Forest

Chapter One; Dylan's pov

        As we boarded the train, I could feel my heart beating fast in my chest. I was so anxious, so excited. I had always loved exploring, ever since I was like 12, and was ecstatic when I found out we were going to Mount Fuji as a field trip.

         I put my luggage beneath my seat, and sat down. It would be a long trip from Pennsylvania to Japan. I put my headphones in, and leaned against the window. I drifted away to the sound of my music and the world passing by as I watched out the windows of the train.

    I woke a little while later, it was dark outside. I checked my phone, it was 8:45. It would take days to get there, with 2 to 3 breaks daily. It would take a while, but I believed it would be worth it. The sight-seeing, the exploration, all of it seemed breathtaking and magical. I grabbed a water from my backpack and took a sip, then, I leaned back against the window, looking around.

   My friend Colby eventually got tired of his friend group and came and sat beside me, "Hey." He said, setting his bag next to him. "Hey." I smiled. He rolled his eyes, "This ride is going to be torture. I'm sick of it already." he chuckled, running his finger through his hair. He was wearing a black tee with light faded blue jeans. Colby was a tall dude, muscular. He had baby blue eyes and brown hair. He also had a grey beanie. He and I were like best friends since elementary school. He had given me a matching beanie for my birthday, which I actually had in my luggage. He leaned on me, putting his earbuds in and soon falling asleep. He was snoring on me, not long after that. I giggled softly and started to drift off to sleep, again.

The next day, our teacher, Mr. Morris, woke everyone up as we came to a stop. There was a store inside a small shack. He told us to get out and stretch and buy anything we needed or wanted. We'd only be there for 10 to 15 minutes. Colby groaned and grabbed his wallet, "Wanna come with me?" He asked. I yawned, "Not really." He smirked, "Aww that's tough." he laughed and pulled me up. I groaned too, "Colbyyy." I whined. 
We bought energy drinks and bars, sodas and waters. He bought some painkillers and a small first-aid kit just in case something happened. I grabbed a hand-sanitizer along with my drinks and snacks.

  Soon, everyone got back on the train and we took off again. It was only 7 am. I was ready to sleep the rest of the trip. Which was like a day and a half. Colby sat back down, but this time on the opposite side of the booth. "Wanna play a game?" He asked. I rolled my eyes playfully, "No, I wanna sleep." I laughed. "Lame-O." He scoffed, then laughed. "Come on, just one game." He said, smirking and pulling out Uno. He knew it was my favorite game. "You.." I began but trailed off. "Fine. One game." I said, giving in. I sat up. "You deal though." I said. He nodded, "alright." He shuffled and dealt out 7 cards. We played for about 10 minutes before I won, just like i said I would. "No fair, I want a rematch!" Colby said. I shook my head, "Nope, I said one game." I laughed. "Damnit." He chuckled. "Fine." He put the cards away, then laid down on the seat.
I did the same. I was exhausted. We all were. I hated traveling long distance, but I couldn't wait to get to the mountain.

  We had several more stops and breaks along the way. Several bathroom breaks and several position changes. Eventually, we were in Japan. Not quite there, but finally in Japan. I felt relieved, and surprised as I didn't get sick once. The ride had gotten more jolty and not as smooth as it was.

  Mr. Morris came back to our car, "Everyone remain calm. There is a slight operational issue going on, but they are doing their best to resolve it quickly. We should be at Mount Fiji in the next 2 hours or so." He explained. Sight operational error?

  I didn't like the sound of that. I took a sip of water, trying to remain calm. The train jolted once again and the water splashed on my face. Colby laughed so hard that there was barley sound coming out of his mouth. I glared at him playfully as I grabbed a towel and wiped my face off. "Fuck you." I whispered. He smiled, "Love you too best friend." He winked. I rolled my eyes and watched out the window.

An hour passed, the ride was still jumpy. I looked at Colby then out the window. "Aren't we near that suicide forest? It's part of the mountain right?" I asked. "The one that's allegedly haunted and makes people kill themselves?" Colby asked. I nodded, studying the surrounding area.

"It's not just a legend. It really is haunted. But not by ghosts." A kid, Mikey said from across the aisle. We looked at him. "Not by ghosts?" Colby repeated. "By spirits. Angry spirits." Mikey nodded. "They're called 'yūrei'"
  "How do you know all that?" I asked, intrigued. He moved closer, "I studied all this about a year ago. I love the supernatural and all that. And that's not all I know." He said. Colby and I listened intensely. "People really go there to kill themselves. It's not always the case, sometimes they go just to visit. There is a path. You're not supposed to leave the path, and you're not supposed to stay in the forest after dark. Bad things happen." He said. "Bad things?" I repeated. "The forest does things to people. It messes with their head and thoughts. It makes people see things." He said. "God damn." Colby said, rubbing the back of his neck. Mikey nodded, "Some people do come back out, most don't though. Whether they wanted to kill themselves or if the forest and spirits and stuff made them do it." he said.

  "That's actually insane. I read about it a little bit before we got on the train but I didn't find that much information." I said. "It is." Mikey nodded. It was very intriguing, but actually terrifying all at once. I was glad we were going to the pretty, pleasant Mount Fiji part of the mountain. Just then, Colby was about to speak but was cut off.

   All of a sudden, the train jolted and jiggled non-stop for about 15 seconds before it completely derailed. I heard screaming, stuff falling and crashing around us. I heard the rails squealing and for a minute, I saw sparks. The whole car was rolling and hitting things. I tried to scream but couldn't. Then...Everything went black.