Epilogue: All good things have to end.
One year later…
A year had passed since that fateful night. The children surprisingly suffered few nightmares of the school since then. They grew up as any other normal child, continuing to learn and play. Koji had also grown, becoming a healthy one-year old. Ami was growing the most out of the four; Ayumi had discovered that the young girl possessed psychic powers, her energy being much more powerful than her own mother's. To help protect the young girl from the dangers of the paranormal, Ayumi went out and searched for a guard, anything to keep the girl from harm.
Her search ended when she found a Shiba Inu pup in a pet store one day. She could sense great energy coming off the young dog. Not only was he worthy… but his eyes held two different colors: that of amber, and that of cyan. Ami was ecstatic when she received the puppy as a gift. Both parents knew it would at least give their daughter a new friend.
Those that were harmed that night had also recovered. Aya, only a month later, was back on her feet without the need of a crutch to help her walk. Satoshi was still healing, but he was starting to walk on his wounded leg normally again. Even though it was a good sign of it getting better, he still would need some aid.
Yoshiki was the one that shocked everybody the most. He was out of bed rest after only three weeks, persistent enough that he was okay. The doctors agreed to release him, the wound to his stomach having healed enough to go home. The eye that was scratched over eventually opened, a deep whitening scar across his pupil, leading to permanent blindness. Now, Ayumi, as well as Ami, were helping him cope with one eye. It was a time-consuming task, but he got used to it in a matter of days.
Somewhere in Japan…
Naomi looked at today's date on her phone, letting out a deep sigh before locking it and placing it back on the table.
November 3rd. The day where everybody's lives were dramatically changed forever.
It was quiet in the Mochida household; the only other resident now was Koji. He was napping now, leaving the mother to have some peace. Satoshi had to be at work early today, and her other two children were at school. She always took this day off, because she never wanted to be reminded of that horrible hell while at work. She didn't want to break down before her co-workers and bosses.
However, for some reason, unlike the years before, she actually seemed to enjoy the quiet of the house. Her mind was at ease for the first time in a long time… because, she was able to hold… to see her obnoxious, perverted friend one last time. That hug had put her aching heart to rest.
She jumped when the home phone started ringing, it completely breaking the silence of the kitchen. Rising from her chair, she walked over and picked up the line, wandering if Satoshi had, yet again, forgotten something at home. He always ended up doing that, and she always happened to be off the days he did it.
To her surprise, it wasn't him, but a young man's voice.
"H-Hello? Is this the Mochida household?" The voice asked, and she blinked, not recognizing who this was.
"Yes… I'm Naomi Mochida… may I help you?" She answered, and she swore there was a sigh of relief on the other end.
"Oh thank goodness it's you Naomi… I've been meaning to contact you… but never got around to doing so," The young man was relieved to hear her voice.
"Who is this?" She pressed.
"A-Ah! Sorry for my poor manners, Mrs. Mochida… I'm Yuu Shinohara," The moment she heard his name, she thought her heart stopped. Her best friend's little brother… the child she had almost stopped all those years ago to ask of his nonexistent sister.
"Y-Yuu… H-How do you know me…?" She breathed.
"You were my sister's best friend, am I correct?" Her eyes widened.
No.
It couldn't be.
This had to be some sick joke that the world was playing.
He couldn't possibly remember…
Could he?
"Y-Yes…" She choked back a sob. She couldn't cry, she had to be strong.
"Well… I was wondering… if you'd like to join me and my younger siblings to go visit her grave today… I mean… today was the day she disappeared… And… she was always incredibly close to you," His next words only made the mental pain grow stronger.
Grave?
"A-Ah… Of course… I just… I'll have my one year old with me if that's okay…" She found it hard to form words. Her heart was beating too hard, she felt as if it could explode right out of her chest at any moment.
"That's fine… Alright… We'll meet soon at the Tenjin cemetery," He responded.
"R-Right…" The call soon hung up, and she placed the phone back in place. She had to wrap her head around this… for so long… the world had forgotten their fallen friends. Now, it was like as if they were never gone.
The curse was broken.
Did that mean…
That everybody that died in that school…
…Would be remembered by those that didn't experience the hellish nightmare?
At the Tenjin cemetery…
It had taken some convincing, but after only a few hours, her reluctant one year old finally agreed to go. Upon driving up to the cemetery, she felt cold. These kinds of places always made her feel fear, its ominous atmosphere wasn't appealing to her. Koji didn't seem to notice it, his young mind was too innocent to see places like this as scary.
Rows among rows were graves. All different shapes and sizes, she only wondered where her best friend's stood. She noticed a group of three people, two men and a woman.
Walking up to them, Koji's hands in hers, the three of them turned to her.
"You must be Naomi, right?" The man asked, and she nodded, gratefully shaking his hand. Last she had seen Yuu, he was beginning high school. Since then, he had grown into a handsome young man. The other two were his siblings, also having grown into attractive young adults.
After greeting each other, Yuu led the group as they went down the rows. Finally he stopped, turning to one.
Naomi looked at the grave, noticing how well carved it was. They must have… paid a lot of money to have it this designed. In the center, a name was carved, as well as dates.
Seiko Shinohara
1996-2010
A motherly sister and a wonderful daughter
Rest in Peace
She couldn't believe it.
The world knew.
And she was never aware of it.
This was her best friend's grave. Her body was never found…
How had the past fourteen years played out?
Now that the curse was forever broken… had the past changed as well?
Were they not… insane people as everybody had called them out to be?
But at that moment, none of those questions lingered in her mind. All that mattered was that her best friend was not a haunting nightmare. She was put to rest, and always forgave the older brunette for her mistake.
Because…
She loved her…
What had plagued Naomi's mind for years… now became a blissful goodbye.
…No hard feelings…
Somewhere… in a small village…
A skull, almost reptilian-like, laid there on the ground, in a person's yard. The homeowner had bought it off a yard sale. The woman selling the items had warned the man of the skull's mysterious power.
But he didn't listen.
He was never superstitious.
He glanced at it as he went to his car. He chuckled before getting in the vehicle and driving away, leaving his home empty.
When he was gone, and out of sight.
The skull started to shiver as black, thick smoke rose around it, streaming into the air.
Then suddenly…
Two red pupils appeared in the eyeholes.
The end?
To those curious, Yes, there is a sequel in the making. It's still in early production so do not expect anything for a while.