Chapter 6( The Aftermath)

As quick as the weekend came; it ended as Monday morning soon rolled around. I was back at the same routine again for work, but this time with the consistent events with Yuka rolling through my head, revealing everything to Giulia, and just all the guilt and fear in general. I spent the whole Saturday afternoon trying to reach back out to Johnny. I called, text, and even left voicemails, but I never heard anything back. I figured since I would see Johnny, Pete, & Dann at work the next day anyway, it was no use continuing to press it. I finished getting dressed, went down to catch my Uber for work; as I had decided to stop taking the train in the event of possibly running into Yuka. I went through the front door of the lobby, got in the car, and noticed that I received a notification from Giulia.

" Hey, how are you ?" Giulia asked.

" Could be better, but at least I'm alive right ?" I responded to Giulia with a laughing emoji face, attempting to up the mood.

" Yea, after everything you told me Saturday night I guess that takes a whole new token of appreciation," Giulia said.

" Yea, I decided that I am gonna reveal everything to my friends, and I'm gonna try and talk to my bosses about letting me go home earlier ." I texted Giulia.

" That's good, gonna miss you but it's the right thing, the safe thing to do," she responded.

" Gonna miss you too, and thanks for listening to me, believing me, and giving your hand to me. It feels like for the first time in a while a female actually cares about me without any strings attached." I responded.

" Who knows it doesn't have to be that way forever. Maybe we could do something long-distance ya know?" Giulia said.

" Definitely, but I will keep you updated through the day with everything, and I will call you later."

" Sounds good, catch ya later" Giulia responded, as our conversation for the morning then ended. I really did enjoy talking & being with Giulia. She just seemed like a normal girl who cared, something I have been chasing all my life but could never seem to get. She gave me just a little hope that everything will turn out okay; maybe I will survive this, maybe there can be some justification in the end for those innocent lives taken away from that monster; that " rokurokubi".

I finally arrive at the office, hoping to see one of or all the guys to reveal everything that happened the night I went to Yuka's home, and to ask Johnny why he kept calling me so much Saturday night. When I walk in I notice everyone is yelling, shouting, some even crying. The office is in utter chaos; I start scrambling to hopefully see Pete, Dann, or Johnny. I couldn't find any of them. Danica, our superior over the head of our department, ushers everyone to calm down and listen to what she has to say.

" I understand everyone wants answers and I can promise you will get them. The police force of Tokyo are searching and working on everything right now as we speak."

I was just as confused and conflicted myself, and I didn't understand what was going on. What did she mean by " police"?. I continued to scan the room to try and see any of my friends but I couldn't see any of them. Just then my search was interrupted when Danica called me into her office. When I walked in, there were officers, detectives across the room.

" Now Alex, I don't believe you did anything wrong or had anything to do with this, but I do have to ask considering how close you were with Dann, and Pete; do you know anything about the disappearances of them, and were you with Dann, Pete, and Johnny the night they went missing?" Danica asked me.

" Danica, what do you mean ("disappearance") of Dann and Pete ?" I asked.

" Alex, Dann, and Pete went missing Saturday night. Johnny was in a state of shock when he called the police and told them that Dann and Pete went missing Saturday night, and the authorities then alerted us at the company. Now Johnny says you weren't there that night and he tried calling you all night, so you have an alibi but I still need to be sure." Danica states. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, two of my friends are missing and I was selfish and didn't answer the phone that Saturday night. I felt as if another load of guilt had just been tossed on my shoulder. Was I selfish for not answering that phone Saturday when I was out with Giulia?. I felt like I was about to barf and pass out simultaneously from this news. I think Danica could see it in my face, as she asked the authorities to allow me some time and that they would come back and get me for questioning if necessary. Before I left the office I asked Danica where Johnny was; she told me he was at the hospital, and she permitted me to go see him. She said the building was closing early anyway for investigation purposes anyway, she gave me his room number and all too, so I took my leave off to the hospital.

I took an Uber to the hospital, got there in about twenty minutes. Johnny was apparently in room D245 so that's where I went. When I walked in Johnny turned away from the window to look at me. He looked pale, his lips were dry, eyes bloodshot red. He looked like he hadn't slept in the last forty-eight hours or so, and he kept twitching & shaking.

" Why didn't you answer the phone Saturday night?" Johnny asked me.

" Sorry man, I was out with the girl Giulia I was telling you guys about longer than expected, but anyway man what happened?" I asked Johnny.

" Well everything started normal, we decided to go out to the lounge again since we had nothing else to do, and our time in Japan is coming to an end. We all got really fucked up, had hella drinks we even ate at the bar. Then this really beautiful Japanese girl came up to us, she looked so young that you would have taken her for a schoolgirl if you hadn't known any better." Johnny states. I started to sweat hearing him describe the girl, considering I had the same descriptions of her when I first saw her...Yuka.

" So she had invited us to come over to her place for more drinks, and we felt the night was still young. Dann had a rental that night, so we drove to her place. She rode with us and directed us to her home. It was a beautiful, traditional style." Johnny explains.

" FUCK!!" I screamed to myself internally as he explained this.

" When we got in she poured us some kinda famous wine, come to think of it I believe it was laced, cuz we fell asleep within ten minutes of drinking it. I woke up and everything felt blurry..."

All of a sudden he stopped talking and told me to shut the door, so I got up and shut it.

" I know this might sound really crazy, but when I woke up I saw this girl. The same girl but her neck was like 10 inches higher, and she had teeth razor-sharp like a shark. Her face looked demented. I was still kind of high off whatever she had laced those drinks with that I couldn't shout and could barely move. The next thing I know, I watched her take the head off of Dann, clean with her teeth. I tried so hard to shout, but nothing came out. Then she wrapped her neck around Pete, like a cobra. She suffocated and crushed him. I could hear every little bone in his body cracking, I could hear him fighting and gasping for air until his very last breaths. I cried, tears came out but no sounds. I couldn't believe what I had seen, I thought I was just so high that I was just seeing everything. I could feel I was next, as she had slowly turned her neck to face me when she had finished Pete off, I could just feel I was next. All of a sudden, I had a jolt of momentum from the realization that my life was on the line, and I ran out. Her neck had chased me all the way to the front door, and I just barely made it out alive, cuz the only thing that saved me was her neck ran out of its distance. I ran out to the police station, and I told them only the very beginning parts of the story, so they think as of right now Dann and Pete are just missing." Johnny explains. He starts to break down again.

" I know it's wrong to lie like this, but I just don't know how to tell the police that some demon, monster thing drugged us and murdered my friends."

After that it got silent. I didn't know what to say, I was lost for words. I hate that Johnny had to go through this too, I hate the fact that Dann and Pete died, I hate the fact that those Japanese boys and the other innocent people have no justice, and I hate the psychological trauma that Yuka has caused me. It was at the point that I wasn't even afraid anymore, I was just angry. Something needed to be done, Yuka that " rokurokubi" was taking innocent lives. I should have told them earlier and maybe Johnny wouldn't be suffering, maybe Dann and Pete would still be alive.

" I believe you, Johnny, I do man. I'm here. " I told Johnny as I hugged him, to which surprisingly he embraced it. He told me that Geneladoc has approved for him to go back home early after the police are finished with him, considering everything he's been through, I probably could get the same if I told everything I witnessed and had been through, but I felt at that moment I know what I needed to do. I needed to be the one to end Yuka, to kill that rokurokubi, that yokai. As much as I wanted to tell Johnny the truth, and how me believing him is from first-hand witness myself I knew if I did he might try and stop me from confronting Yuka. Afterward, I told him I would be back to see him and to call me if he needed anything before he leaves back to America and he appreciated it. I felt bad about all this because I felt like I had a hand in this to a certain extent from the bad decisions I made.

As I exited the hospital, I decided to call Giulia again and give her an update on everything that took place today. She was in utter shock and found it ironic.

" I'm so sorry about the loss of your friends, I know you must be in a lot of emotional pain right now," she said,

" Yeah, you have no idea, I just wish I would have told them early on and maybe things wouldn't have gotten this bad," I stated.

" Maybe, but none of this is your fault. You are just as much of a victim; hell the initial victim." Giulia claimed to me.

" Your right, and as the initial victim, as the ( " love of Yuka's life") it's time for me to be the one that puts her down," I exclaimed to Giulia.

" Oh...okay but how do you exactly plan on killing a yokai, a rokurokubi?!" she asked.

" I'm not sure, maybe set her place on fire," I explained to Giulia.

" But then you're committing a crime!!" Giulia exclaimed.

" Well, what else am I exactly supposed to do?. The cops believe anything we say, especially from a tourist let alone a yandere yokai on a killing spree." I explained to Giulia.

" I have to take matters into my own hands, she has ruined the rest of my life and doesn't even care because I'm just her little obsession. She's murdered two of my friends, she traumatized my other best friend, and she's murdering innocent people. She did this to draw me out to her, so I'm gonna give her what she wants." I explained to Giulia.

" I can't deny your right, but I'm coming with you!" Giulia exclaimed.

" Giulia are you crazy, even me doing this I could die or never be seen again. I don't want anyone else innocent dying, or being brought into this I....." I explained to Giulia as she then interrupted me.

" The moment you revealed everything to me you brought me into this. You don't have to be alone, not anymore. Let me be your light, lean on me. Besides, I couldn't stand the thought of losing you...." Giulia then starts to cry.

" You really mean that?" I questioned Giulia.

" Yes, I love you. I know it's crazy but you're the only guy who has made me this happy in a long time. I don't have the best relationship track record so I want to keep you, as long as you will allow me." Giulia explains.

" I love you too, and I don't have the best relationship track record either, but that's another story for another day," I explained.

" Well then let's both live to share our stories together, let's both live to live together, so let me go with you!" Giulia pleads.

" Well it's not like I can really tell you know, plus I would kinda need a ride to Yuka's house anyway!" I laughed to try and soften the mood.

" Great, well coffee shop at five then," Giulia tells me.

" Bet, see you soon," I repeat to her and we then hang up. I couldn't believe I was actually about to go through with this. I was afraid, not because of murdering a yokai, not because of dying myself, but because I wanted to live another day with Giulia, but I know it had to be done.

When I finally arrived back at my hotel room, I wrote a list of the things I would need to kill Yuka, so before I and Giulia would go to her house we would be prepared for battle. I also decided to shower, realizing it just could be my last. Although I had deleted and blocked Yuka's number off my phone I still wrote it down before doing so, for the event that I might need it for some reason.

" Yuka, if that's even your real name I know you targeted my friends to get to me, so your wish is my command. I'll see you at six tonight." I texted Yuka, and she responded instantly as if she had been waiting for my response to all the recent events.

" Great, you never said anything about the chocolates I sent you my love, I'm so happy you're coming, oh and sorry about your friends. I just couldn't let them get in the way of us, so they had to be discarded. I'll get everything ready, love you **kissy emoji**." Yuka responds.

She was sick to even be treating this as some kind of romantic gesture, if she thought killing my friends was gonna make me love her after already seeing two dead bodies in her home, and revealing to be a monster she's more deranged than I thought. As I finished showering I was questioning whether or not I was prepared to do what was necessary to finish this. I came to Japan for a business trip and a little bit of fun, thinking I initially found the most beautiful girl in the world, the girl of my dreams on a train ride. Falling in love with her, only to be an obsessive, hideous monster inside and out was truly a turn I didn't expect my life to take. I just want to get this over with and move forward in life, move forward with Giulia. I have to kill someone, I have to kill...my yandere. Her name isn't even Yuka to me, she's a yokai that's a rokurokubi. As far as I'm concerned her name is Yukai Rokurokubi...and I must....kill her.....