Isolated House and The Girl 2

As I came into the living room, I saw the necklace with the heart symbol still lying on the table in front of the sofa. Normally, after returning home, I take a shower and place small items like this on the table. But I realized I was still in the dress I had worn the previous night when I approached that house. Fear gripped me, making it hard even to walk through my own home. I moved cautiously, every step deliberate. I could clearly remember how she had floated toward me with the necklace.

It was already 10 a.m. when I headed to the kitchen for breakfast. That was when I realized I had done nothing all morning except sit in fear, letting time pass. I had never spent such a long time doing nothing. Summoning courage, I decided to open the main door.

It was a calm day. Flowers bloomed on the plants, and vehicles moved along the road as usual. But the memory of the previous night haunted me. I wished it had all been a dream, but deep down, I knew it wasn’t. I went to the nearby market and bought some snacks to distract myself.

I had no intention of going near that road or even returning to the house where the necklace lay. Around midday, I had a brief conversation with a shop owner. Though I wasn’t particularly interested in what we talked about, I forced myself to keep the conversation going. Anything was better than being alone with the fear of seeing that girl again.

As the shop owner left, saying, "See you later," a chilling thought crossed my mind—I wasn’t sure I wanted to see anyone again. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my arm. I froze, not daring to look back until the person spoke. To my immense relief, it was my best friend. I sighed and hugged him, overcome with a joy I couldn’t put into words. He told me he had been waiting for me for two hours in a shop nearby because he noticed I seemed reluctant to move around alone.

I was too terrified to tell him about what had happened the night before, so we talked about lighter topics instead—his girlfriend, his business, and the latest news about sports and politics. At one point, he jokingly said he’d love to see his girlfriend dressed as a ghost in a red dress, imagining how beautiful and eerie she might look. I couldn’t stop myself from blurting out, "That’s a terrible idea. I never want to see a girl in a bloody red dress with a ghostly look." I was surprised at my own words, considering I used to find such ideas amusing in the past.

But this was different. The girl I had encountered wasn’t pretending. She wasn’t acting. She was real—too real. Her red dress and otherworldly beauty had etched fear deep into my heart. I decided not to tell my friend anything about the events of that night.

He walked with me to the garden path leading to my house. Before he could come inside, a car arrived to pick him up for a party. I asked to join him, but his friends said entry was by invitation only. My friend, unaware of the fear that gripped me, left without hesitation. I was certain he wouldn’t have left me alone if he’d known.

I returned to the living room, and my eyes immediately fell on the necklace. Slowly, I stepped toward the table. With each step, my heartbeat grew louder and faster. By the time I reached out to touch it, I could almost see my heart pounding in my chest.

As soon as my finger made contact with the necklace, an overwhelming sensation hit me. It wasn’t just a headache—it was so much more. I heard screams echoing in my mind, louder and more terrifying with every second. My vision blurred, and my eyes shut involuntarily. The last thing I felt was the cold, hard floor of the living room as my head struck it.