Izumi hurriedly changed his clothes, but by the time he was ready, it was already too late. School started at 6 AM, and it was currently 5:40. Considering the long distance, there wasn't enough time. His friends told him to catch up and left without him.
About five minutes later, Izumi stepped outside, heading towards the road. As he walked, he passed some kids running frantically. "It's the cops!" one of them shouted. Knowing that getting mixed up with them would mean trouble, Izumi turned and sprinted in a different direction. He reached the top of the road, still running, when he spotted Aoi, a girl from the neighborhood.
"Hey, Aoi!"
"Hi, Izumi," she greeted him. "How are you?"
"I'm fine. What about you?"
"I'm good. Oh, we're late today, huh?"
"Yeah, bye!" Izumi replied, resuming his run.
As he ran, he noticed Hikari, his best friend Kazuma's sister, stepping out of her house in the distance.
"Yo, Hikari!" he called.
She turned back, spotting Izumi running toward her. "Oh, hey! How are you?"
"I'm fine. What about you?"
"I'm good."
"Where's Kazuma?" Izumi asked.
"Oh, he's in his room playing video games."
"What?! At this time?"
"Yeah."
Aoi caught up to them, greeting Hikari before she and Hikari continued ahead to school. "Don't be late, Izumi!" Hikari warned as they left.
Izumi changed his course and entered Kazuma's house. Sure enough, Kazuma was sitting on the floor, engrossed in his game.
"Are you for real? Do you know what time it is?" Izumi asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, yeah, Izumi! Look, I'm about to beat my high score!"
"No way! Let me see!" Without a second thought, Izumi sat down beside Kazuma, momentarily forgetting about school.
Minutes passed. One game turned into another. By the time they finally realized what was happening, it was already 6:30 AM.
* * *
They rushed to school, slipping into class unnoticed. The day progressed normally—lectures, assignments, and occasional jokes with friends. During lunch, the conversation turned to the shortcut behind the school.
"Hey, do you guys remember the shortcut?" one of their friends asked.
"Yeah, but isn't that off-limits now?" another added.
"They say people who take it never come back," someone whispered, sending a chill through the group.
Izumi remained quiet, lost in thought. That evening, at home, curiosity got the better of him. He turned to his mother as she prepared dinner.
"Mom, do you know anything about the shortcut behind the school?"
She froze for a second before forcing a smile. "Oh, it's just an old path. Nothing special."
"But people say—"
"Izumi, eat your food and stop worrying about silly rumors," she interrupted, her voice unusually firm.
* * *
The next day, Izumi intentionally got late. His friends couldn't wait for him, so they accepted a ride to school from the old man, their teacher. Though they hesitated at first, one of them convinced the others to go.
Izumi and Kazuma decided to investigate the shortcut themselves. They took the shortcut road and made their way behind the school, slipping past the fence. The air grew eerily silent as they walked deeper into the overgrown path.
Then, the rustling started.
A low growl.
The snap of a twig.
"Did you hear that?" Kazuma whispered.
"Yeah… We need to move, fast."
They pushed forward but stumbled over an old, broken fence. The noise was loud—too loud.
A deep, guttural bark echoed through the trees.
The hounds had heard them.
Panic set in as the dogs began sniffing and growling, their presence getting closer. Then, in the darkness, a shadow moved.
A tall figure slowly stood up.
Not knowing what else to do, Izumi and Kazuma sprinted toward the river—their last hope.
The barking intensified as they reached the water's edge. Without hesitation, they plunged in, sinking below the surface, trying to hold their breath.
From above, the creature loomed over the river. Izumi looked up through the rippling water and saw its face.
A terrifying, distorted visage staring directly at him.
His lungs burned. His vision blurred.
The last thing he saw before darkness consumed him was the creature standing at the river's edge, waiting. Watching.
The End.