(*alarm sound*)
It seems like dawn has broken, and as usual, he didn't come home to sleep tonight.
(I turn off the alarm and head to the bathroom.)
(*yawn*)
(I turn on the tap and wash my face.)
It looks like today is going to be an exhausting day...
(Today, we have to go see my husband's mother... Ryoko Mizuguchi, one of the many mistresses or concubines of the patriarch of the Muraoka family...)
Apparently, my mother-in-law is in poor health and asked my husband if he could look after the children...
My husband... Kenji Muraoka, is one of the many sons of the Muraoka family. He is a robust man, almost 2 meters tall. According to what my father told me, Kenji is a thug who takes care of the family's dirty work and, because of this, he is one of the many sons who have support and power in the Muraoka family...)
(I had heard that anyone who fell into Kenji's hands would not meet a horrible end, but Kenji, despite being a very ruthless thug, is extremely concerned about his mother, whom he always takes care of...)
At least I would like him to show that same concern for our children.
(Sigh)
Although, well, what could I expect from an arranged marriage...
(I leave the bathroom and pick up my glasses.)
(Then I hurry to wake up the children.)
(In the kitchen)
Mom, are we going to see Grandma today?
Yes, we are, Hana.
I see, and...
(Isao, excited, interrupts Hana)
And Dad will come with us too.
(...Kenji)
Yes, he'll come too.
(He must be excited to see his father since he doesn't come to see them.)
Oh, okay.
(Isao was so excited that he finished his breakfast in a couple of minutes.)
(...)
(We finished breakfast and, once we were all ready, we waited for him outside the hotel.)
(After waiting a few minutes, a black car stopped in front of us and the driver waved us over to get in, accompanied by a brief word)
Get in...
(After that, we got into the car and set off for the hotel where my mother-in-law lived.)
(...)
(The atmosphere was somewhat uncomfortable as there was only a deep silence.)
(The silence lasted for a couple of seconds until Isao tried to talk to Kenji.)
Dad, there's going to be a sports competition at school and I'd like you to...
(Before Isao could finish speaking, Kenji interrupted him.)
No.
(Silence fell again...)
(Isao hung his head in disappointment.)
I understand... I'm sorry, Father.
(...Ugh.)
(Inside me, a feeling of anger began to rise in my chest.)
This time, you... couldn't go to the competition... please...
(I wasn't particularly strong, but this time that feeling burning in my chest gave me the strength to say those words even though my voice was trembling.)
(Kenji was silent for a brief moment, but then, with a slightly deeper and annoyed voice, he refused.)
I SAID NO, WOMAN! STOP INSISTING!
(With those words, the feeling that had warmed my chest cooled down.)
(What followed was a long silence of about 30 minutes until we reached the hotel where his mother lived.)
(Kenji stops at the hotel entrance.)
Get out...
(After getting out of the car, Kenji drives a few meters to the hotel parking lot.)
(...)
(After waiting for him to return from the parking lot, we took the elevator up to the 4th floor and arrived at Kenji's mother's room. However, unlike other occasions when Kenji's mother came out to greet us, this time it was Kenji who opened the door with a key)
(When we entered the room, it was completely silent. We left our things in the living room and headed for the bedroom...)
(When we entered the bedroom, we found Kenji's mother lying down, her complexion very pale, her veins visible through her skin.)
....Mother!
(Kenji approaches her and puts his ear to her chest)
Damn, her breathing is very weak... Shit!
(Due to this unfortunate situation, Kenji desperately tried to wake his mother, shaking her shoulders and calling her name intensely)
Mom... wake up!
(What at first seemed like a futile attempt surprisingly worked, as she began to breathe again, although her breathing was somewhat hoarse as she let out a kind of groan.)
Mom!
(Kenji hugged his mother frantically.)
Mom... I thought I had lost you.
(He could see a slight trace of tears on her face.)
(Kenji's embrace lasted a long time until, suddenly, he began to search his pockets.)
Shit... the pills...
Damn... I must have left them in the car...
(Kenji looks directly at me and then takes his car keys out of his pocket)
(Kenji raises his voice impatiently)
Here! Take the keys and look in the glove compartment of the car.
There are some blue pills in there.
Go and get them! Hurry!
I understand... I'll go.
...
(I leave the room and the children who were standing at the bedroom door watching the whole situation follow me.)
Mom, what's wrong with Grandma?
(Isao looks a little nervous, while Hana remains silent.)
It seems your grandmother is feeling ill and I have to go get her medicine...
Can we come with you?
Of course not, just wait here for me.
(I open the apartment door.)
I'll be right back...
Ahhhhhhhhh!
(Before I could finish speaking and head outside to get the pills, a loud scream came from the bedroom, accompanied by a loud bang against the wall.)
Aghhhh!....damn it!
(Both the children and I were stunned by the screams for a brief moment, but after a few seconds I regained my senses.)
Kids, stay here.
(Once I said that, I went to the bedroom and the sight I witnessed was like the woman who moments before had been in a fragile state, now looked like an animal and was biting her own son's neck...)
Aghh... mother!... what are you doing?
(Kenji tried with all his might to pull his mother away, and in a sudden struggle, he managed to push her a few feet away from him, stumbling and falling to the floor).
Ahhhhh!.....Let go of me!
(Due to the sudden struggle, he was able to push his mother away, but in doing so, he lost a piece of his neck, which was bleeding profusely.)
(Kenji touches the part of his neck where he was bitten, which stains almost his entire palm.)
I... I'm bleeding out...
(Kenji tries to stop the bleeding by pressing his hand against his neck, but it is useless as the blood continues to flow)
Ugh... why is this happening to me...
(Kenji's gaze wanders between the floor, which is beginning to form a pool of blood, and his hand, which is stained with it, until his gaze meets the source of the wound on his neck, which has already gotten up from the floor.)
Mother... why...
(The woman who had been watching him for a short time ignored his question and lunged at him.)
No!... Stop!
(Kenji put his arm out to block her, stopping her for a moment, but as the struggle continued, Kenji lost strength until, suddenly, his mother lunged and managed to bite him again. Only this time it was on the corner of his face, near the bite on his neck)
(Kenji is knocked backwards and falls onto his back against the wall while being bitten)
(Kenji tries to push her away again, but this time, without strength, he is unable to do so and his arm succumbs as if he has no energy left)
ughh.....oghhh...
(Kenji's face is being torn apart by his own mother. I could see her ripping off his skin and swallowing chunks of flesh while blood continued to spill all over the floor.)
(Kenji, weakened, could only let them continue to destroy his face, but despite this situation in which he should already be dead, he still refused to die)
(Kenji, with the strength he had left, looked me in the eyes and asked for help in a weak voice)
Help...me...
(What should I do? That was the first thing that came to mind.)
(My body and legs were shaking in this situation.)
(It all resembled a bad dream that I couldn't look away from, while thousands of thoughts swirled around in my head.)
(Should I help him? But if I'm attacked in the same way, just thinking about it makes my whole body shiver... What should I do? I could feel my thoughts beginning to stagnate in my mind until a scream from my side brought me back to my senses a little)
Ahhhhhhh!, Dad!
(The cry came from Isao, who was standing behind me with Hana, both looking nervous and scared.)
Kids, you... why are you here!?
(The children didn't answer and continued to stare ahead.)
Mom...
(Isao, his voice trembling slightly, pointed ahead, and when I turned to look, there was Kenji's mother, getting up and heading toward us.)
(Oh no, this is bad.)
(Before Kenji's mother could get up completely, I took the children by the hand and we left the bedroom.)
(After leaving the bedroom, I thought about going outside the apartment and asking for help, but in the end I realized it was useless since Kenji's mother was at the bedroom door and it wouldn't take her long to catch up with us, so I decided to lock ourselves in the bathroom.)
(After locking ourselves in the bathroom, there was a loud bang on the door accompanied by growls and moans.)
(If only I had my cell phone, which was in my bag on the sofa)
(Ah... damn it)
Mom, why was Grandma... eating Dad...
(Hana asks me in a somewhat trembling voice)
I... I don't know either.
But don't think about that, kids.
Everything will be okay...
(I hug the children and try to calm them down.)
(All we can do is wait for someone who, perhaps alarmed by the banging, will come to see what's going on and we can get out of here...)
(Someone will come... right?)
(Strangely, I couldn't stop thinking that maybe no one would come, despite the banging and growling coming from outside the door...)