The cold wind of the night blew in between the gap of the windows as Nozaki Reika came home from her meeting with her thesis defense teammates. It has been a haggard week and she have not slept properly. Her eye bags hung as she slumped herself in the sofa. Reika had been living alone without the help of her parents. She worked graveyard shifts twice a week to finance herself. Because of her perseverance, she had managed to buy a cheap house blocks away from the university that she is attending.
“What the heck am I doing with my life? I need to get over this thesis quickly!”
She tried to stand up but no strength came out of her legs. “I think I will sleep just abit.” Without having second thoughts, she closed her eyes wearing the same sweat-smelling school uniform. She lied on the sofa for almost an hour but she felt something was tingling with her senses. She could not explain what it was or what it is but she managed to open her eyes least bit.
“Why am I having a weird sense that something or someone is with me inside my house? I just lived alone right?” Opening her eyes, she saw the terrifying creature staring right back at her. The sharp teeth and fangs with a bone-chilling growl sent shivers down her spine.
“What the hell is this? Am I dreaming? Am I still inside a dream?”
She shook herself out of the sofa and tried calling for help but no words came out of her mouth. She shook her body even more but she felt that she’s still stuck on the sofa with no strength out of exhaustion. The shadowy figure moved even closer to her body sticking its tongue out with saliva coming out of its mouth. The creature had no eyes and limbs instead it was like a floating matter surrounded by a black shadow completely covering its entirety. “This is just a dream, this is just a dream… THIS IS JUST A DREAM.” Reika muttered as she closed her eyes once more hoping that this was all just a bad dream and she will wake up sooner or later.
“Oh, so you thought you are just having a bad dream?” A man wearing a fine tux with a top hat armed with a large scythe appeared sitting at the opening of the window. Moonlight gleamed on his pale face which also illuminated his alluring topaz-colored eyes.
“H-help me….” Reika could not speak anymore as the shadowy figure’s tentacles almost reached her body.
“So you need my help is that it? Well, I could never ignore a damsel in distress.” Just with those words, the tentacles were all diced into pieces.
The creature let out a sharp cry of anger as it looked towards the mysterious stranger. Its mouth stretched widely.
“You’re angry now? Come to papa.” The creature regenerated its tentacle arms rushing towards the stranger in black.
He smiled happily as if he was entertained and unsheathed his scythe. “You take things that don’t belong to you. Now that’s a felony right there right?”
The stranger gestured back at Reika. She could only nod in confusion and whispered to herself.
“What the hell is ‘taking things that don’t belong to you’ mean?” Growling in anger, the creature charged towards the stranger.
“A name that smells as sweet as a rose, come to me Belle Flora.” Dodging the attack, the scythe did not even touch the creature but left a trace of roses. As he moved across the room, the shadowy figure was already cut in half. Its parts dissipated in the air as the stranger tossed his weapon disappearing with a trail of rose petals.
Regaining her strength once again, Reika stood up from the sofa and surprisingly found out something creepy.
She stood up but saw herself still lying on the sofa sound asleep. It was like something out of a movie.
“What the hell?” She exclaimed as she turned her head towards the stranger.
“What the hell did you do to me?!” The stranger looked at her and shrugged.
“Looks like you turned into a ghost now out of exhaustion. Meh, you’re already dead unless you want to take the other way around?”
Reika was too confused. “Other way around? What the hell is other way around? Nobody can cheat death!” The stranger scoffed and laughed softly.
“You died not on purpose and your soul did not get devoured by the shade so, you still have a chance.” Hearing those words, Reika’s confusion went to another level. “Those shadows… They are creepy… What are they?”
The man smirked as he held the scythe once again on his hand. “Stick close to me if you want to live.”
