The Lycanthrope Club - An American Werewolf in Japan, Chapter IV (Patreon)

The supermarket clerk stared at the rows of polystyrene trays stacked along the checkout counter. Most of them contained fish, though there were a few boneless chicken cuts and ready-made meals here and there. It was an unusual purchase, particularly since the customer was a lone high school girl, but the clerk, professional as ever, made no comment and began scanning the items.

Junko winced as the price climbed higher and higher. She'd been careful to pick the cheapest meats on offer but the cost was still going to be staggering. She risked a quick glance around the store and saw somewhat to her consternation that she was drawing curious looks. One elderly woman behind her smiled.

"Is your family having a party, dearie?" she inquired lightly.

"Uh, yes, maybe, sort of," said Junko awkwardly, surprised by the question.

The old woman nodded and said nothing more. The clerk, meanwhile, was carefully sliding the trays into plastic bags. He turned to her.

"That will be...19,750 yen," he said.

Junko emitted a sigh tinged with resignation and relief. Another two hundred yen and she wouldn't have been able to afford it. She dug into her coat pocket and handed the clerk a collection of bills, which he dutifully counted and placed in the register. After collecting her meager change Junko nodded in thanks, grabbed the bags and stepped out of the supermarket and onto the streets of Inuyama. 

A block later and her arms were already starting to feel sore. The bags had felt deceptively light at first but there was actually quite a bit of weight in each hand. Worse, she could feel the thin plastic bags straining under the load. The last thing she needed was for one or more of the bags to rupture, spilling their contents all over the sidewalk. Putting aside the loss of the expensive food the last thing she wanted right now is attention. 

"Maybe I should have left this to Masae," murmured Junko under her breath, wincing as one of the bags collided with her leg. 

Fortunately, the bags proved studier than they appeared and did not break. However, as Junko drew closer to her destination, maneuvering through the thickening crowds while carrying the unwieldy things started to be an issue. She was frequently forced to slow down or entirely stop to avoid bludgeoning people with the bags. Her skinny arms and shoulders trembled with the effort of holding them. Worse, the handles had narrowed into tight plastic cords that were cutting into her palms. She contemplated setting the bags down for a moment to rest but knew she couldn't risk them being knocked over by some inattentive pedestrian. 

She stood on her tip-toes, gazed over the crowd and saw that the bus stop was only a block away. More importantly, the sidewalk was empty on the other side of the street. Junko made her way to the crosswalk as quickly as she could and, after waiting for the signal to turn green, crossed the street and carefully put the bags down on the sidewalk. She shook and groaned with relief, arms dangly loosely in the air. Once she had recovered she lifted the bags up and continued along. A minute or so later Junko spied the bus stop ahead. She saw a pair of familiar figures sitting on the bench at the otherwise empty stop. She waved.

"Masae-sempai! Taro-kun!" she called.

Both looked up.

"I'm coming! Sorry it took so long!" she said, jogging towards them, the bags awkwardly bouncing in the air. 

"Hey, keep it down," said Masae. She was wearing a faded green denim jacket over a grey shirt and long black pants. She had also exchanged her customary low black heels for a pair of tan hiking shoes. They looked brand new. 

"H-Here, let me help you with that," said Taro, gesturing at the bags. 

"Thank you," said Junko gratefully, carefully passing the bags to Taro. She shook her hands in the air and then gazed down at them, grimacing; the handles had left deep red welts along her palms.

"That's...a lot of food," said Taro, gazing down at the bags full of packed meat. Unusually, he wasn't wearing his school uniform. Instead he was dressed in a buttoned-up grey long-sleeve shirt and slim olive pants. 

"Heh, I can't remember the last time I saw you out of uniform, Taro-kun," teased Junko.

Taro looked up at her, down at his apparel, and gave a wan smile. "Uh, I guess so," he said, sounding bizarrely contrite. 

"I told him he should have worn something different," sighed Masae. "We're about to go on a hike through the forest and he's dressed like he's going out to dinner with his folks."

"S-Sorry, Takahashi-sempai, but I don't have any outdoor gear."

"So, what are you bringing?" asked Masae, gesturing down at his backpack. Junko glanced at it. It looked full to the point of bursting. Curiously, there was also a long object bundled in cloth strapped to the side.

"Um, a flashlight, water, an extra change of clothes - um, my uniform, actually - a map of the park, my old bōgu-"

"Wait, what?" exclaimed Masae.

"Why would you bring your old kendo stuff?" asked Junko, nonplused. "Isn't it just going to weigh you down?"

"I...I had to," said Taro weakly. "I...told my parents I was going to a kendo club event."

"That doesn't make any sense," said Masae, shaking her head. "You'd just use the club bōgu, not your own."

"Er, most of the club bōgu is still in the shop," said Taro. "My parents asked about that. I had to think on my feet."

"Ah," said Masae, caught off guard. She straightened up and adjusted her glasses. "You...you could have just dropped it off somewhere safe instead of dragging it along," she said petulantly. 

"I...I'm sorry, I wouldn't know where to leave them, Takahashi-sempai."

"Feh, maybe it will come in handy in the forest when wild raccoon dogs attack us," said Masae sardonically. 

Junko stifled a giggle. As she lowered her hand her gaze happened upon her palm. She froze, and then looked down at her hands. The angry red welts on her skin had already vanished. This afforded a moment of confusion before she recalled what had happened to her; indeed, why they were venturing out into the forest surrounding Inuyama in the first place. Her smile faded. It occurred to her that although she had spent the last four days preparing for the journey - gathering equipment and supplies, checking bus routes, studying maps of the park - she had never given much thought as to why she was doing it. It had surprisingly easy to carry on as though the outcome would be nothing of consequence. Now, the full moon mere hours away, the gravity of her situation was finally starting to sink in. 

"Are you alright, Hayas-...Junko-san?"

Junko blinked. She looked up at Taro.

"Uh, well, maybe not," she said, hugging herself. "It's just...I was hoping that it would all just be a bad dream. But here we are," she chuckled mirthlessly.

Taro's lips tightened. Masae folded her arms and stared down at her feet. The rumble of traffic hung in the air. 

"How much was the food?" inquired Masae after a while.

"Er, not as much as I thought it'd be," said Junko, distracted.

"How much? Give me a number."

"Um, only a little over...15,000 yen," said Junko, who genuinely could not recall the exact price.

"Over 15,000...what on Earth did you buy? Kobe beef?" exclaimed Masae.

"A little bit of everything, like we agreed," said Junko. She felt a familiar and terrifying anger welling up inside. She shivered, shut her eyes and continued in a strained voice. "Please, Masae-sempai, don't say anything more about this. We knew it would be expensive so we all chipped in. Just let it go."

Masae gave her a look but then, to her credit, simply nodded.

Taro glanced down at his watch. "The bus should be here in fifteen minutes," he said, a slight tremor in his voice. "If there's anything we've forgotten we may want to take care of it now."

"Well, we have food, we know where we're going and none of our parents suspect anything, yes?" said Junko after a moment's thought.

"I hope so," sighed Taro.

"My dad is on a business trip and mom barely notices when I'm home anyways," snorted Masae. "What about clothes? And a flashlight? We still have enough money if we need to get another bus pass, right?"

"I followed your list, Masae-sempai," sighed Junko. "I even bought a battery charger for my cell phone."

"Cell phone," muttered Masae almost under her breath. "Has that werewolf called you or text you yet?"

"No," said Junko, shrugging. "It might be too early."

"Ugh, it better call soon," huffed Masae.

A strange, awkward silence followed. Junko couldn't think of anything to say and apparently neither could Masae nor Taro. Eventually, Junko walked over to the bench at took a seat. She pulled out her cell phone, tapped on the screen and started playing a game. Taro stood at attention on the sidewalk waiting for the bus while Masae leaned against the rain shelter, staring down at the ground. 

"The bus is here."

Junko looked up from her phone. Taro pointed down the street. Junko rose and saw that a large vehicle was indeed approaching. 

"Alright," said Junko, forcing smile on her face. "Everybody ready?"

She was greeted with silence and sullen looks, even from Taro.

"Uh, great," she said, giving a little fist pump and feeling foolish doing so. 

The three teenagers gathered their belongings. Junko and Taro took half of the meat each. Once ready they stood dutifully at the stop. The long blue bus rumbled closer, gradually coming to a stop right in front of them. There was a hiss and the door folded inwards. Junko, Masae and Taro trotted up into the vehicle, scanned their passes and took a seat in the back. Apart from the driver, the only other person on the bus was an elderly man in the front row, asleep in his seat. Once everything seemed settled the driver shut the doors. The engine roared to live and the bus lurched forward.

Junko sat there silently for the first few minutes. She idly rubbed the fabric of her shirt and examined her fingernails. She glanced over at Masae and then at Taro. The former was slouched in her seat staring blanking into space while the latter was sitting upright, hands his lap, fingers interlaced. Junko turned and gazed out the window. Inuyama was situated on the edge of a narrow mountain range that separated it from Minokamo and Kani, beyond which laid the rest of Gifu prefecture. They had already reached a long strip of farmland that ran in parallel with the road. Vast stretches of trees stood beyond the fields on both sides; a radio tower could be seen peaking over the mountains to the east. Though she'd lived in Inuyama all her life Junko had never visited any of the parks, shrines and other little places of interest in the forest that bordered the city. She'd passed through the area many times on her way to somewhere else, true, but never stopped anywhere. She had no idea what to expect.

She turned back at Masae and Taro and bit her lip. 

"Um, so," she began, having no idea what she was about to say. Taro looked at her curiously. "Taro-kun, how did your last kendo bout go?" she managed.

Taro blinked in surprise. "Oh, uh, you were there, remember?"

"Oh, oh yes," said Junko, blushing. "But, uh, I didn't actually see the match."

"Well, I...did alright," said Taro uncomfortably. "I didn't win, but I was tied at the end."

"Oh, well, good," said Junko lamely. She shook her head, suddenly frustrated. "Come on," she said slightly louder than she had intended. "We're...we're acting like we're about to die."

Masae stirred.

"What are you talking about?" she said wearily.

"I'm not saying we should pretend like this isn't a big deal," continued Junko. "But we need to keep our spirits up."

"You really need to stop reading all those stupid manga," muttered Masae, sitting up in her seat. 

"Well, it's...it's not like this is helping us," said Junko. "I'm scared, Masae-sempai. I'm really scared. But, well, we're going to get through this."

"Actually, I'm pretty confident that we will," said Masae, giving Junko a strange look. "I'm worried about what happens afterwards."

"Eh?" 

"I did a little research on werewolves," said Masae sharply. "What I learned wasn't exactly comforting." She dropped to a soft whisper. "Even if we don't go crazy, how are we supposed to live our lives as normal students if we change into werewolves every full moon? What if it's the night before an important test or even the entrance exam? Huh? And what about after we graduate, huh? Ever think about that?"

Junko went silent. Taro, who had been apparently listening, winced, nervously tapping his knee. 

"Well, um..." said Junko softly, mind-reeling as she considered Masae's points. "I mean, maybe the werewolf will be able to help us."

"H-How could it help us?" asked Taro. 

"It...look, it must know how to keep itself hidden," said Junko. Suddenly, she brightened up. "Hey, maybe there's a whole secret society of werewolves in Japan. There has to be. I mean, I wouldn't make any sense for it to be the only werewolf in the world. They can help us," she said enthusiastically.

"I've thought about that," said Masae, nodding. "But consider this: why does the werewolf only speak English?"

"Well, because the werewolf is from America," said Junko. She paused. "I guess it could be from England."

"Or South Africa," said Masae. "Or Canada. Or Ireland. The point is it didn't contact us right after the incident; we received the texts days later. So there would have been time for it to go for help. If there were a society of werewolves in Japan it likely would have gone to them for help." She adjusted her glasses. "And if it had gone to a group of Japanese werewolves it probably could have had one of them translate. But it didn't."

"Um...so, there isn't a secret society of werewolves?" said Taro.

"No, not likely," said Masae, shaking her head. "At least not in Japan. So even if the werewolf helped us out, it's a foreigner, and probably one of only a very few in the country."

Junko's heart sank as she contemplated Masae's cold yet convincing logic. 

"Another thing we need to consider is the man with the gun," continued Masae. "He may have been yakuza. Maybe he was just a criminal. Whoever he was, we know he wasn't alone. That means there is an armed group in Japan and they're chasing after the werewolf."

"Well, of course," said Junko half-heartedly. "That's why the werewolf told us to b-"

Junko paused, listening. There was a soft beeping sound coming from somewhere. 

"Ah! My phone," yelped Junko, surprised. "Sorry, I forgot to silence it!" she called to the bus driver as she dug through her pocket for the device. Masae rolled her eyes.

"Wait," said Taro. "Do you think it's..." he mouthed a word.

Junko gazed down at the screen. The text was from a number she didn't recognize. She pressed a shaking finger against the text icon and held her breath. The message was in English. 

"It says, 'are you still in Inuyama?'" whispered Junko.

Masae scooted over and leaned over to look at Junko's phone; Taro had to press himself against the seat to make room for her.

"Don't answer it yet," hissed Masae frantically. "We don't know if it's really the werewolf." She scooted even closer to Masae and frowned when Taro shifted in his seat. She glared back at him. 

"S-Sorry, Masae-sempai," he gulped. "H-Here, I'll move."

"...No, no," sighed Masae, sitting up. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and then addressed Junko. "Ask it..." her eyes narrowed "Ask it what breed of dog we were walking when it met us."

"...But we didn't have a dog," said Junko, confused.

"Exactly."

"Oh, that's smart," said Taro, nodding.

Still quite sure where Masae was going with this Junko nonetheless complied and entered the message. The three students waited patiently for the response.

"Maybe you should silence the phone," said Taro, nodding at a sign overhead with a number of warning icons, one of which depicted a noisy phone with an 'x' over it.

"Yes, sorry," said Junko, blushing. She tapped the side of her device, lowering the volume to zero. Seconds later, her phone vibrated.

"It says 'there was no dog.'"

"Good," said Masae. "It's probably the werewolf. Let it know we're leaving Inuyama now."

"Okay," said Junko, already tapping away. She sent the message. The reply came seconds later. "Er, it's asking us where we're going," she said. "Should I tell it?"

"I...well," Masae hesitated. "Fine," she said. "You know, I should just take the phone. This is getting awkward."

"Hang on...it replied," said Junko, reading the screen. "It says...it says it's going to meet us," she whispered excitedly. "It says it's heading over to park right now."

The three higher schoolers stared at one another.

"It's coming to help us?" breathed Taro. He broke into a grin.

"Where does it want to meet us?" asked Masae carefully, who seemed far less enthused by the prospect.

"Hang on, I'll ask it" Junko entered the question and sent the text. 

"What's wrong, Takahashi-sempai?" said Taro, noticing her discomfort.

"I'm...still not convinced we can trust the werewolf," said Masae. "I mean, it's supposed to be some kind of monster." She waved a hand irritably. "I know, I know, it saved us, but it feels like the thing has its own agenda."

"You worry too much some times, sempai," said Junko brightly, glancing up from her phone. She looked down. "Oh, it responded. Er, it says, 'I will find you.'" Junko felt a little chill run up her spine. "Uh, I guess that's...good." Her phone vibrated again. "Er, 'I will try to get to you before you change. If I don't, try not to go too far. I will answer all the questions I can. I do not speak much Japanese but one of you understands English. We should be able to talk. Be brave,'" read Junko.

"Wait, that's it?" said Masae. "That's all it has to say?"

"Um, one more message," said Junko uneasily. "'I need to leave now and I won't be able to answer my phone. Text me only if there is a...'" Junko wrinkled her brow. "I don't know that word," she said, shaking her head. "'I will check my phone when I get to the park.'" Junko highlighted the unknown word and ran it through a translation website. "Ah, emergency. It said to text it only if there is an emergency." She looked up from her phone. "I think that's its last text."

"Why won't it say more?" growled Masae.

"I know," sighed Junko. "I have so many questions."

"Well, maybe it's afraid of the organization the man with the gun belongs to," suggested Taro. "Maybe it's afraid of saying too much on the phone. For all we know the organization could read our texts." He hesitated. "I looked up what 'burner phone' means and it's one of those disposable phones that can't be traced. The creature is afraid."

"It's afraid," muttered Masae, shaking her head in disbelief. "The werewolf is afraid." She gave a horrible, ironic grin. "So I'm sure we have nothing to worry about."

The three high schoolers were silent for the remainder of the ride.

* * *

The bus door slid shut. Its idling engine rumbled to life and the long sleek vehicle sped down the dusty road, leaving the students behind. They looked around. Apart from the bus stop rain shelter, bench and a white vending machine to their left the only structures in sight were a small cluster of squat country houses a little ways down the road. Otherwise they were surrounded by forest - massive leafy oaks, broad magnolias, tender white birches, towering cypresses, gnarled pines and other woody flora rising over a dense undergrowth of shrubs, saplings, trunks, ferns and grasses. The afternoon sky was faint blue speckled with hazy white clouds. The sun was already nearing the horizon. It was warm, but not too hot. Humid, but not sweltering. Cicadas were buzzing.

Saying nothing, Junko, Masae and Taro lifted and/or shouldered their bags and walked down the road towards the houses. They paused and, once Masae had consulted a map, crossed the street and continued along the other side. A few minutes later the narrow strip of dirt dividing the concrete from the forest proper widened, eventually leading to a small path leading into the woods. A dilapidated but legible metal sign identified the path as a nature trail and prohibited guests from littering, riding bikes or walking dogs. The students went into single file with Masae in the lead and ventured down the path. 

The trail initially led upwards along a rising slope then slowly descended into a shallow valley that lay at the base of a small forested mountain. The path wove back and forth between trees, depressions, and hills. It was barely wide enough to accommodate a single person and at places seemed to disappear entirely under the thick foliage. As the afternoon wore they neared the base of the mountain. The path widened slightly and started moving uniformly upwards. Worn wooden planks half-buried in the ground were positioned at points along the trail where the grade became exceptionally steep. They passed a small moss-coated stone Buddha at the base of a pile of rocks gazing blissfully out at the forest through half-closed eyes.

Sweat dribbled down Junko's brow. She absently wiped it and gazed up at the sky. The sun had vanished behind the trees and was probably edging near the horizon. She could make out the faint image of the moon in the still blue but darkening sky. The sight sent a disconcerting tingle running down her body; whether this was some preliminary symptom of the supernatural condition she had contracted or simple anxiety, she was not sure. She shook it off and pressed on, keeping her eyes fixed on the forest ahead.

Time passed with peculiar swiftness. The air cooled. Chirping crickets replaced buzzing cicadas. Shadows grew longer and darker. Junko soon found herself unable to see more than a dozen or so meters ahead. 

"Um, Masae-sempai?" she said.

Masae didn't reply. 

"Masae-sempai?" she said, louder this time.

"Wha-...yeah?" said Masae, stopping and turning to face her. Taro also paused.

"We might want to get our flashlights out now," said Junko, already unshouldering her backpack.

Masae gazed around the forest.

"Oh, oh yes, I suppose it is getting dark," she said in an uncharacteristically uncertain voice.

The three students unzipped their bags and took out their lights. Junko switched hers on and caught a glimpse of Masae's face as her beam cut through the gloom.

"Uh, Masae-sempai, are you alright?" queried Junko carefully. 

"What are you talking about?" said Masae wearily. 

"...Nevermind," said Junko quickly. "Sorry." 

They continued walking. 

"We should be pretty close, now," said Masae after a time. "There shouldn't be anyone out here at night. The trail is closed and I don't think anyone patrols the park." There was a pause. "Eww...I can smell all that raw meat in your bag, Taro-kun," she added, waiving her hand in front of her face.

"S-Sorry," said Taro.

"Not your fault," said Masae. She glanced back at Junko. "Maybe we just should have brought dry snacks, maybe ramen."

"But we couldn't get hot water out here," said Taro.

"Well it's not as though we could cook meat out here either," said Masae. 

The hill grew steeper and the path more treacherous. Junko didn't even want to think about trying to walk the trail in the dark without flashlights. Yet not one of them slipped or stumbled on their way up. A few minutes later the path flattened and widened even further into a small, circular clearing. There were two wooden benches situated on opposite ends of the clearing. The path continued further up the mountain.

Junko sighed with relief. She hurried forward, brushing past Taro and plopped down on one of the benches. Masae walked towards the opposite bench, placed her bags on the ground and took a seat as well. Taro, after looking around the clearing for a moment, went over to where Masae was sitting and sat on the edge of the bench, still holding his bags. Masae reached down, unzipped her backpack and took out a bottle of water.  "That...took longer than I thought it would," she said, shaking her head.

"Well, it's a good spot," said Junko, almost cheerfully. "It's far away from everything but not too isolated." She paused. "When...when do you think the werewolf will come?" 

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Masae, twisting the cap off her bottle. She took a long swig. Taro, meanwhile, finally placed his bags down on the ground and started digging through his possessions as well. 

"So, what do we do until then?" said Junko.

The question seemed to have a stifling effect on the other two. Masae put her drink down on the bench and stared silently down at the ground. Taro shifted uncomfortably on the bench. 

"Come on," said Junko, albeit uneasily. She absently scratched her right hand with her left. "We...we should at least unpack everything."

"I just want to rest for a while," snapped Masae, looking up and pointing her flashlight directly at Junko. "It's been a long walk." 

"I...am fairly tired, Hayashi-san," said Taro. 

"Yes, but, it's getting dark and the moon," persisted Junko, pointing up at the sky. "It could start happening soon. We should be prepared."

Masae didn't respond. She gazed off in the direction of the forest. Taro glanced at Masae, then over at Junko, and gave her a hapless shrug. Junko frowned. Then, her lips tightened into a determined scowl. She rose and walked over to Masae, who turned and gave her one of her infamous irritated looks. It was, however, a rather half-hearted irritated look - one that brought Junko to mind more of a mediocre actor than the fiery president of the kendo club she knew; it was the way her eyes kept twitching, albeit slightly, as though she wanted to look away. 

"What?" huffed Masae.

Saying nothing, Junko reached down and hugged Masae, who gasped in surprise. She made a weak attempt to push Junko away but suddenly went still. 

"I don't know what to do, Junko," whispered Masae in a shaky voice. "I should know what to do but I don't. What's going to happen to us? I don't know what to do!"

"Nobody would," whispered Junko. "Nobody would. But if anyone could figure it out, it's you. You got us this far, sempai."

Masae stopped whimpering. Then, she snorted in laughter.

"You...really do need to stop reading those stupid manga," she said, gently pushing Junko aside. She got up, adjusted her glasses and regarded Junko, who smiled and made a 'V' sign with her fingers. 

Masae rolled her eyes and smiled wryly. Then, her expression went deadpan.

"Masae-sempai?" said Junko, puzzled?

"Junko-chan...your...hand," she breathed.

Junko looked at her hand. Her mouth widened. 

Her fingers had swollen to nearly twice their usual thickness and had acquired an unhealthy angry blush. And what had once been a distracting itch was now a burning sensation running from her fingertips to her elbows. And it was spreading. 

"Oh no," gulped Junko, gazing it horror at her deformed hand. She reluctantly raised her other hand and saw that the same thing had happened to it. 

"It's starting," hissed Masae. She glanced up at the sky. "It's real!"

A searing pain shot through Junko's arms. She screamed and reared back, dropping her flashlight.  She fell to the ground. Masae leapt from the bench to help her. 

"It hurts!" shrieked Junko. "My arms, it's like they're..." she screamed and lifted her trembling hands into the air. She could feel the bones and sinew moving beneath her skin as though they had acquired some perverse will independent of hers. And they were growing thicker, heavier. 

"I...I'll get the first aid kit," hissed Masae, rising.

Suddenly there was a loud wail. Masae whirled around. Junko managed to peer up and saw a figure crumpled up on the ground next to the other bench. 

"Taro!" cried Masae. She looked down at Junko, then over at Taro, then back at Junko, a desperate, frantic glint in her eyes. Then she turned and hurried over to Taro. She glanced back at Junko. "He has the first aid kit!" she yelled.

Despite the pain Junko giggled deliriously. Her laughter, however, soon degenerated into a cry of agony as her nails cracked then shattered as claws emerged from her inflamed fingertips. She clutched her hands to her chest, teeth grit; her oversized and distorted hands felt alien against her skin. She heard someone else scream. It sounded like Masae but the voice had a timbre she did not recognize; it didn't even sound human. A wave of nausea passed over her. Her stomach churned. For a moment she was sure she was about to throw up. Then the heat came. Her body grew hotter and hotter as though her innards had become a furnace. Groaning, she tore off her long-sleeve shirt and undershirt all at once and then wiggled out of her pants.

Lying there on the ground, panting, half-naked, dirt caking her perspiring skin, Junko felt a twinge of shame. For the first time she cursed the werewolf and what it had done to her. She could hear her friends' writhing in the dirt, alternately whimpering and screaming, along with far more disconcerting sounds that brought her to mind of snapping bones and tearing flesh. Despite the pain she managed to roll over on her stomach and lift herself up. She tried to crawl towards Masae and Taro but barely made it half a meter before spasms racked her body. She collapsed in a twitching heap and watched in horror as thick brown fur sprouted along her forearms then spread to her biceps, chest, neck, ultimately enveloping her face. The growth brought with it a maddening itching sensation that was worse than the pain but it soon passed. Then, heralded by a staccato sequence of cracks and pops, her limbs and torso; indeed, her entire anatomy stretched and twisted. Her heels traveled up her legs while her feet elongated. Her padded, paw-like hands grew wider. Her back arched. Powerful masses of brawny sinew, once barely visible, swelled beneath her furry hide. Her biceps grew to the size of tennis balls, then to the size of small melons and then even larger. Tight abdominals embossed themselves against her stomach. Her glutes, quadriceps, adductors, and calves added pound after pound of muscle, ballooning outwards.

The changes were coming so rapidly now that Junko could barely react. Her eyes rolled back as a tight pressure engulfed her skull. Her vision blurred as her jaw, nose and cheeks jutted out, forming a muzzle. Blood dipped down her lips as soft molars and canines lengthened into sharp fangs. Her ears popped as they migrated up the sides of her head and narrowed into pointed tufts. Sensory overload overwhelmed Junko's already terror-addled mind. The last thing she felt before slipping into unconsciousness was something long and bushy slithering out from the base of her spine.

* * *

"I know I heard someone yelling, boss!" said the kyodai, waving his gun towards the hill.

Hajime glared at him.

"Idiot," he barked. "She was running in the other direction." He paused to reach down and dust his pants legs. "Keep moving. And stop waving those flashlights around. You'll give away our position. Only turn them on for brief intervals and keep the beam low to the ground. It's basic!" 

One or two of his men hesitated. Hajime cursed.

"Sorry, boss, but I heard it too," said another one of the kyodai. 

"Me too."

Hajime took a deep breath. He gripped his pistol so hard his hand started to tremble.

"So, what?" he said in an eerily calm voice. "She turned back and circled around the hill? That's got to be over five kilometers. There's no way she could move that fast. And why make so much noise?"

His men were silent. 

"Idiots," muttered Hajime to himself, turning and shaking his head. Though in truth, his anger was already fading. He rubbed his chin, thinking. 

"Alright, I'll humor you," he said, turning back to his men. "What did the voice sound like? A woman?"

No-one seemed eager to speak. Then, one of the kyodai nudged one of his fellows and, reluctantly, the former nodded at the hill.

"More than one voice," he said. "I think they were women. Hard to tell, but I am certain there was more than one."

"More than one," mused Hajime. "I was wondering why that woman ventured out into the forest. Perhaps... she was going to meet with someone." He paused. "Or it's some kind of trap," he growled.

"What should we do, boss?"

Hajime weighed his options. He'd been warned that the woman was far more dangerous than she appeared. She had taken out Shibusawa, seemingly single-handedly, so he was inclined to believe it. That probably meant she was clever, which meant, in all likelihood, that it was a trap. Yet if he returned empty handed after coming so close, well, he didn't even want to consider the consequences. And if it wasn't a trap there was a chance whoever was on the hill had been waiting for the woman. What other reason would someone be out in the forest at this hour? And if they had been waiting for the woman, they might have some information on her. Perhaps...perhaps they could even be used as hostages to lure her out. At the very least they'd have a better view of the park at the top of the mountain.

"Fine," spat Hajime. "Well head up the hill." He glared at the three that had spoken. "I hope for your sake we find something."