𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑-𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓、 TICCI TOBY.

𝜗𝜚.𝟎𝟕

"I'll be right back with that coffee for you, Miss!"

So, I waited and waited. Ten minutes passed, and I began to wonder: how long did it take for one person to make a coffee? It wasn't until I stood and approached the area that I felt something wet under my shoe.

Looking down, I saw the floor covered in deep red blood. My body trembled with fear. As I cautiously pushed open the swinging door, I was met with the horrifying sight of the waitress's lifeless body lying on the ground, her eyelids missing and her mouth carved into a grim smile. I recoiled in horror, feeling nauseated as I noticed her lower half was missing.

Following the trail of blood, my gaze settled on a pair of black Converse shoes. Trembling, I slowly raised my eyes to meet the gaze of the perpetrator. I felt paralyzed as a man with scarred white skin stared back at me, his pale blue eyes piercing through me. The twisted smile on his face seemed to widen as he noticed my presence.

"Hi there," he husked, his voice sending shivers down my spine.

As he took two steps closer, I felt rooted to the spot. Fear gripped my mind and body, rendering me unable to move. I desperately wanted to turn and run, to do anything, but I was immobilized.

"You look familiar. Hm," he mused.

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled-up picture. I watched as he smoothed it out, then held it up beside my face.

"Hm," he hummed again, inching uncomfortably close to me.

"Cleo, Aikawa," he uttered my name, causing me to exhale a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

His presence continued to unsettle me as he delicately placed the tip of his blade beneath my chin.

"Have you seen him? The bald guy, he's a bit tall," he inquired.

Was he seriously asking me this now? I felt the tension release from my shoulders, allowing me to move again, yet fear still gripped me.

What bald guy was he talking about?

The man glanced around, scratching his neck in discomfort at the silence. "Are you going to answer my question, or what?" he demanded, prompting me to give him a puzzled look. I furrowed my brows, finding the entire interaction perplexing.

"Uh, are you... serious right now?"

The man in front of me attempted to form a frown, but it came out more like a downturned motion of his mouth. He let out a sigh of frustration, rubbing his temple irritably.

"Bald guy, about yay tall," he gestured widely with his hand, "Has no face and wears a black suit."

As he described this mysterious figure, a smile involuntarily tugged at my lips. "Is he dangerous? Why would he wear a suit?" I found myself asking, momentarily forgetting about the lifeless body sprawled in the room.

"That's a good question, actually... I don't know," he admitted.

A brief silence hung in the air, and the more I observed the man before me, the clearer the pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit together. The atmosphere grew chilly, and I glanced behind me before refocusing on the smiling man standing inches away.

"You shouldn't fight it," he whispered, his intensity sending a shiver down my spine once more.

The lights flickered around us, casting a dim glow as the floor became obscured by a layer of fog..

What was this?

"I'll tell you what, I'll give you a 30-second head start," he declared.

"What?" I muttered, panic rising within me.

"1... 2," he began counting.

My heart raced as I spun on my heel, bolting out the doorway and doing my best not to slip on the floor before me. His counting faded into the background as I burst into the chilly night air, frantically searching my bag for the keys to my car.

His footsteps drew closer, and I finally grasped what I needed. With shaky hands, I inserted the key into the car's door, swinging it open and jamming the metal into the ignition. Outside the diner, he twirled his knife menacingly, locking eyes with me.

My hands were sweaty as I shifted into reverse.

"28..."

I pulled out quickly,

"29..."

I slammed my foot onto the pedal, driving erratically, until at 30, a knife flew straight into my car, piercing the glass inches away from my face. Feeling the sting of the small cut it left, I swallowed hard, refusing to look back as I drove, catching sight of him in the rearview mirror, standing there, shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Run all you want, Aikawa. You'll get caught eventually!" he warned. I kept my eyes glued to the road, driving farther and farther until I could no longer see him.

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A/N: Hello! Hope everyone had a lovely weekend and has been having an even lovelier month of March.

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