"Man, I’m really excited about where we will go," the boy who was in the line right behind me as we were walking said and we chuckled. Honestly, we all were excited about where we were going. The only person who knew about this was the boy who made the map.
We all were marching together in a straight line with our leader at the front and me right behind him and behind me were the rest of the six boys. Our group of eight kids was excited to see where even where we were going. I had my eyes straight ahead with a big smile on my face and was swinging my arms as if I was a soldier marching in a march past.
We took a right and were entering the areas where we had a lot of abandoned factories and warehouses. Seeing what was ahead of us. We started being a bit worried. Our parents always told us never to get to that area at all. Alone or with anyone.
Mom told me that the place was used for manufacturing long ago but then it was stopped because the company owning all those factories went into a huge loss. It has been like that ever since. The structure wasn’t really that strong after all this time and there might be a chance that it may collapse. Moreover, it is rumored that the place is also where a lot of crime happens since no one really is there.
Remembering that information, I was a bit skeptical if we should go there but the boy with the map was just marching without a fear in the world. I looked at the boys behind me and saw them all happy and excited, I smiled and forgot all my worries. Doesn’t matter right now, we are just having fun. What’s the worst that can happen?
"And here we are!" the boy said and we were standing in front of an old factory. We looked at the door and found something peculiar. The lock was open which was weird since all these factories had been locked out.
"H-hey, are you sure we can be here?" one of the boys asked. "I don’t feel good about this."
"Worry not! I have already scanned the entire area before making a detailed map. Even if we were to be lost, we will be reaching our base safely all thanks to this map," he said holding the map proudly. Yea, I think I only saw somewhat of a way to get to the place on that map. "Are you sure?"
"Y-yea," he said and I just looked at him skeptically. "O-okay! Let’s go in now!"
He held the rusted handle on the door and started pulling it with great difficulty. We all joined him too and the door started to move more quickly. I looked at the rest and our faces dropped the moment we saw completely dark inside. It was as if that place was not meant to be somewhere we were supposed to be. We looked at each other and gulped.
"Hey guys, do you think it really is a good thing to be here at the moment?" one of the boys asked the question in everyone’s mind. We looked at each other hoping one of us to answer the thing we all wanted to hear.
"Let’s turn back and go home. Forget about this exploration."
That’s what we all wanted to hear someone say but no one did. We just stupidly kept staring at each other.
"L-l-l…"
One boy tried to open his mouth but the moment we started to look at him with expectations, he shut his mouth. I remember the feeling I felt when I looked back at the door one more time. Terror, pure terror was running through my body. I could feel something life-threatening lying inside those walls. Something we should stay away from.
I gulped and clenched my fists.
"Let’s hea- "
"Don’t be afraid my soldiers!" Before I could finish my sentence, it was cut short by the boy who made the map. We all looked at him and were uncertain of whether should we listen to him or not.
"But…I’m scared," spoke up one boy. "It’s too dark in there and mom always told me that there were monsters that hide in the shadows of these factories. They come out in the night hunting for children like us and lure us in so they can e-e-eat us…"
In a voice that got softer and more scared, he said everything he wanted to. His body was shaking in fear. He had always been the one who gets scared easily but this was the one time when we understood exactly why he was acting this way. It was understandable that he didn’t want to be here. No one did.
"Let’s head back," I said in a firm voice. "This place looks really dangerous and we shouldn’t be here in the first place. Our parents already told us to be here so coming here was already a bad idea."
They all looked at me and let out a sigh of relief. Everyone was accepting my proposal. Everyone but just one boy…
"But we have come this far. Turning bad would be stupid," the boy who made the map said clenching his fist. He was adamant to go inside to "explore". "Anyone who is a coward will turn back now. I’m going in, if you are not a coward then you’ll follow me!"
With those words, he dashed right into the building and we just stood there, staring at him. All of our eyes met and we ran after him. Not because we didn’t want to be cowards but to drag that guy out of there.
"Find him and then we’ll leave," I told them and they started running. We spread out on the premises and started looking for the boy. We were shouting his name and running.
The sounds of our footsteps were the only sound echoing in the structure of iron. The more we went inside, the darker it was starting to get. And then….
"AAAAAAAAA!"
We heard a scream from within the factory and it was a familiar voice. The boy who had the map ran right toward me in fear and pushed me out of the way. My back hit the wall and the sound resonated throughout the entire building. He didn’t even wait for me and dashed right before me without looking back. I looked to the other side seeing what he was running from but all I felt was a big hand on my t-shirt pulling me up. I turned towards the side and…and…
"Ugh, I don’t remember what I saw back then," I said hitting my head and holding it in pain.
"Kazu-kun…it’s okay. Don’t think too hard," Ai said holding my shoulder. "I already know everything that happened back then…I was looking at you, from afar…so it’s okay. There is no need for you to think that far."
I looked at her and the worried expression on her face made my face drop. I recomposed myself and got back straight up. Wanting to calm down, I started taking deep breaths only for my head to feel like it was hit with a big brick. I held my head with pain and it started to take over…
What is going on? Why are my memories getting distorted? I thought I remembered the entire story but why do I only remember bits and pieces?
"Would…like…kill…friends…."
What? What’s happening?
These are my memories, the voice is getting, deeper…
"I’m…sorry…"
Sorry for what?
"…Kazuki’s…fault…"
My fault?
"Yes…fault…"
Words, mere words, and distorted images were what I could see and hear.
Huh?
"…they…ran…"
They left me. Abandoned me in danger.
"…Kazuki!"
Mom’s voice?
"…leave…"
Dad?
"ARGH!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. The ache in my head turned into excruciating pain as if someone was splitting open my head into two.
Black.
Empty.
I entered a void.
I looked around and it felt like a familiar place. This is…
"Your mindscape. Pretty dark isn’t it." I looked behind me hearing Ethan’s voice.
"But why…this place hasn’t been like this before. Why is it changing like this?" I asked him and he lets out a little chuckle.
"Getting a bit rusty aren’t you boy," he said and pat my shoulder. "Well since the first is already here to help you fear not. Yes, this is your mindscape and it also is a reflection of how you are feeling. The reason why it has been dark before is because of all the negative thoughts, worries, and problems of the past, those things that you keep in you make this place the way it is. The reason why it’s so dark right now is also you boy. It’s your mind that is in turmoil right now because those emotions are getting stronger. The ache in your head is a direct reaction to the head getting overrun with memories you didn’t want to remember. All it takes is just one trigger and it comes back like a flood. A flood that can destroy any human."
"So that’s how it is," I said slowly recomposing myself. "Wait, if I’m here that means I’m unconscious?"
I looked at Ethan and he only nodded. I fell back as a chair appeared right below me and I bobbed my head back. You have got to be kidding me now. I looked around the place and it was pitch black. Darker than black at this point. I clenched my fist and got up.
"I know your story boy. Full well," Ethan said sitting down with a glass of wine. "You were portraying it with great detail I must say. But then, the memories stopped didn’t they? Images got distorted, and voices got deeper and scarier. Even the voices of your own parents. You couldn’t recognize those. That’s how bad of an experience you went through."
As his words entered my ears, I was overcome with sadness yet again and I sat down on the chair. Ethan’s chair drifted closer to me and he raised the glass and handed it to me.
"Drink up," he said.
"I don’t drink alcohol."
"Ahahaha," he broke out laughing and pat my back. "Boy, this is not alcohol."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, drink up and find yourself. What is it that you are drinking tell me how it tastes."
Though suspicious of his words, I looked at the drink and brought it closer to my nose to smell it.
This is…blood…
I looked up at Ethan and had my eyes wide open because even though I knew this was blood that was in the wine glass right before me…it smelled sweet it. It had an alluring scent to it which was drawing me closer to this scent. It was getting less bearable for me to…
Just a sip.
Just take one sip.
That’s all Kazuki.
There is no harm in one sip.
Right?
I moved the glass closer to my mouth and before my lips could touch the sweet liquid. The glass was snatched from my hands by Ethan and he gulped the entire thing in one go. I kept staring at him in shock and my mind went blank for a second.
Kill.
Kill.
Kill.
Kill.
Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.
Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.
Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.
"Kill," I muttered.
"Calm down now boy," Ethan said in a commanding and intimidating voice and stood up. He let out a scary aura and my legs start to shake in place. The emotion in me died down and fear took over me. "Good seems like it’s happening faster than I was expecting. Well, it is my blood so it does make sense.
"What do you mean?" I asked him in fear.
"You, Shiba Kazuki…" he said and I gulped. "…are going to turn into a vampire soon."
I’m sorry, what?
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