It's already night, and Anzu lies down on her bed.

I dream about it again..the more I want to forget it, the more it haunts me...that night…

****

2000

The knock on the door is getting louder.

"Anzu chan, take Ichiro upstairs and don’t come down no matter what happens," her mother said in a serious tone.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

The knock gets louder. Anzu uses her raw strength to carry her brother without asking her mother too much.

"Okay, mom. Come on, Ichiro chan. Shu...shu…"

She caresses her brother's head even though her brother doesn't react wildly.

Is that papa? Why does mama ask me to go upstairs?

Anzu's mother was left alone on the bottom floor.

She takes a deep breath and slowly braves herself to take a step toward the door. She unties her bun and holds her pin as someone ready to attack.

“Klk!”

She unlocked the doorknob. There’s no force pushing the door after it is loose even though it's knocked many times before. She slowly opened the door widely.

“Honey?”

The body of a man she is familiar with is standing still beyond the door. She calls him but there’s no answer.

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“No...you are not him! Who are you?”

As the situation doesn’t seem to sit well with her, she feels the difference between her husband and the man standing in front of him. She takes a step back and stretches out her pin which looks dangerous with its sharpness.

“He said…” the man tried to say something using his deep voice but got stuck doing it.

That’s...his voice...but, there’s no life force in him…it is just as he said before...I can’t be fooled by this creature. Calm yourself...just do as he instructs, I have to keep my distance without permitting him to enter the house.

She trembles as she faces the man in front of him.

****

“Listen to me, Himari,” with a serious tone, a man with a white lab coat and brown hair said to her in their bedroom. They sit on the edge of the bed.

“What honey?”

“Starting this week, I will not go home. In one night, whatever night it is, there will be a 'guest' coming to our house. You have to make sure he doesn’t enter our house even if he looks like me.”

“What? What guest? I don’t understand...”

"I already teach you about the life force right…If the thing comes, check his life force, you will know for sure what I'm talking about. You can open the door but never permit him to enter."

"You are not answering my question..." Himari looks down. She somewhat feels sad as she slowly understands what happens right now. The instruction from her husband already makes her understand.

"I'm sorry honey…you already know about this don't you?" he touched his wife's face with a loving caress.

"You will...come back to us...right?" she asked that question with hope.

He just smiles without saying anything. He closes himself with his wife and hugs her tightly. In his arms, tears flowed down from her eyes. She can't do anything to interrupt her husband's choices. She accepted it with a hard feeling.

****

I just have to do what Akito said...Never permit this thing to enter.

“He said...take care…”

Huh? Is he talking? Take care?

"Take care...of our…"

He said it with a sad smile like someone who lost something precious to him. He raised his hand and pointed it toward the woman.

"Srtt!"

His right hand was sliced into dust as he crossed the house boundary. The part that is sliced floating like dust before disappearing.

“Wh-what happened?" Himari shivering as she watches the unnatural things happen in front of her. She keeps taking a step backwards to make sure the man can’t touch her.

“W-what do you mean?”

Even though fear already consumed herself, she had the guts to ask the man.

“Srtttt!”

The man keeps getting forward, this time, he doesn’t just enter the house with his hand. Half of his body was erased like a lump of meat being grinded. His organ can be seen clearly by Himari. She can’t help herself from feeling disgusted by it. She closed her mouth and looked away from the displeasing scenery.

“Srttttttt!”

The creepy sound keeps getting louder as he tries to enter the house with his full body. Himari is aware that even though the scene in front of her will make anyone throw up, there's no weird smell coming from it. As long as she doesn’t see it, she can withhold herself from throwing up.

----

In no time, the man disappeared from her sight.

“It’s...gone…”

“Ma-mama?”

Without having any time to calm herself, her daughter's voice came from behind.

"A-Anzu chan? Why are you here?"

“Wh-what...what ha-happened t-to pa-papa?”

...