The Unexpected Return

There was once a small town along Prescott Valley in Arizona that I once called home, and I say once because, well it's long gone now. You see, my buddy Evern and I are Journalists and we left our hometown on a trip to get all the details on a new mutant spider encountered in the Aokigahara forest in Japan. We knew we couldn’t miss this opportunity to document such a fascinating find. Evern and I took the first flight out of Arizona to Fujinomiya Japan. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Mr. Nakimoto, who is the reporter who had supposedly encountered and took a video on his phone of what he called the Mutant spider. Mr. Nakimoto was a kind, respectful man with good taste in hats, it had been somewhat obvious as he wore a red fedora the day we met him. On the way there Mr. Nakimoto walked us through the encounter and told us that he always passed by the Aokigahara forest on his morning walks but that he never dared walk deeper into the forest due to the constant, uneasy feeling of being watched. He expressed to us that he had never encountered anything bigger than a small deer on his morning walks. I looked over and asked, “ Mr. Nakimoto, was there anything different about the morning walk in which you encountered the mutant spider??”. Mr. Nakimoto looked at me through the rearview mirror with fear in his eyes as he mentioned in as much detail as possible, the morning of the walk-in which he encountered the unusual creature. Of all the things he mentioned there was something that stood out and that was when he mentioned the forest being extra quiet that morning because upon past research I had found a pattern between sighting reports of creatures such as Bigfoot and Siren's head. What all these sightings had in common was exactly what Mr. Nakimoto had mentioned. The extreme silence in the forest where there should be sounds such as chirping birds and swaying branches, extreme silence is usually a huge sign of the presence of a larger creature in the area. For this reason, I felt chills run down my spine. Mr. Nakimoto was kind enough to take us to the two-bedroom cottage we had rented for the week, Evern and I got our bags and took them inside, got our coats, and headed back to the car. It was getting rather cold, I slid my hands into my sleeves as I closed the door.

The Arrival:

After about an hour we arrived at the Aokigahara forest, Mr. Nakimokoto, Evern, and I stepped out onto the dirt road where I was immediately overcome with an uneasy feeling. Mr. Nakimoto took us to the exact location where he encountered the Mutant spider, pulled out his phone, and played the video in which we confirmed the location, time, and place of the occurrence. The video started with a view of dead trees and only the sound of Mr. Nakimoto’s footsteps. Then suddenly he stops dead in his tracks, a sudden crackling of branches is heard. Mr. Nakimoto turns the camera and a horrific view of a twelve-legged, metallic pearl mint green-ish colored skinned spider with pitch-black surrounded midnight purple eyes. In the video we saw how it charged out of the forest ready to attack Mr. Nakimoto, thankfully he was able to take shelter in a nearby abandoned shed where he laid low for a few hours awaiting the departure of the creature. Evern and I looked at each other concerned, we both knew that it would be risky but we had traveled far for this, it was a great opportunity. So with a swift assuring look, we agreed to take on this opportunity.

The Investigation:

Upon Mr. Nakimoto leaving. Evern and I investigated the area in which Mr. Nakimoto, had encountered the creature. We searched every last inch of the area, or so we thought. After about 30 minutes we came across a small cottage sitting upon a tall mountain in the distance. We decided to travel there and see what we could find or possibly find out. Evern and I hiked up the mountain and came across footprints that led to the cottage. The closer we got to the cottage, the creepier the environment got, as if something was lurking in the trees, waiting to attack. Evern and I walked up to the door and took a deep breath as we counted to 3. For, we had no idea what was on the other side. With a swift movement, Evern pushed the door open and we stepped inside.

The cottage

Upon stepping inside the cabin we were surrounded by the lovely scent of beef stew as we noticed that the fireplace was lit. I cautiously made my way to the kitchen where Evern was already looking into the pot of stew. There was no one in the kitchen, no one in the living room. “But then…why is the '' I was suddenly interrupted by the voice of an elder woman coming from behind. “It isn’t polite to be coming into people's houses uninvited you know?”

I looked over at Evern concerned, I introduced Evern and myself as well as gave a brief explanation as to why and how we ended up at her cottage. “ Ma’am we mean no harm, and we can assure you that we’ll never come in uninvited again, um...would you happen to know anything about a Mutant spider…???”. A mutant spider you say? she responds in a rather curious tone. Why yes, I have come across the creature myself. It was a cold starry night, I was out throwing out the trash when suddenly I was startled by the sound of crackling branches in the distance. I quickly reached for my flashlight and shone the light on where I had heard the noise. That’s when I saw the twelve-legged creature, metallic pearl, mint green-ish in color. I felt chills run down my spine, this was the exact description we had gotten from Mr. Nakimoto, this means that it was the same mutant spider that he saw or that there was more than one. I looked straight at the elder woman with a look of concern and curiosity as I asked “ do you find anything strange about the size and color of this creature?’’. The elder woman expressed suspicion as she said '' The skin of this mutant spider looks as if it was created in a high tech lab, it’s color practically glowed, by the way, you guys may stay here tonight, it’s getting dark out, there’s no telling what’s out there anymore”. Evern and I smiled as we thanked her. The thought of staying at a cozy cottage in the mountains, sipping tea, seemed somewhat adventurous. '' Please call me Anna, I’ll see you two tomorrow then” she said with a smile as she left some blankets on the couch. Evern and I each got a blanket and went to a couch where we slept somewhat peacefully. The reason I say somewhat is due to us being awoken in the middle of the night to the sound of someone running through twigs and crisp leaves. Evern grabbed the flashlight on the coffee table near his couch and silently made his way to the door, he slowly unlocked and turned the doorknob as he peeked out he took a step back. Evern turned to look at me with a look of shock and confusion. “You need to see this”.

The unexpected clue

The look on Evern’s face worried me, for I knew Evern was not the type of person to be so easily shocked. I quickly got up and wrapped the blanket around myself, making my way to where Evern was standing, as I got closer, he pointed at the ground. There I saw a red fedora, not just any fedora, Mr. Nakimoto’s red fedora. Evern and I looked at one another, knowing exactly where we needed to be the next morning. Something was off and this unexpected clue hinted to us that Mr. Nakimoto would know what was going on.

The visit

After a very unsettling night, Evern and I awoke to the delicious scent of a homemade breakfast, in the kitchen we saw Anna cooking and some fresh waffles, scrambled eggs, and fruit on the hand-carved dining table, beside a jar of maple syrup, a pat of butter, three light blue porcelain plates, handmade clay mugs and a set of forks, napkins, and spoons. Evern and I helped serve the green tea, upon sitting together to eat, Anna asked “did you guys sleep well?’’, Evern looked at her and expressed with worry what had occurred. Anna the fedora belonged to Mr. Nakimoto, the same man who brought me and Evern to investigate here, I said. Anna turned pale and looked at Evern and me with a look of worry and shock, she confessed to us that she knew Nakimoto and that she believed he knew more about this Mutant creature than he had expressed to the press and us. There was no proof of Mr. Nakimoto being suspicious but, with Anna’s story and red fedora that was found outside at midnight. We knew Mr. Nakimoto at least had the answer to one of our questions and perhaps had more information he had yet to share, there was only one way to find out. Evern and I thanked Anna, gathered our belongings, and made our way to Mr. Nakimoto’s cabin. Evern knocked and knocked, with no response, we figured we’d best get back to the cottage that we had left forgotten with all that was going on. Worried, confused, and concerned, Evern and I returned to the cottage and began to unpack, I ordered some sushi and made some cold iced tea to go with it. Upon arrival, we dug into the sushi, we were about to start discussing our opinions on everything that was going on when suddenly, there was a knock at the door. I made my way to the door and surprisingly there was a detective, wanting to question Evern and me about the whereabouts of Mr. Nakimoto. “He is missing??” I asked concerned, the detective looked at us and explained to us that Mr. Nakimoto has not been seen and that we were the last people to knock on his door. “Mr. Nakimoto is a friend of ours and knowing that he is missing is concerning, is there anything we can do to help?”. The detective assured us that he would keep us updated but warned us not to get too involved or risk getting caught snooping around his cabin, for with curiosity would come issues. As the detective left, Evern and I were left wondering if the red fedora had even been left there by Mr. Nakimoto or by someone else who knew where he was. There was only one way to find out and that was exactly what we’d do, there was something off about how this mystery was unfolding and we were going to get to the bottom of it. Tomorrow Evern and I would set off into the mountains once more to get some answers and we knew exactly where we needed to go to get them.

Unplanned investigation

Evern and I were out the door by five “Am ” we picked up our rental car and some breakfast along the way. Upon arriving at the trail that led to Mr. Nakimoto’s cabin, we left the car hidden out of plain sight. A crunching of branches was heard in the distance, I slowly made my way to the area in which the noise had been heard, and there in the leaves there lay a note with sloppy handwriting that had “Turn back now” written on it. Evern and I had no idea what we were looking for at this point but what was fairly obvious is that there was something in this forest and whoever, whatever it was, knew we were here and possibly even knew what we were up to. Now according to this note, our investigation was unapproved. We had not even got to Mr. Nakimoto’s cabin and clues were already being thrown at us. Could it be that there was more going on than we thought?. Well, we were about to find out.

Investigation site

Evern and I look at each other with curiosity and worry, walking up the trail towards Mr. Nakimoto’s place, we notice it is surrounded by yellow tape, which we assumed was caution tape because Evern and I aren’t exactly fluent in Japanese. I slowly crouch under the tape, “wait, we don’t know what we’ll come across!” Evern says in a worried tone. I continue towards the cabin as I notice a strange object on the wall trim of the cabin, as I get closer I notice what appears to be a piece of fur, but not just any fur, a metallic colored fur that matches the exact description Mr. Nakimoto had given us. What surprised me was that the detective had been here before us and it was nearly impossible for them to have missed a clue such as this. Evern and I share a mysterious look “Unless this object was not here when the detective showed up, but, that would mean that the creature had been here a while ago”. I open my backpack and pull out a Ziploc bag as I carefully grab the piece of fur, making sure I don't contaminate it with my fingertips. After closing it and placing it in my backpack Evern and I made our way to Mr. Nakimoto’s door, which was surprisingly unlocked, this only led to more questions. If this area was under investigation shouldn’t it have been guarded or at least locked? could it be that the investigator was going to return soon and left it unlocked due to that? regardless of the reason, it made no sense for the cabin to be unlocked and unsupervised. Or perhaps it was not as unsupervised as we thought because the second we stepped foot here, a rock was thrown with “Turn back now” on it. I pondered over investigating the outside for a more detailed investigation or moving on into the inside investigation of Mr. Nakimoto’s house. Because there could be more clues inside the house than outside, it became clear what was to be done. Evern and I carefully opened the cabin door and stepped inside, almost instantly a wave of negative vibes swept over us as if there was much more to this mystery than we originally thought. Evern suggested we split up and investigate, considering we would cover more ground doing so, as Evern investigated downstairs I made my way upstairs to investigate the bedroom, everything seemed normal at first until I walked in and noticed suitcases laid out on the floor and clothes folded, as if they had fallen off the bed upon packing, suggesting that Mr. Nakimoto had been packing quickly but, why ??. Evern walked in and said he had found bags of food packed as if Mr. Nakimoto was planning to spend some time away from his cabin, “I also found this” Evern said as he handed me a note that read “ It has eyes sharper than an eagle and sees through the trees”. I felt a sense of concern as I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but something did seem oddly familiar about the way the note was written. Almost as if I had seen this handwriting before, and that’s when it became clear to me that...Evern looked at me as we both came to the same conclusion. The handwriting matched the writing we had seen on the rock earlier, the picture was slowly becoming clearer as we put the pieces together. As of now, we knew that whatever was watching us was or knew the reason why Mr. Nakimoto packed quickly and why he disappeared, possibly even where he is. But, who and where is the person who is surrounding the area? and why don’t they present the information?. Better yet, why did they alert us to leave and provide Mr. Nakimoto with such a strange note?. There was more to this than we thought but, we would get to the bottom of this no matter what, we couldn’t just leave Mr. Nakimoto out there. Evern and I didn’t know what this would lead us to but we knew where to start and that was exactly where we would begin. Evern and I gave another look around Mr. Nakimoto’s place and found no more clues but we had what we needed and I had a feeling that we would find more along the way that would help clear up the confusion of Mr. Nakimoto’s whereabouts. I decided to visit Anna and see if she had any mysterious experiences after the night Mr. Nakimoto’s red fedora was found. Upon making our way up the mountain, we knocked on Anna’s door, with no response for about five minutes. I left my number in Anna’s mailbox with a friendly note expressing the importance of her call, Evern and I went back to our cottage and spoke about all that we had discovered today, going over every possible situation. All was not making much sense until we started to try and understand the note we had found in Mr. Nakimoto’s Cabin. “It has eyes sharper than an eagle and sees through the trees”. It became clear that the person was referring to the Mutant Creature , but something about the way they had described it made our suspicion grow because the way the note was written expressed knowledge of the creature and that could only mean that the person behind these notes knew more than all of us combined.

The unexpected call :

Around Midnight I was awoken by the sound of my phone ringing, “ who could it be at this hour?” I thought to myself, I curiously answered the call and to my surprise, I heard branches crackling on the other side with no voice or anything, whoever or whatever was on the other side unexpectedly hung up as unexpectedly as they had called at such a strange hour. I was not sure why I came to the dumb conclusion that Anna pranked called us because I had left my phone number in her mailbox that same day. But, then again, if something or someone had been lurking around they could have found it. Or even worse, Anna could have been calling for help but couldn’t speak because something or someone was near her, which would explain the branches crackling in the background with no voice. But, what could it have been? I immediately jumped up and went to wake up Evern, “wake up! I believe there was another mutant spider encounter and I think Anna knows where and when”. Evern and I got into the car and set off into the night in search of what had been described to us as a mutant spider. Upon arriving at the “Aokigahara Forest” we had to pass by Mr. Nakimoto’s cabin to even get close to Anna’s cottage, that’s when we noticed, the lights in Mr. Nakimoto’s house were on. If the lights were on in the cabin then maybe that mysterious person or thing that was aware of us could be inside, or even better, might have heard or know what is going on and who made the unexpected phone call. Evern and I carefully make our way to Mr. Nakimoto’s cabin, I notice a shadow from the corner of my eye, as Evern steps on the old wood porch, the old wood cracks, and the shadow disappears, almost as if someone inside had stepped back quickly. The sound of crackling branches is heard behind the cabin, as I approach, there is nothing and no one in sight that could have caused that sound, the sense of dread washes over me as Evern and I heard what sounded like a tree snapping in half followed by constant crackling of branches. Standing motionless, the noises suddenly stop as if nothing had occurred, curiosity and terror surround us as Evern and I quietly make our way to Anna’s house, checking our surroundings every three seconds hysterically. After what felt like an eternity, we had finally reached Anna’s house but, something was off, something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on just yet. Evern slowly made his way towards the cottage and suddenly ran to the door, I gasp terrorized, inside was Anna motionless on the couch with the phone on the coffee table. I am no detective but this seemed staged, whoever or whatever had been around was targeting Mr. Nakimoto and Anna.

Unknown entity

I immediately ran into the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water for Anna who awoke as unexpectedly as she had dozed off. “ Anna, what happened? You were passed out and all the lights were off. There is something completely off but we shall never get to the bottom of this mystery unless you cooperate with us Anna so please..what is going on? You must have seen or heard something” as Anna sits up and says, “If I had your number I would have called to express my concern! “. Wait you did not call? Evern asked. It had become clear that Anna had not made the phone call but then who did? And where was she the whole day? We had come to knock on her door and she was not there. “ Anna where were you earlier?”, she nervously twiddled her thumbs as she looked up and explained to us how she had gone out to dinner with a nice gentleman. Of course, Evern and I did not think anything of it until after giving it some thought, a suspicion came over us as we consulted whether or not that man could be the mystery person we have been searching for. Or if he knew anything that could help us, “Anna have you known him long? I do not mean to sound creepy but have you both gone out to dinner often?”. What she shared with us next made my skin crawl. “Well I met him recently, on my way to the market, he tagged along and offered to accompany me for my safety, he expressed how dangerous it could be out here, and ever since we have been in contact, he said his name is Touma, and that he is a security guard at the nearby national park” Upon hearing this news Evern and I immediately jump up and ask for the mystery man’s phone number but more shock comes to us when Anna explains to us how he simply appears whenever she heads to the market. Evern and I shared a look, we both knew exactly what must be done. We would go to the market with Anna tomorrow morning and see if this mystery man would appear. Once Anna went to sleep I immediately brought up the name to Evern and I found it suspicious that this mystery man said his name was Touma. “ How is that suspicious?” Evern asked, well Touma in Japanese means “ Top of the mountain”, Anna lives at the top of a mountain.

Trip to Market

Anna awoke bright and early to prepare a very delicious breakfast, after eating and freshening up, we all head out to the market, curious to see who this mysterious man was. But, he never appeared, we got to market with no sight of this mysterious man. Could it be that he had seen us from afar? We had no proof of that but, this only made our suspicion arise, at the market, there was a variety of sweets, delicious foods. Evern and I decided to take a break from all the mystery and enjoy a day surrounded by “kawaii” (cute in Japanese) objects and the scent of delicious Japanese cuisine. Anna went on to run some errands as Evern and I explored, we ended up going to a nearby restaurant once Anna joined us. Upon arriving we drove into a wooded, bridge-like parking lot and beside it was the see-through, cute, and cozy-looking restaurant, Motosukan. As we stepped out of the car we came across a lovely view of a lake, a big shady tree, and some tables with umbrellas, through the white, square glass window we stepped into what felt like a rustic, beach house vibe. With its checkered hardwood floors and brick counter. We were greeted by a very kind woman named Sakura. I found her name to be very lovely since Sakura means cherry blossoms in Japanese. We were seated and handed menus, after a few minutes of trying to decide between many tasty options, I finally decided on Vegetable ramen packed with wild mushrooms, Evern ordered a Porkchop rice and Anna ordered Houton. We enjoyed our tasty meal as the sound of rain suddenly surrounded us, making the environment more calm and enjoyable, there was no consulting, no mystery, no drama, no worries, just the delicious taste, smell, and calming rain hitting the window for the rest of the evening. It was a time where Evern and I were able to take a deep breath and relax. Upon finishing our delicious meal, we took Anna home and went back to the cottage we were staying at. I was so tired after a long day but as Evern slept, I couldn’t help but stay awake until midnight doing some research and checking every possible situation that could bring us closer to solving this mystery we had gotten so involved with, it is true Evern and I are strangers to Mr. Nakimoto and Anna but Mr. Nakimoto was missing, I had already received an unexpected and very suspicious phone call, the lights, note, shadow and half-packed bags in the cabin, everything was off. But I couldn’t allow myself to get lost. We needed to stay focused and get to the bottom of this at all costs.

Continued Investigation

Soon came the morning to the day we would all finally know who the mystery man is and the secrets of the forest they know of that we don’t. After breakfast, Anna headed out of the cottage as Evern and I hid behind the nearest tree, suddenly just as Anna said, a man appeared. This mysterious man dressed in all black, fair skin with jet black hair, his face was serious yet of a man who watched his back every five seconds. Something told me that the investigation was coming to an end and this person was the answer. Evern silently, yet swiftly approached the man, the man looked at us as if he had seen a ghost as he sighed and said, “ Well I suppose I would not be able to have kept this a secret forever, the truth does always come out some time or another”. I expressed my concern and talked through what had been going on, the mystery man came clear and shared with us that his name was not Touma but rather was Takibi ( Fire in Japanese ). Takibi revealed that Mr. Nakimoto had not been missing and that he was indeed alive and well, staying at his place. Mr. Takibi let us know about Mr. Nakimoto’s lab, he said we would find answers there that he could not speak of. The sound of this made my skin crawl but we had to go check this lab out. Evern and I immediately headed over to the location given to us by Mr. Takibi to the lab, I slowly make my way to the entrance as Evern pushes the creaky heavy door open. We step inside filled with curiosity, upon entering the lab we come face to face with a room with plain walls, bottles filled with strange colors and substances, an operation table. Most importantly, we found a document with the name “M. Spider”. Evern and I shared a look, both knowing what it meant. This document was clearly about the Mutant spider, I slowly yet curiously read through the document which explained how the spider mutated and how it had escaped this lab. According to the document, this rare type of spider was being examined but, things went wrong due to a chemical spill. Everyone claimed that the spider had disappeared but only one person claimed to have seen it mutate and that was Mr. Nakimoto. It had become clear to us that we needed to call Takibi and set up a meeting with himself and Mr. Nakimoto, we were going to get to the bottom of this case and prove once and for all that indeed this Mutant spider was real and roaming the Aokigara Forest. Evern called up Takibi and we had been invited over that same day.

Final Clues

Evern and I made our way to Takibi’s apartment, where we were greeted by Mr. Nakimoto, as happy as we were to see him alive and well, we knew that we needed to get to the bottom of this all. Mr. Nakimoto shared with us the full story of how he witnessed the spider mutate and how no one believed him. We all set off to investigate the Forest further to shed some light on this case, Mr. Nakimoto led the way to the exact area where he claimed to have discovered the chemical spill that caused the spider to mutate. I began to wonder at that very moment, that if this chemical caused the spider to mutate then what if there are more mutated animals within the forest? If so, then what was this chemical?. Evern scooped some of the chemicals with a jar and along with Takibi and Mr. Nakimoto, we took the substance back to the lab we had visited earlier, Mr. Nakimoto poured out some of the substance into a test tube examined it thoroughly. The results would not be ready until the next day so Evern and I decided to head back to our cottage and get some rest as Takibi and Mr. Nakimoto remained at the lab in search of the answers we needed. Takibi walked over to Mr. Nakimoto concerned as he revealed the results, the tests had revealed that the chemical spill had occurred under the old laboratory building they were sitting in, causing the surrounding area including plants to become mutated and poisonous. Mr. Nakimoto immediately went outside to test the soil and upon testing it, indeed the results showed that the soil was contaminated. At sunrise when Evern and I arrived, many news crews and photographers were looking through the area, Takibi greeted us and revealed to us that they had indeed found the answers needed to solve this case, the only thing that was missing now was to show the press that the Mutant spider was very much alive. The press had agreed to spend the day and night in the forest, now we all just had to wait and hope that we would be able to capture good enough pictures to prove their very own existence once and for all. The day went by as fast as it had started, the night seemed quiet until we began to hear branches crackling in the distance, we all pulled out our cameras and waited quietly, patiently. The crackling was heard closer and suddenly, there it was, the Mutant spider with twelve legs, metallic fur, and midnight purple eyes. As terrifying as it looked, it was a sight for sore eyes. That same night Mr. Nakimoto and Takibi were finally believed by the press, Evern and I got our story and were ready to return home the next day. After arriving at our cottage I booked our flight back to Arizona as Evern started putting together our Article about the Mutant Spider. Evern and I finished packing and went out to dinner with Mr. Nakimoto ad Takibi to say our goodbyes and express thanks for allowing us to be a part of this very mysteriously interesting journey. We returned to the cottage after a long day and slept peacefully throughout the night. Upon morning, Evern and I head to the airport and flew back to Arizona, we chatted along the way about the case and expressed how thankful we were for being able to get the story and write about it. Neither of us could wait to get home tho, we had felt homesick right about now. On the flight back to Arizona I fell asleep and had a dream, a mysteriously frightening dream that started with the arrival at the airport, in my dream, I saw Evern and I roaming our deserted hometown. There was no one at the airport and there was nothing but cars and coffee brewing. We step outside the airport as the sound of the wind howling fills the air, I awoke from this dream concerned. I did not know what to think, we had not yet arrived and if I had missed my home so much then why was I having a dream such as this, which only made me feel terrified. Evern pointed out the window and we were close, I could see our town from where we were at and it did not look deserted. Well at least for now, let’s just say I was hoping every second that my dream had not been a warning but, what Evern and I did not know is that we were in for a huge surprise...one that would change our lives forever, literally. Soon came the arrival of what we came to know as our Ghost town.

Our Return

Evern and I had arrived at our hometown Prescott Valley, to our surprise the airport was empty, there were cars outside and luggage still going through the baggage carousel but like the airport, there was no one there to receive them. I walked over to the front desk as Evern made his way outside to check if there was anyone there, I found no sign of anyone being there recently. After searching for a few minutes I came across a phone and decided to listen to any voicemails left for a possible clue to why the airport had been deserted and for how long?. Most of the voicemails seemed normal until the most recent came up and that is when things got weird, a woman was heard in a concerned tone saying “Send your survivors, we are at a campground near the Hospital “. I quickly make my way towards Evern and express my concern about the voicemail I had heard. Evern and I made our way out to our car which we had left parked outside the airport for when we got back. On our way back home the road was deserted with no sign of life, the drive home seemed endless and rather eerie. The sky above was grey and pale, while the ground below was dry and cracked filled with objects left behind by those who once inhabited the area, those that once surrounded Evern and me. We did not know how to feel, we did not yet finish understanding what had occurred but, the thought of all life up and leaving or worse yet disappearing, never became a comforting thought. My mind slowly appeared to come into focus as we drove past houses, shops, and street names I recognized. The second my house became visible, my body went cold.

Home Sweet Home

Upon arriving at my household, I slowly stepped out of the car and onto the chalk-drawn sidewalk in front of my house. Every step taken towards the front door felt eerie but, the curiosity of what I would find on the other side of my door was far more intense. I inserted the key in the lock, with a turn and gentle push of the door, I came face to face with what I had called home. The inside of the house was cold, the scent of cinnamon filled the air as the home phone’s flashing red light on the corner table caught my eye. With a swift movement, I lifted the phone to my ear and nearly drop the phone at the sound of the same voice, with the same message I had heard earlier at the airport. At this point I had no idea what was going on but, something was wrong, I would have said that I did not know where to start but, there had been a location I heard mentioned twice and it would have been nearly unforgivable if I did not at least arrive on site to check it out. Finding answers at that location was higher than the chances I would find answers sitting at home surrounded by the empty shell of what once was a town filled with loving people who had come together to make this place our home. It was almost unbearable, the thought that in the time Evern and I had been in Japan, everything had changed. People had left cars, houses with their valuables behind, in search of what stood behind this and so I gathered a few items I may need and made my way to the door where I stepped out once more.

Journey to the site

As I turned the key and started the car, I turned back one last time to take a mental picture of my home, or at least what I once called home, for I knew that I might not ever see it again. The journey to the site started through a narrow road surrounded by tall trees that covered the sky above. As the night grew closer, the environment became hostile and eerie, with nothing but the GPS to guide me to the so-called “safe place”. Everything seemed to be fine until I hit a dirt road and my GPS randomly spun out of control, losing track of what road and how many miles I had yet to go. I would be lying if I said I did not panic but, worrying and being afraid would not get me anywhere, instead, I took a deep breath and looked around in search of a hint or idea of how to get to the site and not end up lost, wandering through treacherous territory. I stepped out of the car and made my way deeper into the dirt path with a supply-filled backpack on my back and a flashlight to see where I'm going. The fact that it was pitch black out did not help, it almost felt as if there was someone following close behind me at times. The farther I went, the more curiosity got to me about what I would find once I got to the site and if I would find people or if I would be able to get answers as to where, why, and what caused the people of my town to leave everything behind so suddenly. The voicemail I had heard at the airport and home was identical, there had to be something behind that.

Safe Haven??

The night grew colder as I made my way through the tall trees and dirt road, just as I was about to give up on finding the site, I came across a light in the distance that appeared to be coming from a bonfire. I had no idea if that was the site but the fact that there was a bonfire up ahead was enough to catch my eye and pull me over to at least investigate further. And so I went on making my way to the bonfire, upon getting closer I came face to face with what seemed to be a civilization. Calmness washed over me at the sight of people sitting by a bonfire eating, a lady got up and looked over at me with a welcoming smile as she walked over to me. I froze at the thought of what I would be told in regards to what had occurred back in town and why these people founded a safe house way out here. The lady came over to me

“ Hello, Ms. I am glad to see a new face around…” I smiled and briefly explained how I had ended up there and why, she then proceeded to tell me what was going on and it caught me by surprise. The lady began “ Well my name is Jane and I put together this site because there had been sudden soil contamination in the town, supposedly it was being investigated but to be safe I gathered everyone possible here. Only that in the process people began to disappear, so I left voicemails hoping that everyone would get it, as you can see only some made it. Tell me, is there more with you ?”. I froze at the thought of having only three percent battery and Evern being home thinking nothing of what surrounds him. What if...what if he disappears!?, in a swift movement I thanked Jane and told her I would be back with someone else. Jane looked at me concerned but, wished me well and sent me on my way, I ran back to the car which I found with engraving on my door that said: “Turn back now! “. Chills ran down my spine at the sight of this, it was the same handwriting from Japan, but, no that was impossible, how could that person have followed us? Better yet why would they?. On the drive over to Evern’s house, I went through every possible situation and concluded that I was just scaring myself and it had probably just been some kid playing a prank on me. The road was quiet and eerie, I rushed to Evern’s house, hoping he was okay but, upon knocking there was no response. I went around the house, peeked through the windows, after seeing no one I began to panic and called Evern with my last bit of phone battery. No response had been achieved as my phone dies, I get into the car and look through the glove department and sigh in relief at the sight of my phone charger. Upon plugging in my phone I noticed a text from Evern’s phone that read “ Library, something came up! Meet up?” I headed over to the town library where I walked in and saw Evern sitting at a table with a pile of books beside him. “Evern! Looked everywhere for ya, where have you been? I have lot’s to tell..” He turned to look at me with a sudden look of concern. On the table was the picture of Mr. Nakimoto and beside it was a file filled with documents...not just any documents though. The documents that were missing in the file we had found in Japan, containing stories of the creature we had encountered and how it had not been created in the lab, more so had been created in the wilderness, due to an unknown cause.

Revelations

Evern took another look at the documents as I stood there lost in thought, “Evern? The site I found it and there were people, the car I found with Turn back now! engraved on the door, could it be that Nakimoto is here..?”. Look, forget it okay..let’s just get back to the site, lost in thought Evern and I made our way back to the area I had found the site at. Jane walked over and we were introduced and welcomed during a delicious dinner of mashed potatoes, chicken, and some green beans with warm tea. Jane? Have you ever crossed paths with a man called Nakimoto?, jane looked around and then back at us as she leaned closer and whispered “Nakimoto sent us soil free of charge to plant our food but, indeed it was a shock considering that the amount of good soil would help so much! But, no one seems to like him much”. Evern and I shared a look of concern as we looked around at the food, we asked jane to take us to the soil, provided by Nakimoto and tested it. Sure enough, it was soil that had been contaminated, and strange enough it did not react to most people here. Maybe like medicine it only affected certain people, but in that case, how was it affecting them?. I checked every tent and person residing at the camp and found that less than half had gotten nothing more than a stomach ache and changes to their eye color. Upon looking closer, their eyes had turned a neon blue, while others a neon greenish-yellow. Everything seemed off and if my paranoia hadn’t got to me, I would say that Nakimoto was around trying to find the documents. That Evern now had, we sat in our tent to discuss our opinions on the situation and slept calmly through the night. Morning came as we awoke to the smell of coffee and blueberry muffins, Evern and I finished our breakfast as we heard footsteps approach. We figured it was just Jane or one of the others but, that is when we heard it, a dragging sound followed by some sort of a grunt. Just as I was about to exit the tent, Jane comes running in and signals us to stay still and quiet, when the dragging sound moves off into the distance Jane whispers “ There is something wrong with the others, I thought there change in eye color with stomach pain was nothing serious but, they turned...into...uh...walking corpses”. Jane! Zombies??, I turn to look at Evern concerned knowing that it had been caused due to the soil, I am worried that those people from our town who supposedly disappeared have turned into zombies and wandered off. Evern expressed an idea of getting out of here and find some answers maybe by taking a sample of the soil up to the lab in town but, truth is that we did not know where to start and the thought of what we would find out had chills running down our spines. We could not stay here though, there was no telling what would occur after today, as soon as the surrounding area became silent Jane, Evern, and myself made a quick escape to the car but, in the process, Jane tripped causing rocks to tumble down. What she had described as walking corpses started sprinting towards us, I quickly grabbed Jane as we rushed into the car. We barely were able to lock the doors when we began to feel the whole car shake, Evern started the car and drove us to the closest town, where we ran out of gas. Things were not looking good, Jane with a sprained ankle and a car with no gas, Evern would have to go get gas while I took Jane to a pharmacy for an ankle brace and some pain medication. That is exactly what we did, I helped Jane walk as we got to the pharmacy, she sat as I quickly searched the isles and came back with an ankle brace, Jane took some pain medication as I gently applied the brace. As Jane rested for a while I grabbed a bag and grabbed the most useful medication available in case of an emergency, everything from a cut, for pain, fever, or for a simple stomach ache. While on the other side of town Evern sneaked his way to the gas station with a gas can, he went inside the little shop, and just as he was about to grab a bottle of water he was startled by the sound of something hitting the wall. Evern grabbed a wooden stick and proceeded to the area he had heard the sound in, as he slowly turned the knob a zombie charges towards him, knocking him down. Evern struggles and strikes the zombie as he immediately gets up, firmly grasping the wooden stick, the zombie lays on the floor motionless as Evern runs out to quickly fill up the gas can. Due to no sign of movement or danger, Evern goes back into the shop as he grabs a bag and fills it up with enough water and snacks to get us through the week. We all head back to the car, Evern fills up the gas tank as I place everything in the trunk, we hop into the car and set off into the outsides of town. Jane had told us that she knew of a house that was abandoned in a secluded area, our drive there was quiet yet filled with hope. Upon arrival, I helped Jane out of the car and we made our way in through the back door that had a broken window, I made sure jane was comfortable and went to make some tea for all of us. The wind howled as the branches on the trees swayed, the evening grew darker by the minute as we all sat together in the living room.

Home sweet home

Throughout the night nothing but crickets were heard as we all slept peacefully through the night. The next morning I woke up early and with what was left in the cupboard I whipped up a tasty breakfast of pancakes with berries and some warm tea with honey and lemon. We all enjoyed our food and got ready to face yet another day, Evern was outside in search of firewood as I cleaned the house and Jane iced her ankle. All seemed to have cooled down, it was as if none of this zombie stuff had ever happened, everything that had occurred in Japan slowly left my mind. The days did seem long and sometimes uneventful but what I was most thankful for was that everything seemed to be over. We would have to relocate to another town eventually but, upon cleaning the basement I found a year's worth of food, and that shed light on this whole situation. So many things had occurred in so little time yet this peace, this home surrounded by nature had saved our lives and put a roof over our heads. As I prepared dinner I watched the water droplets slide down the window as the delicious smell of beef stew filled the air. I served dinner and we all sat to enjoy a tasty warm bowl of beef stew before going to sleep peacefully through the night in a home that made everything seem like nothing in the end. But, like everything in life things began to run out, I set off to the store in search of anything that had not expired. The drive there was quiet, the tree branches swayed in the direction of the wind.

Last Trip

Upon arriving at the store, I checked every corner, door, and counter finding no sign of zombies, I went aisle by aisle checking every can and bottle that was not yet open or moldy. As the sun began to disappear the sudden sound of dragging footsteps is heard followed by a low growl. I quietly make my way towards the front of the store as the eerie footsteps grow closer. Unexpectedly the scent of rotten flesh fills the air, I came face to face with my worst fear, sharing a space with a zombie, not knowing what could happen. Chills ran down my spine as a woman with the most unusual distorted face limped around the corner, standing at the end of the aisle I froze in fear as I mapped out my escape plan. Truth was that I had no escape plan but, one thing was for sure, I needed to get out of there without alarming her, slowly waving I observed if it sparked some type of reaction in her. When nothing occurred, it became clear that I could escape if only I am quiet and fast enough, because although she could not see, there was no doubt that she could hear and sense. With a swift movement, I make my way to the door but, suddenly an idea comes to mind, I throw a bottle towards the opposite direction of where I would escape. The woman sprints towards the sound as I make my quick escape out the front entrance, my eyes scan every possible corner, alley, and object on my way back to the cabin. This encounter had been a close encounter, something unexpected, something I had only seen in movies. Lesson learned, life is a roller coaster, precious gift, I may have not appreciated many things throughout my life but I admit to being thankful for this unexpected return. With a big smile on my face, I walk into the cabin “Guys I am back!” there was no response, there was no one at the cabin, there were no supplies, there was no Evern, Jane had followed me to the store with no return. That is when it all became clear, Evern mentioning he would return and the lady at the store..at the end of the aisle. Suddenly the door swings open behind me followed by an eerie low voice “I’m Home, You Called?”, I turn frightened, coming face to face with a familiar unexpected smile, no it can’t be! This is not real, you can not possibly be here, suddenly all goes blank, was it all a dream? if not when would I wake up and where? My eyes slowly open, vision blurry, head throbbing as the scent of mold fills the air followed by the same low eerie voice that once had me trembling in fear. Just when I thought that everything would be okay, I came to realize that nothing ever left in the first place, Indeed an unexpected return.

Revelation:

Upon awakening I find myself laying in bed as my phone rings non-stop “H..hello?” I say half asleep still wondering what was going on. To my surprise Evern was on the other side of the phone saying “Em let’s go our flight is leaving soon, we must get to the airport”. My immediate response was not to tell Evern on the phone, I knew he would never believe me that way!, quickly threw on a coat and ran outside where I saw Evern waiting in his car but, wait I remember this. I walked over to the window “ Evern we can’t go, please listen I will explain over a cup of coffee” We went inside, I prepared two cups of coffee, as I handed a cup to Evern, my phone rang. “Hello? This is Emily” the sound of the voice on the other side nearly made me drop my cup of coffee, “Excuse me, where will I meet you guys?”. It became clear that whatever had occurred had been some type of premonition of what was to come, the person on the other side of the phone was Nakimoto and nothing had happened yet, could it be that I would be able to stop this from occurring by speaking out about Nakimoto ?. I turned to look at Evern with concern in my eyes, it was indeed important that I let Evern know what was going on but, would he even believe me? If he were to go alone things could get out of hand and I would not put Evern at risk. I hung up the phone and sat on the couch across from Evern as I explained to him what was occurring “ I know this sounds crazy but, I believe I could prove it to you. Evern got up and hugged me as he reassured me that it had all simply been a nightmare and that we had to be on our way now. I figured that on the way there I could prove that what I had explained was true, usually, I don’t think so much into dreams but, there was something about this dream that had me worried and feeling that it was my duty to spread awareness. The drive to the airport was oddly familiar and it was a strange feeling to know exactly what would happen and be said. Evern had a hard time believing me until I mentioned the exact street and number of the cottage that was reserved in Japan since there was no actual way of me knowing that information. Evern began to believe what I had explained but confusion and concern grew, as we planned to visit the lab where I had seen the document that Nakimoto appeared to be missing in my so-called “dream” I knew Evern was still skeptical but if I could find this document it would become clear that everything I had mentioned was right. Evern and I could then possibly stop the madness from occurring as it did in my dream. Therefore we could even prevent the town incident from occurring as well, whether this premonition was a blessing or curse we had yet to find out but, one thing was for sure, the time started now.

I drove us to the lab from my dream, upon arrival I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and we made our way inside. Shockingly enough the lab had not yet been fully abandoned but looked exactly as it did in my dream, right on the dissection table was the document I needed to prove to myself and Evern that it was not a nightmare. I passed the document to Evern and watched as he scanned every word, his eyes suddenly widened as he looked over at me and in a worried voice said “Nakimoto, it is all real, you were right”. I sighed in relief as I took a look at the document, placing it in its folder which we took with us to the car, I reached in the back seat to grab my laptop, a summary hinting at the contents of the document and its owner were posted on our website. Instead of the “Mutant Spider” the most well-known title became “Behind the mask”. For months everything seemed to have gone well, there were no problems until one morning as I sat at my desk with my coffee mug, I came face to face with our website in which years of content had been replaced with a single sentence in familiar writing that read “It has eyes sharper than an eagle and it sees through the trees”. Suddenly the lights flicker as loud knocking is heard coming from the front door, rain pours down, every step taken with caution. Upon opening the door I see the detective from my dream “Evern is missing”, chills run down my spine as thoughts fly around in my head “we found the document! I did spread awareness!” tears escape my eyes. I suddenly awaken surrounded by friends and family “She’s awake!” Evern said with a smile. I looked around at everyone “I had the craziest dream that” The nurse walks into the room “ Good Morning! Doctor Nakimoto shall be right with you. My eyes widen as my blood runs cold “what is going on? what is this” Wake up..please wake up, it is just a dream or perhaps an unexpected return? I suppose we shall find out.