Nothing: The God of Nothingness Chapter 3: The Girl in White

Read chapter 3 of Nothing: The God of Nothingness by mrjapturk on NovelPedia.

That night felt colder than it should have. Even with the fire burning beside our tents, the wind coming from the ocean carried an unnatural chill with it. The waves crashed endlessly against the shore, their sound stretching across the darkness like distant whispers. I sat quietly near the fire while Grandpa sharpened a knife beside me. Neither of us spoke for a while. The flames danced between us, lighting half of Grandpa’s face while leaving the other half hidden in shadow. For some reason… He looked unusually serious. More serious than when he taught me survival lessons. More serious than when the village chief called me a “being.” Eventually, I broke the silence. “Do ghosts actually exist?” Grandpa continued sharpening the knife. “Yes.” The answer came too quickly. No hesitation. No uncertainty. Just simple truth. I stared at him for several seconds. “…How do you know?” “I’ve seen them.” The waves crashed loudly against the shore. I looked toward the dark ocean. For a moment, I thought I saw movement far away near the waterline. But when I blinked… Nothing was there. Maybe my imagination was getting worse. Grandpa noticed where I was looking. “Fear creates illusions,” he said calmly. “But sometimes…” He stopped speaking. “Sometimes what?” I asked. He slowly looked toward the ocean. “…Sometimes the illusions look back at you.” A cold sensation crawled down my spine. I immediately looked away from the water. Grandpa suddenly stood up. “Go sleep.” “You’re not sleeping?” “I will later.” That meant he probably wouldn’t sleep at all. Grandpa rarely rested properly whenever he felt something dangerous nearby. I quietly entered my tent without arguing further. Still… Sleep never came easily that night. The inside of the tent felt strangely suffocating. Every sound outside seemed louder than usual. The wind. The waves. The distant cries of seabirds somewhere in the darkness. I turned repeatedly beneath the blanket while staring at the ceiling above me. Eventually, I closed my eyes. Then— Crunch. I opened them immediately. A sound. Footsteps. Outside the tent. At first, I assumed it was Grandpa walking nearby. But something felt wrong. The footsteps were too slow. Too uneven. Almost like someone wandering without direction. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. The sound circled around the tents slowly. I sat up quietly. “Grandpa?” I called softly. No response. The footsteps suddenly stopped. Silence filled the beach. Then— A quiet sob. A girl was crying outside. My chest tightened immediately. Without thinking much, I grabbed the lantern beside me and stepped outside the tent. Cold wind struck my face instantly. The fire had nearly gone out. Most of the beach was covered in darkness now, illuminated only by pale moonlight. Then I saw her. A girl wearing a long white dress stood near the shoreline. Her back faced me. Long black hair moved gently with the ocean wind. She looked completely still. Almost unnatural. “…Hello?” I called carefully. The girl stopped moving. Slowly… Very slowly… She turned toward me. The lantern nearly slipped from my hand. Her skin looked deathly pale beneath the moonlight. Dark red stains covered the front of her dress near the stomach area. Blood. Old blood. Her crimson eyes stared directly into mine without blinking once. And tears slowly rolled down her face. I froze. Something deep inside me screamed to run away immediately. But my body refused to move. “Who are you?” I asked quietly. No response. The girl simply kept staring at me. Unmoving. Unblinking. The ocean waves crashed loudly behind her. Then suddenly— She tilted her head sideways unnaturally. Too far sideways. My breathing stopped for a moment. “…Olivia?” The moment I spoke that name, her expression changed. The crying stopped instantly. Now she looked angry. No. Not angry. Hateful. Pure hatred filled her eyes so intensely that it barely looked human anymore. I slowly stepped backward. The girl suddenly took one step toward me. Then another. Then another.