How I was Murdered by a Fox Monster Read online

  How I was Murdered by a Fox Monster

  By M.C.Queen

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright 2016 M.C.Queen

  http://mcqueenwrites.blogspot.com

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Chapter 1

  “Daisuke Matsumoto!” Came a young woman's sweet sing-song voice. Her words bounced off the walls and echoed throughout our dark and silent home. Normally I'd be overjoyed to hear a pretty girl call my name, but the sound of her voice sent nothing but terror down my spine.

  “It's her, she's coming,” whispered Akito.

  “But Mana!” I hissed hysterically. “We have to help Mana!”

  The image of Mana lying face down in a pool of her own blood was firmly engraved into my mind. Her short black hair was mattered and caked in red, and she looked beyond repair. The cute girl who helped me on several occasions could be moments away from death if someone didn't aid her soon. I jumped up and attempted to climb over the desk we were hiding behind, but Akito grabbed my shirt and pulled me back.

  “Don't worry about her! There's nothing we can do now!” He exclaimed.

  “What! You can't be serious!” Mana wasn't my only concern. It was also uncertain if Kurumi and Itsuki had survived being thrown at the wall. I wasn't sure about the others. I had lost track of them amongst the madness.

  “How can you say that!” I cried. “Aren't you supposed to protect them. Isn't that your job?!”

  “It's not them she's after!”

  My mouth clamped shut. He was right. It wasn't poor Mana she was targeting, or Kurumi, or my genius friend Itsuki. She only had one target in mind, and that person was me. I gave up and went limp. He was right, it wasn't his fault, it was all mine.

  The situation would have been more acceptable if I had done something to deserve this, like throwing rocks at baby animals, or being an asshole, but I hasn't done anything to incur her wrath. Everything had gone to hell just because my name was Daisuke Matsumoto.

  Akito was holding Nina back with his other hand, but she wasn't making any attempt to escape. Her long black hair was stuck to her forehead with sweat. She wasn't shaking with fear, but she was abnormally silent and staring anxiously at the door like she had accepted what was to come. I couldn't understand how she could endure being so still. If I was her I would have been out the window by now. But maybe like me, she was also counting on Akito to protect her.

  The monster ceased calling my name in her warped game of hide and seek, and all was silent. It was so still I could hear groans of pain from somewhere outside the room. It may have been Taisei or Souta. I prayed that they'd stay quiet, otherwise they'd be next on her dinner plate.

  I heard the tatami mats creek and groan with every step the vile monster took as she crept closer and closer towards us. Akito obviously shared my anxiety, and I could see beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. We had taken refuge in the study, but I doubted the books and flimsy walls would provide much support if push came to shove.

  Did she know already? Had she heard us? Or maybe she was going to finally give up and return to whatever hell she was spawn from.

  My thoughts screamed “Please don't stop here, whatever you do please don't open this door!”

  Bang! Suddenly the paper screen door went flying across the room. It hit the desk and splintered into two. We all ducked down and covered out heads to protect ourselves from the debris, but something must have hit Nina because she let out a cry of pain. Nina realized her mistake instantaneously and her hands flung to her mouth, but it was already too late.

  That was all it took. The monster knew we were here. Now we were definitely done for.

  I peeked through a gap in Akito's hasty barricade of chairs and furniture and I found myself staring at her in horror, unable to move or look away.

  In my mind she was a possessed demon, but all that stood before me was an abnormally beautiful woman with long raven hair, dressed neatly in a red summer Kimono. She was smiling pleasantly which would have caught anyone unaware (I certainly was). She was completely unharmed except for her charred left sleeve which was almost blasted off by Itsuki's lightning charm. You may be wondering why we were all so terrified and currently bleeding because of this pretty young woman, and the answer was incomprehensible but simple.

  She was a fox monster.

  “Found you!” She called.

  I expected Akito to have a plan (he had to have a plan) but all I could hear was his sigh of defeat. “It looks like it's come to that,” he said.

  What! It can't be? Don't tell me he's given in. I thought to myself. Akito, my teacher, had always gotten my hopes up and quickly smashed them, apparently now wasn't going to be any different.

  I tore my eyes away from my approaching death and back to Akito, who was now holding a knife in his right hand instead of Nina. I was uncertain if he procured it from his clothes or desk, but the details didn't matter anymore.

  I forced myself to feel hope. Maybe it was a magical weapon that was highly effective against fox monsters. “Hey, Akito,” I whispered hopefully. “What's up with the knife?” I was looking for words of reassurance but his face was stone cold. “Akito?” I asked again.

  He grabbed me by the shoulder to stop me from fleeing and held the knife to my face.

  “I'm so sorry Daisuke, but I don't think we have any other choice.”

  “What? What are you talking about Akito?”

  “I'm so sorry Daisuke,” he apologized.

  “What, so this is it?” I said. My eyes flicked from the knife to his face which wasn't giving anything away. “Don't tell me that I'm going to die here?”

  They say that your life flashes before your eyes once you know you're going to die. I could see it all before me in the reflection of Akito's cold hard blade. I was standing under the cherry blossoms at my elementary school entrance ceremony, eating cake at my sister's wedding, outside praying that the monster wouldn't come tonight.

  I'm sorry, you don't know what I'm talking about do you? I've become so immersed in this world that I often forget that regular people don't know about the monsters lurking right under their noses. Maybe it's best if I explain to you the events of that morning, or the previous month, or from my first day of high school?

  No, that still wouldn't be far enough. How about we go way back? Let's start from the beginning. Let's go back to the day when I learned about Obake and the fox monster for the first time.

  Chapter 2

  I was five years old sitting in my Grandfather's study watching as he dusted the shelves. I used to follow him like a shadow back then. Normally he'd try to keep me amused by pulling funny faces or putting the duster on his head and pretending to be a peacock, but that day was different. That day he was a man on a mission and there was nothing to laugh about.

  "Do you remember what I told you about the Obake Daisuke?" He asked.

  Obake? I thought to myself. I stared up at my grandfather who was patiently waiting. I tilted my head and racked my brain for an answer, but my mind came up blank.

  "Obake?" I questioned, wondering if it was a type of food.

  He sighed and returned his attention to the bookshelf in front of him. Grandpa's study was amazing back then. It was full of numerous books and scriptures, s
ome of them hundreds of years old. He scanned his fingers over the old volumes until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a worn looking book and began to flip through the pages.

  "Oh-bah-kei," he sounded out for me. "Are animal spirits, or monsters if you prefer to call them, that inhabit this world. We talked about this the other day, does it ring any bells Daisuke?”

  Monsters, monsters. It seemed vaguely familiar. Like one of the long speeches he would give me while my attention was elsewhere, like watching TV.

  Grandpa sighed. "Obake take the form of animals so they can blend in with the natural world."

  "I remember now!" Actually I didn't, but I wanted to look smart in front of Grandpa.

  He continued to flip through the pages until he landed on what he was looking for, and held it up for me too see. It appeared to be a picture book, except someone forgot to color the pages. I stared at the image of a raccoon, or maybe it was a dog, I wasn't certain.

  "There are many animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits, wolves, or snakes, which Obake use to disguise themselves. Pay attention to this raccoon Daisuke. This Obake disguises itself as a harmless raccoon so that it can blend in unnoticed. But if an opportunity presents itself, this raccoon transforms into a monster and attacks or devours humans."

  "Attacks humans?" My eyes scanned over the image of a giant raccoon assaulting a village. Miniature black and white people ran away in fear. "Wow, so this little raccoon, can turn into that giant monster?"

  "Not just monsters Daisuke, there are also Obake who can take the form of people."

  He flipped to another page that illustrated a wolf turning into a man. It looked like a scene from a horror movie.

  "Really?" I questioned.

  I suddenly wondered if the strange old woman down the street was secretly a raccoon. She certainly smelled like some sort of animal.

  "How can you tell?"

  "Such Obake usually disguise themselves as beautiful young women so they can trick men and steal their hearts."

  He turned the page to show me a naked woman. Her hand was halfway through a man's chest. I didn't appreciate her figure at the time, but looking back on it now she was pretty hot, except for the bushy tail sticking out from her behind.

  He tapped his finger on her picture. "And this is the fox, the most feared of them all. If you run into her, your chances of survival are slim."

  "Wow."

  I stared at the picture intensely, and swore to myself that I would avoid all naked women from now on. I was grateful that Grandpa had decided to tell me about Obake. I never realized the world was such a dangerous place.

  "Have you ever met an Obake Grandpa?"

  Grandpa smiled and closed the book. "More times than I can count, but Grandpa scared them all away."

  I pictured my grandfather hobbling along after a pack of wild animals, waving his cane to fight them off. Grandpa was obviously more awesome than I ever expected.

  "Wow that's great Grandpa, I want to scare away Obake too. Someone has to protect you from this heart eating lady."

  He laughed. "I hope so. Maybe when you get bigger you can give this fox monster a run for its money."

  He reached out and ruffled my hair. His hand lingered there for a moment before he pulled away.

  From that point on I began to look at all animals differently. I even began to wonder if the cat next door was an evil Obake planning to kill me.

  Of course I was sadly disappointed when no mystical Obake appeared before me, and the neighbor's dog (which I often spoke with) never spoke back. I even made myself a miniature paper sword, so that I could fend off the fox monster if it suddenly attacked. I would sit on the verandah for hours as though guarding off an Obake invasion. Little did I know that this would be my fate in ten years time.

  As a child my grandfather was my idol. He was one of those awesome guys you could brag to your friends about. We used to play catch together all afternoon, and he never refused a game of hide and seek. He was kind, patient, and I don't remember him ever raising his voice.

  Unfortunately the Obake stories were the only ones I could remember. I was only five when he adopted me and he passed away a year later. He was the one who gave me my name, Daisuke Matsumoto, which was also the name of his deceased son.

  I know it sounds creepy. Everyone thinks he was trying to use me as a replacement for his dead child. Apparently his wife left after the death of their son and his daughter went to college. I believe that he was just lonely and instead of getting a dog he decided to get himself a kid. Whatever his reasoning, it all worked out in the end. Even though I lost him, I would have nothing if it weren't for Grandpa.

  Maybe we'll meet again when I cross over to the other side.

  Chapter 3

  Flash forward to ten years later and I was happily dreaming away until my pleasant sleep was destroyed by my alarm. I cracked my eyes open to make sure it was daytime, and flinched at the sunlight which had infiltrated my bedroom. I attempted to muster up the energy to get out of bed, but I was dead to the world until my snooze alarm rang.

  I rolled out of bed and fell to the floor with a bang, completely unaware that I wasn't going to live to see the end of the year. My eyes glanced at the photo of Grandpa and I (which I had beside my bed) and I suddenly remembered what I had dreamed about. My adopted grandfather. It was odd that I'd dreamed about Grandpa. There was once a time when I used to think of him everyday. Sometimes to the point where I would begin to cry, only to be consoled by my older sister (who would often cry as well). After entering middle school my life had become so much busier with homework, friends, and high school entrance exams. So I hadn't stopped to dwell on the man who adopted me almost ten years ago.

  Maybe appearing in my dreams was his way to make sure I didn't forget him, or maybe he was just wishing me luck on my first day of high school.

  I looked up at my uniform which was hanging on the door of my closet. It was blue military style with my family name Matsumoto neatly stitched on the pocket. Sis ironed it the day before, and made me swear I wouldn't get it dirty.

  I lived with my older sister since my grandfather died. Well technically she wasn't my real sister. She was Grandpa's only daughter, which made her my adopted sister. She was about fifteen years older than me and already married. She quit college to raise me which was pretty cool, considering we weren't related by blood. She was strict and liked to tell me what to do, but she was nice sometimes too. I think if I was going to miss anyone it would definitely be Sis, or her five-year-old daughter Hikaru.

  I picked myself up and got dressed. With a yawn I made my way downstairs to eat breakfast.

  My sister's husband Shuro was already sitting at the table. The best way to describe him would be as your typical Japanese salary man with glasses one inch thick. He was my parental figure. Well, as much as he liked to think he was. He and my sister both met way back when they were in college, and they married a few years later. I liked to think of him as being more like an older brother than a father. We often hung out and played video games together. Sometimes he could even beat me.

  Shuro was sipping coffee while mulling over the morning paper. He liked to pretend that reading the news would make him well-informed, but I knew he just liked reading the TV guide.

  "Maybe I should change jobs," he said while gazing over the classifieds.

  "Don't say that," said Sis as she dished out toast.

  "But it's unlikely that I'll get a promotion. And with the economy being the way it is, it might be better to move on to something more stable."

  "But your job is stable, you're not going to find anywhere else which is so flexible about your family life."

  Brother often complained about how much he worked, but it was less than what my friends' fathers put in at their companies. At least Shuro was still around at breakfast. He even made it home in time for dinner most nights of the week. I had a friend in elementary school who hadn't seen his father for a month, even though they lived in
the same house.

  Apparently he worked for a trading company. I once asked about it, only to be told an obscure French name, and that it involved importing and exporting.

  With a pair of glasses resting on her brim (which made her look just like her father) my niece Hikaru came running into the room. She climbed up on a chair, stole a piece of toast from Shuro's plate, and began nibbling along the edges.

  Hikaru was really cool because it gave me the chance to feel what it was like to have a real younger sister. She was also awesome because she'd do almost anything I told her. I could just sit on the couch and tell her to fetch me the remote, a pillow, and some potato chips. It was like having your own little servant.

  My sister laid a small bowl of miso soup before me. "Are you ready for school Dai-chan?" she asked.

  I cringed. Dai-chan was the ridiculous nickname that she liked to call me at highly inappropriate times. Like in front of my friends, or a girl I was trying to impress at the mall. Chan was often added to the names of girls or children to make them sound cute. Not to fifteen year old high school students. I tried to convince her to stop, but Sis was relentless with her nicknames.