He swore to himself to never set foot at that place again. It has given enough nightmares to him and it worsens ever since his friends disappeared without a trace. It didn't end there, even after he graduated people would go missing from time to time. Whether it be a teacher, a student, a janitor or even a passerby, all the cases leads back to where they were last seen: the school.
At least that's what all he could gather.
In all those two years in college, he mostly have not received a single call from his mother, her of all people. She gets worried enough to constantly call him when he's out of town, just like back when he's at summer camp. How much more would he expect when he'd study at the University that's states away?
"Remember, Yasu. Call us immediately when you get there."
Those words are still embedded into his mind to this day. And they did exchange calls, for the first few months. And then nothing.
He'd wished to think it's only because she's too busy taking care of his dad, whose condition is getting worse over the years. But thinking about it now, their house is just few streets away from the school. And that frightens him.
That leads him to where he is now. Inside a convenience store, tearing a pack of newly bought batteries open. It was a sudden trip back home so he barely have money left from his savings. He really hoped this old flashlight he currently have still works.
Just arrived late at night, he decided to book a room nearby. He still have no courage of what awaits for him back home.
"Mom will never missed a chance to call me, I just knew it." Yasu muttered to himself as he popped the batteries into his flashlight. He put the cap back on and push the switch.
"Thank God" he whispered under his breath, seeing the flashlight lit up. He turns it off and went outside.
Just as he expected, the warm meals he just had earlier is not enough to keep him warm in this cold night. It gives him shivers the moment he stepped out of the store. Good thing he bought a coffee to aid him along the way.
What he did never expect is that he'll go to the place he swore he'll never go to again. And this is not the first time either. He broke in a couple of times back when he was still a student. He was lucky enough to never get caught. For what reason? To look for his friends of course.
And now, all he want to look for are answers. At least, some proof that his parents didn't went there. And some things his friends could left behind- a shoe, a piece of clothing, anything.
Even to this day, you still bother to look for them.
Because he still care. He just know they're still there, somewhere. Waiting to be found. And he will do anything to get them back.
And even until now you still see them as your friends.
What kind of question is that? They are still his friends. They're the ones who helped him "fit in" . They get him to experience what he never done before. Through them he get to be daring and elusive, compared to his pathetic self in the past.
He admits that they're not as good as they seemed. But hey, everyone has a fair share of flaws, including himself.
For once, Yasu, just once, think of the way they see you. You think you're one of them, but do they thought the same way? Or you're just another subject for them to use?
The pacing speeds up as he walks, becoming less wary of his steps. He took a big gulp of coffee, in an attempt to clear his mind. Needless to say, he cared less of what his conscience is telling him. And he will continue to deny the harsh truth that's already shown to him.
"It's all the help I could get." Such words followed after his breath escapes through his mouth. He finally come to a halt.
Looking around, he found himself the Gym. He starts to go onward. Seeing the trash bin at the side, he tossed the now empty cup unto the bin once he passes by. The sight of the building goes bigger as he drew nearer. But he abruptly stops. For he caught by his hearing the last thing he wanted to hear in this dead of the night.
Voices. He could hear voices.
He turn to the direction the voices from and there he saw near the door of the gym is a silhouette of a crowd, consisting of ten people? Or less. One thing for certain three of them are unusually tall, almost the same height compared to the canopy walkways near the gym. At least how he perceived it from afar.
Just whatever is the commotion about? He wondered. Especially this late at night. Oh, he has a reason to be here. But them?
I supposed it won't hurt to be curious.
He starts to creep towards them, mindful of where he is stepping. For the first time, he would genuinely keep his feet off the grass. He don't wanna alarm them of his presence after all. He is so focused on going near them, he ignored the muffled thunder. Soon, the voices gets clearer and clearer.
"What, do you want the rain to pour first THEN you'll find a place to cover?" a raspy, female voice asked in a snarky tone.
Seeing there's nothing much to do with them, Yasu sneaks his hand into the pocket of his jacket. Now to sneak past around them...
"Although, Howdy's right. We can't just stay here and talk all night."
Much to his dismay, the flashlight slipped from his hand. He managed to catch it before it hit the ground. But just as he caught it-
He slid the switch on.
light flashes unto the unsuspecting crowd. His eyes were stretched wide open as he would never believe what he just saw.
A deafening silence fills the gap between the two parties. As the crowd finally took notice of a pale man facing his flashlight towards them.
What is right in front of me right now? The latter thought. Just as the longer he looks, the worse it gets. Of course the first thing he noticed is their skin colors are nowhere near what people normally have- tan, dark brown, pale and anything of those in between. Following that, some of them resembles a dog, a bird, and even the sun. He was also bothered by an unsettling feeling towards to one that only has eyes and mouth for a face.
But taking a closer look, they all look- soft. Like every part of them is made out of cloth. With how colorful they are, they're like some life-sized stuffed toys dressed in casual clothing.
"Well do you mind-"
They all jumped when the man blast a piercing, feminine screech. At the same time, he drops his light and ran off, yelping along the way. Everyone looked at Frank, whose head is turned about.
"What?! It's not like I've done anything wrong."
"Maybe because it's not normal here to have their head turned like that, Frank." Julie answered.
"Oh."
It was the last straw for Yasu the moment the grey.... person turn his head, ONLY his head to a full one-eighty.
They're definitely not normal people, he thought.
'They're not even PEOPLE!'
But he slowed down when he remembered what he's here for. And recalling it correctly, the back door of the gym would usually be left open. He just need to get past through whatever he just saw.
"You can do this, Yasu." He muttered to himself, amidst all the panting.
He began to sprint back. Minding his distance from the spot where what he wish to be a hallucination. About to pass by that point, he let out a terrible excuse of a war cry and zoom pass it.
He prayed for it to be just a hallucination. Definitely from the caffeine.
But all hopes goes down the drain when he heard quick footsteps. Being dumb as he is, he looked behind his back. And catching a sight of an enormous man with four arms catching up to him in the dark is enough for the pitiful guy to go hysteric. He would care less of sounding like a dying goat right now. It took a turn for the worse when the same blue dog pounced in his way.
Seeing this, Yasu took a sharp turn. He may succeeded in avoiding his potential captor, but he ended up hitting his shoulder against the wall. He hit it so hard, he wore out his voice even more from screaming in agony. He toppled to the ground, adding salt to the already injured shoulder.
He swore under this breath, not caring about two shadows drawing nearer to them. All he could ever think about now are his parents. He never get to see them after 2 years in college. He never even heard a thing about his father's condition either. All he knows is that mom is too busy taking care of dad.
Now he'll never know what become of them.
"Hold on now kid. You don't want to get hurt anymore than that, right?"
A deep voice uttered. Yasu lifts his head up to look at it's owner, only to see a huge paw went straight unto his face, blocking his vision entirely.