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Shiki ("Corpse Demon" or "Death Spirit") is a Japanese horror novel written by Fuyumi Ono. It was originally published in two parts by Shinchosha in 1998.
The story takes place during a particularly hot summer in 1994, in a small quiet Japanese village called Sotoba. A series of mysterious deaths begin to spread in the village, at the same time when a strange family moves into the long-abandoned Kanemasa mansion on top of a hill. Megumi Shimizu, a young girl who wanted to leave the village and move to the city, pays them a visit never to return. She is later found lying in the forest and tragically dies. Doctor Toshio Ozaki, director of Sotoba's only hospital, initially suspects an epidemic; however, as investigations continue and the deaths begin to pile up, he learns—and becomes convinced—that they are the work of the "shiki", vampire-like creatures, plaguing the village. A young teenager named Natsuno Yuuki, who hates living in the village, begins to be pursued and becomes surrounded by death.

Shiki

Natsuno slept and awoke several times. Each time he woke, his consciousness came to him bit by bit. Like water, the surface of his thoughts that had gone flat undulated little by little until his emotions were drawn along with that slipping surface.

It was piteous, he thought. To be treated like this was pitiful. Was his pity towards Akira, or was it towards something in himself that Akira had been a symbol for? He wanted to see the national highway, he thought. That one and only road by which to escape this enclosure. If right then his body would move as he'd wished it, Natsuno would have probably gone south and down that road. That's all it would take, the conviction of as much sprouted within him. --But it was too late.

Several times Yuuki peered into the room. Several times Natsuno lifted his heady eyelids, seeing the face of the person nearest to him. To the last, never once did they make eye contact.

"...Dad," Natsuno closed his eyes and murmured on one of those times when his father had come. "open, the window please."

"It's hard to breathe. ...Just a little, let the breeze in."

It seemed like he nodded, and there was the sound of the window opening. The feel of the cool breeze could faintly be felt blowing in.

"Mm.... It's rough, but not too bad. I think it'll ease up tomorrow..."

He slept again. During each short sleep, he was aware of his thoughts becoming clearer. So he knew it was drawing closer to late night. The paralysis of his thoughts grew weaker as time lapsed. And each time that paralysis was comletely gone another attack came. That was how it went, so he'd learned.

So when Tohru came, even without opening his eyes he knew what's what it was. He could tell what was happening by what his ears could pick up around him and he could tell the source of the sounds by direction. And so, here we go, he had thought, as he could sense as Tohru came to the windowside.

He appeared by the window. He peered inside. He further opened the thinly opened window. The cool night air blew in.

"...Better hurry," Natsuno murmured. "Dad, might come to see how I'm doing."

He could sense the body at the windowside going tense.

"I want to come over there for you but I can't get up."

All of his limbs felt heavy and he couldn't move them. Or rather, it felt like he'd lost his limbs. He was aware that they were there but they were withered and couldn't move at all.

Finally, after some hesitation, he sensed the person climbing over the window and coming closer. He'd probably checked that those in the house were asleep but even so it took considerable courage to come in.

Sorry, a nearby voice whispered.

"It's fine... Somehow... I, figured I'd never be able to get out of here..."

It leaned over him. Water fell. Rather cool in temperature, it was probably tears.

---Do vampires do things like cry too, he thought.

Chapter 8.9