VALENTINE TERROR.

[1] A SURPRISE NEAR THE. DUMPSTER

CHAPTER ONE: A Surprise Near The Dumpster.
❛  I shudder as I feel the flush of air hug me,
                                       Perhaps it's the moon that holds me.  ❜

            ━━━━━━━━━

                YOU WERE ONLY TEN when you first met the girl of your dreams. She was something sweet and addicting, as silly as that sounds. Her voice drew you in and trapped you in a trance. How exactly you met her was when you went on a walk in your neighborhood–to drown the ache in your heart. An ache for what? You had no idea. Your parents were out at work; they always were, so now would be a great time to see what could distract your mind for a bit.

    You stumbled around the city of Osaka at 12:40am. Though you mainly walked around the neighborhood near your house—that's how far you're allowed to go. You're about a mile from your house; if you went any further, you'd almost certainly get a beating or a lecture when you got home. You live in a two-room apartment; it's a small apartment with a pale and gloomy complexion. That is how your parents like it. You can't have any bright colors or anything that would stand out because then you will stand out. If you were to stand out, then people would get more interested in you, and that could lead to all sorts of disasters. That's what your parents say, at least. Maybe that's why you have an ache in your heart; something that wants to bloom but can't because then you'll stand out.

    As your mind raced with new thoughts, a frown formed on your face. You continued to walk around mindlessly, a pale gleam caressed your adolescent skin softly, as if it were trying to comfort you and your burning heart. You turned your head towards the light and gazed at the source of it: the moon. It was the moon trying to comfort you. And that certainly helped a lot. It's not usual for the moon to give you their time to say, "I'm here." I'm here.

    With furrowed eyebrows, you stopped your walking and continued to stare up. Finally, your mind was blank, and your aching heart seemed to drown out as you stared up. You paid no mind to your surroundings, which wasn't the smartest thing to do, but right now you knew that it was just the moon and you. Everyone else was sound asleep, with the exception of the working slaves that sat in their offices day and night – including your parents. A breeze hugged you tightly before letting go and moving forward; perhaps that was the moon. You shudder slightly before a smile crept onto your face, an innocent smile that could almost be mistaken for the sun—if not the sun, then the moon.

Whenever you felt low or lonely, you made it your job to go out on walks around 10 or later than that. It became part of your 10–year—old schedule. Today wasn't much different.

    You stared up before a sudden noise broke you out of your dreamy state. The noise was something shrill and it could almost resemble a cry, a woman's cry. The piercing cry sent shivers down your spine. The noise startled you, and you were contemplating whether or not you should go check out the noise. You know that if you did and something happened to you, then you wouldn't hear the end of it, even after death. However, your curiosity was begging you to see what it was. You felt weary and you weren't sure if you should follow your instinct or your 10–year—old heart and mind.

The noise only grew louder and louder.

The clicks of your shoes were no match for the sobs that left the poor woman's mouth.

She's crying, you thought to yourself. 'Help her.'

    And with a sigh, you continued to walk towards the strange alleyway. It was a stupid thing to do, and you knew that, yet you continued to walk. You shuddered a bit as you navigated through the dark alleyway. A dreadful feeling crept inside you, and you knew you had to get away from this alleyway. But you couldn't. Your feet continued to walk forward while your heart told you to leave this place and get back home. You couldn't stop walking as you started to beg for air. Your mouth opened and closed before opening once again, "H-hello... Is anyone here?" A stutter left your lips, understandably.