The night in Carowa Village is filled with joy and bustling noises, a stark contrast to the eerie silence of the woods and the hidden calamity they harbor. The village is alive with celebration, the air thick with the sounds of laughter, music, and the crackling of bonfires.
Yet, just beyond the edge of this merriment lies the dark, foreboding forest. The woods stand as silent sentinels, their tall, shadowy trees forming an impenetrable wall around the village. The silence within the forest is palpable, a heavy, oppressive hush that contrasts sharply with the liveliness of the village. The air within the woods is cold and still, carrying a sense of foreboding that sends shivers down the spine of anyone who dares to venture too close.
Unbeknownst to the revelers, the woods are not merely empty and silent—they are alive with unseen eyes, watching and waiting. The creatures that dwell in the forest move stealthily through the underbrush, their movements almost imperceptible amidst the dense foliage. These eyes are filled with a sinister intelligence, their gazes fixed on the bright, joyful village with a mix of hunger and anticipation.
As the night deepens, the boundary between the safety of the village and the danger of the woods becomes increasingly thin. The shadows grow longer and darker, creeping ever closer to the edges of the light cast by the village's lanterns. The villagers, lost in their celebration, remain oblivious to the approaching threat, their laughter and music masking the subtle sounds of movement in the forest.
The hidden calamity within the woods bides its time, waiting for the moment when the village is at its most vulnerable. It is a night of stark contrasts—joy and fear, light and dark, safety and peril—all converging in the small, seemingly idyllic village of Carowa.
In the heart of the woods, the shadows lengthen and darkness thickens. A demon emerges, saliva dripping from its mouth in eager anticipation. "It's about time," it whispers, signaling the onset of an impending disaster.
Meanwhile, a drunken man stumbles away from the heart of the village celebration, his footsteps uneven on the cobblestone path. His laughter is loud and carefree, oblivious to the lurking dangers just beyond the village's edge. He clutches a half-empty bottle of ale, raising it to the sky in a toast to the night.
"To Carowa! The best village in the world!" he shouts, his voice echoing into the forest. The shadows at the forest's edge seem to flicker in response, but the man notices nothing amiss. He continues his haphazard journey towards the woods, driven by a hazy sense of adventure and a need for solitude.
As he crosses the invisible boundary between village and forest, the air grows colder, the joyous sounds of the celebration fading behind him. He doesn't notice the change in atmosphere, too caught up in his own revelry. He stumbles deeper into the forest, his path illuminated only by the dim light of the moon filtering through the dense canopy above.
The creatures of the forest watch him with keen interest, their eyes glinting in the darkness. The man's movements are clumsy and noisy, a stark contrast to the silent, fluid motions of the predators lurking nearby. He sings an old village tune, his voice slurred and off-key, oblivious to the danger he is walking into.
Suddenly, the underbrush rustles, and the man's song falters. He peers into the darkness, his vision blurred and unfocused. "Who's there?" he calls out, his voice tinged with a hint of fear. The forest responds with silence, an oppressive stillness that presses down on him.
Before he can react, a pair of glowing eyes emerges from the shadows, followed by the hulking form of the demon. Its dark, leathery skin is barely visible against the night, but its menacing presence is unmistakable. The man's drunken bravado quickly evaporates, replaced by primal terror.
The demon steps closer, its breath hot and rancid as it leans in. "You've wandered too far from the safety of your village," it hisses, its voice a low, guttural growl. The man tries to scream, but the sound dies in his throat as the demon's clawed hand reaches out, pulling him into the darkness.
Back in Carowa, the celebration continues unabated, the villagers unaware of the tragedy unfolding just beyond their reach. The music and laughter mask the man's cries, leaving the forest to swallow the horror in silence.
"Hiro, eat this," Sasa insisted playfully, offering a skewer of roasted meat.
"I don't want to," Hiro replied with a grin. "How about we go over there and play some darts?"
"Sure," Sasa agreed eagerly, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"That sounds good," Gin chimed in, adjusting his cloak as he scanned the crowd.
"Grandma, would you mind if I leave you here alone?" Hiro asked, turning to his grandmother, Laura, who sat at a table adorned with flowers.
"I'm old, but not weak. Sure, go ahead; I'll just head back home," Laura replied warmly, patting Hiro's hand.
"Take care, Grandma. I'll be back before you know it," Hiro promised with a smile before joining Sasa and Gin.
"Ah, it's good to be young," Laura muttered to herself as she walked home, leaving the festivities in the central square.
As Laura walked home, a horrific, blood-curdling scream stole her and everyone's attention. It abruptly shattered the village's joy as heads whipped around towards the source of the sound.
(***Earlier, before the scream was heard***)
"Hey, Pette, I thought you were going home," a man named Satto asked. "No response, huh?"
Satto spoke again. "What's with you? Your aura feels like you're a walking corpse," he joked.
"Anyway, let's go and get drunk," Satto said as he wrapped his arm around Pette's cold shoulders. "Phew! You're cold."
Suddenly, Pette bit Satto's hand. "Man, are you crazy?" Satto yelled angrily. "What's the matter with you? Ouch, my hand. No! No! No! Help!
Without a sound, Pette crazily lunged at Satto's neck, ripping it apart. "Ahhh, f*ck you, Pette!" Satto screamed.
(***Back to the present***)
"What's that? Where did that sound come from? Whose scream is that?" a woman wearing a red cloak asked.
A man then spoke. "It's over there, where the scream came from."
The people near the street where the mysterious noise originated gathered anxiously, their hushed whispers echoing through the tense air as they sought to uncover the cause.
Whispers and murmurs of villagers filled the air until a voice shattered the tension.
"Get out of there!" It was Laura, Hiro's grandmother.
"Get away from them. Now! " Laura's said.
"What are you saying, old lady?" a teenage girl exclaimed. "Can't you see that man being murdered right in front of us? I'm going to stop them."
"No, no, no! Don't do that," Laura said anxiously, but the girl didn't flinch.
"Hey, stop that! You're killing him," the girl said nonchalantly.
The crowd erupted with applause at the girl's bravery, but their joy turned to terror as Pette also lunged at the woman, sinking its teeth into her neck causing chaos; screams echoed through the village.
"Now get out of there, it's an undead," Laura shouted as she ran away.
Panic spread like wildfire. Villagers stumbled over each other in their frantic attempt to escape, their joyous celebration turned into a nightmare.