The Faces We Do Not See

Chapter 01

You lay silently in the darkness of your bedroom, the only sound to be heard was the rain splattering against the window, the neon lights of Tokyo reflecting off of them to fill the room with hues of red, blue, and green. You roll to your side, peering out of the window, a helicopter catches your attention, shining its spotlight on the ground, scouring the streets for something or someone. You let out a sigh and stretch, pulling your phone from the table beside your bed, to look at the time, "10:14" you rubbed your forehead, "Another sleepless night..." you sighed.

The light from the bathroom was harsh but you quickly adjusted. You looked at yourself in the mirror, taking notice of the dark bags under your (e/c) eyes, "Well don't you just look pitiful" you mock to yourself and splash some water over your face. You move to the living room and seat yourself on the middle of the couch, flicking through the same boring channels, running the same boring programs. Eventually you came across the news. On the screen were four black bags on the ground, roughly in the shape of people. The man in the foreground began speaking, "It is with regret that I must inform the public of the tragic murder of the Takoyama family". Your eyes skim the headline, "Another attack from The Butcher?". You refocus your attention on the newsman as he continued, "The victims consisting of Hiro Takoyama age forty-two, Disefume Takoyama age 39, Fujitoma Takoyama age 12, and Juni Takoyama age 8". Their pictures displayed as they were announced, it looked like a happy family, so why'd they have to die?

These thoughts troubled you for a few moments before you turn your attention draws back to the TV, "Evidence shows that this gruesome scene was caused by the infamous ghoul " The Butcher", and we will be turning to the head of the CCG, Sosuke Watami for more information."

The screen shows what looks like a conference room and a rough-looking man stands at the podium, flashes of cameras highlighting his face every three seconds and a myriad of questions bombard him, as if he had any chance of answering them all.

Finally, he speaks up, his voice filled with authority and decisiveness, "The CCG shall be taking full responsibility of this families tragic fate, as Diehara Shinbaki also known as "The Butcher" still roams the streets due to his ability to evade our authority at every turn, I can assure you all that a team has begun tracking him, and we shall not allow him to continue to escape us or our justice."

Your eyes fall on the two men standing behind him, they wore white coats and you recognize them as Investigators, they carried silver briefcases of some kind and seemed nervous from all the attention. Then, to the crest on the podium, a dove with the letters "CCG" covering it.

Watami spoke up again, "I would like to introduce you all to Tsunoda Harumi, a first-class investigator" Watami stepped to the side, looking to his left, and a woman entered frame, her dark blue heels clacked against the wooden surface of the podium, she had bleach blonde hair and pale blue eyes and wore a dark blue formal suit and tie. She stared straight into the camera as she spoke.

"Good evening, everyone, I am Tsunoda Harumi" she introduces herself with a bow, "I and several others will be working within the 13th ward to catch this monster..." your eyes widened, "My apartment is just on the outskirts of the 13th ward, and that Butcher guy was here?"

You walked to your front door, making sure that the door was locked, then mentally facepalming, "The Butcher is a ghoul, what good would locking my door do?" you say to yourself.

The news continues on, talking about traffic and the weather. Seeing as all the important topics had already been discussed, you turn the TV off, and pour yourself a hot cup of coffee, tasting the bitterness that sets you at ease, and you begin getting dressed, deciding to just go with a basic black, long sleeve shirt, and blue jeans. You sigh, scrolling through your your messages, and see a missed call from your friend, Hajime. You decide to return his call, as usual he lets the phone ring three times before answering.