Jack moved through the bustling streets of Tokyo. It was all a maze to him. Being new to this country he still had difficulties with the language. He had spent most of his youth in New York, so he wasn’t completely ignorant of life in a metropolitan. He could navigate multiple blocks with ease, and remember street names, and important landmarks. The only major issue was language. Still, he found it easier than other countries he had visited since Tokyo had quite a few signs in English. He was used to living a fast-paced life and easily glided along with the throb of crowds. 32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhBXJsba46
His aim now was to get to the Tokyo Station. From there he could finally board a subway line to his suburban apartment. 32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqW1OZWbZf
He reached just in time to catch the last departing train to Sanya. Finding a seat at this time of the night was easy. He slouched down and put on his earphones.
The train bustled through the major regions of the city, stopping often. There were regular passengers like salarymen, drunkards, nightlife enjoyers etc. Jack ignored everyone and continued listening to his podcast letting his head bobble up and down with the rhythm of tracks.
Sat opposite to him was a woman. She would have passed for any other passenger, but in her case, she was dressed in bright red trousers and a red jacket. Jack did not notice the way she was staring at him. Not once did she blink. She kept her hands in the pockets of her jacket at all times. She reached out for her bag and took out a lipstick and a small pocket mirror. Oddly she did not use any of these items. Simply holding out to them she continued staring at other men as if expecting someone to talk to her. Most of them ignored her as if she was a shadow cast by the night.
At that moment, Jack looked up and caught her sight. He froze, there was something wrong about it. He could not pinpoint it but felt the hairs on his neck extend. He did not notice any other details. He looked away.
Finally, the PSA announced the arrival at Sanya station. Jack got up, gathered his bag, and stood by the doors. Soon upon arrival, he stuffed all his expensive belongings into a secret pouch sewn in his jacket. Japan was a very safe country. But still, the Sanya neighbourhood had a bad reputation. Although violent crimes were unheard of, you could still be targeted by a pickpocket or worse a mugger. He had to be careful at all times, more so at this hour of the night. It was raining heavily here. He pulled out his umbrella and started walking cautiously, focusing his senses on his surroundings. Nothing seemed amiss. 32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjbjVn7DhI
The woman clad in red walked behind him at some distance. Some men catcalled her. She ignored them. She had been a night worker in her youth. This had taught her a lot of things about society and how they treated her kind. She followed Jack quietly.
As she stepped into a puddle, there were no ripples; the reflection was empty. She quickened her pace. A cat jumped in front of her, but she barely took any notice.
The cat looked up and hissed its back arching. There was something inhumane about the woman.
The woman paused and looked down an alleyway where a man stood smoking.
She bent her neck sideways, and a sickening sound of cracking bones reverberated through the street. The man looked up. There was no one around. Then he noticed a silhouette of the girl staring at him.
He called out “Hey, who’s there? Go back home, it’s too late for a girl to stay out”.
The woman started walking quickly towards the man. Blood pumping, the man straightened himself, ready to fight or run. Finally, the woman slowed down and reached him. She asked in a polite voice, “Which way is apartment complex 51?”. The man looked nervous, but he turned his gaze southwards, pointing left, “If you take a right from- the woman was standing an inch away from him. But the woman’s face was empty, with no eyes, no nose, just a mouth, round with circular teeth. Suddenly, the teeth dug into the man’s neck, and he couldn’t scream. The woman’s hands came up and held his head, with a snap turning it hundred and eighty degrees. Bones cracked. The man felt sudden warmth spreading through his limbs. The woman unclenched her jaw and said soothingly, “You will do for tonight”.
Walking in the falling rain, she slowly reached an underpass. She crossed it and turned left at a corner. The streetlight above her flickered, but she cast no shadow. She again turned left into a path leading to the gardens. There, she sat down on one of the benches. She pulled out a toothpick, which looked to be made out of steel. One by one, she cleaned out the crevices between her circular jaw and sat waiting patiently. After an hour or so she got up, put her bag around her shoulder and started walking toward complex 51.
Jack reached his apartment without any incidents. Searching his pouch, he produced a rusted key and placed it into the lock. Click. He yawned as he entered the apartment. Putting his bag aside, he slid onto his bed and fell asleep quickly.
The woman climbed the staircase, her boots hitting the ground softly. She turned left on the fifth landing and strode down the narrow corridor. While quietly walking she placed her left hand on the corridor wall, scraping the plaster. Cement piled into her nails. She halted in front of room 24. She stood there facing the door smiling.
Jack woke up the next morning all groggy and felt like he had a hangover. He walked into the toilet, brushed his teeth, and gargled. Once finished, he moved into the kitchen and made some coffee. While sipping the hot beverage he suddenly realized that it was the garbage collection day.
He quickly gathered the rubbish from his apartment and divided them into recyclable and non-recyclable bags. Opening the front door, he walked down the stairs carrying the bags over his shoulder and dumped them outside near the bins.
The woman stood there, her back facing his apartment looking down at him.
Jack climbed the stairs two at a time and reached his apartment all huffing and puffing. He had not noticed the woman. On reaching his apartment, he realized that the door was closed. “That’s odd,” he thought. He did not remember closing it.
On his doorknob were red scratches crisscrossing. Probably from the fact that he arrived late most nights, he must have struggled to put the key in correctly due to the darkness.
Ignoring this he stepped into his apartment. Plopped down the sofa and pulled out his phone. He had a habit of keeping up to date with local news. He scrolled mindlessly, occasionally reading the cover of an article.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvINjWRxfPL
He paused,
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡALNyPlAo37
“LOCAL MAN FOUND DEAD”
“NHK news reporting live from the scene at the front of Kempa common store”
“A regular customer was found dead this morning in front of a local convenience store. Police believe that the man was drunk and had fallen down the steps which resulted in the unfortunate event. There are speculations as to what injuries he had sustained but the officials refused to discuss the matter further. This is a third death recorded within this month in this locality”
Strange, Jack thought. He had not heard about the other two deaths. However, the area where he resided was prone to illegal activities. Still, it was worrisome. Even though being unsafe, suspicious deaths were almost unheard of.
He spent most of his day catching up to his office work. “Working on a holiday sucks,” he said to himself. But he was new in the firm and had expected that they would place a major workload on him. Typing away well into the evening he realized that he had skipped lunch. His stomach was growling with hunger.
After much thinking “I’ll get some ramen,” he said aloud. He looked at his watch. 7: 30 PM.
It was not that late; the sun had set but quite a few people would be walking around.
He got up and stretched. Putting on his leisure clothes, he searched for his wallet.
Exiting the apartment, he locked his door firmly. From his jacket, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Clicking it on he lit the cigarette and exhaled, all while aimlessly looking around the complex grounds.
The smoke rose slowly. It drifted up onto the corridor ceiling where the woman was hanging onto the wall, suspended by her limbs. Her eyes were fixed intently on the man below. She splashed her tongue through the air tasting the smoke.
Jack, taking a long drag finished his cigarette and crushed it under his foot. He started walking down the corridor towards the staircase. The woman hanging above, without any effort, crawled like a spider, placing one limb after another.
As he walked, some flakes of plaster fell on his shirt. He paused and looked above. Nothing, just the same old dilapidated building walls. He brushed off the powder and turned onto the staircase walking down at a brisk pace. Once outside he strode cautiously. People were still about. Crowds of men and women chatting and drinking. Jack walked through the pack and entered a small alleyway. On the left, close to the entrance stood a small local noodle shop.
He slid open the door and walked in. “Good evening!” shouted the host over the noise. Jack smiled at him and settled down in his usual seat. A waitress came over and took his order.
While waiting, he looked around the room. Some excited group of girls were laughing about something, a young couple were holding hands, and some drunk salarymen were shouting loudly.
A woman approached him. He looked up. She was dressed in all red and carried a purse over her arms. She looked down at him hopefully and asked in a soft voice “Is it ok if I sit here? All the other seats are taken”, “Only if you don’t mind!” she blurted looking a bit embarrassed. Jack was transfixed by her beauty. She wasn’t that young, must be in her mid-thirties. He said, “Of course! Always happy for good company”. She smiled at him, a sweet mellow smile. “Thank you,” she said politely.
She moved gracefully and slipped into the seat opposite him. The waitress came over once again and took the woman’s order. “Just a beer please” said the woman softly.
She looked up at Jack and started making small talk. They both enjoyed each other’s company. Jack noticed that the woman, even though smiling often, never completely opened her mouth. He put it down to polite etiquette. Once they had finished Jack told her that he’ll pay for them both. The woman seemed hesitant at first but after a while, she politely agreed.
Both walked out into the icy night air. The woman looked up at him and said in a hopeful voice “I just live a block away; do you want to drop in for a cup of tea or coffee?. Jack, even though feeling pleased, refused kindly. “Sorry, I have work to finish and an early meeting tomorrow morning” he added. As much as he wanted to go along with this beautiful woman, he couldn’t afford to skip work. The woman looked a bit sad. “But we can meet later on in the week” he blurted out quickly. The woman smiled, again with no teeth. She seemed pleased.
They exchanged contact info and departed in opposite directions. Jack walked back to his apartment as quickly as he could. He shut the door behind him. He sat down in his chair and started typing. Working late into the night, he stretched. He got up, legs feeling numb, he walked out of his apartment and looked down at the complex grounds.
Even though the neighbourhood was unsafe the garden inside the complex was well guarded. He climbed down the stairs gently and walked over to a bench. Once sitting, he pulled out a cigarette and took a puff.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjcH3nDtIR
Behind his back, the woman stood a few meters away. She watched him closely, playing with an unopened lipstick in one hand.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvbUI060Ew
A man, probably from one of the other complex apartments, walked over to Jack and asked if he could borrow a cigarette. Jacked reached into his pockets, pulled out one and handed it over to the man. Leaning sideways, the man attempted to light the cigarette but it wouldn’t work. He turned to face Jack to ask if he had a matchbox, and he froze. Instead of Jack, there stood an eight-foot-tall man. Rows of sharp vertebrae jutted out of his back. His hands reached till the ends of his shin bones and the neck was bent downwards.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt037jwVY1n
The man with the cigarette had just opened his mouth to scream when suddenly a clawed hand reached up and caught his neck, crushing his windpipe like a plastic cup. The tall looming figure placed his jaws on the man’s face and ripped out a big chunk of flesh.
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPRf8eKqzpj
The woman walked out into the light over towards the tall creature and said in a soft smiling voice
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQti6Q26FLH
“You are a messy eater, Jack, also, these are my hunting grounds”
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQ5WWzlQBQ
