Chapter 4 - Oni Wo Issha Ni Nosu

1

The mansion door was wide open. Through it, they could see the entrance hall chandelier lighting up the interior. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over Hiroshi as he stared at the quiet hall. This was his second time being here.

His mind went back to two weeks ago, when he’d followed Takuro and his gang here as they forced their way in. He’d never gone further than the entrance hall. That’s what he remembered, but after hearing Takuro talk about the blue monster, he was starting to doubt himself. According to Takuro, apparently they’d all been trapped inside the Jailhouse and relentlessly chased by a mysterious monster that day.

“I can’t really explain it, but what happened inside the Jailhouse and the events of Shun’s game were synchronized. When I jumped out of the attic, the game restarted. That’s probably why all your memories of what happened vanished. Not even Shun has a clue why I’m the only one who still remembers.”

That was how Takuro had explained it to him. Since it was coming from someone he’d never spoken with before, Hiroshi was quite stunned at first, but he quickly accepted Takuro and his crazy story. Hiroshi was a man of science and staunchly denounced anything that didn’t have a basis in reason... but for some reason, he just couldn’t laugh off the idea of the Jailhouse monster. Perhaps Takuro was telling the truth.

That suspicion only grew more distinct as he stood before the mansion.

Takeshi, shivering as he hid in the wardrobe. Mika, crying and broken as she hid in the shadow of a bed.

“Let’s continue to assist each other.”

“Yeah, all right.”

Even shaking hands with Takuro. Fragments of memories he should have lost were rising up from the deepest recesses of his brain.

“This is where I saw Anna last.”

The frightened voice in his ear brought Hiroshi back to reality.

“And I picked up the necktie somewhere over there.”

A quivering Takeshi was pointing towards the back of the entrance hall. The iron pipe he’d brought as a weapon looked more like a walking stick that he desperately needed to remain upright.

“Hey, Anna!” Takuro shouted.

No one responded.

“Don’t do that, Takuro! If you make too much noise, the monster will hear—”

Before Takeshi could finish, the door behind them slammed shut.

“Yeeek!” His pathetic scream echoed through the halls.

Hiroshi twisted the knob, but it seemed to have locked automatically and showed no signs of opening.

“What do we do? What do we do?! We’ve been trapped in here again!” Takeshi began frantically flailing about, like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web.

“...Again?”

“No, that’s not right. This is our first time here, right? But it kinda doesn’t feel that way. Did I dream this?” Takeshi’s face paled. “That’s right—this looks just like my nightmares. We were all killed by the monster. Oh, God! We have to get out of here quickly!”

Hiroshi heard a chattering sound behind him almost like the playing of castanets. He turned around to see Mika shivering in fright. Normally she was fairly composed, but she was shaking so badly now that her teeth barely lined up right as they clacked against each other.

That’s right... It wasn’t just Hiroshi. Takeshi and Mika had also been here before, too. And now that they were back, that forgotten fear was blooming within them. Takuro pulled out an ancient brass key from the pocket of his chino pants.

“Takuro, what is that?”

“The spare key to this place.”

As he spoke, Takuro casually walked over to the front door and slotted it into the keyhole. It made a lot of noise as it rattled, but the knob didn’t turn.

“Damn it. So, it’s really not openable from the inside, huh?” Looking annoyed, he walked away, leaving the key in the hole. “My phone says no service, too. Can’t get anyone to pick up.”

“Huh? What’s going on?” Takeshi asked pitifully.

“Don’t worry,” Takuro said, flashing his usual smile and looking at each of them in turn. “I know how to escape.”

“Then let’s hurry—”

“But on the off chance we get caught, I need you all to remember this: if something happens to me, jump out of the white door in the attic. It’s pretty high, but you’ll be fine. That should fix everything.”

“Wh-What are you talking about, man? Explain it in layman’s terms,” Takeshi interjected.

“God, you’re such a pain. Just go hide in a closet and shake in your boots for all I care. Leave everything to me,” Takuro said.

Without even a moment’s hesitation, he then turned and took his first step into the depths of the mansion.

“Takuro, don’t you think we shouldn’t move around too much?”

“It’s fine. You all stay there. I’ll have that door open in no time.”

And with that, he dashed up the stairs, leaving the other three in the entrance hall.

“He’s always so selfish,” Mika muttered. “What now? Should we go after him?”

“No, let’s wait here and have faith in him,” Hiroshi answered.

He then took a moment to look around, but he didn’t see anything particularly odd. If Takuro’s father had been attacked here, wouldn’t there be signs of a struggle? And that wasn’t all. It was said that this place had been abandoned for over 20 years. If it had really gone that long without anyone around and without any upkeep, the walls and floor should have been in horrible condition. There should have been cobwebs everywhere and dust caking the floor. Yet the entrance hall was spick and span like someone had just finished cleaning it.

Something else caught Hiroshi’s eye. On top of the shoe rack by the front door was a brand-new, unceremoniously dumped tablet. Nothing like that was in Shun’s game, so why was it here? Hiroshi picked up the tablet and pressed the power button on the side to turn it on. He was well aware that this mansion was filled with danger. There was no telling what traps might lie in wait. He could be killed if he let his guard down for even a moment, but his curiosity was far too strong to let that stop him.

The LCD screen flashed white, and the device woke from sleep mode in less than a second, automatically launching multiple programs. A communication app that Hiroshi often used was one of them, and as soon as it booted up, it began calling someone. Hearing the ringing tone coming from the tablet, Takeshi let out another pitiful squeal of a scream.

“Wh-What is that? Is it going to explode?”

He jumped away from Hiroshi and pressed his back against the door. His over-exaggerated fear had the reverse effect of making those around him more calm. It was highly likely that wasn’t his intention, but it made him a strange source of comfort.

“...Huh? Hiroshi?”

Suddenly hearing his name, Hiroshi returned his gaze to the tablet. Shun’s face was framed in the video call window.

“What’s going on here? Takuro’s phone can’t get a signal, yet this connects to you?”

“I pushed out a new version of the game... but I guess that wouldn’t make any sense to you. I’ll explain the details later. Can you answer my questions first?” Shun spoke hurriedly. “That’s the Jailhouse, right? What are you doing there?”

Colorful neon lights slipped by behind Shun’s head. It appeared he was in a vehicle. There was even the name of a local taxi company in large letters across what Hiroshi assumed was the rear windshield.

“We came here to look for Takuro’s father, who’s been missing since last night—”

“I told you not to go in there! Get out! Now!” Shun scolded harshly, cutting him off.

“Hey, new kid. Don’t order us around when you don’t know anything,” Takeshi shouted as loud as he could, still practically on the verge of tears. He then frantically jiggled the knob on the door. “It’s not like I want to be here. But the door won’t open, so what are we supposed to do?”

“Is that Takeshi? Are he and Mika there, too?”

“Yes. Very perceptive,” said Hiroshi, slightly surprised.

It was an impressive leap in logic to go from hearing Takeshi’s voice to realizing Mika must be there, as well. Hiroshi was suddenly reminded that the four of them, Takuro included, had been the namesakes of the four characters in Shun’s game. Was it just a coincidence? He felt like he was forgetting something incredibly important. The nape of his neck felt itchy.

“Where’s Takuro?” asked Shun.

“He’s not here right now. He went up to the second floor by himself to find his father.”

“That’s not good. Call him back immediately.” Shun’s tension was palpable even through the tablet screen.

“Hey, I told you to stop ordering us around, new kid!” Takeshi shouted, forcing his head past Hiroshi and sticking it in front of the tablet screen.

“And how do we get out of here once we have Takuro? Do you know?” Hiroshi asked calmly.

“Is there a blue keycard on the ground somewhere in the entrance hall?” Shun immediately replied. “If you use that, you should be able to open the front door right away.”

“A keycard?”

Hiroshi scanned the floor around his feet. He looked down the hall stretching east from the entrance, too, but didn’t see anything of the sort.

“Negative.”

“How about on the back of the tablet? Is there anything attached to it?”

Hiroshi flipped the tablet over and checked as instructed, but there were only some torn pieces of tape. There was still no keycard to be found.

“That’s weird... Where did it go?” Shun cocked his head quizzically on the screen.

“Stop spouting random crap, man. I bet there was never any key—”

“Anna! Do you think you might still have the key on you?”

Takeshi’s expression went stiff when he heard those surprising words.

“...Huh? Key?” A terribly weak voice echoed from the tablet’s speakers. It was definitely Anna. “No, I don’t... The only thing I have on me is my handkerchief.”

“Do you remember what you did with the key after you opened the door?” Shun asked, his head turned to the right. She must have been sitting next to him.

“Shun, is Anna all right?”

Shun nodded.

“I got her out of the Jailhouse a minute ago, and I’m taking her to the hospital by taxi now.”

“Is she hurt?”

“No. I don’t see any wounds, but she says she feels really dizzy and she’s pale, so I thought a doctor should check her out just in case,” Shun answered, looking at Hiroshi through the screen and then back at the seat next to him. “Well? Can you remember where the keycard is?”

Shun spoke to Anna in a gentle, quiet voice, careful not to push her. But Anna made no response. After a few seconds of silence, a strained moaning came from the speakers.

“What’s wrong with me? I remember calling you and running out of the bathroom, but then... nothing. I think I saw something truly horrifying, but whenever I try to remember what... there’s this splitting pain in my temple...”

Anna’s breathing was labored. Even speaking was difficult for her. Shun must have picked up on this.

“Don’t force yourself. Sorry. I know it’s a lot to ask,” he said to her, then turned back to Hiroshi with a difficult expression on his face. “There should be a blue keycard somewhere in that mansion. Once I’ve taken Anna to the hospital, I’ll come right back. Look for it in the meantime—”

Hiroshi missed Shun’s last few words. The stuffed bear in the back of the entrance hall fell over with a loud thud, which was followed by a shrill scream from Takeshi that rattled his eardrums.

“You’re kidding me...”

From the corner of his eye, Hiroshi could see Mika’s usually cool expression twisted in fear. He then turned to see what she was looking at for himself, and the startling sight made him drop the tablet. For there stood a strange, giant creature staring down at them.

2

Takeshi’s wail echoed through the mansion like a siren.

“Help! Someone help! Get me out of heeeeere!” he shouted, pounding at the front door.

“Hiroshi? What happened? Don’t tell me the monster...” Shun’s voice came from the tablet on the ground.

“What is that? Some kind of bad joke?” Mika said, anger clouding her face. She spoke rapidly in a tone that conveyed her irritation. “I know. It’s Takuro! You have such horrible taste in jokes. You went through all of this just to scare us? What’s the fun in that?”

“Hiroshi, answer me!” Shun’s voice was full of panic. “Hiroshi!”

Shun called to his friend over and over. But Hiroshi couldn’t answer. Though not because he was frightened or afraid like the others. No, he was purely in awe.

The blue monster cocked its head slightly and slowly began moving toward them. The wrinkles in its skin. The fluid movements of its muscles. The bulging veins. It was all so realistic. None if it looked fake in the slightest. Even its blinking was natural.

Just what was this creature? Hiroshi had never seen anything like it in all of the books he’d read. He would have guessed it was some mutated species of gorilla with a bizarrely overdeveloped head, shaved body, and blue skin, but that theory was out the window when it stood up straight and walked on two legs. Of all the animals in the world, only humans walked upright on two legs. But Hiroshi found it difficult to believe that the thing before him was a Homo sapien like him.

He couldn’t suppress the urge welling up inside him. He wanted to know more about this impossible creature—to approach it and investigate all of its strange features. Of course, he knew how dangerous that was. The intensifying scent of blood as it drew closer was proof enough that it wasn’t friendly. Something in his gut told him this was what had killed Takuro’s father.

“No! I don’t want to die... I don’t want to dieee! Save me... Save meee!”

Finally realizing that pounding on the door was useless, Takeshi shoved Hiroshi out of his way and ran toward the second floor, his face dripping with tears and snot. The monster watched him go up the stairs, let out a low growl, then turned its head slowly and fixed its giant eyes on Hiroshi and Mika again.

“Takuro, you’re not fooling me,” Mika said, pursing her lips. “You were lying about your father going missing, weren’t you? You even hired a fake police officer. What an elaborate prank you’ve cooked up... What’s your goal? Do you want to see me scared? Well, too bad. This isn’t enough to scare me.”

Her sharp nose pointed high in the air, she proceeded straight toward the monster.

“Mika, I don’t believe we should approach it when we don’t know that for sure.”

Hiroshi quickly called out to try and stop her, but Mika merely gave him a sidelong glance and snorted. She had no intention of listening.

“Takuro, are you still mad that I made fun of you for believing in the blue monster? Is that why you’re doing this? You’ve been all jumpy lately, like Takeshi. I don’t know what happened, but it’s not like you.”

The corners of the monster’s mouth lifted, revealing grimy fangs. Its giant eyes were slanted angrily, its hostility on full display. But Mika apparently couldn’t see that. She was too close and its face was high over her head. Standing right before it, she unhesitatingly reached out a hand toward its blue skin.

“What... is this?”

At last, the look in Mika’s eyes changed. She’d finally realized that this was no man in a suit. Raising an eyebrow, she quickly pulled back her hand.

Shlick...

A wet, sticky sound reached Hiroshi’s ears. Long strands of goo dripped from Mika’s fingers, as if she had just squished a piece of rotten fruit in her hand.

“This smells awful. What is it?”

Mika’s expression twisted. The giant’s eyes opened wider than ever before, so much that they looked like they were going to pop out of its skull. At the same time, its right hand swung down. Right over Mika’s head.

“Mika, look out!”

Hiroshi’s body reacted faster than he could think. He lunged at Mika and grabbed her, sending them both tumbling across the floor. Looking behind him, he saw a giant hole where she’d just been standing. If he’d been a single moment slower, she would have been turned into a pancake.

“Noooooooo!”

Finally realizing the gravity of the situation, a shrill scream escaped Mika’s throat.

The monster straightened itself up and turned around. Its fangs were bared, as if it was angry that it had failed to kill its prey. And it was ready to lash out.

The teenagers standing before it were like babies to a professional wrestler. The difference in size and strength was obvious. One tackle from it would be their end. Hiroshi pushed Mika, frozen in fear, toward safety and quickly jumped to the side.

The monster approached, but suddenly pitched forward like it had been tripped by the stuffed bear underfoot. It flailed helplessly and fell to the ground. Thanks to its disproportionately large head, it was having a difficult time getting up. Now was their chance to run.

“Mika, go!”

At his behest, she stood up, too. Her face was white as a sheet, but he ascended the stairs with sure footing. There was no need to worry about her for now. She didn’t appear to be injured, and she certainly had more fortitude than Takeshi.

Hiroshi turned his back to the monster and ran west down the hall himself. Reaching the door at the end, he opened it and jumped through. In the middle of the otherwise empty, bare concrete room was a giant, cylindrical tank. Pipes of various widths protruded from it. Was this the boiler room? Expectedly, there was no sign of movement. Just cool air lapping at his feet.

Hiroshi’s eyes scanned the ground for the keycard Shun had mentioned. With no clues to go off of, they’d have no choice but to search every single room. It was tedious work, but if it was the only way out, then so be it.

Putting his cheek on the cold floor, Hiroshi peered under the boiler. No luck. It wasn’t in this room. Hiroshi stood up, brushed off his uniform, and quietly poked his head out into the hall.

His eyes wandered to where the monster had fallen, but it was gone now. Only the poor bear remained, stomped into a pitiful shape. Hiroshi went out into the hall and approached the closest door to the boiler room. He put his hand on the knob, intent on investigating whatever was inside next, when...

“Nooooo!”

A shrill scream echoed through the hall, piercing his ears. He recognized that high-pitched voice. It was Mika.

3

Following the scream, Hiroshi heard a violent sound like something heavy falling. The whole building shook slightly. He had to go. Hiroshi balled his hands into fists and ascended the stairs as fast as he could.

“Ahhhhh!”

There was another scream from Mika, followed by the sound of something hitting the wall hard.

Where? Where is it coming from?

Upon reaching the second floor, Hiroshi stopped for a second and cupped his hands to his ears. Closing his eyes, he focused entirely on his hearing. The mansion was quite old, but well-built. The walls were thick, and there were hardly any gaps in the doors. And yet he could hear her screaming so clearly. That had to mean she was either in the hall or in a room with the door open.

Hiroshi opened his eyes once more and looked around. There was no one in the hallway, and no obviously open doors. He ran past the stairs to the front of the mansion to check the southern hall, too, but it was the same.

She wasn’t on this floor. Mika had to be upstairs. And just as Hiroshi had that thought, the screaming stopped. An unsettling silence came over the mansion.

Not good. I have to hurry.

Hiroshi turned on his heels and headed up yet another flight of stairs, two at a time. Reaching the top, he looked up and down the long hall. And there it was, an open door. He headed straight for it without hesitating.

“Mika—”

He peered inside the room. His breath caught. The giant monster was sitting with its back to him, all its attention on something else. Hiroshi could just barely see Mika’s face past the monster. She was lying on the carpet.

“...Hiroshi.”

Noticing him, her pale lips moved slightly.

“I... remembered.”

Great tears spilled from her eyes.

“I think we were here before. How could I have forgotten? If I’d remembered, I wouldn’t have made the same mistake twice.” Smiling in self-mockery, she continued. “I’m so stupid, finally remembering it all after meeting the same fate again... I was eaten like this last time, wasn’t I?”

Suddenly, Mika’s tears ran blood red. A strange cry, like that of a frog’s, slipped from her lips.

“Mika!” he instinctively shouted.

The monster’s back twitched. Its giant head slowly swiveled as it turned to look at Hiroshi. It was eating something... A thin, white leg poked out from between its lips.

“No...”

Hiroshi stepped into the room and slid along the wall, keeping a set distance between him and the monster. Slowly edging around it, he finally saw all of Mika’s body, not just her face. Dark red blood pooled all around her. Fresh blood was flowing out from her hips. Below that, her slender legs were no more.

Squatted down and hunched over, the monster reached for her shoulder as it chewed on her leg. Before she could even scream, it tore right through her skin and shattered bone. Mika’s body curled up like a shrimp, spasming uncontrollably.

Ripping her right arm off, the monster swallowed down her leg in one gulp and began chewing contentedly on its next snack. Hiroshi could only stand there in shock as he watched the grotesque scene unfold. What could he do against a creature who plucked off human limbs like they were chicken wings?

“...Hey,” Mika whispered hoarsely.

Surprisingly, even after having her legs and right arm rent from her body, she still maintained consciousness.

“There’s... still hope, right?” she asked, looking up at Hiroshi doe-eyed. “I’m not going to die like this, am I?”

Hiroshi couldn’t answer that. The amount of blood coursing out of her was unreal. Even if he applied emergency first aid right away, the chances of it saving her were slim to none. But there was no way he could just come out and tell her that.

“...There’s still hope, right?”

Tears of blood flowing down her cheeks, she looked at him imploringly.

“I died once before... but I still lived. I won’t die, right? I can come back to life soon... right?” she uttered with the last of her strength.

The monster looked down at her with a curious look on its face.

“This isn’t the end, is it? I’ll see everyone again, won’t I? And Takuro, too—”

Mika’s eyes swiveled in impossible directions, and then she ceased talking for good.