16. The Music Box

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The shadow hadn't shown up those days, and it left Seren wanting to know why

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The shadow hadn't shown up those days, and it left Seren wanting to know why.

Was it to spitefully torment her when she got off her car each night after work? To give her the worst case of paranoia, making her inspect corners and turn her head at every possible angle? Perhaps he was watching her at a great distance, smiling impishly to himself as he watched her frantically search for his shaded figure.

Seren was aware of that possibility, and it roused her anger. Rage filled her to the brim, convinced that if the deranged man would reveal himself once more in her yard, she would lose it. Or, at least that's what she would tell herself — though she would likely become paralyzed with fear, again, akin to the first time she saw him.

That's what truly enraged her — herself. Seren hadn't a clue what to do in such a detrimental situation, she contacted the police, but nothing was done. And nothing could be done unless the shadow remained on her lawn and wouldn't run away like a frightened boy.

Those thoughts brutally clawed at her, trapping her mind like a skittish minuscule bird in an airtight cage. There was no stop to it.

After dressing herself for bed, she locked her bedroom door for safety. Although, if the man was able to get past the locks at her front door, she wasn't secure with the measly lock on her bedroom door.

Seren peeked out her curtains, her eyes searching every inch of her lawn, seeing nothing but the billowing trees that danced with the winds, and a Mackerel cat that silently trekked down the empty road.

She was relieved, shutting the curtains before she dropped onto her bed. The same bed that she had been thinking about through her entire shift at work, impatiently counting down the hours until she was able to leave.

Around such a late hour, Hoseok wasn't texting her back, likely that he was fast asleep. Seren didn't mind, he worked earlier in the morning, needing to sleep at a reasonable hour, and she didn't want to hold him back from that.

It did get lonely. She was so accustomed to texting him that when he was unable to respond, Seren noticed.

Her reflective thoughts began to sparse once her eyelids became heavier, intoxicated by her comfortable bed and fleece blanket. It didn't take long for her to drift off into a reverie, her breathing becoming gentle and sluggish, along with her running heart.

It felt as though a few minutes passed until her alarm clock went off, cords pulling into a melancholy tune.

Her eyes gradually opened at that sound, meeting with her nightstand placed to the right of her bed.

It was still dark in her room, pitch black, with almost no light coming. There was no assistance offered from the waning crescent moon that late night, waiting until her eyes adjusted on their own.

Her grueling mind only noticed that it wasn't her alarm clock when her eyes were entirely stable, holding without having to fight for it.

Her alarm wouldn't play until early morning when the sun was out.

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