The Lycanthrope Club - An American Werewolf in Japan, Chapter II

Junko opened her eyes. She gasped, lifted her head and looked around. She found herself sprawled out on the sidewalk adjoining the narrow street they had been walking along. She turned and spotted Masae and Taro lying on the pavement a few meters away. Though her body felt as though it was made of lead Junko crawled over to them, arms and legs trembling as she moved. Upon reaching Masae she carefully tilted the senior student's head upwards. Masae's long black hair parted to reveal her face. Her eyes were shut, her glasses were missing and there was a dark smear across her left cheek. Junko whimpered and gently shook her friend. Masae did not wake but her lips momentarily parted then tightened into a sort of grimace. Satisfied that Masae was alive, Junko turned and checked on Taro. He was lying face up, also unconscious, a troubled, almost agitated expression on his round face. 

Junko's eyes widened as she remembered what had happened. She reached down, lifted her skirt and discovered to her horror that there was a large dark stain in her stocking around her thigh. Junko glanced up. There was no sign of the creature or the frightening man in the suit. 

Somebody coughed. Junko turned and saw that Masae had come to. She had already sat up and was wheezing for breath. 

"M-M-Masae," stuttered Junko.

Masae opened her mouth but quickly descended into a coughing fit. She nodded vaguely and gestured at Taro.

"He's okay...I think," said Junko, understanding.

Still coughing, Masae continued gesturing in Taro's direction, albeit more vigorously.

"Okay, okay, I'll check again," said Junko nervously. 

Junko gently touched Taro's forehead. He was warm. She pressed her ear against his chest and picked up a faint but persistent pulse. 

"He's definitely alive," said Junko. "Er," she glanced down at the bullet hole and reddish stain around it in his pants. "But I'm not sure if he's stable," she added. 

"W-W-Water," croaked Masae.

"Huh?" said Junko.

"Water!" barked Masae hoarsely. 

"O-Oh yeah," yelped Junko. She unshouldered her tiny backpack, unzipped the front and produced a small plastic bottle. She passed it to Masae who twisted the cap off and downed its contents in three gulps. She wiped her mouth and tossed the empty container to Junko. "Where are my glasses?" murmured Masae more or less to herself, looking around. 

"Where are your...Masae-sempai, we have bigger problems," exclaimed Junko. 

"Yes, I know," said Masae irritably. "But if I can't see anything I can't do anything. Find them."

Junko harrumphed but started scanning the sidewalk. Seconds ticked by. Apart from an old discarded cigarette butt she found nothing. She glanced over at Taro and saw to her relief that he was stirring. "Taro is waking up," she said.

"Good," said Masae, nodding. She cleared her throat and took a few deep breaths. "Have you found them yet?"

"They're nowhere around," said Junko, biting her lower lip. She looked up at Masae. "Masae-sempai, I'm sorry about your glasses but we should really go to the police."

"I know, I know," sighed Masae. "Keep looking and I'll call." Masae dug into her coat pocket and then froze. She slowly felt around inside her pocket with a puzzled expression and then pulled something out. It wasn't her phone.

"How did they get in there?" said Masae, staring at her glasses. She lifted them up and gazed through the lens. Though a bit dirty they appeared undamaged.

"Maybe they fell into your pocket," said Junko.

"No, it was buttoned," said Masae. She wiped her glasses with her skirt and put them on, blinking. "What the hell happened?"

"I...I really don't know," said Junko. "I...that man shot me. And Taro."

"He got me too," muttered Masae after a pause. She lifted her left arm and gently ran her hand along her right shoulder. Junko saw that there was a puncture in the fabric. 

"What the-" muttered Masae, frowning. She cautiously gripped her shoulder around the bullet hole and squeezed. After a moment's hesitation she then stuck a finger through the hole in the sleeve and rubbed inside. 

"It doesn't hurt," she breathed. "But I remember the pain...it was the worst pain I'd ever felt."

Junko looked at her right leg. She slowly pulled down her stocking. Inch by inch the fabric peeled away. A soft hiss escaped Junko's lips as she spotted a small bloody smear where the hole in her leggings had been. She extended a shaking hand and gingerly touched the wound. She felt no pain. Emboldened, she pressed her palm directly against the skin and felt nothing out of the ordinary. There was no tear, no cut; nothing but flesh with a little bit of drying blood on it.

"Did we really get shot?" said Junko, wide-eyed. Behind her, Taro finally sat. He groaned.

"Taro-kun!" exclaimed Masae, scooting past Junko. "Are you alright?"

"W-W-What?" mumbled Taro. He shook his head. "I-I'm not dead?" 

"Er, well..." said Junko, trailing off as she considered the state of her leg and Masae's shoulder. She gulped. "I-I don't think so."

"We're not dead," said Masae wearily. She paused. "Maybe he was shooting rubber bullets."

"Shooting? Huh?" said Taro, bewildered.

"The man who shot us. With a gun," said Masae impatiently. "We aren't hurt so they couldn't have been real bullets."

"Uh, I guess," said Junko. She glanced down at the bloody spot on her thigh and rubbed the skin around it again. It was a bit sensitive, yes, but touching it didn't elicit any pain. "I-I know I've never been shot but they didn't feel like rubber bullets."

"What other explanation is there?" exclaimed Masae. "You don't recover from being shot that quickly!"

"Maybe it didn't happen," said Junko, almost hopefully. "Maybe it was just a...a hallucination."

"Don't be stupid," snorted Masae. "Look at the blood. And it's not as though we would all experience the same thing if we were just hallucinating."

There was silence. Junko contemplated Masae's words with growing apprehension. Her mind grasped for some reason or logic behind what had happened but it was like trying to grip fog. She went over the chain of events - from discovering the creature in the street to waking up uninjured despite being shot - over and over again yet could not make sense of it. Despite what Masae had said, maybe it had just been a hallucination. Maybe they'd gotten in some kind of accident and dreamt the whole thing up. It did seem slightly more believable than the alternative. Junko gazed up at the woods beyond the street. The leaves on the trees were still wet from the morning sunshower. 

"Did...do any of you remember what happened after the monster attacked the man?" she asked, still staring at the forest. "I...I think it said something to me before I fell unconscious. In English, again."

"What did it say?" asked Masae. 

"Er...I'm not sure," admitted Junko, shaking her head. "It's all a bit fuzzy and-" she shuddered "And I was in a lot of pain. Something about...biting?"

"Biting?" said Masae, nonplused. Taro looked up.

"I-I don't know," said Junko defensively. "Like I said; it was all so fuzzy."

Taro cleared this throat.

"Um, forgive me, Masae-sempai, Junko-san, but, well, I do remember one thing," he said. Both Masae and Junko looked at him expectantly. He shrank a little under their collective gaze but continued. "See, we're on the sidewalk now, right?" he gestured down. "But we, er, we fell out in the street," he pointed. "I think the monster carried us over here while we were unconscious. I remember being dragged and..." he trailed off and turned away, looking unhappy.

"What is it, Taro-kun?" said Junko.

"Yeah, spit it out," pressed Masae.

"...No, sorry, that's all I remember," he said, scratching his neck. 

There was silence.

"So, it stopped that man and moved us out of the street so we'd be safe - not that there's much traffic around," said Junko. "Doesn't sound like a monster to me. That man, though..."

"Look, whatever happened we need to go to the proper authorities now," said Masae, standing. She wobbled slightly as she rose but managed to stay upright. She extended a hand to Taro and then to Junko, helping them both up. 

"Thank you, Masae-semapi," said Taro gratefully.

Masae reached back into her coat pocket and pulled out her cell phone. "I'll call the police," she said. "I'm surprised they haven't already arrived. I mean, it's not exactly a busy neighborhood but you'd think someone around here would have reported the gunshots."

"Yeah, that is weird," said Junko nervously.

Masae started tapping on her phone but stopped suddenly.

"Did you send me a text?" she asked, addressing Junko.

"Er, no."

"Well, I got a text from you," said Masae, her voice suddenly soft. "And, um, it's in English."

"What?" 

Saying nothing, she turned the phone around in her hand. Both Junko and Taro leaned in closer.

"...'Do not call the...police. You are...in danger,'" read Junko, gulping. She shook her head. "I didn't send you that message."

"It's from your phone," said Masae somberly. 

Junko felt her blood turn cold. She dipped into her coat pocket and retrieved her phone. She cradled the pink device in both hands for a second and then turned it around to check the screen. She had a new text message from Masae. And Taro. She opened the one from Masae and then the one from Taro. 

"Do not call the police. You are in danger," read Junko aloud. She checked her sent message folder. She had apparently sent both Masae and Taro the same message no less than fifteen minutes ago. Taro, took out his phone as well.

"My phone sent the same message too," said Taro, showing them. 

Junko stared at the screen. 

"This is insane," she breathed, stepping back. "H-How...who did this?"

"Actually, that much we know," said Masae quietly. "That...creature took our phones and sent us all the same message."

"W-Why? I mean, why text from all of our phones?"

"I don't know," snapped Masae, suddenly furious. "Emphasis, maybe? Or maybe it just didn't have a phone." She snarled, stuffed her phone back into her coat pocket and stormed down the sidewalk.

"Hey, where are you going?" cried Junko in alarm.

Masae stopped but did not turn. She stood there, shoulders rising and falling as she exhaled and inhaled. Her fingers curled up, forming trembling fists. Seconds ticked by. Junko watched with growing trepidation. 

"What do we do, Masae-sempai? asked Taro.

Masae did not respond.

"Masae-sempai?"

"I'm thinking!" snapped Masae, glaring at him over her shoulder. 

Taro lowered his head and went silent. Junko cast him a sympathetic glance and then looked at Masae. Ever since Junko had known her Masae had been the outspoken one - the strong, sharp-tongued, self-assured girl, never afraid to voice her opinion. Her attitude hadn't exactly made her popular among adults or even her fellow students - herself and Taro being exceptions - but Masae did command respect. Now for the first time she seemed unsure - out of her depth. Their circumstances were dire beyond anything Junko could have imagined, true, but it was still jarring to see her friend at such a loss. 

"Masae-sempai?" she said suddenly. "I...I think...well, the thing is..." she said haltingly.

"Spit it out, already," said Masae.

"I don't think there's anything we can do," she said. "For now. I mean, it's not as though the police would believe us if we told them what happened and, well, apart from some holes in our clothes, we're all fine."

"Wouldn't believe u-...are you stupid?" sneered Masae. "Look at us!"

"We all just look a little dirty," said Junko, squirming uncomfortably. "It doesn't look like we actually got shot. How would we prove it? It sounds crazy. We don't have any photos or..."

Masae and Junko stared at one another.

"The photo," whispered Junko, already tapping away on her phone.

"If it can send a text it can probably erase files," said Masae gloomily.

Sure enough, the picture Junko had taken of the creature was absent from its folder. 

"Is there a way to recover it?" said Junko, looking at Masae and then Taro. 

"Sorry, Junko-san, if there is I don't know it," said Taro, shaking his head.

"Yeah, no clue," said Masae.

"Well, I'll look into it," said Junko, pocketing her phone. "So we still have no proof and even if we were to go to the police what if the warning is real? That man wasn't alone; he was talking to someone. What if they have connections with the police?"

"And what if they don't?" countered Masae fiercely. "The police could protect us. Are you actually going to trust that monster?"

"It saved us," said Junko quietly, gazing directly into Masae's eyes. 

Flustered, Masae stepped back from Junko. Her expression rapidly shifted between fear, anger and frustration. "So, what do we do now?" she said stiffly. "Just pretend this never happened?"

"Er, maybe," said Taro diffidently. "It might be for the best. That man didn't tell his superiors what we looked like and, um, I don't think he's around anymore," he added with a gulp. 

"We can't ignore this, Taro-kun," said Junko after a moment's thought. "I just don't think we can do anything about it right now."

The three high schoolers were silent. Then Masae drew herself up and adjusted her glasses.

"We meet tomorrow," she said levelly. "At the park. We'll discuss our next move - whether we tell the police, whether we tell our family." She paused. "Maybe you have a point, Junko-chan," she conceded. "Until we meet again we shouldn't talk about to anyone about this. We probably shouldn't even text each other. I think this is only a small part of something much, much bigger."

Junko felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She nodded, as did Taro.

"Good," said Masae. "We should get going then."

"Um," said Junko, raising a hand.

"Yes?" sighed Masae.

"Are we still getting parfait? 

The two stared at her in disbelief.

"What? I really need one now!"

* * *

Upon reaching her apartment complex Junko surreptitiously dropped her bloodied stockings in a nearby dumpster, making a mental note to buy Masae a replacement pair, and slipped inside the building. She hurriedly climbed the stairs to the third floor and made her way down a hall, all the while hoping no-one would catch her walking around with bare legs. She reached her family's apartment, opened the door and rushed past her mother, issuing a quick hello and announcing she had to pee. Once ensconced in the privacy of the bathroom she changed out of her uniform and into her weekend clothes. She washed the blood from her leg, splashed her face with water, and looked at herself in the mirror. For the briefest moment, she didn't recognize the person staring back at her. The timid, tired expression, sunken eyes, disheveled hair and unhealthy blush - it was as though she had aged thirty years. There was also rash the right side of her neck. She thought back to how she'd been lying in the street and concluded she must have come into contact with something that irritated her skin.

Junko straightened up and forced a smile on her lips. She took a long, deep breath. Then another. And another. Instead of feeling better she began to feel a bit lightheaded. Clearly a different approach was needed to steady her nerves. She slowly sat down on the bathroom floor with her back against the tub. She sat there for a time, half-asleep. The unlit bathroom grew steadily darker as afternoon turned to early evening. 

Junko stirred. She reached into her coat pocket and brought out her phone. She tapped the side and the screen flashed to life. She opened her contacts menu and selected Masae. 

are you okay? she texted.

Masae's response took longer than usual.

what do you mean 'are you okay?' 

i'm still freaked out by what happened tapped Junko.

There was another delay before Masae's response came.

nothing happened. what are you talking about?

Junko twitched. Her heart started pounding. She wondered if the whole ordeal had just been some vivid hallucination - a symptom of some impending neurological disorder. Then, she remembered Masae's works just before they parted.

"We're not supposed to talk about what happened, even on the phone, right," she murmured to herself, a weak but sincere smile flickering on her face. 

just thinking about what happened at the kendo club. they really should have bought new equipment she typed, thinking quickly.

yeah, that was bad replied Masae. See you tomorrow

"Tomorrow," said Junko softly. She gazed up and realized it was getting dark. She rose to her feet and, after pausing to flush the empty toilet, turned to the bathroom door. Just as she was about to turn the knob, a wave of vertigo passed over her. She gasped and clutched the knob to steady herself as the world around her swayed. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as her temperature rose. Junko gritted her teeth and hung on, half-expecting to faint. She opened her mouth to call for help yet only managed to emit a dry croak. Then, just as quickly as it had enveloped her, the fever passed. 

Junko staggered back. Trembling, she absently reached up and scratched the rash on her neck. Her fingertips brushed inflamed skin. She froze, and then carefully rubbed her neck. It didn't feel like rash. Instead of a welt of sensitive epidermis she felt a narrow strip of soft tissue. It was a scar - a recent scar.

* * *

The following day was, in contrast to the previous one, consistently bright and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. Inuyama bustled with activity. The shopping malls, parks, and streets were packed with families and students enjoying their day off. 

Junko felt like a stranger as she waded through the crowds on her way to the meeting. Everyone around her seemed so cheerful and carefree while she simmered with barely contained anxiety. She'd adapted a tight smile as soon after heading out to disguise her frightened state yet feared people were still noticing something was off about her. All she could do was walk briskly along and try not to think about it. 

She reached the corner of a busy street and stopped at the crosswalk. There was a fairly sizeable crowd waiting for the walk signal. At first Junko lingered at the periphery of the throng. Then, growing impatient, she careful sidled her way to the front. She drew a few looks from her fellow pedestrians - one or two of them openly disapproving - but she paid them no heed. Once the light turned green she immediately strode across the zebra walk, passing dangerously close to a motorist that had run the red light. There were a few murmurs from the people behind them but again she ignored them; she had bigger things to worry about.

A few blocks further she reached a small, hilly park with a playground. She circled around it and came upon a small temple; it was the edifice they had passed while walking the previous day. The temple had seen better days; the roof was worn, with several tiles missing, the walls dirty and the grounds were overgrown with weeds. A short chain-link fence surrounded the place. Small plastic signs proclaiming the temple off limits to the public were bolted to the fence every twenty meters or so. Junko walked along the west side of the temple then turned right into a small alleyway behind the abandoned house of worship. While not dirty, the alley was dark and the pavement was rough. 

As her eyes adjusted to the gloom Junko spied two figures standing in the middle of the alley. 

"That you, Masae-sempai, Taro-kun?" called Junko.

"You're late," said one of the figures, emerging from the shadows. It was Masae. She had exchanged her school uniform for a dark blue long-sleeve shirt and a pair of black jeans. Behind her, Taro nodded timidly at Junko; he was still wearing his uniform. 

"Yeah, well, sorry," said Junko. "I had a rough night, okay?"

Masae gave her a look. "Me too, actually," she said, her initial anger at Junko's impertinence subdued by curiosity. "Taro-kun didn't sleep well either."

"Well, after what happened we'd be lucky to sleep well," said Taro, though he didn't sound particularly sure. 

"No," said Masae, shaking her head and folding her arms. "This was different. I thought I had caught the flu. I almost threw up."

"I felt weird when I got home," admitted Junko. "But I was okay afterwards. Mostly. I mean, I've been feeling a bit jumpy since, well, you know, but..." she trailed off and shrugged.

"It can't just be nerves," said Masae. "It was too intense. Also," she pulled the neck of her shirt down. "I have this weird scar or scab here," she said, pointing. "It wasn't there before."

Junko's jaw dropped. She rushed forward, almost colliding with Taro, and examined Masae's neck close up. 

"Hey, hey, watch it," protested Masae. "You almost touched my-"

"I have the same thing," hissed Junko, pulling down her shirt to show her neck.

"What the-..." breathed Masae in shock, staring down at Junko's scar. She slowly turned to Taro. "Taro?" 

Taro nodded weakly and gestured at his collar. 

"Okay, okay, let's...think about this," said Masae stepping back. She adjusted her glasses. "First, what was that creature? Was it actually some kind of animal or just a costume?"

"It didn't look like a costume," said Junko, shaking her head. "Remember its legs?" She started gesturing. "They were so...I mean, you couldn't...no way somebody could fit their feet in there."

"Its eyes were all wrong, too," added Taro. "They were glowing. I don't see how you could fake that."

There was a pause.

"Maybe it was a robot!" suggested Junko brightly.

Masae gave her a look. "A robot with blood?"

"Uh...hydraulic fluids?"

"Hydrau-...don't be stupid," sneered Masae

"...Well, why not?" said Junko defiantly. "Have you seen videos of those new robots? Like, those four-legged ones in America? We probably have even better ones here they haven't revealed yet. Top secret stuff! Maybe it escaped from a laboratory."

"Oh come on."

"It...does seem possible," said Taro.

"It wasn't a robot," said Masae sharply, glaring at Taro.

"How do you know?" retorted Junko, feeling her temper rise. "What else could it be? Some...some kind of magic talking animal?"

"It's not some magic talking animal either," said Masae. "This isn't anime."

Anger was not an emotion that came readily to Junko. Nevertheless, a part of her wanted to grab Masae and slap some sense into her. She knew Masae could be pigheaded but it seemed like she was being stubborn just to spite her. 

"Okay, Masae-sensei, what is it, then?" she growled.

"I don't know!" snarled Masae. "That's why I'm asking you! Problem is all the answers I'm getting are stupid."

"Stupid?"

"Yeah, stupid." Masae snorted. "But I guess I should have expected that from you." 

There was silence.

"Stop calling me stupid, Masae," said Junko quietly.

"I'll call you whatever I want to. And that's Masae-sempai."

Junko lunged. It happened so quickly Junko was barely aware of what she was doing until she looked up and saw her hands wrapped around Masae's throat.

"JUNKO!" cried Taro in shock.

Masae stared down at Junko, eyes wide with shock. Her expression then contorted into rage. She gripped Junko by the shoulders and swung, slamming the unfortunate underclassman against the alley wall. Junko heard something crack but didn't relent. She tightened her grip on Masae's throat and screamed. Masae gurgled and grabbed Junko's arms. First she tried to pry Junko's arms off her neck and, failing that, simply squeezed until blood dribbled out. Junko didn't let go. The rage boiling within her seemed endless. 

Without warning something very cold and wet splattered across Junko's face. Junko cried out in shock and finally released Masae, who also seemed to have been hit. Junko stumbled back and looked up. Taro was standing there holding an empty plastic bottle; water was dripping from the mouth. He was trembling in fear. Heart pounding, Junko slowly turned back to Masae and saw her slumped against the alley, gasping for breath, water running down her hair and face. 

Whatever anger Junko once felt vanished into a pit of horror and despair. 

"OHMYGODIMSORRYPLEASEPLEASEFORGIVEMEI-" she babbled frantically.

"Sh-Sh-shut up!" wheezed Masae.

"I-I-I...Are you alright?" whimpered Junko.

"DO I LOOK ALRIGHT?" roared Masae. 

Junko stepped back, covering her mouth. Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. Masae looked up at her with murder in her eyes. Then, her expression slowly softened. She got up and took a deep, long breath. She stood there for a few seconds. Then, she wiped some water from her face and dried her glasses with her shirt. 

"Good thinking, Taro," she said absently. 

"I-I'm sorry I did it, but-" began Taro.

"No need to apologize," said Masae. She then regarded Junko with what could only be described as a carefully neutral look. "Why did you do that, Junko?"

"I was angry," blurted Junko, trying to stifle her tears. "More angry than I've ever been." She hesitated. "I don't know why," she whimpered, lowering her head. "It came so quickly that-"

"Okay, enough," said Masae. Junko went silent. Masae took another deep breath and exhaled. She stood up straight. "Junko-san," she began. "I apologize for being so brusque," she said somewhat stiffly, albeit with a short bow. "I was..." she hesitated. "I think the same thing happened to me."

Junko and Taro stared at Masae, mouths agape. The tension melted somewhat; seeing Masae apologize so formally was a rare sight. 

"Stop looking at me like that," said Masae irritably. "Focus! Something is very wrong with us. Junko-chan, I've never seen you lose your temper like that. Not once."

"You're right," murmured Junko, thinking back.  

"Y-Yeah," said Taro.

"These mood swings, the nausea, they have to be connected," mused Masae, adjusting her glasses. "A chemical? Some kind of virus, maybe? There might be something to your secret laboratory theory after all, Junko-chan."

"D-Don't say that so casually," said Taro.

"Should we go to a hospital?" said Junko. "I mean, we were told not to go to the police, but if it's a virus..." she shivered.

Masae frowned.

"Maybe we should," she said, a modicum of fear creeping into her voice. "Assuming it is some kind of virus, how did we catch it?"

"That creature," said Taro suddenly. Masae and Junko looked at him. "I...I wasn't sure if I just imagined it, but I think I remember it biting me on the...neck."

"The scars..." breathed Masae, reaching up to touch hers. 

The group was silent for a time.

"But it helped us," said Junko, almost plaintively. 

"We don't know that."

"Then why did it stop that man with the gun? And why did it move us out of the street?" Suddenly, a vague memory resurfaced. "Wait, I...yes, I remember. The creature said something about saving us right before I passed out. And it asked us not to bite anyone afterwards."

The high schoolers considered this. 

"This is making my head hurt," growled Masae, rubbing her temples. 

"Yeah," said Junko sadly. She took a moment to run her fingers through her wet hair. As water dribbled down her hands and arms, something tugged at her from the back of her mind. She glanced down at her arms. There were rings of red, inflamed flesh on her forearms where Masae had gripped her. There were also narrow streaks of blood where Masae's fingernails had punctured her skin. The funny thing was she felt no pain. Curious, Junko carefully ran her right palm along her left forearm, wiping away both blood and water. She stared down at her arm.

Her wounds were gone. There weren't even any scars. And she was certain Masae had cut her.

"I think I know why we didn't die when we got shot," breathed Junko, amazed.