"Your fresh, milky blood… it carries such a pleasing aroma."
The creature's voice slithered toward Yuna on the freezing night wind—a warped, treacherous sound soaked in hunger. It continued to herd her toward the edge of the bridge, its claws flexing as if it were already imagining them sinking into her skin.
Yuna's mind raced, her thoughts tripping over one another as she struggled to keep it together. They're getting smarter? I—I don't believe it… She swallowed hard, the lump in her throat feeling like a stone. Despite the chill, sweat began to bead on her forehead.
But she wasn't alone.
From behind the crumbling wall of an old building overlooking the bridge, Takumi watched in silence. He stayed low, his breath controlled as faint puffs of warmth vanished into the air. His eyes were locked on the scene, searching for any opening.
He didn't have much time.
Then he spotted it: a maintenance light hanging directly above the walkway. The fixture was loose, swaying precariously on a frayed cable right above the monster's masked head.
"One good toss," he breathed.
He reached down and grabbed a smooth, heavy rock. If he hit the cable at the right angle, the light would fall, giving Yuna a window to run—and giving him a chance to pull the creature's focus. He stepped out just enough to get a clear line of sight, measuring the distance and timing his breath.
"I see it. Here goes nothing."
This time, he didn't whisper. Takumi stepped forward, planting his feet and putting more force into the throw than any ordinary person should have been capable of.
"Hey! Mask freak—over here!"
The rock tore through the night, a blur of motion driven by absolute precision. The creature's head snapped toward the shout, its glowing eyes locking onto Takumi with a roar of pure fury. In that instant, its intent shifted. Takumi wasn't a distraction anymore; he was prey.
As the beast coiled to launch itself at him, the rock hit its mark. The metal fixture shrieked as the cable snapped, and the rock ricocheted downward, slamming into the creature's mask. Staggered, the monster looked up just in time for gravity to finish the job.
The heavy light dropped like a fallen star, crashing onto the creature's head and slamming it into the pavement. Concrete buckled under the weight.
That was all the opening Yuna needed. She turned and bolted, her feet pounding down the staircase. By the time she disappeared into the city's maze, the creature was still clawing itself out from under the wreckage—wounded, screaming, and obsessed with the person who had dared to provoke it.
Takumi.
"You…" the creature groaned, its voice a ragged vibration of hate. "Meal. Tear you." It let out another roar, one that felt like it was shredding the air itself.
Takumi didn't flinch. He met the monster's glare with a calm, almost indifferent expression. "You want to bite me?" he said evenly. "Then come and get me."
The moment the words left his mouth, he spun and broke into a sprint.
"I will!" the creature shrieked. "Slaughter!"
It lunged after him, its spider-like limbs biting into the stone as it gave chase. The sound of claws striking the ground echoed right at Takumi's heels. He could feel the vibration of its pursuit, but he didn't look back.
The creature shifted effortlessly from the street to the walls, scuttling up the sides of buildings with terrifying speed. It leapt from roof to roof, keeping pace with ease. Below, Takumi wove through the streets, darting into alleys and changing direction constantly to throw it off.
"Faster than I thought," Takumi muttered, his legs beginning to burn. "Agile, too."
Ahead, he saw a narrow staircase tucked between two buildings. He dove into the passage, the walls closing in tight as he squeezed through at full speed. The creature reached the entrance a second later, but its massive frame slammed to a halt. It was too wide to follow.
Snarling in frustration, it forced its head into the opening, claws scraping violently against the stone. Then, it let out a weaponized screech—a sonic shockwave that ripped down the alley, rattling the walls and shaking the ground beneath Takumi's feet.
The message was clear: it would find another way.
"These things are way more relentless than I thought..."
Takumi rounded a corner and hugged the side of the building, staying out of sight. Once the sound of the pursuit died away, he slowed to a walk. He forced himself to take a long, slow breath, cooling the traces of panic that still lingered in his chest.
"Hope that gave her enough time," he muttered, his eyes scanning the empty street. "Better stay sharp." He leaned against a wall, resting his chin on his hand. "I really need to learn more about these things," he said quietly to himself. "There's got to be an explanation. Why most people can't even sense them."
On the other side of the district, Yuna had found her own hiding spot. She sat in the silence, her mind replaying the night over and over. She needed to steady herself, but her thoughts kept circling back to Takumi. He'd been there, despite her warnings.
"What is his problem?" she whispered. "Could he see it too?"
Her thoughts stumbled. No, that doesn't make sense. I thought I was the only one. She clenched her fists. There's no way he just guessed where to throw that rock. He shouted at it. He looked it right in the eye.
The realization hit her hard. Maybe he's different.
She wasn't alone. There were others who could see the monsters.
Her jaw set with resolve. "The second I see him in class, we're talking," she muttered. Then, almost like a plea: "Just don't die tonight, idiot. Show up in one piece."
Back in the shadows, Takumi pulled out his phone. He unlocked it and checked his contacts, but frowned. "Right... figures." He didn't have her number.
He paused, then opened the city's academic database. Aoshima's schools were big on transparency—officially for safety and global credentials, but unofficially, it made things very easy. He scrolled through the student profiles, his eyes sharp despite the exhaustion.
"Guess that saves me the trouble," he murmured. If the city wanted to make its data public, he wasn't going to complain. Not tonight.
To be continued...