Pant... pant...
Those were the only sounds I could hear from myself. I didn't know what to do except keep running. Something was chasing me—it looked humanoid, but it was nearly two meters tall. Its face resembled a sunflower, yet it bore a terrifying smile, its mouth filled with blood and horrifyingly sharp teeth. I had never seen a creature like that exist in this world. It ran incredibly fast, and I felt like I was about to be caught.
Right then, a strange sound rang out—piercing and agonizing. I was forced to cover my ears, my entire body frozen. I thought I would die there... but no, that creature screamed in even greater agony than I did. From the direction of the sound, a figure rushed out, grabbed my hand, and shouted:
"Run!"
I had no other choice—I followed him. As we moved, I realized just how bizarre everything around us was. It... didn't look like Earth. Everything was shrouded in darkness. The sky seemed torn apart by streaks of light, and from those streaks, I saw people falling down. The trees were twisted, as if they were alive and breathing. The air was suffocating and freezing, making my skin crawl.
After running a long distance, we finally stopped. I was gasping for breath, my limbs limp, my mind a mess from fear. He turned to me and whispered:
"It's okay. We're safe here."
Then he led me to a small house, looking like it had been hastily built. Upon closer inspection, I saw three pillars around the house, each one hanging a lantern with an eerie blue flame. Encircling the house was a ring of strange symbols drawn on the ground.
Inside, I was surprised—it looked nothing like the outside. The space was clean, organized, and filled with odd objects. Most striking was a delicate box glowing with three rotating colors: red, blue, and yellow. As I was staring at it, he handed me a vial of liquid.
"This will help you recover your strength."
Since I still couldn't trust him completely, I secretly hid the vial while he had his back turned. He drank his own portion. Looking closely at his face, I realized he seemed to be about my age. I hadn't even had the chance to speak when—
"Help me... please..."
A faint voice came from outside the door. For some reason, I felt like I was being controlled. I walked toward the door unconsciously, about to open it. But suddenly, a hand covered my ears.
He said, "Don't listen to it."
I turned around, startled. "Why?"
He looked straight into my eyes and replied coldly, "That thing will kill you."
The voice outside continued:
"Please... something is trying to kill me..."
I was about to ask, "Who are you?", but as if he could read my mind, he covered my mouth and whispered:
"Don't say anything."
The entire house fell into silence. Then I heard a voice—one that made me feel both familiar and terrified:
"It's okay, I'm here now. I'll get you out of there, Mira."
I froze when it called my name—and what sent a chill down my spine was that the voice... was the voice of someone I once loved.
The air turned cold. Then, complete silence.
He exhaled.
"It's gone."
I asked in a trembling voice, "What was that thing?"
He looked at me for a moment, then quietly answered:
"… It's the Door Knocker."