Horror Story 2 Friend falls while fishing in the early morning darkness.

 The loud ticking of the clock woke me up. I reached out to switch on the light above my bed and glanced at the clock hanging at the end of the bed. The clock hands indicated that it was half past two. I got out of bed to shower and get dressed, preparing to go fishing. Once I finished getting ready and gathered my gear, I headed out of the house immediately.

 It took only five minutes to get from my house to the river. I parked the car neatly before grabbing my fishing gear from the vehicle. I walked down the bank of the river before laying the gear down on the grass. I picked up the bait to prepare for baiting the hook. Once everything was ready, I moved closer to the riverbank before casting the fishing bait into the water.

 After finishing baiting, I turned to prepare my fishing rod. While getting the fishing rod ready, I swept my gaze around the dark, serene surroundings, illuminated only by the light from nearby lampposts. Perhaps it was because it was around 3 a.m., it looked eerie but not surprising.

 I cast my fishing rod into the river before placing it on the ground and tying the line to a stick stuck in the ground to prevent the rod from moving. I repeated this process until everything was set up, then sat on a water bucket to wait.

 Meanwhile, I played some music to prevent the surroundings from being too quiet. I sat humming to the tunes, waiting for the fish to bite while observing the riverbanks. This river was a popular spot for fishing enthusiasts to gather and catch fish, mostly from the early morning until dusk. Unlike others, I chose to come during the dark morning hours because, at this time, there were no crowds and no need to compete with others. Additionally, any fish caught during this time had to be sold by 7 a.m., so I chose the pre-dawn hours to ensure my catch remained fresh.

 After several minutes, the fish began to take the bait on my fishing rod. I managed to collect the caught fish and put them in the prepared water bucket. Then, I turned to change the bait for the next round of fishing. While I was preparing the fishing rod, my eyes caught something under the bridge across the river. I glanced at it, resembling the silhouette of a person standing under the bridge, and then it suddenly disappeared. 

I hesitated for a moment, swallowing nervously. I grabbed the flashlight and aimed it at the post under the bridge before cautiously approaching. I shone the flashlight around, and suddenly, someone emerged from behind the post. He was a middle-aged man, slightly taller and paler than me, wearing a patterned shirt.

"What are you doing here?"

My voice trembled. I stared at the person in front of me, from head to toe. He appeared to be just an ordinary person, nothing like a ghost or anything. He must have been someone who lived nearby or came here to fish, just like me.

"I came here to fish."

Breathe a sigh of relief. I walked back to where I was, with the man following closely behind me. I sat down on the ground, and he settled nearby. Glancing at him surreptitiously, I decided to break the silence.

"I'm Pan. What's your name?"

"I'm Singh."

"Do you live around here?"

"Yes, I live here."

"Here?"

Before I could speak, the sound of splashing water in the river caught my attention. It seemed like the fish had taken the bait. I rose from the ground and went to the spot where I had set the bait. Pulling up the line, I found only one fish hooked on the bait. I put that fish into the water bucket before casting the fishnet out again.

I walked back to my original spot and glanced at Singh standing by the riverbank. I didn't pay much attention, thinking he was probably fishing just like me.

As time passed, I picked up my phone to check the time. It was now half past 4 a.m. I glanced over at Singh; he was standing still by the riverbank. Suddenly, he walked into the water without saying a word.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

I shouted and walked straight towards Singh, but it seemed like he didn't hear me. I walked closer, trying to reach out to him, but the closer I got, the further he seemed to move away.

I walked after Singh until I was in water up to my waist. Suddenly, Singh stopped and stood still before disappearing into the water in front of me.

"Singh!! Singh!"

I yelled Singh's name repeatedly before deciding to dive underwater. I tried to forget about searching for Singh underwater, but the darkness prevented me from seeing anything beneath the surface.

I emerged from the water and turned left and right to search for Singh. Suddenly, I felt a cool breeze on the back of my neck. Slowly, I turned around and found Singh standing behind me. His face was pale, unlike when we first met.

"Singh, what are you doing? You scared me,"

I turned to speak to him but hesitated when I saw that his condition had changed drastically. Singh looked like a dead man the condition became sluggish., with sunken eyes that seemed to have been gnawed by animals. At that moment, I was terrified before regaining my composure and quickly running ashore. However, Singh grabbed my leg and pulled me back into the water. I struggled desperately to escape death until I finally managed to break free. I rushed into the car and tried to start it, but the engine wouldn't turn over. I struggled with the key several times until, finally, the car started. I shifted gears and stepped on the accelerator, leaving that spot immediately without caring about the fishing equipment I had left behind.

I drove out while glancing at the rearview mirror from time to time, thinking I had escaped for sure. I took a deep breath of relief when I didn't see him following and turned my focus back to the road. But then, I was wrong. Suddenly, Singh stood in front of the car, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, causing me to instinctively swerve and dodge. The black pickup truck veered off the road before crashing into a large tree with tremendous force. My head hit the steering wheel hard, and to make matters worse, the tree fell on top of the car.

I crawled out of the car, barely able to move due to the immense pain. With almost no strength left, I decided to lie down beside the wreckage of the car. With blurred vision, I could see some people standing not far away. I vaguely remembered that one of them was Singh.

"Singh, I've never done anything to you. Why did you have to do this to me?"

Singh stood still, not responding to me, but instead walked closer to me. He stopped, looking at me lying there silently from the pain. I realized then that Singh wasn't human. He was a ghost. I admit, at first, when I found out he wasn't human, I was terrified. I ran away without thinking about my life at all. But even then, I still considered him my friend, even though we had just met.

"I don't know what you're angry or seeking revenge for, but if I've done something wrong or hurt you in any way, I apologize."

I spoke with a final burst of energy before everything faded away.

When I woke up again, it was morning at the hospital. My wife told me that around 5 a.m., someone found me by the river where I went fishing. They said a man was wearing a dark-patterned shirt, with pale skin, who helped park my car and mentioned that someone had crashed into a tree nearby. However, by the time they arrived at the scene, the man was gone.

I pondered over what my wife recounted and strongly suspected that the person who helped with the car must have been Singh. I thought he must have felt guilty and sought someone else to assist me instead.

After leaving the hospital, I returned to the riverbank once again and accompanied Invite the monk, to perform a ceremony to release Singh's spirit. While conducting the ritual, I saw Singh too. He stood in the river before gradually fading away.

"He's gone now."

I rose from the ground before turning to speak to the venerable monk.

"That's right, Venerable Monk. From now on, he won't have to linger in the cold anymore."

After completing the ceremony, I prepared to return home. Suddenly, there was a faint call for me. I turned to look at the river but found nothing but emptiness. It wasn't hard to guess that it was probably the last farewell from the lion spirit, thanking me.

"Go to a better place, Singh. Perhaps one day, we will meet again."

I said, concluding my thoughts before turning back home immediately. Had I not come here several days ago, I wouldn't have encountered the Singh. I believe the harm he inflicted on me was out of fear of being captured or erased, but I hold no grudge against him. I still think he was just waiting for someone to come and set him free from this cycle.