Chapter Forty-Four: Night Walk Through the Park:
Tsuzuki shone
his flashlight around in the darkness. Good, no one in sight. He turned back to
Hisoka behind him. The shinigami nodded and began their work into the Red
Garden. Right off the bat, the steps weren’t so loud.
“See anything
yet?” Tsuzuki whispered.
“Shhh,” Hisoka
hissed. His partner went quiet. They didn’t know what to look for. The
information they received didn’t give them much to work with. No pictures of the
creature. No witnesses. Just this park. Tsuzuki held his breath as he walked.
When did it get this dark so fast?
“Stay on your
guard,” Hisoka whispered. Tsuzuki nodded once. Their steps grew slower. When did
it get colder? The shinigami could see their own breaths. How long was this
trail again?
Suddenly, there
was a rushing noise from behind. Tsuzuki glanced behind.
“What was that?”
he asked.
“Just keep
going,” Hisoka whispered.
“But where?” the
other shinigami asked.
“Forward,” his
partner said.
“Okay…” Tsuzuki
said.
Drag. Drag.
Drag. Drag.
The older
shinigami drew out his fuda.
---------
He could smell
them from miles away. Oh yes. This would be the ultimate kill. He started
breathing heavily.
Yes. Yes. Yes!
His steps grew
faster. His tongue out, wagging. Kiko watched in horror. She started screaming,
but no sound came out.
The dragging
grew faster.
---------
Tsuzuki froze in
his tracks. “Hisoka!” His partner stopped and looked over his shoulder.
“What?” he
asked.
“Do you hear
that?” the older shinigami asked. Hisoka took a listen. The rustling in the
bushes came again. The shinigami backed up to each other. Panting noises began
circling them. Tsuzuki held up his fuda.
Come on… Come out and show yourself!
Footsteps
circled them faster. Hisoka jerked his head upwards.
“That way!” he
shouted. Tsuzuki turned to the right. Something started running towards them. It
couldn’t be seen.
“Look out!”
Tsuzuki shouted. Hisoka whipped around. A small cut stuck his cheek. But not
before stabbing the creature in the cheek with a small hidden knife. Screams
filled the air. The shinigami looked up. The howling hurt their ears.
“Hisoka…”
Tsuzuki said. A giant black body collapsed at their feet.
--------
Voiceless
screams came from the mouth. He rolled over on the ground. The younger shinigami
stepped forward. He could only be seen in the red and black waves. Fingertips
inched towards his body.
“Hisoka!” the
older shinigami shouted. The fingertips paused. He sprung back up. Blood ran
down his face. He breathed and spat. The sound floated into his head. Some words
came through.
He… Okay?
That voice. That
voice sounded so familiar. He gripped his teeth.
“You.” His voice
came out raspy.
“Huh?” Tsuzuki
asked. The next thing to happen was a speeding burst of wind. Five seconds. That
was all it took. Five seconds and he was gone.
Tsuzuki and
Hisoka stood around, blinking.
----------
Meanwhile,
Anna’s phone buzzed. Against her better judgement, she picked it up. Another new
text. Anna opened the message. She froze when she read the text.
“No…” she said.
Then her phone rang.
“Hello?” she
asked.
“I think we
found the monster,” Tsuzuki said on the other line.
“Yeah,” Anna
said, nodding. “I know. He texted me.”
“What?” he asked after a beat.