The clock on the office walls read 10:49 AM as Jasper sat stiffly at his desk, staring blankly at the computer screen before him. His reflection on the black monitor reflected the dark circles under his eyes and the pallor of his usually confident face.

His hands trembled slightly as he adjusted his tie, swallowing hard as he tried to place his focus on the job at hand. Beneath his crisp white shirt, his torso ached badly with the sting of all the cuts from the coffee table’s shattered glass. The antiseptic smell from the hurried bandaging he’d done that morning clung to him, giving off a sharp and sterile scent he continually hoped wouldn’t reach anyone else.

But the physical pain was a minuscule concern. It had nothing on the mental storm raging in his mind.

The events of last night were wild and traumatic, to say the least. He shuddered violently every time the memory of that little girl came to mind. The initial smile and cute disposition. The way her face contorted with otherworldly rage every time she leaped at him. The horrifying transformation. Her unnatural shriek of anger. Her sudden speed and menacing movement.

He never would have imagined that he’d experience such a frightening supernatural attack. In his world, these kinds of happenings were limited to just movies and Goosebumps storybooks. The wildest thing he ever expected was a late-night meeting or a coffee spill; that was the level of mundane he was used to.

But the night before had shattered that reality, leaving him grappling with the terror of the unknown.

And then her. The young woman in the bloodstained dress.

Despite the frightening chase, that was the major jaw-dropper.

She was a face from his past, one he had quickly buried deep in one corner of the subconscious, along with other memories he never wanted to revisit. How could she have appeared there? It was impossible.

It had to be a dream, or some sort of hallucination, he thought to himself for the hundredth time. He just did not want to accept that it was her face he saw.

But if it was a dream or hallucination, then so was everything else. And every sting from his cuts was a reminder it wasn’t. Abigail’s broken lamp, which he’d have to replace soon, was a reminder it wasn’t.

He continued to mull over this, when a sharp knock rapped at the door.

He yelped loudly, leaping up from his chair. His knee slammed against the underside of his desk, knocking his pen holder off it and onto the floor. He clutched his chest, his heart pounding like it would burst from his ribcage.

“Uh… C-c-come in!” he managed, his voice cracking slightly.

The door opened, and Matt Adow, the office’s chief IT engineer, stepped inside. He stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowing in concern as he looked at Jasper, who had risen to pick up the scattered pens on the floor.

“Uh, is everything alright, boss? You look like you’ve seen some Mami Wata spirit bi.”

Jasper forced out a nervous laugh, his hands fumbling as he picked them up. “Oh, nah, nah, nah. You know I don’t buy into those things. I just… I didn’t expect a knock, so it… startled me.”

Matt raised an eyebrow, knowing that couldn’t be further from the truth, but chose not to press the matter. He stepped closer, holding a small toolkit in one hand and a coiled network cable in the other. “Well, alright, sir. I’m here to fix the connection issue you reported on Friday. Shouldn’t take long.”

Jasper nodded quickly. “Of course, of course. Go ahead.”

As Mark moved toward the corner where the router was stationed, Jasper tried to compose himself, sitting rigidly in his chair. He could feel Mark glancing at him occasionally. No doubt about it, the man had picked up on his jittery demeanour, and was hardly fooled by his attempts to look professional.

“So, rough night?” Mark asked casually as he began untangling the cables.

Jasper flinched at the question. Rough? What happened to me was much worse than rough, he scoffed inwardly. But of course, he was not going to indulge him with those details.

With a forced chuckle, he responded, “You could say that. Just one of those nights where you can’t seem to get any proper sleep. ECG came for the lights too, so…”

“Oh chale. Nothing worse than ECG taking the lights when you’re sleeping. Absolute hell, chale.”

“Yeah, absolutely.”

Silence followed after that, as Matt focused on fixing the router.

Jasper stared at his hands on the desk. They were faintly trembling, a betrayal of the calm façade he was trying to maintain. His mind was still consumed with the same thoughts. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about that creepy smile, that vicious snarl, and the chilling presence of the woman who had walked away with the girl.

A few minutes later, Mark straightened up, nodding as he finished his work. “All done. Should be smooth sailing now.”

“Thanks,” Jasper muttered, barely glancing up at him.

Matt hesitated, his gaze one of concern. “You sure you’re okay, Mr. Simpson? You look… shaken.”

Jasper forced himself to smile and nod. “Yes, yes, I’m fine, Matt. Really. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”

Matt gave a slow nod, clearly unconvinced, but didn’t push further. “Alright, then. Take care.”

As the door clicked shut behind him, Jasper let out a long, shaky breath before slumping in his chair.

The fear still clung to him like a second skin. No matter how much he tried to fight it, the images of the night before refused to fade. That bone-chilling chase around the house… it was almost impossible to even attempt to suppress it.

And the woman… that young woman’s presence…

***

The time was 9:34 PM. After managing to make it through the day, he was back home. He sat on the living room couch, his eyes glued to the TV screen as the cheerful background music of the Korean drama filled the room.

Marjorie had introduced him to these dramas months ago, claiming they were a perfect escape from stress. He had scoffed at first, but over time, her enthusiasm for these shows had rubbed off on him. Now, even though she was halfway to Singapore, he found himself watching one of the shows on her future watchlist, desperately trying to keep his fear at bay.

She was certainly gonna fight him for that when she found out, but that was a matter he’d easily handle when it popped up.

Jasper took another sip of the black coffee in his mug, the bitterness jolting him awake for the moment. I just need to get through tonight, he thought. Once Marjorie and the kids are back, everything will feel normal again.

The gnawing sense of unease was as strong as ever, and he remained on edge. He caught himself glancing at the staircase more than once, expecting—or dreading—the sight of the strange girl or that young woman emerging from the darkness. Every notice that they weren’t there came with a sigh of relief. But he couldn’t afford to slack, which was why he couldn’t fall asleep.

While the TV droned on, Jasper’s eyelids grew heavy. Despite his best efforts to stay awake, the combination of exhaustion, caffeine, and the soft glow of the screen was creating a rather disorienting mix that fought his efforts.

His body was begging for rest, but his mind and spirit united to rebel against that.

“I won’t sleep,” he muttered under his breath. “Not tonight. Not giving them any chance to come and attack me.”

The drama shifted to a comedic scene, with the characters fumbling through a series of hilarious mishaps. Jasper couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Herh, what the hell was that?” he guffawed. “No wonder Marge is always laughing her head off when she watches these things. They really know how to be funny…”

While he laughed, he blinked slowly. Just for a moment.

He sat up, ready to get into the show. The current scenes were super funny, and he had to see where it was going.

As he tried, however, the mix conspired to work against him. The room seemed to darken around him as his eyelids grew heavy, the cheerful voices from the TV growing distant. He blinked again, doing his best to fight the weight dragging him down.

But a few moments in, and his head lolled forward. His eyelids slowly shut.

And the world slipped into silence.

***

He jolted awake, his eyes snapping open.

Sitting upright, his pulse raced as he stared at the TV screen.

It was paused, the frozen image of a tearful actress staring blankly back at him.

He shook his head. “Damnit! I must have let myself go for a moment,” he muttered to himself, sitting up. “Well, at least I’ve gotten myself back in–“

He stopped as his eyes fell upon the chair opposite him, just a few feet away.

There she sat. Her expression neutral and serene.

With her eyes locked on him.

The young woman in the blood-stained dress.

Damn!! This ghost is back! Are we gonna find out what her agenda is?