CHAPTER 6

The hard and loud beating of Sela's heart intensified as she made a decision—that she had to know for sure. She needed to open this door and see for herself, or else this would definitely keep haunting her.

And so she approached closer.

When she lifted her hand, a violent chill ran down her spine. It was as if something was warning her to turn back. No… she just needed to confirm.

Taking a deep breath, she reached for the door handle. It was ancient and rusty, and for a moment she wondered if it would even turn.

She took another deep and long breath.

Her fingers wrapped around the old door handle when…

A creaking sound echoed from inside the room.

Sela's heart lurched in her chest.

With a sudden surge of panic, Sela spun around and fled.

By the time she shot the basement door behind her, she was panting hard. No way… seriously? Does this mean her dream was…

But how could that be possible? A vampire? Really?

She shook her head, laughing inaudibly in disbelief. But what was that sound?

Minutes later, Sela paced back and forth in the living room.

Then she picked up her phone and made a call.

"Hey, Sel, what's up?" Rain, her best friend, answered after a couple of rings.

"Hey, Rain," Sela replied, her voice shaking slightly. "Can you come over? There's something I need to show you."

"Of course, I'll be right there," Rain said, sounding concerned. It was obvious she could already tell something was wrong just by hearing her voice. "But is everything okay?"

Sela hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to explain. But then she took a deep breath and said, "No, not really. But I just need your help to deal with something. Are you free?"

“Alright, I’ll be there soon.”

An hour later, the doorbell rang. Sela rushed to open the door and a tall and lean girl with a boyish look and a pretty face emerged. She had straight, long brown hair and was wearing a baseball cap and a black hoodie. Her style was a mix of sporty and edgy, and this lady who always looked effortlessly cool was no other that Rain, Sela’s best friend.

"What's going on?" Rain asked, her dark eyes darting behind Sela.

The moment they finally sat together in the living room, Sela took a deep breath and immediately told Rain everything. About the vampire and the mysterious room.

Rain listened to her story with a look of disbelief.

"I swear it's true, Rain. I saw him," Sela insisted.

"You saw who? A vampire? Are you serious?" Rain’s expression was blank.

"Yes, I am serious! I woke up in the middle of the night and saw him in my basement. He had fangs and everything, and…" Sela bit her lower lip, not wanting to mention the rest of what happened.

Rain sighed, sitting on the couch like she was suddenly tired. "Come on, Sel. You can't seriously believe in vampires. That’s just a nightmare."

"I know it sounds crazy, but I just went back to that room just now before I called you, and I heard a noise inside.”

Rain was quiet for a while before she sighed. “This must be just your mind playing tricks on you. You're just scaring yourself with all those supernatural books you've been reading, Sel. You read way too much of those vampire and fairy porn –"

Sela grabbed her best friend’s hoodie and hissed in mock anger. “How many times must I tell you not call them porn? They’re stories with intricate plots and amazing, sexy characters with spice! They’re master pieces, damn it!”

“Here we go again with this topic.” Rain lifted her hands as if raising her white flag. “Fine, fine. Whatever you say, princess.”

"I know it sounds crazy, but I swear it's…” Slean grabbed Rain’s arm. “Come with me. Let’s go back together and check again. I need you to help me find out with my own two eyes."

Soon, the duo was carefully descending down the creaky wooden stairs.

Sela led the way, clutching a flashlight in one hand and Rain's arm in the other. They walked past stacks of boxes and old furniture until they were close to the exact location of that door. The dead end.

And when they finally reached that exact spot, Sela lifted her flashlight.

The flashlight beam landed on the spot where the door had been. But to her utter surprise, there was nothing there.

No door, no handle, no hinges. Just a blank wall.