Chapter 7 - Shinshutsukibotsu: Strange-Looking Creature

1

Shun was so badly stunned at the sight before him that he forgot to even breathe. This had to be a nightmare.

The top half of the arm under the bed was almost entirely devoured by the rats. What was left of the dark red flesh looked slick—either from the seeping blood and lymphatic fluid, or the collective saliva of the rats—as it gleamed in the light from the lamp. A lone grey bone protruded from the elbow, where it looked like the arm had been ripped off. The largest, strongest rat was gripping it with its front paws and gnawing on it voraciously.

Unable to look at it anymore, Shun turned his head away.

“...You think it’s real?” he asked, afraid of the silence.

But Hiroshi didn’t answer. He just bent down and stared at the mass of rats. He seemed more interested in studying them than investigating the arm. That’s just the kind of guy he was.

Shun hesitantly returned his gaze to the underside of the bed. The arm on the floor had begun to lose its original shape thanks to the rats feasting on it, but it was still quite clear it was real. No matter how convincing, a prosthetic wouldn’t have been appetizing to the rats. It was impossible to discern much about the arm in the condition it was in now—whether it was a man or a woman’s, muscular or slim—but the five long fingers remaining on the hand were quite distinct. It was definitely a human arm.

The rat chewing on the bone looked up at Shun, almost like it realized he’d been staring at it. Its bloodshot eyes swiveled grotesquely as it bared its blood-drenched front teeth and let out a high-pitched screech. “Don’t disturb us!” it seemed to shout. The other rats raised their heads at their leader’s signal and glared at Shun and Hiroshi with crazed eyes.

Even Hiroshi seemed astounded by the strange scene. He quickly backed away from the bed and pressed his back against the wall.

Skree! Skree! Skree!

The other blue rats assumed the same posture as their leader and began screeching too. Just because they were rats didn’t mean they should be taken lightly. If the swarm of them attacked together, they might be able to chew off Hiroshi’s arm too.

“It seems we would be best served by retreating,” Hiroshi advised cautiously.

Shun nodded repeatedly at the suggestion. He worried a little about Takeshi, who showed no sign of leaving the wardrobe, but he and Hiroshi couldn’t stay in the room like this. Slowly, so as not to incite the rats, they backed into the hall. The moment they closed the door, the screeching ceased.

Have they returned to their feast now that the intruders are gone? No, maybe...

Shun grinned wryly at his own twisted, ridiculous imagination.

Maybe they’re planning how to obtain their next meal.

2

The new species of grasshopper jumping around in the yard. The giant figure behind the clouded glass. The mutated rats eating human body parts. There was definitely something freaky about this mansion. Even though it was supposedly abandoned, strange things like plates falling from shelves, lights coming on automatically, and doors locking on their own kept happening.

As Shun and Hiroshi went down the stairs, they spotted Mika standing in the middle of the entrance hall with a sour look on her face.

“What’s the matter? I thought you went home.”

“I couldn’t even if I wanted to. What the hell is this? The door’s locked and won’t open,” she said stingingly, pointing at the door.

Shun lowered his head, feeling like she was blaming him for not mentioning that part.

“We’re inside the building, so we should be able to unlock the door from this side,” Hiroshi pointed out flatly.

“How? There’s only a knob and a keyhole,” Mika replied, somewhat exasperated.

“...What?”

“That’s what I was going to ask. What is this? What’s going on?”

“Let me see, please.”

Hiroshi approached the door. Shun was hoping he’d be able to figure something out.

“This is hopeless. We need a key.”

However, he only took one glance at the door before giving up on opening it.

“That’s impossible, right? Who needs a key to get out of a house? I’ve never heard of that.”

“Well, if this mansion is being used to keep someone under house arrest, it’s not out of the question. Hmm... That may be why there are iron bars on the windows and thick planks nailed over every one of them. That could be the real reason this place is known as the Jailhouse.”

“House arrest? What are you talking about? Are you saying this is some hideout for a criminal organization? My mom told me a sickly girl in a wheelchair lived here.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that before too. Perhaps her parents constructed the manor this way so that she couldn’t get out.”

“...You mean she was abused?”

“Not necessarily. What if she was afflicted with terrible asthma? Right across the street is a massive chemical plant. Perhaps her parents were so worried for her health that they had no choice but to keep her locked in here.”

Their conversation rattled in Shun’s brain as he searched for any sign of Anna. He couldn’t find her anywhere. Thinking she might be in the bathroom, he began looking around on the first floor. He tried the doors in the hall again, but just like the second floor, they were all locked and none of the knobs would turn.

“Hey, I haven’t seen Takuro in a while. Where did he get off to?”

“How should I know?”

Hiroshi and Mika continued to talk.

“Weren’t you two together?” he asked.

“There was a huge Japanese-style room on this floor, but he just walked right in on the tatami mats without taking off his shoes. That bothered me a little. My dad’s really strict, so he’d yell at me if I even stepped on the edge of the tatami mat as a kid. Seeing Takuro do it without a second thought shocked me so I told him he shouldn’t do it, but he just yelled at me. He said, ‘It’s my house! Got a problem with that?’ I was like, ‘Fine, do whatever you want.’ Then I left him, and that’s when I heard Takeshi scream from upstairs.”

“A Japanese-style room?”

“What? Did I say something weird?”

“The exterior looks like the Pisa Cathedral, and the interior uses stucco for the walls. There’s even the suit of armor decorating the entryway. There’s so much European flair, yet one room is Japanese-style? It does seem quite strange.”

Odd feelings swirled around Shun as he listened to them talk. But it wasn’t like the unease Hiroshi was feeling; it was stranger than that. Shun could swear he’d heard this exact conversation before. It was like déjà vu.

Continuing west down the hall, he soon reached the last room. He hadn’t found a single unlocked door on this floor so far. Assuming this one would be no different, he reached out and halfheartedly twisted his wrist. To his surprise, the knob easily turned with it. Opening the door, he looked inside. The entire room was bathed in an orange glow, just like the one Takeshi had holed himself up in.

It was a washroom. Soap and a toothbrush lay on a shelf. The sink was porcelain and damp. It appeared to have been used recently. Clear water flowed freely from the faucet when Shun tested it.

What’s going on here?

He cocked his head quizzically. If the place was truly abandoned, then it would be odd for it to have running water. Even if the owners had forgotten to shut it off, the water that had been left sitting in the pipes should have been smelly and rusty brown when it first came out. Someone must be living here.

Further into the washroom, there was second door. Behind it was a Western-style toilet, but no Anna. Where had she disappeared to? Shun left the washroom to return to Hiroshi, but...

“Huh?”

From the end of the hall, he couldn’t see anyone standing in the foyer where he’d left the others.

“Hiroshi?” he called out, but no one answered. “Where are you?”

Shun hurried back down the hall and looked around, but the two figures that had been there only moments ago had vanished like dust in the wind. Thinking they might have managed to get the front door unlocked, he decided to try it for himself again. But no luck. The heavy door remained steadfastly stuck.

Maybe they’re hiding somewhere to try and scare me? No, that’s impossible.

He quickly dismissed the idea. He doubted Hiroshi was the type to pull such pranks, which only left one reason he could think of that they would have disappeared so suddenly. In the few minutes he’d been inspecting the washroom, something terrible had happened.

Straining his ears, he heard the sound of a door closing. It wasn’t too far away. He quickly glanced down the hallway to his left and right, but didn’t see any signs of movement.

“Which means...”

His gaze shifted past the staircase and the headless suit of armor. The door he’d heard must have been to one of the north-facing rooms along the back hall. Taking a few steps beyond the stairs, Shun glanced around the corner. When he did, he heard the door at the end of the hall to his right slam shut.

“Who’s there?” he asked, sprinting down the hall in that direction.

He didn’t hate being alone. Being with other people made him nervous and practically mute. Just worrying about what they might be thinking exhausted him, so he’d always thought that being alone was easier. But today was different. Today, being alone instilled in him a keen sense of dread. It was a lonely, terrifying feeling that was just too much to bear.

“Is that you, Hiroshi?” he called out, standing in front of the door that had just slammed shut.

Shun feared for his sanity if he remained all alone. His anxiety was only building. He hoped someone—anyone—would respond from the other side of the door, but there was no answer. Twisting the knob, he opened it. Then, as if someone had been waiting for him to do exactly that, he heard the sound of a second door in the room closing.

“Stop it already,” he whimpered, followed by a small sigh of relief.

Someone is clearly pranking me.

Someone was enjoying scaring him. There had to be a hidden camera somewhere recording his terrified expression and broadcasting it. Only Takuro would think of such a childish prank. Shun ordinarily did all he could to avoid him, but with how he was feeling right now, he’d still rather see Takuro than be alone. At the very least, a strong guy like him would easily be able to deal with the horde of rats if they attacked.

Shun looked around the room. Stainless steel shelves ran along the walls and further in was a giant professional fridge. In the center of the room was an island equipped with several gas burners.

This must be the kitchen.

Shun stepped inside and headed straight for the other door along the right wall.

“Takuro,” he called out as he twisted the knob.

When he opened the door, a blue figure bolted through the room to yet another door, which then slammed shut behind it.

“...Huh?”

Shun was at a loss for words.

What... was that?

Its whole body was blue like it had been painted. It certainly wasn’t Takuro. Shun hadn’t gotten a good look since it was running so fast, but from what he’d seen of its back and legs, there was no way it was human. Its skin was rough with deep wrinkles, reminiscent of an elephant or hippopotamus you might see at the zoo. Its leg muscles were also abnormally developed.

Pain suddenly shot through Shun’s temple. Memories deep in his hippocampus were struggling to surface. It was like he’d forgotten something very important, but every time he tried to remember, the headaches would stop him.

What’s wrong with my brain?

A deep, dark unease assailed him. Such a creature couldn’t exist.

Was it an illusion? Am I just imagining things?

Holding his breath, he scanned the room. In the center of it was a dining table, and the walls of the vast room were lined with cupboards. Cracked plates were scattered across the floor. It looked like they’d fallen off the shelves. This must be the dining room Hiroshi said he’d investigated.

Cautiously stepping into the room, Shun made his way to the door the strange figure had darted through. It was a wooden door with panes of clouded glass. There was no mistaking it. This was the room he and Anna had first seen the blue figure in.

Shun looked at the doorknob, but there appeared to be no mechanism to lock the door from the inside. Without a key, they had no hope of locking or unlocking anything. On the other hand, if the blue giant had the key, it would be able to move freely through the mansion.

Shun grabbed the knob with a sweaty palm, slowly opened it, and peered outside. Just as he suspected, the door opened into the front hallway. Further down, he could see the entrance to the mansion. But the hall itself was empty and silent. The blue figure must have gone somewhere else.

I have to run... before it’s too late.

Sensing danger, Shun’s instincts kicked in, urging him to escape. He hurried toward the entrance hall. A sliver of hope in his heart, he put his hand on the front door. But nothing had changed. It still refused to budge. Thinking he would try the windows, Shun did his best to rip off one of the boards. Without any sort of tool, however, it was a practically impossible feat. At a loss for what else to do, he slumped down in the middle of the entrance hall.

What time is it?

Without any way to see outside, he couldn’t tell how dark it had gotten outside. He looked to his left wrist for the time, but the wristwatch he usually wore wasn’t there. He must have dropped it after being bullied by Takuro during lunch. It was only a cheap timepiece he’d bought at the general store, but just the thought that he’d lost something yet again because of Takuro clouded his heart.

How much has he taken from me? And not just my money or belongings. My smile, my pride, my ability to feel, and...

“What the heck? What the heck is that?”

Shun looked up when he suddenly heard Mika shouting. She and Hiroshi were rushing down the stairs from the second floor. They were moving so quickly that Mika kept tripping over her own feet.

“First that freaky door opens so we book it upstairs, then... then... Ahhh!”

“Please calm down. We’re okay now,” Hiroshi said, looking behind them. “It seems it gave up. I don’t see it chasing us anymore.”

Mika blew past Shun, grabbed the knob of the front door, and began pulling on it violently.

“It still won’t open! God! What’s going on here? I want to go home!”

“The door’s quite sturdily constructed, so breaking it down would be difficult. We have no choice but to find the key.”

“How can you be so calm? You saw that monster too, didn’t you?” Mika shouted.

Her hair was disheveled and she looked like she’d seen a ghost. Whatever it was, it must have given her a real fright. Her lips were near purple and trembling slightly.

“Yes, and I can still hardly believe my own eyes.”

“What was that naked, blueberry-colored giant?”

Shun stiffened up at those words.

“You know everything, don’t you? You should know what that thing was!”

“Unfortunately, I don’t. Not even Wikipedia has anything about a creature like that.”

They’d seen the giant too. Realizing that meant he couldn’t have been hallucinating, a complex mixture of relief and fear began brewing inside Shun.

“But that grasshopper, those rats, and that giant bipedal creature... I do know it’s safe to say this mansion is home to many such sudden mutations of several species. It’s clear they’re related in some way, as evidenced by the shared traits like the blue skin and abnormally developed eyes.”

Shun shivered when he remembered those rats glaring at him with those bloodshot eyes.

“That blueberry thing... As soon as it spotted us, it started chasing us. Why? What did we do to it?”

“At the very least, we’re intruding in this mansion. If it’s angry over that, we can’t exactly claim innocence.”

“I didn’t come inside because I wanted to. I would leave if I could, but the exit’s locked! What are we supposed to do? Hold on. Takuro’s dad owns this place, right? That means that thing is what’s trespassing, not us.”

“We can only hope it’s amenable to that logic,” Hiroshi said, shaking his head with a furrowed brow.

Just then...

“Uwaaaaah!”

Takeshi’s scream once again resounded from the second floor.