Devil's Wonderland

Tadpoles

Halo Four: Tadpoles:

Before the body in that fancy apartment, there was a trail of bodies leading to Ikebukuro. Not caused by demons, ghosts, or the groups involved in the Apocalypse Game. No, these deaths were caused by something or someone much worse. Angry, even.

This started back in March.

Kate Erina worked at a strip club in Kabukicho. Not as a dancer, she served the drink. On the surface, she smiled and acted all cheerful. Her patrons all adored her. Who could blame then? Her light brown hair came down to her waist. Her uniform looked good on with her curves. She looked so young in her face.

"You have a boyfriend?" her patrons would. Erina smiled and shook her head.

"I had one," she said. "But it didn't work out." The waitress would start to get sad thinking about it.

"I'm sorry to hear that," one of the men told her. Everything was staying calm. Erina did her best to keep up the façade.

The cracks grew deep that March.

The tenth started out as a normal night. There weren't many people that night. Erina had started her shift at the strip club. As usual, she tried not to touch anybody. She stood in front of the bathroom mirror and straightened up her uniform. Erina took a breath.

"I can do this," she said to herself. "Keep it together and don't touch anyone." She took one more breath.

"Right," Erina said. Then she walked out into the club. Everything was going fine. Erina did her best not to touch anybody to prevent... that from happening again. It looked like it was going to be a long night.

Around ten p.m., two men in their late twenties to early thirties walked in. They looked out of place in their causal clothes. Judging by the way they were looking around the club, the men were new to this place. Erina happened to look and spotted these men taking a seat near the stage.

She froze with the tray in her hands. A wave of memories of that place came back. The white halls under the blinking lights. The overwhelming smell of bleach. A pair of feminine hands strapped her down to a chair. She couldn't speak or scream. She couldn't move. Her eyes darted around frantically in the dark. Suddenly, the door closed in the darkness. The footsteps told her what was coming next.

"Miss? Miss? Hey. Hey!"

Someone grabbed her on the shoulder from behind. Erina turned around to see a man in his forties clutching her shoulder as his eyes went blank.

"I hate my boss but his daughter is really sexy," he admitted. "You look just like her in fact! Come here!" Erina freaked out as the man tried to kiss her. She pushed him away as fast as she could. The man just stood there, blinking.

"Uh... What just happened?" he asked. Erina started trembling before she turned and ran out of the club. All eyes were on her back.

Erina stood in the alleyway, panting. She started shaking. It took six years to complete therapy. Everything had been doing fine. Erina got a job, not a good one but it paid, and started living on her own. She grabbed her head.

"I can't go back that way! I can't go back that way!" the woman said over and over in herself. "I can't go back that way! I can't go back that way!"

Suddenly, a sharp chill ran up her spine.

Erina slowly turned around. A woman her age, maybe a bit older, stood at the other end of the alley with long black hair in a ponytail. She tilted her head.

"Erina?" the woman asked. The bar maid gave her an odd look.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" she asked. The woman walked up closer to her. Erina felt herself shrinking inside with each step. The two women stared each other down when they got close enough. Flashes of memory raced through Erina's head. Only one name came to her lips.