Reborn as a Prophet in a Horror Movie

#138Reader Mode

#138

Madison’s mind spun with confusion and suspicion. Leimia had vanished in an instant, there one second and gone the next.

She rounded on Johan, eyes flashing. “Leimia was literally right here when I went to the bathroom. She wouldn’t just leave without a word. What did you do to her?”

But Johan barely registered her words, too fixated on the accusatory sneer of her lips, the way she hurled allegations instead of questions. Sure, she was ranting full blast, but her tirade faded to background static. Something else bothered him, an irksome thought that had dug under his skin even before the blame game began.

“He’s got a thing for me.”

That self-assured declaration. Smug even. Like it was indisputable fact.

These days, rational thought had been hollowed out of his head, replaced by fragile bubbles of infatuation, hope…love. One by one, they burst. Her offhand cocky comment was the pin that popped the last one.

She wouldn’t make a claim like that without reason, would she? The idea ate at him. What if she knew something he didn’t? What if her confidence wasn’t just arrogance but certainty? If she could state it like it was common knowledge with zero proof, then whatever twisted logic ruled her mind, he wanted no part of it.

Johan forced out a disinterested drawl. “Yeah, well, I’ve never seen this Leimia girl, so…” He shrugged. “I got nothing.”

Madison searched Johan’s eyes, but it was like peering into a bottomless well. Unreadable. Fathomless.

See, Johan had always believed time was on his side. That he could pursue Seojun at his own pace, confident he’d eventually catch up and stand beside him. The push and pull of it intoxicated him. The ever-shifting distance between them a tantalizing game of tag between lovers who never stopped running towards—and away from—each other.

It excited him. Drove him crazy with frustration.

Not that Seojun knew any of this.

Was this what love felt like? This fizzy, bubbling sensation that made his heart feel weightless? He’d never considered it before, never imagined that on this winding journey, Seojun might find someone else. Someone who could steal his heart before Johan even had the chance.

Johan’s eyes, just moments ago warm and glowing with quiet happiness, now shimmered with unshed tears. Madison, who’d been absentmindedly nibbling on a perfectly manicured nail, froze as if slapped. The change in Johan was so sudden, so whiplash-inducing, it left her gaping in shock.

“Whoa, hey, what’s with waterworks all of a sudden? Was it something I said? Did I do something?”

“No, that’s not it,” Johan mumbled, his words thick and heavy. A sniffle escaped him as he shook his head slowly. Then, as if a dam had burst, the tears began to fall, cascading down his pale cheeks in glistening rivulets. He tilted his head back slightly, surrendering to the tearful sorrow, allowing them to fall. One after another after another.

“I just…” His voice dropped even lower, rough and damp, as if the grief had lodged itself deep in his throat. “I just suddenly imagined something really, really sad.”

Madison’s lip quivered, betraying the fear she hadn’t yet noticed. But her body knew. It had already started pulling her away. One step back. Then another, retreating on instinct alone, to put as much space between herself and him as possible.

But the instant she moved, Johan’s icy blue eyes snapped to her, sharp and focused like a wolf scenting blood. They were mesmerizing, those eyes—beautiful and deadly, like the surface of a frozen sea. Madison found she couldn’t look away, even as she felt herself drowning in their depths.

Johan’s gaze was intense, unwavering. He seemed to notice every detail—the way Madison’s weight shifted, betraying her fear; the subtle flex of her foot, ready to run; even the flutter of her lashes, that brief moment of darkness before her eyes reopened. Nothing escaped his scrutiny.

It was as if he were committing each tiny detail to memory, etching them into his mind. Meticulous. Borderline obsessive.

A shiver ran through Madison. The way Johan looked at her… felt invasive, like he was dissecting her with his eyes, stripping away muscles, tendons and bones, peeling away each layer to examine the very core of her being.

It was very unsettling, to say the least.

Madison twisted her shirt in her hands, the fabric wrinkling under her white-knuckled grip. She fought to keep her voice steady. Breezy, even.

“Tch… could you maybe not stare at me like that? It’s kinda creepy.” She shifted her weight, eager to move on. “So, what’s the plan? I’m gonna go look for Leimia. This house isn’t that big, so it shouldn’t take too long.”

“I’ll come with you,” Johan said, sounding all sincere and worried. “I mean, we’re in a haunted house. Probably not the best idea to wander around alone, right? We should stick together, watch out for each other.”

This wasn’t a snap decision on Johan’s part. Based on his estimations, if Madison was telling the truth, not much time had passed since she and Leimia had parted ways with Seojun and ended up here.

Johan cranked up the sincerity, giving her a look so genuine it was almost painful. “And who knows? Maybe Seojun will show up while we’re looking for Leimia. Kill two birds with one stone.”

Madison shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “Yeah, sure, whatever.”

Johan’s offer didn’t make her feel any better. Didn’t give her even a glimmer of comfort. If anything, the unease beneath her skin only intensified. But she nodded anyway and hurried over to her bag, feeling his eyes on her back the entire way.

She rummaged through the belongings, the rustling seeming unnaturally loud in the oppressive silence.

“Leimia’s bag, her jacket, her car keys,” Madison muttered under her breath. “They’re all still here. So she probably didn’t leave.”

“Hmm,” Johan mused, his tone calm but thoughtful. “If she hasn’t come out by now with all the noise we’ve been making, she’s probably not upstairs. I bet she’s still somewhere down here.”

When he first entered the haunted house, the ground floor had appeared empty. But he hadn’t exactly searched every nook and cranny. There were plenty of places to hide.

Madison nodded, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. “Yeah… probably.”

“Or maybe she just stepped out for a minute to get some fresh air,” Johan suggested. “Might’ve gotten bored waiting around while you were in the shower.”

Some people were drawn to creepy places, but Johan wasn’t one of them. He’d take fresh grass and trees over a gloomy, musty haunted house any day. But Leimia seemed like the type who might be into it.

Madison shut that idea down immediately. “No way. Leimia wouldn’t have left the house.”

Johan’s eyebrows shot up, surprised by her adamant response. “Yeah? Why not?” It was an innocent question, but it clearly struck a nerve.

Madison bit her lip, chewing on it for a moment before snapping, “What, you think you know Leimia or something? I just told you it’s not possible, so what, are you calling me a liar now? Listen up! Nobody knows Leimia better than I do. Madison-freaking-Camry!”

Her voice trembled, nerves and frustration bleeding through. She balled her hands into fists, nails digging into her palms, and stomped her foot so hard the thud echoed through the room. She glared at him, fear and anger crackling in the air between them.

Johan threw his hands up in surrender, his tone dry and unruffled. “Okay, okay. I get it. Message received. You’re the expert on all things Leimia. Got it. Sheesh.”

Once the tension had simmered down, they decided to scope out the second floor. Leimia could be hiding in one of the rooms up there, right? Pulling some kind of stupid prank? Stranger things had happened.

Johan had already searched the first room, and the second was a bust. No hiding spots, no Leimia. The third room was just a tiny, cramped bathroom – equally Leimia-less. But when they reached the fourth room, Madison pushed the door open without hesitation. Johan’s attention snagged on the fifth door beside it, riddled with nails that would’ve sent Seojun into a panic about tetanus shots.

Madison shivered, though she wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was the way the air felt heavier here. Johan being distracted gave her the courage to step inside first, but Leimia wasn’t here either.

“What… the hell is this?” Madison’s voice wavered as her grip tightened on the doorframe, her legs threatening to give out. She stood frozen, her breath catching in her throat. Startled by her reaction, Johan leaned in to see what had shaken her so badly.

“Whoa.”

Surprisingly, the fourth room had halfway decent lighting compared to the rest of the decaying house. It must’ve been designed to drink up the sun before the place fell apart, unlike the black hole of the second room with its lack of windows and gloomy vibe. This room had a large window that bathed the space in warm, orange-tinted sunlight, illuminating the white wallpaper.

Of course, that was back when the house was still in good condition. Now, the remaining wallpaper had yellowed with age, peeling away in jagged strips to expose the bare concrete beneath. But that wasn’t what had Madison’s heart racing. She wasn’t the type to freak out over a little decay—after all, she’d taken a shower in this creepy house without a second thought.

The fourth room’s walls were lined with shelves, each one crammed with dolls. The collection looked random, as if the house’s former owner had just grabbed whatever they could find and tossed them up there.

And every single one of them was missing its head.

“Eeek…!” Madison let out a startled cry, the sight beyond creepy. Dozens of headless doll torsos sat on the shelves, their tiny, lifeless bodies facing the same direction. She stiffened, her shoulders hunching as she took a shaky step back.

That’s when a short, sharp scream escaped her lips. Johan’s head snapped down, and he saw what had startled her—her shoe had snagged on the broken remains of a tripod.

“Ah!”

***

The house shuddered as a heavy thud reverberated through the walls, so close it felt like the very air was quaking. Seojun and Camry both froze, their bodies going rigid in unison. Swallowed by the oppressive darkness of the windowless room, Seojun could only assume Camry had reacted the same way he had. Deprived of sight, they relied on faint silhouettes to reassure themselves of each other’s presence.

Camry’s hand groped for his in the blackness, her fingers interlacing with his and squeezing tight. Seojun held his breath, every muscle in his body wound taut. The groan of floorboards and the unmistakable sound of footsteps sent his pulse skyrocketing. Someone was moving.

Up the stairs.

A muffled voice drifted to his ears, too indistinct to distinguish as male or female, before fading into nothingness. The silence that settled in its wake was somehow worse than the sound had been, bearing down on him, heavy and smothering.

Seojun pressed a palm to his chest, trying to will his racing heart to slow down. Inclining his head to where he estimated Camry’s ear must be, he whispered, “You think that could be Leimia out there?”

Camry shook her head, her hair brushing against his cheek with the motion and sending a fresh shiver of trepidation through him. “I doubt it. Leimia would’ve called out for me if it was her.”

“I mean… yeah, good point, but…” Seojun began, only to break off as Camry’s hand shot out and clamped down on his shoulder with startling strength. The sharp pressure made him wince. Her voice reached him, low and insistent.

“Seojun, think. That psycho had a knife. Do you understand how dangerous that is? She showed up ready to hurt someone—you, me, anyone unlucky enough to cross her path. We barely made it out of that restaurant with our lives. We can’t risk being reckless now.”

She was right, of course. If some knife-wielding lunatic was skulking around out there, the peril they faced was all too real. But cowering here in the dark wasn’t a solution either.

We need to call for help…

Then he remembered.

Ah, right. No signal here. Shit!

Seojun clenched his jaw, a swell of frustration rising in his throat. All he’d wanted was to meet up with Leimia and get the teddy bear back. How had it all gone so dreadfully sideways?

Beside him, Camry stirred, her voice breaking the silence. “More importantly, Seojun, are you thirsty? Your breathing sounds a little rough.”

She rummaged for a moment before pressing something into his hands—a thermos, its surface cool and smooth even through the fabric of his gloves. As she unscrewed the lid with a soft click, she went on, “I know you said something about having mysophobia, but considering Wendrick’s guts decorated your shirt before, I’m guessing it’s not that serious, right? Now’s the time to keep your strength up.”

“Uh…” Seojun hesitated. He wasn’t a germophobe, not really, but he wasn’t quite sure how to explain that. Before he could cobble together a response, Camry flashed him a grin, her teeth gleaming faintly in the darkness.

“I didn’t grab my bag when we ran out of there, but somehow I managed to hang on to this thermos. It’s just some coffee Leimia brought me earlier. It’s gone cold, but that just makes it easier to drink.” She tilted the thermos, the liquid inside sloshing audibly, its inky blackness melding seamlessly with the surrounding shadows.