Flashback – Edo Era
A lone samurai knelt in the blood-soaked dirt, his cracked armor barely holding together. His head bled freely from a deep gash, and all around him lay the bodies of fallen villagers and fellow warriors. The air was thick with the metallic scent of death.
"Tsuma… forgive me," he whispered, voice breaking.
Behind him, something inhuman stirred in the shadows—twisting, unnatural, wrong. Before he could turn, darkness swallowed everything.
---
**Part 1 – The Police Station**
7:20 AM. Three days after the disappearance.
Kaiya, Yui, and Riko sat crammed together in the small holding cell. Riko had finally fallen asleep on Kaiya's lap, her small face peaceful despite everything. Yui kept glaring at the officers beyond the bars, trying to catch their attention. Kaiya looked utterly drained, dark circles heavy under his eyes.
A police officer finally approached and unlocked the cell door with a metallic clank.
---
They were taken to an interrogation room. A bored-looking detective leaned back in his chair, sipping coffee.
"So what were three kids doing in the library at 2 a.m.?" he asked with a lazy smirk. "And don't tell me you wanted to read books." He chuckled at his own joke.
The three of them explained everything as calmly as they could: the old woman, the way she moved, the security guard being snapped in half like a twig.
The detective burst out laughing.
"Monsters? Really?"
"We aren't lying," Yui snapped. "Do we look like we'd make up a story like that—and for what?"
She leaned forward. "You didn't even check the library properly for the guard's body. I bet you didn't do your job."
"Please remain seated," the detective said flatly.
Yui sat back, fuming.
"There was no one there," he continued. "No blood. No body. Nothing."
"That can't be right…" Yui muttered.
Kaiya had been quiet the whole time, but his eyes suddenly locked onto a missing-person flyer on the detective's desk. The photo showed an older woman with kind eyes.
"That's her," he said.
Both the detective and Yui turned to look.
"Who?" the detective asked.
"She's the one that attacked us," Yui said.
The detective raised an eyebrow. "She's been missing for two days. Her son reported it yesterday."
Kaiya and Yui exchanged a tense glance.
The detective sighed. "Go home. And don't trespass again."
A police officer drove them back in silence, occasionally glancing at them curiously through the rear-view mirror.
---
**Part 2 – At Kaiya's House**
Back in the living room, the three kids sat together. Riko was half-asleep on the couch, curled up under a blanket.
"We can't do this alone anymore," Yui said firmly. "We need more people."
"What do you mean?" Kaiya asked.
"This is some deep shit going on. We need others too."
Kaiya pulled out his phone. "I'll call Ren and Mio."
Yui's expression darkened. "Not that bitch."
Kaiya remembered how Mio had called Yui the same thing the other day. It was Saturday, so at least they were free.
---
**Part 3 – At School (Same Day)**
4:30 PM.
They gathered in an empty classroom. Ren was crunching chips loudly while Mio laughed and playfully punched Kaiya's shoulder. Yui sat apart, clearly irritated.
"I knew this wouldn't work," Yui muttered. "Calling them was a waste of time."
"Hey hey, lady—" Ren started.
"What do you mean by waste of time?" Mio asked, eyes narrowing.
"You heard me, bitch."
"Me? A bitch?"
The two girls nearly lunged at each other. Kaiya and Ren quickly stepped between them, pulling them apart. The room calmed for a moment—until Mio couldn't resist teasing.
"So you and Kaiya were alone at night? Interesting."
"It's not like that," Yui said coldly.
"Really? But you came to his house—"
"Mio. Stop," Kaiya cut in.
The argument flared up again. Ren just laughed. "Girls…"
At 5:35 PM, someone stood listening quietly outside the classroom door. Only their silhouette was visible against the fading light.
---
The figure slipped away without a sound.
(Later, they would learn it was Marata.)
---
Meanwhile, Mio had stepped outside to cool off near the school pool. She spotted Hikaru Nakayama stretching by the water's edge. Her cheeks instantly flushed.
Hikaru noticed her and smiled kindly. "Bad fight huh?"
Mio looked embarrassed. "You heard that…?"
"Yeah."
"That loud, huh…"
"Wanna talk about it?"
She smiled a little, relaxing. "What are you even doing here?"
"I come here on weekends to stretch and relax."
They talked for a while. Mio was surprised at how genuinely nice he was.
---
Back inside, at 6:00 PM, Kaiya and Yui sat in the computer room, searching desperately for any trace of the dark-web video about the disappearances. Ren lounged on a desk, eating more snacks.
The screen suddenly glitched.
"Come on, work!" Yui growled, smacking the monitor.
Kaiya and Ren stared at her.
"Don't spoil it. You'll get us in trouble," Kaiya warned.
"Arrgh… fuck it."
Ren checked his phone. "Guys, it's 6:30. Let's go home."
---
**The First Attack – 6:32 PM**
At the pool area, a loud CRASH echoed as something slammed violently into the metal ball racks.
Hikaru instantly stepped in front of Mio, shielding her.
Two figures emerged from the shadows: a man in a blood-soaked suit and a woman in a nurse's uniform. Their faces were horribly distorted, dark veins bulging across their skin.
"What the fuck—" Mio gasped.
"Run, Mio!" Hikaru shouted.
They sprinted as the creatures gave chase, moving with terrifying, unnatural speed.
---
**School Blackout – 6:59 PM**
Back with Kaiya and Yui, every light in the building suddenly died. Computers powered down. The hallways plunged into complete darkness.
"Ehhhh… guys…?" Ren's voice trembled.
Kaiya quickly turned on his phone's flashlight.
Something moved behind a desk.
A figure suddenly popped up—Marata.
Ren jumped. "You're sick! I'm gonna kill you!"
Kaiya felt that familiar sharp headache spike behind his eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it came.
"I heard everything you said," Marata sneered. "You guys are sick. Sick in the head."
Before anyone could answer, a shadow shifted behind them.
Two more blood-covered figures appeared.
Now there were four of them.
---
"Not again—" Yui whispered.
"What the fuck is that!?" Ren cried.
"Guys, RUN!!" Kaiya shouted.
The creatures twisted their bodies at impossible angles, reaching for them.
Kaiya grabbed Yui's hand and dragged Ren along. Marata screamed as the monsters closed in.
Their footsteps echoed through the dark hallways.
Meanwhile, outside in the courtyard, Mio and Hikaru were still running for their lives.
---
At the same moment, back at Kaiya's house…
Riko was alone.
She heard the front door slowly creak open.
---
To be continued…