nightmare– kma.
Jongin had been having a few fitful nights of sleep recently. There had been a brief respite, had dreamed of the beach near his old apartment, a roll of waves that shone topaz blue in the replicated sun that hung constant and unmoving in the sky. A girl had shown up, scattered throughout his memory like a page torn out of a book. He could sort of remember her face; pretty features and a tumble of dark hair that the wind seemed to envy with how it tangled between the curious breeze. She was absent now, though.
Not that he expected her to show, the walls surrounding him flooding with darkness in a way that seemed unnatural, physics of dreamland skewed, and tendrils of shadows were drifting up like smoke clouds around him. There was a guttural growl, the sound filtering around him like he was caught in an echo chamber. He was in his house though – his old one, the one he had grown up in. Tiny and ramshackle, the appliances outdated and the chairs scattered around the kitchen table unmatched and thrifted. It was a little different now though, warped, and the growling was starting to flood him, ring inside of his ears. He shook his head to try and escape it, but the sound seemed to rattle inside of him, until he came to the realization that he was making it.
"Monster," joined the fray, the words bouncing disorienting around the room, and Jongin's jaw snapped in reaction, a twisted noise escaping his throat, like the backdrop of a horror movie. It was a strange scene to say the least, something eerie, confusing no doubt, for anyone peering in. Not your average nightmare of snakes, heights, or murderous clowns. It shook something deep in Jongin though, praying for the moment he would wake up in a cold sweat, heart beating rapid-fire in his chest and the sheets twisted up around his calves. Not yet though, and willing himself awake didn't seem to be giving himself any headway.
The word continued, grew in volume, the familiar voice of his mother. He turned to run toward the door, the hallway stretching longer and longer, turned into an impossible feat of cracked tile underneath his scattered steps. A face appeared, haunting in its familiarity – the inevitable next step pooling like lead in his stomach. Deadweight that would drag him down, that he couldn't ever seem to dispel. With something of a start the hallway shrank – and Jongin lunged. He closed his eyes, tried to wish himself awake, but the sounds continued, a disjointed shriek and something reminiscent to copper playing over Jongin's tongue like a memory. He refused to open his eyes though. The word became louder. Useless. Jongin already knew he was a monster.