Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

This was a joke.

A sick, sick joke.

Baek Saheon took in a quivering breath. His eye trembled as he examined the… thing sitting on his desk. A small, humanoid shape with an oversized head. Adorned in a black suit, large round black eyes with a single red dot in each center… and a familiar felt mask tied to cover half the face with antlers sticking straight up. Black stitching in a straight line gave the doll an unimpressed expression. 

It was… him, right? There was no doubt, really. The felt black hair draped just the same, framing the little doll’s face… It even had a small name badge hanging from its plush neck. 

Kim Soleum. 

Daydream Employee. 

Field Exploration Division  

Baek Saheon reached out with a gloved hand and picked the doll up. He restrained himself to keep his grip light, though everything within him wanted to squeeze it til it burst. It was so small, the head was half the size of the total length. It just barely couldn’t fit in his palm. His thumb travelled over the felt hair. It had to be a curse in some way. A bad omen. Or punishment. His hand shook lightly as he stared into those red pupils.

“Oh, Section Chief! One of the Assistant Managers dropped that off for you. I believe she said she was… Dolphin?” 

One of his subordinates, their team’s newest rookie, commented from behind him, a nervous chuckle in their voice. He hadn’t a clue that that simple word had turned his superior’s blood to ice. Dolphin? That’s impossible. He had watched her disappear in a Darkness himself. It was before this rookie had joined the company, so he was unaware of her existence. He couldn’t be creating a story just to scare him… could he? 

That woman… She had been obsessed with that Theme Park Darkness and the ‘Mascot’ within it. Her worship toeing the line of contamination, but she had still worked normally up until that night she walked out the door and into the ether. Could she possibly have… returned to that park? Could she be alive?

“I tried to tell her you didn’t like such things, but-“

“Who are you to say what your superior likes? Are you making decisions for me?”

The employee flinched. He took a step away as Baek Saheon’s eye slid to him. The rookie’s hands fumbled together before clasping, head bowing slightly. A fury he wasn’t used to seeing in that bright green eye making him stutter.

“N-No, sir! Absolutely not! It’s just that-“

“Just what? That you thought that this was just a simple doll? A doll delivered directly to a section chief?” Baek Saheon’s hand slammed onto the desk and the rookie’s shoulders hitched. Fear and confusion drained the color from the Rookie’s face. 

“I- There didn’t seem to be anything special about it, so I had assumed-“

“That is where you went wrong. Shouldn’t you know not to make assumptions in this line of work?” Baek Saheon tucked the doll into his inner coat pocket in a smooth motion, moving to loom over his subordinate. The rookie averted his gaze and shrunk further into himself. “It is obviously an item to be used in a Darkness…” Baek Saheon’s voice was slow, deliberate. Enunciating the words as if explaining the rain to a toddler. His eye studied the completely subservient posture of the rookie. If he didn’t know any better, then he’d feel the smallest twinge of guilt for making the man quiver. But his gaze darkened. “Don’t get into other people’s business. Hurry and complete the paperwork from yesterday’s Darkness, and ensure you accurately retell what happened to Supervisor Calico. If even a single detail is missing, I can inform the research staff that you would like to join him in that lake.” 

“Y-Yes, sir! Sorry, sir!” The employee scurried to his desk, accepting the invitation to run out of his view as fast as possible. He shrunk himself so small into his cubicle, minimizing his presence as if to try and not be noticed any further. The smallest of curses made its way to Baek Saheon’s ears, muttering about his shitty boss and his useless deceased coworker. A simmering rage creeped its way up Beak Saheon’s throat. The attitude was familiar. His gaze bore into the back of his subordinate until he saw the man shiver. Perhaps they should go into a Darkness together. 

 A clouded voice whispered in the back of his mind. A voice that he never wanted to hear again. A voice that reared its ugly sound more often this time of year. His anger broiled before settling. With a harsh sigh, Baek Saheon granted the rookie’s wish and allowed his eye to wander to the newly empty desk between himself and the man. To Supervisor Calico’s desk. Nearly all personal belongings had already been cleared by the janitorial staff, but a single glint caught his eye. 

He reached out and lifted the company issued mouse pad. A single American Golden Dollar coin sat beneath, glistening in the light. He paused. Wasn’t this that foolish subordinate’s lucky charm? How had it returned to his desk when it should have sunk with him in that cursed lake?

He snatched it up and shoved it into his pocket. No point in leaving it behind for someone else to find. His fingers brushed against the doll in the same pocket.

“…”

He clenched his teeth. Did the previous Assistant Manager Dolphin know that he had lost another member of his team? Was this meant to torment him or be a shitty attempt at comfort? Was it because of today’s date? Was she a Darkness herself trying to lure him away? Or was she found and receiving treatment? Was it someone impersonating her? Why did she give this thing to him of all people? He hadn’t even spoken that bastard’s name in months. Had tried his best to not think of him.

His hand traced over the doll from the outside of his suit. His brain brought up memories he didn’t want, of a doll he didn’t want to see and the suit of the man it was tucked into. His fingers pressed into his temple to clear the cloud that descended upon his thoughts. His brows dipped lower and he checked his watch. He would have to deal with this later. The researchers were having him enter a Darkness alone today and it was meant to take the entire shift. He needed to focus on his work. He pressed his palm against the pocket. 

Somehow… he felt like today would go okay. 

———————

Why does he curse himself like this?

He sprinted down cluttered hallways, jumping over chairs and lockers. The thudding footsteps follow behind at a slow, but unstoppable pace. It was supposed to be a simple Darkness where he traverses a ghost school at night and takes a picture every floor of something that was out of place. It was D-Grade at most, similar to some horror games on the market nowadays…

SO WHY THE HELL WAS THE SCHOOL MASCOT CHASING HIM FLOOR AFTER FLOOR AFTER FLOOR?!

It wasn’t part of the manual. It had randomly showed up in the hallway and decided to giggle creepily while stalking him. Then it began running after him when he tried to take a picture. And now it was just full on chasing him!

It was getting faster, more persistent with every floor. And this time he had been unlucky to meet it at one of the doors to a classroom. It had smashed his damn camera! How was he supposed to escape without being able to take pictures? Cellphones were completely dead while within the school and outside cameras would only give blurry, useless results. There had to be a way out, but he needed to think. His brain was a mess, it always was when this day came around. Last year he had planned specifically to do reports and the year before that he had scheduled a vacation specifically to avoid it affecting his job, of affecting his survivability! This was a direct request from a higher up, though, so he couldn’t refuse. And look where it got him!

An anomaly, of course he gets an anomaly on today of all days. He had just wanted to clear this Darkness, write up his report, and then go home. But no, something strange had to occur! He cursed the Director that sent him into this Darkness, his subordinate for not volunteering to take it off his hands, the damned supervisor for dying so suddenly, Assistant Manager Dolphin for delivering that strange Doll, and the Mascot and the company and Ki- There! 

He skidded around a corner and leapt up onto a set of lockers, quickly shoving his way feet first into a narrow ventilation shaft that barely fit his shoulders. He scrambled his way inside, his chest scraping uncomfortably against the top, and tugged the rusted grate closed behind him. He strained his head back to stare upside down out the slats. He nearly had a heart attack when the horns of his mask clacked against the metal.

He covered his mouth as the large Black Rabbit mascot came into view from around the corner. It slowed to a casual pace, moving its head this way and that. It plodded closer and closer. He could see blood dripping from the mesh covering its dull red eyes, the ears drooping and glistening with viscera as if its brain was leaking out. The mouth was torn wide open leading to a void where a person’s head should be. Where his head would be put if he got caught. Its fur was matted in sickening clumps and its large paws were ballooned and overfilled, more dark liquid seeping out of the seams. Baek Saheon swallowed down his bile. The mascot plodded right in front of the vent… before continuing down the hallway. He waited until he saw it turn the corner before finally taking gasping breaths. The smell of rancid flesh filled his lungs.

Vents… almost always a good place to hide. A face flashed in his mind, the one who had shown him such a thing in the past. He cursed again and tried to force the memory away. His chest heaved with adrenaline, an annoying stabbing pain at every intake. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the offending item, hand freezing as he realized what it was. That face came into view again, this time in marketable plushie form. His thumb ran over the miniature suit jacket and found what had been stabbing him. He carefully pulled a cardboard tag from underneath its clothes. 

In the low light that filtered into the vent, he read:

‘How to Make a Good Friend!’

‘Require A Friend in a Time of Need? Your Good Friend is Here to Help in just a few simple steps!’

These were… Instructions? So it was an item after all! He scanned the instructions, lingering on the warnings. It was fairly simple. Matches or a lighter, salt, a spoon, water, a coin, something for the ‘Good Friend’... Every floor had a ‘cafeteria’ so he should be able to get the required ingredients. 

It seemed to be a summoning ritual to deliver a “Good Friend” to the summoner. Something to help those in need. A companion of sorts. There was no way he was going to meddle with a summoning ritual within a Darkness, especially not when the medium was delivered to him in such strange circumstances. It didn’t matter that it was in the image of someone who he had seen change forms nearly a dozen times. It wouldn’t truly be him, there was no way, so what was the point?

His eye shook as he looked to the doll. The red dots stared back.

He snuck his way into the cafeteria, the grotesque squishing steps of the mascot seemingly around every corner. He dragged several tables to make a shitty barricade at the doors. It’d at least be able to hold the creature back for a few seconds. Seconds can be the difference between life and death, and now he knows he can successfully hide from it. He produced a rope-like item from his suit and tied it around the loop-handles of the pull doors. 

In the freshly empty space now void of tables, he gathered the ingredients from the adjoining dust and crust filled cafeteria kitchen. A bottle of water, a salt shaker, a spoon, a wand lighter… He arranged them on one side and stared at the instructions again. A coin… He pulled out the American Gold Dollar and a strange feeling swirled in his gut. It had been Supervisor Calico’s lucky charm. 

Baek Saheon had been promoted to Section Chief faster than anyone ever had. Supervisor Calico had been a Rookie at the time. The fresh rookie was assigned to his team. Maybe as a test for either one to see how long he could survive. It was a known fact that those who went in with Section Chief Goat often didn’t return. But somehow, Rookie Calico was different. He had been a meek little thing. A bit shy, a bit annoying, but lived long enough to get promoted. Worked hard for his points, but didn’t try to kill anyone. Sometimes did stupid things to keep whoever was with him alive. Baek Saheon’s eye traveled over the beveled edge of the coin. He lived a long time. Lived longer than anyone else on Baek Saheon’s team. Lived long enough for Baek Saheon to… 

Didn’t matter. The guy got tempted by a shitty siren into drowning himself. Their new rookie being the only one to come back, shaken for a few hours and returning to work the next day like nothing happened. The way it was supposed to be. 

He clenched the coin. Good luck, his ass. He placed it with the other items. The final step requirement was something for the Good Friend… It couldn’t be anything from this Darkness and he assumed it had to be flammable. He didn’t want to part with any of the useful items he had… If it could be anything… 

He slowly slid off his eyepatch from underneath his goat mask. It was his nice black leather patch, but he had several backups back in his room. He kept his Reverse Eye shut out of habit and took a deep breath. If anything seemed strange, he would stop it immediately. He had a few fail-safes he could fall back on. So why was he…? He removed his gloves and tucked them into his suit. Time to begin.

He held up the instructions in one hand and carefully measured out 100 mL of water. He guided his wet finger over the dusty tile, creating the hexagram shape as depicted in the diagram. It was difficult to see against the tile. He meticulously slid line by line, creating the image in his mind. The final droplet fell into the tip of the star closest to him. Apprehension thrummed in his chest as he lifted the doll and set it in the center. The water glistened with a metallic tang, as if oil had seeped into it, surrounding the doll like a halo. For a moment it appeared blood red, but within a blink it returned to normal. 

He carefully set the coin against the doll’s chest. His hand shook lightly as he retracted it. The plush was so small the coin nearly covered its entire torso. Its dead stare looked to the ceiling and its frown seemed to be judging his decision. He cursed the thing in his mind as a spoonful of salt was pushed into his mouth. He set the instructions aside to free up his hands. He lifted his eyepatch and the wand torch. A long, deep breath filled his lungs. 

He lit one of the straps aflame. It caught quickly, fiercely. He nearly swallowed the salt as the flame burst, engulfing the entire thing in one swoop. The flame licked at his fingers, but he withheld against the pain. His skin was not being burned, just boiling in the heat. The flame grew brighter, darkening his surroundings, as if absorbing all other light. Shadows appeared over the doll, flicking and waving and dancing across the form. Making it appear as if the doll was moving.

‘Please work,’ He willed towards the fire and towards the doll, a delirium filtering through the clouds of his mind. Red eyes seemed to look at him through the flames. He chased their gaze. Thoughts were pulled from deep within him, as if dredging up his deepest fears to lay out upon the circle. Flashes of faces passed in front of his vision and he tried to blink them away. His mind called out. ‘Wait for me. Stay with me. Don’t leave me.’  Faster and faster images went through his mind. Like a film reel that had been spliced together, his worst memories flickered one after another. 

The salt melted on his tongue, filling his mouth with the taste of the sea, with the taste of smoke, with the taste of familiarity. A dull buzz began at the base of his skull. Maybe this was an awful idea. 

The fire burned brighter, hotter, larger. The shadows crescented into smiles and the sound of light laughter reached his ears. His eye shook along with the darkness. The glint of the coin broke through his foggy gaze and he watched as it began to melt. The doll seemed to writhe in pain, its arms shooting straight out and the legs kicking at the air. The back twisted and turned, but the melted coin stayed stuck to its chest, seeping into it. Sweat trickled down Baek Saheon’s neck. Clarity was returning to him as his survival instincts slowly revved back up. He definitely messed up. Now he was going to have two monstrous creatures coming after his life. His eye flicked to the door as he heard the thudding of approaching footsteps. He was so stupid, why would he risk summoning something in the middle of a Darkness? He would never do anything like this on a normal day. It was because it was today, that damned-

[ H-Hello?]

Baek Saheon’s eye snapped back to the doll. It sat motionless on the ground. The final embers of his eye patch burned away from between his fingers. Had he misheard?  Imagined that voice calling out to him? There was no sign of the liquid gold anymore. The water of the circle had dried up. The only sound was the approaching footsteps. Had he failed?

[Where am I?]

“!!”

[Darkness Exploration Records: Character Maker]

Confirmation Question:

You will keep him safe, won’t you?

“..?”

Wait a minute.

“This question is…!”

I turned my gaze toward my hand, where the ID card I had grabbed should be.

Expecting to feel a cool plastic, my fingers instead brushed something strange. I jerked my hand away from me and found my Good Friend in my grip. 

Braun?!

I had definitely picked up an ID card before, but suddenly the pink rabbit keychain was here instead. This was a dream, sure, but it was also a Ghost Story. Why is it suddenly Braun? How would this affect the Character Maker?

My thoughts raced, but before I could create anything solid, the whole world fell out from underneath me. I was plunged into nothingness where I couldn’t even scream. Black and orange swirled and mixed together around me in a terrifying blur. It rotated around me until deciding which way was up and which way was down. My body was suspended horizontally with fire above and darkness below. Fire and shadow danced and pulsed. Crept in and shot out. I choked on burning breath as the heat encompassed me. A searing pain burst from my chest, like my heart itself was being coated in lava. I struggled to release a cry for help, but one was instead returned to me. It ricocheted around the realm of nothingness and pierced through my ears. A voice that was somehow familiar. Calling out, Screaming out, begging for me. Something was stabbed into my chest and the molten feeling spread throughout my entire torso, a hook pierced through my heart and into my brain. A request, an invitation, an order. Something dangled in front of my blurry vision. I reached out and felt leather between my fingers. 

An explosion reverberated through my skull and I swallowed the scream that attempted to rip from my chest as I was pulled upwards. The searing pain consumed my entire body and my muscles convulsed. It hurts! It hurts! Ithurtsiuthurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurts

Cool water rushed up my fingers, over my arms, up my thighs, and across my head, absorbing into my skin and putting out the fire from within. My entire body went limp from the sudden relief. 

Finally…

For a brief moment, I thought my water mechanism had woken me from that nightmare. I took in the view of the dim ceiling above me. It was singed and crusted and covered in cracks and webs. Unfortunately, it was nothing like my bedroom. As an added bonus, I couldn’t move. I heard a distant thudding in one direction and rustling nearby in the other. I couldn’t even tilt my head.

[H-Hello?]

Was that my voice? My lips didn’t twitch. My chest did not rumble. I heard a gasp and a warm light dimmed before extinguishing nearby.

[Where am I?]

I tried to move my eyes, to at least look around but I could only stare straight ahead. Sleep paralysis? Stay calm… 

“Did it really work…?” I heard a quiet voice past my feet, or where I hoped my feet were. A voice filled with disbelief and fear, whispered as if terrified of being overheard. Strangely, a desire to comfort them rose in my chest. I spoke without talking again.

[Are you alright?]

“I… Yes. I am.” The voice didn’t sound sure about that. It was such a familiar voice. The same one that called out to me in the darkness just moments before… but more than that it was someone I knew. Somewhere, apprehension and exhilaration was being felt. How could I tell something like that..? “Who… are you?” The voice asked before I could. 

[...]

Was that something I could answer?  Who was I right now? Had I successfully entered back into the world of DER or was this a dream within a dream?  A Darkness attempting to take my identity the moment I came back? Despite not having a clear answer, one was compelled from me. A safe answer, possibly. A correct answer? My thoughts were a dizzying whirlpool. That voice scratches at the back of my mind. I wish they would speak up or show me their face. 

[A Friend.]

The person let out a shaky sigh. There was the sound of clothes shuffling, of things being kicked aside then light taps of heeled shoes approaching me. And then I felt my body rising. Like it weighed nothing at all to this person. 

[Wait-!]

I was brought upright, my head tilted until I came face to face with the person.

Until I came face to face with Baek Saheon.

[!!!]

“I really can’t believe that worked… Good, get to work immediately then. You’re going to help me like a good friend would. So get me the hell out of here.” His eye flicked over my form. A disbelieving smirk pulled at his lips and he kept his other eye shut underneath his goat mask, the one that should hold his Reverse Eye. His hair was pushed back, but curls came undone with his sweat. Some time must have passed since I last saw him, more than just the year it had been for me. His face seemed more angular, his suit fancier. A more mature aura radiated from his shoulders that was instantly wiped away as he flinched when a solid THUD hit the door somewhere behind me. I really was back. And somehow I’m in Baek Saheon’s grasp being ordered to help him. 

What had he done to me? What ‘worked’? Was he the one to paralyze this body? Whose was it anyway? He didn’t seem to recognize me, so it can’t have been mine. And why did he seem so large? He towered over me, eye moving from the door back to me. A look of impatience crossed his expression. I had a million questions, but the thudding on the door seemed a bit more urgent. And with only one of us able to move, I will have to cooperate in order to survive.

[What is the situation?]

He puffed out a laugh before moving away from the doorway and towards one of the far corners. I analyzed our surroundings as best I could from my static pose. We were in some kind of cafeteria. The tables and chairs were low, so most likely a school. It felt decrepit, but whole. Cracks and cobwebs and miscellaneous stains, but unbroken dim lights sat above. Trays here, trash cans there, all with a layer of dust and eeriness, but no less complete. Dirty and abandoned, but not exactly ransacked.

Despite my current status issues… I was glad I wasn’t alone upon returning. It was even someone I knew, though where we were at with each other was a bit up in the air. Both for me and whoever I had returned as. The last time I saw him… Or the last time he saw me, I wasn’t quite… human. Yet he helped me anyway. I’m not really sure why, but if he is still the type to trade help for items and information, I may be in luck. It seemed that he needed me right now, so even if he was the reason this body couldn’t move, as long as I could prove myself useful he shouldn’t have a need to dispose of me. Or at least, I can delay that until I am able to move freely again.

There was something… strange about him, though. He kept looking at me with a tilted smile and a look in his eye that I couldn’t place. It was really beginning to creep me out. Luckily, a loud bang from the door brought him back to the matter at hand. 

“An anomalous Darkness. I was just supposed to play a spot the difference game on each floor with a few encounters here and there, but after it became more like hide and seek, a mascot showed up and broke the camera I was using and started chasing me.”

A little light on the details, but it was enough so that I could figure out which Darkness this was. The walls had the school’s colors and a cartoon picture of the mascot. A black Rabbit with red eyes. A spot the Difference game where you use a camera to photograph the differences like books out of place or a demonic language scribbled onto a whiteboard. It should have been safe as long as you didn’t take too many incorrect photos. But eventually the story mutated. Maybe because people thought it was too easy, or because the game that spawned from it had changed some things from the originals, but eventually the Darkness adopted the “DLC” as the fans called it. The Mascot entity would chase the player after the fourth floor and the player is given three chances upon being found. The first time you would lose your camera and be forced to find a replacement in a random desk in a random classroom. The second time you would lose your camera and then be shoved back down the elevator shaft to the first floor. The third time, you would become the mascot. 

[You need to get a new camera. There should be one within a student’s desk in one of the classrooms. It will be a desk without any paperwork or textbooks on top.]

“There’s like a dozen classrooms, can’t you narrow it down any more than that?” He cursed as the tables began shaking and the thuds became slams. There was a slick dampness to each hit. The image of the mascot using its entire body to try and break down the door crossed my mind and my soul shuttered, though my body still refused to even do that.

[If you checked any classrooms on this floor before having your camera destroyed, it would not be in any of those.] After a brief pause, I added. [Also you cannot get caught more than once.]

“As if I was planning on getting caught at all!” I felt my body getting squeezed and wanted to complain, but the doors were suddenly shoved with a great strength. The rope on the handles snapped. The screeching of the tables sliding against the floor pierced our ears and I would have flinched and covered them if I could. Baek Saheon covered one of his ears as he looked around again. 

Huh?

Was he holding me up with just one arm?

He suddenly bolted towards the kitchen area, bringing me easily along with him. Had he used a strength enhancer or something? How could he move so easily while carrying another person?! But more importantly…

[What floor is it?]

Baek Saheon climbed into one of the cupboards, somehow squeezing me in alongside him, squished to his chest. He was still bringing me along even this far? Perhaps he wasn’t sure I had told him everything yet or wanted to use me as a decoy later. But he could have at least put me in a cupboard next to him. I felt his heartbeat like an earthquake through my body. It was almost like I could sense his fear.

“The seventh.” He whispered, leaving just enough space between the cupboard doors to peek out of. The seventh floor… The Mascot would be fairly fast at this point and would be checking hiding spots. If he only just lost his camera, then even having no clue what to expect he had only had one close encounter with the thing.

[It’s very impressive you made it this far with that thing chasing you. Good work.]  The praise rolled out of me easily. I hadn’t meant to voice my thoughts, but it flowed so easily, as if I was forced to say it. As if I was meant to comfort him. 

His eye flicked to me then back out as the tables were thrown away from the door and the mascot stalked its way inside. “The voice is the same… but your words are nothing like his.” He sucked his teeth. He held me tighter against his chest. Who is he comparing me to? To me, my voice sounds like my own. Was this body’s previous owner a jerk? As the mascot looked around the eating area, Baek Saheon took calming breaths. “Has the goal floor changed?” His voice was barely more than breath but I heard him perfectly somehow. 

[You must climb the stairs on the 9th floor with the correct photo.]

He seemed to sigh in relief. The number of floors had not changed, at least. That breath was quickly sucked back in and his hand shot to cover his mouth. The cupboard shook in time with the approaching stomps. Carefully, gently, silently, he shut the cupboard completely. 

thump.  Thump. THUMP. T H U M P.

It had walked right outside the cupboard.

It was staying right outside the cupboard.

It was waiting right outside the cupboard.

My whole body shook, but not from my own trembling. Was Baek Saheon that terrified? Although I was losing my mind in fear, I could only think of calming him. With me paralyzed, I was relying on him to get us both out of here. Only one of us needed to be panicking right now!

[It will be okay.]

My “voice” was quiet, directed only at him. I saw his eye clench shut.

[We will get out of here.]

THUNK! 

Baek Saheon flinched as something slammed into the counter above us.

[I’ll make sure of it. I promise.]

He clutched onto me tighter. I expected it to hurt, but I only felt his fear decrease slightly. A pleasant warmth appeared behind my eyes. 

Thump. Thump. thump. thump…

The sound of the footsteps moving away. The glide of the table being moved from the door. KAthunk-Kathunk. They were being put back into place. Clack. The door shut again.

Baek Saheon relaxed. He began taking deep breaths. His hand pushed his hair back out of his face. But there was something… Wrong. He placed his hand on the cupboard.

[Don’t open it.]

He froze. His eye began trembling again as he looked down at me. He mouthed the word ‘What?’ 

[It’s still here.]

I could sense it. Somehow, I could tell the… horrible energy was still here. Waiting. Watching. Baek Saheon's fear increased again.

We sat in silence for several minutes. Neither of us risked any further noise. All I could hear was Baek Saheon’s quiet breathing and the loud reverberations of his heart. Was I even breathing? 

The counter above us creaked and Baek Saheon went rigid. 

SHLAP!

Something heavy and wet fell onto the floor in front of the cupboard. 

‘HAHAHAHAHAAHAHA-! ‘

A haunting laugh echoed through the empty cafeteria and the sound of something being dragged, or dragging itself, sounded alongside it. As the noise slowly got further away, Baek Saheon glanced at me before creaking open the cupboard to peer outside.

“!!!”

The top half of the Mascot was pulling itself by its arms across the floor, leaving a trail of blood and miscellaneous guts behind. A trail directly from the cupboard towards the door. Once it reached the exit, it was opened from the outside. The bottom half used its oversized foot to hold open the door as the top half climbed up its legs and put itself back together.

That was terrifying. Disgusting. Revolting. I really wish Baek Saheon had turned my head away so that I wouldn’t have the vision of it clawing across the floor seared into my mind. He could look all he wants but there was no need for me to watch that. I received the information from the first glance, that the creature could split itself in two or potentially more pieces and control them individually. It had some intelligence outside of just chasing, seemingly having left a trap for anyone hiding. Much smarter than just some simple video game AI. 

I wish I could take a calming breath. Baek Saheon did it for me.

“Hoo…”

[It's… It's safe now.] 

Baek Saheon unfolded out of the cupboard and avoided stepping in the streaks of blood. He straightened out his suit and then looked down at me. I felt like I had proven myself useful enough to not be abandoned just yet. With this strange ability to sense where the monster was, there was no way he’d just drop me now, right? He held me up to shoulder level and faced me away from him. I wanted to throw up as I was directed at the viscera again. 

[I’d much rather look at you.]

“?!”

My voice came out without me intending it to, again. I felt Baek Saheon flinch and grip me tighter before loosening again. He did not turn me back to him. I went to explain the potential misunderstanding, but he moved on from the awkward silence.

“... You said the camera was going to be in a student’s desk right?”

[That’s right.]

“... Then let’s go.” He moved towards the door, again as if I weighed nothing to him. He stood by the door for a moment to listen. 

[... It isn’t nearby anymore.] I could tell. That energy was heading towards the other side of the floor. Baek Saheon slowly opened the door and looked down each end of the hall. There were drops of dark liquid everywhere, the hall filled with extra desks and toppled lockers. A scattering of cleaning supplies had fallen out of an open closet to make the entire thing like an obstacle course. Amongst other, squishier looking things… Please turn me away, please turn me away… Once satisfied that I hadn’t lied to him, he stepped out into the hall, lugging me along away from the pile.

[Am I heavy?] I couldn’t help but ask. I received a snort in response. As if I was stupid for even thinking of such a question. 

“Focus on where that thing is, not useless things like that.” He moved swiftly down the hallway, peeking around the next corner before moving down it as well. There was a noticeably lower amount of guts, thankfully.“You can feel it or something, right?”

[... Or something.]

I wasn’t too sure of the how, but I could sense it when I focused. Like opening the floorplan in my mind and finding a heat signature. This floor was essentially a giant square outline of halls, three sides holding classrooms while the fourth held the cafeteria. The mascot was just crossing the opposite corner from us.

“Just tell me when it gets close.” He ducked into the closest classroom and shut the door behind him. The windows of each room were plastered in newspapers, layered thick with what I hoped was a red glue until it crusted and flaked. You could not look out or into it without opening one of the doors. Luckily each classroom had two doors in and out, so even if the mascot entered through one, it was easy to slip out the other. 

The Mascot seemed to be checking each classroom along the next hallway like us. Baek Saheon moved from classroom to classroom a bit slower, so we would inevitably cross paths by the end of it.

  Desk by desk, disappointment by disappointment, me trying not to make eye contact with the pieces of skull scattered across the ground… we continued to search. Just as the mascot was approaching the corner to our hall…

“Found it!”

[Perfect! Now hide!]

“Huh?!”

[Hide under the Teacher’s desk! It won’t look there.]

“But-”

[Trust me!]

Baek Saheon hesitated, eye looking towards the lockers in the corner of the room before cursing and diving under the teacher’s desk. Within a minute, the door to the classroom slid open. Heavy footsteps entered through the one closest to us and paused briefly before squelching through the desks to the other corner.

“!!” 

Baek Saheon sucked in a breath as we heard the lockers being opened and closed. One by one each locker was checked. The small cupboard next to them was checked as well, though only someone half the size of an adult would be able to fit in there. The footsteps slowly, methodically went around the chairs and approached the teacher’s desk. I could feel Baek Saheon’s muscles twitching as if he wanted to run.

[Don’t move. Sit still. You’ll be okay.]

His breath hitched slightly, but he obediently sat unmoving as the footsteps came closer and closer again… then walked right past the desk to the other door, exiting back into the hallway. It shut the door and we distantly heard the next classroom being searched. 

[Good job.]

Baek Saheon gasped in breaths, shoulders shaking slightly. “How..?”

[Who is usually the one to wear a mascot costume?]

“!!”  Baek Saheon easily caught on, frustration coursing through him. “A student… of course.”  He pressed a hand into his temple. “I would have figured that out… if I…” 

[Are you alright?] I couldn’t sense any pain, but there was definitely a cloudiness to him. What was happening? Why could I intuit so much about him? About this place?

“... Shut up. I told you not to ask about things that don’t matter.” He glared down at me and emerged from the desk. His other hand clutched the freshly acquired camera. It was a generic digital camera, and looked like it was made about ten years ago. 

His dismissiveness pissed me off a bit. It did matter, since he was the only way we were getting out of here… But I was thankfully able to keep that to myself this time. I wanted to press about his health, or about his contamination level. I wanted to examine him to check for any wounds. I still couldn’t move. It would be much easier if he didn’t have to carry me.

[Do you know what happened to me?]

Baek Saheon paused his approach to the door. He glanced down at me with a scowl. Apprehension returned.“... What do you mean?”

[Why can’t I move?]

His brows furrowed. Confusion inside and out. “... Are you meant to?”

What the hell kind of question was that?

[Most People move.] My voice came off a bit more condescending than I had intended. A bit of an older tone within it.

He flinched, eye growing wider. His mouth opened to respond, but the door to the other classroom slid open and the heavy footsteps entered the hall again. Baek Saheon’s head flicked towards his door and he listened. 

[It is heading the other way. Did you find the difference for this floor already?]

Baek Saheon continued listening until he heard the next door open. He slipped out into the hall and crept down the way the mascot had come from before. Away from where it was now. “Yes,” he whispered. “It's right next to the stairs. A shitty tease when I had to find the camera halfway across the fucking world.” He grumbled and squeezed me. What was I, his stress ball?? But it did seem to make him feel better, so I will put up with it for now. If he was willing to lug me around for some reason I can put up with a bit of harsh treatment in return. Much better than being abandoned or thrown at the mascot.

He quickly made his way down the hall, entering a full sprint when he felt he was far enough from the mascot. He skidded down another corner and entered a hall that seemed somewhat clean. There was still a layer of dust on everything, but the lighting seemed brighter and there wasn’t nearly as much blood. No lockers tipped over or chairs blocking the way… Just the track of where the mascot had gone in bright red. And a shattered camera sitting just outside of the door opposite the stairs. 

Baek Saheon ignored it and entered the classroom diagonally from it, right next to the stairs. He beelined to the back corner desk and crouched down. 

‘creee creee creee’

I nearly passed out from shock. A young ghost girl was hiding underneath the desk, somehow imperceptible from anywhere other than right next to her. The only sign that she was there was the small bird-like noises that croaked from her throat that could be heard from a small radius. She wore the stereotypical dirty white dress, had long black hair covering most of her face, and her skin was a pale pale grey with black splatters and dirt smudged on her limbs. She clutched her knees to her chest and rested her forehead against them.

‘creee creee creee’

Her body vibrated with her croaks. Nope. Nope Nope Nope. I was suddenly extremely glad that I was not the one who had to hunt down these differences. It felt a bit strange thanking the world for Baek Saheon’s presence. He lifted the camera and snapped a photo, like this wasn’t a terrifying thing to witness and was completely natural and normal and a part of daily life. Hoo… The flash filled the room alongside a high pitched scream. If I could move I would have been running in the opposite direction again. When we could see again, the girl was gone, only her chirping remained. Almost like a quiet sob.

‘creee creee creee’

[The Mascot is heading this way.]

Thankfully, Baek Saheon did not want to linger. He poked his head into the hallway and once he confirmed the coast was clear, he swung around the corner and bolted up the stairs. 

We were greeted by the number above the stairs rising from 7 to 8. 

[You did it! What a good find!] I cheered. A proud smirk pulled on Baek Saheon’s lips.

“Of course, that’s the easy part of all of this. If that damned rabbit had stayed away, I could’ve easily-” His words died in his throat as he turned down the mirror image of the hallway we had just left. 

‘Creee creee creee’

The girl’s chirping sobs came over the intercom.

‘Creee creee creee’

And at the end of the hall

‘Creee Creee Creee’

The empty eyes of the mascot stared at us.

“Sh-Shit!” Baek Saheon cursed and turned on his heel. He sprinted down the other hall, dodging the gore and the upturned desks. The heavy thumps of the mascot followed behind, faster than before. “Why didn’t you tell me it was close?!” 

[I-I didn’t know!]

“How could you not know?! God, useless fucking- ugh!” His foot slid in a puddle, but he righted himself quickly. He shoved the camera into his suit to free up a hand. I hadn’t been checking, I wasn’t focusing on it, I had thought it had to climb the stairs as well, I had gotten lax. I had failed my friend. Pain streaked up my gut.

‘Creee Creee Creee’

The voice seemed to be following us. Each intercom we passed came to life to call out, giving away our location.

[It won’t stop chasing now. You’ll need to find the difference while running.]

“What the hell…” Baek Saheon squeezed me tighter. He cursed several times. He looked over his shoulder, but the creature was a hallway behind.

[It's faster than before, but you can still put distance between you. You’ve got this, I believe in you.] 

“Ugh, I know! Don’t be- Don’t do that!”

[But we need you to do well, and I believe you can! You’re amazing and can survive anything!] Although I surprised myself with actually saying it, it wasn’t like I was lying. It was the Viper, the one who lived through everything this world threw at him. Even if I wasn’t here to help, he surely would have escaped on his own. Actually what the hell am I thinking? Why am I fawning over him like this? What did he do to me?

“Stop talking! Stop talking, stop using that voice to say things like that!”

What an ass. I’m trying my best to support him, to encourage him, but he’s just telling me left right and center to shut up? As if fighting against myself, I bite out a few new words.

[Do you want me to degrade you? Look down on you? Would you prefer I tell you that you are going to die and I’m going to laugh when you do?] The pain swelled up in my gut, stabbing and hot. If my body could move I would have doubled over. What the hell was happening to me?

“I- Y- N- JUST SHUT UP RIGHT NOW!” He shouted, adding more force to his steps and pushing further. Faster. He rounded the next corner and approached the cafeteria. He kicked the doors in and frantically looked around. Other than a bit less blood on the floor from the mascot, it looked the same as when we last saw it. 

‘Creeee Creee Creee’ The girl’s croaks echoed through the open room. 

Baek Saheon turned back around and re-entered the hall. He ran towards the corner again. “Where is the mascot?” He asked, harsh breath pushing out of his lungs.

[...]

“Don’t be like that, come on!” He looked back over his shoulder, but nothing was there.

[...]

He cursed under his breath and his hold on me shook. I was completely prepared to keep this up until it became dangerous out of pettiness. He was extremely stubborn, so I expected to be the one needing to cave in order to keep us alive.

“I’m sorry, okay? Please keep talking to me.” 

Oh?

Baek Saheon apologized with only a little bit of pressure. He really must be desperate. I could feel the fear and worry creeping out of him. His voice quivered. I sighed internally and ignored the thrill of having him cave within seconds. I felt an unstoppable urge to reply. It actually hurt somewhat to stay silent. He must have done something to this body to force it to comply with him, along with whatever had paralyzed me. What a jerk, what an ass, what a…

[It’s still moving down the first hallway.] 

I will continue helping him, but I might need to utilize some old tactics if he keeps being a jerk. Or lean even heavier into the nice act, with more of the pouty sulking when he tells me to shut up. If I can’t move my body and menace him, then I will have to use my words. Just like ‘the agent’ with the paper boat. Somehow he always seemed more… willingly compliant with that version of me. A bit of nostalgia swirled in my chest. After years, could it be possible…

[Do you still have it..?]

“What?”

I snapped out of the memory. Not the time to think of such things.

[Nothing, sorry. Go now before it catches up.]

Baek Saheon clicked his tongue. “You don’t need to…. Ugh.”  He kicked his way into a classroom and scanned it quickly, pulling out the camera again. He raced through the desks and kicked out the other door. Another kick, another sprint.

[You can do a third one. You’re doing so well.]

“!!” 

A much harsher kick, sprint. His heart was pounding. 

“Nothing. Dammit.” 

[Run to the opposite hall and check three there. You’re still out-pacing it.]

“Yeah, yeah.” 

Several loops were run around the floor like this with the sobbing croaks of the girl and the stomps of the mascot chasing us the entire time. It eventually became… a bit comical, imagining the Mascot endlessly walking down a hallway without even getting a peek of us. Although, Baek Saheon’s increasingly ragged breath took all the joy out of it. 

After many agonizing minutes, we entered the last classroom and had to pray that the difference was here. Otherwise we’d have to start all over again. Baek Saheon ran through the room, but then backtracked. He clenched his teeth. Another light jog around the room. A speedy walk. His grip tightened on me.

‘Creee creee creee’

I focused on the entity. It was just about to turn into the hallway. 

“Where is it? Fuck! Where is it?!” Baek Saheon’s eye flicked around the room, he swung me around with him and something caught my attention. Just for a moment, there was something off...

[There!] I tried to point but realized it was moot. [The-The whiteboard!]

Baek Saheon whipped around and shoved his way to the front. In the white board, a small hole was cut all the way through, only visible from a slanted angle. 

‘Cree cree creahahahahahaaHAHAHA!’

A shiver went through my soul. What first looked just like a milky background, suddenly shivered and shook, the sobs erupting into laughs. Through the intercom, and through the hole in the wall. It was watching us the entire time, and it was watching us now. It was the dead eye of the little girl, shaking with her sudden laughter. The mascot was in the hall. It was approaching. It was coming.

[Hurry! Take the picture!]

Baek Saheon fumbled with the camera briefly before the flash went off. 

The hole was now empty. I could see straight to the concrete wall behind the white board. The whole floor fell silent. No more laughing, no more crying.

Shhhwoosh.

The door opened behind us. 

Baek Saheon didn’t even turn to look, he bolted out the door closest to us and ran directly towards the stairs. Up up up his feet slammed against them and the number increased to 9.

“Where?” He asked as soon as he climbed that final step, too out of breath to even ask a complete sentence. I was already focusing, waiting to pinpoint when it surely would be teleported to this floor…

[... It’s not here.]

“What?” 

I scanned the layout within my head, but I couldn’t sense that strange energy anymore. It couldn’t just disappear… could it? I don’t recall the creature ever leaving half way through, especially not on the last floor… But I also don’t recall that girl. Could it have had another anomaly that I didn’t read about? I suppose it could have progressed in the year I didn’t religiously look at the wiki… 

[I’ll keep a look-out, go ahead and start searching while we have this grace period.]

“... Right.” 

I could tell he wanted to say something more but he bit his tongue and started moving. Not quite taking his time, but not rushing either. He cleared the closest classrooms while catching his breath. He wiped his sweat away when he went into the second hall. In the third, he moved me to his other side. Piece by piece we scanned, but nothing looked glaringly obvious to me and he reiterated over and over that the items were in the same place. The bones were meant to be at the bottom of the locker, that blood always looked like a cat, that desk was always toppled, on and on.

Until there was only one last place to look.

[... It’s in there.]

Baek Saheon froze with his hand hovering over the cafeteria doors. 

The feeling was small, but that strange energy was in the last place we needed to check. In the first place I woke up. It felt… different. Not just diminished, but also… warmer? Pulsing? I didn’t know how to describe it other than breathing.

“Has it been in there the whole time? It's not moving?”  He whispered. The energy seemed to be against the far wall… 

[I couldn’t feel it until we got closer. Now, it’s very faint. It’s… not moving exactly, just somewhere in the back. Be careful.]

“... Right.” Again it was like he wanted to bark at me for saying something unnecessary but he held it in. That clicker training worked faster than expected. I could feel apprehension radiating from him. He slowly opened the door and peeked inside.

‘Heeheeheehee!’

I wanted to beg him to close it again as soon as the little girl’s giggle slipped from the crack. He blinked several times before pushing the door open further and stepping inside.

[!!]

‘Heeheeheehee!’

‘Hahahahaha!’

The mascot… was also giggling. It’s wide smile had the mesh returned, covering the gaping void. The eyes were a bright and vibrant crimson, shining in the low light. The ears stood straight up and bounced with its movement. It was lifting the little girl up into the air, tossing her lightly and catching her again. Their laughter intertwined like the gentle jingle of a wind chime. The little girl seemed filled with life and happiness.

[... It wasn’t chasing us on the last floor.]

“It was after the kid. The whole time, it was after the kid?”

The mascot’s head suddenly raised to look at us. It caught the girl without looking. Its eyes seem to bore into the camera in Baek Saheon’s hand. The pieces of what I knew slowly came together. Realization hit me like the snap of a glow stick. A cathartic release that filled me with Dopamine. It was hard to admit but this feeling of understanding was something I had sorely missed. Like a tangled pair of headphones finally coming undone. Figuring out the secrets of a Ghost Story. 

[... Ask to take a memory for them.]

“What?” Baek Saheon whispered harshly, eye quivering as he held it on the normal-looking mascot. He tensed and his shoe pointed towards the door. He was about to bolt, but I knew that would be like running from a cheetah. 

[Stay. It’ll be okay. Don’t say picture. But ask permission to take a memory. Please, trust me.]

Baek Saheon inhaled a steady breath. He exhaled through his teeth. A small step forward and the Mascot tightened its grip on the girl. He held the camera up slightly and forced a smile. “May… May I take a memory for you two?”

The mascot continued staring at him. Without moving, even fully put together it was off-putting. A shiver went through Baek Saheon and I felt his desire to run increase. The little girl giggled again and leaned back, her long black hair cascading over the Mascot’s arms, revealing her delighted expression. 

“!!”

She had a large, healed scar over half of her face. One eye was shining brightly, while the other was a milky white. Her smile stretched from ear to ear, but for once in a ghost story it was a blinding glee instead of a terrifying malice. She nodded enthusiastically at us and the mascot seemed to relax. It hugged the girl to its chest and the girl wrapped its arms over its shoulders.

Baek Saheon took a tentative step forward and raised the camera. The flash went off. The blinding light covered every surface. When it faded, sunlight streaked in through the windows and the pair had disappeared.

‘Heehehehe’

‘Hahahaha’

Their laughter could be heard faintly down the hall. 

Baek Saheon pulled the camera down and we both looked at the picture on the screen. The head of the mascot had been removed to reveal a teenage girl smiling lightly at the camera. Her long black hair draped over her shoulder and her face seemed very similar to the other girl smiling brightly in her arms.

Baek Saheon let out a puff of laughter. “Siblings…” There was a strange undercurrent to his tone. Like a ‘of course it had to be siblings’ type of response. He squeezed me again and turned on his heel. A whirl of too many emotions filtered through him and into me and I couldn’t parse any of them. His breath was ragged again, I could feel his dizziness. Clouds and sorrow. Like a dam that had burst, something crumbled within him. What had he remembered?

“Let’s get the fuck out of here.” 

I couldn’t agree more. 

Even though everything seemed fine now within this dimension, I kept searching the floor for that energy. The walls and floors were clean and the light was shining brightly through the uncovered windows… it hadn’t felt like we had done anything off script from the records, but the resolution was completely different. Was it because this was the first time the anomaly was present? Or perhaps Baek Saheon found the hidden clear method on accident? That invisible little girl couldn’t have been easy to find, even with her little cries. How had he thought to check under there in the first place? Wait, didn’t he say it ‘became more like hide and seek’? Had he been finding the girl every floor instead of something like a pulled out chair?

Baek Saheon strided his way towards the stairs. His expression was dark, but he seemed to have composed himself along the way. A storm of emotions still poured out of him, but he seemed to have calmed himself slightly. Squeezing me over and over seemed to assist somehow.

The anomaly had begun much earlier than he thought. He’s the type to study a manual meticulously to guarantee his survival… And yet he didn’t notice a ghost girl being out of place? Sure it was a ghost story, but the second something doesn’t follow the manual you would usually be at least a little more vigilant, right? Everything kept point to there being something deeply wrong with him today.

He stopped once he reached the bottom step. He gazed upwards and I could feel a melancholy from him. Shouldn’t he be rushing out? Who knows what would happen if the ghost story ‘closes’ before he gets out.

[Why are you hesitating?]

“...” His gaze slowly fell to me and I felt the cloudiness of his thoughts again. “Will you still… be present when we leave?” 

Would I? Why was he worried about such a thing? Was I a Daydream employee again and he was trying to calculate the split of the points? But his voice was quiet, not annoyed or pissed but… Something I couldn’t recognize from him. It was almost like… loneliness. He had dragged me this whole way, there was no way he was going to leave me at the finish line, right? I had no clue what he was thinking. But I didn’t even know who I was at the moment and I couldn’t lie to him…

[... I don’t know.]

“...” Baek Saheon’s eye trembled slightly. The clouds became a thick fog. I couldn’t understand him well to begin with but now it was like he was closing me out completely. For some reason my stomach began to ache.

[Do you want me to still be around?]

His mouth opened slightly. He looked back up the stairs. His grip on me tightened then loosened. Tightened then loosened. The fog seemed to swirl, lighten, and wisp around. The thinner it became, the better I felt. What was going on…?

His voice was barely above a whisper. “...Yeah…” 

A burst of euphoria blasted behind my eyes. I found that I wanted him to want me around. The quiet affirmation, hesitant and almost shy, echoed within my brain. Whatever he had done to me had tied a tether between us and I felt confident in saying…

[If you want me to be there, then when you need me I will be.]

“...” The fog lifted to a light mist. “...Promise?” 

 Could I? I’m not sure where this confidence came from within me. The longer I was here, the more questions I had. Why was I paralyzed? Why did I show up with Baek Saheon? Why were we connected? What was wrong with him? 

[I promise.] 

I felt the tether between us become double knotted. I wanted to help him. I wanted to find out what was wrong and ease his mind.

Relief dripped down the rope into my thoughts. He was suddenly a clear sky and a smile pulled on his lips. An incredible happiness bloomed behind my eyes again. A high that I was sure was addictive.

“If you break your promise then I’m feeding you to the special security team.” He spoke the threat with a laugh as he took his first steps up the stairs. Lighter than they’ve ever been before. Without letting me respond, he asked a question in his quiet voice again. “What should I call you?”

[What do you think you should call me?]

Baek Saheon licked his lips. His eye shook slightly as he rounded up the final steps. “I’ll call you Soleum.”

Huh?

“I’ll write my report so the researchers don’t know about you. So keep quiet when they’re around.”

Huh? Huh?

He opened his coat and suddenly my vision went dark.

Did he just put me in an inventory space? Like when I used to put people in my tattoo? What the hell?

He stepped out of the Darkness and a deep tiredness seeped into me. I tried to fight against it, but my consciousness faded.