Desire.

I quickened my pace, never glancing back. The gate to my home was now in sight, a mere two hundred meters away. If the motorcycle taxi I had been on hadn't gotten a flat tire, I wouldn't be walking home.

But that wasn't the real issue; at this moment, I wasn't walking alone. Someone was trailing behind me, their footsteps quiet, even more so than mine. I couldn't stop whispering prayers according to my faith. A chill ran down my spine, pores seeming to widen in the night air, intensifying the cold.

This felt wrong, a weight building in the nape of my neck, cold sweat soaking my skin. I decided to run. Why run? Because the figure following me was not human. A human would have greeted me by now or walked by my side. I was about to break into a sprint when...

Ssssh.

"Hahh." I froze in place as the figure passed me, a tangible brush against my hand. I crouched down, covering my face while panting. I couldn't bear to open my eyes, let alone look ahead.

"Go away! This is no place for you, please don't bother me."

Silence fell for a moment, leading me to believe the creature had left. I lifted my face and slowly opened my eyes. It felt as if my eyes would burst from their sockets as I saw a pair of floating feet right before my face.

My tongue was frozen, unable to speak. The pale white feet, with their visible greenish veins, urged me to look higher. Madness. This was sheer madness. A woman, a ghostly woman in a knee-length white dress, tattered with age.

She was floating; I kept looking up and... her hair was long, and then her face....

"Aaaaaa." I fell back, seated.

Crack. Ssssshhhhh.

"Miss Yura!"

I turned around; finally, I heard a human voice.

"Mr. Adi, please help," I reached out with my left hand, my body stiff and heavy, unaware that I was now at my house's gate.

Mr. Adi, the security guard, helped me stand. The creature had disappeared, and I was assisted by Ela, the housekeeper.

"Didn't you bring your car, Miss Yura?"

"No, Ela, I didn't want to deal with the traffic."

That wasn't the real reason I didn't want to drive; last time, there was a figure in the back seat. I had since decided to use public transportation if I needed to come home late.

After I came out of the bathroom, Ela brought me a warm cup of sweet tea, placing it on the nightstand. "Thank you, Ela."

"You're welcome, Miss. Do you want me to bring your dinner as well?"

"No need, Ela, I've already eaten. I think I'm just going to go to bed."

I took out my phone from the backpack and plugged it in to charge. Sipping the sweet tea Ela had brought, my body felt utterly drained from the earlier encounter. Just being followed and seeing that being had this effect on me; direct interaction would be far worse.

The ability to see other creatures was not innate to me, rather I've experienced it only recently, specifically after I fell ill.

Back then, I had a high fever and dreamt of meeting an old man who touched my head, saying, "You cannot refuse this, I hope you can accept it."

Upon waking from the dream, I found myself in a hospital room.

"Yura, darling. You're awake," my mother's voice was soft.

"Mother...." my voice was weak.

I heard my father calling for the doctor and nurses. Soon after, two nurses came in to check my vitals.

"Her temperature is normal now, vital signs are good; let's wait for the doctor's visit." My gaze wasn't on the nurse examining me, but on another nurse named Marni. She did nothing but stand there, looking at me. She was so pale; I thought she was sick like me.

"Yura, how are you feeling?" my father asked once the nurses had left the room.

"I'm just sore all over," I replied.

"That's expected, you've been lying down for days, even three days unconscious. You had a high fever and were delirious," my mother explained.

The doctor said my condition was stabilizing but that they were still observing me for the high fever. Seeing my improving condition, my father left the hospital to tend to his business, leaving my mother to look after me.

The nurse who had checked on me earlier returned alone with the medication I had to take with food.

"Nurse," I called as she was about to leave.

She turned, "Yes? Do you need something?"

"Where's nurse Marni?" I asked.

"Nurse Marni?"

"Yes, the one who came in with you earlier seemed unwell."

The nurse seemed confused, scratching her head.

"I am solely responsible for this room, so there's no other nurse assisting me unless during a doctor's visit. Are you referring to the previous shift nurse, or...?"

"Nurse Marni," I clarified.

Hearing the name, the nurse's face turned ashen; she even dropped the stainless steel container with the medication she had brought.

"Excuse me, I must go." I watched the nurse rush out of the room.

My mother, emerging from the bathroom, looked my way. "What's wrong with her?"

"I only asked about nurse Marni, but she looked frightened."

"Nurse Marni?"

"Yes. Her colleague. She came in with her earlier, and now she's gone. So, I asked."

My mom seemed puzzled by what I said, then sat in the chair next to my bed.

"Are you still dizzy or feverish?" she asked, placing the back of her hand on my forehead. I just shook my head.

"The nurse has been attending to you alone all this time, with no one else," she explained. Of course, I didn't believe it; I clearly saw her, and nurse Marni looked right at me.

I chose to ignore this and closed my eyes, as my mother said I had been unconscious for nearly three days, yet I felt so tired and heavy.

"Yura."

It must be a dream.

"Yura, darling, wake up." My mother's voice was soothing. "Yura, dear. It's time for you to eat and take your medicine."

I opened my eyes, feeling more refreshed than before. My mother adjusted the bed so I could sit comfortably, offered me water, fed me, and made sure I took my medication.

"Mom, where's my phone?"

She opened the bedside drawer, took my phone out of her bag, and handed it to me. There were many unread messages and missed calls.

"Good evening."

I looked over.

"Good evening, nurse," my mother replied.

"Hello, Yura. I'm Rena, the head nurse here. How are you feeling now?" the nurse, who appeared to be around my mother's age, asked while checking my IV.

"Okay," I responded softly. She wasn't alone; she was accompanied by the previously frightened nurse.

"Hm, I heard you were asking about nurse Marni earlier?"

I nodded.

"Do you know nurse Marni?"

"No, I asked because she came in with her." I gestured to the nurse who had been standing there with a frightened look.

"Hm, there's no nurse in this ward named Marni. There was once, but she passed away."

I swallowed hard upon hearing that. I clearly saw a nurse named Marni. I glanced subtly towards the door, and there she stood. Nurse Marni was looking right at me, but the shock was she was floating; her feet weren't touching the floor. That meant she was not human.

"Aaaaaaa," I screamed.

"Dia's gone..." Yura pointed toward the door where Sister Marni, who had just been floating, was no longer present.

"Yura, what's wrong, dear?" Mother panicked at the sight of my pale face, gasping breaths, and trembling body, still gesturing towards the door. Nurse Rena gently lowered my hand and tried to calm me.

"Yura, relax. Sometimes we can hallucinate seeing things others can't."

I turned around. "This isn't the first time she has shown herself. You know I can see her, it's not a hallucination."

Nurse Rena just smiled, "You have just come through a critical period because of the high fever, it's possible that this triggered our brain to hallucinate and see or imagine something unusual."

"No, that's not possible, I...." I took a deep breath and tried to swallow despite feeling something stuck in my throat. She appeared again, Sister Marni reappeared in the room, now right behind Nurse Rena.

I averted my gaze and closed my eyes.

"Please leave me alone! I need to rest."

Both nurses then excused themselves and left my room. Mother kept asking about what I felt and what I saw, worried about my condition. Slowly, I opened my eyes, looked around, and saw no one but Mother.

"I'm okay, Mom."

"Are you sure? You were just...."

"Very sure, Mom, I'm okay." I tried to reassure Mother that I was all right, although what had just happened truly startled me.

Mother sighed. The sound of a stomach growling, which I was sure came from Mother, could be heard.

"Haven't you eaten?"

"Not yet; I was about to go to the cafeteria to get some food but seeing you like that made me hesitant to leave."

"You should eat first, I'll be right here," I commanded while lifting the hand that was still connected to the IV line.

"I'll be back soon, dear."

After Mother left, I focused on my phone, trying to distract myself. At times like this, I think it's better to choose a shared patient room rather than being alone like this, it's somewhat frightening.

The door creaked open wider; it seemed Mother hadn't closed the door tightly, and the breeze had pushed it further. Absurdly, a call of nature made me curse under my breath.

I wanted to press the emergency button to call a nurse for help going to the bathroom but decided against it, fearing Sister Marni might appear again. Finally, I resolved to go to the toilet unassisted, carefully climbing down from the hospital bed and pushing the IV stand.

Sighing with relief after taking care of my needs and not forgetting to wash my hands before exiting the bathroom, my hand was on the door handle when I heard a voice.

"Help."

I froze.

I tuned in my hearing, trying to think clearly that the voice was coming from outside.

But...

"Help."

The voice definitely came from inside the room, right behind me. Goosebumps stood on end, and a chill ran down my spine as the bathroom suddenly felt so cold. Slowly turning my head as the voice, soft and heartbreaking, called out again.

"Help."

My heart sank to my stomach and my eyes felt like popping out when I saw the figure standing not far from me. It was... Sister Marni. Floating with one foot off the ground, her arm stretched out as if reaching for something.

My mouth hung open, witnessing her apparition, all the more terrifying knowing she wasn't human. I wanted to scream but my tongue seemed frozen, and I struggled to close my mouth. The figure drifted closer, and as it neared, I closed my eyes, still unable to scream. I had never heard of humans dying from being devoured by demons, as far as I knew. But in this condition, the fear was paralyzing.

*Sorry\, Mother. Looks like I have to go first. Wait\, this is strange. Why should I die of fear?*

I opened my eyes.

"Aaaaaa." Finally, I could scream. "Go away, I don't want to die yet."

"Help me." The figure didn't move its mouth but the voice was crystal clear.

"I can't go with you."

"Please, deliver a message to my family."

"Huh." I began to catch my breath, which had been hard to draw since the moment.

"Help me, so I can leave peacefully."

Swallowing, I listened to the plea of the figure before me. While she didn't appear as terrifying as before, she was still a ghost, a demon, or a spectral entity.

"What should I do to help you?"

I listened silently, not looking directly at the figure before me. My body still trembled, and goosebumps remained, though not as rigid as when I first saw her. The figure vanished after I nodded my head, indicating I understood her message. Suddenly, my body slumped to the floor, and I sat down abruptly.

Bang Bang

"Yura, are you in there? Open the door, dear!" Mother's voice was frantic outside.

Still clutching my chest and trying to normalize my breathing, I reached for the door handle and opened it.

"Yura, what's wrong, dear?" Mother asked, embracing me.

I felt incredibly weak, as though I'd been active for days on end without food, though I'd never actually experienced that before. Yeah, it was something like that. Two nurses helped me back onto the hospital bed, including managing the IV needles and tubes that had bled during my tremors. Gazing at the ceiling, my vision soon blurred, and it seems I lost consciousness.

It had been nearly three days since my discharge from the hospital, and now I was en route to Sister Marni's residence. Despite my parents' objections to venture out due to lingering concerns about my health, I insisted on going and promised it would be a brief visit. My mother consented on the condition that our driver accompanied me.

I had the address for Sister Marni's place, which I'd previously requested from Sister Rena. Sister Rena initially hesitated to divulge it, but I explained my reasons, which convinced her.

And so, here I am, standing outside a home still brimming with greenery. A modest house where Sister Marni had lived. I push open the rusty iron gate and step onto the porch.

"Assalamu’alaikum, excuse me," I call out.

No movement at the door prompted me to repeat my greeting.

"Walaikumsalam," a middle-aged woman answers, opening the door and looking at me quizzically. "Whom are you looking for?" she inquires.

I smile, suspecting this woman is Sister Marni's mother – they share similar features.

"I'm Yura. I need to speak with Sister Marni's family," I say.

"But Marni has already..."

"I know, ma’am. May I come in?" I ask.

She lets me in, and we face each other in the living room, furnished with worn sofas. "Oh, I'll make you a drink."

"No need, ma'am, I won't be long." She sits back down having risen.

"Well, ma’am, I've come to convey a message from Sister Marni, which might be of help to you and the family."

She listens silently as I speak. Her expression shifts from serious to sorrow-stricken; she sobs with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Marni..." she wails.

"May I see her room?"

She leads me to Sister Marni's bedroom, where I find an insurance document mentioned by Sister Marni. There it was.

I instruct the mother how to process the insurance and which documents are needed, leaving my phone number in case she has further questions. Sister Marni, the family's main provider, had passed away not just with grief but with a legacy for the living family.

The family had been unaware, not understanding. Sister Marni, seizing the moment when I could see her, used me to deliver her final message.

Now, as I stand before the gate, the mother's wailing intensifies.

"Marni... even in passing you still look after your mother and siblings. Rest in peace, dear," cries the mother.

I feel a lump in my throat at her words and sobbing. Glancing at the trees in front of the house, I spot a figure. She gazes at me with a grateful smile, mouths 'thank you', waves, and Sister Marni's apparition fades.

Author's POV

Yura sighs, recalling the first time she could perceive entities beyond humans. The entity that followed her had shown itself multiple times. The mystery of her gift remained unsolved—perhaps tied to her dreams, or something more.

After finishing her sweet tea, Yura takes out a secondary phone. She plays a sacred recitation, her nightly ritual to create a serene environment and dampen her fears. This phone was designated for that purpose ever since she started seeing non-human entities.

"Ah, my body feels terribly weak," Yura complains while lying in bed, soon drifting to sleep.

The Next Day.

Yura exits public transport and strolls through the hallway towards her class.

"Yura," someone calls out; Yura turns to look.

"Early today, huh? Usually, you arrive late," Yura says to Nana.

"Nonsense, I'm not always late. I want to graduate with top marks and full capabilities," Nana retorts. Yura smiles; the two have been classmates since their first semester and have grown close.

"Hey, looks like Mail has settled in," Nana teases.

Yura chooses a seat neither at the front nor the back. Meanwhile, Mail and Nana continue their playful dispute standing up.

"Hi Yura, do you have plans this afternoon?"

Yura looks over to Refan sitting two rows back with three friends. Refan and his group, senior students repeating a course in Yura's class, often flirt with her.

"Hm..."

"I have plans with us," Nana interrupts before Yura can answer, Refan responding with a deadpan expression. "I'm not asking you," he says.

Nana sits on Yura's left, and Mail follows suit next to Nana. "Don't give Refan false hope. We all know his track record," Nana whispers.

"Who's giving hope? I was about to reply so he won't ask again if I'm free."

The class fills up—not just with peers from their batch but many others repeating the course.

"So many older students retaking too? What’s the deal, are they clueless?"

"Hush, that's not nice. Maybe they just didn't take the course before or were busy which affected their grades."

"Psst, Yura, spot at three o'clock, Kaivan. Seventh-semester comm studies, famously cool," murmurs Mail.

"Yeah, super handsome," Nana whispers back.

"Definitely easy on the eyes," Yura concurs. All three comment to themselves without looking at Kaivan, who is just two seats away.

The lecture begins and Yura concentrates, taking down important notes. Suddenly, she's startled by the presence of the same entity from the night before, now standing beside the lecturer.

"Astagfirullah," Yura murmurs, gripping her pen tightly. She steels herself to look again; the specter is gone. Glancing around, it seems no one else sees what she does. When she peeks to her right, Kaivan's staring at her with a chilling intensity.

*Handsome but creepy stare\, even scarier than that entity*\, she thinks.

After class, the entity doesn't reappear.

"Yura, want to hang out with us?"

"Where to?" Yura replies as she tidies up.

"Movie time. Avatar's out. Mail's got it covered."

"You think Yura's pregnant and I'm responsible?" Mail protests.

Yura laughs at their bickering.

"Yura, my offer remains," Refan says, sitting at his desk.

"Don't bother; you know how it is. Yura's heading out with us," Nana asserts, without waiting for Yura's response.

"I was asking Yura, not you," Refan retorts. Yura shakes her head at the impending squabble.

"Let's get out of here!" Yura suggests, leaving class with her friends. On her way out, she glances at Kaivan, who still remains, watching her.