The House on Mass. Avenue | Rensung

Untitled Part 23

They're suspicious of me...I know they are. I can feel it in my gut. It makes me want to throw up the more days I spend in this lurching about this house. I think I'm seeing things...no, no I know I'm seeing things. Or maybe they're all crazy, and I'm not the one who is crazy.

I can't sleep anymore. Maybe it's paranoia, maybe it's stress. I think today is the day.

They're suspicious of me...

- [re]rk[dacted]

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The members of the house had now disembarked on their separate tasks throughout the house, leaving Jisung to wander like an old ghost who had lost their purpose for wandering in the first place.

Mark was helping Jeno place things on the curb outside as others placed the broken pieces on the porch. Jisung had even seen the two talking to other people outside, the townspeople walking around to make sure that everyone was alright. Apparently it wasn't just the house that had suffered from the earthquake, but it had been the whole oceanside street. They were lucky there wasn't massive flooding.

Chenle was busy cleaning on the second floor, asking Jisung if he could go into his room to see if anything had broken. Jisung had nodded, Chenle giving him an enthusiastic thumbs up gesture as he tied a mask back over his face. The other was worried about dust getting into his lungs and had also added deep cleaning to his list. 'Now was a perfect time than never' he had said.

Jaemin was looking over Donghyuck who had passed out again, feverishly tossing back and forth in his bed. Jisung had asked if he needed anything but Jaemin had just shooed him out of the room, saying that Donghyuck just needed his rest. Jisung hadn't bothered asking what it was exactly that Donghyuck was suffering from, although he could feel the question gnawing away at him as time continued to roll forwards.

Renjun was nowhere to be found, although Jisung assumed that the other was on the third floor where he himself had yet to venture. For some odd reason, he felt strange passing on upwards from the second floor, and had yet to explore the third floor and attic. It was as if something was pushing him backward, urgently whispering not yet. So the young author wandered, trusting his instincts.

Jisung's fluffy socks gripped onto the wooden floor of the hallway, his head poking around the corner to look into the parlor. It was empty and he heard shuffles from behind him, more shouting echoing around the house as Chenle shouted out the window to Mark and Jeno. Jisung let out a breath, feeling meek and a bit fragile as he sat down on the couch, pulling the worn blanket over his body.

How could he not help but feel fragile? He was seeing things now, things that seemed much too real just to be hallucinations. His finger pulled at a loose strand in the blanket, his teeth pulling at the inside of his cheek.

Insane. He felt like he was going insane.

Jisung let his head fall forwards, burying it into his knees. How much longer could he go on like this? He had so many questions and so little answers.

What was with that crow that followed Jeno around? What was this sickness that seemed to be killing Donghyuck? What was the deal with the hallucinations, that monster in the basement? What was the deal with this earthquake? It had to be an earthquake, right? How many people in the house were the root of the problems having to deal with these rules? One? Two? What was the cause of the rules? What was the origin of the rules? What about the eyes of both Donghyuck and Renjun which seemed to glow?

Jisung's jaw hurt from clenching it and he sat up, his hand drawing out from under the blanket to massage it. There were so many questions...and it was about damn time he started figuring out some answers.

And if he was going to figure out some answers...he was going to need help from someone he could trust. But who could he trust besides himself?

A clatter came from the kitchen and Jisung's eyes widened as he looked at the doorway. He hadn't thought anyone was down here. Tugging the multi-colored blanket off of his lap, Jisung got to his feet and padded over to the kitchen, pausing and stepping off to the side before poking his head around the corner.

His jaw dropped, his eyes widening as they caught sight of the brown-haired bartender laying across the center island. But it wasn't Renjun himself that took Jisung by surprise, but the massive scar slicing across the boy's torso, only exposed through the coincidence of his shirt riding up as he lay there. It wasn't slim, but took a large expanse of the other's smooth skin — red and not yet white with age.

"Renjun," Jisung coughed out, the bartender's head sliding to the side with a small smile. But his eyebrows furrowed at the look at Jisung's face, his gaze following Jisung's and he quickly shot up, yanking his shirt down. His face burned a bit, his hand rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah well, that's certainly not something I wanted you to see," Renjun laughed awkwardly and swung his legs off of the countertop. "I suppose...I should probably explain how I got it."

Jisung swallowed thickly, nodding. "Yeah, I-I mean are you like, are you like okay?"

Renjun swiped a finger across the side of his nose, jumping off of the counter and wandering towards Jisung. His hair was ruffled and Jisung couldn't help but notice how the bartender still looked exhausted. He had probably interrupted the small amount of rest that the other was getting.

"I broke a rule," Renjun confessed bluntly and Jisung jolted a bit at the relaxed nature in which Renjun had said it, "I suppose to put it simply. But-," the bartender looked around nervously now, biting at his bottom lip, "-although I think now is most certainly the time to explain this to you, it wouldn't be safe to do so in the house."

"Wouldn't be safe in the house?" Jisung echoed and Renjun nodded, his hand reaching out and grabbing onto Jisung's sleeve.

"The walls have ears Sungie, that's the first lesson," Renjun muttered quietly, his breath fanning against the young author's ears, and Jisung felt his heart beat rapidly against his chest. "Let's go, I have somewhere we can talk."

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A/N: I suppose now is my bookly announcement where I say that this was the chapter that inspired me to write the book. As plain as the idea was this was the first chapter that I had an idea for and wanted to pursue.

A bit strange 😅
- Hannah