[Warning: This story will contain strong language, creepy imagery, and depictions of Horror scenarios. Read with caution.]
**FLASHBACK**
(A week and a half after the initial incident)
I drive down the road in my car as I focus my eyes ahead. The summer sun beat down on me during my long journey. I let out an exasperated sigh. Dark thoughts swirled inside of my mind as I tried to figure out what to do. Suddenly, my phone rang when I was in the middle of my thoughts. I nearly jumped by the surprise of it. I dug my hand into my pocket for my phone and pulled it out. When I saw who was calling, I rolled my eyes and hit the accept button, then held it up to my ear. "Yes, my dear Liera?"
"You're still coming to get your shit, right? I've got important things to do."
There it is.
I let out a sigh as I keep my free hand on the wheel and concentrate on the road. "Yeah, I'm headed to our place now. I'm driving."
"No! Correction, MIN-HO! It's MY place! Remember? I kicked you out."
"Liera, please do not call me that. You know I don't go by that name anymore. I want to talk when I get there."
"Honestly, I couldn't care less about how you feel about your name. You never cared for my feelings when we were still together."
"That's not true and you know it. I told you what was going on and all you did was-" I was cut off by a random flash that seemed to be in the shape of a person who appeared in front of my vehicle. I had to quickly swerve out of the way not knowing if it had been real. I dropped my phone in the process. It slipped from my hands, hit my seat and fell underneath. My car veered off into a ditch and I had to slam on my brakes to make it come to a full stop. I managed to make it stop just before it collided into a tree. By the end of it, my hands were violently shaking as my head pounded, brought on by the adrenaline that made the blood pump harder into my skull. I released my seatbelt and frantically looked around. I wanted to see if I could pinpoint the curious object standing in the road.
Nothing was there.
Of course nothing would be there. I knew whatever it was, isn't real. It was just... that thing messing with my brain. I know it had to be it. Ever since I discovered it and took it home, it has been ruining my life ever since. Making me see things that aren't there, causing me to hallucinate and go on a rampage. The spirit of that stone has been haunting me and I can't seem to get rid of it. Even though I threw it away, it still wants me. It still seeks to find and destroy me. To do that, it has targeted every aspect of my life. Like my girlfriend to say the least.
It's ruined what we had. But no matter what I did to try and explain that it wasn't me doing those things, she never listened.
My chest tightened and my breathing hitched. It hurt. It was difficult to intake air into my lungs. I pulled the handle on the door and pushed it open. I climbed out and gasped to breathe again. The side effects of that horrible experience left a crushing, vibrating, pounding in my head. It was almost unbearable. "Fuck." I growled out through my teeth, then bent down to fish my phone out from under my seat. I held it up to my ear.
"You still there?" I say through bated breath. My head stung. I had to rub my temple to make it feel better.
"Yes, I am. What happened just now? I was trying to talk to you and you seemed to ignore me. What was that noise?"
"I had to pull off into a ditch really fast. I was trying to avoid something that appeared in the road." I groaned while leaning against my car door. I heard Liera scoff from the other side of the line.
"Appeared? Like out of thin air? Tch. Lee Know, don't blame your shitty driving on your silly delusions. You were obviously not paying any attention to what you were doing."
"Liera, can't you just fucking believe me for one second? It wasn't because of my driving. I was perfectly fine. I know what I am doing."
Liera laughed which only made me more irritated. But I held it in. No reason to give her any more reason to put me on blast.
"Then you were probably drunk. Come get your shit. I'm tired of looking at it."
I opened my mouth to speak, but I was only left with the click of the end call. I closed my eyes, pinched the bridge of my nose and let out an inhuman groan. I put my phone away and then climbed back in my car, slamming the door shut. I sat there for a good five minutes rethinking my life.
What was I even doing? Why was I still here?
I had my head on my steering wheel. I wanted to crash my head against it over and over, but that was against my better judgment. It wouldn't do me any good. Only bring me more of a migraine than I already had. I roar the car back to life, replace my seatbelt and with gritted teeth I carefully drive back down the road again.
≿————- ❈ ————-≾
[Author's P.O.V.]
(Liera's residence)
Lee Know stepped inside of his home that he once shared with his girlfriend. Liera had boxes and bags piled out in the living room. They all seemed to have just been thrown or tossed into the room. It was unorganized and disheveled with no real pattern or groove to it. Lee Know sighed as he watched her continuously throw his stuff onto the already messy heap. He walked over to her as she was bringing out another box labeled: "old memories," on it in purple sharpie. That hit him hard in the chest and it felt like his heart was breaking all over again. He had to refrain from tearing up.
"Babe, please don't do this. Don't kick me out. I can explain everything. No, I've been explaining everything!" He reached for her hand, but she shoved the box into him. He coughed as it hit his stomach. He grabbed it out of her hands when she let go.
"No! Do not play that with me! I don't care to hear about your crazy delusions. You need HELP, Minho! Psychiatric help! I cannot stand you and your useless ancient artifact, bullshit degree. I'm tired of sitting here every day, suffering and being treated like I'm some.... RAGDOLL!"
He turned to set the box down and walked back to her.
"Liera, please. I love you. Everything will make sense as soon as I can crack the code of this job. I swear, it will all make sense to you. I can prove my innocence! Don't do this." He dragged the tips of his fingers lightly down her hand, seeing a soft glimmer of remorse in her eyes like she was regretting it. She turned her head to break eye contact while she smacked his hand away.
"No. I have given you plenty of chances. Fuck you and your crazy talk. I want nothing to do with you. Take this while you are at it!" She stuck her hand in the front pocket of her pants and pulled out a ring. She extended her arm out to him, hand facing up with the silver band lying in her palm. The moment he saw the ring, tears began to flood down his face. Lee Know shook his head.
"B-but, Liera. I gave you that. It's yours." He looked sorrowfully into her green eyes. He didn't want to take it from her. She had a stone cold look to her. It had no emotions displayed. She was not about to break her word.
"I don't want it anymore. I can't marry a fucking lunatic with mental problems." She roughly grabbed his hand, slapped the ring into it and pushed it away from her.
"Please... For the sake of my health, get your stuff and go."
Lee Know bit his lip to try and hold back his tears.
"Baby, please. Rethink this. I h-have nowhere else to go."
She shrugged.
"Not my problem. You can go and stay with that delinquent friend Changbin of yours." She folded her arms in front of her and tapped her foot on the floor impatiently. Lee Know sadly tucked the ring into his wallet, then faced her once more.
"Liera, you know I can't do that. I haven't seen him in... days. You know what happened to him. He won't talk to me because-"
"Well, I wonder why that is, hm? He's obviously mad about you pushing me down the stairs! I had a concussion you prick!"
At that comment, Lee Know snapped and lost it. He stomped over to her so fast that it surprised her. Liera retreated back until she hit a wall behind her.
"I told you already! It wasn't ME! I didn't do that to you! I would never ever hurt you! Someone is setting me UP, Liera! It is that thing I found at work. It's doing strange things to me and to the people I love!!" He screamed, while gripping her arms tight. She cowered down in fear for what he might do. Tears flowed from her eyes. She forced herself to look up into his dark brown ones.
"Do you see what I mean, Lee Know? This is what I'm talking about. Your random bursts of anger. Your frantic behavior. It scares me. I don't want to be around you. I don't want THIS erratic behavior to rub off and infect me. You are bad for me, Lee Know. I want nothing to do with you anymore."
Lee Know sharply inhaled to calm himself down. He slowly pried his hands off her arms as he took one last long look at her.
"If you're dumping me off to the side of the road like a bag of old trash, can I at least have one last kiss? I...miss you." He leaned into her face. His mouth was only three inches from hers. He could tell there was a small part of her that missed him too. A part that actually didn't want to let him go. He could tell. The way a soft rose flush appeared on her cheeks. The way she would purposefully look away from him when he got so close. He knew her inside and out. Almost better than she knew herself. But Liera continued to refuse him.
Without an immediate protest, he leaned in even more to press his lips upon hers. But at the last second, she held her index finger to his mouth.
"Fuck. Off." She growled. He sighed softly and backed away from her. He flashed her a small, broken smile.
"Just you wait, Liera. I am going to figure this out. I promise. I will prove to you that everything I have told to you, is true. Just know that I love you."
He walked over to his stuff and began to take it out to his car. Liera never once came out to say goodbye, see him off, or even so much as send him any regards. He moved all of his belongings on his own and left the pretty little red brick house, inside the pretty little neighborhood, back in the rear view mirror of his Firebird.
**END FLASHBACK**
[END: CHAPTER 1]