Even while the alcohol was taking over his sense, he could not miss that horrifying presence behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, then the alcohol kicked in. He grabbed his head as he stumbled to the left.
"I should have spent the night in bed…"
Asobu-Kun was returning home at quarter past one after one night stand with yet another girl.
He would wake up tomorrow, and regret sleeping with his co-worker before he would even get a hold of his hangover. Heavy drinking and heavy fucking, was his life's motto.
As he walked down the street under Beach Bridge, he had only a little sense of direction left. He groaned, pushing his red hair back. He was too wasted to go back to the motel which was on the other side.
"I better focus on getting home." He closed his eyes and imagined a flickering flame – it was hard, considering the three bottles of sake he had consumed within six hours.
The metal fences of The Shizuma High School sports ground gleamed under the blue and white street lights. But his house was far from the school ground – it was farther in the east.
He turned around, realizing he had walked too far north. A breeze made him shiver. Grabbing the corner of his leather jacket, he pulled it before zipping it close. "It is Spring, damn it"
That cold sensation hit him again. This time, over his neck. He raised his hands, clenching them into a fist. As if the sake had drained from his body and he was sober, he scanned around him.
"If it's the brother or the boyfriend of any girl I have fucked, I had her full consent. If you do anything, I WILL fucking file a report." His voice was deep, nothing like that of a drunken man, but angry like a teenager's.
An orange flame flickered on the right. Asobu spun and formed an X with his hands to block a fireball. The ball struck his forearms and burst into the four directions.
"Fucking hell!" He grunted as the force pushed him back. "That would have killed me, prick."
Two pinpricks flashed in the dark, thick fog, sending a chill down Asobu's spine. It was the same monstrous presence he had sensed before, and it was real – not the alcohol's effect.
Clenching his teeth, Asobu grunted and ran. Ran away from the High School ground, and crossed the library on the way. He increased his pace when he reached the bridge, then crossed the shopping area in Main Plaza, and finally reached Main Avenue.
He caught his breath, glancing over his shoulders to check if the monster had followed him. When he saw no one, he sighed. "No…" He shook his head. "No, it's just a human. No. Yes, a crazy man."
The eyes of the monster who had visited Asobu past midnight were full of bloodlust. Asobu thought he was not afraid, just like he thought he was sober; he was scared shit, just like he was drunk.
He needed water. At the end of Main Avenue was the only sweet water river on the island. Would splashing water help? If not, then he would soak his head in the cold water. But something had to be done to bring back his sobriety.
They had built a wooden bridge over the river to join the other side of the island, they called it Hill Side, and the bridge was called Hill Side Bridge. Just an old wooden bridge, strong enough to last another ten years.
Running to the river, Asobu got to his knees on the river's shore. Water filled his cupped hands. The cold sensation of water suddenly turned warm when something under the bridge squealed from the corner.
He jumped, spilling the water back into the river. Rats? No, but it sounded similar. He looked at the dark corner in the ending curve of the bridge. Silence accompanied him for a minute before he bent over the river again.
He splashed some water on his face and the squeal returned. He lowered his hands into the water, then paused. The reflection of two yellowish pinpricks staring at him in the water caught him by surprise.
Around the high end, hanging upside down was a bat, staring. In a flash, the bat spread its wings open and burst into the dim lights. It soared towards Asobu, but it would fly over his head, right?
But the bat did not change its course. It was not flying toward Asobu, it was charging at him. Jumping to his feet, Asobu ran to Hill Side Bridge.
"Why the hell am I scared of a bat?! It is just a freaking bat!" But if it was a bat, why was it following him? He jumped off the bridge, then took Main Avenue Lane 2. It was not much different than Lane 1, it just was on the island's hillside.
No one ever used Graveyard Street much, so he decided to change his path. He glanced, as he ran, to check whether the bat was still following him. And yes, it followed him to the island's junkyard – which was just beside the graveyard. The ground was elevated, marking the beginning of Hill Side.
He had to jump over the junkyard's gate because it was closed for the night. His heart beat faster than it did while he fucked his co-worker. He had accepted his fear of the unknown.
Crossing the pile of tatami mats, broken wooden chairs, then scarps of metal, he reached the only car in the junkyard. That Toyota Century was in the junkyard when Asobku was a kid, it was still there when he was a teen, and even now, the car was still in the junkyard, right around the cliff. Past that car was a slope that met the ocean in its footsteps.
"I know you banged a new girl today." Came the voice of the man who had followed Asobu to the junkyard, but was hiding in the dark.
The conversation was the only way of getting out of this alive. "How do you know?"
After a pause, the metal scraps crunched as he walked over them. "I fear you will voodoo my daughter with your charm too."
'Is that why you want to do this? Who would even go after a monster's daughter?'
The wind howled. Asobu stepped away from the car, ready to charge into the dark when suddenly he felt that chilling sensation on his neck.
His eyes widened in fear and his heart skipped a beat. The man was behind him, Asobu could sense it. He wanted to spin and launch a fireball at the man behind, but the alcohol mixed with fear unable him from doing so quickly enough.
He pulled Asobu's hand over his back, then twisted it from his elbow while he was left wondering when that monster even got his arm.
The man covered Asbou's mouth to prevent him from screaming. His muffled scream vibrated against his body though. After the pain stabilized, Asobu could not lift or feel his forearm anymore.
"I know how you hunt every virgin girl you see, what if my daughter happens to be your next victim?"
In a muffled voice, Asobu said, "What if she's not a virgin in the first place, fucker?"
The man leaned forward, and a corner of his hood landed over Asobu's shoulder. He pulled back his hand, giving Asobu a chance to talk. "Breaking your arm will do no good. You would still have another arm. How about I take your both arms?."
Asobu stumbled forward, coughing and panting. "Who is she? What is her name? I won't even touch her, man."
He landed on the dry land, then looked at the hooded figure clad in a black cloak. He stood tall and bulky, just like a military major. But only if he could get a look at his face…
"Okay then," the man in black said. "Run for your life."
'Is he serious?' He collected himself off the ground, maintaining eye contact with the man, hoping to see his face. But saving himself was more important than looking at his haunter's face.
The man's hood reached the lower part of his eye, covering his eyes; the hood's shadow hid his nose. But nothing could cover his smile.
"Even the American spies in our military camp lied. But they were better at it than you," the man muttered to himself with a pleased, satisfied grin.
His body turned into mist, then the wind carried him to Asobu. Asobu ran without thinking about the past or present when suddenly a man in black appeared in front of him.
He clenched, then lifted Asobu's arm above his head, lowering his body to chest level. He drew his hand, blazing with black flame, and landed a punch in Asobu's guts.
Asobu flew high in the air, alcohol spilled out as he made an arc. Blood and sake spilled out of his mouth when he crashed into the Toyota Century.
"What a mess…" the man muttered as he walked to the car.
Asobu's arm twitched, his mouth was twisted in an ugly shape, and his broken arm was dangling down the car's hood. But he was still breathing.
The man stopped a few feet away from the car, then raised his hands in front of his chest.
Flames gathered under his hands and formed a fireball. He pulled it back to his side. Like infusing gas into the fireball, it turned into a darker shade of orange. As the man brought the fireball forward, it turned into a black ball of fire.
He threw the dark fireball so easily and smoothly, it was pleasing to Asobu's eyes for once until it hit him in the chest and crushed a few 7ribs. He flew off the ground and crashed into the twenty-year-old car.
Windows shattered due to the impact, and the driver's side's corroded door fell to the ground with a THUMP.
Sizzling hot waves were coming off Asobu's body, marking the end of his life. The man gave him a quick death since he could not afford to lose too much of Asobu's blood.
He pulled Asobu off the hood. He twisted his wrists around Asobu's collars and spun him over his shoulder, lifting him like a sack of rice.
The car now had a looping spiral mark on the hood.
The man looked at the mark as blood filled in the circle. Then suppressed a sudden urge of licking the blood off that hood. He imagined licking the blood by sweeping his tongue over the lips.
Smoke continued coming from the hood while the man in black left the junkyard. "Something should be done about that mark soon."