Blood Haze

The memory of the mysterious man still lingered in their minds, like a shadow at the back of their thoughts. Kai, Ren, and Toma walked to school the next morning, quieter than usual. The sea breeze, normally refreshing, felt thick today. Their steps were slow, like the day was warning them of something.

Then they noticed.

Hachi was missing.

He never skipped school, not even on stormy days. Toma tried to play it off. “Maybe he overslept dreaming of that creepy guy,” he chuckled.

But the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

After school, the three of them walked straight to Hachi’s house. He opened the door, wearing a tired smile.

“I got sick,” he said casually.

But Kai saw through it.

There was a flicker in Hachi’s eyes. A tension in his voice. Like something inside him was twisting.

They chatted for a while. Had snacks. Laughed about small things. But the feeling lingered. Like something was pressing against the walls of the room, quietly watching.

The next day was a holiday.

Kai went to their favorite fishing spot — a rocky ledge overlooking the ocean. It was quiet. Almost too quiet. The waves were calm, but the air felt heavy.

Footsteps approached.

Hachi.

He looked surprised to see Kai there.

“I knew you’d come,” Kai said.

They sat down together, staring at the endless sea.

“I have to tell you something,” Hachi said, voice low.

He hesitated.

“Two nights ago, I heard a voice. It whispered to me. Over and over again. It said to go somewhere — that something was waiting for me.”

Kai looked at him, eyebrows raised. “A dream?”

“No.” Hachi shook his head. “It was real. I could feel it. The air, the pull… like it was calling me. I couldn’t stop myself.”

He paused. His eyes dropped.

“Now the voice screams at night. Loud. Angry.”

Kai’s heart tightened. “Show me.”

By late afternoon, they were deep in a hidden part of the forest, a place few dared to go. The locals called it:

The Blood Haze.

It was unlike the rest of the island. The trees had crimson bark, and red sap dripped like blood. The air was thick, metallic. No birds. No bugs. Just silence.

“People say this place is cursed,” Hachi whispered. “But I’ve been here before. During summer. The path’s usually clear.”

Not today.

The forest felt alive. Watching. Waiting.

They walked until they found it.

A towering tree — ancient, massive, its roots tangled like veins, its trunk leaning unnaturally as if it had bent to whisper to the ground.

Hachi pointed. “It’s under this.”

They began to dig.

Sticky, red sap clung to their fingers, thick like syrup. The deeper they went, the colder the earth became.

Then — clink.

A rusted box. Locked.

Inside: a small silver key, and a piece of folded, yellowed paper.

Coordinates.

Kai squinted at the numbers.

Time had slipped by — it was suddenly night.

“That was fast,” he murmured.

“Yeah… too fast,” Hachi said.

Kai turned.

He froze.

A figure stood in the distance.

Tall. Thin. Cloaked in darkness.

Its voice flowed like smoke.

“You did well.”

Hachi stood, startled. “Who are you?”

The figure chuckled softly. “A guide… or a warning. Depends on who listens.”

It stepped backward, melting into the trees.

“If you ever get lost, remember the numbers. They’re why you haven’t ended up like him.”

“Like who?!” Hachi shouted.

But it was gone.

The wind rustled the crimson leaves.

The next day, the four of them met at their secret hideout — an old, forgotten storage room above the school.

Dust coated the shelves. The windows were cracked, letting in slivers of wind and light.

“I have to tell you something,” Hachi said, serious.

Toma tried to lighten the mood. “What now? Ghosts?”

Hachi didn’t laugh.

He told them everything.

Ren stared at Kai. “Is he serious?”

Kai nodded, his face pale.

Even Toma went quiet.

Something was wrong with the island.

Something deep and hidden.

Something changing.

That evening, they returned to the Blood Haze.

But the tree was gone.

Vanished. Not a root. Not a drop of red sap. Just dry, untouched earth.

Ren knelt and pressed his fingers to the ground. “It’s cold.”

Kai looked around, chills crawling up his spine.

“This place isn’t just a forest,” he whispered. “It’s alive. And it’s hiding something.”

The wind moved through the leaves again — and for a moment, they almost thought they heard a whisper.

“Find me.”

The boys stood in silence, holding the paper with the coordinates.

They didn’t know where it led.

But whatever they had awakened… it had already begun.