Chapter 5: Missing

The next morning, Mikoto awoke with a lingering sense of dread that had settled deep in her bones. The events of the previous day—the discovery of the journal, the encounter at the shrine—played over and over in her mind, casting a dark shadow over her thoughts. The village’s secrets were unraveling, but the more she learned, the more terrified she became.

As she got dressed, Mikoto noticed how silent the house was. It was an oppressive silence, the kind that seemed to swallow every sound. She hadn’t seen her grandmother since the day before, and a part of her was relieved. The old woman’s stern warnings and refusal to acknowledge the strange occurrences had left Mikoto feeling isolated and alone. But now, as she stood in the quiet of her room, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

She stepped out into the hallway, her footsteps echoing unnervingly in the emptiness. The house felt colder than usual, the air heavy with an unsettling stillness. Mikoto’s unease grew as she made her way to the kitchen, hoping to find her grandmother there, preparing breakfast as usual.

But the kitchen was empty.

Mikoto paused at the threshold, a sense of foreboding settling over her. The teapot was cold, the table bare. There were no signs of her grandmother anywhere. The feeling of wrongness deepened, a chill creeping down her spine.

“Grandmother?” she called out, her voice trembling slightly.

There was no answer.

Mikoto searched the house, her anxiety growing with each empty room she found. Her grandmother was nowhere to be seen, and there were no signs that she had left the house. Mikoto’s heart raced as she stood in the middle of the living room, her thoughts spiraling into panic. Had her grandmother gone out again? Or was something more sinister at play?

As she stood there, trying to calm herself, a sudden thought struck her—Akane. Maybe she could help. Akane had seemed friendly enough, and Mikoto needed someone to talk to, someone who might understand what was happening in this cursed village.

Without another thought, Mikoto grabbed her bag and left the house, locking the door behind her. The village was eerily quiet as she made her way through the streets, the usual morning bustle absent. She saw only a few villagers, their faces drawn and weary, as if they too were weighed down by the same dread that clung to Mikoto.

She hurried toward Akane’s house, her footsteps quick and purposeful. Akane had mentioned that her family lived in a small house near the village’s eastern edge, close to the forest. Mikoto remembered the path Akane had led her down during the festival, and she followed it now, her heart pounding in her chest.

When she reached the house, Mikoto hesitated, a sense of unease prickling at her skin. The house looked as it had before—small and modest, with a neat little garden in the front. But there was something different now, something that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

She walked up to the door and knocked, her hand trembling slightly. There was no immediate response, and Mikoto’s anxiety grew as she knocked again, louder this time.

Still, there was no answer.

Mikoto bit her lip, debating whether she should leave. But something inside her urged her to try once more. She called out Akane’s name, her voice wavering.

“Akane? Are you there?”

The silence that followed was almost unbearable. Mikoto felt a cold sweat break out on the back of her neck as she waited, every second feeling like an eternity. Then, just as she was about to give up, she heard it—a faint sound from inside the house, like something being moved.

Her heart leaped in her chest. “Akane?”

She tried the door, and to her surprise, it creaked open with ease. Mikoto hesitated for only a moment before stepping inside, her eyes scanning the dimly lit interior. The house was small and sparsely furnished, but it was clean and well-kept. There was no sign of anyone in the small living room or kitchen.

“Akane?” Mikoto called out again, her voice echoing in the quiet space.

Still no response.

She ventured further into the house, her nerves on edge. The stillness was oppressive, every creak of the floorboards underfoot making her jump. As she reached the hallway, leading to what she assumed were the bedrooms, Mikoto heard it again—a faint, almost imperceptible noise, like someone shifting their weight on the floor.

She moved cautiously down the hallway, her breath catching in her throat. The door to what must have been Akane’s room was slightly ajar. Mikoto pushed it open slowly, peering inside.

The room was empty.

Mikoto’s heart sank as she stepped inside, her eyes searching the small space. Akane’s bed was neatly made, and her desk was tidy, with a few schoolbooks stacked neatly on top. There was no sign that anything was amiss, yet the sense of unease in Mikoto’s gut only deepened.

As she stood there, unsure of what to do next, her eyes were drawn to something on the desk—an open notebook. It looked like Akane had been writing something before she left, but the page had been torn out, leaving only a jagged edge where the paper had been.

Mikoto’s curiosity got the better of her. She stepped closer and picked up the notebook, flipping through the remaining pages. Most of the entries were mundane—school notes, reminders, and doodles. But toward the end, the entries became more frantic, the handwriting more erratic.

The final few entries made Mikoto’s blood run cold.

“Something’s wrong in this village. I can feel it watching me. I’m scared, but I can’t leave. Not without finding out what’s happening.”

“They’re hiding something from us. Everyone knows, but no one will say anything. I saw something in the forest last night. Something…”

The last entry was unfinished, the words trailing off into a scribble.

Mikoto’s heart pounded in her chest as she read the entries again, her mind racing. Akane had been scared—terrified, even. She had known something was wrong, just as Mikoto did. But now she was missing, and Mikoto had no idea where to start looking.

The feeling of being watched returned, stronger than before. Mikoto glanced around the room, her pulse quickening. The shadows in the corners seemed to shift, as if something was lurking just out of sight.

She had to get out of there.

Mikoto hurried out of the house, her breath coming in short gasps as she ran down the path. She didn’t stop until she was far away, back in the relative safety of the village center. But even then, the sense of dread followed her, like a dark cloud hanging over her head.

Akane was missing, just like her grandmother. The village’s curse was closing in on her, and Mikoto knew that if she didn’t find a way to stop it, she might be next.

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