You Again?

The Pool

It was another one of those days that Yin just needed a break. As if it wasn’t enough that he already had enough work for school, his recent supernatural visitors just had to add to the list of things he has to worry about.

His encounter with War’s doppelganger was on the forefront of his thoughts. He couldn’t quite figure out if the being was something he should be worried about, at first he thought that it may not mean any harm and was only having a bit of fun at his expense but after that afternoon, he wasn’t quite sure. And he still couldn’t shake that sinister smile off of his head.

Yin dived in for another lap around the large pool, letting the water consume him. The university pool was the place he went to when he needed to unwind and at this time of the afternoon it was relatively empty, just a few stragglers around the benches. It was the perfect place to collect his thoughts.

Whenever he was in the water, he usually lost track of time, and today was no different. Not long after, the sun was beginning to set and the already few people thinned to nothing. He was alone.

Yin ran his hands through his wet hair, letting his head rest on the edge of the pool. The silence was a welcome companion but with his recent run-ins with the supernatural, he figured it would be best if he left before an unwelcome visitor drops in again.

It seems that he spoke too soon because before he could even step up the pool steps, he sees a disturbance in the water. There was something in the middle of the large pool, bubbles were rising to the surface and the water was moving slowly, like a current. He moved closer to the steps, every fiber of his being screaming at him to run. But before he could even make a move to get away, there was a weird black mass floating in front of him.

“What the-”

And then he was being pulled back into the water.

The black mass turned out to be strands of long, stringy hair. It was wrapping around him, rendering him almost immovable. He clawed at the water, frantically trying to break to the surface, but the water seemed to get deeper and deeper. His vision was starting to become blurry, lungs constricting as he gradually lost air.

“Aren’t you a handsome one.” A disembodied female voice said.

Yin’s eyes widened when he came face to face with a woman, if it can even be called that. The woman had bloodshot eyes peeking from the hair covering its face. Her hair seemed to have a life of its own, floating in the water and cocooning his lower body. The woman approached him and long claw-like fingers wound around his neck.

“Such a shame.”

He was slowly losing consciousness as the hand tightened around his neck, sharp fingers digging into his neck, drawing blood. He gasped for air and the creature laughed, a hollow sound that reverberated in the water around them. At that moment he felt cold fear rush through him, this was different from his other encounters. This spirit was angry, very angry. He could feel it in waves, the flow of raw, unadulterated anger radiating from the spirit.

Yin heard a loud call of his name and a loud splash before darkness enveloped him.

***

The first thing Yin noticed when he opened his eyes were the glaring overhead lights. The next thing was War’s worried face leaning over him, hair still dripping. He jolted up and started coughing, lungs still burning. He felt War’s hand on his back, helping him upright.

“Careful.” The other man’s voice warned. “I thought I lost you for a moment there.”

“What-?” His voice sounded scratchy and the pain was still there. “-what happened?”