Chapter : Recovering
1st POV
[10:12 am] At the hospital
Knock Knock
I was lost in my thoughts when a knock on the hospital door startled me.
"Come in"
The door slid open and there stood my best friend Nash. "Oh looks like you are awake now, just wait I will call the doctor," she said, her voice tinged with worry. Nash appeared tired, and dark circles ringed her eyes. I wonder why.
Shortly after, the doctor and nurse arrived to check on my condition. "Miss Nash, the patient's condition is stable now. She can be discharged tomorrow but she has to come once a week for weekly checkups," stated the doctor.
"Thank you, doctor," Nash replied with gratitude.
After the nurse and doctor left the room. Nash turns around and looks at me with a chilling smile and a terrifying look on her face that says 'you better explain or I will murder you.'
"So~, what came over you, to jump In front of a car like a maniac?" she inquired in a cheerful but cold tone and the smile on her face made her look like a demon. An imagery arrow shoots through my heart and O.K. Her words hurt more than the car accident, I knew I had to tread carefully with my response to avoid any further escalation.
My silence only seemed to fuel her mounting anger. Nash's expression grew more severe, and her demeanor turned hostile.
"Really, Mifa? Do you know that you have been unconscious for three days? Do you understand how worried WE all were? What do you think I felt when I heard that my friend had been hospitalized due to a car accident, huh?" Nash's words lashed out like a whip, conveying both her fear and frustration.
"I am so—" I started to reply, but Nash cut me off.
"A sorry wouldn't solve it," she interjected abruptly. Nash took a deep breath, attempting to regain her composure. "Anyway, what's done is done. Shalu, Sini, and Sapna will come when classes are over," she mentioned.
"Didn't you go to class today?" I inquired, hoping to change the subject.
"Oh, about that, summer break is right around the corner, so I am taking an early leave. There are some family issues. Oh, shit, I will miss my train. I have to go now. Take care," she said, rushing out of the room. I heard her add a parting note as she left, urging me to stay safe.
As Nash rushed out, I couldn't help but feel grateful for her presence. Though her initial reaction was severe, I knew it stemmed from a place of deep concern. She was always there for me whenever I needed her.
☯︎
[2:05 am] At Aokigahara, Japan
In the infamous Aokigahara forest in Japan, known for being a site of over 500 reported suicides since the 1950s. Locals claim to hear their spirits scream through the night.
The forest loomed over her, trees rustling with an eerie hush as she made her way through. She felt a chill run down her spine, knowing the history of this place and the spirits that haunted it. It was said that the forest had a way of luring people in, whispering dark thoughts into their minds until they succumbed to them.
Suddenly, she heard a sound. It was faint at first, but it grew louder as she approached. It was the sound of someone crying. She followed the noise until she came to a clearing and saw a young woman sitting on the ground, her face buried in her hands as she sobbed.
"Do you need help?" The female asked, approaching the young woman slowly.
The woman looked up at her with tear-stained cheeks. "I... I don't know what to do. I came here to end it all, but now... I don't think I can."
The female knelt down beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's not too late to turn back. You don't have to do this."
They sat in silence for a few moments, the only sound being the soft rustle of leaves in the wind. Finally, the young woman spoke up again.
"Why are you here? Are you going to stop me?"
The female shook her head. "No, I'm not here to stop you. I'm just passing through."
The young woman looked at her, confused. "Passing through? In Aokigahara?"
The female smiled faintly. "I have a mission here. I just happened to cross paths with you."
They sat in silence again, both lost in their own thoughts. The young woman eventually stood up, wiping away her tears.
"Thank you for talking to me," she said, before walking away.
The female watched her go, the wind whipping around her as she thought about the woman's words. She knew firsthand the darkness that could take hold of a person's mind, but she also knew that there was always hope. It was a belief that she held close to her heart, a belief that had kept her going all these years.
With a deep breath, she continued on her mission, her crow flying above her head. The forest slowly drifted away behind her, its eerie presence fading into the distance.
[A few minutes later]
The eerie silence of the forest was interrupted only by the occasional rustling of leaves and the distant sound of wildlife.
In the midst of this silence, a female figure could be seen walking through the forest. The cold breeze hit her hard, causing her nose to feel cold and probably red. She took a deep breath, inhaling the chill air as she walked further into the forest.
The woman had just come from a mission - decapitating the heads of around five second-class curses that had been causing trouble. As she walked away from the now decaying corpses, she couldn't help but feel annoyed at how even at the brink of death, the curses were still shouting insults at her, saying that she will pay and other things she doesn't even care about. She wanted nothing more than to clear her mind of these suffocating thoughts.
They were only second-class so it was pretty easy for her.
"Hey! Get back here! It can't end like this! Hey!"
The Reaper sighed as she saw her own breath entangled with the cold air. Her eyes kept focusing on the wind, the leaves, and everything around her. She wanted her mind to be blank for once, to get rid of those suffocating thoughts for once.
It's not that she hated doing this but she just hated curses and how even on the brink of death, they can be annoying.
"You little-"
"Why don't you just rot and go to hell already, yeah?" The female said as her voice lowered, laced with annoyance and venom at the same time. She turned her head slightly to the side as she looked back at them in the eye. That look she had, even though they are curses. They felt something cold. Pure hatred. Red eyes glowing in the dark.
The female scoffed at them and she was gone out of sight. Now that she was farther, she found herself walking through the forest and her crow sat on her shoulder.
Suddenly, her crow perched on her shoulder spoke up,"You are being needed at HQ."
Despite her surprise, she quickly collected her thoughts. "Really? Well... alright. What's going on there?" She asked.
started running towards her destination.
''A new mission has been assigned to you !" The crow screamed as it flew around above her head in circles.
The female's lips slightly parted and she stopped walking. The crow still made noise about hurrying up. The thing is, she has been on special and dangerous missions on her own, under the Chairman of the Association/Organization. She is the highest-ranking member, and only a select few people know of her existence. Her missions are ones that others cannot undertake, and the weight of the responsibility she carries is almost too much to bear. Started running towards her destination.
As she runs towards the HQ, she wonders what she will say when she gets there. She has never had much contact with the other members of the HQ; in fact, she has declined various invitations from the Chairman to meet them.
"You are n-"
"Yes, I heard you." The female sighed.
"What do I even say once I make my way there." The girl told herself. Despite the heavy weight on her shoulders and the uncertainty of what lies ahead, her determination drives her forward through the forest. She disappears into the darkness, leaving only the distant sound of her footsteps behind her.