𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 || 𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐲𝐨 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟓

I awkwardly shifted in my seat, my eyes darting around the dimly lit restaurant. I couldn't believe I was actually on a date. I mean, I always thought I came across as a massive asshole. For pete sake, I purposely pushed people away. Who'd want to go out with me? My mind came up with scenarios and reasons as to why Mako asked me out, but I tried to shake them off. I have a bad habit of jumping to conclusions and it has screwed me over so many times. I won't let that ruin the date though.

Chill, Ari. It's just one date. You'll survive.

Mako's voice snapped me out of my little trance when he called the waiter over and ordered two glasses of wine. I nodded in response, not being able to form a sentence. He looked at me, giving me a small smile. "So, tell me a bit about yourself. Seeing as we don't know each other well, other than from work. Fumiko told me a little, but I thought I'd ask you myself." Mako said jokingly, folding his hands in front of him and resting his elbows on the table. I glanced over at him, only to look away after a few seconds. I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself.

"Um... Well, obviously you know I work in the publishing department. I also really enjoy working out. I'm also a terrible cook." I said jokingly, looking down at at my hands. They were shaking slightly. 

"Terrible cook? I would've never guessed. You look like you'd be a pro, actually." Mako spoke, giving me a small smile. My cheeks flushed pink and when I finally felt confident enough, I locked eyes with him.

"Yeah, I know. It's just not something I'm good at. Fumiko says otherwise, but I don't believe her one bit." I replied, sighing quietly. Mako chuckled and when the waiter came around with the glasses of wine, he handed me one. 

"Here, are you a fan of red wine?" He asked and I nodded. 

"Thank you. I'm more of a white wine kind of lady, but this'll do." I took the glass from his hand and smirked as I raised my glass. 

"Ah, well I'll have to keep that in mind for next time." He chuckled and also raised his glass. "To your very first date, Ms. Ari." He said, clearly joking. I rolled my eyes and clinked my glass with his and sipped the wine. 

．．．

As I unlock the door to my apartment, a sense of contentment washes over me, a lingering warmth from the delightful evening I spent with Mako. The date had been nothing short of wonderful – filled with laughter, shared stories, and an awkward kiss on the cheek. I pinched the bridge of my nose, chuckling to myself as I replayed the scene in my head. But as I step inside, the familiar comfort of my apartment, something feels slightly off.

Glancing around in the dark, I notice a subtle shift in the atmosphere, like a whisper of unease lingering in the air. My heart skips a beat as I spot a few misplaced items – a chair pushed slightly out of place, a book lying open on the coffee table. For a moment, a pang of concern shoots through me, but I quickly dismiss it as my mind playing tricks after an eventful night. Perhaps I had simply left things in disarray before rushing out earlier. After all, it's not unusual for me to be a bit absent-minded.

I checked my watch and it read 2:23 in the morning. I rubbed my eyes and shook off my purse, letting it fall to the floor with a heavy thud. I rolled my shoulders back, trying to shake off the tension as I leaned against the wall and I took off my shoes, tossing them to the side and trying to aim for the box where I kept my other pairs. I missed, obviously. 

As I make my way to the kitchen to get a glass of water, I hear a faint creak from the hallway. My senses immediately go on high alert, every nerve in my body tingling with apprehension. I pause, straining to listen for any sign of movement.

There it is again – the sound of footsteps, soft and deliberate, echoing through the stillness of the apartment. Panic begins to bubble up inside me, my mind racing with a dozen worst-case scenarios. Could someone have broken in? Or perhaps just a neighbor returning a misplaced item? Then again, I don't talk to my neighbors... and I made sure to lock the door on the way out.

Another creak. My lips formed a thin line, my brows furrowing together. With cautious steps, I inch closer to the source of the noise, heart pounding in my chest. Peeking around the corner, I'm relieved to find nothing out of the ordinary – just the faint glow of streetlights filtering through the window, casting eerie shadows on the walls and the occasional honk of a car horn coming from the street. 

I immediately sighed and went back to the kitchen to fill my glass with water. 

Then I hear a faint breathing sound right behind me. My eyes widened as I dropped my glass and spun around, locking eyes with a man wearing a mask that closely resembled a voodoo doll. He was sitting on the island counter, arms crossed over his chest and dressed in a striped suit.

"Boo." He said in a calm voice, and it felt like I stopped breathing. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a cutting board I had laying around and threw it right at his face. He simply raised his hand and I watched as he effortlessly caught it. My lip curled upwards into a snarl, my eyes darkening.

A ghoul.

"Not bad." The man said mockingly, tilting his head to the side seemingly pouting. I had nothing else to do but run at this point. I took a step back, only to feel someone grip my shoulder tightly.

"Ah, so this is the one we're supposed to bring back? She's not very meaty..." I heard another voice from behind me of another young male. I glanced back, looking up at the clown mask that he had on. He leaned in closely and sniffed me, sighing contently. "She's smells good though, I can't lie. Can't we just eat her? I'm sure she tastes much better than the guy she was with... " 

Other guy? Mako?

I ripped myself from his grasp, backing up and hitting the cupboard. I reached behind me and grabbed a kitchen knife from its holder, gripping it tightly with shaky hands. With an angry voice, I spoke. "What did you do to Mako?" I heard a small giggle come from my left, and I looked to see a smaller female ghoul with another clown mask on.

Another one?

"Mako? Oh, right... that lame nerdy guy you were on a date with, yeah?" The woman started before reaching into the pocket of her cloak and pulling something out and holding it in front of my face. I stare, my eyes widening in horror when I realized it was a tongue. "God, it was super boring watching you two flirt." She pretended to gag. "Anyways, he was extremely loud and he talked way too much... I had to do something about that, so I took this from him!" She giggled and smiled at me as she dangled the bloody tongue in front of me. My mouth opened in a silent scream as I pieced everything the ghoul said together and I darted for the door, dodging quickly as she reached out for me.

"Aw, don't run away! I took his eyes as well! Wanna see 'em?" She squealed happily, running after me at an inhuman speed. I was barely able to spot her before she punched my stomach and twisted her fist, making me gag and throw up. I fell to my knees, coughing as I struggled to catch my breath. My eyes widened and teared up as her other hand gripped my hair and dangled me in the air, looking at me with a wide grin on her face. Desperate, I jabbed at her shoulder with the kitchen knife, watching in disbelief as it shattered to pieces. The woman chuckled and tossed me to the floor. 

"That tickles." She said coldly before stomping down on my ribs repeatedly, each time feeling a crack. I gagged and cried, but no sound came out. I laid there, trying to crawl towards the door. My nails dug into the wood floor, leaving claw marks as I struggled to move. Before I could do anything, I felt something sharp pierce my stomach and left shoulder. I looked down to see some sort of greenish tentacle-like appendage lodged inside my abdomen. I immediately spat out what seemed like liters of blood, and I watched as the small female group retracted the thing that stabbed me.

"Enough, Gypsy." Said the ghoul with the voodoo doll mask, and the woman whined. When I couldn't move anymore I collapsed to the ground, coughing and wheezing as I struggled to sit up. My entire body felt numb and I hunched over. My vision was blurry as I stared at the hole in my stomach, my insides scrambled. The ghoul with the voodoo doll mask crouched to my level and he gripped my chin with a gloved hand, turning my head side to side as if examining me. "Humans really are such fragile things." He said softly before letting me go. I coughed violently, hunching over and spitting out more blood which stained the wood floor. The metallic taste filled my mouth and I gagged.

"Look what you did!" The younger male ghoul argued with the woman who went by the name Gypsy. She puffed her cheeks out childishly and crossed her arms, pouting.

"What? The doc said we had to bring her back alive. She's clearly not dead!" Gypsy retorted, stomping her foot against the floor angrily. The two began fighting with each other and the man in the suit looked back at them. They immediately stopped. My ears rang as I felt myself slowly losing consciousness. I spat out more blood, feeling my ribs crack as I fell over unable to keep my eyes open anymore.