The Kaidan of Mount Hotaka

I clutched my tickets as I boarded the plane to Japan, and loaded my suitcase and bags into the compartments. I sat in my seat, looking at the tickets again, smiling to myself. I was excited to experience the culture, eat authentic food, and explore some of the world's most beautiful landscapes with my fellow adventurers. Every year, we go on a global excursion. We all think of places to go and cast a vote.

A few months ago, when we were in Yosemite, California, our newest member, Sheena, came up with the idea of visiting Japan to see her family and hometown. “They don’t live too far from Mt.Hotaka,” she said. I immediately thought it was a great idea. Without hesitation, I said yes. I had strong feelings for Sheena the day I met her, and wanted to know more about her. However, it took some convincing to get the others on board.

Dan, my best friend, is the group's videographer, and he said he was on board with whatever we chose. I always try to get him to elaborate on his feelings, but he insists on the same statement, “Whatever you choose man, I’m cool.”

“I like Japan, but there’s a bit of a language barrier,” said our other member and friend, Aidan. Aidan is great at survival skills. Sometimes, I don’t like that he’s quiet, but I like having him around. “That’s why we have Sheena,” I said. She nodded. “Ok, if you say so, man,” he said.

Amy and Charlotte were the other girls in the group. Charlotte usually ends up staying back and helping with camp setup, which I am glad about because she can be combative. Amy is excellent at climbing, very resilient, and doesn’t take no for an answer. When I asked Amy about Japan, she looked a bit uncomfortable. I could tell she was trying to hide her jealousy of Sheena. “If I go, I’m sitting next to you on the plane,” she said. “Ok, deal,” I said. She and Charlotte exchanged looks. “Dan’s going right?” She asked snarkily. “You know it,” I answered in a similar tone. “Ok, fine, I’ll go,” she said.

As promised, Amy sat next to me on the plane. I sat on the aisle seat, and Sheena also sat in the aisle seat next to mine. I was in between the two of them, which would make for an interesting ride.

Amy tapped my shoulder and lightly held on to my arm. "I'm really excited for Japan—it’s beautiful." I moved my arm and grinned. "Yeah, I’m stoked." Then it hit me: Sheena never showed me pictures of her parents or hometown.

I turned toward her, and she turned toward me at the same time. Her eyes were glowing from the sunlight poking through the window. I paused, feeling a fluttering sensation within my stomach. "Yes?" She said, smiling, her cheeks flushed pink. "Sheena, you never showed me your parents or your village. Do you have a picture?"

"Oh!" She searched for her phone, but the pilot announced takeoff. "I forgot to show you—they’re in another folder." I found her flustered expression cute. "No worries, take your time," I said.

The plane leveled. Sheena kept searching her phone. "Hey, it can be a mystery until we get there," I joked with a wink. She chuckled. "I want you to see," she winked back. Amy sighed.

The others sat behind us. "Rawr, get 'em tiger," Dan teased. I turned and said, "Shut up!" "We heard everything," Charlotte smirked. Aidan nodded.

"Joke’s on you, I need to pee," I said, getting up. I hissed, imitating a snake. "Don’t lose it in the toilet!" Charlotte shouted. Amy and Sheena turned toward her, bickering playfully as I walked to the restroom.

The bathroom was a little bit of a walk down the aisle. Luckily, it was empty when I arrived. I made my way inside, pulled down my pants, and went to pee. As I relieved myself, I noticed something moving in the dark corner at the back of the toilet. When I bent down to take a closer look, I saw not one but two yellow and black speckled spiders sitting still in their web, unbothered.

I yelped and stepped back quickly, hastily pulling up my pants. I have a small…fear of spiders. One bit me when I was a kid, and it sent me to the hospital. I don't hate them, but I try to avoid them like the plague. When I left the bathroom, I found a flight attendant and told them what I had seen. But when they checked, they told me they couldn't find them.

I walked back, still in shock. "Ben, I found the photos!" Sheena said, but paused at my face. "Are you okay?” She asked. Amy also looked worried when she looked at me. "I know what happened," Dan chimed in. "Number 1 became a number 2 combo." Everyone giggled except Sheena and me. "Dan, shut up," I grunted.

Sheena put her hand on my shoulder and asked me what had happened. I paused for a second before telling the group about the incident. Everyone was quiet. Dan reacted, "Dude, are you serious? That's so weird..." Aiden added, "Hopefully they aren't roaming around the plane, and they aren't poisonous." Charlotte interjected, "There's no way that happened... That sounds outlandish." Amy responded, "I believe him, Char, he wouldn't make that up." Sheena nodded and said, "I agree with Amy... I know you wouldn't make something like that up..." She put her hand on my back and comforted me. My heart melted.

"Let me take your mind off of that," Sheena said after a few minutes. She continued, "I need to show you these pictures. Actually, all of you can see!" She showed me photos of an older Japanese couple standing in a field of yellow flowers. Their smiles were so beautiful, and they looked so happy. I told her, "Wow, Sheena, you have such a beautiful family." She replied, "Thank you," her smile expressing how proud she was. She showed everyone else as I lay back and slowly closed my eyes, focusing on the trip and trying to forget everything else.

Before I knew it, Amy tapped my shoulder—we were almost there. An hour later, our plane descended into Tokyo. We arrived at Haneda airport, excited and groggy, and let Sheena lead us. Since her village, Katashina in Gunma, was still far away, our journey was just beginning.

As we rode the train through Tokyo, beautiful scenery unfolded outside my window. My friends chatted around me while Amy sat by my side. I noticed Sheena watching me from her reflection in the glass; we made eye contact and smiled.

After the train, we all boarded a bus for the two-hour drive to the village. Mt. Hotaka appeared in the distance as we approached. The village was just as I imagined: clean, peaceful, and quiet. We split into two cars to reach her parents' home, where the couple from the photograph greeted us warmly. "Konnichiwa!" they welcomed us as we arrived.

They helped us bring our things inside. The house was kind of small but quaint. "We hope you all had a wonderful trip!" said Sheena's mother. Her father nodded his head and smiled. "We only have one guest space, which can fit about 3 people, but some can be out in the living space. I will be finished preparing the meal shortly. Let's put our things away first and come back.” Charlotte and Amy put their things in the guest room. The guys put their stuff in the living area.

Once everyone was settled, Sheena and her mother went to bring out the food. Her father seemed like a kind and quiet man, but he smiled a lot and asked us all about our trip and if Sheena did a good job bringing us here.

“I feel like it’s been so long!” He said, “I’m surprised she even remembered how to get here.” We all chuckled. Then Sheena appeared, carrying silver pans of food, her mother following behind. We all cheered and were so happy to finally be there and finally eat. We talked about all sorts of things, including our trips around the world and our families.

"We're glad you’re here. We've heard a lot about you, especially Ben!" her mother said. Sheena blushed, looking away. Amy scoffed. I felt myself blush too.

“Oh well… it’s because he’s the leader of the group, he’s always the one making the plans. I feel like we wouldn’t be able to do anything without him,” she looked at me, still blushing.It was starting to grow dark outside, and everyone was full from their meal. Sheena and her mother collected the plates as we chatted amongst ourselves.

“When do you all go to Hotaka?” Asked her father. “Probably in the next day or so, I know we need to rest for a bit,” I said. “Ah, I see, well, I will warn you all that there have been a lot of bear sightings recently… so make sure you have plenty of spray.” He made a spraying motion with his finger. “Will do, sir,” I said with a slight smile. Sheena and her mother returned. She sat down, saying, "Don’t worry, Dad, we’ve got it covered." Charlotte jumped in, "Ben’s not afraid of bears, just spiders." I turned around and scowled at her. Everyone else turned from her and tried to hide their face from me. “Charlotte!” Sheena said in frustration.

“Why would you bring that up?” I said, “And I don’t have a fear of them, I just don’t like them.”

“What are they talking about?” Asked Sheena’s father.

Charlotte smirked. “Go on, Ben, tell them!” “Char, just drop it,” Dan said. I remained quiet.

“Well, if you don’t, I will,” she said in a maniacal tone. Sheena’s parents looked very confused. “You were gonna do it anyway,” I muttered under my breath.

Charlotte retold the story of the disappearing spiders on the plane. Making me sound like I was mentally ill.

“I see,” said Sheena’s mother. “This reminds me of something…”Sheena sighed, “Please, mother… not tonight.”

“Of what?” I said. “Maybe I should tell you all another night….” Everyone immediately said “No! Tell us now, tell us now!” “Okay… if you insist… it reminds me of the old tale of Jorogumo.”

“The what?” Said Amy. “It means…the entangling bride or… whore spider,” said Aidan. “Very good,” her mother said. “Your friend is smart.”

“The tale of Yokai Jorogumo is a gruesome one… but cautionary, especially to you young men. In my culture, we call these tales Kaidan, which translates to ‘Strange Tale.’ Traditionally, we tell them with candlelight.” She looked at Sheena, as if speaking to her nonverbally, to light the candles. Sheena lit candles around the room as all of us looked at one another, giggling about what was about to happen. “I wouldn’t laugh if I were you,” said her mother. “These tales are meant to be taken seriously.” We immediately went quiet.

The flickering of the candlelight gave the room an ominous glow. Sheena sat down next to her mother as she began to tell the story. “There are many stories about the Jorogumo, but this one is probably the oldest and most well-known…. A long time ago, there lived a samurai who was a loyal and noble man to his emperor and townspeople. Everyone admired him, but behind closed doors, he was a monster. He would often beat his wife and children, and had many concubines so that he could bear a son. One day, the Emperor assigned him a mission to speak with the leader of the neighboring town. He decided to travel on foot during the night to fulfill the request. That night, he walked in the darkness, the only light was the moon and stars in the sky. As he was walking, he reached a bridge and saw a young woman in the distance carrying a child. As they walked closer to each other, the woman then said: “That’s him… you’re the father of my child!” The woman was very beautiful, and the samurai stopped in his tracks to stare at her. She was close at this point, “Are you not the father of my child?” She asked. “Woman… I don’t even know you… I am a samurai, and I have a family. Why are you out here in the night?” “I knew you would be here. This is your child, he is a boy.” When she said this, he was shocked. He only had girls and wanted an heir. But he still did not remember the woman's sweet face. “I don’t remember you… Who are you?” She then began pleading with him to come back with her and help take care of the child. She got close to him, trying to pull him. He took out his Katana and sliced her cheek. Blood poured out as she screamed, and she ran all the way home with the baby in her arms. The blood left a trail on the ground as she ran away. He fled the scene and continued along his way. On the way back home, he saw the trail of blood on the ground. He decided to follow the path and find the girl again. It led to an old, abandoned-looking house, and the door was slightly open. He walked inside, “young woman… it is me, the samurai. I’ve come to apologize to you.” There was no response. He went up the steps and looked in the rooms. As he entered the last room, he fell to his knees. A giant yellow-and-black spider lay dead on the floor, its shrine to an old child. The spider carried a similar cut to the one he had made on the woman. As he looked up, he saw men cocooned in a silky web.”

All of us were silent. “It is said that this yokai comes around as a beautiful woman every 400 years to lure men into her trap…I tell you this because you never know what is out in these woods, even if you know them, you never really know them. Just be careful.” Sheena’s face was in her palm. “Sheena, you know this story. Why are you acting that way?” “I don’t want to freak them out before we go there,” said Sheena.

“Little late for that,” said Charlotte. “I’m really tired… I thought it was an interesting story, but I really need some rest,” said Amy.

“That sounds like it should be a film!” Said Dan. We giggled. But I didn’t say much… the story felt eerie… too eerie for me. I was extremely tired, but I knew to take it seriously and not laugh it off. Amy and Charlotte went to sleep, and the guys got settled in the living room. Sheena was still out there helping clean up, and I helped her blow out the candles.

“I thought that was an interesting story,” I said. “You think so?” Said Sheena. “Yeah… I like learning about your culture.” “You didn’t think it was weird… it didn’t scare you?” “It was… spooky, but not weird,” I said with sentiment. “You’re very kind… always so kind. I really like that,” she said, looking me in the eye.

We got to the last candle. “You know, they used to say that when you blow out the last candle, it conjures the Yokai.” We held on to the candle together. I put my hand over hers and said, “Oh, really?” I looked at her as my breath blew out the light.

***************************************

We took a few days to rest and walk around the village, learning a lot about the area and the culture. Everything was so beautiful. It seemed perfect, even though the story of the Jorogumo lingered in my mind.

It was the night before our venture, and we were all anxious. We have dealt with El Capitan, in Yosemite, which is considered more strenuous, so dealing with this shouldn’t be as hard. But still another “mountain” to conquer. Sheena’s parents wished us well and warned us to be careful again. A truck took us down to the trail. The scenery grew more beautiful the closer we got to the mountain.

“My friends, we have reached the point of no return!” Said Dan, holding up his camcorder as we exited the truck. He made a sarcastic, maniacal laugh. All of us smirked.

“Dan, please don’t say that,” said Amy. “Aww, why not! You gotta keep the folks on their toes!” He said. Amy playfully put her hand toward the camera.

“Alright, everyone!” I said as I pulled out my map. “Make sure you take a good look at the landscape!” I held up the map to show everyone our coordinates. We all had a compass and marked the nearest tree with spray paint. Everyone had a can of bear spray. We had whistles and a signature sound in case one of us found something or got lost. We made Charlotte our medic (because of how much she gives up on the hike initially).

“Let’s roll!” I said. And we headed forward on our journey. The hike was strenuous, but the views were undeniably beautiful. I was looking forward to how this footage would turn out. We still had a long way to go until we reached the side of the mountain. As it got darker, we decided to set up camp. Sheena and I talked a lot during the hike, and Amy lagged behind, but I could tell she was watching. However, I noticed that Sheena was looking at Dan and Aidan as well, even though she kept most of her attention on me.

Once everything was set up for camp, we gathered the ingredients to start cooking. Sheena stood next to Dan as they grabbed their food. They brushed against each other. I saw Sheena blush, and Dan also smiled, giving her a slight look. I felt a surge of jealousy. Charlotte was also watching, and I could see her playing it off as if she hadn't seen anything.

As we all sat down to eat, Aidan sat on the other side of Sheena. She turned to look at him, and they met eyes. She blushed again as he also smiled, blushed, and turned away. I scooted closer to her so she would look at me again. As she looked at me, I felt awestruck. She put her hand on top of mine and smiled at me.

Amy came to sit next to me, almost dropping her bowl of stew as she looked from Sheena, down to her hand, and at me. I looked at her back and said nothing. She looked disappointed but sat down next to me anyway. The fire was warm as we watched the sun set and the sky grow darker. We all ate in silence, listening to the sounds of the forest.

Dan finished eating and noticed that Sheena was, too. "I'm gonna get more... Sheena, do you want seconds?" Charlotte had also finished her stew and was sitting next to Dan. "Oh, Dan, sure, thank you!" She looked at him and smiled sweetly, her eyes scanning him up and down.

"Dan, I'm also done. You didn't even look at my bowl," Said Charlotte. He turned to her and looked down at her empty bowl. "Do you also want more?" He said. Charlotte sighed in frustration. "Yeah, I do," She said with an attitude. "Ok, sheesh... what's your problem?" He said in a sarcastic tone. "My problem is that you have been flirting with her all day! You don't even know what's going on around you because you've been so busy looking at her!" She pointed at Sheena angrily. But she was right.

"Char, what are you talking about? I was looking in that direction and happened to notice her bowl was empty," as he argued his case, her face became red with frustration. "Did we not talk about getting back together?" Said Charlotte. Dan's face looked defeated. "Yeah, we did, but-" "But nothing! You can't even do basic things for me... You are in your own little world, filming pretty little Sheena talking about her boring ass culture."

At this remark, Sheena stood up and threw her bowl down on the ground, her face contorted with anger. "Why would you say that! Over a plate of food, Charlotte? Get over yourself, maybe your behavior is why you two broke up in the first place!" Sheena said sternly.

"Whatever, Sheena, you think we don't see you all over the boys? And you know how much Amy likes Ben, yet you still put your grimy little hands all over him and talk sweet things to him. Persuade him to see your little family and your hometown so you can have him all to yourself. Well, face the god damn truth... Amy is better for him. Amy has known him for years, and is a better climber than you... smarter than you...."

Amy sat there, not saying a word, looking at both of them, but nodding and agreeing with everything Charlotte said. Sheena stood there, taking in all that was said, looking as if she was about to make a fierce rebuttal. She then burst into tears and ran off. I went after her as she ran into the woods. "Sheena! Come back here!" I yelled. I found her and tried to hold on to her, but she pushed me away. "Just leave me alone, Ben!" And she ran off out of sight.

I knew there was a small lake up ahead and that she probably went to it. But I went back. Part of me felt betrayed. I walked back and sat down, feeling defeated.

"Where did she go?" Asked Aidan. "I don't know... it can't be too far," I said, looking down. "Well, good riddance..." Said Charlotte. "Maybe getting lost will teach her a lesson." "Charlotte, what the hell is wrong with you? I'm getting sick of you always trying to argue with everyone," I said angrily. "Come on, Ben, you know I'm right!" "Do I? We don't know the language and only know the place by map... I am starting to think YOU are stupid. You can't ever finish a climb, and I don't even know why Dan even likes you at all. Sheena is all the things you wish you could be!"

"I can't be that dumb to be able to set up camp and make sure everyone is taken care of, and last time I checked, you gave me that job!" "Because you climb halfway up, complain, then come back down anyway... Just shut up!"

"You shut up!" She retorted, about to charge at me. Dan stepped in between us. "Everyone, calm down!" He said. "I agree with Charlotte," said Amy. "Maybe we needed Sheena to help us with the hike, but I don't like her. She's a flirt. If she sees potential for love, she steps in. And I feel like you're not giving me a chance, Ben," she said with tears in her eyes.

I felt bad about this. I didn't want to see Amy upset, but I was annoyed at how they were acting. "This is jealousy... pure jealousy. Amy, I think you're amazing, but I am not going to give you feelings that I don't have." She clutched her chest and sat back down. "If something happens and she's not here, you'll be missing her then... wait and see."

At that statement, a blood-curdling scream was heard in the distance. "Oh, my God! Sheena!" I said, then began to run as the others followed me. We ran down until we got to the small lake and saw nothing there. "What was that?" said Aidan, looking petrified. After a moment, his eyes became wide, and his arm lifted up to point at the lake. The water was red. And a severed hand floated toward us.

I stepped into the water and picked up the hand. I knew it belonged to her. I fell onto my knees in the water. I wanted to scream and cry, but nothing came out. The silence felt dense, as no one else spoke. "We need to call for help," Said Dan, freaking out. "I... I don't think any of us brought anything with us," said Aidan. Charlotte's face held a level of shock I had never seen on anyone before. Amy sat on the ground with her face in her knees, sobbing. "Does anyone have a cellphone?" Asked Dan. Charlotte scurried around her pockets and found her phone. I stood up and reached into my pocket to take out mine, which was a bit wet from the water. Charlotte couldn't get service. My phone wasn't turning on.

"I think it was a bear that did this," I said, looking at everyone. "I think we're goners..." said Charlotte. Her eyes filled up with tears. "Please don't say that," I said. "Do you have the map?" said Aidan. "It's back at the camp; do you think we will be able to make it back safely?" "I just want to get out of here," Amy cried. "Why did we all come out here... someone should have stayed watch!" I said angrily. Nobody answered. "Let's just go," I said, and they followed me back into the woods.

I remembered some distinct landmarks about the camp, and it wasn't far away. I followed what I could remember, but after 20 minutes, we still hadn't found our way back, and it was starting to get darker. "We've passed this stump several times," said Aidan. "Why does it seem like we are walking in a circle?" "Maybe we are," I said grumpily. "At this point, we should try to look for the main road again," he said. "Maybe you should lead then, since you're so smart!" I snapped at him. He became quiet.

"I'm scared," said Amy. Aidan went over to her and comforted her. Charlotte still looked shocked and walked behind everyone. "I don't have a good feeling about this at all," She said, sounding sick. She then threw up all over the ground. Aidan found some thick branches to use as a torch as we walked through the dark.

He still had his knife in his pocket and was able to make cuts to add in smaller twigs and a pinecone. He was able to start a fire where we were and light up the torches. “Excellent!” Said Dan.

“Aidan, you’re amazing!” Said Amy. His face blushed a little as she said that. “Yeah, bro, I don’t know what we’d do without you,” I said. He nodded calmly but proudly.

“We should keep going, though, and try to find some shelter,” I said, walking forward, expecting everyone to come with me.

“No, I’m… I’m staying right here, I’m not risking anything else,” said Charlotte. I could tell some of the others were a bit hesitant as well.

“Look, guys… this is crazy… we all know it, but it’s even more of a risk staying here out in the open when that bear is still lurking around,” I said. I felt alone standing my ground as I watched everyone else, too scared to move.

“Maybe Aidan can make a shelter for us, and we can help him?” Said Amy.

“Dan, what do you think?” I asked. He looked at me like he was trying to conceal his frustration.

“I don’t know, man… you’re in charge, it’s up to you,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Now you don’t know… it was no problem when you were about to help Sheena,” I said coldly.

“Oh, so now you wanna talk about it!?” Said Charlotte. “I guess because you’re the leader, it’s ok now… when it affects you now, it’s time to get pissed?”

“Charlotte! Shut up!” I said angrily. “Now I really don’t want to go with you,” she said.

“At this point, I don’t care. Make your choice! You can stay here and build shelter and risk getting seen and slaughtered in the process, or you can come on, and we can try to find more people to help us get out of here!” I looked all of them in the eye. “Make your choice… but whatever one you make, know that your future depends on it.”

I stood there for a moment, and no one moved. As I began to turn around, Amy came toward me and stood by me. Aidan then came over. Dan and Charlotte stood there looking at us. They sighed but came toward us anyway. We continued to walk through the woods. With nothing but the sound of our crunching feet on the ground. We walked for a while again, then stopped at a rock formation.

“Guys, I think this might be the side of the mountain,” I said. Aidan and I walked around it, noticing it would be a good spot to set up camp. We all began looking around more for sticks and other material to start another fire. Dan and Charlotte looked together a little farther away.

“I didn’t mean to not pay attention to you… I swear. I noticed her bowl was empty. I wanted to be nice…. She really was helpful to us… I feel sad that this happened to her. I don’t even know how to deal with it,” said Dan. His face was strained, and he put his fingers over his eyes to stop himself from crying. “I feel bad too… I’ll admit it. But only because she did help us. The way she was behaving made me want to…” she paused. “Brutally smack her.”

“Do you ever think you’re way too harsh on people?” Said Dan. “Me harsh?” She scoffed. “Never, I’m just honest.” “I don’t even think you're being honest saying that.” He stopped moving and looked at her as if he was bracing for an argument. “Says you!” She said. I watched from across the way. Amy and I exchanged looks as we watched.

“Says everyone, Char, and it’s exactly why I don’t want to be with you!” She threw her sticks down and made a grunt in her voice. “Fine! I don’t care, I give up then! No matter what I do, it’s not good enough for you. You’ll find a reason to ignore me… check out other girls, get lost in your stupid projects. I only came because you and Amy were going.”

The conversation was becoming more heated, but we tried not to notice them. “When I get home, forget it, I’ll never speak to you ever again, you’re already…” she stopped mid-sentence. “Do you hear that?” She said. All of us heard a loud clicking, rattling sound. We stood frozen in our tracks, but she was looking around frantically. She tried to turn around, but as she moved her feet, she fell forward and began to be pulled backward.

“Oh, shit!” Screamed Dan as he ran after her, reaching out, Aidan stayed at the camp as Amy and I went to help him. Charlotte screamed at the top of her lungs. Dan managed to grab her hands as we also held on to him, being pulled in a tug-of-war by whatever was pulling her. It was too strong a force, and we let go, falling as her hands were ripped out of his grip. Further in the distance, she was pulled through a tree, and her body was split in half.

We all screamed, crying in panic. “We need to move!” I yelled. And we ran back to our camp. Debating whether it was safe to stay where we were. Amy fell to the ground, sobbing her eyes out. “We’re being hunted!” She cried. “We’re gonna be left to die out here, we’re never gonna make it home.”

“Amy, please don’t say that,” I said. “Face your future!” She yelled, pushing back on me. “All of this is your fault, Ben… I only came here because you did!” I stood there trying to keep myself from falling over. “Amy, I’m so sorry!” “Yeah, you should be! Especially since you kissed me!”

Dan and Aidan looked at each other in shock. “You led me on… stop pretending like you didn’t mean to,” she said, her face covered in dirt, looking up at me in anger. I hadn’t been honest with myself. I did kiss Amy, I did make her think something was happening. Then one day, I just stopped out of the blue. Maybe this really was my fault. There was silence for a moment.

“Aidan… should we stay?” I asked. “Am I in charge now?” He remarked. “I’m just asking your opinion,” I grumbled. “Well, I say we should rest for a few minutes and keep moving… It’s not safe. I agree with Amy… I believe we are being hunted.”

“It didn’t sound like a bear…” said Dan. “But it also didn’t sound like a human either,” his voice quivered. We sat there for a moment, calming down. Hearing nothing but silence and the wind. After a few minutes, we got back up and continued on our way, re-lighting our torches. We kept walking until the sky became brighter. The woods had grown foggy, and the hike had become more treacherous. We walked in silence, making sure we stayed together.

“What’s with all this fog?” Said Dan. “It is the middle of summer,” said Aidan. “It’s really hard to find any landmarks through this,” I said. “I guess we’ll just have to keep….” I turned around but didn’t see Aidan’s face. “What the… where’s Aidan?” I said, panicked. “What the hell… he was just standing here!” Said Dan. The rattling clicking sound appeared again.

“Oh my God,” Amy whimpered. “Let’s stay together!” I said to them both. We held on to each other by the arm. “Don’t let go, Amy, just run!” Amy kept her eyes forward as she ran through the fog. I kept my eyes on the back, watching Dan, and held on to Amy, making sure she was still connected to me.

Furry, decrepit tentacle-like legs were reaching for Dan’s head. I held on to all my might. “Amy, run faster!” Amy sped up as Dan’s neck was getting cut in the process. “Guys! I see a light! I see a light!” She shouted. A house slowly became visible. And we ran towards the porch area. We made it to the yard when Amy slowed down, and we began to loosen our grip. Dan slipped out of my grip, and the tentacles appeared again. Snatching off his head, and pulling his body into the fog again, leaving a trail of blood behind.

Amy and I ran quickly onto the porch. The door was unlocked, and we made our way inside. “Hello!” Is anybody here?” Said Amy. “Hello! We need help!” I shouted, but there was no response. We walked all around the house, and no one was found. We saw a phone, but it was disconnected. The house was taken care of… There was food, and the lights were left on, as if someone had been there.

“Do you think we’re safe here?” I said to her. “I don’t know,” she said, wiping her brow. “But I’ve been through enough the past 24 hours.” She plopped herself down on the floor.

“God… what the hell are we gonna do when the owner shows up?” I asked. “I don’t think anyone remotely good ever lives in the woods…” I said. However, the house was cozy, warm, and inviting. “I’m so tired,” said Amy, lying with her mouth open. She quickly fell asleep.

I sat up feeling a mixture of exhaustion and anxiety. I thought maybe it was another trap or, finally, a chance to put my head back and close my eyes. I looked out the window to keep an eye on the outside. The fog was starting to dissipate. I thought Aidan could still be out there. My gut told me he was also gone, like Dan. But I wanted to ignore every hunch because I felt like I knew nothing anymore.

Hours had passed, and there was still no sign of life anywhere. Amy was snoring softly. I sat in the same spot, not moving a muscle. After a few more minutes, she woke up, yawning and stretching.

“It wasn’t a dream…” she began to cry as she looked around. She looked at me. We held our gaze on one another for a moment. We hugged each other, sobbing our eyes out. “Ben, if we don’t make it… I want to tell you that… I love you,” she said. My heart began to beat fast in a good way. Something in me wanted to tell her I loved her, too, but I knew it wasn’t the same intensity as what she felt for me. I hugged her tighter.

“We’re gonna get out of this,” I said. “I swear.” “It doesn’t matter, we can stay here, I’m okay with that. Maybe you should get some rest, and I can take watch… any sign of Aidan?”

“No Aidan… but I would be careful… I don’t know what to trust anymore,” I said, finally feeling at ease lying down and closing my eyes. “This seems too convenient,” said Amy. I grunted and rolled over on my side as the past twenty-four hours played like whirling colors in my mind.

I felt a frivolous shake, and I sat up immediately. “What’s wrong!?” I said in shock. “It’s Aidan,” Amy said in a whisper. There was knocking at the door. “Guys, it’s me open up!” He said. I stood up quickly and checked the curtains, and it really was Aidan standing at the door. He turned his head to look toward the window. He looked dirty and was covered in blood. I quickly closed the curtain and stood behind the door with Amy.

He kept knocking. “Guys, please open up. I know you’re in there, I saw what happened to Dan… please let me in!”

Amy and I looked at each other in fear. “What are our parents’ names?” I asked. There was a pause. “Dude, what? Just let me in!” Amy and I looked at each other again.

“Say it, or you aren’t coming in… we will make sure of it,” I said. He sighed. “And how do you know there’s more than one of us in here?”

“I figured since Dan is gone, it would be you and Amy,” he said. “Am I wrong?”

“No, Aidan, you’re right, I’m also here,” said Amy. “Amy, please let me in, you know it’s me,” he pleaded.

“You gotta say the names first,” she said. He started to sob. “Okay, fine, I’ll do it.”

“Ben, your mom’s name is June Atwood. She went back to her maiden name. Your dad’s name is also Benjamin; his last name is Bowman.”

“Amy, your mom’s name is Sheila Burns, and your father’s name is Clay Burns, and I’m sure they’re worried about us now, but thinking we are having the time of our lives,” he let out a small chuckle that sounded like he was gasping for air.

Amy looked at me again and mouthed, “Please, can we just let him in?”

I felt the pressure in my chest rising up, but I nodded and gave her the ok. She opened the door, slowly poking her head out to see Aidan crying, covered in blood. "Aidan?" She said that, as he saw her, he came in and gave her a hug. "Dude, what happened to you?" I asked as I quickly shut the door.

"That thing... it snatched me... I don't even know what it was. It tried to attack me, and I escaped, but I lost you all in the fog," He let go of Amy and looked me in the eyes. "I saw the light and found you all here," he gulped with tears pouring down his face. "What is this place?" He asked, looking around the house.

"We don't know... but there's no one around," said Amy. There was sadness in her voice. "It could be another trap," Aidan said, sounding panicked. "We thought that too..." I said. "But it's been pretty safe so far."

"So far," said Aidan sarcastically. "I think we should still keep trying to find other people," he said. "What, no way. You need to rest first. If someone comes barging in, we will figure that out later!" I said my body temperature was rising with my anger. "Look, we don't need to leave now. We’ve been here for hours, and nothing has happened," said Amy, "Please just relax.""Hours?" He said his face looked puzzled. "It only took me a few minutes to find you," he said, looking at us like we were crazy. "That's impossible," I said. "We both just slept for hours." Aidan looked at us, shaking his head. "Are you sure you're-" I began to say. "Really Aidan? For Christ's sake, I already showed you that I was... Maybe I should be asking you," Aidan said, looking at us both suspiciously, his hand reaching for the knife on the side of his pants. He stopped himself as Amy, and I felt our hearts beating out of our chests.

"I can't do that to you," he said, shaking his head and turning his back toward us. "I did find something though... A road," he said. "What do you mean you found a road!?" I exclaimed. "Why didn't you keep following it to find help?" Said Amy. "I found it and then saw the light for this house and figured I found someone, but only found you two... But we should find the road again and see if anyone else is there. Is there a phone here?"

"Yes, but it's broken," Said Amy. "I don't know how I feel about going back out there," She said, looking out the window and seeing the thick fog still present. "What if we get lost again... and that thing comes after us and kills us like it did Dan?"

"Remember, when we see a road, there's civilization somewhere. We already found one house, so there have to be others," said Aidan. "I don't feel good about this," said Amy, her voice quivering with fear and anger. "It worked when we held on to each other," I said. "Not really," she said, tears streaming down her face again. "I don't want to leave you here," I said. I grabbed her shoulders. Her body was slumped as she looked at the ground, and I tried to meet her eyes.

After a few moments of silence, we mustered our courage and returned into the fog in search of our last hope of rescue. We all grabbed on to each other with Aidan leading the way. We were in the mist for a while before we finally found a paved road. There was no light surrounding it, but we kept our eyes open for something and kept walking down the road.

"Maybe we should have stayed at the house," I muttered. Amy sighed, her face showing an intense misery that looked like she was on her last leg. "This is so insane," said Aidan. Amy and I said nothing. "Ben came out here to get laid, and now we are in some type of horror trope," he said, chuckling to himself. I turned around abruptly. "I didn't come here to get laid!" I yelled.

"Don't think just because I'm quiet that I'm not watching. Sheena could say anything, and you would jump to please her. To be honest, I think Charlotte was right... Amy is better than Sheena."

I turned around and grabbed him by his shirt. "Charlotte was a real bitch, I'm glad she's gone," I heard what I said, and I immediately regretted it. "You hear that, Amy?" He said. She looked at me with disdain. "I'm sorry...I... didn't mean," I tried to think of something to say, but I couldn't.

"Amy, I'd never say that about your best friend. I've always cared about your feelings, and I wish you weren't so wrapped up in Ben to see that I could be something way better for you," he said. "Guys, can we please just get along... we don't need arguments anymore right now! We might be on to something," she said, but her voice felt weak.

"Of course... Ben can show you his true colors, and you still won't leave him," he said. Amy stopped, suddenly moving her arms, trying not to fall. Aidan and I ran toward her. I then noticed that the pavement ended and there was a gap that led to what looked like a 200ft fall. She tripped and grabbed a rock to steady herself. Her face was panicked. I reached out to help her back up. But as I did, Aidan pushed me out of the way and reached out to help her.

I caught myself as I was about to hit the ground. I ran back toward him, and we began to fight. I was dodging his punches as he then pulled out his knife and hurled himself at me. He stabbed me in the stomach, and as I managed to push him off of me, he fell into the pit. I quickly returned to Amy, trying to pull her up. Amy screamed in pain as I looked down and noticed that Aidan was hanging on to her by the leg. Her body became a tug of war as I tried to pull with all my might. She almost managed to pull herself, but Aidan pulled her back. Both of them looked at me as they fell into the nothingness.

"NOOOOO!" I screamed. "I'M DREAMING, WAKE UP!" I shouted. I smacked myself in the face, banged my head on the ground as I wailed in every emotion. "This isn't happening," I sobbed. I clutched my stomach, remembering that Aidan dug his knife into me. I was losing a lot of blood. I took off my shirt and wrapped it as tight as I could around me. I decided to head back to the house.

I walked slowly, understanding that I might not make it back. That this was the end of me. I was left alone with nothing but shadows and blood trails. It was getting darker, and I felt like I had been walking for hours. Maybe I was already dead.

As I continued, I walked through something sticky that wrapped around my body. As I tried brushing it off, I realized it was a spider web. I sighed in disgust. I then saw a rustling in the bushes. I became paranoid and looked all around me, but saw nothing. It happened again. "Hello!" I shouted. It was silent. I turned around again to see something out of the corner of my eye appear from the side of the tree. Another person... finally.

But as I turned around to see who was there, I was shocked to see a face I did not expect. "SHEENA!" I yelled. I fell to my knees. "I have to be dead... I'm hallucinating what is happening?" She stood there for a moment, but then we ran to each other and embraced. "Sheena, I thought you were dead," I said, "I saw your arm in the water...Everyone is dead. What is happening?"

"Ben, I missed you," she said. Her voice sounded like a whisper. "I'm so glad you're okay." We pulled apart, but I held onto her arms and looked at her. She looked paler than usual, and her face looked tired, as if she was feeling sick.

"Are you okay?" I asked, noticing she was even struggling to stay standing. "Yes... I need to tell you something." I felt happy she was still alive, but she didn't seem fully coherent, and I was afraid I was losing her again. "I love you, Ben. I have loved you since the day I met you. And I'm so glad you are here with me." She fell into my arms, her body becoming dead weight.

"I love you too," I said. It felt so good to finally say those words to her. "I'm so happy there's no one in the way anymore... We can be with each other forever," she said, her voice sounding different again, like a wheezing whisper. At that moment, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder blade. I fell backward, my vision becoming blurry. I saw Sheena's face... but her body was that of a monster. Long fangs hung from her mouth, and her legs were covered in fur like a spider.

My vision was fading more and more. I felt my heartbeat slowly fade as she spun a soft, sticky web around my body, twirling me into a cocoon.

And then everything went dark.

References

(2026). Mt. Hotaka Hiking Guide – Japan Alps. Japan Alps. https://www.japan-alps.com/mt-hotaka/

(May 21, 2026). Bear Sightings and Attacks in Japan Jump to Record Highs. Nippon.com. https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h02784/

(n.d.). Jorōgumo (Enchanting Spider) - Yokai Encyclopedia. YOKAI.JP. https://yokai.jp/en/yokai/jorogumo

(n.d.). Jorōgumo (Enchanting Spider). Yokai Encyclopedia. https://yokai.jp/en/yokai/jorogumo

Koch, P. (January 14, 2015). Climbers Summit El Capitan, the World’s Hardest Climb. Gear Patrol. https://www.gearpatrol.com/outdoors/free-climbing-the-dawn-wall/