"Ugh.."
I groaned, sitting up in my bed. My alarm clock flashing at 8:45 and making a blaring noise. Yesterday was tiring, the track meet took way longer than I ever thought it would. Honestly, I'm not even sure why I'd signed up, but I'd already committed to running track. I'd be a disappointment now that the coaches expect something from me.
"Marco! Get down here! I made breakfast!"
I sighed before getting up, and rubbing my eyes as I descended the stairs.
"Ma, it's Sunday, you don't have to make breakfast at all. I feel like a freeloader you know?" I said, trying to get the morning crust out of my eyes.
"Oh, shut it. You're my son. I don't care how old you are, I'll cook for you until you move out!" She said stubbornly.
She wore a black apron, scattered with white flour stains. Her hair was tied back into a bun, with small strands of hair falling onto her forehead which she didn't care to tie back with the rest of the bun. Beneath the apron, she wore a pink formal shirt with her sleeves rolled up, and blue jeans.
"Ma, come on, get ready for work. I'll finish making breakfast. I'll make dinner too when you get back. You on overtime again tonight?" I said, nudging her away from the kitchen.
She looked at me with an annoyed expression before relenting and sitting down to put her shoes on
"Yeah. Don't worry though, I'll be off next weekend!" She said cheerfully.
"Yeah.." I said. I knew she was just trying to ease me.
The room entered an awkward silence, only the sound of sizzling of bacon on the stove permeating the area.
"So, mom, I've been meaning to ask.." I said hesitantly, looking at her with concern.
She looked back at me, with the same kind face she always wore no matter what I did or said. In a way, it was annoying how nice she was to me.
"Why did we have to move here to Japan? I mean, I know it was for work but, I liked it in America more. It's hard for me to connect to anybody here, is all. I don't understand their culture, even though I know Japanese, and I bet they all think I'm just some foreigner."
She sighs, grabbing her purse and double checking she has everything on her.
"Well, Marco, it was either Japan, or I lose my job. Lord knows your dad won't pay child support either. Just, try to get along, okay? You already joined the track team right? It won't be hard to make friends, trust me!" She gave me a reassuring hug.
"I've got to go now alright? Love you!" She rushed out the door.
"Ma, but, breakfast-" The door slammed behind her. All I could do was sigh and finish cooking.
-------------------A few hours later------------------
"Damn.. I'm bored.." I toss the remote onto the tablets I got up and headed to my room to get dressed.
My closet was pretty bleak. Mostly jackets, shirts and pants of gray, black or red color, all from non-name brand clothing brands and made of cheap material. I tried not to worry my mom about my clothing. Money was tight as it is already.
I threw on a random combination of the colors, a red jacket and baggy black pants. Going to the bathroom to check if I looked acceptable, I found that I wasn't at all. My short black hair was ruffled up, and my eyes had large bags under them. At least my semi decent looks weren't covered up. But, it's not like I'm picking up girls or anything, so in the end I really don't care all too much.
Walking down the steps and out my house, I begin to wander the streets, stuck in my own thoughts. Checking my phone, it was already 16:52. It was almost time for my deal. I began to walk toward an alley, my hands sweaty and shaking as I fiddled with a baggie in my jacket pocket.
I had to earn my keep somehow, even though my mom hated it when I did stuff like this. Though, I'd never resorted to selling drugs before. I was super nervous, and who wouldn't be? I'm sixteen, in Japan, I'd probably end up being charged as an adult. Considering I'm a foreigner as well, I'd probably get the max sentance the judge can give reasonably.
I do my best to shake the doubt out of my head, standing anxiously with my back to an alleyway wall as I await my client to approach. Eventually, they do. I hear heavy footsteps, sounding like boots approaching from the opposite end of the alley.
The man is wearing a black hoodie and a blue medical mask with grey sweatpants. He's clearly Japanese, but anything else would be hard to make out.
"Hey." I said awkwardly.
The man only nodded.
"So? You got it? You're the man, right?" He said.
I nod back, before handing him the small baggie of weed I had held in my jacket pocket.
"So, uh, you got money right?"
The man nods, before pulling out a police badge. Everything he said to me after was blocked out. My face instantly goes pale, and before I know it, I'm sprinting down the alleyway. The man is shouting at me, holding with looked to be a taser. My heart was beating so fast that anything and everything else was just background noise. The alleyways were deceivingly vast, being in between the majority of the stores within my area. I ran and ran, until, I got into a dead-end. I had already gotten quite the lead on him, so I attempted to scale the side of a building. It had rained the night before, it was way to slick for me to grip anything. Before I knew it the man, now with his hood down was pointing a taser at me.
"Put your hands up and get on the ground, now!" He said.
"I- come on, please, man please.." I say, backing up against the wall, my hands held high in surrender.
Suddenly a piercing pain had entered my veins, out of the corner of my vision I see the prongs of the taser which had entered my torso, before I fell to the ground convulsing.
I felt my face being pressed against the rough concrete, what was likely his knee pressing onto my back as he cuffed my hands together.
"Get up, we're heading to the stati-" He said roughly before getting cut off.
There was a large splat noise. It had sounded like a pound of chicken was thrown into a brick wall, along with a slight slimy undertone and a loud crack. I felt the mans knee on my back fall to its side, as if it had been separated from his body. It twitched a bit before settling in a semi extended state.
I was afraid to look up and take my face out from the concrete.
Whatever it was that happened, I'm not sure i ever wanted to see. But, there was also the fact that whatever it was could end up killing me, and I could have a chance to escape if i ran now.
It began slowly, but a short distance away from my prone body, I heard a soft crunching sound. As if a dog were to chew a chicken bone.
As I looked up I saw it. It was turned away from me. Some green, hideous beast. It had multiple skinny and thin arms, looking similar to a spider. It had a large meaty frame, disfigured by small welts. A small tail wagged at the bottom of its bipedal frame, where a normal person's tailbone would be.
Along the wall was a large splatter of blood, trailing down to where the police officers mangled body laid, where the monster happily gnawed on.
I sat there a moment. Hoping that it couldn't hear my heart about to explode from my chest, or my heavy breathing. It was hard to not scream or throw up. My life might depend on it, though.
Quietly, I got up. My hands still cuffed behind my back. The mans car keys and house keys attached to the severed hip and leg that moments ago was on my back. I crouched down, silently unclipping the keys from the jeans. I held them tight, to stop any jingling sound between them, and felt around for the smallest one. The rest to me is a blur. I sprinted as fast as I could down the alley, not looking back or even thinking. I ran down the sidewalk, the orange light of the sunset casting shadows of other pedestrians walking that danced along the ground. I didn't care what people thought. It didn't matter if they thought I lost my mind. I just had to leave and go as fast as I could.
Slamming the door of my house, I run up the stairs, hyperventilating as I pace around my room.
"What the FUCK was that! What the hell! Holy shit! He died! He fucking died! Are they gonna blame me? Are they gonna believe me? What the hell do I do!"
I stop pacing before sitting down, tapping my leg fiercely.
"Okay, okay. Think. Think. The police probably won't know who I am, but what the hell was that thing!" I stop a bit at the memory of the monster, and the pulverized body of the police man, before rushing to the bathroom and throwing up everything I had eaten today.
After throwing up all my food and some more, I was a bit calmer.
"Alright.. alright, just.. maybe there's something online about it, there's no way something like that hasn't been seen by anyone.." I grabbed my laptop.
I had typed 'Big Spider Green Monster in Japan' which, I'm not sure would've ever worked but, doesn't hurt to try. I scratch the back of my head anxiously as I searched through the results I came across a shady site named 'Japanese Urban Cursed Legends'. I wasn't concerned I'd get a virus, I just wanted to figure out what's the hell that thing was.