-The Demon Hound

  The sun was setting. There were no lights in the ruins, of course, so I might have just been seeing things. Something had gone up the stairs. And I think it was a dog. I only saw it from behind, but it was by far the biggest dog I had ever seen.

  ...A demon hound, the thirty-year-old me muttered in my mind, putting a hand to his chin.

  A demon hound? ...What the hell is a demon hound? Is that what did this to that thug? My attention was drawn back to the blood splattered all over the wall. If that beast was the one who carried out this massacre, I had to get out of here right now. I absolutely couldn't let it find me. The demon hound just went up to the third floor. Now's my chance to run.

  "Gah! Aaaaargh!"

  A scream. A muffled shriek at first, then a full-blown scream of terror. It was the guy I had just knocked out! The screaming stopped abruptly. Maybe it bit his throat, or maybe it tore his neck off completely, separating his head from his body.

  I-I have to go! My legs trembled as I ran down the stairs, but my foot caught on something. Thump! Followed by a high-pitched clink. I stepped on an empty bottle, landed hard on my butt, and the bottle clattered against the wall.

  I sensed something moving from the third floor. I immediately scrambled to my feet, flew down the stairs, and sprinted for the exit. I dashed down the hall toward the front of the ruins, but from the other staircase, I saw the shadow of a massive beast. It was too dark to see clearly, but it had to be the demon hound.

  The moment the beast poked its head out from the stairs and turned its face toward me, I dove to the side. I launched myself through a window with no glass and tumbled out of the building. With The Hand helping me, I quickly vaulted over the fence next to the building.

  But the beast was terrifyingly fast. It caught up to me instantly and leapt over the fence. The direction I was trying to run—it stood right in my way.

  I want to go to the bathroom. That's what I thought, looking at the beast barely visible in the moonlight. I at least didn't want to die while needing to pee. The fifteen-year-old me had a complicated look on his face, while the thirty-year-old me looked amused.

  While thinking about that, I noticed the beast wasn't attacking. Is it because we're glaring at each other? I didn't know why, but I locked my eyes on it. It was pitch black and hard to see, but it looked like an Irish Wolfhound. I'd seen one in a picture book once. A huge dog. Though this one looked more muscular than the one in the book...

  What is that? Those energy bubbles... Particles were rising from its body. My Hand is like that too. So this giant dog really is a supernatural being, huh?

  I had a brief moment to cool my head. If I have to fight you, I'm not going down easy! Hell, I'll beat you! Just as I thought that, the beast growled. It felt like its energy vibrated the very air. It was overwhelming. The volume wasn't even that loud, but my skin tingled!

  I backed away. I felt a slight haze drifting around us. Is this the beast's aura too? No, it might be the toxic Fog! Just by taking a few steps back, the demon hound's body was swallowed by the darkness of the night, completely vanishing from sight. I couldn't even see what the moonlight had barely illuminated before. I hoped the dog couldn't see me, either.

  I stood frozen for a moment until I heard the growl again. My body tingled once more. Still facing forward, I raised my hand, and my body was yanked straight up! With The Hand pulling me, I cleared the fence behind me in one breath. Until I landed on the other side of the wall, I kept my eyes peeled trying to find the beast, but it was gone.

  I pressed my back against the wall of a building and, using The Hand, scaled up to the second, then third floor at a speed no dog could match. I made sure the door to the roof was locked and looked for the demon hound again, but there was no sign of it. After searching for a long time, I realized that the toxic Fog was starting to appear around this building too.

  Once the beast was completely out of sight, I slumped to the ground. I realized my legs had entirely given out. T-thank god. It seems it went somewhere else. My breathing was still ragged.

  First, I need to find a place to relieve myself. Somewhere that dog won't come... In the end, I used the roof drain and spent the night shivering on the roof of the abandoned building.

  The first thing I thought when I woke up the next morning was that I wanted a blanket, food, and a toothbrush. Some cardboard or wooden boards to block the wind would be nice, too. And I really wanted to do something about my clothes, which were not only torn up but now had a bit of blood on them.

  Anyway, I craved a more decent environment. The demon hound had traumatized me so much that, from the bottom of my heart, I no longer wanted to sleep on the streets I had grown so used to.

  I headed out into the city of No Hope. My mind felt different today. Sometimes I could see those particle-like bubbles in the air. Clearer than usual. First, food and shelter. Right, maybe I should go to the jewelry store after business hours and try tailing that man.

  [The Imperial Capital, Dark District No Hope - Bridge Street. 5:45 AM.]

  I bought a sandwich at a convenience store and went to look at another steel recycling bin. A different location this time. I grabbed a dull-green hoodie and a cap. I'd already been chased once yesterday. My clothes were a mess from the fight, and I didn't want to look the same anyway. I pulled the cap down low and threw the hood over it.

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  Walking down the street, I saw the police had taped off a corner. They set up cones and connected them with tape. A murder scene? It was early morning, but a small crowd of onlookers had gathered. It must have just been called in. I went close to the tape and saw the victim's body being carried away.

  I recognized the apron. It was the lady from the fish shop.

  I felt sick to my stomach and quickly walked away. I went into a large park nearby to rest.

  [8:00 AM]

  My head felt incredibly heavy. Resting on the bench didn't fix it, so I just walked around the city. Thankfully, it was still early morning around here, so there weren't many people. I knew I was completely exhausted from everything happening one after another.

  As my head hung low, I felt like the fifteen-year-old me was saying something. What is it? It's those bubbles again. Energy particles... drifting slightly along the street. I kept going, and there were some near a public trash can too. I looked up and saw a crow perched on a power line. I had just been following the strange movement of the bubbles, but it led me to a crow.

  As I watched it, our eyes met. We stared at each other, both of us tilting our heads. After a moment, the crow hopped down and landed right at my feet. What should I do... I tried crouching down. It hopped even closer. I held out my hand, and it stepped right onto it.

  Whoa. It's totally attached to me. What do I do? It's cute, and I'm happy, but... I could feel my heart healing. I never thought I'd be comforted by a crow taking a liking to me. But to me right now, it was a big deal. A feeling of my nerves finally resting. I felt like my cells were being healed and repaired terrifyingly fast.

  I felt grateful to the crow and wanted to give it some food. I spotted a candy shop nearby. It was incredibly dingy, not the kind of place you'd see parents and kids going near. Is it okay to give animals sweets or candy? But crows eat anything... I hesitated, but went to a vegetable and fruit stand next door and bought a tiny bit of produce. About 6 dollars' worth.

  I went back to the crow, guided it into an alley, and it followed me perfectly. I gave it some vegetables to try. I was relieved when it started eating right away. I knew crows ate garbage all the time, but I didn't know exactly what they liked. I sat and ate with the crow. I took out a tomato I bought, placed it in my palm, and sliced it with my knife. I gave a piece to the crow.

  While we were eating together, someone walked out of the candy shop.

  -Candy Shop

  The person who came out of the candy shop was... the jewelry store man! What do I do!? My legs are shaking. The unreadable book flashes in my mind. Right, that book! I have to get Old Man Kumi's keepsake back!

  I tailed him. The man went into a cafe near the jewelry store, ordered a sandwich and coffee, and spent time reading the newspaper on the terrace. After a while, he went into the jewelry store. I could stake him out here, but... it wasn't even noon yet. Just before 10 AM.

  Looking around the intersection, I saw the toxic Fog starting to roll in... It was still thin, so it was okay. But if it gets thicker, no one will go outside. If the Fog touches you, your whole body stings and burns. If you get enveloped in it, it kills your mind. It's something that didn't exist before I came to this world. I wish it would just disappear.

  But if it doesn't, maybe I should move. I reconsidered my plan. That guy is at work now. What the hell was he doing at that candy shop on Bridge Street right before his morning commute? Something popped into my head. I accessed the back of my mind. The thirty-year-old me was standing in the dark. He had his hands shoved in his pockets, trying to look cool, saying something.

  Go to the candy shop while you can.

  The candy shop? Got it. I turned on my heel and retraced my steps.

  I arrived in front of the candy shop. The Fog was starting to appear here too. My forehead was sweating. I took off my cap for a second to wipe it. I looked up at the power lines, but the crow was gone. I approached the shop. The windows were so filthy they looked like someone had sprayed them with boiling oil. The other windows had lace curtains that made it incredibly hard to see inside.

  Ding. The small bell on the door chimed as I walked in. There was no one in the store. There was candy on the display shelves, but only a tiny bit left at the bottom of the containers. The shelves were so covered in dust, I wondered who would ever want to pay money for this. This shop is weird. You see places like this sometimes, but I never understood why they even existed. Maybe they're just keeping the family business going in name only, or maybe they're landlords. Or maybe it's some kind of tax evasion, I don't really get that stuff.

  Anyway, I wanted to know what he—the jewelry store man—was doing here. After looking around the store for a bit, a man who looked like the owner came out from the back of the counter. He was slightly heavyset. There was absolutely no life in his eyes. His eyes are a little scary. He doesn't feel like a guy with an honest job. He has this dangerous aura. I hope this guy isn't a hitman or something.

  He spoke to me. "Hey, kid. You gonna buy something or not? Make up your mind." "Yeah, the Fog started rolling in, so I'm trying to decide if I should buy something while taking shelter." "It ain't that thick yet. If you ain't buying, get lost."

  I gave a half-hearted reply and left the store. He had zero intention of doing business. The vibe was clearly "I won't close the store, but customers aren't welcome."

  I still have plenty of time. When does the jewelry store guy finish work? Maybe around 5 PM? I don't know for sure. If that's true, I have more than 5 hours. I'll go around back. The back street is on a hill. From the front, the shop looked like a one-story building, but from the back, it was two stories.

  Oh, I see. The candy shop is on the second floor of a two-story building. Inside the shop, there were no stairs leading down to a basement (which is actually the first floor). That means there must be stairs leading down from behind the counter. The second floor only has candy, so I doubt the jewelry store man had any business up there. Unless he was just chatting with that hitman-looking older guy, which wouldn't be too weird, but... I wonder.

  The back entrance is hidden by a fence. I'll climb over. It looked like a completely normal house from the outside. The front door looked like any standard home. There was one car parked on the property. Probably the hitman-style owner's. There's a garage next to the main house, but it's closed. If I unlock it from the inside with The Invisible Hand, I could sneak in. What should I do? I'm curious about the garage too.

  Alright, let's check the garage first. I went to the side door of the garage, but it was locked. I unlocked it from the inside with The Hand and slipped in. It's pitch black... I tried to open the door wider to let some light in, but it was heavier than I expected. The door had a strong pull and closed immediately. Maybe it's a spring, or a problem with the hinges. I could tell there was one car and a bunch of large boxes crammed inside, but... Is it okay to turn on the light? Am I overthinking this? Let's just turn it on.

  I felt around for the switch and pressed a button on the wall. Screech—clank—gronk! Suddenly, a massive noise rang out. Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! The shutter started rolling up! I immediately hit the button again. The machine let out a shrieking sound, and the garage shutter stopped. It was half open.