A/N Hello, I'm back after two months! I know, I'm not the most active in writing this story. We're nearing the end of this fanfiction. I would say that around 3-5 chapters remain before it is completed. Yes, after two years with little to no progress, I'm finally finishing this project. There are plenty of things I wish to change about the chapters, but I'll leave them till after I finish Doll Eyes. Well, we'll see. Please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 8: Time is of the Essence

I woke up with cold sweat clinging on to my entire body. My eyes stretch open and my mouth frozen in a silent scream. A second passes, or a minute, or an hour; time didn't seem to matter. In my delirious state, I barely remembered to breathe. As I lay in my bed gasping for breath, I looked over to Kouichi. He was asleep, without much of a sound. The only thing stopping me from violently shaking him awake was the rising and falling of his chest. Seeing Kouichi peacefully sleeping without a care in the world calmed me down, if only just a little. If not for him, I would have been a frantic mess.

I could almost ignore that faint black fog hovering around Kouichi's body. I've purposefully positioned my body so I could cover part of my doll eye's sight, but every little shift can bring light to taunting shadows. I turned away so I didn't have to see the dim reminder.

Let the nightmare begin.

Misaki Yomiyama's whisper of a voice reverberated throughout my head. What did he mean by that? Wasn't it already a nightmare for the students of Class 3-3 to have to learn under the constant threat of death at every corner?

But now that you've blocked me from cursing the class, I guess I'll just curse the entire town.

The realization crashed over me like a waterfall. Misaki meant to put the entire town in danger. What horror was once contained in a single classroom will be placed upon everyone in this town. Households that have nothing to do with Class 3-3 would have to face a fate of dying in the worst fashions possible. And there is nothing I could do to prevent something of this scale from happening.

If this is anything like Class 3-3, I would have to find the "extra" and rid the village of that person. But how in the world would I find them under such broad terms with so little time? Despite Yomiyama City being a small town, there is enough people for me to not have seen a fourth of the population. How can I possibly save everyone?

Damn you, Misaki Yomiyama! I thought as I bite down on my lips hard enough to draw blood.

Suddenly, a chill went down my back as if someone was breathing down my neck.

You already know who it is.

The smooth voice was mocking, as if laughing at a sarcastic joke. It didn't take long for me to recognize the voice as Misaki Yomiyama's. As if I would forget the voice that I had just heard in my sleep.

The ominous feeling vanished just as quickly as it had come. Whatever had possessed the space around me had vanished, its purpose served. However, the despair within me was growing by the second. Of course, I know who the extra is. I have seen the mark of death on him for two agonizing years, not knowing what to do and helplessly ignoring the meaning behind that mark. What bothers me even more is my inability to remember. What if I had already witnessed Kouichi's death, but was forced to forget it, only for me to relive the pain of losing him once again as some cruel joke set up by an evil mastermind.

The choice should have been obvious. If I get rid of Kouichi, then I can spare everyone else from having to die. I leave Kouichi as he is, the townspeople will die one by one, and they will continue to die until… until when? In Class 3-3, the deaths stop once the school year ends, and then starts anew when a new group of kids are assigned to the classroom. It makes sense, since the curse has only resided in that one class up until now. But if the curse is now redirected upon the entire town population, would that rule still apply? I'm leaning towards the negative. From what I have seen of him, Misaki Yomiyama would not be so generous as to only terrorizing the town for simply one year. If he was going to torture me, he would not hesitate to bring the entire population down, if only to spite me for – as he puts it, "ruining his fun".

I was so deep in thought that I did not even notice the lights creeping through the curtains. My heart nearly stopped when I felt Kouichi shift beside me, letting out a groan as he does so. I turn my body to face him, watching as his eyes flicker before opening. He takes a moment to blink the sleep away. Once he spots me looking at him, he gives me a half-lidded smile.

"Good morning, Mei!" he mumbles, still half asleep, it seems.

In spite of what I had gone through in the night, Kouichi's smile managed to take my mind off the topic, if only for me to greet him back. It did not take long before reality came crashing down on me again. Before any of us can say anything else, I got off of the bed.

"I need to prepare for today's class," I say offhandedly as not to make my abrupt withdrawal.

Guilt pools my heart. I would not dare to choose between countless lives and the single life of my lover. There is no replacement for either of those. Yet, I have to choose between the two. Kouichi seems to have picked up on the heavy atmosphere around me, but knowing him, he would not stand me hiding something from him, being the curious man he is.

"Is something the matter, Mei?" he asks bluntly.

After a moment of hesitation, I replied in the most nonchalant way possible. "No, I just had a nightmare."

Why am I lying to him? If anyone should know the truth, it's him.

Yet, I could not bring myself to tell him. I couldn't bare the aftermath.

Meanwhile, Kouichi looks at me with increasing worry. "Is it because of the curse of Class 3-3?"

If only you knew…

I wanted to tell him how wrong he was, but instead, I gave the most ambiguous answer I could at that moment. "It's something I have to do, so don't worry about it too much."

And with that, I turn away, leaving Kouichi before he could question me any further. When I walk down the stairs, I hear Yuki talking to someone in the doorway. Their voices were muffled, so I could not make anything out. However, I could hear the urgency and pressure in their tones. Whatever the occasion is, it likely would not be pleasant. Once Yuki sees me from the corner of her eyes, she beckons me over. Confused, I make my way over to the door to see the lady from down the streets standing outside.

"Good morning, Akiko-san," I greet as I bent to a polite bow.

The elderly lady mirrors my movements. "The same to you, Misaki-san." Her neutral face shifts into a frown. "I was talking to Yuki-chan here about Hironaga-san from the outskirts of town."

An image of a lanky man pops up in my head. "What about him?"

Akiko-san lets out a dreadful sigh. "He was found dead earlier this morning. It seems that there was a gas leak, which caused him to suffocate while he was asleep."

"It was an unfortunate accident." Yuki added.

I just stood there, frozen, unable to do anything. I know all too well that this was no accident. It was a warning to me that the deaths Misaki Yomiyama promised has started. Hironaga-san is just the beginning; soon, more people will follow after him.

"Are you okay, Misaki-san?" Akiko-san implores.

"I-I need a moment to process this," I barely manage to get out before stumbling away into the kitchen. From behind me, I could hear the two women discussing.

"Poor Misaki-san. I did not think that she was this close to Hironaga-san," Akiko-san comments, followed by an agreement from Yuki.

Meanwhile, I stand in the kitchen with a warm cup of black tea in my hands, as if to soothe the growing cold in my body. Misaki Yomiyama was not wasting any time. He wants to pressure me into choosing between Kouichi and the rest of the town. It's only a matter of time before he kills someone close to me.

Another chill runs up my spine, earning me a shiver as I hear a familiar whisper beside my ear:

Time is of the essence, Mei-chan…

A/N How was it? Please let me know your opinions on this chapter! I'll hopefully get the last chapters of this fanfiction out before this year ends. If I'm diligent, that is. Thank you for reading!