Chapter 1 (Part 2): “The Bridge of Whispers”

Classes went by slower than a Windows update.By the time the final bell rang, Sam’s soul had already left his body three times.Kenji stretched like a cat.“Man, I swear if I have to listen to that history teacher say ‘back in the Meiji era’ one more time, I’m gonna jump eras myself.”Riko laughed. “You’d fail history in every era, Kenji.”Sam smiled faintly.To anyone watching, they looked like a regular group of friends.But in reality, they were more like three puzzle pieces that barely fit together.Kenji—the loud one.Riko—the sensible one.And Sam—the quiet weirdo who somehow glues the chaos together.As they left the school, Kenji suddenly smirked.“Hey, why don’t we check out that bridge people are talking about?”Riko frowned immediately.“Are you out of your mind? It’s almost sunset!”“Exactly!” Kenji grinned. “That’s when ghosts clock in for work!”Sam didn’t say anything. He just stared at the ground.The image of the woman he’d seen that morning flashed in his mind.The way she moved. The fog swallowing her up.Riko sighed. “Ugh… fine. But if something touches me, you two are sleeping with the lights on tonight.”(They all knew she’d be the first to run if something actually did happen.)The bridge stood at the edge of the city—a narrow, creaky thing suspended over a quiet river.The mist had already started to roll in, wrapping everything in a thin, eerie veil.Kenji stepped forward dramatically.“Ladies and gentlemen, behold— the world-famous Ghost Bridge!”Riko rolled her eyes.“Yeah, sure, you can host a tour when we’re not being murdered.”Sam stayed quiet. He felt something.Not fear exactly… more like pressure.A heavy air that pressed down on his chest.And then—The streetlight above them flickered.Riko froze.“Okay… that’s just bad electricity, right?”Kenji gulped.“Yeah… yeah, totally. Just, uh… bad government funding.”But Sam’s eyes widened.Because through the fog, a silhouette appeared—the same woman he’d seen that morning.She was holding something…a bundle wrapped in cloth, dripping water.“Guys…” Sam whispered. “You see that, right?”The woman lifted her head slowly,and for a split second, her face came into view—pale, hollow eyes, tears running down her cheeks,and a smile that didn’t belong on a living face.The air grew cold.The river went silent.And then, the whisper came.“Why… didn’t anyone save me?”The light went out completely.Riko screamed. Kenji grabbed Sam’s arm.Everything became chaos—footsteps, breath, panic—until suddenly, the sound of a baby crying echoed through the mist.Sam’s mind went blank.He didn’t understand what was happening.But for the first time in his life…he felt something that wasn’t human.Something that was calling to him.And that’s where everything changed.Not with a bang.Not with a hero’s moment.But with three dumb teenagers standing on a haunted bridge,trying not to pee their pants.The world had just opened its door to Sam.And the worst part?He was the only one who noticed it was open.