Demons and Town
by Mycene Estac

There was little to nothing strange about Oshika. There was no exact reason why a woman like me would decide to stay. The town was small; everyone knew each other well. There were few crimes, merely small robberies, and sometimes vandalism, mostly by teens trying to be cool, but nothing beyond the line. The town could be described as dull and ordinary, but yet I stayed; perhaps there was something strange about the residents.

Maybe there was more than the good old neighbor attitude and all the inhuman friendly smiles the residents had, or maybe I was just overlooking them.

All the residents were gentle and sympathetic upon my arrival. They found me a nice hotel at Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan and gave me a pamphlet of the daily activities the town had. My stomach crumbled, discomforted every single time I glanced at the pamphlet.

The words were perfectly in rows, all the periods were in a single vertical line at the end of each sentence, the pictures were exactly in the middle of each page, and the list showed every single activity at a very specific time, along with the "gentle" message at the Onsen of not being late (But, as I said, it could be just an oversight).

I had no interest in the activities, so I decided to stay and rest after a long trip. Hours later, my phone was drowning with hundreds of messages, missed calls, and voice mails, which delivered from:

"Where are you, Ms. Onna?"

"Ms. Onna, you are absent from the activities. Are you feeling alright?"

"Ms. Onna, you are being late! You need to be downtown right now!"

"Yuki-onna, you are officially late.

This is the first warning. DO NOT BE LATE AGAIN! CONSEQUENCES WILL BE RECEIVED."

I was mortified and paranoid. I did not give them any information besides my name and the hotel I was residing in. First thing in the morning, as I made up my mind, I would check out and leave the town as soon as possible. I packed up my belongings and left the hotel. I searched for my car, but it was gone. I talked with the managers, the people who received me, but I was given the same answer by those devils along with a "friendly" smile.

"Sorry," they said smiling.

"There was no car. Have a nice day and see you at the activities, neighbor."

I had no other choice; I was forced to stay. I bitterly returned to my room and unpacked all my belongings.

I tried to reach the police; the only answers were laughs.

I was unable to call for aid; it was clear that I was stranded.

Afraid of being drowned by the messages, I came to the town activities as early as possible. I concluded, in an attempt to keep my sanity alive, that the town is a purgatory.

That would be the main reason why I was stranded, the obnoxious attitude of the residents and their disturbing smiles.

I was dead. I died! Yes. I probably died on the road, and now my soul was trapped on earth until I rose to heaven. But if this was purgatory, then how long had those people been here?

Would I stay here forever?

I took a lunch break. I wanted to let my mind rest and let my sanity recover. One of the residents casually sat next to me and handed me a folded paper before fleeing away when another resident saw him. I narrowed my eyes for a moment as I hesitated to open it. I was learning more every minute about the town. I couldn't trust anyone. Sabotage was a high possibility to provoke one tiny mistake which would let me live eternal life in agony, but the curiosity was strong.

Just like a wild beast, I couldn't go against my nature.

The curiosity was strong, and my hands were shaken.

I carefully placed my thumbs inside the paper and folded it back against itself.

_______________________

Aikoku Nobunaga

407-039-1194

Meet me behind the Izakaya tavern by midnight if you want to live.

______________________

My heart pounded violently as I unconsciously repeated the last sentence in disbelief. Would I be killed? But I was dead, wasn't I? Could the devilish town be worse than a mortal imagined? Could this be hell, and I'm reviving my death once again? My fright and wonder were destroying what I had of my sanity!

Yes, I was surely becoming insane, paranoid to be exact. He requested my presence, expected me to be behind the tavern. My senses told me he knew more than I ever suspected.

There was the possibility of being dead; anyone in the town could kill me easily.

...and never find out the truth.

...there was the chance of meeting a stranger.

...a possible assassin, and taking the risk of dying.

Both situations were unpleasant, but a choice had to be made. I was conflicted to leave the hotel at such late hours. All my belongings could be stolen, or worse!

But I had made up my mind and straightened my sanity. I could no longer find the truth about the damned town. I slipped within the halls. Cautiously made my steps as I gently tiptoed towards the exit and closed the door without making any sound.

I stayed in the darkness, avoiding the sight of anyone passing by until I reached the destination where he was waiting. We did not exchange any words; my fear took my voice or introduced each other.

However, he handed me an old diary made of leather before fleeing once again. Something inside me told me to open it in the hotel, so I did it.

_______________________

September 11, 1998

My darling wife, Himari, and my precious children were the only company I had when we arrived in the town. We were on our way to our vacations for the summer until we needed a place to rest for the night.

The town residents kindly set us to a hotel and gave us a pamphlet about the activities downtown. The following morning we found our car missing. We reported it to the police and questioned the managers at the hotel, but they claimed we didn't have a car to start.

Himari later found all our belongings, which were in our car, at our room in the hotel. We all agreed there was no way to escape and return to our destination. We reported to the community service (The "activities" were just like the ones a prisoner would do in community service) where we later found out there were other unfortunate souls like ours. They claimed that it was too dangerous to talk because he was listening to everything we said. This was just the start of the worst.

A sign of relief and fright ran down my spine. I wasn't the only one who was trapped in the town, but that meant this was a spider web waiting for the next prey.

The next day I received a message around 3:35 in the morning. They requested us to report earlier to the activities. I came as early as I could. A crowd of people was what I found. There were concerns mumbling and trembling. I carefully walked closer and stood next to Mr. Nobunaga. My eyes were widened, and my stomach crumbled. There was a dead body of a woman lying against the floor.

_______________________

"November 17," Mr. Nobunaga murmured. Surprisingly, I understood what he meant.

The police arrived later and removed the body. We were sent back to our daily activities. Every single resident, as I could tell, murmured their concerns. They talked among each other about the poor woman, claiming that she didn't deserve the punishment just because her health didn't allow her to work. I was afraid to ask about her; they seemed pretty sensitive about the subject.

We had a lunch break then we were called to the main offices. A criminal was found guilty of the murder.

"Takashi Murakami?" A tall, strong policeman asked, standing outside the offices with a large paper.

"Is Takashi Murakami here? Takashi Murakami!"

The crowd moved. A young teenage boy around 17 stepped forward.

"Takashi Murakami," The policeman said. "You are found guilty for the murder of Kanna Hashimoto."

Everyone gasped in disbelief. The teenage boy remained quiet.

"Takashi is innocent! He is innocent, innocent I tell you!" One man cried.

"Takahi never left the house. He didn't know Kanna pretty well!"

"Silence..." The policeman said in a rather tender and hesitant tone.

He looked around before lowering his voice. "He is hearing everything behind the offices."

Poor devil, they said, he was a good boy after all. God spared the life of the young man, others said.

That was the last time I saw Takashi Murakami; nobody talked about the crime or the fate Takashi had. That was the same story for the entire month, every week someone would have found to be murdered and a person would take all the blame.

I spent my free time reading old Mr. Nobunaga's diary and learned certain things:

The first warnings usually led to a permanent cut in communication; that was why I wasn't able to communicate outside the town.

The second warning led to a restriction in movement.

The third and fourth warnings lead to a more unpleasant destiny, just like the one Murakami and Hashimoto, among others.

All were talked about on one single date: November 17 of 2003.

Three entire years living and serving the town of the devil had taught me the hard way the consequences of rebellious or situational acts. Once a week, we received the first warning. We were confused at first, but we didn't pay attention.

One day we found ourselves in a little trouble as we lost our way; we tried to call some of our neighbors and friends. That day we learned exactly what the first consequence meant. No communication.

At mid-year, my leg suffered severe leisure. I wasn't able to report to work; I received a second warning. I had no doubt or fear; I thought it would be just a simple restriction. I was right, but I was wrong to relax.

The following day I was called to report at the office; they said they would fix my leg. I had surgery without anesthesia, a device was inside my legs restricting movement.

We avoided staying for long periods at our dear home until 2 weeks later Himari and my daughter were getting weaker as the last 3 months passed. Himari received a level 3 warning, my sister-in-law a level 4. There was no live surgery or restriction.

Nothing occurred.

We were worried.

Last week my sister-in-law was missing. We later found her body on the street.

That was a level 4 warning. Himari was arrested for the "murder" of her sister; she was hanged the following day.

We lost two members of our family.

Today I found the lifeless bodies of my wife and only son. I cried all day long but yet worked as I tried to avoid the same fate my dear ones received. I swear I'll kill with my own hands the person in charge of the entire town. The one that stranded us. I took the life of my family and made my wife and son end their suffering.

His or her blood would be my drink of justice!

My admiration for the old Mr. Nobunaga grew each day as I continued to read his diary. He was a persistent man and a true fighter. Having lost everything that he had, he wanted to set justice to his loved ones, although it meant he'll have to get his hands dirty.

Having no communication, I tried my best to meet up with Mr. Nobunaga, the old man was a fox. He cautiously convinced a few others to join the cause but made sure no one knew who was in or out. He met personally with every single person on his side and provided information without an exchange of words.

I was given the theories of a single man controlling the entire town.

Mr. Nobunaga, the old goody fox, had previously written about the main offices being out of boundaries. He came up with the Mayor, who was rarely mentioned, being in charge.

The mayor was thought to be protected in his offices, where a group of guards keeps an eye on intruders. Mr. Nobunaga had failed many times to infiltrate due to his legs, but he figured out the exact opportunity to enter.

I made up my mind to do trespass and gain as much information as I could.

I planned the exact moment to strike.

I met with Mr. Nobunaga; it was the first time we ever got to talk.

"You're a brave girl, Ms. Onna," Mr. Nobunaga said in a bitter tone as he lit a cigarette.

"There is a high risk of dying."

"As long as I find out the truth about this hell," I said in fury.

"I do not care if I die, as long as no one else falls into our dreadful destiny."

"Take no gun, and leave no blood," he said as he gently patted my shoulder.

"Leave all the evidence you can bury in the first place we met... One of us will take it out and continue along with the others... All of you will take our little rebellion as I'm too old to continue as death will soon come to me."

I gently slipped through the dark streets a few months after Mr. Nobunaga died of natural causes. I along with other people would maintain his legacy alive and put an end to the mystery of who was in charge.

I hid behind the statue and patiently waited for the guards to leave. It took 3 hours, but it was worth it. I forced my entrance through a window and hid when there was suspicion.

I crawled cautiously through the empty offices until I arrived at the mayor's office; there was silence and a strong rotting smell...

I entered...

There were only the rotting bodies of Mr. Nobunaga's family.

The End