Smooth as the roads may be, the clanking suspension of the old school bus ensured a restless morning for Gōki Takanouchi. Slumped in the back of the bus his crushed pompadour made a crude pillow against the cold glass. Although he wore the long school jacket and rode with the other freshman, his square jaw and broad shoulders betrayed him as being two years older than them, and the shining knuckle duster he used as a belt buckle kept anyone from mistaking him as a good student.
For most of his classmates, school always started this early, and this school trip to go camping was a special treat, but for Gōki, all it meant was showing up three hours early. His teacher had warned his mother that any more messing around and he risked being held back further. After a certain age, a boy becomes a man, and men don't attend high school, so he had to straighten out.
His teacher stood at the front of the bus, a forgettable, balding man, with a voice like television static, droning on about the natural beauty of the mountains. "They call it 'the mountain of… even though technically… furthermore, if you look near the base, you'll see…" Since it was a boy's school, and no 'beauties' were in the mountains, Gōki paid little attention. Jolting onto a rough dirt road was the final nail in the coffin of Gōki trying to sleep, but being awake did little to enhance the scenery.
A well managed dirt parking lot next to a small concrete bathroom marked their destination. The whistling air of the bus's brakes signaled the class to stand and make their way outside. Hardly an adventurous location, this foray into the 'wilderness' was meant to make for pleasant memories and team building, but for Gōki being stuck with three nameless chumps for a weekend was hardly pleasant.
Gōki hoisted the groups bags and tents onto his back with little effort, surprising his teammates not that he could but that he did. Picking a direction himself and marching into the woods with everyone's things, he allowed them the freedom for the tents to be away from the teacher. The freshmen chased him, nervous but excited for the adventure. The boys found their bags piled lazily next to a small river with two large boulders that 'coincidentally' broke line of sight with the rest of the class beyond the trees.
Leaning himself against the rocks, Gōki seemed intent on getting the sleep he was used to. His teammates, afraid to wake him, decided to set up their tents and prepare a campfire as their teacher expected. The task of setting up four tents and a campfire without waking the sleeping giant became a fun game for the freshmen, stifling laughter as they joked about being ground into his bread. The teacher never did come to check on them, but neither did the boys go to look, and by late afternoon a picturesque campground was made.
The smell of curry coupled with dull crackling flame roused Gōki from his slumber, with a yawn and a scratch, he stood. Lumbering to a not so nearby tree, he relieved himself, "I hope you made enough to share, ha ha ha," he called out jovially across the camp, the boom of his voice startling the younger boys. A bowl of curry-topped rice was quickly created, subtly larger than the other meals, it rested near the fire, a comfortable distance from the trio. With a heavy thud, he dropped a large stone near the fire, a chair for him, but it felt like a throne to the others.
The curry rice steamed into the night sky and the warm glow of the fire created a dim orange circle out to the trees. Putting his hands together with a smile Gōki called out, "itadakimasu!" before attacking the meal. The rest of the group whispered it to themselves and began to eat, watching Gōki timidly.
"W-we…..we set up your tent over there" One of the boys said pointing toward the river, "We will all share the other one, s-since you might want your space."
Gōki laughs, grains of rice thrown from his mouth into the fire, "you must know my mom, she says i snore like a bear." The trio laughs awkwardly and nods, unsure if it is safe to joke. Setting the empty bowl aside, Gōki looks to the boys and looms over the fire, "we have some time, let's tell some ghost stories, eh? Maybe it'll help you get big and strong like me."
Each of the freshmen did their best to tell a scary story, flashlights under their faces and whispered tones in an attempt to set the mood. Gōki had a bad habit of interjecting himself into the stories, declaring that he could beat the killers, or that the victims were stupid to go alone. The younger boys began to loosen up a little enjoying his antics once it seemed like he was having a good time. After an hour Gōki rose. towering over the bunch to tell his story.
Gōki wove a tale for the ages, a frightful story of a burn victim that kills people in their dreams. The boys shivered and shook, yelling when Gōki waved his arms, and timidly asking what came next. Each of them was afraid that if they revealed they knew the story, the scariest monster of all would be upon them. With a roar, Gōki threw himself to the ground, groaning and reaching to the sky "I'll Be back!" he said with a thumbs up that slowly sank to the earth. Met with applause Gōki took a bow and smiled, "OK, enough fun, let's sleep, teach' might wake us up early tomorrow, So get some shut eye." Feeling like an action star Gōki wandered to his tent, the boys shrugged, gathered their flashlights and decided to read manga quietly for a while.
The cool night air coupled with the occasional croak of a frog made for pleasant sleeping, Gōki's dreams were a mix of beautiful girls, murderous burn victims, and golden, tasty curry. "G-g-g-Gōki! Gōki, we promise we're scared, please stop!" At the sound of his name he snapped awake, rolling over and looking out the tent annoyed.
"What do you wan-" Gōki's words froze in his mouth, a large black bear was standing over the campfire near the other tent. Timid crying could be heard from the other tent, mixed with nervous laughter and pleading. Gōki stood slid from his tent and stood, picking up his flashlight and a rock before bellowing at the creature. The bear turned, its four eyes locked on to its new prey, each one swirling around on its own, Gōki shined his flashlight into its eyes and it screeched as its form seemed to warp slightly. "Go to the camp! NOW!" Gōki yelled and the three boys scrambled out of their tent, they sprinted through the woods screaming without looking back.
The bear charged Gōki on all fours, its eyes closed to his blinding flashlight. The heavy rock in his right hand flew through the air, only to be swatted away by a shadowy tendril that sprouted from the bear's neck. Gōki swore under his breath for not paying attention during his teachers nature lectures, jumping backward as razor sharp claws cut the air where he stood. He landed in the river, the cold water soaking into his socks. Turning to run, Gōki felt something grasp his ankle, human fingers pulling his leg, turn as he fell into the water only to find the bear melted away into a writhing mass attached to the grasping hand. The cold water was the last thing he felt as his head struck the stones in the water, leading to a cold, wet sleep.
© 2025 Fondofwisdom. All rights reserved.