Chapter Six: Dark Woods:

-August 17th, 2011-

The following events are quite hazy at best. All parties involved could only describe it to the best of their memory. This was the jest of it:

-1:00 a.m.-

She opened her eyes to cold darkness.

“Hello?”

A high-pitched wail ran through her ears. She winced and rubbed her right ear. Something rushed behind her. She turned in the cold darkness. Nothing there. She couldn’t stay there. She looked for an exit.

All the same. Running behind her again. She turned her head. She’s not alone.

“Stay back! I don’t want to fight you! Who are you?” Did it suddenly get colder?

She’s seen this place before. Pitch black. Closed off feeling. Rushing. Scratching. Clawing. Scratch.

She froze when she heard panting. She glanced behind her. She is unarmed. No weapon. No cell phone. Just the crushing feeling around her.

But she’s not alone. She can’t see them. Not even the eyes.

“Who are you?!” she cried. Crunch. She slowly turned around. It stared her down as it panted.

“Oh…” she said. Its mouth was wide open.

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Anna ripped her eyes open. How many times had she had seen these blackened woods in her dreams?

“Anna-chan?” Tsuzuki whispered next to her. His wife’s eyes shifted to her right. Seeing his face should’ve calmed her down. Anna shook her head.

“It keeps pulling me back,” she said.

“What?” the shinigami asked. She sat up and got out of the futon.

“Usagi?” Tsuzuki asked. The door closed behind her. Her husband turned around in his room.

“Hello?” he asked. The shinigami noticed a pair of light orange eyes. He frowned and lowered his gaze.

“Who are you and what are you doing in our home?” Tsuzuki asked in a growl. The eyes vanished in the darkness. He turned back to the door. It didn’t take him long to get up and follow Anna out of their room.

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Anna stood out in the middle of the yard in her nightgown in a daze. Howling filled her ears and floated above her head. The dead black trees surrounded her. A silent voice called out to her.

“Anna! Anna! Anna!”

Someone grabbed her by the shoulder. She whipped around.

“Usagi-chan?” Tsuzuki asked.

“Asato… -kun?” Anna asked. She only heard the wind blowing by.

“What’s going on with you?” the shinigami asked. “Did you have a nightmare or something?” Anna trembled as she shook her head.

“I… I don’t know,” she said. Tsuzuki pulled her into his arms. He could feel those eyes on them again. The shinigami clutched Anna and wouldn’t let her go.