Erase

Act 45: The Blade

"So, I accept your challenge." Said Shino. "What's my first task?"

"Very well. Your first challenge is..." Nana replied. "... carve three "number 7"s on your left arm."

"What... ?!" Said Shino.

"Carve it. With a razor blade." Nana replied. "Then show it to Nana once you're done with it."

"I... understand." Said Shino.

"Shino..." Mayuka replied. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to..."

"There's no other way..." Said Shino. "I have to do this... to get to the bottom of things."

"I mean, I used to cut myself several times before. To get away from the abuse of... my father." Shino replied. "But... I often faint at the sight of my own blood... and then I wake up, only to realize that... nothing happened.

"Now, razor blade." Shino continued.

"Okay..." Said Mayuka

Mayuka leaves for a while, eventually returning with a razor blade that she got from the bathroom.

"Here..." Said Mayuka.

Mayuka hands over the razor blade to Shino. Shino then proceeds to roll up her left sleeve, revealing a bunch of scars underneath.

Shino has been hiding the scars from her many failed suicide attempts for years by wearing clothes with long sleeves.

"Oh my..." Said Mayuka.

"What's wrong?" Shino replied.

"I mean, I've known about those scars of yours for a long time..." Said Mayuka. "But only now did I get to see how severe those were."

"Yeah... and now I'm about to add more of them." Shino replied, before taking a sigh. "Well, here goes..."

"Be careful, Shino." Said Mayuka.

Shino stares at her wrist for a while, before proceeding to cut three sets of slits, all shaped in the number "7".

Shino couldn't bear the sight her own blood, so she kept her as she let the sharp blade cut through her own skin, causing her to bleed profusely in the process.

Despite her efforts to hold back, Shino couldn't help but let out a slight yelp of pain as she continues to mutilate herself.

Meanwhile, Mayuka stood still, frozen in fear and sadness, not able to do anything about her friend as she opens up another wound in her arm for the sake of someone else.

By the end of it, Shino was exhausted after holding back her pain. She still hasn't opened her eyes, not wanting to see her own blood.

"Mayuka... iodine... quickly!" Said Shino, closing her eyelids tightly.

"Got it!" Mayuka replied, as she quickly goes to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.

After a few minutes, Mayuka eventually returns with a small bottle of iodine solution and a dozen cotton balls to disinfect the wound.

"Lightly and gently..." Said Shino.

"Okay..." Mayuka replied.

Mayuka opens the bottle of iodine solution and pours a small amount into a cotton ball, before lightly applying the solution onto Shino's wounds.

"Just stay calm, Shino..." Said Mayuka. "See? That's what I told you..."

After a few more minutes, the bleeding had stopped. All that's left are the freshly cut wounds on Shino's arm.

"It's okay, Shino. You can open your eyes now..." Said Mayuka.

Shino then opens her eyes to see the cuts she had made. The cuts looked rather crooked, but still readable enough to pass off as numeral 7s.

Shino takes a picture of her wounds, as per Nana's request, and sends it to her through Facebook Messenger. Her response came rather swiftly.

"Nice! Your wounds look cute (◕‿◕)"

"Next challenge tomorrow. Rest well! (⌒▽⌒)☆"

"That bitch had the guts to call your wounds 'cute'..." Said Mayuka.

"It's OK, Mayu. Just let her enjoy it while she can." Shino replied. "I'm just glad that it's over... for now, at least."

"Shino, we can't let Nana control us the whole week!" Said Mayuka. "We have to do something or else... Or else..."

"Or else... what?" Shino replied.

"Or else... I lose the most important girl in my life..." Said Mayuka, on the verge of tears. "The one friend that stuck with me through thick and thin... My girlfriend..."

"Mayu..." Shino replied.

"I wanna do something... Anything! Just so you can stay with me!" Said Mayuka, in between sobs. "I can't let them... take you away from me!"

Shino thought about Mayuka's anguished words, before coming up with an idea of her own.

"Call Yuichi." Said Shino.

"H-Huh? What do you-" Mayuka replied.

"We can't get to the bottom of this on our own." Said Shino. "From this point on, we'll have to get some help."

"But, Nana said-" Mayuka replied.

"Don't worry, Mayu. It's okay." Said Shino. "I trust Yuichi with my soul. He won't tell anyone else."

"Okay, if you say so." Mayuka replied. "I'll go dial him."

Mayuka, under the request of Shino, calls Yuichi's cellphone. After a few minutes, Yuichi eventually answers the phone.

"Hello?" Said Yuichi.

"Hey, Yuichi. It's me, Mayuka. I was just gonna ask you-" Mayuka replied.

"If it's about that 'Nana' shit, then don't ask me." Said Yuichi. "I know just as much as you do."

"Wait... you know about Nana too?!" Mayuka replied.

"I've been receiving weird messages from Nana since God knows when." Said Yuichi. "Why'd you ask?"

"Well... we talked to Nana... and she suddenly gave Shino these weird... creepy challenges." Mayuka replied.

"Wait, do you mean the Blue Whale Challenge...?" Said Yuichi.

"The Blue Whale Challenge...?" Mayuka replied.

"It's a social challenge thing from a few years ago." Said Yuichi. "Basically, the victim is given 50 challenges in 50 days by a certain 'curator' of sorts."

"Each of the challenges revolve around facing death, suicide and self-harm." Yuichi continued. "Things like, watching a certain video in 4:20 AM, or... carving things on your own arm..."

"Carving things on your own arm...?" Mayuka replied.

"Yeah. What about it?" Said Yuichi.

"Th-That's what Nana made Shino do!" Mayuka replied.

"What?!" Said Yuichi.

"Only difference is that... it's only 7 challenges in 7 days instead of 50..." Mayuka replied.

"... That bitch!" Said Yuichi. "I'll make her pay for what she's doing to Shino!"

"Wait, Yuichi! We don't know anything about her yet!" Mayuka replied. "We have to take things slow..."

"That said... I have a strong feeling that Nana is a participant." Mayuka continued. "And that she's just using the game as her way to eliminate Shino."

"In fact, I also have a feeling that... she might not even be a "she" at all..." Mayuka continued.

TO BE CONTINUED