Spawn ✦ Nomin

01

⊱ ─── { Jaemin } ─── ⊰

Jaemin shifts his weight from his left foot to his right one as he stares at the house before him with an overwhelming urge to run. The house is not 'spooky' by any means. It is a normal house, just like any other on the block. Two stories with a grayish paint, a porch with a singular wooden rocking chair to occupy it, and a nicely trimmed front lawn with beautiful rose bushes lining the picket fence. It was a nice house. A beautiful house. But it wasn't the house itself that scared Jaemin.

It was what lived inside.

"Are you gonna go, or are you gonna stay and pussy out?" a boy behind him asks as he shoves Jaemin's shoulder, "Because I'll gladly take your money for copping out of the dare."

Jaemin gulps, finding it incredibly difficult to swallow due to a lump in his throat. He wasn't about to cry. No, he wasn't that much of a baby. But the twisting and turning of his queasy stomach makes his entire body feel like it's having some sort of complication.

"I-I want double if I win," Jaemin announces.

"No fuckin way! I didn't agree to that," the boy objects wildly.

"I'm potentially risking my life, Renjun!" Jaemin whines.

"I still didn't agree to those terms, dickwad," Renjun hisses.

Jaemin groans loudly as he wraps his arms around his torso.

"You're not gonna fuckin die, you idiot," the boy remarks in utter exasperation, "You honestly don't believe the rumours, do you?"

Jaemin remains silent.

He wasn't quite sure if he believed them. He was always fascinated by horror movies and the idea of demons and possession and ghosts and wicked creatures that lurk in the night, but surely that type of thing didn't exist in the real world.

Right?

"This isn't how I wanted to spend my Halloween, Renjun," he states, avoiding answering the question, "We were supposed to dress up and hang out and watch scary movies. Why are you making me visit this house?"

"It's spooky. And I'm more than positive all the talk is just bullshit. People in this town are just a bunch of fuckin bullies," Renjun states.

"Like you," Jaemin interjects, earning a piercing glare from the other.

"I suddenly have no sympathy for you," Renjun grumbles, "Just go ring the stupid doorbell. I'll accept giving you double if you manage to make a friend outta this."

Jaemin lets out an elongated groan, wondering if the money was worth it. In his mind, he knows it's not, but to his misfortune, he spent over a month's worth of lunch money on a new video game, if his aunt found out, he'd surely be just as dead as if he were to walk into the house in front of him.

"Fine. Whatever," Jaemin agrees begrudgingly.

"Alright, then. Chop chop. No time to waste," Renjun says as he shoves the younger towards the walkway.

Jaemin pauses briefly as he examines the house once more. He takes a deep breath and mentally prepares himself for whatever's beyond this point. He nods to himself and strides down the walkway.

He attempts to keep his mind empty, fearing that thinking too much into what he was about to do would cause him to chicken out. And he couldn't afford to do that. Literally.

Upon reaching the bottom porch step, Jaemin pauses and turns to check and see if Renjun is still there. Renjun uncrosses his arms and cups his hands around his mouth.

"Hurry up and ring the doorbell, loser!" he calls out. Jaemin withholds the urge to flick him off and cautiously steps up the couple of steps onto the porch.

The wood below his feet creaks slightly, causing Jaemin to feel his stomach drop at the sound. Realizing he scared himself, he lets out a light, nervous chuckle and approaches the door. He glances around to find a doorbell, but all there appears to be is an odd door knocker mounted on the door. It appears made of metal and painted black, and the handle is round with two serpents wrapped around it from both sides. Their mouths are opened as if they were hissing and readying to attack their unfortunate prey. As Jaemin leans in close to examine it and question who would buy such a thing instead of a doorbell nowadays, the door abruptly opens, startling him.

Jaemin gasps as an eye peeks through the crack in the door. He can't see much else due to the darkness and lack of light coming from inside the house.

"Who are you?" a male voice asks.

Jaemin clears his throat and straightens himself up a bit.

"I'm Na Jaemin. I live a few streets down from here," he introduces himself politely, hoping the wavering sound of his voice wasn't giving away the fact he was utterly terrified.

"Go away," the voice grunts before shutting the door.

"Wait!" Jaemin exclaims, "I-I...I came to talk."

The nervous boy stands silently on the porch as the cold October air chills him. A few moments pass before the door suddenly swings wide open. Jaemin's eyes open wide as his body tenses up. He dare not move in the presence of the boy standing in the doorway before him.

He had always heard rumours since forever about the boy who lived in the house at the end of 13th street, but never had he met him in person. They had always described him as having raven black hair with a piercing stare that could make you feel as if the end was near. Quite possibly your end.

But nothing he was ever told could equate to the legitimate sight of the boy in front of him.

His hair looks soft and as black as midnight. His black t-shirt fits snug on his body and shows off his arm muscles. His black skinny jeans appear perfectly fitted to him. Jaemin's eyes meet his and discovers they're just as dark and alluring as the rest of his appearance.

Had no one ever mentioned how...beautiful he was?

"Listen, the only people who come here to talk are people who want a fucking show and crazy cultists. Go. Away," he hisses.

"B-but I'm not either of those!" Jaemin insists.

"Then who's your friend waiting for you over there?" the boy grunts as he folds his arms over his chest and slowly blinks his eyes to look in Renjun's direction.

"H-he...I asked him to come with me. He's supposed to make sure I get home safely and don't get kidnapped by a stranger on the street looking for kids," Jaemin responds with a half-lie.

The boy raises his eyebrow at him curiously. His eyes then look him up and down in a way that makes Jaemin feel utterly vulnerable.

"You know what they say about me, right?" he finally asks in a low voice. Jaemin shudders at the sound. He swallows hard as he determines if he should lie or not. Realizing he would probably be able to tell, he decides to speak the truth.

"Y-yes...I know," Jaemin stammers.

"Then why are you here?" the boy inquires as he leans a bit closer into Jaemin. He winces slightly at the close proximity, but tries not to show it too much.

"I-I told y-you, I just ca-me to talk," he stutters.

The boy tilts his head slowly and gazes deeply into Jaemin's eyes. He's stared into Renjun's eyes before and found it an uncomfortable experience, but this...this was something else. When the boy peers into his eyes, it feels as if he's looking into his soul, prodding at the darkest regions and seeking whatever truths he wished to find. Maybe it was just his overactive imagination.

The boy's eyebrows lower and furrow. He suddenly pulls back and spins on his heel, making his way back inside his house.

"You have one hour," the boy states promptly.

Jaemin stares in utter shock for a moment before glancing back at Renjun. His friend grins at him and waves his hand to shoo him off to follow the boy. Jaemin takes a deep breath and enters inside at a casual pace.