Horror prompt: Hongbin knew how this "move into a new house for a fresh start" thing worked. He'd done research on the house, and the land it was built on, and even the previous owners. It was totally clean, not even a break-in. He wasn't expecting the woods just off the property to be a problem.
Hongbin may not have completely believed in the supernatural, but he’d be damned if he ended up like a horror-movie victim. No, he did as much research as possible on the house before he signed anything or put any money down.
The whole place came up clean. It was the most perfect record for any building he’d ever seen, and he’d seen a lot. Looking for a good house was tiring, and finding one so good was a blessing.
So when Hongbin started hearing noises that were suspiciously unclear out in the woods behind the property, he was thoroughly annoyed. It had to be someone messing around back there, he figured.
So he did the logical thing and called the police to report strange noises back there. No investigations even showed evidence anyone had been back there.
Another week that passed and Hongbin thought it must have been a one-time incident, because nothing else happened. Until he heard something that sounded like a distant scream. He called the police again, double-checked his locks, and waited.
One more investigation that showed no results.
Night after night, more strange noises. Hongbin didn’t bother calling the police after the second time. They’d think something was wrong with him, if he kept that up.
Instead he decided to research the woods behind his house. Find out if he had somehow missed something.
Serial Killer.
Hongbin felt sick to his stomach. Still, he figured, as long was it was contained to the woods, as long as it wasn’t in his house, couldn’t get to him, it was fine.
When he found shoe prints near the back door of his house, nowhere near close to any of his own, he was concerned.
When the screaming that used to be distant sounded like it was within his own house, he panicked.
When he woke up to the sounds of walking in his house, he ran. Refused to go back into his house until morning, when he grabbed as much of his stuff as he could and moved onto his friend’s couch temporarily.
Horror prompt (high school au) They always said the theater was haunted, but Hongbin was a senior and he didn't believe it, no matter what stories his fellow theater kids told him. It isn't until he forgets his script after a late rehearsal one day, and comes back even later at night to get it, that he begins to think otherwise.
High school students loved their rumors, that was something Hongbin had realized early in his life as one. Those two are dating, they said. Those teachers hate their students, they said. The theater was haunted, they said.
But none of it was true. Those two students hated each other. Those teachers were quick to help failing students. The theater wasn’t haunted. Hongbin should know the last one, being a theater kid and a senior. He had lots of time to be shown if it was or wasn’t true, and there had never been any evidence.
Sure, there were students who would swear “on their lives” that it was haunted. That they’d seen things! That there was a vengeful ghost there.
Hongbin always rolled his eyes and gone back to whatever he had been doing. It was such a rediculous thing to be so on board with, when there wasn’t any evidence.
So Hongbin thought nothing when he had to go back late at night to get his script. If anything happened, he figured, it was probably a prank set up by the students, anyway.
Hongbin pushed through the door and glanced around the dark backstage. He felt around the wall nearest him for a light switch, not in so much a rush that he wanted to stumble around in the dark, and gave a sigh of relief when the lights came on. His steps echoed through the silent room as he made his way where he left his script, finding it untouched.
That was easy. Hongbin picked the script up, ran a hand through his hair and breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn’t have to look around for it any more. As much as he didn’t believe the rumors, standing around alone in a place that’s usually filled with people is still unsettling.
Especially when the lights flicker off before he can turn around and leave.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” He mutters, carefully making his way back to the switch. He goes to flick it, wondering if the turning the lights on and off would help, when he realizes the light switch is on off. Was someone messing with him? The could have tried a little harder than that.
“You’re really funny, seriously,” Hongbin offered unto the to empty halls, in hopes whoever did it would hear him. “But also really obvious.”
When no response came Hongbin figured they were too ashamed to face him. He sure would have been if he got caught in a prank that easy. So he turned to leave, only to fall flat on his face with something around his leg. “Tripping me is Immature.”
Hongbin pushed himself up enough to look back at his leg, which despite him being able to feel the pressure, was untouched. That, was strange to say the least, so he pushed himself into a sitting position and ran his hand over the area, only to have the feeling disappear.
“Maybe the dark’s getting to me.”
Dwelling on the mystery wasn’t something he was in the mood to do, however. If he was so out of it already, he didn’t want to stay any longer and start seeing things.
He was seeing things. As he stood, and looked to the end of the hall he had to walk down, he could see a figure. A shadow, he assured himself. Until he realized he couldn’t find anywhere for it to come from, other than himself, and it wasn’t even standing the same way he was. Maybe someone dressed up to look like a shadow to freak him out, was his second guess.
“That’s not working! Would you stop?” Hongbin’s voice carried through the hall, echoed off the walls, and the figure shifted.
“Working?” The voice was so quiet, directly in his ear, and he jumped at it. Turned to hit whoever thought that was okay in the face. Except no one was there and he hadn’t heard any foot steps.
“Hongbin?” He spun around again, and suddenly the figure was right behind him. So clearly human in a full body black suit he almost felt relieved.
Until it opened it’s eyes and that definitely wasn’t a fabric face. It was like someone pulled putty apart and stuck prop human eyes in the holes. Except they blinked, moved when he took a step back, and narrowed when he opened his mouth to scream.
Hongbin, in most cases, would try to deny screaming, or being scared. In this case he stumbled back, screamed into the figures face, and turned around to run. Prank or not- at this point he was thinking not- he wanted to leave.
He stumbled, his script falling out of his hand, and didn’t bother to pick it up. The stairs were too many, the door was too far, and once he had run all the way home he nearly collapsed in his doorway.
“Hey Hongbin, did you leave your script here yesterday?” He only nodded, even in the daylight, he suddenly felt unsafe in the confines of the theater. “We found it on the table by the door, so we left it there for you.”
“The table?” That definitely wasn’t where he left it, down the hall while he ran.
“Yeah. What’s that black stuff on it anyway?”
His refusal to touch his script had them concerned and he couldn’t bring himself to admit he suddenly believed the rumors.
