Darkness: Land of Nightmares

XLV

Kyoto, Japan

A school bus just parked, and the bus driver opened the doors to let out four kids—that are the ages of fourteen through sixteen—walk home, as they were stepping off the bus fog began to form, going up to just about their rain boots. It was lightly raining at 3:45 pm.

The bus driver closed the bus doors after each of them got off the bus on the side of the sidewalk, once the bus driver drove off a Japanese woman appeared, she wore a black Japanese yukata kimono dressing gown, with a face mask, long straight black hair; she also held an umbrella that was black to match her outfit.

"Who are you?" Mai asked.

"Mai, you know we're not allowed to talk to a strange woman on the streets," Hanako Saeko said, who was her sister.

"She's right, we need to get home before our parents get worried," Yuri Takashi said.

"Okay, let's leave," Mai said.

"Leaving so soon?" Kuchisake asked.

"Yes, you're scary, and I'm hungry," Sora Haru said.

"Don't be frightened child, I can see the unleashed demon inside each of your eyes, they look tasty," Kuchisake said.

"Are you going to hurt us?" Mai asked.

"It's what I do, nobody makes it out alive," Kuchisake said.

"Come on, let's go now," Yuri said.

"Okay," Mai said.

"You can't leave, you haven't answered the question I have for each of you," Kuchisake said.

"What question?" Sora asked.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" Kuchisake asked as she began to tilt her head sideways to the left.

"Yes," Sora said.

Kuchisake then grabbed hold of Sora, instantly killing her, the others screamed and ran off, Hanako and Yuri ran to the fastest route back home, Mai ran to a nearby alleyway, she stopped then turned around, backing up slowly. After she felt she was safe she turned around to see Kuchisake standing behind her.

"You cannot escape me, I embody the inevitable, and a thing that's inexorable is death," Kuchisake said.

"You see, your past, present, and future are written in stone, I controlled every sequence of events in your life to lead up to this moment, the future cannot be changed because now... you have no future," Kuchisake said.

She then waved her hand, causing Mai to become obsolete, as Kuchisake is capable of making anything into nothing.

Hanako and Yuri were running as fast as they could, "Don't look back," Hanako said.

"I'm not," Yuri said.

Then they suddenly became immobilized, Kuchisake walked from the fog and stood in front of them.

"Try not to scream, not that anyone will hear you," Kuchisake said.

Kuchisake then allowed them to say their final words.

"Please don't kill us, I still have a lot of things to do in my life, I want to graduate high school, have a family, and do my favorite things in the world," Hanako said.

Kuchisake started to walk toward Hanako slowly, as she was doing that Hanako was saying, "No, no, no, no."

Kuchisake then stopped in front of her and held her cheek.

"Why are you doing this to us?" Hanako asked. Kuchisake looked at her with heartbreak in her eyes.

"Just relax, I'll end your suffering soon," Kuchisake said.