In the end
Naoko pried the floorboard up gingerly with the tip of her nail file, careful not to mar the edges of the board. He hadn't found this hiding place. Yet. She stowed her package underneath, normally she liked to wash them first but he'd find them if she did, he always found them. Tears trickled slowly down her face, she'd tried so hard to hide them but he always found them, always. Her shoulders shook with her sobs as she quietly pushed the floorboard back into place. Wiping her hand across her eyes she took a second package from the bag, they were much lower quality. She'd wash this and leave it out, something to satisfy him, then he'd move on to someone else. The door opened, she whirled around, instinctively hiding her package behind her back, not that it would do any good, he seemed to have a sixth sense about the things. "Suzuko!" She sagged in relief, "I thought you were *him*. She said shivering." Suzuko was her neighbor across the hall, they'd never really known each other very well before, but the monster's appearance 5 months ago had drawn them closer together. "How far has he gotten?"
"He's two buildings down, they're trying to evict him as usual. A few of the girls volunteered to try and lure him away with dummies, we can't go to the police. I don't think I could talk to them about something like that, the girl across the street talked to them and they seized all she had left for evidence."
"It's not fair!" Naoko cried, curling her hands into fists and squeezing her eyes together, trying to stop the tears that were always close to the surface. I had to get a second job, my studies are suffering, I didn't pass my last test! I don't know what to do." she wailed.
"Me too." Suzuko admitted. "He discovered my hiding place last time and took all of them, all of them! I had to get an advance on my paycheck to buy more, I should get a second job too but I'm already doing poorly at school. I can't concentrate, I spend all of my time thinking about new hiding places. I keep on messing up orders at my waitressing job, and I start crying every time my boss asks what's wrong. He means well, he really does but there's no way I could tell him. He's so nice he'd actually try to stop the monster."
They were both silent for a moment, remembering the men who had tried to help them. The monster was merciless. Physically scarred and socially ostracized, most of their defenders didn't last past the first time. A few had tried to stop him twice, none had lasted to a third confrontation. Suzuko had lost three boyfriends, after the third she'd given up trying. She couldn't put anyone through that. "Suzuko?" Naoko lowered her eyes, ashamed, but she had to know if anyone else felt that way, that desperate "have, have you ever thought about killing him? It's just, we've tried everything! We've begged, pleaded with him, set all sorts of traps, misdirection, he always escapes. I can't sleep at night waiting for his footsteps in the hallway. I can't live like this much longer I can't! Th- there's this guy I know, he's kind of creepy but he collects guns. I did him a favor" Naoko said, blushing fiercely "so he let me borrow one."
"Everyone's thought about it" Suzuko agreed, staring blankly out the windows, "many of us have tried to arrange 'accidents' he's too fast, too agile. Remember Chikako?" Chikako had been a particularly buxom young girl who had lived one floor above them. She had received the demon's "special" attentions. "She lost it one day, went at him with a kitchen knife. He visits her every day in the hospital now, they'll be taking her to the mental ward once she recovers. Nobodies had the courage to really try anything since then"
They stared out the window at the slowly setting sun. "I can smell him" The smell of something very very old. "So can I" Naoko glanced towards the door.
"Can I wait in here with you Naoko?" Suzuko looked pleading. "I don't have any more left. Nothing to set out for him", she sat on Naoko's bed, drawing her legs up to her chin burying her hands in her skirt, they were trembling. "I missed the bus to the shopping district, the stores were all closed by the time I got there I couldn't buy any. Maybe if I'm in your room he won't notice, maybe your package will work for us both." The demon turned on you if you didn't appease him, Naoko blanched, she'd had his special attentions once, early on during the first week after he'd come, she'd tried to fight him off, three of the other girls in the building had heard her and come to her aid, together they'd managed to throw him out, but not until . . ." she closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out her memories. "Naoko? He's not going to be fooled is he?" Naoko looked at the floor, she couldn't lie to her while looking in her eyes. A scream from further down the hallway brought both their eyes to the door. "He's coming." Suzuko started to shake violently. He would do it to Suzuko, just like he'd done it to her. And eventually he'd do it to her again. This hell would never stop. That's why. That's why Naoko unlocked the drawer of the nightstand beside her bed as the demon burst through the door, seizing upon the package she'd left out for him with a cry of "my pretties". She hesitated after she pulled the drawer open, staring at the gun. The floorboard creaked behind her, then the snap of breaking wood as her floorboard came up. He was laughing, adding them to his already huge bag, a demonic santa clause. He'd noticed Suzuko. With one smooth leap he was on her, stationary for that moment. Naoko aimed, squeezing the trigger. It clicked. Nothing. Suzuko was screaming. Naoko brought the gun's handle down on the demon's bald head, he dropped to the floor. The demon, Happosai, sprawled motionless on the floor, his bag spilled across her bed, strewing panties everywhere. There was no way she could get ammunition before he woke up, Naoko bit her lower lip, eyeing his tiny figure fearfully. "Naoko?" Suzuko had gotten off the bed. "I have a knife."
End
Naoko pried the floorboard up gingerly with the tip of her nail file, careful not to mar the edges of the board. He hadn't found this hiding place. Yet. She stowed her package underneath, normally she liked to wash them first but he'd find them if she did, he always found them. Tears trickled slowly down her face, she'd tried so hard to hide them but he always found them, always. Her shoulders shook with her sobs as she quietly pushed the floorboard back into place. Wiping her hand across her eyes she took a second package from the bag, they were much lower quality. She'd wash this and leave it out, something to satisfy him, then he'd move on to someone else. The door opened, she whirled around, instinctively hiding her package behind her back, not that it would do any good, he seemed to have a sixth sense about the things. "Suzuko!" She sagged in relief, "I thought you were *him*. She said shivering." Suzuko was her neighbor across the hall, they'd never really known each other very well before, but the monster's appearance 5 months ago had drawn them closer together. "How far has he gotten?"
"He's two buildings down, they're trying to evict him as usual. A few of the girls volunteered to try and lure him away with dummies, we can't go to the police. I don't think I could talk to them about something like that, the girl across the street talked to them and they seized all she had left for evidence."
"It's not fair!" Naoko cried, curling her hands into fists and squeezing her eyes together, trying to stop the tears that were always close to the surface. I had to get a second job, my studies are suffering, I didn't pass my last test! I don't know what to do." she wailed.
"Me too." Suzuko admitted. "He discovered my hiding place last time and took all of them, all of them! I had to get an advance on my paycheck to buy more, I should get a second job too but I'm already doing poorly at school. I can't concentrate, I spend all of my time thinking about new hiding places. I keep on messing up orders at my waitressing job, and I start crying every time my boss asks what's wrong. He means well, he really does but there's no way I could tell him. He's so nice he'd actually try to stop the monster."
They were both silent for a moment, remembering the men who had tried to help them. The monster was merciless. Physically scarred and socially ostracized, most of their defenders didn't last past the first time. A few had tried to stop him twice, none had lasted to a third confrontation. Suzuko had lost three boyfriends, after the third she'd given up trying. She couldn't put anyone through that. "Suzuko?" Naoko lowered her eyes, ashamed, but she had to know if anyone else felt that way, that desperate "have, have you ever thought about killing him? It's just, we've tried everything! We've begged, pleaded with him, set all sorts of traps, misdirection, he always escapes. I can't sleep at night waiting for his footsteps in the hallway. I can't live like this much longer I can't! Th- there's this guy I know, he's kind of creepy but he collects guns. I did him a favor" Naoko said, blushing fiercely "so he let me borrow one."
"Everyone's thought about it" Suzuko agreed, staring blankly out the windows, "many of us have tried to arrange 'accidents' he's too fast, too agile. Remember Chikako?" Chikako had been a particularly buxom young girl who had lived one floor above them. She had received the demon's "special" attentions. "She lost it one day, went at him with a kitchen knife. He visits her every day in the hospital now, they'll be taking her to the mental ward once she recovers. Nobodies had the courage to really try anything since then"
They stared out the window at the slowly setting sun. "I can smell him" The smell of something very very old. "So can I" Naoko glanced towards the door.
"Can I wait in here with you Naoko?" Suzuko looked pleading. "I don't have any more left. Nothing to set out for him", she sat on Naoko's bed, drawing her legs up to her chin burying her hands in her skirt, they were trembling. "I missed the bus to the shopping district, the stores were all closed by the time I got there I couldn't buy any. Maybe if I'm in your room he won't notice, maybe your package will work for us both." The demon turned on you if you didn't appease him, Naoko blanched, she'd had his special attentions once, early on during the first week after he'd come, she'd tried to fight him off, three of the other girls in the building had heard her and come to her aid, together they'd managed to throw him out, but not until . . ." she closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out her memories. "Naoko? He's not going to be fooled is he?" Naoko looked at the floor, she couldn't lie to her while looking in her eyes. A scream from further down the hallway brought both their eyes to the door. "He's coming." Suzuko started to shake violently. He would do it to Suzuko, just like he'd done it to her. And eventually he'd do it to her again. This hell would never stop. That's why. That's why Naoko unlocked the drawer of the nightstand beside her bed as the demon burst through the door, seizing upon the package she'd left out for him with a cry of "my pretties". She hesitated after she pulled the drawer open, staring at the gun. The floorboard creaked behind her, then the snap of breaking wood as her floorboard came up. He was laughing, adding them to his already huge bag, a demonic santa clause. He'd noticed Suzuko. With one smooth leap he was on her, stationary for that moment. Naoko aimed, squeezing the trigger. It clicked. Nothing. Suzuko was screaming. Naoko brought the gun's handle down on the demon's bald head, he dropped to the floor. The demon, Happosai, sprawled motionless on the floor, his bag spilled across her bed, strewing panties everywhere. There was no way she could get ammunition before he woke up, Naoko bit her lower lip, eyeing his tiny figure fearfully. "Naoko?" Suzuko had gotten off the bed. "I have a knife."
End