Part 19 : Boardgame

I stayed at home for almost three day straight, my part time work gets infected too. I won't get any salary this week, and what's worse this is the golden week. As soon as I get home, I inform my former group about the sudden dropout, they've heard the news. It was all over the University news. I'm the bad guy in news.

"THIS IS CRAZY!" I scroll on my tiktok and my fighting video gone viral. Every living person on this world saw the post and even share it. I open up the comment section, it was full with hatred comment and some tried to looked at the bright side. Even some people who wasn't in the fight made a content about it. They criticized my way.

I stayed on bed for a whole day. The tension and the feeling is too overwhelming for me to stepped outside my room. I need space to clear my head and thoughts.

I took a sleeping pill to get some rest, I wasn't able to get a good sleep lately. I been having a nightmare, about a board game. Something like snake board game but more sinister.

I turn off my phone and close the window bind, it become dark. I swallow one pill and get ready to sleep.

Dreams.

"Hurry up! We're gonna miss this game." says somebody else. I can feel she's pulling my right hand and force me to follow her.

"Where are we going?" I try to speak up but I can't, my mouth and my body move on their own. I looked at the surrounding and it was the stadium. A sea of people cheering as they watch a match, a football match. This person pull me and we seated in the middle seat.

"Go Japan! Go!" they were roaring in excitement. I can't focus on the match, it was blurry. Suddenly, the field turn into a board game and the player was killed. But none of this bothers the others. They continue cheering as they watch it happen. Suddenly a lady dressed in a black coat. She appears out of nowhere and they seem to like her.

'Did I travel in another dimension again?' I question myself. Since the day I found out about the soul travelers, I becoming more skeptical about my own dreams.

"Ladies and gentlemen of ----" It wasn't clear, I couldn't hear her voice but judging from the people's expressions they were happy and excited about something. I could only hear the high pitch sound and nothing else. They were cheering and suddenly I saw Hanabi holding a small girl in her arm, the lady announced and everyone was happy. I quickly stand up and looked at her.

From afar, Hanabi and I made eye contact. Her lips were moving.

"Help me, Nee-san." She cried in silent. I run to her and I don't know how but I teleport to her easily.

"Hanabi! Why are you in here?" I asked, I assume she knew what I'm talking about.

"Help me, I don't know what to do. I didn't mean to brought this little girl. She's lost and I tried to find her mother but then..!" Hanabi aren't able to finished her words when suddenly a group of women starting to appear. Women from different ages and different era. They were all in shocked.

"What is happening?" I let out a question. The board start shaking and I didn't let go of Hanabi hands. I hold her hand tight as we watched a big colour animal shape appear. Too many different animal with different colour.

"Now, ladies. Pick your animal." says the Lady. She and the crowd completely enjoy the show.

Some of the ladies were stunned and they question the lady back. I stayed with Hanabi and the little girl.

"Little girl, what's your name?" I asked as I take and hold the little girl in my arms.

"My name is Leah. I'm 6 years old." says the little girl. I was shocked. I smiled and I'm worried about what might happened to us. I can barely protect myself and hanabi but now this girl Leah is my responsibility too.

"Pick your animal, ladies." says the lady, she point her finger to the animal statue. I knew something bad is going to happened.

"Pick your animal, hanabi." I looked at Hanabi and let her make her choice. We walked to the statue, I took a lion statue, Hanabi took a panda and Leah stayed with me.

"No good, only one person per animal," she saw and she knew what I'm doing. The lady suddenly appear right in front of me and she took Leah by force. She pull Leah away from me and her appear started to changed. She's a demon. There's a slight hint of black aura from her eyes and it is evil.

"No!" I try to grab but she pull Leah hand and throw her onto the ground. Leah were crying and she were afraid.

"Stop! I will take the responsibility for that girl." I say, breaking the silent. The lady look furious but she still smile.

"You can't do anything. One person per animal." She force Leah to pick her animal and Leah pick a swan. Every ladies in the game pick their animal. The lady look satisfy. She lift her hands up and smile.

"Every each of you will throw a dice. It's a racing dice game, whoever gets the highest and finished the fastest will be alive. However, if any of you end up gets the lowest number. You will be the food of my puppies." She whistle and a very dark entity appear, not one but a lot. The entity were black, red blooded eyes and sharp teeth. The shape is horrible and some in human body but some aren't.

I can't stop shaking when I saw the creature, the others were scared of it too. I looked at Hanabi, she were holding her breath by covering her mouth. Only tears coming out from her.

"Two dice will be given to each one of you, you will take turn starting from you." She pointed at me, she grin. The crowd was going insane as they keep on cheering. At first they were all looking like a human, normal people but their face started to changed and they manifest into something evil.

Both of my hands were shaking, I try to control and calm my nerve but I can't. The fear absolutely overwhelming me. I couldn't stop it. When I try to move my hands, the crowd suddenly quiet. They were all looking at me. Even the red eye creature stare at me, waiting to kill me.

I throw the dice despite the trembling hands, the dices roll over and everyone focused on the number.

'Please..' I hold my hands near my heart as I watched the dice stop rolling. The lady glimpse at it.

"12,12. Moving on now." says the lady, Hanabi was next, she throw her dice and she get the highest number as I. Leah were the next, she were crying and she doesn't want to throw the dice. I try to calm her down and she managed to throw the dice, she get the highest number too. Everyone took turn and when the first round end, people with lowest been killed by the creature. Blood were spill all over the board, I run to Leah and close her eyes. I don't want her to watch the horror.

"This is wrong," Says Hanabi. She walk to me in tears, I pull her in my arms and hug the two of them.

"We need to win and survived." I whisper to her left ear. Hanabi nodded.

"Let the second round begin." says the lady, again the dice appear in front of me and I throw it, I didn't get the perfect number but it is still the highest. Hanabi turn and she almost got the lowest number. Other take their turn and at every end, the lowest will be killed. It took only a few minutes and almost half of the ladies been killed. The creature swallow and the human flesh. They feasting on it. The crowd were happy.

"Last round." says the lady, only 6 of us left. I throw the dice and I managed to reach the finish line, Hanabi throw her dice and she get extra number, she need 4 number but instead she get 6. Her statue move two step backward. Leah throw her dice and she gets 2. She at the second last when a high school girl get zero. I took Leah and place her in my lap. I hold her tight.

The round ends and the creature was ready to killed whoever that haven't able to reach the finish line. They coming for Hanabi and Leah as well for the others. I hold those two near by my side hoping I could save them. The creature consume and hunted the others, while six of the creature focus on us. I move back a few step and keep Leah and Hanabi on my sight.

"Don't you dare!" I shout as I looked at those red blood-lust eyes. Then the creature jumped at once towards us,suddenly a shining light from my necklace. It was bright and my eyes couldn't stand the light. All the creature run away when they saw the light.

"Guardian?!" Shout the lady, she were mad at me. I saw the lady fade away and a cold big hands touch my back.

"Are you looking for a death wish, little girl?" It was Jarrel. He appear in my dream, i try to look at him but his touch made me so sleepy and I fall asleep.

The next thing I knew, I woke up in my room and it was 4.15am. My whole body were covered in sweat. I took a deep breath and exhale it. My heart feels like it's going to burst. It must be the dream.

"Thank god, I'm alive!" I get up and walk to Hanabi room, I check on her and she's fine. She's sleeping and she's safe. That's all that matter to me.

I walk back into my room, took a seat on my bed and just inhale the air.

"I shouldn't eat those pill." I talk to myself, I grab the bottle and keep it away inside my desk drawer.

Silly dream again.

I lay down on my bed and try to get some sleep but I just couldn't. My eyes and my body totally fully of energy.

"Should I go and watch sunrise?" I looked at my phone screen and thought to myself.

"Better get your ass moving." I decided to take a walk at 4.30am with no body around. I wear my long track pants and clothes, also I put on my jacket. I took my phone, my earphones and my wallet with me, planning to stop by the convenience store before heading to the temple. The temple were the best place to sit and watch the sunrise.

I left the house and walk to the most nearby stores to grab a hot drink and some onigiri.

"Thank you very much!" says the cashier. I smile and walk out from the store. I put on my morning playlist song on spotify and just relax. I walk up the stair to the temple, it was high but this is the only place that I find comforting. The morning air were cold but it didn't stop me from going outside.

"Finally…" I took a deep breath before finding a place to seat. The temple was quiet and empty. It was clean like always. I took my time and pay my respect to the gods.

"If you don't mind, I want to stay here for a moment and watch the sunrise with you. Thank you for letting me stay." I finish my speech and take a seat at one of the public long chair. I open up my hot drinks and my onigiri. Enjoying my morning coffee while watching the sunrise. As I waited for the sunrise, I scroll my homepage and found all the negative comments about the case.

"Great. Now everyone thinks i'm the bully." I sigh and suddenly someone talk to me.

"Hmm.. So you must be frustrated with it?" I can feel a figure standing behind me and looking down at my phone. I looked up and it was the shaman man. The guy that broke my curse!

"You!! The shop owner!!" I'm surprised his here.

"Hello again. Looks like faith brought us together." He replied.

"But How?! You suppose to be in Tokyo!"

"I move a lot, do you mind if I seat next to you?" I invite him and he took his seat beside me.

"I was looking for you all over! I have so many question to ask you. It's about the curses and the gift. You know the 'soul travel' thing?" I won't waste any of my time. I need his help.

"Yes, what about it?" He looked at me with a question mark reaction.

"The last time we spoke, you told me that I had this gifts for travelling. Could you tell me more about it?"

"Hmm.. Soul traveler are rare. So I may have some information but it wasn't much."

"It's okay! I'm fine with whatever." I responded very quickly. He seem genuine to me.