cold demon eyes staring right into the soul. Jun stumbled and leaned on the table to regain his balance, startling his friends a little while at it, but they quickly laughed it off assuming he's too drunk to walk straight. They asked if he needs help, but he didn't reply and just went ahead, so they left him be.
His heart was pounding fast as he splashed some water in his face. He was tired, that's all. The light was just playing tricks on him, right? The typical excuses went through his mind. He wasn't going crazy, or was he? He leaned against the sink and looked at his reflection in the mirror. His chest started to feel a bit tight and there was some unpleasant buzzing in the back of his head, but it must've been the alcohol having it's effect on him. Once he noticed he's unable to move, he realized it must be fear. That man was scary, setting off some red flag within him. He didn't want to go back, knowing that he'll have to pass by his table again.
Jun snapped out of his thoughts when one of the coworkers entered the bathroom to check on him. "You look like you'd see a ghost" he commented, to which Jun thought that maybe he did. Maybe the guy wasn't really there. His friend gave him some comforting pats on the shoulder and they went back. Jun didn't dare to look at the other table so he just lowered his head and followed his friend. But then he bumped into someone and raised his head to apologize. Of course fate had to do its thing and let him bump into THAT guy. He gasped tensing up, but realized that his eyes were now normal, nothing demonic that he saw earlier. "It's alright" the man replied short in a soft tone and passed him by. This calmed Jun somewhat and he returned to his seat, scoffing himself for freaking out over something so ridiculous. He emptied his glass of alcohol in one go and agreed to himself that he needs more than just a night out - a week long vacation, away from people.
The night went on with booze, snacks and chatter, and Jun glancing every now and then to his right, still with a mix of fright and admiration. That man was really his type, but definitely out of his league. Eventually the fancy men got up and left, and a bit later Jun's group followed suit, or what was left of it as some coworkers went home earlier.
Everyone took a cab home, but Jun's friend insisted to take the bus instead, so they went in the direction of the nearest stop that had a night bus available. Which was two streets away. Despite their swaying steps and their heads buzzing, Jun didn't mind as the night's chill felt nice and refreshing after coming out of the stuffy bar. And there was no soul around, as everybody else who wasn't out were long asleep in their cozy beds. So it was just them and their echoing footsteps. A street later his giggly friend spilled the beans. While Jun was away in the bathroom, one of the coworkers approached the fancy man and arranged a meeting with him. After hearing that, Jun felt so flustered, he could swear that the alcohol just evaporated from him like steam. What? How even?
Another street later they spotted the man waiting patiently at the meeting point while taking a smoke. The familiar mixed feelings hit him again and before Jun could build up any courage to approach with him, his friend hopped on the night bus and left him alone.
It would be rude to just cowardly leave the man waiting, so Jun took a deep breath and slowly stepped towards him. Even if it was a shame to let an opportunity like that pass by, he didn't really feel like continuing on with the night. He had enough entertainment for today, so he hoped he can wrap this up quickly. Maybe exchange numbers and wait together for the next night bus. That thought comforted him and he hoped that the man will agree to it.
Though the closer Jun walked towards the man, his steps felt heavier, and the heart in his chest was pounding like crazy. He tried to regulate his anxiety with steady breathing, but it didn't really work. He could feel his hands tremble and something in the back of his head insisted that he should turn around. However the tall man noticed him and finished his cig, extinguishing it at the designated street ashtray, so there was no going back. He stepped up to Jun, his hands in his pockets.
Jun started with a shy hello and tried to explain the situation, but in that moment something within him broke. His vision went blurry as a terrible pain erupted inside his chest. It felt like his heart was set on fire, spreading rapidly through the whole body. Jun screamed and clutched his chest. His legs went weak and he was about to collapse to the pavement, when the man instinctively leaped towards him and grabbed him by the shoulder. He shook Jun a little and ordered to look at him. It was easier said than done, as the pain was unbearable, but he looked up with tears in the corners of his eyes. He froze for a second as again, because just like before the man's eyes were completely black with white irises.
Terrified, he instinctively pushed the man away and leaped back, amazed at the distance he could make with that single jump. His body did that completely on it's own, as Jun had no control over it anymore. He didn't understand what's going on, but he felt that the man is dangerous, and he has to get away from him. The burning pain started anew and he clutched his chest. And it was only at that time he noticed that black veins formed on his arms. Before he could react, the blonde man closed the distance between them and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
"What's happening to me?" Jun whimpered, confused more and more.
"Close your eyes, and don't open until I say so." Replied the man with a smirk on his face.
With the corner of his eye Jun noticed something white gleaming next to them. Something long and crescent like a scythe was looming above, ready to strike. When it moved towards him, he closed his eyes with a whimper and then he felt it. Multiple sharp objects cutting deep into his body. The time seemed like it slowed down and he's being sliced in slow motion. The shock overwhelmed the pain, so Jun felt the impact of it once the blades cut all the way through to the other side. He fell to his side and gasped, trembling uncontrollably. Despite what the man said, he opened his eyes expecting a bloody mess, but he was surprised to see that he was still in one piece, not even a single droplet of blood on the ground.
He looked up and stared in fear. The white scythe-like object he saw before was actually the man's arm. It was unnaturally long and ended with giant crooked claws. It was holding something like a deformed humanoid shadow that was writhing between the blades and making inhuman noises.
"Aren't you a big, violent one?" The man spoke in a calm tone, the smirk still on his face. "Whatever. Now die."
He squeezed the bladed hand until the entity exploded in his grip. The scraps of dark, gooey flesh evaporated in a black smoke before they hit the ground. Only one part dropped with an unpleasant splat, oozing black liquid. The man's arm morphed back into normal length. He leisurely picked up a pack of cigarettes, ignited one and dropped the still flaming match on the fleshy part. It instantly went up in flames.
"I told you not to look." The man sighed, releasing a cloud of cigarette smoke. His eyes turned back to normal as well.
"Wha-what was that? What are you? What the hell just happened!?"
Jun mumbled confused, struggling to get up. The man grabbed his arm and pulled up to his feet, but Jun was still weak in his knees, so he needed support. The blonde man held him tight and tried to calm down, but it was hard for the young one to comprehend what just happened.
The last thing Jun remembered was that the man got annoyed, followed by sudden sharp pain in his gut and then he blacked out.
--
Jun was sitting still for a moment, replaying the last parts of that bizarre meeting in his head. His terrified expression was partially hidden by his hands almost clawing at his face. Well, even with that horrifying flashback it still didn't explain why he landed in the stranger's bed.
Only one way to find out.
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