Following the chilling success of their first collection, Lady Eckland, Glenn Riley, and new collaborator, Bella Darkwood return to guide you through the shadowy corridors of fear with their second compendium, *Whispers In The Dark 2*. These master...
"Watch your step!" I called out, a second too late. My friend Kai's foot sank into a soft, mossy floorboard with a loud crack, sending dust and splinters flying. He stumbled but caught himself on the weathered doorframe with a shaky laugh.
"Whoops. My bad," he said, gingerly testing his weight on the now-broken board. "Place is more rotten than it looks."
I couldn't really blame him. We both probably should have turned back long ago, before we passed the "No Entry" signs half-devoured by creeping vines, before we squeezed through gaps between crooked wooden fences and crumbling walls. But the deeper we ventured into the abandoned outskirts of Naraijuku, the more enraptured I became. As an urban explorer and travel blogger chasing Japan's hidden gems, curiosity compelled me forward, cameras in hand.
Here, the celebrated post town's scenic Edo period streets gave way to nature's relentless reclamation project. Trees erupted through roofs in great wooden fists, roads disappeared under lush green carpets, and every surface lay covered in moss five inches thick. The air hung heavy with the earthy scent of decay. But beneath the blotting of time, I caught glimpses of what once was - an architectural treasure, mute testament to the days when this area bustled as a vital travel hub before the flames reduced it to ashes.
"Saki? Did you hear me?" Kai frowned, breaking my trance. "I really think we should turn back. We shouldn't be here."
I started to reply when a chill slithered down my spine. That uneasy feeling of being watched, of trespassing where we didn't belong. I scanned the deserted streets framed by the listing remains of buildings on the brink of collapse. Nothing.
"Let's just go a little farther," I said after a too-long pause. "I want to see what's around that corner. Please?"
Kai sighed, then gestured for me to lead on. I picked my way over the uneven ground, stepping around a familiarly modern piece of trash, a beer can painted in moss and mud. Another reminder that we weren't the first to come here, just the first in a very long while.
We turned the corner and the alley opened into a modest courtyard centered around a small dried-up fountain. My breath caught in my throat. "Oh, this is beautiful!" I exclaimed, circling the plaza with my camera held reverently in front of me like an offering. I paused every few steps to snap photos, documenting the scene from every angle. Here, some of the structures retained their original simple grace -exposed wood beams, wide overhanging eaves, paper windows dotted with tiny square panes.
"Looks just like the preserved streets in the main town," Kai mused over my shoulder as I framed a shot. "Like this little area got left behind when they restored everything else."
