Genre: Yandere/Horror
It was a dark stormy night, with your parents away on a business trip you'd expect this to be a quiet and peaceful night listening to the sounds of rain and lightning outside. But little did you know... Fate had different plans...
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Y/N's POV
"How are you always here at the most convenient times...?" I asked.
"As I said, my friend, I go where money is made, I'm certain you'd want more of my medicine and supplies, am I right?" He asked and I slowly nodded.
After buying herbs and ammo from him, I loaded my pistol magazine and tucked it in my pocket. To top it off, I managed to get a good deal to buy hollow-point rounds which will surely pack a punch even to Vampires or whatever monstrosities they throw at me.
"I will say, you are the first man to ever make it this far..." Jake mentioned counting the money and I raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean, the first?" I asked a bit cautious and he chuckled.
"Don't get me wrong; the last men I encountered were strong, but not strong enough to endure in this unforgiving kingdom. They bought from me, and I never heard from them again. I suspect the Queen eliminates those proven unworthy to her," he replied.
"Guess, I'm lucky, huh?" I remarked and he chuckled.
"It wasn't luck, my friend; you're talented and determined, having demonstrated that time and time again. As a token of appreciation for your loyalty, I'd like to offer you this," Jake said, reaching into his cart and handing me a 12-gauge Winchester shotgun.
"Sweet, thanks a lot, Jake," I thanked him checking out the shotgun pumping one shell in the chamber and slinging it on my shoulder.
"It's all part of my esteem in customer service, mate, Kazuha's palace is just beyond the cherry tree forest but as I said, I advise you to keep on your toes," Jake advised and I nodded.
Venturing into the cherry tree forest, cherry leaves were all over the ground as the wind blew slowly giving an ominous warning of what was to come.
It wasn't long until the mist started coming down as I was approaching the lake indicated on the map. I saw an oar sitting on the shore and sighed as I knew it was the only way to go to the estate.
The mist clung to the lake like a shroud, the still water reflecting the faint glow of the crescent moon. I gripped the oar tightly as the rowboat scraped against the dock, the sound echoing in the eerie silence. My pulse hammered in my ears. I climbed out and stared at the estate looming ahead—a sprawling, dark wood structure shrouded in shadow, its faintly glowing lanterns casting flickering light over the gravel pathways and bonsai trees.
The air felt heavy, thick with the scent of pine, damp earth, and something metallic that I couldn't quite place. It wasn't fear I felt—no, fear would have made me turn back. This was something else, a bone-deep awareness that I was stepping into a trap.
"I advise you to keep on your toes..." Jake's words echo in my head.
The path crunched beneath my boots as I approached the front door. My fingers tightened around the key, but I hesitated before using it. The door slid open on its own, an unsettlingly smooth motion that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Inside, the room was dimly lit, and the air smelled faintly of jasmine... and blood. The walls were lined with mannequins—dozens of them, maybe more. They were posed in traditional Japanese clothing: kimonos, hakama, and yukata. Their painted faces were so lifelike that I almost believed they could blink.
Almost.
I stepped inside, my hand unslinging my shotgun keeping on alert for any dangers. The door slid shut behind me with a quiet click, and the faint hum of a melody drifted through the air. I froze, scanning the room as I pointed the barrel of my shotgun.
Nothing moved.
"They're just mannequins," I muttered under my breath, but even as I said it, the words rang hollow. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. Their painted eyes seemed to follow me as I moved deeper into the room, their presence oppressive.
One of them stood out. She was near the staircase, dressed in a crimson kimono embroidered with silver sakura blossoms. Her expression was different—not serene or blank like the others, but something else. Calculating. Predatory.
"What fresh hell have I gotten into this time...?" I muttered to myself.
I swallowed hard and turned my focus to the staircase. I needed to reach the top floor where I assumed Kazuha was waiting. I placed a foot on the first step, and then it happened.
The sound of rustling fabric cut through the silence. I spun around, pointing my shotgun, just in time to see one of the mannequins lunge at me. She wasn't the crimson one—it was a woman in a lavender kimono, her porcelain face twisted into a snarl. Her red eyes gleamed in the faint light, and her fangs flashed as she struck.
I ducked, narrowly avoiding her claws, and quickly aimed my sights at the mannequin before pulling the trigger and sending a wave of lead pellets turning it into a cloud of dust.
Then before I knew it all hell broke loose.
The mannequins began to move. They came at me from every direction, their stiff, lifeless bodies suddenly fluid and vicious. I pumped the next shell in the chamber before firing at them the wave of pellets effective in large numbers but each time I killed one, more and more would come to life.
But I knew I couldn't keep this up forever as I would burn through all of my ammunition in hand and quickly made my way to the staircase.
By the time I reached the top of the stairs, I was breathing hard, my hand clenching on the shotgun and loaded shells into the tube and one in the chamber.
The door to the top floor was ajar, and I pushed it open with the last of my strength.
The room was bathed in moonlight, its shoji screens casting intricate shadows across the tatami mats. Sitting calmly on a low cushion was Nakamura Kazuha. She was beautiful in the way that only monsters could be—otherworldly, flawless, terrifying. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her crimson eyes gleamed with amusement as she sipped from a steaming cup of tea.
She smiled at me, a slow, predatory smile that sent a chill down my spine.
"You've made it farther than I expected," she said, her voice as smooth and cold as silk.
"I've come to end this fucking madness, Kazuha, I don't know what you and Jieun have planned for me but I'll ensure it won't come through," I said pointing the shotgun at her and she chuckled.
"Oh, so impatient are you? You haven't gotten to the final act yet, but what's hidden will often come to light and you will find your true destiny here," She replied in an enigmatic tone as she set the cup down on the table.
"But tell me, do you really think you can leave here alive?" She asked with a wicked smirk gracefully rising to her feet as her hands clenched to the tsukas of her katanas.
Suddenly the door slid shut behind me with a quiet, sinister finality. Turning my head back towards her she grinned.
With movements fast as lightning she unsheathed her katana the wind blowing out the candles and making the room nearly pitch black with only the open ceiling of the moon casting down the only source of light.
