It wasn’t long before they began trudging through dirt and mud again. This forest seemed to be never-ending, at least to Aina. One path led up to another one, but none of them led to an exit. But what bothered Aina the most, was their lack of signal. It wasn’t just Akira’s phone – none of their phones seemed to work. They wouldn't be able to contact anyone, as long as they remained in this forest.

“Alright, here’s the plan,” Akira said resolutely. “First, we get out of here. Then, we’ll contact the police and inform them of everything that happened. They’ll be willing to help and locate the others, so we should leave the rest to them.”

That seemed like a good idea – but only for the time being. They wandered, twisting between the soaring trees. Their feet thumped against the forest ground, and their heavy breaths grew short. Then, they halted. They were at a crossroads.

Aina cast fixed glances at the two different routes. They were in actuality pretty similar, winding alongside a chain of ominous trees, the bare earth buried in scarlet leaves. They receded from view in the thick night, as if hidden, tucked away in the depths of the forest.

“Which way do we go?” Aina asked.

“I say we go right,” Rini replied hastily. “Since, you know, the left one looks kind of c-creepy.”

Kazuya gave her a glance of annoyance. “They look exactly the same.” Then, he straightened his features into a more neutral expression. “But fine. We’ll take the right path.”

Akira nodded, leading the team down the route. Twigs and branches snapped under their feet. The somber path narrowed as they sauntered, the trees encircling them from every direction. Aina couldn't tell how much time had passed. An uneasy feeling crept its way through her mind, and dread started growing in the pit of her stomach. She understood why when they reached the end of the pathway.

They were at a crossroads. The lane had looped them back to where they started.

Rini gulped. “W-what do we do now?”

“Let’s go left this time,” Akira answered, seemingly searching for a flash of approval on their faces. “We’ll have to try.”

Kazuya let out a deep sigh. “It won’t make a difference. We should’ve been out of this forest hours ago, but instead, we’re stuck in some kind of loop.”

“In any case, we can’t stand around and do nothing,” Aina said sharply. “Right now, it’s better that we try instead of giving up.”

“I sure hope you’re right.”

This time, the four of them advanced down the left route. The pathway was almost identical to the right one - no, it was completely the same. The pattern in which the bushes and trees stood, towering over them, and the way the path narrowed further down, forcing the four to walk shoulder to shoulder. Aina couldn’t cast the uneasy feeling away. She couldn’t help but think, that it didn’t matter what they did. It didn’t matter which path they took. In the end, they would end up nowhere.

“Hey.” Kazuya halted and pointed his finger. “Haven’t we seen that sign before?”

Akira aimed the rays of the flashlight in its direction and the four of them glared at the jagged, red signboard. The word, ‘STOP’, was written on it with bold capital letters. Though the letters had once been white, Aina presumed, some of them were stained brown with dirt. Rust had chewed its way up the dark metal pole, leaving it dingy and discolored.

Right behind the sign, trees stood, concealing whatever existed on the other side, as if they were keeping a secret.

“What’s going on?” Akira questioned not only his teammates but seemingly himself too. “It’s almost like we’re walking in circles.”

“That’s because we are, genius,” Kazuya said in an irritated manner. “Look, we’ve probably already followed every single pathway that exists in this cursed forest, and it led us nowhere. We need to think out of the box to get out of here.”

The four of them became silent as the grave. Well, Aina doubted that they had followed every single path, but Kazuya did have a point. Something wasn’t adding up. It was as if the forest had imprisoned them, forcing them to go on for an eternity, just to end up where they started.

Aina exhaled. It was all so surreal.

“I think I have an idea.” Akira’s voice broke the silence between the teammates. “If we’re stuck in a loop, we obviously need to do something to get out of it. Everything we’ve done up until now has been no use because we’ve followed the paths that already existed. To get out of the loop, we need to create a pathway, ourselves.”

The rest of them stared at him, with a sparkle of confusion in their eyes, until he lifted his hand and pointed a finger at the stop sign.

Or rather, he pointed at the nonexistent path behind it.

“I don’t like this,” Rini whimpered and cringed with fear. “I mean, the stop sign must be placed there for a reason.”

Aina frowned, stroking her chin with her hand. “You do have a point. But if we follow the path like before, we’ll most likely just end up where we started again.”

“Most likely?” Kazuya shook his head. “We'll definitely end up where we started. I don’t want to waste my time walking in circles like an idiot. But if you insist, Rini, you can do it on your own. That is if you want to stay here forever. But you don’t want that, do you?”

Rini knitted her brows together, but she didn’t respond. The answer was obvious, after all – they all wanted to get out of here.

“Let’s go,” Akira nearly said in a whisper, as he approached the stop sign. The rest of them followed suit.

It was pitch black on the other side of the trees. It wouldn’t even make a difference if Akira turned off the flashlight. For a second, Aina wondered if she had closed her eyes. But she hadn’t. She was just staring into an endless abyss.

She carefully lifted her foot off the ground, stepping forward. She never should’ve done that.

“Aina!” Her teammates' voice rung in her ears, but it was already too late.

Her foot twirled, slipping on the mud. Then, she twisted forward and fell.

Down a hill.

Air escaped her lungs, as she hurtled down. Her body swirled in the air, then bumped against the rock-hard ground, spinning through twigs and branches. They pierced through her skin like upright needles. The sharp pain engulfed her internals as if fire burned her guts to ash.

It eventually came to a stop. It was as if the whole world was whirling around. Aina panted, blood oozing out of the red gashes in her skin. She laid on the side with her bare face against the cold, moist earth. But she couldn’t stay here forever. She winced, forcing herself up.

The entire place was immersed in pitch darkness. In blindness, Aina zipped down the pocket of her cardigan and slid a hand in there. She was relieved, at the bottom of her heart, that she had worn clothes with zippers. Or else, the flashlight she had placed there would’ve been long gone.

She shone the flashlight to the left, to the right, and in multiple other directions, just to recognize any path which led her away from here. But it was as if she was locked inside a dark, empty room, only surrounded by the dead of night.

For a second, she thought she was. Then, she caught a glimpse of a sculpted figure fixed to the ground. It had to be around four feet tall, standing upright, its top curving like an arch. Aina neared it, anxiety welling up within her.

It was a tombstone. Right in front of her.

Her breath trapped. Was someone buried here? In the middle of nowhere? She couldn’t believe it, even if she tried. The place didn’t consist of anything but obscurity. Something was off. Very off.

She approached it, her legs shaking for every step she took. She knew why, when she ran her eyes down the engraved stone.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

“This will be your grave, Aina.”

.

.

.

Aina froze, her heart thumping fiercely against her rips. Why was her name written on it? Was it a coincidence?

Or was she gazing at her own grave?

Aina shook her head, banishing the insidious thoughts. There was no way it wasn’t a coincidence. Someone with the same name was buried here. It wouldn’t mean it was going to be her. There was no way. In any case, she had to get out of here.

She swirled around in circles, swinging the flashlight in all directions in a desperate attempt to discover an exit. But there was nothing to see. It was as if the darkness had swallowed the entire forest. The trees, the leaves, the earth, leaving nothing. Nothing but oblivion.

Aina drew in a shaky breath. Where were Akira and the rest of her team? They should’ve shown up ages ago. So, why? Did something happen to them?

Or perhaps something would happen to her.

No, don’t think that, she sought to convince herself. She disliked admitting it, but her heart pounded in her chest with terror. It was too dark, too quiet.

And she was all alone.

If only someone were with her…

“Hello, Aina.”

Aina’s heart jumped in her chest. She spun around. The flashlight fluttered along with her trembling hand. She forgot how to breathe.

“What’s wrong? You seem rather jumpy.”

That voice. She recognized it. Aina peered into the dark, frantically observing the person in front of her through her hazy vision. She could barely make out a pair of eyeglasses and long, braided hair before she knew who it was.

“Class Rep!” Aina puffed in relief and found herself being able to move again as if the ice around her body had melted. She inhaled, her heartbeat pacifying. She had gotten so worked up over nothing. Yet, it had simply been Rai. But why was she all alone? Where were the rest of her team?

No. That didn’t matter, right? Aina had been separated from her team, herself. There was nothing suspicious about it.

“I’m fine,” Aina eventually breathed out, when she realized she had been too lost in thought to answer her question. “I’m fine, now.”

Class Rep raised her eyebrows in concern. “I can tell you’re not! You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Please tell me what happened.”

Aina stood motionless. For an instant, she thought she could hear a slight shift in the tone of her voice. Perhaps it was just her imagination?

She slightly opened her mouth, hesitating for a moment. Then, she told her everything she knew. About the severed arm Akira discovered, the way the forest never seemed to end, how they got separated from each other and ultimately, the tombstone with her name on it. It was as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders, being able to share the information she and her team had gathered. This had been Akira’s plan from the very beginning – to warn Class Rep. She would know what to do.

“In any case, we all need to get out of here,” Aina concluded. “Something happened, for sure.”

“You’re right,” Class Rep said after a period of silence. “That does sound very strange. Particularly the part with the tombstone.”

“Yeah, but it has to be a coincidence. There’s no way it’s actually about me.”

Rai frowned as if she was deep in thought. “That might be true. But we won’t know if we don’t try to find out. I want to help you, I really do.” She stepped forward, her sincere eyes staring into Aina’s. “Maybe we can find some clues as to what it means if we look into the matter. So, could you show me the tombstone?”

Chills went down Aina’s spine. There it was again. The change in the tone of her voice. It was dull, almost hollow. Was she truly imagining it? She had to be. Maybe she had hit her head too hard falling down the hill. Rai was trying to help her, Aina knew that. They had known each other for years, so why would anything change about her now?

Aina nodded in response to Rai's question and directed the flashlight at the tombstone. Rai's heavy treads became strident in Aina’s ears, as she strode ahead.

“That’s certainly terrifying,” Class Rep said in a monotone voice. As if she didn’t think of it as terrifying.

Aina gulped. Her breath's cloudy mist escaped her mouth, as she exhaled. When did the temperature drop so quickly? There was not even a breath of wind, yet the cold drilled into her skin. As if her heart pumped clumps of ice to her very fingertips, instead of blood.

“I mean, it will be a shame when you die,” she added in a tingling whisper in Aina’s ear.

Aina formed a weak smile on her lips. Class Rep was right. It would be a shame when…

Every single muscle in her body stiffened.

When she died? Not if she died?

No, ‘when’ is the right term, Aina's thoughts ran through her brain. Everyone dies at some point. Still, Aina didn’t know what to say. It felt like she was just waiting for something to occur, for her fate to unfold.

“Y-yeah,” she stuttered nervously. She never did that.

“You know, I think I know what the tombstone means,” Class Rep said, a faint smile forming on her lips.

Anxiety entered Aina’s body, like a roaring waterfall. Her senses screamed at her to flight. But why? This was Class Rep. She could trust her.

Right?

…

Right?

…

Wrong.

“It means, I have a request, Aina. So, I was wondering…"

Her heart thumped so loudly in her ears, she could hardly tell what Rai was saying. But she knew one thing.

She was doomed.

“... if I could rip out your guts?”

…

“I bet they’re tasty.”

Aina wasn’t imagining things. It was that tone again. It was so grating, so sharp, like long nails scraping harshly against a chalkboard.

So bloodthirsty.

Aina felt the panic suffocating her. Rai’s sclera shifted to onyx, and her once circular pupils became vertical slit, like a reptile. Her sky-blue irises gleamed with malice in the night, her lips parting into a nefarious grin.

But that smile was unlike anything Aina had ever seen.

The corners of her mouth stretched to the top of her cheeks. As if slit with razors from ear to ear, leaving a deep scar in the shape of a smile.

Aina took a stride backward. Her knees weakened. Her mouth stood agape, but not a single noise came out of it. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry out.

“I take that as a no, then.” Class Rep grinned, saliva dripping down her chin.

That smile was a smile of hell.

Aina bolted. Her throat and chest rasped for every breath she drew. She didn’t care where she ended up. She didn’t care if she came to die falling down another hill. She just had to get far, far away.

Her heartbeat echoed in her head, her feet thudding against the mushy mud. She couldn’t see a thing, only barely making out the gloomy trees in the distance. To her, this place wasn’t just dark. It was as if she was running in complete blindness. The wind lashed against her face, her hair fluttering behind her. Where was Rai?

She glanced behind her shoulder for a second, but her vision was only met by the darkness she had sprinted past. She couldn’t detect a presence other than herself. What was going on? Had she outrun her?

Aina forced herself on, continuously lifting her heavy feet off the ground. It didn’t matter if Rai wasn’t here. It didn’t matter if she had outrun her. She just had to keep going. One mistake and her life would be over. She didn’t doubt that for a second.

Then, she abruptly halted. She was at a crossroads.

Aina swore under her breath, dashing down the left path. She didn’t have time to consider things through. In any case, she’d rather be stuck in a loop for all eternity, if it meant that Rai – no, the demon, wouldn't be eating her guts. She gagged just by the thought of it.

Aina didn’t know how much time had passed. Thoughts and questions crept their way through her mind – what if Rai was right on her tail?

Aina peered behind her shoulder again. She gradually halted, dragging her feet. A chilly gust of wind caressed her skin. She was all alone. Hope bubbled up within her. She had done it. She had escaped Rai.

Aina exhaled deeply in relief. Then, fingers closed around her ankle.

Rai yanked her leg, hauling Aina backward to the ground, knocking the wind out of her. Aina forcefully kicked her legs in a desperate attempt to come free. But it made no difference. Rai crawled on top of her body. Her skin was frigid, the heat diminishing inside Aina. As if it was being sucked out.

Rai raised her arm above her head and thrust her razor-sharp claws through her abdomen, blood escaping Aina's lips through a wheezing cough. A puddle of crimson rapidly soaked her shirt, the warm liquid sticking to her skin. Rai’s hand dug vehemently through her insides, her floppy liver and guts spilling out all over the place.

Her ice-cold fingers closed around Aina’s wrist, the cold drilling through her skin.

“I suppose I should thank you for granting my other two requests.” Her breath tickled against Aina’s ears as if insects crawled inside of it. “But since you don’t want to grant my last one, I guess I should grant it myself.”

The lust of blood in her voice crept into Aina’s ears. It was written all over her face. She was truly going to…

Eat her.

Rai strengthened the grasp around her wrist and pulled. A burning pain of blazing fire ran through her body. Her joints screamed in agony.

Then, she wrenched harder, blood gushing out at an alarming rate. Aina's skin tore at her shoulder, like a lifeless piece of cloth being ripped apart. The flesh of her arm split from the rest of her body and her muscles and nerves cut into shreds, like a saw slicing through her. Back and forth. Back and forth. Slowly. Excruciatingly painful.

The bones in her body shattered into pieces and pierced through her skin, her inner organs. Like daggers, sharp enough to cut through steel, penetrating her tissues from within. And it hurt.

So, so bad.

Aina screamed. She screamed until her chest burned from within. Until her voice became so hoarse, she could barely recognize it as her own. Until it merely disappeared in the heavy air, devoured by the deadly night. Maybe, just maybe someone would hear her.

But no one turned up.

Akira. Rini. Kazuya. Where could they possibly be?

Her heart pounding in her ears so loudly, she was sure Rai could hear it too. She could only listen, as Rai champed the gory mess of her flesh, her guts. The sound of her fingers and bones cracking and the way she crunched them underneath her teeth. The smell of her own blood lingering in the air. The way it smeared around Rai’s wide mouth, like jam, and the continuous sound of it dribbling down her chin. One second after another, as it softly landed on her cheek, like it was raining.

As she ate her.

But she knew, that soon she wouldn’t be hearing it. She wouldn’t be hearing anything.

Soon, she would be dead.