wide it was unnatural, and the bloody jaw was hanging off. But it was the eyes—one stared wide-eyed in terror, while the other hung from the socket, its terrible gaze fixed upon Hiro. Hiro quickly covered the girl up in a blanket and ushered for the paramedics to take her away.
It was a friend of his sons—Yua. She used to go to college with him. Hiro sighed. It looked like he was going to have to have a word with Tadashi when he got home. Hiro watched the stretcher enter the van, and as it bumped against the wall, a long bloody hand fell out, and he shivered as he saw the message on the arm. It was a symbol he knew all too well—it meant a Grudge was upon that girl, and possibly him too.
Was this a connection to all those Japanese horror films? Hiro had heard of cults being set up—harmless enough—girls would dress as their favorite J-Horror girl, complete with long dark hair, and act out the scenes. But this was different—a murder happening in his neighborhood, and he had to find the killer—before they struck again.
Hiro finished off for the night and stepped into his Mercedes and drove home. The rain was relentless, so he made sure he took his time. The streets were mostly deserted—it was after 3am—but he still had his wits about him. It was then he glanced into the mirror and saw the girl with the long black hair covering her face, sitting in the back of his car. Her head was down but she slowly started to raise her head.
He screeched the car to a stop and turned around. The girl had gone. But as he turned to the front, he noticed two words appear on the rain-soaked window:
Help me.
Hiro got into the house, shaken and unnerved. Maybe it was his tired mind playing tricks with him? He felt uneasy as he hung up his jacket and made his way upstairs. Even though his house was empty after his wife had died, he had the awful feeling he was being watched.
He got changed and went into bed, but he couldn’t sleep. Hiro needed to find out more about this cult. Going online, it didn’t take him long to find the group. There were already five more members living in this neighborhood alone, all run by a woman called Kayako. Not THAT Kayako, surely? Those Japanese horror films had even given Hiro nightmares, and he wasn’t one for scaring easily.
Hiro decided he should visit this Kayako at the address nearby. If Yua had been a part of this group, Kayako would know who she was. He shivered when he saw her photo—Kayako’s face was covered with black hair and she gripped the bannister with her white hands, wearing a muddy blue dress and no shoes. Hiro had to give her credit—the make-up and the effects were very realistic and creepy.
It was 11.30 but felt a lot later, when Hiro emerged from his house, wearing dark clothes, a jacket and carrying a flashlight, knife and gun... just to be on the safe side. He didn’t want to call back up just yet—not until he found some evidence or any sign of danger. Yet this whole thing was spooking him and unnerving him.
As he pulled up outside 113 Spilling Drive, thunder rumbled in the distance. Hiro got out and shivered—he could sense darkness coming from within that house, seeping through ever orifice and trying to pull him closer to his demise. Maybe he should check one of the other girl’s houses first—before going headlong into something he didn’t yet fully understand?
Hiro turned to go... and that’s when he heard a giggle. It was like a child’s, coming from the back of the house, and it sent a shockwave of shivers up his spine. The giggle happened again, coming from inside the house. Hiro gingerly opened the black dusty gate with a loud creak and stepped into the unkempt garden. The smell filled his nostrils first—like rotting meat and something much worse—he tried not to gag on the stench. Most of the windows had been broken, and the house suddenly took on a much more sinister feel. Hiro walked as slowly as he could—for if he did that he could run at any moment—and tried the front door. To his surprise, it was open.
Hiro flicked on his torch and scanned the hallway. There were shoes lined neatly not too far in, all dark and stained.