Slow, his steps were. Every heavier than the last, his knees threatening to fail with each stride.
His eyes, hazy and moist, darted.
The ground.
Painted red, thick with blood, and enhanced by the bright red moonlight, it showcased an eerie sight.
His stomach curled.
"No, it can't be," he thought.
To him, everything around, the burning houses, the dead bodies scattered on the ground, and the smoke choking the air, all of it was the abyss. All he cared about was the young woman who now lay before him.
Her kimono was soaked with blood. He could hear her uncontrolled breaths, blood choking on her throat. Waning words he could not make out. She struggled to look at him, like it took all she had to keep her eyes open.
He knelt and held her pale hands, placing her head gently on his arms. She touched his cheek and forced a flimsy smile. Her hand was cold like a block of ice.
"I, I - love you," she said, and her eyes lost the colour of life.
For a moment, he placed his ear against her chest. His heart leapt.
Dead.
His body felt like lead, and he could not, no matter how hard he tried, stop the stream of tears that cascaded down his cheeks.
He rose like a man possessed, slowly turning toward the dark figure that had watched everything unfold without flinching.
"Jericho! You will pay for this!" he said.
He charged.
* * *
A branch grazed her skin. It was not a deep cut, an irritating one, the kind that left a lingering annoyance. She pushed more branches aside to a clearing, then looked up at the glaring sun.
"You've gone and done it this time, Kitsune," she thought.
From her backpack, she fished a canteen. Sipping the bottle of water, she rested her back against a tree behind her. She then pulled off her gloves, revealing the smart wristwatch.
"1 . 30," she said in a waning voice, "the teachers are so gonna kill me."
She walked on.
"Ohh well, since am here, why not?" she said. "...And where is here again?"
She looked around, and there was no definite path she had followed.
"If up is West, then east must be..."
She sighed heavily and glanced at her watch one more time. No reception.
"Onwards then," she said.
Kitsune recalled the tales their tour guide had shared.
"The mountains are cursed," the old woman had said, "up there, there is a shrine. We give offerings once every year to appease the gods. Sometimes, if you listen, you can hear the ghost call at night."
She would have ignored it, but then there was that unsettling dream.
The details were blurred, but she recalled a pale white figure. It pointed to the mountain, then whispered to her ears.
"Find me," the voice echoed. She recalled waking up startled.
She tried to push back the chilling voice with little success.
Early that morning, she left the student's hotel for the adventure.
In the silence of the forest, she could hear an echo as the water slapped the rocks. Altars were erected with some bones and animal skulls on top. There was a sign written in English, "Beware, traveller, here lurks the devil." This sight sent shivers down her spine.
"The shrine, I guess,"
Her eyes remained fixed on the shrine. Her heart sank; maybe she expected more, a sort of aura, perhaps. She fished out her smartphone, a quick pose selfie.
"Hope I'm not being disrespectful. Still, Aki is gonna be so jealous,"
As she checked her photos, a detail caught her eye. Behind the crashing stream was a shadow—an opening?
She looked up. Anyone in a rush would miss it, but sure as day there was a cave behind the stream of water.
"Explains the echoes,"
She slid through the rocks, pressing her plump chest against the wall. In the blink of an eye, she stood inside.
The echo of water droplets reverberated in the air.
"Hello" _ "hello" _ "hello" her voice echoed in the distance.
"It's deep"
In the darkness of the cave, a certain smell drew her nose. It wasn't the natural moss smell you got in a cave, but lab-like. A chemical, perhaps. She switched on her phone flashlight and scanned the area.
Just a few paces inside wooden crates. The tops were still open. She walked over to one and fished out a packet of a damp substance and held it in her palm.
"What are these?"
The texture felt more synthetic, like a powder of salt. She was about to sniff it, but was cut off by the noises. In the noise of the waterfall, she could hear men's voices meshed in the water getting closer.
". . . Dee, come on, the mixing work is a lot of work, you still won't raise my cut?"
"If you keep this up, you won't get a cut."
Kitsune, with the celerity of an arrow, ducked behind some boxes. Flashlight off. She observed as they entered. Militaristic silhouettes, with guns perhaps. Not locals, foreigners.
They spoke Korean with a slight slang, she got most of it, a language she studied. They waved flashlights in the cave.
"Good, it's all here," said one of the men. " We need around 10kilos, right?"
"Yes, twenty bags, ten for each," replied the other.
"Niicee. And by the way, I saw a boat full of Japanese students. You think we've got to be more careful?"
"It's a tourist spot, you idiot," the other replied, "and besides, this place is forbidden. I doubt they will even come all the way here."
"Chill, boss man, just asking, jeez, no need to burst my balls,"
Kitsune held her breath, cuddling in a corner. The flashlights were waved around carelessly as the men moved the items.
"If that's everything, I think it's safe to go and wait for the shipment crew," a voice said
"Wait, hold on, Dee,"
A flashlight was shown in Kitsune's direction. A heavy-set man glared down at her. She looked up at him, her heart pounding.
"Look what we have here, Dee." He suddenly grabbed her by the hair, ignoring her cries and pulled her to display to his friend, "I hate to say this, but I told you say. You know what, I love to say it."
"Please, don't hurt me," Kitsune said, her voice slightly shaky, still struggling to escape the grip.
"Well, this is a conundrum," said the other thug, "bring the rope."
"Boss, look at this fine body, lemme screw her first," said the first man roughly grabbing Kitsune's boobs feeling the full weight on his palms.
His grip was like steel. His breath was a mixture of tobacco and alcohol. Kitsune's mouth was sealed by his massive hands, muffling her scream.
"Do whatever you want, but make it quick, and let it look like an accident."
On hearing this, she bit down hard on the man's hand that she could feel the salty taste of blood.
"Damn animal!" the man screamed, releasing her.
He held her by the shirt and smirked at her hard across the cheek. It was hard. Metalic. The sought that left a ringing in the ear and a nasty taste of blood. Her body felt light, almost ready to submit to her fate.
But then. Something in her hand. Hard, rigid. Phone?
She swung her hand, aiming the object in her hand at his face with all her might. His grip loosened momentarily, and she wriggled out, not caring that her shirt was tearing from his grip. She ran.
"My nose, that bitch broke my nose, catch her before she escapes" said the thug.
"She won't get far," said the other, "what a fighter, can't believe a little girl got you good." He added with a laugh.
"Shut up, you jerk! When I get my hands on her, I'm gonna f**k her so hard she's gonna die."
"Sure sure, let's catch her first, headed for a dead end."
* * *
Kitsune leaned against the wall, panting heavily. She couldn't control the stream of tears and cried softly. It was pitch black, but she could tell it was very thick. There was no way around it.
"Heey biiitch, am coming for you," she heard a voice echo.
"Why is this happening to me?"
She turned to the wall and hit it hard as she screamed out.
"Somebody help me!"
The echo of the two men's laughter was all she could hear.
"If you come quietly, I promise I'll make it quick, who knows you might even enjoy it," said the first man, followed by a heavy laugh.
This prompted her to hit harder. And harder, and harder, as she cried.
Then she heard rumbling on the ground below. The rumbling got louder, and just then, the ground below her feet tore open. She fell. She found herself in a stream of water, being rocked around like a sinking ship.
She swallowed the salty water through her mouth and nose. Flung around like a puppet mercilessly, she hit her waist against some rocks. A tremendous pain pulsed, but all she did was swallow more of the salty water in an attempt to scream.
She was carelessly dumped on the shore of some sought. She held on to her waist as she felt the blood trickle down her forehead. She lay on the sand, her consciousness threatening to fade.
"Bright. Outside?"
She opened her eyes with a burst of adrenaline, her back resting on the ground. The pain in her waist and head had yet to subside. No blood, but a purple wound.
She looked around. Not outside. To her surprise, the environment around her was pleasant. There was lightning. Some crystals reflected the sun's rays from a small opening above.
She looked ahead and saw a coffin made of thick, heavy-looking marble. Around the coffin, some pillars made the area look like an altar. In the centre of the coffin, a spear had punctured through.