DING!
The elevator doors slid open.
"Good morning, junior," an elderly man greeted politely.
"Very good morning, senior," Issei replied with a smile as he stepped out.
The elderly man entered, and the doors closed with a soft DING.
Meanwhile, by the stairs, Sae reached the ground floor, followed by Shun, who was scrolling through his phone, his office bag casually dangling from one hand.
Inside Mrs. Yamamoto's store, Mrs. Kobayashi was already engaged in conversation with Mrs. Yamamoto and the others. A few people lingered on the ground floor, heading off for their daily routines. It was just another ordinary day—until it wasn't.
A school bus suddenly rammed into the shop across the street.
The driver stumbled out, limping, blood dripping from his hand. His face was pale with terror as he sprinted toward the building entrance, screaming.
He barged inside and collided with a man near the door.
"Close the shutter! Shut the building's shutter! Hurry!" he gasped, panting heavily.
"Tell me, where is it? Where's the switch?" he demanded.
"Hey, calm down," the man replied.
Just then, two more people came running in, shouting in terror. The ladies inside Mrs. Yamamoto's store rushed out to see what was going on.
"What's happening? What are they running from?" Issei thought, his gaze following the terrified newcomers.
Everyone now stared at the three panic-stricken people. Their eyes wide, their bodies trembling, the fear in their voices unmistakable.
"Close the damn entrance!" one of them screamed.
"What are you waiting for? Just close it! Or we're all going to die!"
Shun's eyes widened as he stared at his phone screen. "Oh shit—"
"Hey, Issei! Close the entrance! Now!" he shouted from the stairs, his voice tight with panic.
Issei looked up and saw Shun's expression. Understanding the urgency, he rushed towards the switch.
'Is this a terrorist attack? Or... something even worse?' he thought.
But before he could reach it, something horrifying happened.
A severed head rolled into the building, stopping only when it bumped against Sae's shoe. She gasped and stumbled back in horror. Everyone stared at the head. Their breathing grew heavier, and silence fell over the room.
The head lay there, a gruesome omen.
Issei slammed the button. The shutter began closing—until a large hand stopped it.
Everyone turned toward the entrance.
A towering figure, nearly 9 feet tall, stood there, holding the shutter.
"Don't open it!" one of the terrified people screamed.
But the creature easily forced the shutter up and stepped inside. Behind it, the shutter slammed shut.
Now they could clearly see the creature.
Its Appearance:
A tall, humanoid figure—around 9 feet—draped in what looks like stretched, stitched-together human skin for clothing. Its legs bent inward, forcing it to move with a twitching sway, like a broken puppet. Its face was a nightmare: no eyes, no nose—just a gaping, smiling maw that goes all the way from chin to forehead, lined with hundreds of baby-like, chattering teeth.
Everyone froze in place. Their breath caught, heartbeats pounded.
"What... what is that?" someone whispered.
"A monster..." another muttered.
"RUN!" the bus driver screamed.
Panic erupted. People shoved one another, bolting in every direction.
Issei, Shun, Sae stood frozen as Mr. Yamamoto finally stepped out of his room.
Then—
A woman's scream pierced the air.
"AHHH!"
They turned.
The nightmarish creature rammed its arm through a woman's abdomen, lifting her high. But she was still alive.
Then, in a grotesque motion, the creature opened its vertical mouth and devoured her head in one horrifying gulp, dropping her twitching, headless body to the ground. Blood gushed like a fountain.
Gasps and screams filled the air.
And then... the creature stilled.
Suddenly, it began humming a lullaby.
The voice—eerily similar to the woman it had just killed, but darker... demonic.
Sleep now, little one, hush your cries,
The stars have fallen, from the skies.
The world is ending, close your eyes,
No more dreams, no more sunrise...
The haunting lullaby echoed through the ground floor.
Strangely, as it began, everyone froze—as if lulled into stillness like children by a mother's song.
But it was like a demonic mockery of comfort.
'What the fu—? I can't move!' Issei thought.
The creature's footsteps were slow and deliberate as it approached its next victim.
It slashed the victim's head with a single blow of its hand. Blood splattered onto a man standing behind, and the severed head rolled away—bumping against the elevator door.
Everyone froze, but they could feel the horror seeping in.
'What's going on?' Issei thought.
Then his gaze fell upon the axe resting in the corner of the guard's room.
'An axe?'
'But how am I supposed to get to it? I can't even move...'
'Oh no... I don't want to die like this.' Sae thought in her mind. She was just a few steps away from the creature.
'Move... move... move...' Shun whispered to himself, trying to break free from the terror.
Once again, the lullaby echoed hauntingly through the room as the creature advanced, every step deliberate and slow.
Sleep now, little one, hush your cries,
The stars have fallen, from the skies.
The world is ending, close your eyes,
No more dreams, no more sunrise...
The creature drew closer to its next victim—ready to strike.
Suddenly, Shun snapped out of it.
Without hesitation, he hurled his office bag at the creature's face.
WHACK!
It hit, but the impact did nothing to deter it. The lullaby ceased, and panic erupted once again.
A young man, grabbed a nearby wiper and swung it at the creature.
But the beast opened its mouth wide, revealing a terrifying array of razor-sharp teeth—not from hunger, but as an act of dominance.
It slashed with its hand, slicing the wiper in half and severing two of the man's fingers. Shun quickly pulled him to safety.
From the right side, Issei charged with an axe and swung with all his might.
SLASH!
The blow struck the creature's face, splitting it in two. A thick, slimy liquid oozed out—its blood, perhaps.
Issei didn't relent; he spun and slammed the flat side of the axe into the creature's chest, with full power.
THWAK!
But the creature didn't fall back.
"Issei, DOWN!" Shun yelled.
Issei turned and saw Shun, holding the severed head that had rolled in earlier—ready to throw.
Issei ducked.
Shun hurled the head like a fastball—BAM!
Right into the creature's face.
The monster staggered back—now standing at the entrance.
Issei rushed in for the final strike, but just as he was about to hit, the creature caught his arm mid-air.
It gripped his left arm tightly—immobilizing him.
Suddenly, a newcomer tackled both Issei and the creature out the entrance.
"NOW, CLOSE THE SHUTTER!" the newcomer roared.
Mr. Yamamoto slammed the button, and the shutter began to lower.
It was halfway down when Shun held it open with both hands.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" the newcomer shouted.
"Don't tell me what to do. My neighbour is still outside." Shun growled.
Outside, Issei wrestled free by swinging the axe with his remaining hand—cutting into the creature's grasp and breaking away.
He scrambled toward the entrance and slid underneath the shutter.
But the creature grabbed his leg, pulling him down. His axe slipped from his hand.
Another brave young man rushed out to help. He grabbed the axe and swung it at the creature's elbow joint. With a mighty strike—SLASH!
He severed the creature's hand.
"HURRY UP!" he shouted.
Issei crawled back inside. Shun still held the shutter.
But then, a hairy creature leaped at the brave young man.
Its claws gleamed with deadly sharpness. He braced for his end.
But just then—
BAM!
A speeding car plowed into both monsters, and crashing into another vehicle parked nearby.
Inside the car was a young police officer.
The brave young man stared in awe as the car screeched to a halt.
"Hey! Hurry up! I can't hold it much longer!" Shun yelled from inside.
"There's another human out there! I need to help him!" the young brave man called out, running to the wreckage.
"Let me help!" Issei said, flinging away the severed hand clinging to his leg.
"What are you two doing?" the same newcomer yelled.
"Forget it! Just shut the damn thing before we all die!" the driver shouted.
Others agreed, but none dared to move.
"Yes, leave it! We'll all die trying to save two!" someone muttered.
But none had the courage to act.
They simply watched the two brave souls from behind safety.
"Hey, are you okay?" the brave man asked the officer, helping him from the car.
He rushed to the car and helped the dazed officer out of the car.
But before he could reply—
The same hairy creature lunged again.
"Watch out!"
BANG!
The young officer fired a shot, hitting the creature in the head.
As they scrambled toward the entrance, they saw the city in total chaos. Humans were transforming into nightmarish monsters, and the remaining survivors were being hunted mercilessly by these twisted beings. The streets were filled with screams and terror.
Despite the pandemonium around them, they pushed forward, finally reaching the building's entrance.
They dove under the shutter.
Shun and Issei quickly slammed the shutter down.
THUD! The entrance was sealed.
They were safe for now.
Inside—silence.
Outside—screams.
Then—a desperate voice called from outside. "Hey! Open the shutter! Please... open it!"
The voice was filled with pain and fear.
From inside, they saw a figure stumbling toward them, his body covered in blood.
One of his arm was missing, he was bleeding badly.
A grotesque creature loomed behind, savoring its prey.
Without mercy, it tore into the man—devouring him alive.
Everyone stood frozen, horrified by the gruesome scene unfolding before their eyes. The man's screams were drowned by the creature's vile chomps.
Finally, they turned away and locked the door.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
The weight of what they'd just witnessed crushed them.
No one spoke.
No one knew what to say.
They were alive—
Safe... for now.
Then with a surge of anger, Issei turned sharply toward the newcomer.
"You—"