Yukio walked along the road.
But nothing about the way he moved was human.
His steps were uneven, almost twitching, as if his body hadn't fully learned how to function yet. His head tilted slightly, his shoulders jerking with each step.
People noticed.
And then they ran.
A horrifying smile stretched across his face. Thick, black liquid seeped from the corners of his mouth, trailing down his chin. The same substance dripped slowly from his eyes, which had turned into pitch-black voids.
No one dared come close.
Back at the orphanage, Torio Mashahori clicked his tongue in irritation.
"I'm bored," he muttered. "Where's that Yukio bastard? I feel like breaking him again."
Yoru Masaki, one of the other boys, shrugged. "I'll go find him."
Mashahori smirked. "Yeah. Drag him back if you have to."
Masaki left, wandering through the orphanage grounds.
It didn't take long.
In the garden, beneath a large tree, he spotted someone standing still.
Yukio.
His back was turned.
"There you are," Masaki scoffed, walking closer. "Hiding out here like a loser?"
No response.
Yukio didn't move.
Masaki frowned. Something felt… off. The air around him seemed heavier, colder.
But he ignored it.
"Hey, I'm talking to you."
Still nothing.
Annoyed, Masaki stepped forward and grabbed Yukio's shoulder.
"Don't ignore me!"
Yukio turned.
Slowly.
What Masaki saw froze him in place.
That smile….
Too wide. It was inhuman.
Black liquid dripped from Yukio's mouth. His eyes… weren't eyes anymore. Just dark, empty pits, oozing the same thick substance.
Masaki's breath hitched.
Fear slammed into him all at once.
"W-What the hell are you…?!"
He stumbled back, panic taking over.
"AAAAAA....!"
Before he could run....
Yukio's hand shot out and grabbed his shoulder.
Tight.
Unmoving.
Masaki struggled, his body trembling.
"L-let go....!"
Yukio didn't respond.
Instead, he raised his other hand.
Slowly.
Then….
His fingers sank into Masaki's neck.
Masaki screamed.
A raw, desperate sound that tore through the air.
Then choked.
His voice broke as blood poured out, spilling over Yukio's hand. His struggles weakened, his body shaking uncontrollably.
Yukio tilted his head.
"…blo…od…"
With a sudden jerk, he tore into the flesh.
Blood splattered across the ground.
Masaki's scream faded into a wet, broken silence.
Yukio's grin widened.
"…blo…od…"
He raised his hand again.....
And drove his fingers into Masaki's eyes.
A sharp, sickening motion.
Eyeballs came out of Masaki.
Then nothing.
The body went limp.
But Yukio didn't stop.
His jaw began to stretch.
Wider.
And wider.
Until it was no longer human.
In one grotesque motion….
He devoured the head.
Then, just as suddenly, his mouth snapped back to normal.
Blood soaked his face, dripping endlessly as he clawed into the remaining body, tearing through flesh with unrestrained violence.
The garden was painted red.
And in the middle of it....
Yukio laughed.
A broken, distorted sound.
A sound that did not belong to a human being.