The X Files (2)
00:00 AM
"..."
In the pitch black darkness, only the soft hum of the air conditioner and the sound of a woman's breathing filled the room.
"..."
Jody lay curled comfortably on her side. But then—
Thud!
A loud crash echoed from somewhere—no way to tell where.
It hit her ears with such force that it felt like someone had kicked her right out of bed.
She jolted awake instantly.
"!"
"..."
What was that sound?
It was loud. Too loud to be something that just fell. If it was, the object must've been the size of an elephant.
"..."
She remained still in the dark, waiting and listening…
Nothing.
No shouting outside, no commotion.
Alright then… back to sleep.
She tucked her head back into the pillow and rolled over to her other side.
"..."
Just as she began to drift off again—
THUD!!!!!
"?!"
Her whole body jolted a second time. It was that same sound—but this time, it wasn't from outside…
It was inside the room.
"?!"
Thud! Thud! Thud! THUD! THUD! THUD!
It was clear now. The sound wasn't something falling.
It was stomping.
Heavy stomping, like someone enraged.
And they were in the room with her.
Most people aren't afraid of the dark. They're afraid of what might be in the dark.
Her heart rate spiked. The fog of sleep was long gone, replaced with heightened alertness and unease.
"..."
"...Who's there?"
No answer.
She already suspected this wouldn't help. No one could've gotten in here unless she let them in.
Her ears were working overtime now. She could roughly tell where the sound came from…
The foot of her bed.
Tap... tap... tap... tap...
"...Heels?"
Tap... tap... tap...
"...Are they walking away?"
The sound moved away from her and toward the door.
"..."
Jody froze, sweating. Her glowing blue eyes lit the dark slightly, aura flickering around her. The mark of the Storm shimmered faintly near her shoulder.
"..."
She stepped off the bed cautiously and tiptoed toward the door as if the sound was leading her somewhere.
But when she reached the door… she saw it had been smashed open.
"?!"
Her face drained of color. The hi-tech hydraulic door was mangled, its metal twisted and scattered.
"...That sound… did someone break into my room?"
But how? That shouldn't be possible.
"..."
Squish... squish...
Her bare foot stepped into something wet.
"?!"
She recoiled quickly. It was too dark to see what it was, but she continued forward, undeterred.
Across the hall, she noticed Sid's door—it was missing too.
"SID!!"
She called, but there was no reply.
The hallway was silent and dim like a long-abandoned wing. Even with the door gone, all she saw inside was darkness.
"SID!!!"
Still nothing.
Jody stepped out cautiously.
Squish… squish…
More water.
She crossed the hall and called again.
"SID! SID BARRETT! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"..."
Tap... tap... tap...
"!!!"
That sound again—heels clicking. From behind her.
But when she turned—nothing.
Yet the sound continued.
Tap... tap... tap...
It was moving ahead of her—into Sid's room.
"..."
A crushing pressure surrounded her.
As the footsteps passed her by, her hair stood on end.
Then silence.
"...It went in… to his room…"
No.
She would not let this go.
Jody stepped in after it—and the moment her foot hit the floor inside—
She felt the heat.
It burned like hellfire, even though she saw no flames. Oddly, it didn't hurt her.
Why, then, did she feel like it should?
Still, she pressed on… deeper… until the room began to take shape through the dark, and she saw—
Sid.
Unconscious.
And a red-haired woman standing behind him.
!!!!!!
Jody's bright blue eyes locked with her glowing green ones.
Only for a split second.
Just enough for Jody to raise a hand and fire a burst of air—
She woke up.
"!!!!!"
"..."
The digital clock on her wall glowed red.
00:00
A dream?
"..."
Yes. It was just a dream.
A pitch-black hallway, soaking floors, impossibly hot ground, her bizarre behavior—all confirmed it.
If that had been real, the first thing she would've done was grab her phone and call someone. Not stumble out like a horror movie character.
She sat up, hands shaking.
"..."
Aftershock from intense training?
She tried to stay optimistic.
But it didn't last long…
Ssssh… ssssh…
...The sound of a shower?
Shhhhhh....
Someone was in her bathroom.
And this time—it was not a dream.
"..."
Jody sprang out of bed and flicked the lights on.
The sound vanished.
"..."
She summoned her power. Air bullets were loaded at her fingertips.
Step by step, she inched toward the bathroom…
Grabbed the handle.
SLAM!
Swung the door open—and—
Nothing.
The bathroom was empty.
Dry.
Spotless.
No signs of water. No steam. No movement.
She even pulled back the curtain.
Nothing. Bone dry.
"What…?"
She began questioning her sanity. Maybe she imagined it?
But she knew what she heard.
She bet her life on it.
Then came the next sound—
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
"?!"
Someone was pounding on her door.
Violently.
"..."
She wiped her sweat and crept to the door panel.
No one outside.
Just a dim hallway, white walls bathed in soft yellow light… Sid's door across the hall, closed tight.
So why…
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!
No shaking of the door—but she could still hear the pounding clearly.
Her eyes trembled. Her pulse thundered in her ears. Still, she stood her ground.
It had to be someone messing with her.
Only one person in this group of six would dare prank her like this:
Paikhun.
She tapped the panel to speak out.
"...Sid? That you?"
"..."
No response.
"...You bothering me over milk again? We just hit midnight, you seriously want more?"
"..."
Still no reply.
Trying to stop me from sleeping, huh?
Like, if I turn the lights off, you'll start banging again? Was the bathroom sound also part of the prank?
Cute.
She decided to test him.
"Sid. I'm giving you three seconds to show yourself on camera. If not, I'm dumping all your milk down the sink."
"..."
"3"
"..."
"2"
"..."
"1"
"..."
"..."
"1?"
Still nothing.
"...I'm serious, Sid…"
Still silent.
She was uneasy now. Sid would've appeared at "2" if this were a joke.
"...Was it a knock-and-run?"
She opened the door.
Ssshhk!
Peered right—nothing. Just Sera's room and the others down the hall.
Left—
Sally.
"?!"
The young girl with mismatched eyes stood there in a fresh outfit, expression troubled. She stared right at Jody.
"..."
"Sally???"
What the hell? How did she get here?
But before she could ask—
Jade appeared from around the corner. Her handler.
"There you are, Sally! Don't run off like that!"
She grabbed Sally's hand like a babysitter.
"I… I'm sorry…"
The exchange made it clear to Jody: Jade must've brought Sally back from the research team, and she wandered off on her own.
Still… how did Sally know she was in this room?
"My apologies, Ms. Johansson. I lost track of Sally while taking a call."
Jade assumed Sally had disturbed her, but—
"No. I opened the door myself. I didn't know Sally was even here."
"...Eh?"
Even Jade was confused.
"You mean… Sally was just coincidentally standing here right when you opened the door?"
"Yes…"
Maybe it really was coincidence…
Jade turned to the girl.
"Sally? What were you doing here?"
"...Umm…"
Sally looked nervous. She wouldn't meet their eyes.
"Hey, Sally—"
Jody didn't believe the kid could've pounded on the door like that. No way a tiny girl could make that kind of noise. Still, she had to be sure.
Jody crouched and held Sally's arms.
"What were you doing here?"
She glanced down at the girl's wrists and ankles—no bruises. No signs of blunt impact.
Which only made it weirder. Sally wasn't the one who knocked.
Then who?
Sally stayed silent. So Jody spoke up first.
"Listen, I'm not mad… but I heard someone banging really loud on my door. And when I opened it, you were standing there. So… can you tell me who did it? I'll take care of it."
"..."
She was sure Sally must've at least seen who did it.
"When you came here… did you see anyone else nearby?"
"..."
Sally nodded.
"Oh? Was it Sid?"
Jody expected another nod—but instead, Sally shook her head.
"No… not him…"
"...Then who?"
"...His friend… that one…"
"Friend? Which one?"
Mickey? Probably not. Toshi? Doesn't seem right. Sera? Definitely not. Roxxy?
"Roxxy?"
"...No…"
"Then who?"
"...The one with the red hair!"