Faintly I felt my friends yank me forward, causing me to break eye contact with... the being.
Then we jumped off the tracks and ran through the trees, broken dead twigs on the floor slapping against our legs while we ran.
For a while we still heard the TEKE TEKE sound, but after we'd covered some distance, it stopped.
And so we paused running, gasping and wheezing, and trying to catch our breaths.
My heart was pounding wildly in my chest.
"Did we lose her?" Rina whispered, looking at both I and Kaito.
Straining my ears for any sound, I tilted my head but heard nothing so I nodded.
"Probably just some sick prank from------"
Kaito shook his head violently. "No! I saw her face, man! That was Teke Teke!
I forced a laugh, but my voice sounded cracked as I spoke, "Don't be ridiculous."
However Rina's trembling voice reached my ears. "How do you explain the way she moved?"
I kept quiet, and Kaito sighed, coughing a bit.
"Let's just get home," he muttered.
Silently agreeing with him, we began walking with him till finally we reached the road near the riverbank.
Afar, the streetlights flickered weakly, slightly turning on and off as snow fell down onto it.
... And I'd never been so thankful to see something as simple as that.
We were at a T junction now, and Rina and Kaito's house was to the right while mine was to the left, so we had to part there.
But before I could move even a step, Rina pulled me back and hugged Kaito and me, taking me by surprise.
"Promise me we'll never talk about this again."
"Deal," I said.
"You didn't even need to ask me that."
But Kaito sighed into the hug and glanced over his shoulder. "She's not gone," he said softly.
"She follows whoever sees her."
Perhaps his words got to Rina because she immediately releases us from the hug, but she didn't say anything after that, and neither did I, we simply parted ways, heading home.
I'd caught sight of my house from the distance when suddenly my phone began to vibrate in my pants' pocket.
Who could be calling by this time.
Pausing in my tracks, I dug my hands into my pants and pulled it out
Swiping my thumb over the screen to unlock it, I was surprised to see that it was Rina calling.
Has she gotten home already?
Worried, I picked it up, but heard Rina sobbing hysterically.
"WuhlncseeykmxShegothimm."
"What?"
"Kaitosgdegnjuushegot------"
Now I was worried, it took a lot to get Rina to cry, and I'd never seen or heard her cry.
"Slow down Rina. What's going on? I'm not understanding you.
"She got him, Daichi! She got him!"
"Who----?"
"Teke Teke, she cut him in half!!! Daichi I'm scared I-----"
TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE
I heard the sound over the phone, followed by a whoosh, then a spluttering sound.
... Then a thud.
"Hello? Hello?? Rina! Say something!!! Are you there?! Rina!!!!"
But all my shouting was in vain, Rina didn't answer worse, the call disconnected.
Now I staring at my blank phone, my cheeks wobbled.
Rina wasn't dead right?
She couldn't be.
TEKE TEKE isn't real; it's only in horror movies.
I looked up at my house that was just a few feet from me but didn't move towards it.
Instead I took in a breath and turned back.
Rina had to be alive, I was going back for her.
Within minutes I was back at the T junction, and turned right this time.
By the time I'd reached the front of Rina's house, I was puzzled
There wasn't any sign of Rina or Kaito anywhere, or his half body like she mentioned.
Where they playing a prank on me?
Glancing at the lock, I knew they obviously weren't around with big padlock that was still sitting on the door locks.
Worried and confused, my feet began to take me back towards the T junction.
Maybe they were------
…teke… teke… teke…
The soft faint sound reached my ears, coming from the alley on the opposite far side of Rina's house.
Following the sound, I peeked cautiously into the alley but I didn't see anything, so I walked further inside.
It was a quite dark by the time I was deep inside, so I couldn't see anything, making me to trip on something and fall to the floor.
Cursing under my breath, I pulled out my phone from my pants' pocket and hurriedly turned out the flashlight, then pointed it at the floor.
... Only to see a gooish long reddish tangled strand of something on the floor.
Following it's short trail, my eyes landed on Kaito's head staring lifelessly at me.
I screamed.
Just then Rina came out of nowhere, running towards me with the sound TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE following right behind her.
"Rina, you're aliveeee," I rasped in fear mangled with happiness.
"Yes, run. She's coming."
Helping me to get up, Rina held my hand and the both of us ran for our lives.
TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE
We ran until light began to flood the alleyway, meaning we would soon be completely out and back on the road.
"Almost there, almost there..." I repeated on and on, although I wasn't sure if I was talking to Rina or myself.
Suddenly Rina tripped and fell on the floor, screaming in horror.
I turned to her, but froze when I saw Teke Teke right behind her.
I stumbled backwards, gulping nervously and feeling bad for my friend as I watch Teke Teke pounce.
Rina screamed again, and I shut my eyes so as not to watch the horror in front of me.
Then Rina mumbled, "What?"
I opened my eyes and jerked, shuddering when I saw Teke Teke right in front of me.
"Oh my God!" Rina screamed.
"I remember now. Teke Teke doesn't kill women!"
My eyes widen.
What?
"Run Daichi, RUN!!!!"
I stumbled backwards and turned around, but there was no where else to run.
In front of me was a brick wall; in our haste and excitement on finally exiting the alley, Rina and I had made the wrong turn.
Gulping, I turned back just in time to see Teke Teke jump at me with her long sharp claws stretched out;
... Then she slashed my stomach.
Blood poured out my lips as I fell to the floor, seeing Teke Teke toss my severed waist and leg away.
Seconds after I felt her form walk towards me, staring down at me for a while, then she clawed at my opened end, pulling at my insides.
I gasped and groaned and screamed, for mercy that I somehow knew she wouldn't give, but yet I screamed anyway.
But she didn't stop, not until I'd stopped responding to the pain and could only vaguely hear Rina's cries.
Then she dumped my intestines and... other bloodied inside parts of me right in front of my face.
It was as if she was telling me 'look what I did to you'.
TEKE TEKE TEKE TEKE Teke Teke Teke...
Slowly I began to drift away, hearing her elbow steps fade away, but before the last strand of life I was holding onto snapped off, I thought just one thing:
I shouldn't have come back for Rina.