Chronos (Part 5)
Aoi crouched behind the counter, clawing at the wood grain that bound her.
With each pulse of the star pattern, her fingers sank deeper. The counter writhed like a living thing, swallowing her arms.
In the mirror, the pale-faced patrons laughed, their mouths gaping unnaturally. Fear and rage surged in Aoi's chest, threatening to burst. At four-thirty a.m., Chronos was no longer a bar—it was the abyss of night itself.
She screamed, wrenching her arms free. Red-black liquid sprayed from the wood, soaking the counter. It traced the star pattern, throbbing like a beating heart.
Aoi snatched the knife from the floor and stabbed the pattern. The counter shrieked, a grating wail, as the fluorescent lights shattered, plunging the bar into darkness.
From the gaps in the bottle shelf, black shadows poured forth, enveloping her.
The door slammed open. The blonde woman stood there, her red dress gleaming like blood, eyes blazing. She leapt onto the counter, whispering, "The night."
Aoi swung the knife, but it passed through the woman like smoke. Her claws raked Aoi's cheek, drawing blood. The drops hit the counter, making the star pattern glow brighter.
Aoi staggered back, seizing the shaker. As she shook it, the grinding roar grew deafening, the metal scalding her hands. She hurled it at the woman. It shattered on the floor, spitting black bone fragments across the room, a sickly stench filling the air.
The woman laughed, spreading her arms. Every bottle in the bar exploded, glass and liquor raining down. The liquid turned black, slithering toward Aoi.
She vaulted the counter, fleeing to the backroom. The freezer door swung open on its own, the shadow inside taking form—the eyeless man with sharp teeth.
Aoi flung an ice bucket at it. The ice pierced the figure, which screamed and dissolved into mist.
Back at the counter, Yamazaki stood, cigarette dangling, smirking. His eyes glinted unnaturally.
"You defied the night," he said. "But it's too late."
Aoi aimed the knife at him, but his body melted into black liquid, absorbed by the counter. The star pattern swelled, massive now.
The bar quaked. The red wallpaper peeled away, revealing black, vein-like tendrils beneath.
Aoi glanced at the mirror. Her reflection was gone, replaced by a shadow mimicking her shape.
The blonde woman reappeared, dancing atop the counter. Her voice reverberated, rattling Aoi's bones.
"Your blood, your flesh, your soul—all for the night!"
Aoi screamed, plunging the knife into the counter's center. The star pattern erupted, red-black light flooding the bar. The bottle shelf collapsed, glass flying, the counter splitting apart.
Her body burned, blood pulsing as if boiling. She lunged, pressing the knife to the woman's throat, shouting, "I'm me! I won't give myself to the night!"
The woman shattered into black mist. It poured into Aoi's mouth and nose, smothering her mind. She collapsed, still clutching the knife, as silence reclaimed the bar. The fluorescent lights flickered back to life.
Five a.m. Shift's end.
Aoi stood behind the counter. The gash on her cheek had healed, but her eyes gleamed unnaturally. Her apron was bloodstained, her hair disheveled.
Yet she smiled.
A new customer entered—a gaunt man, face pale. Aoi picked up a glass, whispering, "Something strong?"
He nodded, settling at the counter.
She shook the mixer, the grinding sound echoing. Her smile deepened. The counter's grain pulsed, the star pattern glowing.
In the mirror, Aoi's pale face stared back, countless shadows looming behind her. She poured the cocktail, the liquid flashing red for an instant.
Outside, the fog thickened, the stairs slick with damp.
Chronos breathed at the heart of the night, awaiting new guests. Aoi's smile was cold, intoxicating, like the night itself.
She gazed into the mirror, where her form melded with the darkness. There was no escape now.
The night had claimed her, and she lived as its own.
おわり