Dream Twisted by Fear
Hyesu licked her dry, cracked lips with her tongue. She clutched her hand tightly over her chest and scanned the path she had come from in every direction. As expected, there was no one there. Even the presence that had seemed to follow her had vanished without a trace. The alley was utterly silent.
Just then, another chill wind blew through. Was it because she was drenched in cold sweat? The breeze felt unnaturally, bitterly cold. Her body shuddered violently as she struggled to move her trembling legs. She turned around carefully. The end of the alley was close. The streetlamp glowing unusually bright seemed like the only escape route out of this terrifying abyss.
“Huu…” She let out a long sigh and tried hard to stay calm. She had no idea what was happening, but it had to be her imagination. She comforted herself with that thought. The song kept playing in her ears—an idol track she barely even listened to on normal days. Suddenly, a hollow laugh escaped Hyesu’s lips.
She was twenty-four years old. What kind of pathetic mess was this? Besides, this was a path she had walked without issue for four whole years. Sure, it had always carried a creepy atmosphere, but nothing strange had ever happened before. On top of that, this was a student-heavy one-room district, so police patrols passed through regularly.
That’s right. There was no reason to be scared. Hyesu barely managed to soothe her terror and started walking again.
Clack, clack… The sound of her heels echoed once more. Her feet already hurt so much. She regretted wearing dress shoes today of all days. If she had known she would be at school this late, she should have worn comfortable sneakers. The regret hit her hard as she sighed. She just wanted to get home. Yes, let’s go home.
And just as she was finally about to leave the wretched alley behind—right as her foot crossed the boundary of the streetlight’s glow—
Tap tap tap…
The sound of footsteps rang out again. The moment she flinched and spun around—
“Ah!”
She couldn’t even scream. Something slammed into Hyesu and dragged her straight back into the depths of the alley in a single breath. All that remained in that spot was a single pair of her abandoned shoes.
Something cold touched her cheek.
Hyesu jolted awake. The moment she regained consciousness, everything before her eyes was pitch black. The sheer darkness was so complete she wondered if she had gone blind. Terror crashed over her like a wave. She tried to move her body, but for some reason she couldn’t. Why? Her body refused to obey. The sensation… it was exactly like sleep paralysis.
It felt as if something heavy as lead was pressing down on her entire body. She couldn’t even twitch a single finger. Turning her head was impossible too. All she could do was roll her fear-filled eyes wildly, trying to take in her surroundings. But she saw nothing at all.
Hyesu told herself she was trapped in a nightmare, suffering from sleep paralysis. Yes, she must be having a truly horrible dream. It wasn’t the first time this had happened. Once she framed it as a nightmare, she thought she had to escape it somehow. She had seen it on horror variety shows several times, and whenever she read scary stories or watched horror content on YouTube, sleep paralysis was always mentioned.
That’s right. There was no need to be afraid. She tried to calm her mind and recall the methods to break free from sleep paralysis. Her heart was pounding as if it would burst, but she forced herself to stay composed and think carefully.
Ah! One method came to mind. Yes! Focus all your senses on your fingertips. Eventually one finger would move, and at the same time the paralysis would break. She was sure she had heard that somewhere. She decided to try it. Whether the advice was true or false, right now she had no choice but to test it.
With nervous anticipation, she concentrated every ounce of feeling into the tip of her right index finger.
Please… please…
She poured all her desperation into it. For a moment she felt like she might burst into tears. Still, crying could wait. Right now she had to break this paralysis somehow. She strained with everything she had, trying to move her finger.
“Ugh… ughhh…”
She let out a low groan, desperately willing her finger to move. And then—
A cold breath brushed across her cheek. She nearly jumped out of her skin. Her body still wouldn’t move, but a violent shiver ran down her spine. This was clearly different from ordinary wind. It felt exactly like someone’s breath.
Ah! The goosebumps were unbearable. Her body began trembling like a leaf in the wind. And she still couldn’t move. Meanwhile, that eerie breath slowly traveled down from her cheek, as if tracing her entire body. A wave of disgust washed over her.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Trapped in that terror and revulsion, she couldn’t utter a single word. She even forgot about trying to move her fingers to escape the paralysis. This might be the most terrified she had ever felt in her life. Before long, she sensed the unpleasant breath reaching her groin. Ah! Beyond disgust, shame flooded through her.
Why? The strange breath seemed to grow rougher, almost as if whatever it was had its gaze fixed between her legs and was becoming increasingly excited. Her body convulsed on its own. No… no… She bit down hard on her lip. She tried once more to focus on moving her fingers. In her mind, she prayed desperately to wake up from this nightmare.
“Hic… hiccup…”
The tears finally burst free. Once they started, she couldn’t hold them back. During that time, the breath moved away from her crotch again and returned to hover right in front of her tear-streaked face. She could feel it clearly. Something was right there in front of her. In this pitch-black darkness, something was straddling her, crushing her entire body beneath its weight. Its horrifying breath was unmistakable.
And then… she felt something slither across her body. It was strangely sticky. It didn’t feel like a hand. More like the tentacle of some mollusk. A truly awful sensation slowly crawled over her.
Her clothes began to tear apart. The buttons of her shirt popped off one by one, slowly revealing the skin hidden beneath. The tentacle-like sensation grew even clearer. It was caressing her body as if savoring it. Every stroke made her want to vomit. There was even a faint fishy smell. It felt as though her entire body was being coated in the grotesque mucus of those tentacles. A truly horrifying sensation.
Ah! She thought she might lose her mind. She hated it. She truly hated it. Revulsion surged through her. No matter how she struggled, Hyesu still could not move her body. She couldn’t even twitch a finger.
Rip…
Ah! Finally her top was completely torn open. Her bare upper body was exposed, the black bra standing out sharply against her unusually pale skin. Even while lying down, her full, ripe breasts rose prominently, impossible to hide. Then she felt something like a tentacle wrapping around her breasts.
“Ughhhh…”
It was painful and repulsive. The fear was bad enough, but she had no idea how to deal with this overwhelming disgust. She squeezed her eyes shut and could only sob like a child. For no reason at all, her parents back home came to mind. Her friends came to mind. She wished someone would help her, but sadly not even her voice would come out.
Rip…
Even her bra finally snapped apart. The moment her breasts were exposed, she felt that horrible tentacle-like thing slide through her cleavage. At the same time, the pants she was wearing were ripped away with a loud rip!
Ah! She could do nothing. She couldn’t offer the slightest resistance. All she could do was watch helplessly as her pants were torn off so easily. A cold sensation covered her entire body. That sickening stickiness returned, sliding over her as if tasting every inch. The sticky, cold thing was clearly trying to stimulate her most sensitive areas.
Two tentacles coiled around her breasts, squeezing them as if kneading. Another tentacle rubbed against the crotch of her underwear. No… ugh… no!! It was a horrific experience. Could this really be called a simple nightmare? The grotesque and terrible sensation was far too vivid to dismiss as mere imagination.
Rip…
Ah! Even her last piece of underwear was torn away. She gasped, her body shaking violently. No… no… please stop… stop here… please… Mom! Dad! Please… someone please help me!
She couldn’t see anything, but she knew. She knew what it wanted. She knew what this unknown thing desired from her. Ah! She hated it! She didn’t want this. She had to resist somehow, but her body still refused to move.
Mom… Dad…
She called out to her parents pitifully, but… ah… that disgusting thing finally pushed between her inner thighs. She could feel it. That revolting stickiness, that spine-chilling cold, the wave of disgust made her want to throw up. Hyesu squeezed her eyes shut and sobbed miserably.
And then…
Squelch…
“Agh!!”
It finally penetrated her most secret place.
“Huk!”
She choked on her own breath. A sharp tingling spread through her entire body, and it felt as if every muscle was contracting at once. The wave of shame… disgust… everything mixed together in a chaotic storm.
“Huk!”
Her eyes flew open. The familiar ceiling came into view, bringing a rush of relief. She gasped for air. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would explode. She blinked several times, staring at the familiar ceiling for a long while, when a voice from beside her made her flinch and turn her head.
Ah! The tablet PC was glowing, and the OTT movie she had left playing was still running.