《Bloody Killing Game》 Chapter 1 - Nightmare Begins BLOODY KILLING GAME ~x~ ¡°At what point do dreams become nightmares?... Or were they nightmares all along?¡± ~x~ A dead cherry blossom trees swayed outside the lightly frost-stained windows. Its pallid branch drooped down dully and chunks of missing bark littered its surrounding, but despite all the prominent signs of decay, the tree stood stubbornly upright; a facade hiding the lifelessness inside. With a sigh, I turned my attention back to the front of the class, glancing disinterestedly at the grey-haired teacher that was droning on about Japanese history while pointing at a whiteboard behind him. Tick tock. Tick tock. I glanced up at the clock at the corner of the wall. Class was going to be ending in about exactly one minute from¡­.. Now. 60, 59, 58¡­ I was counting down the seconds in my mind, as I always did. But this time, it was because there was something I had planned to do after school today. 45, 44, 43¡­ I glanced down from the clock, at a girl sitting in the front of the classroom. A head of jet-black hair, tied with ribbons, falling down to her back, and a pair of striking pale-violet eyes staring fixedly at the whiteboard. Luna Iwasaki. She was a new transfer student, coming in to our school, Musashi High School, exactly one year ago. But from that point onwards, she had already managed to become one of the most popular students at our school. Achieving stellar academic results and even excelling at physical education classes, it was no wonder why everyone took an instant liking to her. To top it off, she even had the beauty to match her storm of perfection with a pretty face that was untarnished by even a single flaw. Dark, velvety eyelashes, and rose-pink lips that seemed as soft as silk, there was no doubt that this girl was an absolute looker. That was why I had planned to confess to her. Today. After school. Now at this point, one has to be thinking that I must be equally as charming. Perhaps golden hair with blue eyes and a chiselled face, or the sole heir of an incomprehensible fortune. But alas, that was not the case. I was not foreign, I was fully Japanese with dark black hair, falling over brown eyes, standing at about 175cm tall. And sadly, the only fortune that was coming my way was probably a beat-up car and a small village house all the way away from Tokyo, at Okinawa where my parents lived. Then, why is it that I was undertaking such a madman¡¯s task with not even a single speck of light at the end of the tunnel? Well, despite my mediocrity, there was one thing that I did believe in. And that was to be a person of strong character. A true man. A gentleman, if you will. Such delusion, right? But that was what I honestly believed in. Say what you mean, and mean what you say. Yada, yada. I couldn¡¯t let my feelings go unheard. I wasn¡¯t going to bury them inside my chest, and die, thinking about the life of regret I lived. If I was going to die, I wanted to be able to say that I at least did everything I wanted and tried my hardest. That was me. Ryo Otsuka. With that as my resolve, I nodded silently to myself. 15, 14 13¡­ I started placing my things inside my bag, still flicking glances at Luna every now and then. The problem was going to be trying to get her alone with me. I mean, sure, I had a big mouth, but I wasn¡¯t exactly in the position to be grabbing her off randomly. We weren¡¯t friends, and we had only spoken to each other maybe five or six times over the whole year of her being at this school due to bumping into each other or some class-related duty. To be honest, I didn¡¯t even know if she knew my name! Truly, this was a difficult task. 5, 4 3... Well¡­ I still had to do it. The bell rang, and the noise of chairs shuffling filled the room as students began packing their things. ¡°That¡¯ll be all for today.¡± The teacher, Mr Ito, was saying, but no one was paying attention. ¡°Thank you everyone. I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow.¡± Then he began gathering his stuff off his desk. I was still staring at Luna¡¯s back, trying to muster my courage and think up of a plan. The original plan was to follow her, and wait till she was alone, but now that I thought about it, it probably wasn¡¯t realistic since she always had her friends with her. Gritting my teeth, I collected my school books and pens off the table, chucking them inside my bag. I could see a girl with mahogany-brown hair chatting to Luna at her side. That was Akane Fujii, her best friend at school. Students were now leaving the room, and I waited a bit, pretending to fix my bag as I watched Luna. Three other girls had now joined her at her side, as she headed out of the classroom. T-too much fucking people! ¡°Yo!¡± Something smacked into my back, almost making me spit out my tongue, and I turned around to flash an annoyed glance at a boy with hazel-brown hair and black eyes. Eiji Kondo. ¡°What is it, Eiji?¡± I returned my eyes to Luna¡¯s back, walking with Eiji out of the classroom.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Jeez, you¡¯re moody today, Ryo.¡± Eiji laughed, following me at my side. ¡°I thought I would just chill with my best friend after school to forget about all that history bullshit.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t really listening to him. ¡°Let¡¯s go hit the arcades, Ryo!¡± He made guns with his hands, pretending to shoot at something. ¡°Gah, that lesson was so boring, I need to let off some steam!¡± ¡°Right, right.¡± I nodded. We were out of the classroom now, joining the flock of students that were eagerly trying to leave the school building. ¡°Listen, Eiji. I¡¯m not free today. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to go to the arcades alone.¡± ¡°What?!¡± A look of genuine shock fell over his face. ¡°Since when aren¡¯t you free, Ryo? Don¡¯t kid around with me, man!¡± He gave me a puppy look, pleading at me. ¡°Come on, Ryo. I don¡¯t want to go alone! What do you have to do that¡¯s more important than arcades?!¡± I glanced over at him, unaffected by his pleas. ¡°I¡¯m not free today, Eiji. No amount of crying is going to move me.¡± ¡°What are you doing then? If not arcades!¡± ¡°Something important! I¡¯ll tell you tomorrow.¡± I wasn¡¯t planning on telling him. In fact, I was just banking on the immense probability that he would had forgotten by then. ¡°No, man, this is huge. You don¡¯t usually have something to do after class. You gotta tell me, Ryo.¡± Tch. Damn this moron. I gotta give him something or he would never leave me alone. ¡°Alright, Eiji, but you gotta promise not to tell anyone.¡± I hissed at him. ¡°Who is there to tell?¡± He asked. That was a good point. Eiji¡¯s only friend was me, and it was also the same situation for me. As one could probably guess by now, we weren¡¯t really popular students. I lowered my voice, glancing around to make sure that no one was listening. ¡°I¡¯m going to make a confession¡­¡± I said. ¡°¡­to Luna Iwasaki.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± He bellowed in my ear, and I flinched, moving back with a scowl. If there weren¡¯t so many witnesses around, I would had probably punched him in the face by now. ¡°You¡¯re going to what?!¡± He lowered his tone, his face in disbelief. ¡°You heard me.¡± I said, glancing forward to keep track of Luna who was walking a few paces ahead of us. ¡°I¡¯m not going to repeat myself, Eiji.¡± ¡°B-but, Ryo¡­¡± Eiji stared at me, then followed my eyes, to look at Luna¡¯s back. ¡°It¡¯s impossible man¡­ for guys like us¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lump me in with you!¡± I raised a hand to my temple, rubbing my growing headache. ¡°Anyways, you never know until you try!¡± Eiji turned his eyes back to me as though I had suddenly fell down to the ground and started eating dirt. ¡°Anyways, now that you know¡­¡± I placed my hand on Eiji¡¯s back, pushing him forward. ¡°Go to the arcades on your own.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want a wingman¡ª¡± ¡°No!¡± This idiot¡­ ¡°Just leave! I¡¯ll do this alone, Eiji. I¡¯ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.¡± I flung my hand, gesturing for him to scamper off. ¡°Go Eiji. You¡¯re a good friend. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± Nodding unsurely, Eiji gave me one last look. ¡°Goodluck man¡­¡± Then he turned away, walking off into the crowd of students that were heading out of the door to the school building. Thank god, he¡¯s finally gone¡­ I turned my eyes back to Luna. She was about to head out of the door of the school building, but stopped. Her friends turned to look at her, and she said something to them, bowing, before turning around. What?! What was going on?! I stepped quickly to the side, trying to hide among the wave of students. Then, I watched Luna as she headed back into the school building¡­ alone. This¡­ this was too good to be true! I was wondering for so long how to get her alone, but now it seemed that it wasn¡¯t a problem any longer! Punching the air for joy inside my mind, I quickly followed Luna as she paced back the direction she came from, her jet-black hair flowing behind her. Strange¡­ She was heading back to the classroom. I glanced around the empty corridors and cursed underneath my breath. Shit, there was no one around. Now it seemed pretty obvious that I was following her¡­ but¡­ I glanced at the back of her head. She doesn¡¯t seem to have noticed yet¡­ She took a turn, entering the classroom. Did she forget something? Maybe she left something at her desk¡­ Dammit¡­ this looks pretty weird for me to follow her in like this, but it might be my only chance to get to talk to her alone¡­ Gathering my courage, I strolled to the door of the classroom, then turned inside. She was at her desk, her back turned towards me. She seemed to be searching her desk for something. I took a deep breath. ¡°He-hey, Iwasaki-san!¡± I feigned a voice of surprise. ¡°You¡¯re still here¡­¡± Hearing my voice, Luna turned around, her pale-violet eyes gazing at me. She didn¡¯t seem surprised, seeing me. Looking at her directly, she was even more prettier than I thought. ¡°Oh¡­ Otsuka-san¡­¡± She said. She remembered my name! ¡°Yes¡­ I left something behind.¡± She laughed, leaning back against her desk. Her voice cracked slightly at the end, as though she was nervous. That was weird. She¡¯s usually very calm and collected. ¡°Listen, there¡¯s something I gotta tell you¡­¡± I started. ¡°I hope it¡¯s not a bad time.¡± She shook her head vigorously. ¡°No, no¡­ it¡¯s fine¡­ what do you have to tell me¡­?¡± There was a strange expression on her face. Jumpy, nervousness, excitedness¡­ I couldn¡¯t really tell what it was, but it wasn¡¯t like I was paying much attention anyway. I was too busy figuring out what I was going to say. Glancing downwards at the floor, I rubbed the back of my head. ¡°Iwasaki-san¡­ the truth is¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ve¡­¡± I was about to say it, but felt myself changing my words. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you this for a while¡­¡± She nodded encouragingly, staring at me with a fixed look and reddish cheeks. ¡°Um¡­¡± I was still staring down at the ground, my words stumbling over each other. ¡°The¡­ the thing is¡­¡± What the fuck, Ryo? You¡¯ve already managed to get her alone! Stop wasting her time! I wanted to lift my hand up and punch myself in the face for being so hesitant, but it probably wouldn¡¯t put me in a positive light in Luna¡¯s perspective. ¡°F-fuck¡­¡± I cursed underneath my breath. ¡°I-is everything okay, Otsuka-san¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, totally!¡± I raised a palm up, indicating that I hadn¡¯t completely lost my sanity. I straightened my back, then stared her in the eye, taking another deep breath. She gazed back at me, that same strange expression still on her face. ¡°Iwasaki-san!¡± I said in a loud, clear tone. ¡°Y-yes¡­?¡± With my eyes still staring directly at her, I said the words that I had been meaning to tell her for the past month. ¡°I like you! Please go out with me!¡± As soon as the words left my lips, I quickly bowed my head, closing my eyes in anticipation for rejection. Ah¡­ I had finally said it. It felt good. I didn¡¯t understand people who kept their feelings buried inside them forever, and never let it out. I mean, sure, she¡¯s going to say no and make up some excuse like that she needs to focus on study or that she has someone else, but at least I could rest my mind in peace. I continued waiting, my head still bowed and my eyes still closed. ¡­ Silence etched on across the classroom and empty school building. ¡­ Hang on, this wait was getting way too long now. Something was quite clearly wrong. Perhaps she had simply ran away after hearing a confession from someone as lowly as me¡­ But that couldn¡¯t be possible, could it? I didn¡¯t even hear a single footstep! As I was about to raise my head up, something crashed into me and the ceiling and walls switched places. A dull pain spread across my back as I hit the ground, and I was now suddenly staring at the wall at the front of the classroom, an upside-down view. What the heck¡­ I glanced slightly down, where the ceiling was, to see Luna¡¯s face directly above my head by about a few inches, her soft body resting on top of me. She was so close that I could feel her breath on my face. It smelt good¡­ ¡ªWait, what the fuck?! What the flying fuck was going on?! Did she trip over and fall on top of me?! Why the heck am I lying on the ground with Luna on top of me?! Instinctively, I tried to lift myself off the ground, but felt Luna pushing me back down, her hands at my shoulders. My brain was slowly starting to work again, and I managed to utter some words out of my mouth automatically. ¡°I-Iwasaki-san, what¡¯s going¡ª¡± ¡°I was waiting so long for you to say those words.¡± Luna talked over me, staring down at me with a yearning look, an expression that I had never seen on her normally composed face. Her cheeks were crimson red and her breathing was heavy. We were so close, I could smell shampoo on her hair. ¡°Listen, just let me get up first¡ª¡± I tried to say. What happened next was unbelievable. Something truly out of the left field. Extraordinary beyond imagination. Luna¡¯s long dark eyelashes fluttered closed, her face started leaning in, and her delicately luscious lips pursed at me. Then, the feeling of her silky soft lips pressed against mine and I felt the weight of her head pushing down at me. All brain activity in my skull ceased to function and I forgot how to breathe. Time truly seemed to stop. ~x~ Chapter 2 - Attack Luna Iwasaki was kissing me¡­ Me. Of all people! It didn¡¯t make any sense to me. Not that anything made sense to me at that moment, but¡­ The taste of her strawberry lips pushed down at my mouth, her body on top of mine, my back pushed against the cold, hard floors of the empty classroom. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally ended the kiss, leaning up from me and staring at my eyes with a glazed look over her pale-violet eyes. ¡°Ryo¡­..¡± She was sitting on top of my hips, her hands resting at my chest. Hang on. Did she just call me by my first name without any honorifics? That¡¯s a bit too informal, isn¡¯t it? I mean, sure, we shared a kiss but¡­ ¡­Trying to use logic to think about what was going on here made my brain crash into a wall. Nothing was coming up. It was like trying to fry an egg by cracking it at a table. The only somewhat plausible scenario that I could think of was that this was all part of some sick joke. Perhaps the entire class was standing outside the room, holding their laughters, as they waited for their cue to bust inside and ridicule me. I mean, if that was the case, then the joke¡¯s really on them. A kiss from one of the most prettiest girls at school in exchange for a few weeks or months of teasing was clearly a one-sided deal that favoured my position on the board. Still¡­ this explanation didn¡¯t seem likely. The kiss was too long, too drawn out and too real for it to simply be a joke. Although my grades at school were terrible to say the least, I was still quite a rather intelligent individual, if not for my obscene laziness. First things first, let¡¯s try to figure out what on earth is going on. ¡°I-Iwasaki-san¡­¡± My voice came out rugged, and I coughed, clearing my voice. That¡¯s what happens when you don¡¯t breathe for too long. "What''s¡ª" ¡°Ah!¡± She glanced up from me at the clock at the front of the classroom. ¡°Sorry, Ryo, I have to go now!¡± I felt the weight of her body lifting up from me as she pulled herself up to her feet, walking hurriedly to her desk. ¡°What¡­¡± I raised my body up from the ground with my elbows, watching as she swiped her bag off her desk, and headed out of the classroom. ¡°Hey¡ª¡± ¡°Sorry about this, Ryo!¡± Luna turned to face me at the doorway, making an apologetic gesture with her hands, her face wincing. ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you next time. See you!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t¡­¡± I raised my hand up, trying to say something, but she already left. I was now alone in the classroom, sitting on the floor and staring at the doorway with a dumb look. What the heck¡­ Just exactly what was going on¡­ Did that really¡­ I stood up from the ground, the cogs in my head still trying to regain function. Raising a hand, I pinched myself on the face and felt pain. Ouch. So this wasn¡¯t a dream, after all¡­ Then that must mean that Luna actually liked me then¡­ I was still having a hard time trying to process this fact. The whole point of the confession was really just to get my feelings out of my chest. I didn¡¯t honestly think that Luna was going to accept my confession, let alone, throw me down on the ground and engage in a passionate kiss with me. It seemed like something out of a badly written television series. Something that shouldn¡¯t be real and yet¡­ I raised a hand, touching my lips, and remembering the feeling of her soft, petite lips against mine. A sweet aftertaste in my mouth. My cheeks went hot, and I shook my head furiously. Aahhh!! What the hell is happening?! With a muddled brain and a fog of haziness, I began taking the long journey back home.
Beep beep. Beep beep. Groaning, I slapped my hand down at the origin of the noise. The noise ceased and I rolled the other way, feeling a comfortable warmth around me. A quiet chuckle escaped my lips, my mind thinking about a dream that I had last night. I was with Luna Iwasaki¡­ in an empty classroom¡­ and she¡­ I flinched, feeling sunlight on my eyes. Just let me sleep¡­ I want to go back to that dream¡­ I confessed to her yesterday and¡­ I flung up from the bed, my eyes widening, pushing the blankets off my body. That¡­ that was no dream! It actually happened! With my heart beating loudly at my chest over the sudden surge of adrenaline, I glanced around the room, taking slow breaths as I tried to calm myself down. In my view came a small bedroom, almost empty, except for the single sized bed I was sitting on and the individual pieces of used clothing messily sprawled on the carpet. At the side of the room was my closet. Probably the place where the clothing should go. There was also a modest bedside table sitting next to the bed, a digital alarm sitting at the top. It was the afternoon. Apparently, I had slept for quite some time. Huh. Today was a Saturday. I completely forgot, and that moronic Eiji had made the same mistake. What a tragedy that I would do something so stupid as well. Feeling my heart starting to slow down, I picked myself up from the bed wearily, then opened the door, heading out to the similarly small living room that was built in with the kitchen. A kotatsu table and a television were the only signs of luxury, if you could call it that. This was my apartment, where I lived alone in Tokyo. I was sent here by my parents from Okinawa to study at the highly regarded Musashi High School, but at this point, it seemed like a complete waste of time. Sorry mum and dad. Seeing as it was a Saturday and that there was no school, I felt myself in an upbeat mood, walking over to the bathroom, inside a door at the living room.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I could meet up with Eiji today, he wouldn¡¯t believe it when I tell him what happened. Chuckling to myself as I brushed my teeth, I was interrupted by a gentle rapping at the door. Ah, how could it be at this time? Don¡¯t tell me the landlord? I hadn¡¯t paid my rent yet and was still waiting for my parents to send me more money. God, I hope it¡¯s not the landlord¡­ Heading out of the bathroom and to the door of the apartment at the living room, I placed my hand on the handle, unlocking the door and pulling it open, a toothbrush hanging out of my mouth. Then choked on toothpaste. Standing outside the door¡­.. Was Luna Iwasaki. ¡°Hey, Ryo~!¡± Luna smiled at me, an angelic smile that radiated with warmth. Her smile fell though when she glanced down and saw my clothing. A white t-shirt¡­ and boxers. ¡°I-I hope I didn¡¯t catch you at a bad time¡­¡± Luna¡¯s face flashed a shade of crimson and she glanced up at me shyly. ¡°Iwasaki-san¡­ n-no¡­¡± I managed to mumble. I was staring at her, feeling a wave of awe smacking me over. She looked so cute! She was in her casual clothes, which I had never seen before! The only time I ever saw her was at school so this was something completely new to me. A black tank top tucked underneath a plaided skirt in red and charcoal that stopped above her knees. Dark stockings ran up her legs, and a pair of ebony shaded shoes complimented her outfit. ¡°Anyways, please come in first!¡± I said, stepping to the side of the door. ¡°I just need to get changed!¡± I didn¡¯t want to make her wait outside. I had no idea what the hell she was doing here, but what I did know, was that I needed to do something about my clothes. There was no way I was going to stand there in boxers and have a conversation with Luna. No¡­ my self-respect wouldn¡¯t allow it. ¡°Really!¡± Luna said. ¡°I-I can come in¡­?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I laughed weakly, then watched as she hesitantly brushed past me, entering the apartment. Damn, she always smelt so nice¡­ ¡ªFuck, what the heck are you thinking?! Shaking my head in frustration at myself, I closed the door behind her. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a second, just have a seat.¡± I pointed at the kotatsu table and glanced at her. She was staring at everything as though it was all really interesting. What a polite person. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Luna replied. Trying to seem composed, I strolled into the bedroom, grabbing some clothes behind my back, and went back to the living room to go to the bathroom. Closing the door gently, I spun into a frenzy as I placed the clothes on a hanger at the side of the door then whirled around, spitting the toothpaste and brush out onto the sink and rinsed my mouth. What the heck was Luna doing here?! Am I having another dream?! Ahh, this is too good to be true!! I didn¡¯t want to make her wait so I was trying to be as quick as possible. What did I even grab to wear? Glancing at the mirror, I saw a blue t-shirt and black jeans on the hanger. Not bad, Ryo. Swiftly, I threw my sleepwear off, then pulled the new clothes onto my body. Giving the mirror a look, I saw that my black hair was poking out messily from my scalp. Not good. Did I look like that the whole time I was talking to Luna? Gah! I turned on the water from the sink, grabbing some and using it to push down against my hair. After that, I patted it dry with a towel. Now, I looked at least somewhat presentable. Grabbing the handle of the door, I took a deep breath, then pushed it open. Luna was sitting at the kotatsu table just as I asked her to, waiting. ¡°He-hey¡­¡± I stammered, then coughed. Stop stuttering! ¡°Sorry for keeping you waiting, Iwasaki-san.¡± Luna turned her head to look at me, smiling amiably. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ryo. You can just call me Luna.¡± I guess she did actually like me as well. Still, it was sort of weird how fast she was taking this. "Really?" I asked. "I can just call you Luna, you don''t mind...?" "Of course not." She smiled. Damn. Everyime she smiled, it was like an arrow hit my heart. I sat down at the kotatsu table in front of her. ¡°Luna¡­¡± I said hesitantly, then tried to smile. ¡°How are you? What are you doing here today?¡± Her cheeks reddened, hearing me call her by her first name, an ecstatic smile tugging at her lips. ¡°I-I thought we should get to know each other better¡­ since we are dating.¡± Dating?! The words echoed in my mind, and I found myself speechless for a second. ¡°R-right¡­¡± I said, then nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Since there¡¯s no school today, maybe we could go out somewhere together?¡± Luna said, watching me nervously. ¡°Or you don¡¯t want to¡­?¡± I was at a state of disbelief. How are things moving so quickly?! I didn¡¯t really want to question her though, in case she changed her mind. ¡°Yeah, of course! No, that¡¯s a great idea!¡± ¡°¡­..¡± She sat anxiously, twirling the ends of her hair, staring down at the table. I could see that her hand was shaking slightly. ¡­.. Damn. Why wasn¡¯t she saying anything? Didn¡¯t she want to¡ª Oh wait! I¡¯m probably supposed to be the one to take her out!! What an idiot, Ryo. I mentally slapped myself in the face. I should had known! It¡¯s a man¡¯s job to take the girl out! Problem is that I had never been in a relationship before. Added to that was the fact that I had no idea what the hell she even liked. Fuck! What if this was a test? A test to see if I could hold up to be a good boyfriend? What if she was planning to dump me if I failed this test?! With that thought in mind, I quickly got up from the kotatsu table. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Luna!¡± I said in a determined voice. I tried to sound like I knew what I was doing. ¡°O-okay¡­¡± She nodded timidly then followed me as I opened the door of the apartment. I allowed her to step out first¡ªlike a gentleman should¡ªthen closed the door behind us, locking it. Now¡­ where the hell do I go? ~x~ We were now at a park across the apartment. It was really the first thing that I saw and decided to head over to while I thought of something better. The park was small and tall trees surrounded the boundaries. It was barely used so it was almost always empty. Rumour was that a new apartment block would be built over the park in the next month or so. Sitting down at a bench in the park, I sighed, placing my hands into my face. Why was I so clueless? How the hell was I going to be Luna¡¯s boyfriend if I couldn¡¯t even entertain her? Peeking to my side at Luna, who was also sitting down, I saw that she had a content look on her face, her cheeks pink. Ah, does she like the park? Maybe I had struck gold by coming here? Was she perhaps a tree lover?? Feeling relieved, I let my hands drop down from my face, leaning back against the bench. ¡°So Luna¡­¡± I started, feeling good. ¡°I wanted to thank you¡­ for accepting when I asked you out yesterday.¡± ¡°No problem, Ryo!¡± Luna smiled at me, her head tilting slightly. God, she was so cute. ¡°What do you like to eat?¡± Luna asked. ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll bring you food, Ryo!¡± Ahh¡­ Was this really reality? What did I do to deserve this? ¡°I eat pretty much anything.¡± I laughed. ¡°If it¡¯s edible then it¡¯s good enough for me.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± Luna blushed, seeing me laugh. She laughed as well, though her voice was jittery. ¡°That¡¯s good. How about tomorrow then? I¡¯ll see you again tomorrow??¡± ¡°Sure!¡± I didn¡¯t see why not. Tomorrow was another weekend and it wasn¡¯t like I had something to do. I was about to say something more, but a low voice from the distance interrupted me. ¡°Hey! That girl¡¯s pretty hot, isn¡¯t she!¡± I glanced away from Luna and at the owner of the voice to see a group of guys approaching us from the entrance of the park. They were older than us, in their early 20s, and seemed to be delinquents of some sort. Their hairs were all dyed and threatening tattoos covered various parts of their body. "Oh man, you''re right Kenji. That girl is fucking sweet!" Another member of the group said. They were all staring at Luna with lusting faces. Straight away, I could tell that they spelt bad news. I got from the bench, standing in front of Luna to face the group. ¡°What do you guys want?¡± I said, staring the one that was called Kenji directly in the eye. He had dyed blond hair and a rugged face, a scar on his cheek. He seemed like the leader. He grinned, stopping in front of me, his group behind him. There were about six of them. "Nothing with you." Kenji replied. "Go away, we just want to play with your girlfriend for a bit." "That''s not going to happen." I said. "I suggest you leave before I call the cops." Chuckles went around the group. ¡°Oh wow. So scary.¡± He said in a mocking tone. ¡°We should probably get going then.¡± I felt nervous, seeing how many people they had, but I honestly didn¡¯t think they were going to do anything. Besides, I had to make sure that Luna was okay. She was sitting at the bench behind me, but I couldn¡¯t see her since I was focused on the group of delinquents. ¡°Yeah, that would probably be a good idea.¡± I said. ¡°Just leave us alone, thanks.¡± Laughing, he turned his back on me and I breathed a sigh of relief, though that was short-lived. ¡°Just kidding.¡± He said, then whirled around pulling a knife out of his jacket. ¡°Did you really think I was going to just leave cause you told me to?¡± The rest of his group started howling, and I was frozen in fear, staring down at the knife, glittering in the sunlight. What the fuck?! Was this really happening?! In broad daylight as well?! ¡°Now if you don¡¯t mind,¡± Kenji motioned his knife to the side, gesturing for me to move, ¡°step aside before you get hurt.¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­¡± I was trying to comprehend the situation, but it was hard when a wave of adrenaline hit me, causing my heart to flutter and my chest to heave. Calm down, Ryo¡­ Breathe¡­ Assess the situation. I glanced up from the knife, looking at Kenji. His face was hard and cold, not a sign anywhere that said he was joking. That really didn¡¯t help, but I still had to protect Luna. ¡°No¡­¡± I said, staring him in the eye. ¡°What?¡± He blinked at me. ¡°I said¡­ no.¡± I said in a louder voice, then I glanced quickly behind me at Luna. She was sitting down, staring at the group with a strange expression on her face. But I didn¡¯t have enough time to figure out what expression it was. ¡°Run, Luna!!¡± I bellowed, then turned back hastily to face the group. It was just in time to see Kenji, raising a fist to punch me in the face. His knuckles enlarged in my vision, but I didn¡¯t have enough time to react. Instead, what happened next changed my life forever. Luna rose up from the bench, pushing me gently at my shoulders, causing me to falter to my side a few steps, narrowly avoiding the trajectory of the punch. Then, blood erupted in the side of my vision, splashing everywhere, some into my eyes, on my face, clothes, it just went everywhere. A chilling scream pierced the air, and suddenly, a metallic festering scent filled my nose, causing me to retch as though I was about to vomit. Glancing back at the group, I saw Kenji collapsing to the ground in front of Luna, blood spraying from his neck. ¡°Wh-what the fuck¡­¡± I uttered. ~x~ ¡°The moment when you wake up screaming in the middle of the night to find yourself in your bedroom. You stop and glance around, relieved. Then out of the corner of your eyes, something from your nightmare emerges.¡± ~x~ Chapter 3 - Horror The reeking stench of blood and bodily fluids permeated the air that had turned icy-cold. Kenji¡¯s body laid on the ground, twitching and spazzing, like a fish that had been taken out of the water for some time. On the faces of his comrades, looks of disbelief and horror were plastered all over. Everyone was frozen in their spot, bewildered by what had just happened. ... What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck?! What on earth happened?! I had missed how the ghastly cut on Kenji¡¯s neck occurred. Did Luna actually do that¡­? I couldn¡¯t believe it. There was no way, right...? ... I didn''t know, but... I had to do something at the moment! ¡°L-Luna¡­!¡± I grabbed her by her wrist that were dangling loosely by her side. She was standing over Kenji¡¯s body, staring down at him with an expression that I couldn¡¯t see since I was at her side and her hair was in the way. ¡°W-we have to go¡­!¡± I tried not to gag, holding my breath in, feeling the wetness of the hot blood that was on my face and clothes. "Let''s¡ª" ¡°AAHHHH!!!¡± One of the members started screaming, turning to the exit and made a break for it. Seeing this, the other members started running too. ¡°Ryo, we should stop them.¡± Luna said. I felt her pulling away from my grasp, but I jerked her back to me. ¡°What the hell are you saying, Luna?!¡± I yelled at her. ¡°W-we have to go!¡± There was a dead body on the ground. There was no way I was going to stick around long enough for the police to charge Luna or me with murder. Even if she was the one that did it¡­ I-it was for self defence¡­ It wasn¡¯t her fault¡­ ¡°Come on!¡± I pulled at her, averting my eyes from the macabre sight of the corpse lying face flat on the ground. A pool of blood emerged underneath the area of his neck, staining the grass a dark patchy red. Luna nodded, staring down with crimson cheeks at my hand that was grasping her wrist. I didn¡¯t have any time to look at her though. I was already pulling at her, taking her along with me as we headed out of the park, quickly going back to my apartment which was right across the street. ~x~ Luckily the neighbourhood I lived in was a quiet one. Somehow, we made it back without anyone seeing us. It would had been quite a sight, considering how much blood was on Luna and me. With shaky hands and uneven breaths, I slammed the door shut behind us, hastily locking the door, throwing on the chain lock as well. ¡°F-fuck, fuck¡­..¡± My vocabulary seemed to have reduced to only simple profanity as I tried to ignore the warm blood that was quickly drying on my face and clothes. Luna was standing behind me, watching me silently. I turned away from the door to face her, trying to put on my best comforting face, but the only thing I could manage was an ugly forced smile. ¡°O-okay¡­¡± I breathed. ¡°We¡­ we have to first get rid of these clothes¡­¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± She must be feeling horrible as well. I could imagine how scared she must be, considering the state that I was in. Normally, things don¡¯t phase me¡­ Well, I¡¯ve never encountered anything like this in my life before, but I had seen car accidents, roadkills, and my share of horrifying images and videos online. Nothing really compared to what happened at the park, however. ¡°Listen, Luna.¡± I stared her in the eye. ¡°You¡­ you shouldn¡¯t blame yourself, alright? It¡¯s not your fault.¡± I walked away from the door, and towards her. ¡°Everything¡¯s going to be okay¡­¡± I said, trying to slow my ragged breathing. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it¡­ It¡¯s okay¡­¡± At this point, it was like I was trying to soothe myself, moreso than I was trying to soothe her. The sight of Kenji¡¯s dead body kept flashing in my mind, refusing to disappear. ¡°Okay, Ryo¡­..¡± There was a somewhat blank expression on Luna¡¯s face, splatters of blood staining her flawless cheeks. She must be in shock. I had read about this on the internet. When someone goes through a horrific incident, their minds tend to detach to try to protect themselves. ¡°I¡¯ll let you go wash up first.¡± I said, pointing at the bathroom in the living room. ¡°The bathroom¡¯s over there, Luna.¡± She nodded, then turned away from me, heading to the bathroom. She disappeared inside and the door closed. I let out my breath, exhaling all the air that felt like it was trapped inside my lungs. ¡°Hah..¡­ hah¡­..¡± I staggered to the kitchen, my face grimacing. ¡°What¡­ what the fuck should I do¡­?¡± I washed my hands at the kitchen sink, then splashed the water at my face, trying to wash off the blood as best as I could. Some of it had dried onto my skin, and it was a disgusting feeling, rubbing at it to get it off. Once done, I poured myself a glass of water, then gulped it down. Fuck, fuck... I placed the glass down at the counter, staring numbly at the living room. Did I do the right thing...? Maybe I should had just stayed and waited for the cops... I mean¡­.it wasn¡¯t our fault, right...? ... But all Kenji did was throw a punch at my direction. He didn¡¯t even hit me, and somehow a murder happened. How were we going to explain that to the police¡­? ¡­ I remembered reading on the newspaper a week ago about a man that was released from prison after being falsely locked up for 30 or so years¡­ I had looked at that article and laughed to myself, wondering how the hell they could make a mistake like that, but it didn¡¯t seem implausible at the moment¡­Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Fuck! I couldn¡¯t risk Luna going to jail or me! Did Luna even do anything? Maybe Kenji just tripped and accidentally cut himself or something¡­? That was probably a bit of a stretch. I should ask Luna when she gets out of the shower¡ª My phone rang in my pocket, and I glanced down at my jeans. Reaching into my pocket, I took my phone out, then stared at the screen. Eiji. Dammit. Why the heck does that moron have to call at the worst moments? I answered the call, then placed the phone at my ear. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s up, Eiji?¡± I said, trying to sound normal. ¡°Heey! Ryo! How¡¯s everything going!¡± The line crackled as his voice came through on the other end. ¡°What is it? Why did you call me?¡± I said impatiently. ¡°Woah, so cranky!¡± Eiji laughed, causing the line to crackle again. ¡°I guess that must mean it didn¡¯t work out with Luna, huh?¡± So he was calling about that? I was surprised he still remembered. Dammit. But this wasn¡¯t the time to talk about that¡­.. ¡°Yeah, look, it went fine. We¡¯re dating now, so if you don¡¯t have anything else to¡ª¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± I winced, pulling the phone away from my ear. That idiot! He almost blew my eardrums out. ¡°Yeah, she said yes.¡± I snapped into the phone. ¡°Don¡¯t scream into the phone like that.¡± ¡°Wait, wait, wait¡ªBack it up for a bit. How the hell¡­..¡± I could hear him shaking his head on the other side. ¡°Dude, don¡¯t kid around with me like that. There¡¯s absolutely no way! Luna has rejected every single guy that has asked her out in the school, and you¡¯re telling me she accepted you?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying!¡± I gritted my teeth. I should probably just hang up. ¡°Haha, I seriously can¡¯t believe that, Ryo.¡± Eiji said. ¡°I mean, I know you¡¯re hurting from the rejection, but you should tell me the truth, man. I¡¯m your best friend¡ª¡± I pulled the phone away from my ear and pressed the ¡®end call¡¯ button. Why the heck am I wasting my time with that idiot? I had more urgent matters at hand here and¡ª ¡°Ryo¡­..¡± I heard Luna¡¯s voice calling for me, and I glanced at the door of the bathroom to see her head poking out. Her jet-black hair was wet, sticking to the sides of her face, and her bare shoulder was showing. Feeling a jolt over my body, I raised an unsteady hand to my face, trying to keep my jaw from falling off. ¡°Yes¡­?¡± I said, staring at her pale-violet eyes and using all of my self-control to not to look down at her shoulders. ¡°I-I don¡¯t have any other clothes... or a towel¡­¡± She said shyly. I thought about what she was saying for a second. ¡°S-sorry!¡± I stammered. How could I had forgotten that! Of course, she needs to shower to clean up after all that blood that went on her. Running to the bedroom, I pulled out a towel and the smallest sized pants and shirt I could find in the closet, then ran back to the living room, handing the clothes and towel to Luna, while turning my head the other way. ¡°Here you go...¡± I was staring down at the ground, my face hot. Behind the door, Luna was completely naked¡­ ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Luna took the clothes off my hand, and for a second, I felt her soft, damp hands touching mine. That sent an electrifying feeling up my spine. The temporary contact ended, and she took the clothes out of my hand slowly, before closing the door. Once the door closed, I let my breath out. Aahh!! Why was she so cute?! I was getting so many weird thoughts around her. It made me even forget about the incident momentarily as I went about cleaning the apartment, waiting for Luna to be finished in the bathroom. ~x~ The sky outside was dark by the time I finished washing up myself. It felt weird using the same bathroom that Luna used just moments ago, but cleaning the blood off my body made me quickly forget that fact. Throwing on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that I took with me to the bathroom, I stuffed my old bloodied clothes into a spare bag that I kept in the closet and never used. Then, I glanced down at the floor where Luna had left her old clothes. Hang on¡­ Are those¡­ ¡­.. There was no doubt about it. On top of her clothes¡­.. were her underwear. Not just her bra, but her panties too. What the heck?! Did she have to take those off?! Lightheadedness hit me and I grabbed her clothes off the ground, placing them in the bag. If her underwears were here, and she was outside¡­ then that must mean¡­ I shook my head fiercely, interrupting my thoughts. Come on Ryo! Stop having these thoughts!! There are more important issues at hand here! With all the bloodied clothes now placed inside the bag, I zipped it up, then slung it over one shoulder. I unlocked the bathroom door, then entered the living room. Luna was sitting at the kotatsu table, watching the television that was now switched on. It was a show about some television drama. Her phone was sitting at the table. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Luna turned to glance up at me with a cute smile. ¡°You¡¯re done, Ryo.¡± ¡°Ye-yeah¡­¡± I tried not to think about her underwears that were inside the bag. ¡°I¡¯m going to get rid of this bag.¡± I told Luna, walking to my bedroom to place it at the corner of the room. ¡°So that there wouldn¡¯t be any trace of us¡­ with what happened¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Luna said from the living room. ¡°Anyways, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I went back to the living room, giving Luna a reassuring smile. I felt a lot better after washing away all the blood. ¡°We won¡¯t talk about what happened from now on. I¡¯ll take care of everything, Luna.¡± ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± Luna averted her gaze, underneath my stare, her face reddening. Gah! She¡¯s way too cute!! Sitting down at the kotatsu table on the side, I glanced at the TV screen. I wasn¡¯t really interested, but it was on, so it would be awkward to not look at it. The volume was low, and there wasn¡¯t really much going on. ¡°So¡­¡± I coughed, then glanced at Luna. She wasn¡¯t looking at the TV, she was looking at me, which was kinda weird. ¡°Do you have to go home soon? It¡¯s getting pretty late.¡± I glanced past her head, at a clock in the kitchen. This was about the time I would be normally having dinner. ¡°Um¡­..¡± Luna stared at me nervously. ¡°C-can I stay¡­ for tonight¡­?¡± ¡°Stay?¡± I raised my eyebrows. ¡°Here?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Luna shifted in her seat, then glanced down at her clothes. She was wearing the shirt and pants that I gave her. ¡°I can¡¯t go home like this¡­ My parents wouldn¡¯t like that¡­¡± ¡°Right!¡± I nodded quickly. ¡°S-so I was planning on staying here for tonight¡­¡± Luna started tapping her index fingers together, blushing. ¡°I can sneak back home in the morning, so they wouldn¡¯t see me in these clothes¡­¡± ¡°Ye-yeah!¡± I was getting excited at the thought of Luna staying overnight at my apartment. Us two? Alone? Hell yeah¡ª Hang on, Ryo! Be serious, you idiot! Don¡¯t forget about the situation that brought you here!! I coughed, taking a breath. ¡°Won¡¯t your parents mind, but?¡± I glanced at Luna, taking on a sober look again. ¡°About you staying out?¡± ¡°N-no! They won¡¯t!¡± Luna said. ¡°I will just tell them that I¡¯m staying at Akane¡¯s house.¡± Akane was her best friend, the girl with brown hair that I saw with her at school yesterday. ¡°Sure.¡± I said. ¡°As long as your parents don¡¯t mind¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll call them right now, they don¡¯t mind¡­¡± Luna picked up her phone off the table, then started pressing buttons. I watched her as she placed the phone to her ear, waiting. ¡­ ¡°Hello¡­?¡± Luna spoke into the phone, turning slightly away from me. ¡°¡­Mum¡­?¡± ¡­ ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m okay¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m going to be staying out¡­ for tonight¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°Yes¡­ it¡¯s at Akane¡¯s house¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°Yes, I know¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°Thank you, mum¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°I love you too¡­ Bye mum¡­¡± ¡­ She took the phone away from her ear, placing it down on the kotatsu table then turned to me with an excited look. ¡°M-my mum said it¡¯s okay!¡± ¡°Really?¡± I said. I was happy too, having her over for the night. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s get something to eat for dinner¡­¡± ¡°I can cook!¡± Luna got up from the kotatsu table hastily, heading over to the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯ll cook for you, Ryo!¡± ¡°Uh¡ªI don¡¯t really have much.¡± I turned to watch her at the kitchen, going through the cupboards. She seemed to have a pretty good idea of where everything was. I could barely find the things I wanted inside my own kitchen. ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± Luna called from the kitchen. ¡°Just sit down and wait! I won¡¯t be long!¡± Unsurely, I slowly turned away from her, glancing at the television screen. I felt bad for making her cook, but she seemed really insistent on doing it. I never really had anyone cook for me besides my mum. But¡­ Luna was such a good person! She had a really nice personality, was extremely goodlooking, and she could cook! I remembered her being the top student at her cooking class. This was like a dream come true. It would be so great to have Luna as a wife¡­ Well, I still probably had to help her out though. That was what being a gentleman was about. I got up from the kotatsu table, then headed over to the kitchen to help Luna out. ~x~ Once dinner was made, which I couldn¡¯t really help out since Luna was way more skilled than me, we ate dinner together and had a conversation where we were both laughing. It felt like the incident never happened at all. The food was amazing, as expected from Luna. Everything felt so perfect, it was like a hazy dream. A dream that I didn¡¯t want to wake up from. After she cleaned up everything, despite my protests, she sat back down with me at the kotatsu table with a cheerful smile. ¡°Thanks, Luna¡­¡± I said. ¡°That was really great¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ryo.¡± She said. ¡°That¡¯s expected of me.¡± I laughed and joked. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. That makes me feel useless.¡± ¡°No, really.¡± She said. ¡°If I¡¯m going to be your wife, Ryo, then these things are supposed to be done by me!¡± ¡­.. What? She smiled cutely at me, but there wasn¡¯t a sign on her face that said she was joking. ¡°R-right¡­¡± I laughed weakly. Did she really just say that¡­? ¡°Um¡­¡± I tried to change the topic, glancing over at the clock. ¡°It¡¯s getting pretty late, huh?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be sleeping in my room then!¡± I got up from my seat, grabbing my phone off the table. We had already agreed on the sleeping arrangements, which was that I would be sleeping on the bed and that she would sleep on the kotatsu table. I wanted her to have the bed, but she wouldn¡¯t allow it the other way. ¡°Okay, goodnight, Ryo~!¡± Luna smiled, tilting her head slightly. ¡°Goodnight, Luna...¡± I smiled back at her, then headed to my bedroom, closing the door behind me. Something weird was going on here. I knew that things were going too well, but I didn¡¯t really want to face the truth. It felt like there was something I was forgetting, something that I had been ignoring the whole time¡­ I turned off the lights in my bedroom, slumping down to my bed in the darkness. Covering myself in blankets, I took my phone out, glancing at the screen that was glowing in the dark. ¡­ Hang on. This wasn¡¯t my phone. This was Luna¡¯s phone. I must had grabbed the wrong phone¡­ I was about to get up to give it her, when I accidentally turned on the screen. The phone went to the calls menu and my heart stopped. The calls menu was blank. She hadn¡¯t called anyone at all today¡­ But¡­ she was on the phone with her mum¡­ ¡­ I went through her phone, going to the contacts list, with my breathing getting uneven. ¡­! I stopped. I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. On the contacts list¡­ was my name! But¡­ I never gave her my number¡­ ¡­ Then something even bigger hit me and my body went rigid. I¡­ I never told her where I lived¡­ Images of the dead body re-emerged in my mind, flashing vividly with the quickening of my heart. The guy¡­ The guy that died¡­ Kenji¡­ I had saw his knife fell down to the ground when Luna pushed me to the side¡­ It was clean. No blood. Then that must mean¡­ ¡­ But¡­ it was impossible, right¡­? ¡­ No¡­ it was the only explanation. ... Luna must had killed that man with her own knife. At that moment, the door creaked open. Chapter 4 - Insanity ¡°Ryo...?¡± Luna¡¯s voice called out to me from the bedroom door. I was lying on the bed with the blankets over my head and body, turned the other way. D-did Luna really kill that guy, Kenji, at the park with his own knife¡­? I saw the knife that the guy dropped¡­ It was clean¡­ Not a single drop of blood¡­ ¡°Are you asleep, Ryo¡­?¡± ¡­ I didn¡¯t answer. I was hoping that she would leave if I pretended to be asleep. Not the best strategy, but I couldn¡¯t think of anything else at that time. A moment of silence passed, the only sound being that of my heart thumping inside my ears. Then, the door made a creaking noise, before gently shutting. I let out a quiet sigh, feeling my body relax slightly, but my mind was still frantic with paranoid thoughts. Something really wrong was going on here. Why the hell did Luna have my number? How the fuck did she know where I lived? And, more importantly, why the fuck did she carry a knife around with her?? These questions were circling inside my head, but the adrenaline that was still pumping inside my body was making it hard to think. Suddenly, a quiet footstep sounded, coming my way, and my body went rigidly stiff. She¡­ she was still in the room?! Fuck! And, she was coming over¡­! I thought she left the room, but¡­ Oh god¡­ What the fuck was going on?? Is she planning to kill me?? ¡­ Another footstep sounded and I tried my best to control my uneven breaths. I mean¡­ if she was to kill me, then there would probably be no witness to the murder that occurred at the park. Those group of guys that were with Kenji looked like complete delinquents who probably all held a criminal record. I doubted that they would go to the police about Kenji¡¯s death¡­ Another footstep. Fuck, fuck, fuck! What the hell should I do?? I gripped the blankets in my hands, balling my palms into fists. Could Luna really¡­ But, we were having so much fun eating dinner together¡­ I couldn¡¯t believe that she actually meant to kill Kenji, yet it seemed like the only explanation as much as I tried to refuse to accept it. Another footstep, and I could now feel her presence standing over me, right at the edge of the bed. From my back, I felt a spine-chilling tension running down as though I could feel her eyes on me. Oh god, oh god¡­ My heart was pounding out of control inside my chest, and the pillow that was underneath my head was now damp with sweat. Jagged breathing came out of my mouth, despite how hard I was trying to keep it under control. ¡­ I opened my eyes just the tiniest bit, trying to see behind me, but I couldn¡¯t do it without turning my head. I was ready to defend myself at a second¡¯s notice. There was a long-drawn out silence, and then¡­ Suddenly, I felt cold air seeping into the blankets behind my back, and the weight of the bed shifted as another body entered. Something soft pressed up behind my back, and warm air touched my nape, causing every single strand of hair on my body to stand. ¡°Ryo¡­¡± The breathing gradually moved to my ear. ¡°Are you having a nightmare¡­?¡± Every whisper she made sent a chill to the core of my spine. Her petite hands slowly wrapped around my chest, finger by finger. I was frozen in fear, paralysed, unable to move or even think. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ryo¡­¡± Her hands were tightening, her chest pushing up against me, and her legs touching mine. ¡°¡­They¡¯re¡­ All¡­ Going¡­ To¡­ Die.¡± At this point, I couldn¡¯t pretend to be asleep any longer. I wrenched her hands off me, elbowing her body away from me hard, then leaped out of the bed like a madman, my hands flinging at the bed sheets to get them off as though they were spider webs made of acid. ¡°Fuck, FUCK!¡± My mind was in a total state of panic, something akin to an instinctive ¡®fight or flight¡¯ mode, and flight was seeming to be the better option here. The only thing on my mind was that I had to get out of here or die. ¡°R-Ryo!¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Luna¡¯s voice returned to normal, calling out to me from behind, but nothing was going to make me stop. Not even if there was a mountain of gold. I didn¡¯t stop to glance back for even one split second. My hands swiped at the bedside table, grabbing my keys, then I throttled to the bedroom door amidst the darkness, flinging it open. I didn¡¯t even have time to grab my wallet or phone as I dashed through the living room. I pulled at the locks of the apartment door, unlocking them in a frenzy, still breathing as though I was running out of air. Come on, come on!! My hands were too shaky, too sweaty, as I jerked frantically at the chain lock that I had set. It was supposed to be there to stop people from coming in. But, somehow it had become a trap, locking me inside the apartment with a monster. ¡°Fuck!¡± I cursed aloud, tugging at the chain with both hands. What the fuck are you doing, Ryo?! You can¡¯t even unlock a fucking door?? Loud footsteps started thundering towards me, and my heart was leaping out of my chest, my eyes fixed at the lock. Hurry, hurry! Hurry the fuck up! The chain slid off the lock, and my heart jumped in relief, then I grabbed the door handle, managing to pull it open by a tiny gap, when A hand reached out, their fingers fastening around my other wrist, clenching hard, and yanked me backwards with a frightening amount of strength. It felt like my arm was about to rip off, and the door slammed shut in my face as I fell backwards into the force that was dragging me. At that moment, my heart had stopped, thinking that I was about to die. There was no vivid flashing imagery of my whole life laid out before me, or the feeling of relief that some people say came to them at near-death experiences. At that moment. I felt pure fear. I crashed backwards into flesh, and at the same time, the person pulled me down to the ground. My backside hit the floor, and something wrapped around my neck. Then, There was silence. ¡­ I was sitting up on the ground, soaked in sweat, feeling someone clutching onto me from behind. I didn¡¯t even dare to breathe. My lungs were hurting from holding onto my breath. The silence etched on until¡­ A quiet, almost inaudible sob came from behind me. It was so quiet that I thought I had imagined it at first, until it happened again, this time louder. ¡­ I could feel the shoulders of the person behind me starting to shake. I didn¡¯t know what the fuck was going on. I didn¡¯t even know if I wanted to know. Slowly¡­ with dry cracked lips and dilated pupils, I turned my head around¡­ I saw Luna sitting behind me, hugging me tightly, in the same position that I was, except that I was in between her legs. Her pale-violet eyes were wet, and she was biting onto her lower lip, trying to not cry. There was a normal expression on her face, in that there was no trace of the madness that I had been expecting. She looked like the Luna I knew at school, except that she was sobbing. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Ryo¡­¡± Luna pulled me closer to her, her hands hugging onto my chest. ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t go¡­¡± ¡­ What¡­ What the hell was going on¡­? ¡­ Daring to breathe again, I tried to think about the situation logically. Okay, Ryo¡­ Just calm down¡­ Try to act normal. That¡¯s the first thing you gotta do, so that she would let you go¡­ With that as my plan, I swallowed, easing my dry throat. ¡°L-Luna¡­¡± I said, putting on my best tone of normalcy. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ Just let me go¡­¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to let you go¡­ If I let you go, you¡¯ll run¡­¡± ¡­ Fuck. I flashed her a weak smile. ¡°I won¡¯t¡­¡± ¡­ Luna was quiet. The unbearable silence made a strange fear grow inside me, until she spoke again. ¡°¡­Do you promise¡­?¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± For some reason, some of the things she was saying weren¡¯t making sense to me. Probably because I was scared shitless. ¡°I said¡­ do you promise¡­?¡± Her hands were still holding onto me, around my chest. For some reason, despite her small frame compared to me, I had a feeling that I wouldn¡¯t be able to overpower her. ¡°If I let you go¡­ you won¡¯t leave me¡­?¡± Luna said. ¡°Of course¡­¡± I replied. Another uncomfortable silence passed, with that same eerie fear growing inside me. Then, slowly, Luna¡¯s hands were releasing their hold around my chest, and I felt her letting me go, her hands slipping away from me. There was a primal voice inside me, screaming at me to make a break for it, but my brain was telling me that it would be a bad idea. Instead, I smiled at Luna, trying to show her that everything was okay. She blushed, seeing my smile, then leaned her head at my back, her cheek pressing against me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ryo¡­¡± She said. ¡°I did something to scare you away¡­¡± I laughed feebly. ¡°N-no... it¡¯s okay, Luna¡­ everything¡¯s okay¡­¡± If I wanted to get out of this alive, I needed to play it cool. Don¡¯t do anything to alarm her. Just go on like before¡­ ¡°I love you, Ryo.¡± H-huh? I glanced at her, thinking that I had heard the wrong thing. She stared me in the eye, her cheeks crimson. ¡°I-I love you¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°¡­do you love me too¡­?¡± She asked. Um¡­ I was looking into her eyes, while trying to think of something. Shit. I was taking too long. Let¡¯s just act like I normally would¡­ ¡°I-it¡¯s a bit early¡­ isn¡¯t it¡­?¡± I said. Suddenly, the expression on Luna¡¯s face changed. She frowned, her eyes slanting at me. There was an eerily blank look in those lively pale-violet eyes. ¡°¡­¡± What the fuck are you doing, Ryo? Just agree to it! Who the fuck cares! ¡°I mean¡­¡± I shuffled my posture, feeling my sweat sticking to the ground. ¡°It¡¯s early, but¡­ I do love you¡­ Luna¡­¡± Her face changed back to normal, almost as quickly as it had turned dark. ¡°Really??¡± She asked excitedly. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± I said. Her face broke out into joy. ¡°I love you sooo much, Ryo¡­!¡± She reached her arms out to hug me. I raised my arm instinctively to block her, but luckily, she didn¡¯t notice. Her arms wrapped around me again, clutching onto me tightly. ¡°O-okay, that¡¯s enough now¡­¡± I said. I tried to pull her arms away, but instantly felt how strong she was. Good idea I didn¡¯t try to fight her. It was like trying to tug away at a steel pole. How the fuck was she so strong? ¡°Please always stay with me, Ryo¡­¡± My back was still facing her and she was hugging me from behind, her head on my shoulders, whispering. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t¡­¡± I said, glancing at the door. I was about two steps away from it. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to bed then.¡± Luna said, releasing her hold of me. ¡°I was planning to surprise you before. I thought you would want to sleep together.¡± ¡°Back to bed¡­?¡± Fuck, I was so close to the door. Luna nodded with a playful smile, then picked herself up from the ground. How was I going to get out of this one¡­? The answer was I wasn¡¯t. Getting up from the ground shakily, Luna watched me, following me from behind, as I headed back to the bedroom as she instructed. The feeling of her eyes staring into my back was like needles pinning into flesh. Who the fuck was this girl¡­? Where was the Iwasaki-san from school¡­? The one I was eating dinner with happily just moments ago¡­? Entering the bedroom in a daze, I heard the door closing shut behind me, locking. I turned around to see Luna standing in front of the door, blushing. ¡°Let¡¯s go to bed now¡­¡± She said. ¡°Um¡­¡± I stared at her for a moment, thinking about my options. For now, let¡¯s just do as she says¡­ I swallowed and nodded, then headed over to the bed, slumping down into it. The lights were still on, but Luna didn¡¯t turn them off yet. She walked over to the bedside table, taking something out from behind her hip. Then, there was a loud clattering noise as she dropped something heavy dropped down onto the bedside table, causing me to jump. I flicked my eyes at the thing that she took out, then felt my heart fall. ¡­ A knife. And no ordinary knife too. It was something that was a mixture between a switchblade and a folding knife, the blade being sheathed in the handle. I could see from the design that the blade came out from the side of the handle, but I couldn¡¯t tell how it opened since there didn¡¯t seem to be any buttons. It was definitely not manual though, since I couldn¡¯t see a way to physically pull the blade out. Seeing that pretty much confirmed my suspicion that Luna was batshit insane. There were no longer any doubts remaining. Luna followed my eyes that were staring fixedly at the knife. ¡°Oh, are you interested in that?¡± She asked, then picked up the knife so that I could get a closer look. ¡°N-no,¡± I tried to move away from the knife, but she held it closer to my face. The handle was quite large, its length was just longer than a human neck, indicating the size of the blade inside. It was pitch-black, but against the light and being this close to it, I could make out faint patches along the handle. A rusty smell came to my nose, and I turned my head sharply, raising my hands up. ¡°L-Luna, it¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t need to see it.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Luna took the knife away from my face, much to my relief, placing it back down on the bedside table with a dull thud that made my heart jump again. It was definitely pretty heavy, judging from the sound. She walked over to the door, then flicked the light switch off, encompassing the room in darkness. I shifted closer to the wall next to the bed, and felt her body falling down next to me, then her hands reached out grabbing onto me. She pulled me down so that we were both laying on the bed, our heads facing each other. I could make out the outlines of her pretty face, her pale-violet eyes almost seeming to glow in the darkness as they stared into my eyes. ¡°I need the knife to protect myself¡­¡± She breathed. ¡°P-protect yourself¡­?¡± ¡°And I¡¯ll also protect you, Ryo¡­¡± She paused, her eyes staring at me unblinkingly. ¡°There¡¯s a game going on in Tokyo¡­¡± A game? What the fuck was she on about? Her voice lowered, coming out in a hushed whisper. ¡°¡­A. Bloody. Killing. Game.¡± Chapter 5 - Police Station "What are you on about...?" I stared at Luna''s pale-violet eyes in the darkness, my throat dry from all the sweating earlier. Luna''s face was completely serious, nothing that said she was playing around. "I told you. There''s a game going on in Tokyo at the moment." Luna said. Her face was still in front of mine. "If you want to live, you have to stay with me." "..." I let a moment of silence passed as I tried to figure out her words. "Luna... I... I don''t understand..." She smiled at me. "Don''t worry, Ryo. You''ll figure it out eventually. For now, just listen to everything I say." "..." "Goodnight, Ryo." She closed her eyes, her hands still on my shoulders from grabbing me earlier. ... The hell...? I didn''t know what to think about the situation. All I knew was that Luna was crazy, and that I needed to get out and call the police. This was insane. She had delusions about some ''game'' going on in Tokyo, and she also just killed someone without a second of hesitation after they tried to punch me. I could already tell that none of this was going to hold up in court as self-defence. Maybe if I tell the police now, I wouldn''t ''t be involved... I mean... I didn''t do anything wrong, did I...? ... Fuck! I don''t want to go to jail! But, I think going to the police was the best decision here. This girl was keeping me a prisoner inside my own apartment! Even if I didn''t report the murder, there has to be some serious jail time for what she was doing, wasn''t there? I gritted my teeth, trying to conjure up a plan. My eyes were slowly getting accustomed to the darkness. I could see Luna breathing gently in front of me, her eyes closed, and a tranquil expression on her face. She looked so pretty, but I knew that it was all just a lie. This girl was utterly and completely nuts. Way beyond saving by any psychologist. I will just wait for a while more, until I''m certain she''s asleep... then I''ll make my leave... ~x~ Three hours and fifteen minutes passed¡ªof keeping my eyes closed and emulating the breathing of a sleeping person¡ªand I decided that it was probably a good time to bail. Cracking my eyes open by the tiniest bit, I peered outside to see Luna¡¯s relaxed face, dark eyelashes pointing downwards, and a serene expression. She looked so pretty that I briefly wondered whether I had imagined all of the past happenings. Then, I glanced past her head, at the bedside table to see a dark, large object, sitting there, reminding me that I wasn¡¯t the crazy one. It was her knife. Swallowing, I watched Luna for a while more before lifting my body gently up from the bed. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Luna¡¯s eyes fluttered wide open, staring at me as though she had never been asleep at all. My heart jumped, and an instinctive urge to punch her in the face and run rises in my stomach. I pushed it down with the memory of the guy dying at the park. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake, Luna?¡± I tried to act normal, doing my best to give an offhanded smile. ¡°I was just thinking about going to the toilet.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Luna asked. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°G-go with me¡­?¡± I almost choked on her words. ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­¡± Luna frowned at me. ¡°Why not?¡± I shook my head, then sank back into the bed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ Let¡¯s just sleep¡­¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± ¡®Fucking crazy bitch.¡¯ I thought in my head. ¡®I¡¯ll just wait until an opportunity to escape arises tomorrow¡­¡¯ ~x~ The morning light hit my eyes, and I twitched, feeling restless and groggy. Apparently, sleeping with a deranged psychopath holding onto your shoulders was harder than I thought. Forgetting about last night¡¯s event momentarily, I opened my eyes and jumped back when I saw that Luna was still in my bed, her face a few inches away from mine. ¡°Ryo¡­?¡± Luna¡¯s eyes opened, glancing at me. ¡°Oh¡­ good morning¡­¡± Good morning¡­? I couldn¡¯t keep my jaw shut. She was still here. And so was the knife at the table. ¡°Did you have a good sleep?¡± She asked, getting up nonchalantly from the bed, rubbing one eye. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I closed my jaw, and smiled. ¡°Great¡­ it was great, Luna¡­¡± Luna smiled back at me. ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± She turned away, and my smile dropped, staring at her with a cautious look. How the hell was I going to get away from her? I need to get to a phone and call the police¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll make you some breakfast, Ryo!¡± Luna got up from the bed energetically, then took off outside the bedroom. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± I started, but she was already gone. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I ended in a quieter tone. Now that I knew she was crazy, there wasn¡¯t a chance I was going to eat her food.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. I needed to get the hell out, and quick. I pulled myself out of the bed, then walked quietly towards the door, peeking outside at the living room for Luna¡¯s whereabouts. She was at the kitchen, humming happily to herself, as she prepared breakfast. There was quite a distance between her and the door. Maybe if I ran, I could make it¡­ Something popped into my mind, and I glanced behind me at the bedside table. Nothing. The knife was gone. She must had taken it with her¡­ ¡­ I clenched my teeth. Still¡­ I had to get out of here¡­ no matter what. I took a slow step out of the living room, staring at Luna for a reaction. She didn¡¯t appear to have seen me walking out. She had her back turned towards me, using the sink. ¡­ Fuck it. Let¡¯s do it. I sprang myself forward, bolting for the living room door. I didn¡¯t have my phone, keys or wallet, but there wasn¡¯t any time to get them. ¡°R-Ryo¡­!!¡± Luna spun around, catching me heading for the door. By that time, I was already pulling at the apartment door, almost breaking the hinges as I threw it open. ¡°Wh-where are you going¡ª¡± Her voice disappeared from behind me as I jolted out of the apartment¡ªfree at last. No time to celebrate but. I was already running down the stairs of the apartment building, almost tripping over because of how hasty I was. There were no elevators in this building since it was relatively small, being about three stories tall. I could hear Luna¡¯s voice calling at me from behind. Shit! She was going to follow after me! Reaching the ground floor and already covered in sweat, I ran out of the building and into the streets, glancing both ways, before quickly bounding one way as my memory recalled the direction of the police station. I never had to go to a police station so the memory was vague, but I was sure I was heading the right way. ¡°Ryo¡ª!!¡± Luna¡¯s voice was screaming in the distance, but I wasn¡¯t stopping. The police station wasn¡¯t too far. If I kept running at this pace, then I should reach it in about ten minutes¡­ Strangers on the street threw wild glances at me, but I paid them no heed. Just a guy in sleepwear, running for his life in the streets, with a horrified expression. Nothing much to see here. Somehow, I managed to reach the police station without Luna catching up to me. Entering the station was one of the best feelings of my life. I had made it¡­ Finally¡­ The policewoman at the desk glanced up at me, then her eyes widened with surprise as I threw my hands down at the desk, breathing heavily. ¡°I¡­ I would like to report a murder¡­¡± I gasped. ¡°A-a murder?¡± She repeated. ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± I leaned against the desk, keeping my shaky legs from falling. ¡°I-I¡¯m being chased¡­ I¡­ I was imprisoned by some lunatic, and¡ª¡± ¡°Okay, just hold on for a second.¡± She said, then got up from her chair with a serious expression, sensing my urgency. ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to speak to you. Please, have a seat.¡± She pointed at the chairs lined up in front of the reception desk. ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± I flashed a weak smile at her, then stumbled over to the chair, almost fainting into the chair. Fucking finally¡­ Now this nightmare could end¡­ Ah¡­ I slouched on the chair, breathing out and feeling light-headed. I wasn¡¯t really that unathletic. It was just fucking tiring to run for ten minutes non-stop at the fastest pace I had ever ran. There was no one else in the police station besides me, and I glanced up at the clock above the reception to look at the time. 8AM. Still pretty early in the morning. Especially for me. It was also a Sunday, so that explained why there wasn¡¯t many people out on the streets. I doubted that Luna would follow me into a police station. The door next to the reception desk swung open, and two policemen whom I could only assume to be detectives stood there, glancing at me. They weren¡¯t dressed in the typical police attire of a blue uniform, and were instead, dressed in collared shirts and tie. ¡°You¡¯re the one that said you wanted to report a murder?¡± One asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± He said, and started walking back inside from where he came from. The other stood at the door, holding it open for me. I got up from the chair quickly, walking in and muttering a thank you to the detective that waited. He stared at me with a solemn expression, saying nothing back in return. I didn¡¯t really care. I was just so relieved to have gotten away from Luna and actually be at a police station. Following after the detective, I glanced around at the other rooms that were visible through transparent windows. There were a handful of police at this station. Not that many due to the size of the station. The area that was governed by this station wasn¡¯t really that big. The detective took me into a small, plain room with only one desk. It looked like an interrogating room. ¡°Have a seat.¡± He said, walking up to one side of the table, and the door closed behind me. The other detective was standing in front of the door. The one that haven¡¯t spoken a word so far. He had brown hair and black eyes, and appeared to be in his 40s. The detective that talked appeared to be in the same age, though there were more haggard lines on his face, probably from the stressful nature of the work. He had black, greying hair with black eyes. There wasn¡¯t really much to differentiate the two of them, besides the fact that the one that talked look more rugged. ¡°My name¡¯s Ikko Watanabe and this is my partner, Hisaya Noguchi.¡± The detective at the table pointed to the one at the door. ¡°I¡¯m Ryo Otsuka¡­¡± I said, seating at the chair in front of Ikko and he smiled wearily at me. Noguchi-san sat down next to Watanabe-san, then coughed. ¡°So¡­ Otsuka-san¡­ Tell us what happened, from the very beginning.¡± He placed down a notebook onto the table, that I didn¡¯t notice that he had been holding, then took out a pen from the front pocket of his shirt. Where to even start? ¡°Well¡­¡± I said. ¡°First of all¡­¡± ~x~ ¡°I see¡­¡± Watanabe-san nodded, a serious expression on his face, but I couldn¡¯t fathom any other emotion. Noguchi-san had been scribbling down on his notebook the entire time. ¡°You really need to catch her.¡± I said. ¡°She¡¯s completely psycho! She thinks that there is this¡­ ¡®game¡¯ going on, and¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Otsuka-san. You¡¯ve already told us that part.¡± Watanabe-san smiled, raising his hand up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. We¡¯ll take the appropriate measures.¡± ¡°T-thank god¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll just be right back.¡± Watanabe-san said, then got up from the desk. Noguchi-san got up with him. ¡°Thanks for everything so far.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± I smiled back. I had faith that these two detectives would put an end to Luna¡¯s madness. I just wanted to go back to my apartment and return to my normal life. I probably wasn¡¯t going to do anything related to girls for a while after this¡­ The two detectives walked out of the room, and the door closed, leaving me alone. I breathed another sigh of relief, relaxing in the chair. ¡­ I wonder what will happen to Luna¡­ Dammit! Why was I still thinking about her?! She was a psycho, a complete nutcase! I was only doing the right thing¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have to feel guilty about this¡­ I waited for a while more, and after what felt like an eternity, the door opened. I glanced up, expecting to see the detective, but instead saw a girl with dandelion hair and dull brown eyes. She looked my age, 16, and was dressed in a long black coat, and heels that strapped up to the bottom of her knees. Puzzled by her appearance, I stared at her as she chewed on gum in her mouth, then flicked a disinterested glance at me. ¡°You¡¯re the person that said you know Luna?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me, but who are y¡ª¡± The girl pulled out something from her coat and stabbed it down on the table, creating a loud thud, and I jumped back. I glanced down at the object on the table. It was a knife. The blade was wedged into the wooden surface, standing incredibly still. The girl pushed her hair back casually. She had released her grip of the knife after throwing it down. ¡°So, Ryo Otsuka¡­¡± She said. ¡°Tell me¡­ where is Luna?¡± What the fuck was going on?! I glanced between the knife and the girl in utter confusion and shock. A feeling of dread rising in my stomach. Did I not go to a police station? Why was there another maniac in front of me?! ¡°Basically, Luna was right. You should had stayed with her.¡± She was staring down at the expression on my face, probably reading what I was thinking from that. ¡°No police is going to help you about this situation.¡± I glanced up at her. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± ¡°Just a game¡­¡± She looked away from me and gazed down at her nails, stretching her fingers to inspect them. ¡°Basically, she¡¯s not human and neither am I. Well, not in the traditional sense anyways. We¡¯re Ashens.¡± ¡°Ashens?¡± ¡°Super engineered humans.¡± She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a military project. The game is to kill all the other Ashens.¡± I took a moment to process what she was saying. ¡°T-that¡¯s insane... You expect me to believe that¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think, quite frankly.¡± ¡°Why am I even involved in this? I¡¯m just a high school kid!¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± She reached a hand to the table, then yanked the knife out, ripping it from the wooden surface. I pulled back instinctively, but she grabbed me by the front of my collar and pulled me up from my chair and towards her. Cold steel pressed against my cheeks, and I glanced down to see the blunt side of the knife rubbing against me. The girl was toying with the knife playfully at my face, a creepy smile tugging at her lips. ¡°Tell me where Luna is.¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t fucking know!!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes! I mean it! I don¡¯t have a clue! She was chasing after me before when I was coming to the police station but I don¡¯t know where she went after!¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°L-let me go! Please!¡± I was rigidly still in her grasp, afraid that she would accidentally stab the tip of the knife inside my eyeball where it was pointing. The blade was still against my cheeks, but she stopped moving it around. ¡°Well¡­¡± The girl started speaking again after a moment of silence, and her grip on my collar loosened. The feeling of the cold blade left my cheeks, and she pushed me away, causing me to stumble backwards. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just to have to use you to draw her out.¡± She finished, then flashed another creepy smile. ¡°Wh-what the fuck¡­?¡± I stared at her, wondering when I was going to wake up back in my bed. ¡°Just let me go¡­ I don¡¯t have anything to do with thi¡ª¡± She grabbed my wrist, then yanked me towards her with a strength that was impossible for a girl her size. I lost my breath for a second, then found myself walking quickly after her to keep my arm from being pulled apart. ¡°We¡¯re going to go find Luna.¡± She said, her head turned away from me.