Breaking the 4th

A strange calmness overtook her, the stillness feeling unnatural and unsettling. She could hear her own breathing and the wet palpitations of her heart as the tension vibrated on her skin.
Shatter could hear them now, stronger, unified and clearer than ever.



Shatter wanted...craved to be near the locked chest.
She wanted to touch the glossy surface.
She wanted to lean her cheek against it, press her ear onto the lid to hear its contents.
She imagined her fingertips brushing across the black flawless lacquer.
She needed it…. She needed it---

Shatter inhaled sharply and opened her eyes. It took her a moment to realize she was now seated on the ground, hugging her knees into her chest.
What is happening to me? she thought to herself.
Her senses, her thoughts were not making sense. And there seemed to be chunks of time missing from her memory. But what scared her the most was how she had no control on the erratic thoughts. Something was getting in the way, impairing her judgement and intuition. It was like there was a static interference in her head, causing a fritz. And it was only getting worse, and rapidly so.
Within the next hour, she was going to lose…

Stop. she thought to herself. First, breathe.
Shatter inhaled deeply, and breathed out slow. She focused on the sensation of her lungs expanding and deflating taking time with each breath. She repeated this process until it became a steady rhythm.
Now… Assess.

Cautiously, Shatter lifted her head up and gauged her surroundings. She was facing the stained glass now, and nothing stood out as an immediate threat. But she felt it--- the black chest was just a few feet behind her. She felt its pull tugging at her back, coaxing her to turn back around.

Don’t dwell. Think through it.

That chest… it was where she had stored the creature that had attacked Hyun and her. But something beyond that, something Shatter couldn’t quite put a finger on what… something told her that chest was not something to be taken lightly. It was dangerous.
Shatter got back to her feet, forcing herself to keep her eyes on a fixed point in front of her. She must not turn around, she knew it. She needed to get away from it.
Steeling her resolve, she took a step forward.



There was no sound, but those words that floated out to her mind from nowhere chilled her to the bone. It stopped her cold, as if invisible hands held her in a vice-like grip around her heart. She couldn’t breathe, her throat suddenly tight.
Something about those words were nostalgic, and it tugged at her chest with a familiar aching weight. It felt like it was threatening to rip out her throat.

The girl grit her teeth, resisting the urge to wheel around with all that she had left. She squeezed her eyes shut, and ignored the throbbing in her chest with every last drop left of her will.
But she could feel herself failing, magnitude of feelings and emotions caving in on her. She craved. She raged. She despaired. She felt the need to claw out her own eyes, scream her lungs raw, pull out her own teeth and laugh… all at once.
As the creeping shadows sank its nails into her and her vision narrowed into darkness, a single thought crossed her mind.

Humanity… her humanity. It was such a feeble thing...

“Shatter,”

The claws suddenly released its hold, and the darkness pushed back as if it was being seared away in the sudden brightness.
Shatter… she knew that sound. A name… that was her name.

Shatter slowly turned, and saw a lean figure standing in the shadow of the stone columns.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she said..

The figure shifted, slowly started to step forward. Panic kicked in and Shatter flinched.
“Don’t!” she commanded. “Why are you here? I sent you away.”

The figure froze for a moment, before stepping forward in a cautious manner. Two slow steps and they were out of the shadow.
Hyun stepped out from the dark, hand held palms out to show her he meant her no harm.
“I had help… from your friend.” he said. He moved gingerly, his gaze filled with alarm and concern. “Shatter, it’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“But I might hurt you,” Shatter said.

“You won’t, I trust you.” Hyun said earnestly.

“You shouldn’t. I could kill.” she returned. Her voice came out cold, with full certainty.

Hyun swallowed, and Shatter could see the tension in his eyes.
“You couldn’t.” he maintained.

“I saw it. Hyun, you were dead and my hands… they… so much red...so much---”

“You won’t kill me, Shatter.” Hyun cut in firmly.

He was closer now, keeping his slow pace steady. Just five steps before he would reach her.



Shatter jolted at the sudden noise that broke through the space. Her eyes flickered over to the black lacquered chest and saw the box move, rattling violently against the stone floor as its contents fought to be freed. Hyun wheeled around at the loud sound, a bewildered expression on his face.

“What the…” he muttered, staring at the chest.

“Don’t go near the chest, Hyun!” Shatter screamed. “Do not open it; do not let it out!”

He turned back to her, and his expression fell at the sight of her. She could visibly see the blood draining from his face as he stared at her wide-eyed.
“Shatter…” Hyun spoke, his voice coming out tight. Why did he look so terrified of her?

Confused, she followed his gazed to her right until she saw her own hand. She was holding something, and yet she had no memory of picking anything up…
She turned her hand to see a mangled cluster of metal, its original form broken and warped... as if it had been ripped out of the latch by some brutal force.

“...No,” she whimpered.

The broken lock dropped from her hand and clattered on the stone floor.