Aokigahara (D.O focus) (2/4)
part one
The couple found their final spot five miles into the forest. It isn’t so much of a clearing, but more of a mass burial site. There are signs of people who have camped here, leaving crushed beer cans and half-broken wine bottles, bits of rope, and even articles of clothing. The woman spots one of the skulls first, her eyes serious and her lips set in a drawn line.
“Look,” her voice is near faint and the male almost doesn’t hear her as he struggles to set up the tent’s skeleton. The male looks to where the woman’s finger is pointing, and notices the lump of faded white bone poke through the leaves. His eyes widen and dart all around the ground, noticing more bones- a femur, someone’s entire rib cage and arms spread wide with decaying fingertips. It looks like the skeletons of four people, but it feels like a hundred.
The male swallows, unsure of what to say. These people are beyond help, there’s nothing he can do, but he can’t help but feel intrusive. “Should we,” he begins, breathing shallowly. “Should we move to another spot?”
The woman shakes her head. “It’s late, and besides, we’re going to be joining them.” She replies
The man nods, continuing to put up the tent. He chances to look over at the two giant planks of wood nailed together that they brought up with them. “so I just, stick that... here?”
The woman looks at the cross, smiles slightly, and nods. “Here’s a good place as any. The rocks are sparse are the ground soft, it’ll be easy to stick it in far enough so it won’t topple over.”
The man finishes setting up their tent. It doesn’t look as impressive as the model on the box, and he’s afraid if he nudges it, all his hard work will topple over.
The woman notices that he’s finished, and she hurries inside. The tent shakes and the man scrambles to hold the base of the tent so it doesn’t fall over.
“It’s cosy in here,” the woman’s disembodied voice comes from the tent. “Come inside.” A small light is turned on; the woman brought a flashlight, and the man quietly slips inside, heart easing seeing the serene smile on the woman’s face.
--
Kyungsoo hears a boom, almost like a clap of thunder, and it jostles him out of his writing trance. He unzips the door of his tent and looks outside. The rain is letting up, and it’s still day time, but distant rumbles of thunder still loom in the distance, so Kyungsoo waits until the rain stops completely. He takes out the loaf of bread from his backpack and eats three slices, zipping the tent back up and leaning back to take a little nap.
A few hours later, the sun is low and the rain has stopped, but angry grey clouds mar the clear beauty of the orange sky. Kyungsoo climbs out of his tent and sets up his electric burner for ramyun. A chill washes over him, so he leans forward towards the boiling pot of water, leaning towards it until he’s too close and he ends up burning his index finger. Cursing, Kyungsoo blows on it and leans back away from the steam. The ramyun is done, a spicy aroma wafting up towards Kyungsoo and he almost doesn’t wait for it to cool off to eat it, but he holds himself. A final, distant crack of thunder, with a hollow sound at the end, emits from the distance, but Kyungsoo thinks nothing of it and just finishes his dinner. It starts to rain again, so Kyungsoo heads back inside after cleaning the pot, and goes to sleep without noticing that no lightning or thunder comes for the rest of the night.
・
Something is scratching and rustling outside, that stirs Kyungsoo from his slumber. Half asleep, he almost disregards the rustling as wind, until his tent shakes and something scratches the bark of the tree behind him. Kyungsoo shoots up, eyes wide and wary. Is it a bear? He read that Aokigahara has black bears in the forest, but they’re usually ten to twenty miles into the forest, why would they be so close to the rim of the entrance? Kyungsoo freezes and tries not to breathe so much. What if the bear smells his food? Can bears even smell bread? The rustling and scratching escalates into something heavy climbing up the tree, and Kyungsoo concludes, that yes, it is a bear. Stay calm, he thinks to himself. If you don’t make a sound, and if you don’t move, they won’t know you’re there, right? No wait, that’s for T-Rexes. Kyungsoo wants to reach for his flashlight but he doesn’t want to startle the bear, or whatever what was outside.
The bear scrambles up the tree, and it must be out of shape because it sounds like it’s panting heavily. Something gurgles and Kyungsoo hopes it wasn’t his stomach. The boughs of the tree rustle as the bear settles into it, and it climbs onto the outermost part of the limb of the tree. It balances its weight on the limb, and Kyungsoo can hear the wood groan slightly at the sudden addition of weight. What is it doing? Kyungsoo gulps and closes his eyes, because despite the adrenaline at the possibility of getting eaten by a bear, he’s still exhausted, and he’s quite certain that if he doesn’t make any sort of movement or anything, he won’t be a threat to it. He closes his eyes, and right before he settles off into sleep, the limb of the tree groans as the bear shifts for a few moments, then it makes a sound, as if it’s going to leap off the limb, and then all that follows is silence.
・
Kyungsoo cherishes sleep, and for most of his life he’s never had so much as a nightmare whenever he slept. But last night after the bear debacle, Kyungsoo was tossing and turning and seeing wild tribesmen with bear heads instead of human ones. They’re shouting in Japanese, sawing off random limbs from a tree, and soon it’s raining tree branches. Kyungsoo frowns in his sleep, desperate to wake up because the shouting increases, and he can hear them yell “take him down now!” and now he’s confused.
Something heavy lands on the tent, and Kyungsoo wakes up while the tent’s skeleton gives way under the mass that fell on top of it. Kyungsoo yelps as the heavy form lands inches from his head, and he can’t make out what it is. Suddenly, something is unzipping the door to his tent, and Kyungsoo whips his head to whoever is opening it.
A middle-aged man wearing a yellow vest and a white cap sticks his head inside the tent, and when he sees Kyungsoo, he almost looks surprised.
“What are you doing in here?” The man asks, the sound of three other guys talking as they move the mass from the tent. The top of the mass slides across Kyungsoo’s body and Kyungsoo freezes when he realizes what he just felt.
“What the-” Kyungsoo can’t even finish his sentence. The tent is caved in and he struggles to get up. The man extends a gloved hand and helps Kyungsoo out of the tent. Standing up, Kyungsoo looks over to his right to see three men dressed in white uniforms dragging what fell on him.
“What are you doing here?” the man asks again, but he sounds so far away because Kyungsoo can’t look from the figure. It turns out that whatever was making that noise last night wasn’t a bear, but rather a man who hung himself. His body hasn’t decomposed, but it’s already pale with purple bruises around the fingers and neck. A white rope is tightly wound around the corpse’s pudgy neck. The man’s tongue was purplish-black and sticking out of his mouth, and if one looks closer they could see he bit down on his tongue to keep himself from making any noises while he was dying.
“Bozu,” the man calls out to Kyungsoo. “Bozu?” Kyungsoo looks on as the park officials cover the body with a sheet.
“Bozu!” The man jostles Kyungsoo out of his trance and Kyungsoo, startled, looks at him. The park official’s eyes are hard and expressionless, as if this wasn’t the first time he had come across a dead body.
Kyungsoo nearly forgets how to speak Japanese. “Ano....”
“You’re not Japanese,” the man looks closer, and then almost sneers. “Kankokujin desu ka?”
“Watashi wa Nihongo o hanashimasu,” Kyungsoo quickly answers, bowing slightly in apology. “I don’t know the- the-”
“From the look on your face when you saw the man, I’d bet you didn’t know him.”
“I didn’t.” Kyungsoo rubs his hands together and is visibly shaking. His lips part and he lets out a shuddering gasp, breath bated and focused.
The man peers at him, eyes squinting. “I am Park Official Mochizuki,” the ranger states. He looks Kyungsoo up and down. “You look so young, what on Earth are you doing here?”
“I’m a writer, and I’m doing research on Aokigahara.”
“You know you’re not supposed to stray from the path.”
“I know, but, I swear to you, I’m not here to kill myself.” Kyungsoo looks at the officials carry the body away in a blue body bag. After seeing the skeletal hand the day before, he thought that the next sign of a dead body would be of a skull fragment, or another hand, or a hipbone buried in the earth, not a fresh corpse.
“I thought he was a bear.”
Mochizuki laughs, but there is no humor in it. “I’ve been a park ranger for over twenty years,” he said. “Back then I helped scout for wildfires and stop pollution in the lake. It was honest, happy work. Then people started killing themselves, left and right, as if they were taken over by some spirit.” Mochizuki puts his hands on his hips and shakes his head. His hair is streaked with grey and Kyungsoo can see the lines of age weigh down his face.
“The first body I saw was of a young couple, not even twenty, and they were laid out ceremonially. I vomited right on the spot when I realized they were dead. Then from that point on, we basically became forensic detectives, or whatever you guys call them. Once a month we’d find two or three bodies, and we’d try to figure out why they would do that.”
Kyungsoo can’t help himself. “And do you ever find out why they do?” Their eyes meet.
Mochizuki shrugs. “They list off that nothing ever good happened in their lives, or they were abused, or they lost everything in terms of money, lovers, friends. But I never understand why they’d go through with it. Even if it’s the only way out, I’ll never understand why.” The ranger frowns. “What is your name?”
“Do Kyungsoo. I’m from South Korea.”
“Kyungsoo, I know you say you didn’t know the guy, and you look like an honest person, but for formal purposes I need a statement from you.” He looks at Kyungsoo’s haggard appearance; Kyungsoo hasn’t bathed in days, eyes rimmed red, and hair (and spirit) disheveled. “On second thought, I can fill the paperwork alone. But I do want you to get back on the trail.”
“Yes, sir,” Kyungsoo doesn’t want to argue, and despite wanting to explore the dark wonders of Aokigahara, this morning’s shock has proven too much. “Just where is the path? I came in that way-” Kyungsoo points to the east- “I hiked about seven miles in, from the Fugaku Wind Cave.”
“You’re not too far from the Aokigahara trail itself, and a little ways past it is Lake Saiko. You’ll be able to get services to lodging and a bus ride out of the Yamanashi prefecture even.” Mochizuki points to the west.
“Thank you so much, sir.” Kyungsoo bows and his heart finally settles down.
“I need to head out and release a statement. You’re welcome to tag along, if you like.”
“No thank you, I’m sure I can find my way back to the trail. Besides,” Kyungsoo gestures at the broken heap that is his tent. “I need to straighten this out.”
“Thank you for doing that. I’m sorry this happened.”
“I am too.” Kyungsoo murmurs.
“Just head west and you’ll hit the trail in no time, alright?” Kyungsoo nods.
Park Official Mochizuki looks at the tent where the body was. “You think you die alone,” he says softly. “But that’s not true. Nobody is alone in this world. No one is alone even when they leave it.” Officer Mochizuki makes way to leave, but stops. “Have you seen any other bodies?” He asks.
Kyungsoo thinks of the hand from earlier, and almost wants to say something, but instead he shakes his head. Mochizuki nods, then goes on into the forest, and then it’s if the trees swallowed him up, with how quick he disappeared.
Kyungsoo looks down at the mess of his tent, and ponders over the park official’s words. He’s right, though he may have never met the man, and may never know his name, Kyungsoo felt a piece of his soul die off with him.
・
“I mistook him for a bear,” Kyungsoo sits down on the sodden earth, the seat of his pants becoming damp. “A bear. What is wrong with me?” He shakes his head. If he had just turned on his flashlight, then maybe he might have scared the man and maybe Kyungsoo would have talked him out of it...
But it’s too late for maybes. The man is dead. Kyungsoo can’t do anything about it. It was really late and he was half asleep-
“I need to get out of here.” Kyungsoo takes his backpack and begins taking the tent apart. It’s smashed, and it probably won’t be able to be used again anymore. Shame, Kyungsoo really liked that tent. Tent folded away and tarp put beside it, Kyungsoo doesn’t have the appetite to pull out bread or cereal. He doesn’t even have the strength to walk but he has to, so he heads west, following Mochizuki’s trail, being mindful where he walks. Two miles in he’s not sure where Mochizuki went next, and shouldn’t he have seen the trail by now?
There’s a fork in the forest, split by three giant cypress trees. The left path looks darker than the right, and Mochizuki did point out that if he kept going right, he’ll be near Lake Saiko. Kyungsoo decides to head right, nearly tripping on stones but he keeps on; he’ll hit the trail soon, he’s sure of it.
Kyungsoo has been walking for an hour and a half and all he’s seen is trees and stones. He’s getting worried, maybe he should have followed Mochizuki and left his tent behind, but no, he had to be the good Samaritan and pack it away. Kyungsoo slaps his forehead in frustration. Just keeping heading north, he thinks. And you’ll see the lake. A park ranger wouldn’t lie to you. Kyungsoo stops for a second to fish out his phone from his backpack. It’s been off all this time, but he still had Ryohei’s number in his pocket. Surely Ryohei was busy leading his friends into the forest, and maybe he’s out of the forest already, but the way he looked at Kyungsoo that day in the parking lot said he was willing to go the extra mile to help out a stranger. A few minutes later, his phone is on and after his phone finished updating Kyungsoo dials Ryohei’s number. Surprisingly there’s still a signal to be found in the forest, bless 4G, and the phone rings seven times, before it goes to voicemail.
Voicemail. Kyungsoo expected as much, but leaving a message wouldn’t hurt. He clears his throat after the service finishes its line.
“Hey, I don’t know if you remember me, but you saw me head into Aokigahara alone, and you stopped me and handed me your phone number. I’m Do Kyungsoo and I’m not going to kill myself, I swear, but I am lost and I don’t know where I am. I am near Lake Saiko and if you are nearby, could you please-” The service suddenly cuts off his message and Kyungsoo grumbles in frustration. At least his message went through. He keeps his phone on in case Ryohei calls back. He hopes he calls back.
Finally the trees disperse and there is a clearing ahead and Kyungsoo thinks, thank every God, the path is up ahead. His knees ache and his calves burn, but seeing it puts new strength in him and he hurries to the clearing.
When he gets there, it is only a small clearing, with some trees chopped from their stumps and the ground covered in thick damp dirt. With no trees covering the sky, the clearing seemed so bright and welcoming. A bit of trash was strewn about, but it still looked like the optimum camping spot. But when Kyungsoo comes closer all the air escapes his lungs and the new-found energy he once has leaves his body entirely.
Five people lay spread eagle, faces towards the sky. Well, they’re not considered people anymore, since there are bullet holes in three of the heads, and they look as if they haven’t moved in a while. A strangled cry barely escapes Kyungsoo’s throat, and he stares, slack-jawed, at the bodies laying there, some of them with their eyes open, and some with their eyes closed, unmoving as dozens of horse flies and beetles crawl over their faces. The stench of iron, blood, and rot permeates the air and Kyungsoo almost gags.
The fifth body though, raises every hair on Kyungsoo’s body and he almost fainted right there. The head has nearly been blown off, and a few inches away Kyungsoo can see the top of the man’s skull congealing in the grass and beetles swarming inside it. Brains, blood, and all sorts of bodily liquid heavily stain the boulder behind the body and the coat on it, but it isn’t the gore, the horrific sight of stumbling upon five bodies who committed mass suicide that horrifies him. It’s the fact that, even through the blood-soaked jacket, Kyungsoo recognizes it and knows who it belongs to.
It’s Ryohei.
part three
The couple found their final spot five miles into the forest. It isn’t so much of a clearing, but more of a mass burial site. There are signs of people who have camped here, leaving crushed beer cans and half-broken wine bottles, bits of rope, and even articles of clothing. The woman spots one of the skulls first, her eyes serious and her lips set in a drawn line.
“Look,” her voice is near faint and the male almost doesn’t hear her as he struggles to set up the tent’s skeleton. The male looks to where the woman’s finger is pointing, and notices the lump of faded white bone poke through the leaves. His eyes widen and dart all around the ground, noticing more bones- a femur, someone’s entire rib cage and arms spread wide with decaying fingertips. It looks like the skeletons of four people, but it feels like a hundred.
The male swallows, unsure of what to say. These people are beyond help, there’s nothing he can do, but he can’t help but feel intrusive. “Should we,” he begins, breathing shallowly. “Should we move to another spot?”
The woman shakes her head. “It’s late, and besides, we’re going to be joining them.” She replies
The man nods, continuing to put up the tent. He chances to look over at the two giant planks of wood nailed together that they brought up with them. “so I just, stick that... here?”
The woman looks at the cross, smiles slightly, and nods. “Here’s a good place as any. The rocks are sparse are the ground soft, it’ll be easy to stick it in far enough so it won’t topple over.”
The man finishes setting up their tent. It doesn’t look as impressive as the model on the box, and he’s afraid if he nudges it, all his hard work will topple over.
The woman notices that he’s finished, and she hurries inside. The tent shakes and the man scrambles to hold the base of the tent so it doesn’t fall over.
“It’s cosy in here,” the woman’s disembodied voice comes from the tent. “Come inside.” A small light is turned on; the woman brought a flashlight, and the man quietly slips inside, heart easing seeing the serene smile on the woman’s face.
--
Kyungsoo hears a boom, almost like a clap of thunder, and it jostles him out of his writing trance. He unzips the door of his tent and looks outside. The rain is letting up, and it’s still day time, but distant rumbles of thunder still loom in the distance, so Kyungsoo waits until the rain stops completely. He takes out the loaf of bread from his backpack and eats three slices, zipping the tent back up and leaning back to take a little nap.
A few hours later, the sun is low and the rain has stopped, but angry grey clouds mar the clear beauty of the orange sky. Kyungsoo climbs out of his tent and sets up his electric burner for ramyun. A chill washes over him, so he leans forward towards the boiling pot of water, leaning towards it until he’s too close and he ends up burning his index finger. Cursing, Kyungsoo blows on it and leans back away from the steam. The ramyun is done, a spicy aroma wafting up towards Kyungsoo and he almost doesn’t wait for it to cool off to eat it, but he holds himself. A final, distant crack of thunder, with a hollow sound at the end, emits from the distance, but Kyungsoo thinks nothing of it and just finishes his dinner. It starts to rain again, so Kyungsoo heads back inside after cleaning the pot, and goes to sleep without noticing that no lightning or thunder comes for the rest of the night.
・
Something is scratching and rustling outside, that stirs Kyungsoo from his slumber. Half asleep, he almost disregards the rustling as wind, until his tent shakes and something scratches the bark of the tree behind him. Kyungsoo shoots up, eyes wide and wary. Is it a bear? He read that Aokigahara has black bears in the forest, but they’re usually ten to twenty miles into the forest, why would they be so close to the rim of the entrance? Kyungsoo freezes and tries not to breathe so much. What if the bear smells his food? Can bears even smell bread? The rustling and scratching escalates into something heavy climbing up the tree, and Kyungsoo concludes, that yes, it is a bear. Stay calm, he thinks to himself. If you don’t make a sound, and if you don’t move, they won’t know you’re there, right? No wait, that’s for T-Rexes. Kyungsoo wants to reach for his flashlight but he doesn’t want to startle the bear, or whatever what was outside.
The bear scrambles up the tree, and it must be out of shape because it sounds like it’s panting heavily. Something gurgles and Kyungsoo hopes it wasn’t his stomach. The boughs of the tree rustle as the bear settles into it, and it climbs onto the outermost part of the limb of the tree. It balances its weight on the limb, and Kyungsoo can hear the wood groan slightly at the sudden addition of weight. What is it doing? Kyungsoo gulps and closes his eyes, because despite the adrenaline at the possibility of getting eaten by a bear, he’s still exhausted, and he’s quite certain that if he doesn’t make any sort of movement or anything, he won’t be a threat to it. He closes his eyes, and right before he settles off into sleep, the limb of the tree groans as the bear shifts for a few moments, then it makes a sound, as if it’s going to leap off the limb, and then all that follows is silence.
・
Kyungsoo cherishes sleep, and for most of his life he’s never had so much as a nightmare whenever he slept. But last night after the bear debacle, Kyungsoo was tossing and turning and seeing wild tribesmen with bear heads instead of human ones. They’re shouting in Japanese, sawing off random limbs from a tree, and soon it’s raining tree branches. Kyungsoo frowns in his sleep, desperate to wake up because the shouting increases, and he can hear them yell “take him down now!” and now he’s confused.
Something heavy lands on the tent, and Kyungsoo wakes up while the tent’s skeleton gives way under the mass that fell on top of it. Kyungsoo yelps as the heavy form lands inches from his head, and he can’t make out what it is. Suddenly, something is unzipping the door to his tent, and Kyungsoo whips his head to whoever is opening it.
A middle-aged man wearing a yellow vest and a white cap sticks his head inside the tent, and when he sees Kyungsoo, he almost looks surprised.
“What are you doing in here?” The man asks, the sound of three other guys talking as they move the mass from the tent. The top of the mass slides across Kyungsoo’s body and Kyungsoo freezes when he realizes what he just felt.
“What the-” Kyungsoo can’t even finish his sentence. The tent is caved in and he struggles to get up. The man extends a gloved hand and helps Kyungsoo out of the tent. Standing up, Kyungsoo looks over to his right to see three men dressed in white uniforms dragging what fell on him.
“What are you doing here?” the man asks again, but he sounds so far away because Kyungsoo can’t look from the figure. It turns out that whatever was making that noise last night wasn’t a bear, but rather a man who hung himself. His body hasn’t decomposed, but it’s already pale with purple bruises around the fingers and neck. A white rope is tightly wound around the corpse’s pudgy neck. The man’s tongue was purplish-black and sticking out of his mouth, and if one looks closer they could see he bit down on his tongue to keep himself from making any noises while he was dying.
“Bozu,” the man calls out to Kyungsoo. “Bozu?” Kyungsoo looks on as the park officials cover the body with a sheet.
“Bozu!” The man jostles Kyungsoo out of his trance and Kyungsoo, startled, looks at him. The park official’s eyes are hard and expressionless, as if this wasn’t the first time he had come across a dead body.
Kyungsoo nearly forgets how to speak Japanese. “Ano....”
“You’re not Japanese,” the man looks closer, and then almost sneers. “Kankokujin desu ka?”
“Watashi wa Nihongo o hanashimasu,” Kyungsoo quickly answers, bowing slightly in apology. “I don’t know the- the-”
“From the look on your face when you saw the man, I’d bet you didn’t know him.”
“I didn’t.” Kyungsoo rubs his hands together and is visibly shaking. His lips part and he lets out a shuddering gasp, breath bated and focused.
The man peers at him, eyes squinting. “I am Park Official Mochizuki,” the ranger states. He looks Kyungsoo up and down. “You look so young, what on Earth are you doing here?”
“I’m a writer, and I’m doing research on Aokigahara.”
“You know you’re not supposed to stray from the path.”
“I know, but, I swear to you, I’m not here to kill myself.” Kyungsoo looks at the officials carry the body away in a blue body bag. After seeing the skeletal hand the day before, he thought that the next sign of a dead body would be of a skull fragment, or another hand, or a hipbone buried in the earth, not a fresh corpse.
“I thought he was a bear.”
Mochizuki laughs, but there is no humor in it. “I’ve been a park ranger for over twenty years,” he said. “Back then I helped scout for wildfires and stop pollution in the lake. It was honest, happy work. Then people started killing themselves, left and right, as if they were taken over by some spirit.” Mochizuki puts his hands on his hips and shakes his head. His hair is streaked with grey and Kyungsoo can see the lines of age weigh down his face.
“The first body I saw was of a young couple, not even twenty, and they were laid out ceremonially. I vomited right on the spot when I realized they were dead. Then from that point on, we basically became forensic detectives, or whatever you guys call them. Once a month we’d find two or three bodies, and we’d try to figure out why they would do that.”
Kyungsoo can’t help himself. “And do you ever find out why they do?” Their eyes meet.
Mochizuki shrugs. “They list off that nothing ever good happened in their lives, or they were abused, or they lost everything in terms of money, lovers, friends. But I never understand why they’d go through with it. Even if it’s the only way out, I’ll never understand why.” The ranger frowns. “What is your name?”
“Do Kyungsoo. I’m from South Korea.”
“Kyungsoo, I know you say you didn’t know the guy, and you look like an honest person, but for formal purposes I need a statement from you.” He looks at Kyungsoo’s haggard appearance; Kyungsoo hasn’t bathed in days, eyes rimmed red, and hair (and spirit) disheveled. “On second thought, I can fill the paperwork alone. But I do want you to get back on the trail.”
“Yes, sir,” Kyungsoo doesn’t want to argue, and despite wanting to explore the dark wonders of Aokigahara, this morning’s shock has proven too much. “Just where is the path? I came in that way-” Kyungsoo points to the east- “I hiked about seven miles in, from the Fugaku Wind Cave.”
“You’re not too far from the Aokigahara trail itself, and a little ways past it is Lake Saiko. You’ll be able to get services to lodging and a bus ride out of the Yamanashi prefecture even.” Mochizuki points to the west.
“Thank you so much, sir.” Kyungsoo bows and his heart finally settles down.
“I need to head out and release a statement. You’re welcome to tag along, if you like.”
“No thank you, I’m sure I can find my way back to the trail. Besides,” Kyungsoo gestures at the broken heap that is his tent. “I need to straighten this out.”
“Thank you for doing that. I’m sorry this happened.”
“I am too.” Kyungsoo murmurs.
“Just head west and you’ll hit the trail in no time, alright?” Kyungsoo nods.
Park Official Mochizuki looks at the tent where the body was. “You think you die alone,” he says softly. “But that’s not true. Nobody is alone in this world. No one is alone even when they leave it.” Officer Mochizuki makes way to leave, but stops. “Have you seen any other bodies?” He asks.
Kyungsoo thinks of the hand from earlier, and almost wants to say something, but instead he shakes his head. Mochizuki nods, then goes on into the forest, and then it’s if the trees swallowed him up, with how quick he disappeared.
Kyungsoo looks down at the mess of his tent, and ponders over the park official’s words. He’s right, though he may have never met the man, and may never know his name, Kyungsoo felt a piece of his soul die off with him.
・
“I mistook him for a bear,” Kyungsoo sits down on the sodden earth, the seat of his pants becoming damp. “A bear. What is wrong with me?” He shakes his head. If he had just turned on his flashlight, then maybe he might have scared the man and maybe Kyungsoo would have talked him out of it...
But it’s too late for maybes. The man is dead. Kyungsoo can’t do anything about it. It was really late and he was half asleep-
“I need to get out of here.” Kyungsoo takes his backpack and begins taking the tent apart. It’s smashed, and it probably won’t be able to be used again anymore. Shame, Kyungsoo really liked that tent. Tent folded away and tarp put beside it, Kyungsoo doesn’t have the appetite to pull out bread or cereal. He doesn’t even have the strength to walk but he has to, so he heads west, following Mochizuki’s trail, being mindful where he walks. Two miles in he’s not sure where Mochizuki went next, and shouldn’t he have seen the trail by now?
There’s a fork in the forest, split by three giant cypress trees. The left path looks darker than the right, and Mochizuki did point out that if he kept going right, he’ll be near Lake Saiko. Kyungsoo decides to head right, nearly tripping on stones but he keeps on; he’ll hit the trail soon, he’s sure of it.
Kyungsoo has been walking for an hour and a half and all he’s seen is trees and stones. He’s getting worried, maybe he should have followed Mochizuki and left his tent behind, but no, he had to be the good Samaritan and pack it away. Kyungsoo slaps his forehead in frustration. Just keeping heading north, he thinks. And you’ll see the lake. A park ranger wouldn’t lie to you. Kyungsoo stops for a second to fish out his phone from his backpack. It’s been off all this time, but he still had Ryohei’s number in his pocket. Surely Ryohei was busy leading his friends into the forest, and maybe he’s out of the forest already, but the way he looked at Kyungsoo that day in the parking lot said he was willing to go the extra mile to help out a stranger. A few minutes later, his phone is on and after his phone finished updating Kyungsoo dials Ryohei’s number. Surprisingly there’s still a signal to be found in the forest, bless 4G, and the phone rings seven times, before it goes to voicemail.
Voicemail. Kyungsoo expected as much, but leaving a message wouldn’t hurt. He clears his throat after the service finishes its line.
“Hey, I don’t know if you remember me, but you saw me head into Aokigahara alone, and you stopped me and handed me your phone number. I’m Do Kyungsoo and I’m not going to kill myself, I swear, but I am lost and I don’t know where I am. I am near Lake Saiko and if you are nearby, could you please-” The service suddenly cuts off his message and Kyungsoo grumbles in frustration. At least his message went through. He keeps his phone on in case Ryohei calls back. He hopes he calls back.
Finally the trees disperse and there is a clearing ahead and Kyungsoo thinks, thank every God, the path is up ahead. His knees ache and his calves burn, but seeing it puts new strength in him and he hurries to the clearing.
When he gets there, it is only a small clearing, with some trees chopped from their stumps and the ground covered in thick damp dirt. With no trees covering the sky, the clearing seemed so bright and welcoming. A bit of trash was strewn about, but it still looked like the optimum camping spot. But when Kyungsoo comes closer all the air escapes his lungs and the new-found energy he once has leaves his body entirely.
Five people lay spread eagle, faces towards the sky. Well, they’re not considered people anymore, since there are bullet holes in three of the heads, and they look as if they haven’t moved in a while. A strangled cry barely escapes Kyungsoo’s throat, and he stares, slack-jawed, at the bodies laying there, some of them with their eyes open, and some with their eyes closed, unmoving as dozens of horse flies and beetles crawl over their faces. The stench of iron, blood, and rot permeates the air and Kyungsoo almost gags.
The fifth body though, raises every hair on Kyungsoo’s body and he almost fainted right there. The head has nearly been blown off, and a few inches away Kyungsoo can see the top of the man’s skull congealing in the grass and beetles swarming inside it. Brains, blood, and all sorts of bodily liquid heavily stain the boulder behind the body and the coat on it, but it isn’t the gore, the horrific sight of stumbling upon five bodies who committed mass suicide that horrifies him. It’s the fact that, even through the blood-soaked jacket, Kyungsoo recognizes it and knows who it belongs to.
It’s Ryohei.
part three