First Night in Nod

I sighed, having let off some steam, but just as I expected, I couldn’t sit tight.. A low, menacing growl rumbled from somewhere nearby, and I immediately tensed up, taking a shaky fighting stance. Just leave me alone!

“W-who goes there?” I stammered.

Another growl echoed through the air, and that’s when it hit me—I hadn’t eaten since I got here. I was so on edge that I’d completely ignored the beast that was making all that noise. My stomach.

Embarrassment washed over me, and I closed my eyes in shame. “You know..”I muttered, “I never realized how much time has passed.” I patted my belly which let out a low grumble. “I guess I'm kind of hungry.”

My gaze drifted to the dead frog Kamei had expected us to eat. My throat spewed up, and I quickly covered my mouth, trying to hold back the urge to gag.

“There’s gotta be something better to eat around here,” I mumbled, turning away from the frog.

As I walked, I couldn't stop thinking of my mother’s onigiri. I felt so homesick.

For a while, I continued to walk, aimless without a goal or destination in mind. Is this world nothing but just grasslands? I haven’t seen any water at all. I felt lost and alone, and I just wanted to go home. I stopped and took a deep breath, trying to clear my head. I knew I had to find something to eat, or I would soon become too weak to keep going.

Suddenly, out of the thin blue sky, I heard a cry. Am I mistaken? Is this some kind of auditory illusion? But no, it sounded like a heavenly melody. Did I actually die against that frog and I’m just copping?

I looked up at a tree nearby, and there it was—a domesticated member of the Felidae family. A cat! For once, something normal in this insane world! I couldn’t be happier.

The cat was lounging on a branch, sleeping peacefully. My heart melted a little. Did it need help getting down? It looked a bit malnourished. But what was a cat doing all the way out here on its own? Maybe it had run away, or worse…could it actually be a monster?

I stared at the cat blankly, debating the risk. I turned to walk away, but then I heard it again—a soft, pitiful meow. The cat was awake now, looking down at me, clearly in distress.

“I’m coming, my feline friend! How could I ever think something so adorable would be a monster?”

I positioned myself under the branch, arms outstretched with a wide smile.

“Come down, kitty! We’ll escape this crazy world together.”

But instead of coming down, the cat backed away from me. My heart sank as I noticed where it was heading—a gigantic hive just a few feet away.

“W-wait! Don’t go there, you can—”

The cat smirked and, with a flick of its paw, scratched the hive wide open. My jaw dropped as a swarm of giant hornets with chainsaw tails emerged from within.

“MOTHERFU—”

The hornets buzzed ominously in the air, their chainsaw tails roaring to life. They were all connected by rails, leading to a small seat. The cat leaped into the seat, taking control of the hornets like they were some kind of grotesque chariot of horses. My jaw hit the ground, my eyes wide and watery.

The abomination before me smirked and signaled the beginning of its assault.

“YOU’VE GOTTA BE KIDDING MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”

I’ll let you guess what happened next.

I ran for my life. I am never trusting anything ever again.

I was now famished, exhausted, and out of breath as whatever you wanted to call that monstrosity chased after me. My eyes retracted back into their sockets like pupils as I ran with all my might like I was the fastest hedgehog in the world. I dare not look back, knowing that if I stopped, I'd be done for. The only fuel that I had then was my fear and adrenaline, which gave me the strength to know I needed to keep running until I could get myself into safety.

I could almost feel those chainsaws buzzing in my ears, and one of the hornets even managed to snip off a chunk of my hair.

“AH! Not my hair!”

I was so scared that I tripped over a stone and tumbled down a steep hill, my body comically rolling like a ball. I spun-dashed my way to the bottom, where I plunged into a miniature lake with a splash.

Surprisingly, I was okay. Thanks to those high school swimming lessons, I managed to hold my breath under the water, my cheeks puffing up as I waited for the threat to pass.

After what felt like an eternity of holding my breath, I finally dared to peek. The fuzzy figures of the cat and its hornet army were retreating.

Dying for air, I shot up from the water, spitting out a fountain of water like a cartoon elephant. Finally, my horrors were over—but I knew better than to speak too soon.

Just as I thought I was safe, I felt nibbling on my feet. I was about to lose it.

“STAY AWAY FROM ME!” I screamed, panicking as I splashed out of the water.

After a moment of examination, I realized it was just fish. But then I thought twice.

“Surely, this isn’t some weirdass fish that this world has to offer me… Yeah, I’m not risking it.”

I walked away from the water, but as I did, my foot kicked something—an idea sparked in my mind when I saw it was a long stick.

“Hehehe! This time, Nod will see me as the monster!”

I grabbed the stick and a nearby stone, carving it into a makeshift spear. With a gleeful smirk, I prepared to catch my dinner.

“I’ll be eating well tonight!”

I even constructed a rough net out of twigs and branches, strong enough to capture even the smallest fish. I set off toward the lake, ready to prove myself to Nod.

With my leg on a stone and my fist raised in triumph, I declared, “Here I come, Nod!”

Okay, maybe I was losing it, but at this point, who could blame me?

I stabbed my stick into the water with incredible strength, unleashing a flurry of strikes that successfully caught dozens of fish. My amazing javelin skills scared off any nearby creatures that dared to approach the lake.

***

Before I knew it, nightfall had arrived. It was my first night in Nod, but with everything that had happened, it felt like I’d been here much longer. I dreaded nights. I couldn’t stop thinking about Inari. I wondered if she’d be okay on her own. My poor sister could be so helpless sometimes.

Anyway, I managed to make a campfire, and to my surprise, the fish didn’t turn into a creepy monster! How awesome was that? Still, with the way things have been going, I wasn’t taking any chances—I’d be sleeping with one eye open.

“Gee, this grass is pretty comfortable. I guess Nod does have a couple of positives.”

I laid down in the grass, arms crossed behind my head, legs stretched out, and stared up at Nod’s night sky. A meteor shower was happening. I’ve never actually seen one before. When things aren’t trying to kill you every two seconds, I guess Nod isn’t so bad.

“Those stars… they remind me of Kamei…”

…

“Ahhhh! I can’t believe I said that out loud!” I groaned, tossing and turning, covering my face in embarrassment.

Things really got messy with Kamei, didn’t they? I regret the way I reacted. I was just…frustrated and scared. Constantly facing death, waking up in a completely unfamiliar world—it all piled up, and I snapped. I was looking for someone to blame, and Kamei was the easiest target, even though all she did was try her best to help me.

Regret settled in as I thought about it. I should have taken the time to think before I spoke. I shouldn’t have taken out my feelings on Kamei, who was only trying to help.

With a deep sigh, I muttered before drifting off to sleep, “Tomorrow, I’ll try to find Kamei. She probably won’t forgive me, but at least I can apologize for what I did.”

I lay back, staring at the alien sky.

“Tomorrow,” I whispered.

And hoped I’d live to see it.