Souls of Seoul: Blood Bond | OT7 (🚧under construction)

23.

You let your hand fall from the tree as you take a few more steps into the forest. The deeper you go the more you realize your eyesight is a little funny. You look left, right, then back ahead of you. My eyes aren't adjusting to the darkness... at least, not like they should. Everything has a slight white cast to it, almost like the outline of everything before you is part of some bizarre form of night vision. You blink a few times and rub your eyes with the backs of your hands. Surely I'm hallucinating. Nope. Everything definitely looks funny, but you can see and the worry of stumbling around in the dark subsides a little. Maybe the pill Namjoon gave me? 

Pop.

You swear you heard the snap of a twig off to your left but as you scan the area you don't see anything. You proceed forward trying to focus your senses. Where is it? I need to keep my guard up...

Snap.

Okay, that was definitely a noise. You move from tree to tree, trying to keep your back covered the best you can. The last thing you want is to be taken from behind by the tentoria.

You're not sure how long you walk but you are constantly hearing various popping, snapping, and thumping noises. Yet you're unable to pinpoint exactly where they are coming from.

"I'm getting tired of this shit," you mumble to yourself after hearing the latest sound of what you swear is the crunching of leaves off to your right. You catch movement to the right out of the cornered of your eye. Fuck. You jolt to a stop, eyes scanning slowly.

The trees of Białowieża are a mix of oak, ash, and spruce. There is surprisingly little underbrush, making the spaces between the trees fairly easy to traverse. There is soft leaf litter and a bit of deadfall debris, your bare feet thankful for this. The spacing between the trees is fairly wide so you're able to clearly see a pretty decent distance clearly.

There... movement behind that tree. Your breath quickens, heart racing. "I have it,"  you whisper, your chin tucked low just above the wooden bead. A shadowy form materializes from behind the tree. Fear spikes, your hands go clammy as a ball of emotions engulf you. Malice, anger, and a subtle hint of hunger emanate from the figure. It's different from what you felt in the park and at the club... fainter, yet makes you feel just as sickly. You swallow hard against the bubbling in your belly. "Please," you wish softly to yourself, trying to will strength into your resolve.

The figure is menacingly tall. A man... not unlike the one you faced in Tapgol Park. No. In fact, this figure is dangerously familiar. A tattered black suit hangs from emaciated limbs, a gaunt face complete with a wavering slack-jaw. Hands drawn into claws swing as the figure slinks towards you. Is this a sick twisted joke thrust upon me by Vargr Clan? Renee said they were in charge of providing everything. Impossible.

"No," a whisper.

"No," louder.

"No!" You scream and scramble back a few steps before hitting a tree, the bark biting into the bare skin of your back. The dull pain barely registers as you battle on the cusp between fight or flight.

You push off from the tree and let out a shaky breath. "Strength," you state with grit, as if saying the word out loud will help manifest what you need. Much to your satisfaction, it kind of works. You take another step forward, bringing your hands up preparing yourself for an attack.

The figure stops its advancement toward you, maybe now only fifteen yards in front of you. An easy distance to close in just a matter of seconds. It stares at you, its eyes black and dull. A slight cock of its head then it snaps, looking towards the west. It inhales deeply once then you see its nostrils flare several times as it takes smaller little puffed inhales like it's scenting the air.