The Game of Fear (ch~3)

The silence in the room felt heavier than before.

Not empty. Not calm.

It was suffocating.

Like the walls were closing in on you slowly, trapping every breath inside your chest.

You sat on the cold marble floor, your back pressed against the side of the bed, your knees pulled tightly to your chest. Your arms wrapped around them weakly, as if that was the only thing keeping you from completely falling apart.

Your throat burned.

Every breath felt dry… painful.

You didn’t know how long it had been.

Hours.

Maybe a full day.

No food.

No water.

Nothing.

Only his words echoing again and again in your head—

“You’ll speak… or you’ll suffer.”

Your eyes slowly closed, but the moment darkness surrounded you—

You saw her.

Your grandmother.

Her soft smile.

Her gentle eyes.

The way she used to call your name—

A gunshot.

Your eyes snapped open instantly.

A sharp breath escaped your lips.

“No…” your voice came out broken, barely there.

Tears gathered again, even though you thought there were none left.

“Grandma…” you whispered, your fingers tightening around your arms.

Your chest ached.

“I couldn’t save you…”

A tear slipped down your cheek.

Then another.

And another.

Your breathing became uneven as memories hit you one after another.

Her laughter.

Her warmth.

Her presence.

Gone.

Just like that.

Because of him.

Because of—

Your expression changed.

“Jae…” you whispered, your voice slowly filling with anger.

Your jaw clenched.

“You liar…”

Your fingers dug into your skin.

“You said you wanted to protect us…”

A bitter, broken laugh escaped your lips.

“Protect?” your voice shook.

“You ran away…”

Tears streamed faster now.

“You left us there…”

Your breathing became heavier.

“You left her there…”

Your voice cracked completely.

“If it wasn’t for you…”

A pause.

A painful one.

“She would still be alive…”

Silence filled the room again.

But this time—

It wasn’t empty.

It was filled with grief.

With anger.

With something slowly breaking inside you.

The sound of the lock clicking made your entire body stiffen.

Your head snapped toward the door.

Your heart started pounding again.

The door opened slowly.

And he walked in.

Just like always.

Calm.

Composed.

Untouched.

As if nothing had changed.

As if nothing mattered.

Your eyes hardened instantly.

“I told you already…” your voice came out weak, but steady, “I don’t know where he is.”

He didn’t respond immediately.

Instead, he walked inside slowly, his steps echoing softly against the floor.

The door closed behind him.

The room suddenly felt smaller.

Tighter.

His presence alone was enough to suffocate you.

He stopped a few steps away from you, his eyes locked onto yours.

Cold.

Sharp.

Unreadable.

“Still lying?” he asked quietly.

“I’m not lying,” you shot back, even though your voice trembled slightly.

He tilted his head just a little, observing you like you were something he needed to understand.

“Then you’re useless.”

Your eyes narrowed.

“Or maybe…” you whispered, forcing yourself to stand up despite your weak body, “you’re just too blind to see the truth.”

A flicker.

Something shifted in his gaze.

But it disappeared quickly.

He took a step closer.

Instinctively, your body tensed.

“I don’t repeat myself,” he said, his voice low and controlled. “Where is he?”

“I don’t know!” you snapped, frustration finally breaking through your exhaustion. “How many times do I have to say it?!”

Your breathing grew heavier.

“He used me too! He lied to me! He made me sign those papers and ran away like a coward!”

Silence.

You stared at him, your eyes burning with anger.

“And now I’m the one suffering for his mistakes.”

He didn’t say anything.

Just kept looking at you.

Studying.

Measuring.

Judging.

“Do you think this is fair?” you asked, your voice dropping, almost breaking.

“Fair?” he repeated slowly, as if the word itself meant nothing to him.

“Yes, fair!” you stepped closer, ignoring the weakness in your legs. “What did I do? Tell me! What did I do to deserve this?!”

For a moment—

There was silence.

Then he moved.

Fast.

His hand grabbed your arm, pulling you toward him harshly.

You gasped softly, your body reacting instantly to the sudden movement.

“You’re in no position to question me,” he said, his voice darker now.

Pain shot through your arm, but you didn’t look away.

“Or what?” you whispered, your eyes meeting his with defiance. “You’ll kill me too? Like you killed my grandmother?”

That did it.

Something changed in him.

Not guilt.

Not regret.

Something colder.

“She got in the way,” he said flatly.

Your heart shattered again.

“She was protecting me!” you shouted, your voice breaking. “She didn’t deserve that!”

“And neither did I,” he snapped suddenly, his grip tightening.

You froze.

That was the first time his voice raised.

Your brows furrowed slightly.

“What…?”

His jaw clenched.

For a second, it felt like he was about to say something more.

Something real.

But then—

He stopped.

His expression hardened again.

The moment was gone.

“Enough,” he said coldly, pushing you away slightly.

You stumbled back, barely keeping your balance.

“You’ll speak,” he continued, his tone calm again. “Everyone does.”

Your chest rose and fell rapidly.

“I won’t,” you whispered.

A faint smirk appeared on his lips.

“We’ll see.”

He turned toward the door.

Fear crept into your chest.

“What are you going to do?” you asked, your voice softer now—not weak, but cautious.

He paused.

Then without turning back—

“Break you.”

And then he walked out.

The door closed.

Locked.

Silence returned.

But this time—

It felt wrong.

Too quiet.

Too still.

Your brows furrowed slightly.

Something wasn’t right.

Then—

A sound.

Faint.

Barely noticeable.

Scratch…

Your body froze.

Your breath caught in your throat.

“No…”

Another sound.

Closer this time.

Scratch… scratch…

Your eyes slowly moved toward the corner of the room.

Your heart started pounding violently.

“No… no…”

A small movement.

Something ran across the floor.

You gasped.

Your body reacted instantly, stepping back.

And then you saw it.

A mouse.

Your vision blurred for a second.

“No… please no…”

Your voice trembled uncontrollably.

Before you could react—

Another one appeared.

Then another.

Your breathing became uneven.

“Stop… please… stop…”

You shook your head, backing away until your back hit the wall.

They kept coming.

Small.

Fast.

Everywhere.

Your chest tightened painfully.

“No—NO—GET THEM AWAY!”

A scream tore from your throat.

You pulled your legs up, pressing yourself into the corner, your hands gripping your hair as panic completely took over your body.

“I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!” you cried out, your voice breaking. “PLEASE! I DON’T KNOW!”

Tears streamed down your face uncontrollably.

Your whole body shook.

You couldn’t breathe properly.

Couldn’t think.

Couldn’t move.

Only fear.

Pure, overwhelming fear.

Outside the room—

He stood there.

Still.

Silent.

Your screams echoed through the hallway.

His jaw tightened slightly.

His fingers twitched at his side.

For a moment—

Just a moment—

He moved toward the door.

As if he was about to open it.

As if he was about to stop this.

Your voice—

broken, desperate—

reached him again.

“Please… I’m scared… please…”

His hand stopped on the handle.

His expression changed.

Something softened.

Something… human.

Then—

A memory.

Jae.

Blood.

Betrayal.

His eyes darkened instantly.

His hand dropped.

The softness disappeared.

Replaced by cold anger again.

“Not yet,” he muttered under his breath.

And he stepped back.

Leaving you there.

Inside—

You were breaking.

Completely.

“I can’t… I can’t…” you cried, your voice shaking uncontrollably.

Your body felt numb.

Weak.

You curled into yourself, trying to escape something that was everywhere.

“I want grandma…” you whispered, your voice small, broken like a child.

“I’m scared…”

Your breathing turned into uneven gasps.

“I don’t know anything… please believe me…”

But no one came.

No one saved you.

Time passed.

You didn’t know how much.

Eventually—

Your body gave up.

Exhaustion took over.

Your screams faded into weak sobs.

Your vision blurred.

And slowly—

Darkness consumed you.

Outside—

He stood there again.

Silent.

Listening.

Your voice had disappeared.

The screams had stopped.

Only silence remained.

His expression didn’t change.

But his eyes…

They stayed on that door longer than before

“Break all you want…” he whispered quietly,

“…you still won’t leave me.”

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