7 Nights:Chapter 01 part1

PART 1

~Volume 1- The warrior woman dances in the night: chapter 1~

(note: middle school = year 7, 8, 9. high school = year 10+)

My name is Sakuya Hoshi, I go to Suijou academy, I’m in high school, form 1E, and my student class number is 33. I’m just a normal high scholar. Actually, I think I should say I ‘was’ normal. These past few days, I’ve been mixed with suspicious events lately. It started… Yes, it started 3 days ago---

“………?” When I realized it, it was nighttime and I was standing in the middle of the park. “W…Wha?” I looked around, and all I saw was playground stuff such as swings and slides. I was standing in the middle of this park, wearing my school uniform. “What… What’s this all about?” I was supposed to be in my room on my bed wearing a T-Shirt and underpants, that’s what I last remember. Maybe someone brought me here? Wait… If I’m standing up right now, that would mean, someone hypnotized me? If it wasn’t that… “Did I sleep walk all the way here…?” Mumbling, I shook off each guess of one happened one by another… I don’t understand the current situation at all. It’s useless to think of how I came here. I put my hand in my pocket… And, it was there, my mobile phone. I took it out, unfolded it and I checked the time. It said it was 2:14am. Today is the Monday 25th of June. “It’s the time where even the plants sleep…” Most places will probably be shut by now. The only places open would probably be the Gyuudon-shop, convenience store and the police station. So it’s not very likely for anyone to have spotted a sleep-walker at this kind of time. “So I wonder, how far away has this sleep-walker walked?” I don’t think that this place is too far away from home… Besides, I kind of think I’ve been here before. “It was over here? Yeah I remember now.” Just as I thought, there was a map of this area on the sign post. This small park does not have any light-posts. So I use my mobile phone to shine the map and the first thing which got to me was the parks name. That was… “Shiraishi city park… Shiraishi!?” I shouted it out. This is crazy! Why!? How!? I can’t help but question my current situation over and over again. The city I’m in at the moment is the neighboring city of my city… I was currently 1 hour walk away from my place.

For me Shiraishi city is a city filled with memories. When I was young I lived in this city, and I played in that park. But, when I was in middle school I moved houses and since then, I haven’t ever visited this city once.

If the situation was different, I probably would’ve been glad I came here. But, unfortunately I am dreadfully worried. I just want to hurry up and go home. I remember this area vaguely… But I still know how I can get back home. My house is located in Naobi city, which is on the north of Shiraishi city, so I must advance north and enter the shopping district, then I must enter the station and go through the south exit to the north exit, pass through Suijou Academy and arrive home. The average time that would take is 1 hour, but after trying it for real, I disagree. “Damn it… Why on earth did I… go to such a far place?” Around this area everyone’s houses lights were turned off, was so quiet it was actually scary. The outsides lights were strangely all off, and the moonlight was the biggest help of all. This place is just like a ghost town. Since this is a case I would be more than happy to hear a noise of a truck or some other loud noise. Also, I really want a taxi. I wonder if I’ll find one once I exit the station. “Oh…” Where I walk I see a building with light. It’s the convenience store! The banner which shines green and white says “Cran Mart”. “I wonder why… I’m just so happy!!!” Inside the store would be really cool with the air conditioner working well and, while listening to the radio, I stand and read some magazines. And then I’ll grab an icy-pole and bring it to the nighttime shop-keeper who has a blunt looking face, give him the money, receive the change and have a great time. What an awesome plan I thought of indeed!

I happily open the door- “Wha?” I was standing at the door, the air conditioner was on. But, there was no radio, and there was no shop-keeper. “Hello? Is anybody here?” Maybe the shop-keeper thought no one was going to come at this time of the day and decided to read manga over around the corner? Or maybe he’s sorting out the products around the corner? Either way it’s strange… If I was a bad person I could’ve swiped a couple of things and went off. Either way there’s no reply. “Helloooooo~!?” I shout out into the room behind the cash registry, still no reply. Is he wagging his job by taking a nap? “Hello? Please reply back! Your insecurity is over the limits!” I walk in and check inside the room. “Not there.” The room had no one in it, on the desk was some magazines and the computer was left on. There were many boxes filled with products which have passed the use-by-date… “Wait a minute… Is this a joke?” Why doesn’t anyone answer? Why isn’t anyone here?! “Hello!? Hello!? Anyone here!?” I shouted from the top of my lungs. Even then there’s still no reply. All I can hear is the sound of the computer and the fridge buzzing. That noise makes me lose my temper even more. “Damn… Damn it!!!” I can’t stand it anymore, so I dash out of the store and shout. “ANYBODY HERE?!!!” I shouted as hard as I can. But even that, gets sucked away by the nights darkness. There’s no change and again it’s just silence. What… This is as if… This is as if I’m the only one left in the world!!! What the hell!? “Somebody! Answer me!!!” Isn’t there… Isn’t there anyone? I need a way to confirm that I’m not the only human being here… That’s it! Mobile phone! I take my phone out of my pocket, who should I call? Home? No, calling the police is the quickest solution, right? I try to call 110 and-

I was so freaked out I even forgot to breathe.

2:14am.

All of my previous thoughts just floated out of my head in an instant. I just stare at the time with no expression. The seconds tick away, “56… 57… 58… 59…0”, but, it’s only the seconds which move and the minutes don’t change at all. It stays as 2:14am. Is this even possible? Is it some kind of trick? Someone’s trying to scare me? I’m too confused. This situation I’m in- “………!?” A loud scream wiped away all my panicking thoughts. There’s someone else besides me! “Kyaaa~!!!” It’s a voice of a girl. Even though I’m filled with joy, now’s not the right time to be happy. It’s clearly a voice calling for someone’s help! I run towards where the voice came from. Is it a molester or something? Even if this weren’t a ghost town, it’s certain that there are no people here. I have to help her! “! Are they over there!?” I hear someone’s footsteps, getting further away from me. “Hey, wait!” I can’t save anyone if they keep moving places. Then for a moment in the corner of my eyes, I saw a figure of a girl who disappeared to around the corner of the alley. “Wait…!” I increase my speed. I’ve finally found ‘someone’ here besides me. I must not lose sight of her. I dash into the alley and-

BANG!!!

All of a sudden something hit me, and I saw stars. The dull shock I received has gone all over my body, I’m dizzy and I fall over and land on my butt. “Wha…What?” Why am I…Why am I sitting down…? I can’t think about it properly. My sight is blurry and I am dizzy. Trying to fix that I shake my head and, *KIIN!* -I received a huge headache and I curled my body up. Right next to me… I hear footsteps. Is… someone there? “………” I lift my head up. In my blurred vision what I saw was… a girl. She was a cute girl, who is probably the same age as me. The uniform she’s wearing is something I am very familiar with. “Owww…!” The headache came back, and I dropped my head down again. Then while falling down, what came in my sight was a, wooden bat. The bat slowly lifts up, and my eyes follow it back up. My eyes caught the girl’s eyes. The girl was staring at me, and in those eyes I saw fear. She was breathing hard. Was it because she ran? Was it because she fears me? Or is she worrying about what she’s about to do next? “….u….” What the hell is she doing? Why is she glaring at me like that? The thoughts confuse my mind. But, because I was smashed before my tongue isn’t moving properly. The words don’t come out of my mouth. My confused body just won’t order my mouth to speak. “haa…haaa…ha…!!!” The girls pants even harder. The bat she lifted up, is being swung straight down towards my head! Shit!!! “Shi-”

“ARGHHHHHHH!”

While shouting so, so hard that my throat could’ve exploded, I wake right up. “Meoooooooow!” Right next to me on my bed my cat Miiko screams and runs out of my room. “Whohhh, oohhh this place is…” I don’t even need to confirm it, it’s my room, in my home, in my city. It’s not in Shiraishi city nor is it nighttime… The sunlight coming out from the gaps of my curtain, confirms that the sun has already rised. “Wha… Dre… Dream?” My heart is beating really quickly. Sweat has covered my entire body. Was this because of that dream, or was it because it’s just a hot day? “Tha… That was a dream, right?” I can’t help but question myself. It was that much of a realistic dream. I remember it perfectly. The nighttime town, with no sign of people, the footsteps… and even… the massive pain I got from the girl who smashed me in the head… “………” I carefully touch my head with my hands… With worried thoughts I slowly rub my hands around… But my head does not have a bruise, nor is it damaged in any way… My hand does not get covered in blood and the pain is not there anymore.

(NOT EDITED YET)