Episode 1: The Red Forest

My name is Hikari, I like art, skating & writing. Shimei, my best friend since I've known since I was six has always been there for me no matter how crazy I've gotten. Though one day, Shime and I were walking home when I decided we should enter the Red Forest even though people said it was haunted, I told her it wasn't a big deal, or at least...I didn't think it was. Little did we know it would be one of the worst choices we'd make in our lives.

September 6th of 2019, 6:30 am

"Hikari, wake up already!!!" I was moved back and forth, over and over.

"What!?" I opened my eyes slowly as the rays of the sun from my window blinded me, making me cover my eyes with my bed sheets. “Ugh...” I was tired, last night I was up doing an art project till 3 am.

"We have to get to school! Hurry up and get ready or I'm leaving you here." Shime laughed.

"You've got to be kidding me!!! Five minutes?!" I put on a light brown jean skirt, a maroon sweater with white long socks and brown boots. "Don't leave yet!" I rushed down the stairs. I didn't want to be late, after all, it was the first day of school.

"Great, let's go." Shime looked exhausted, she was studying all night long again and you could tell. We ate cereal and then started heading over to the bus stop. Shime started living at my house since her mother and father were never home, she was never going to be exactly okay if something were to happen to her. So she decided to move into our house to make sure that she was okay, she’s lived at my house for about a year now.

Our bus always passes by the Red Forest, a supposedly haunted place. Though that's just a rumor, there's no such thing as haunted places or ghosts.

"Hey Shime, why don't we check out the Red forest after school?" I looked over at her as she choked on her water that she had brought with her in a water bottle.

"Are you insane?! Haven't you heard the rumors about that forsaken place?" The Red Forest was no joke, people had apparently died in there and were never found, I never believed it though. If you go in deep enough you'll find a big red circle that was made from the blood of the people who died...at least that's what they say.

"I know Shime, but those are just a bunch of rumors! Let's just go check it out this one time. I mean, we don't live forever right?"

"Fine, just this one time." she sighed in defeat.

Once we got to school Shime carefully yet surely got up, stretching her arms. "Oh come on! Your boyfriends here~" Shime clenched her fists.

"He's not my boyfriend Hikari, Especially not after what he did!" I didn't know what she was talking about, she started to hate Akihiko last year and I had no idea why.

"Why do you hate him so much?!" Shime shoved me out of the way and ran into school. "Shime wait! I'm sorry...what did I say?" I was so confused. What did Akiko do? He was such a nice guy and she used to be head over heels for him. I decided to ignore it, Shime would get over it eventually I already knew how she was. She would be mad about something and within seconds she’d completely forget about it and move on that’s just how she was.

"Yo Hikari!" it was Hakue, he looked a bit different from the last time I’d seen him, must be the hair. Although his blond hair was new, I guess he dyed it again, as usual.

"Hey Hakue! Do you need something?" Hakue and I go way back, ever since I was born. Our mothers were best friends so we kinda learned to get along, which led to us being friends. Shime didn't like him so much though, when she would see him heading towards us or with me she would leave. I didn't really understand the grudge she had against him. There was this rumor that they used to date but Shime or Hakue would've told me if they did so it was probably just a lie.

“By chance do you know where class 2B is?” I thought about it for a second before I remembered where it was, it was where the old cooking club used to be.

“Of course, just head down this hall and take a right till you see a glass stand with a bunch of trophies and it should be to your left.” I pointed in what direction he had to go to.

“Oh okay thanks Hikari! Have a nice day.” he smiled and waved me a goodbye.

Throughout the day I spent it by myself since I didn't really have any friends. I mean, I had Shime and Hakue but they had their own lives and I had mine. Plus

they were always busy so I never dared to bother them. Usually I'd go to my classes and for lunch I'd just sit at a cherry tree at the back of the school.

"Crap." all of a sudden a loud screeching noise came on the speakers, the bell. I covered my ears,"Can't they get that fixed already?!" that bell has been like that for about three years. My mother used to work here as the secretary before she moved into accounting so I’ve known that bell noise for some time now.

After school, I walked downstairs to the north exit of the school.

"Hey Hikari!!!" it was Shime, she had a big bright smile on her face.

"What're you so happy about?" I smirked, "Is it about Mr. Akihiko?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Hikari!!!" She shoved me, as she pouted.

"Okay! Sorry, I get it. Seriously though, what're you so happy about?" I raised my eyebrow, trying to think about what could possibly make her smile like that...maybe she had ramen for lunch? Or maybe she got tickets to that concert she’s been wanting to go to.

"A guy asked me out to the dance..." she fiddled with her hair, she really was over Akihiko.

"I thought you were joking when you said you didn't like Akihiko anymore." I mumbled. I stepped onto the bus and swiped my bus card.

"Sit over here!" I followed Shime to the second area of the bus going up the stairs, I sat on the window side, as usual.

"Hey. Do you still want to go to the Red Forest?" I looked over at Shime, her turned face pale and her mouth dropped.

"Are you crazy?! I thought you were just joking!" I put my hand over Shime's mouth.

"Don't yell!" I slowly took my hand off her mouth, prepared to take action if she screamed.

"Fine, but you gotta pay me back later with some ramen from the new shop that just opened up." she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at me.

“Hm, fine I agree with your terms." I smiled.

"We only live once, right?" Shime gave me a nervous smile, oh the things this girl does for me. Once we got off the bus Shime and I walked along the Red Forest trail when I heard a raspy, deep voice call out my name.

"Hikari, I've been waiting for you.¨ I turned around, thinking it was Shime trying to teach me not to go into haunted forests, but that’s when I realized she was far ahead of me.

"What's wrong?" Shime looked at me, concerned.

"There's something bad in here, you were right to say we shouldn’t come in here. Let’s go." I started panicking, my hands started to get sweaty and tremble.

"Hikari you're going crazy," Shime grabbed me by the arm. "Let's go back to your house." she continued to walk down the trail heading towards the entrance, I didn't feel safe anymore.

“Didn't you hear me? I've been waiting for you.” we turned around, to see that nothing was there. I worried that something was after us, something...bad.

"What was that?" Shime looked at me with eyes of terror, I could tell she was about to scream.

"I don't know!" I started to shake from all over my body and my heart started racing, "Who's there!" I grabbed Shime's hand tighter.

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Shime looked at me, furious. "Are you messing with me?! Because it's not funny Hikari." She let go of my hand and clenched her fists. When all of a sudden a black fog surrounded us, "Oh come out already! I know you're one of Hikari's friends! This isn’t funny!!!" She put her arms on her hips.

"Shime I’m being serious!!! This isn’t me messing with you, I swear." I started to cry. She turned towards me when all of a sudden she vanished as if she was never there. "No!!!" I started balling my eyes out, I decided to call 911 and run out of the woods. As I called 911 my phone beeped, no signal. “How can I not have a signal in a situation like this? Come on stupid phone, work!!!” all of a sudden I was pulled back by something. I woke up in a dark place, I could only see a small bit of light...it was far away though.

I moved my arm, I was chained to the wall. "What the heck...?" I tried to break free when a speaker came on.

"Don't bother trying." it was that raspy voice again. "Your friend, Shime...was it? if you don’t listen to what I tell you I'll hurt her." I tried to stand up but my legs were too weak.

"Who are you...?" I looked around the room I was in, the light I saw earlier seemed to be coming from a door. Although,  I couldn't see what was beyond it.

"I'm your worst nightmare." he laughed. What if Shime was dead and this guy was just messing with me?

"I want proof that Shime is alive.'' All of a sudden a light turned on, I was in a basement like room, no windows just cement walls and that door. I looked to the side of me, "Oh my god." I closed my eyes, there was a dead body on the floor, it was smiling...

I heard chains moving, "Hikari..." it was Shime's voice, she was hanging by chains in the middle of the room, weak and vulnerable, I had never seen her like that.

"Let her go!" I wanted to cry.

"She'll be fine as long as you listen to me, but If you don't..." Glass surrounded her like a barrier and ferocious wolves were brought in by men in black. My body started to shake as tears formed in my eyes.

"Stop! I'll do anything...please...just stop." I started to cry.

"Hikari...you don't have to do this." she sounded so weak, what had he done to her?

"Shush! She's already chosen what she wants to do." Shime was lifted up into a gap that had opened in the ceiling. "I'm going to let you come out, if you do anything such as even making eye contact with me your friend is as good as dead." he laughed with enjoyment to see me suffer like a caged bird whining to be free. He opened the door I had seen earlier, I gagged, there were dead people all over the place just...smiling.

"Oh my god..." the place practically looked like a place similar to hell, or...was it hell?

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***