•CONTENT WARNING:
This chapter contains mild horror elements and mentions of blood. Reader discretion is advised.
----
The train screeched to a slow halt at Yokohama Station, shaking slightly before the doors slid open.
Fumiko, Ami, Yuki, and Rin stepped onto the platform, the evening chill brushing against their tired bodies.
"Ahhh, home at last!"
Rin stretched her arms high above her head, yawning loudly.
"My legs are crying."
"Let's go to Tokyo again next weekend too!"
Yuki said brightly, spinning once with her shopping bags dangling dangerously.
Her eyes sparkled like a child unwrapping presents.
"I can't wait to try these on!"
Rin snorted, pushing Yuki lightly with her elbow.
"Of course you can't. You bought enough glowing clothes to light up the whole night market. People will think you're a walking neon sign."
"Hey!"
Yuki puffed her cheeks.
"They're cute, okay? Tokyo fashion is supposed to shine."
Ami giggled, adjusting her own modest bag.
"I think you'll look adorable, Yuki. Even if you blind half of Yokohama."
"Enough teasing,"
Fumiko said with a soft laugh, shifting her own bag in her arms.
Her smile looked real, but her eyes carried a quiet heaviness that didn't escape Ami's notice.
"It's late. We should all head home."
"Yep, yep! Bye everyone!"
Ami waved.
"Get home safe!"
The group shared their cheerful farewells before splitting up, Rin and Yuki heading toward their shared neighborhood, while Ami and Fumiko walked down a quieter path.
---
The streets were calmer here, washed in the warm glow of streetlights.
Ami slowed her pace, glancing sideways.
"Fumi… you're awfully quiet again. You okay?"
Fumiko forced a small smile.
"Yeah. Just tired from all the walking. Tokyo's always fun, but it drains me."
"Hmm."
Ami narrowed her eyes slightly, unconvinced but unwilling to pry.
"Well, promise me you'll rest. No staying up for late-night reading this time, okay?"
"Heh… I'll try."
They reached a small intersection where their paths split.
"Goodnight, Fumi,"
Ami said softly.
"Text me when you wake up."
"Night, Ami. Thanks."
They parted ways, Ami casting one last concerned glance before disappearing into the side street.
---
Fumiko walked the remaining blocks alone.
The soft hum of power lines and distant car engines filled the night, but every shadow seemed to twitch at the edges of her vision.
Her eyes darted to every corner, every alleyway.
"Not tonight… please. No more shadows."
When she finally reached her house, a wave of relief swept through her.
She locked the door, closing the windows of her room to prevent the cold breeze from entering the room, set her shopping bags on the couch, and quickly changed into comfortable clothes.
Standing near the edge of her bed, she hesitated.
Her fingers toyed with the edge of her blanket.
"What if I have that dream again?"
She bit her lip, then exhaled slowly.
"No… if it comes back, I need answers. That glowing figure owes me explanations."
Determined, she lay down and closed her eyes.
Sleep claimed her faster than she expected.
---
Her eyes snapped open.
The dreamscape greeted her again, an endless sheet of glassy water reflecting a starless sky.
Cold air bit at her skin.
Fumiko spun slowly, scanning the horizon.
"…Hello?"
Her voice echoed faintly across the vast emptiness.
"Are you here?"
Silence. Only the faint ripple of water beneath her feet.
She began to walk, her steps sending small waves outward.
"Hey! Please, if you can hear me, show yourself!"
Still nothing.
Frustration built in her chest. She broke into a run, her voice rising with each desperate call.
"Come out! Answer me!"
Her foot snagged on something unseen.
"Ah!"
She pitched forward, landing hard on her palms.
The sting of impact barely registered before she twisted around to check what caused her fall. But for her shock–
A dark, shadowy hand, slick with black mist, had wrapped around her ankle.
Her breath caught.
"W-What– ?!"
The cold grip tightened, dragging her backward.
"No!"
She kicked wildly, scrambling for purchase on the slick surface.
Her fingers clawed at the watery ground, but it offered no grip.
"Let me go!"
She bent forward, grabbing the thing that held her.
The instant her skin touched it, a wet warmth smeared across her palm.
She pulled her hand back– and froze.
"…Blood?"
Dark crimson streaked her skin, thick and gleaming.
Before she could even scream, the world around her shifted within a blink of eyes.
The clear sky bled into a violent red, twisting like torn velvet.
The once-shimmering floor darkened, thickening into blood, pooling and stretching endlessly.
A metallic stench filled the air.
Fumiko's stomach lurched.
Her heart pounded so hard it hurt.
She wanted to cover her eyes, to shut it all out. But the blood on her hand made her feel disgusted.
Suddenly, more dark hands erupted from the blood-soaked ground, grasping at her wrists, her arms, her shoulders.
"No! Stop!"
She kicked and twisted, but for every hand she broke free from, two more clutched her tighter.
The crimson world pulsed like a living heart, every beat echoing inside her skull.
Each pull dragged her closer to the surface of the blood, inch by inch.
"I… won't… let you!"
Her voice cracked, raw with panic.
She pushed forward with every ounce of strength, but the weight on her chest grew heavier–
until she could barely breathe.
Then, something cold and rough slipped around her throat.
A shadowy hand tightened like a noose.
Her vision blurred.
Her lungs screamed for air.
"hhk– "
She clawed at the invisible grip, her fingers slipping against its slick surface.
Every second stretched into eternity.
Her knees buckled.
Her thoughts scattered into a haze of terror.
"I can't… breathe…"
Darkness began to creep in from the edges of her vision, swallowing the crimson world whole.
---
A sound pierced the suffocating silence.
Soft. Gentle. Almost like a faint meow carried by a breeze.
Her eyes snapped open.
---
Fumiko lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling of her dark room.
Her chest heaved as she gulped air, sweat trickling down her temples.
The clock on her nightstand blinked 4:13 AM.
"…A nightmare?"
She whispered, voice trembling.
A faint meow made her flinch.
Her head jerked downward–
A white cat sat calmly on her chest, its tiny paw pressed lightly against her neck.
Its soft fur brushed her chin as it let out another quiet meow.
"The… voice?"
Relief flooded her shaky body.
"So… that soft sound was you,"
she breathed.
"Thank God…"
Carefully, she scooped the cat into her hands.
Its fur felt strangely warm, almost comforting.
"Thank you, kitty. You… saved me from something horrible."
The cat blinked slowly, as if it understood Fumiko's words.
Fumiko tilted her head, noticing its unusual eyes–
one silvery white, the other a deep, unsettling crimson red.
"How… unusual,"
She mumbled.
Before she could study it further, the cat jumped from her hands with a graceful leap, landing silently on the window frame.
It turned back once, tail flicking, and let out one last soft meow–
before leaping into the night, vanishing from sight.
"…Gone?"
Fumiko murmured, lowering her arms.
A small sigh escaped her lips.
"Never mind…"
She turned her gaze to her palms.
The images of blood still burned fresh in her memory.
And then–
her breath caught.
"Wait…"
Her eyes flicked back to the window.
She distinctly remembered closing it before sleeping.
Yet now, the frame stood wide open, curtains swaying gently in the cold dawn breeze.
"…Where… did that cat came from?"
The question hung in the air like a whisper of warning.