Vivamus, morienndum est

You wanted to get up to finally rinse.

To feel like a person again.

But his calloused hand came down flat on your hip the moment you moved, before your knee had even cleared his leg.

"Where?" is all he managed, voice wrecked and low and gravelly with sleep, the word barely fully formed on his tongue.

"I'm disgusting," you complained, a whisper.

"Mm." His thumb moved across the jut of your hipbone, finding crust of himself there. His eyes hadn't opened yet. The corner of his mouth had, though, dragging up at one side. "Yeah… y'are."

"I'm glad you're happy with yourself," you huffed sleepily.

His hand kept going, palm dragging down over your hip and around the back of your bent thigh, and then up again into the real mess of you, fingers finding where you were still half-open and swollen from last night, slipping through the sticky wet, the pad of his middle finger circling your sensitive entrance. It was too much and not enough at once — the drag of him over flesh that hadn't settled, a wince folding straight into something hotter, your hips pushing into his hand.

He made a sound; pleased, throaty, his brows pulling in for a second.

"Look at that," he murmured against your temple. "Bet you don' even wan' it cleaned up, do you?"

"Shut up," you half-heartedly murmured.

"Mm-mm," he protested.

Then he rolled, the whole heavy heat of him coming over you in one move, knee shoving your thighs apart before you'd even agreed to anything, and the air between your bodies went humid and ripe, his chest sticking to yours, the dense hair on it dragging over your tender nipples. And your body answered him — thighs falling open the rest of the way, some primal part of you glad of his weight, glad to be pinned under it, glad he was solid and here and breathing on you. He braced up on a forearm and looked down at you, cyan eyes cracked open and bloodshot, lashes still gummed together. He looked like hell. But so did you, you were sure, and he was staring down like you were the best thing he'd ever seen.

He spat into his own hand without breaking from your eyes, crude, and reached down between you to slick his cock with it. You spread more open for him, your hands coming up to his back where sweat was gathered at the base of his spine.

He sank all the way in on the first stroke, stretching your sore walls, an obscene wet crackle of air pushing out to make room for him, Your whole body remembered him in one shoved open rush. He dropped his forehead to the side of your neck and let out a long breath through his nose.

"Four months," he rasped, almost to himself, the syllables coming apart as they fell. "Four months this was the only thing in my fuckin' head." Then, against your mouth, the gravel coming back into it, his throbbing cock bumping your cervix, your nails scrabbling over his sweaty skin for purchase: "That's it, dove. You can take it. You can take it, look at you, you've had worse than this off me."

You could hear his grin.

"Since last night?" you managed to get out. "Or— generally?"

A huff against your lips, almost a laugh, his hips not stopping. "Both."

He fucked you like he hadn't slept it off at all, like four months of going without you had only stored it up, his cock dragging thick and deep through the wreckage he'd already made of you. Every push of it pressed the sweat-slick of his furry belly against your clit so you got it both ways at once, inside and out, until your spine wanted to leave your body.

He talked the whole time — clipped, half-swallowed, filth pouring out of him like silver.

"Feel that," he asked. "That's last night still in you, that is. Didn't go anywhere." His teeth caught your jaw, dragged, overgrown beard scratching at your skin. "Gonna add some more to it." A deep grind of his hips that pushed the breath out of you. "Was lying there, every night, in the dark thinking about this. You under me, made a mess of, soaked through and still begging for more. Had to think about something else quick or I'd've embarrassed myself." His mouth is in your ear, hot and foul. "Four months of that. And now here you are. Wetter than the inside of my own head."

"John— you're so—," you couldn't get anything else out before he'd angled up and a moan tore out of you instead.

"Gross? Annoying?" he offered, hips snapping now, the bed knocking the wall, his hand slipping between you and the mattress to cant your cunt to his liking. "Yeah. And yet you're clenched down on me like you've never been happier. Funny, that."

It built faster than it had any right to. You'd stopped being able to do anything but hold on — one hand fisted in the wet sheet, the other clamped to the flexing muscle of his ass, your heels skidding down his back for purchase that wasn't there, every thrust knocking another broken little sound loose from a throat you no longer had any say over. And when you came you spasmed around him with your nails dug into the meat of his shoulders and your mouth open on a noise you'd have been embarrassed by if your brain hadn't been simmered down and reduced to nothing. He cursed and pushed his face into your throat and licked the salt off it, tongue flat against the tendon, groaning into your flesh as you fluttered and squeezed and dragged him over the edge with you.

He spilled deep with a groan you're not sure you've ever heard from him before, and then stayed there. Heavy. Crushing. His heart going hard against your chest, his breath sawing at your collarbone. Neither of you moved — both of you a single disgusting glued-together animal. Roadkill, maybe.

Underneath the slowing wreck of your own pulse, the feeling you'd been fending off since he walked through the front door finally claimed you — he was home. Your throat went tight, and you turned your face into his damp hair so he wouldn't catch the sound that squeezed out of it.

He exhaled a warm gust against your throat, then he dragged his lips to the corner of yours and kissed you — sloppy, tasting of sleep and salt and the both of you mixed past telling each other apart.

Abandoned places possessed a strange allure, a magnetic pull that attracted both the curious and the reckless. There was something exhilarating about stepping into a place that time had forgotten, walking through corridors where no one was supposed to be. Dust settled where crowds once gathered, silence lingered where voices had once echoed, and every shadow felt as though it was hiding something just out of sight.

What always excited him most, however, was the feeling at the back of his mind that despite being alone, he wasn't truly alone; and sometimes that feeling turned out to be right. During several expeditions, he had encountered homeless people living inside the buildings. Usually, he would apologize for disturbing them while filming and simply edit that part out later to respect their privacy. Other times he'd ended up sprinting for his life when they decided they didn't appreciate unexpected visitors.

Regardless, he wasn't about to abandon his hobby because of a few bad experiences.

Currently, he was in an abandoned underground mall from the 90’s that he had read about online. The article hadn't specified exactly why the mall had shut down. It only mentioned that an incident had occurred one day, forcing the entire complex to close permanently. The entrances had been sealed off long ago, hidden behind fences and warning signs, but Toji knew exactly where to look for openings forgotten by the public.

Luckily, he had discovered an abandoned warehouse only six minutes away from the mall. The warehouse had been locked down as well, but after years of neglect the chains securing the entrance had become heavily oxidized. 

For someone like Toji, that wasn't much of a challenge. The back of his truck was filled with tools for situations exactly like this. All he had needed was a steel strapping cutter to cut away the rusted metal. 

Inside the warehouse, he discovered a narrow tunnel leading in the direction of the mall. The opening was partially hidden behind stacked debris and old structural supports, as if it had been intentionally forgotten rather than simply abandoned. Judging by its structure and the faint remnants of industrial markings along the walls, it appeared to be an old cargo route once used by employees to transport merchandise directly into the underground facility, long before the place was sealed off.

Toji hopped back inside his truck and drove through the tunnel. Darkness swallowed everything beyond the reach of his headlights. Concrete walls stretched endlessly on either side, stained by decades of moisture and neglect. The deeper he drove, the quieter the world became. Even the distant sounds from outside disappeared entirely, leaving only the low hum of the engine accompanying him through the darkness.

Eventually, the tunnel finally opened into a section of the mall.

Inside, the first thing Toji did was look for the control room—luckily he was able to locate it quickly. The metal door groaned loudly as he pushed it open, the sound echoing through the empty building. A stale smell immediately greeted him; a mixture of dust, mildew, and old electrical wiring that had sat untouched for decades. Rows of dark monitors lined the walls. Most were covered in a thick layer of dust. Once he spotted the electrical panel, he began flipping switches one by one. A few fluorescent lights flickered awake somewhere inside the building, bathing the corridors in a cold bluish-white glow reminiscent of daylight. Others remained dead no matter how many times he tried, leaving large sections of the mall drowned in darkness. 

The silence that followed felt heavier than it had been seconds ago.

Walking to the center of the complex, Toji stopped and stared. The mall contained four levels. The top floor—where he had entered and located the control room—overlooked the third and second levels below. Then there was the first. Even from above, the final floor looked wrong. Dark stagnant water covered nearly half of it, stretching across the abandoned storefronts like an underground lake. The surface remained still, broken only by the occasional drip falling from the ceiling far below. Years without circulation had transformed the water into a breeding ground for mold, algae, and bacteria. The smell drifted upwards through the open center of the mall in damp waves, carrying the scent of rot, mildew, and decaying concrete. The water reflected the surviving cold lights overhead. 

After settling inside an abandoned store and setting up his tent, he made sure he had everything he needed before recording.

The mall was far too large to fit into a single twenty-minute video, so he had already decided to divide the exploration into multiple parts. He could practically see the title already. “I Explored a Completely Abandoned Underground Mall (You Won't Believe What I Found)” or something equally ridiculous. Even if he didn't discover anything particularly exciting, there was no harm in making the title more dramatic. More views meant more revenue, and YouTube happened to be his primary source of income.

Toji grabbed another cookie while making the final adjustments to the video. Just as he finished saving the file, his phone rang. It was honestly a miracle he still had signal in a place like this. Only a single bar remained, and he suspected even that would disappear the moment he ventured deeper into the building.

Pulling out his phone, he checked the notification. A message from his girlfriend. She was asking how things were going and how much longer he planned to stay.

Toji immediately snapped a selfie, flashing a peace sign towards the camera.

Toji: Finished exploring the first top floors. Going to check out the second one next so I might head back soon. Still debating whether I want to explore the last floor though. The whole thing is flooded with dirty water up to my ankles, but I could probably just wear some rain boots.

Almost immediately, another message appeared.

Wifey: Be safe.

Wifey: I love you.

Toji smiled at the message, the corners of his lips lifting. He sent back a bunch of heart emojis, followed by a thumbs-up, before slipping the phone back into his pocket. 

Time to get back to work.

For a moment he remained sitting at the entrance of the tent, finishing the last cookie from the package. His gaze wandered across the dark store he had chosen as his temporary camp. Sleeping inside an abandoned mall probably wasn't the smartest thing he had ever done, but it certainly wasn't the dumbest either. Compared to some of the places he had explored before, this was practically luxury.

The underground mall remained silent around him. No footsteps echoed through the corridors. No distant conversations. No sounds of traffic from outside. Just the occasional drip of water somewhere on the lower floors and the faint hum of the lights he had managed to bring back to life. The silence was strange, but Toji had grown used to it after years of exploring forgotten places.

Letting out a small sigh, he stretched his arms above his head until his shoulders popped. The mall was massive. Much bigger than he originally expected. Even after spending hours wandering through it, he still felt as if entire sections were waiting to be discovered.

After finishing the last cookie, Toji pushed himself to his feet and grabbed the camera resting besides his backpack. The battery was still good, the memory card had plenty of storage left and he still had more than enough daylight left outside if he decided to head back later.

“Alright,” he muttered to himself.

Leaving the tent behind, Toji walked down the stairs and returned to the same exact spot where he had left off the previous video, which was inside the second floor of a Sears. The upper floor he had already covered, and now he was in the middle floor; unfortunately, he couldn't go any further down yet because it was also covered in dirty water.

He pointed the camera at the store, turning on the light to have some source of brightness. The beam immediately cut through the darkness, illuminating rows of abandoned shelves and display stands that had remained untouched for decades. Dust coated almost every surface in a thick gray layer, disturbed only by the occasional footprint he had left behind during his earlier walkthrough. A few ceiling panels hung precariously above him while others had already collapsed onto the floor below, leaving piles of debris scattered throughout the department store.

Toji adjusted the camera settings one last time before pressing record. A small red light appeared. Instantly his posture changed, the tired explorer disappeared and the content creator took over.

“Okay guys, welcome back to part 3 of my exploring abandoned buildings series, and as you can see we're still at the underground mall where we last left off.” he carried the camera around as he walked through. The flashlight attached to the camera swept across empty aisles and abandoned displays as he slowly moved deeper into the store. “Unfortunately, there isn't much in this Sears store, just the ceiling tiles that have fallen off over time and cracks on the floor. There's also those mannequin stands that were left behind still wearing clothes.”

Toji pointed at a mannequin wearing a red shirt and overalls on top of it.

The mannequin stood completely still near a collapsed clothing section, its plastic face covered in a thin layer of dust. One of its arms had fallen off at some point and now rested on the floor besides it.

“Not really my style, so I'll just leave him be.” he waved goodbye to the mannequin.

For a few seconds he kept the camera focused on it, then he lowered it.

“Actually never mind, looking at him for too long is kind of creepy.” Toji immediately turned away.

The mall remained silent. There were no sounds, no movements, there was nothing. Only the faint echo of his own footsteps bouncing across the empty building.

He continued exploring the structure with the camera recorder in hand, making small silly commentary whenever possible to keep viewers entertained and not leave them alone with the same uncomfortable silence he was experiencing. Later he'd add some soft background music so the video felt more alive than the mall itself.

The deeper he went into the second floor, the more surprised he became.

Unlike the first levels, which had already been heavily vandalized by time and previous trespassers, many of the stores here still contained merchandise. Not much, but enough. Enough to make the place feel less abandoned and more like everyone had suddenly gotten up and left one day without warning.

There was the Sears store, of course, but there was also a RadioShack that still had some old electronics left behind. Old desktop computers sat covered beneath layers of dust. Shelves contained outdated accessories, tangled cables, and forgotten gadgets that probably hadn't been touched since the place closed. He'd definitely come back later for some of those antiques and store them inside his backpack after he finished recording this part.

Then there was a Claire's store too. Toji paused near the entrance and pointed the camera toward a display rack.

“Guys, look at this.” the camera zoomed in. Hanging from one of the hooks was a small TY plushie keychain. Dust covered its fur, but otherwise it looked perfectly intact. “Maybe I'll get this for my girlfriend.” 

He gently picked it up. The toy was surprisingly well preserved; no stains, no missing eyes, no tears, just years worth of lint but that could be cleaned off. “Yeah, this one's definitely coming home with me.”

A few stores later he discovered a Hot Topic. The old familiar scribbly red logo immediately caught his attention.

“Oh hell yeah.” Toji laughed.

Unlike the modern stores people saw nowadays, this one still contained older merchandise; and it was the good stuff. A black-and-white striped jumper. A Skelanimals Y2K Kit the Cat tote bag. A vintage Ruby Gloom Leave Me Alone hoodie. Band shirts. Belts. Accessories. All frozen in time. His truck was going to be filled with all sorts of crap after he finished this series. There were simply too many items left behind. Too many forgotten treasures. Too many things he couldn't just leave here to rot. These things deserved to be appreciated. Do you know how expensive it is to buy something that was manufactured in the 90's nowadays? And here Toji was, standing in the middle of what felt like a treasure chest, free to take whatever he wanted.

Continuing down the hallways, he occasionally pointed the camera towards the railings overlooking the lower levels. The view from above made the mall look even bigger. Rows upon rows of storefronts stretched into darkness. Some sections remained illuminated by the lights he had activated earlier while others disappeared completely into blackness. 

He had to watch where he stepped. Broken glass covered sections of the floor. Pieces of fallen ceiling littered the walkways. Rotting building materials crumbled beneath his boots. Every step produced a crunch that echoed throughout the abandoned structure. Graffiti covered the walls. Dark stains marked the floors. Mold spread across corners and ceilings in strange patterns. Dead decorative plants remained trapped inside oversized pots, their brittle branches threatening to disintegrate at the slightest touch.

It was beautiful in a strange way. Everything was abandoned, forgotten. Yet somehow preserved, as if time itself had stopped moving within these walls.

For a moment Toji stopped talking. Stopped filming. Stopped joking. Instead he simply looked around. Places like this were the reason he loved urban exploration. Not because they were scary or dangerous, but because they felt like memories made physical. Little snapshots of history left behind for someone else to discover years later. As if he had traveled back in time.

After 20 minutes passed, Toji ended the video.

“Alright guys, that will be all for this part. If you enjoyed this, make sure to keep up with part 4 and perhaps part 5.” he pointed the camera down to the first floor. “Eheheh, I'm still deciding whether to explore the last floor or not, but regardless, if you liked this video make sure to like, comment and subscribe. See you soon in the next video.”

Toji clicked stop on the record button and lowered the camera. The cheerful smile he had been wearing for the audience immediately disappeared. The silence returned. He simply stood there staring at the dark hallways stretching beyond the reach of the lights. It always felt strange whenever he finished recording. One second he was talking nonstop for hundreds of viewers and the next he was completely alone again. There were no comments, no music, no audience. Just him and an abandoned mall buried beneath the earth.

Toji glanced at the camera screen, quickly checking that everything had recorded properly. Twenty-two minutes. Not bad. He could probably stretch this place into another two or three more videos if he explored the flooded floor as well. Assuming he actually decided to go down there.

His eyes drifted to the lower level. Even from up here, he could see the stagnant water reflecting the ceiling lights. The surface barely moved. The smell, however, definitely reached him. Years of mold growing. Rotting debris. Water with no circulation. It looked disgusting. Maybe he should return another day with proper waterproof equipment, or maybe he should listen to his girlfriend and stop doing dumb things for once.

“Yeah right.” Toji snorted. That wasn't happening.

Shaking his head, he adjusted the strap of his camera and began making his way to the stairs that led back to where his tent was on the upper floor. Behind him sat an abandoned Blockbuster. The iconic blue and yellow sign was faded from age but still recognizable. Rows of empty shelves could be seen through the broken glass entrance.

For a second Toji considered going inside. Then again, he'd already spent hours recording. His stomach was beginning to complain. The cookies alone weren’t enough. The tent was warm. And he still needed to edit today's footage.

Blockbuster could wait.

He continued down the corridor. His footsteps echoed softly through the empty mall. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Broken glass shifted beneath his boots. A loose ceiling panel swayed gently overhead. The farther he walked, the fewer working lights there seemed to be. The darkness gradually thickened around him.

Toji shoved one hand into his pocket and let out a yawn. Maybe he had been here longer than he thought. He couldn't even remember what time it was outside anymore. Without windows or sunlight, time felt strange underground. Hours blended together. One hallway looked almost identical to the next, maybe that was why he immediately noticed it. There was a strange faint glow.

Toji stopped walking. His eyes narrowed. “...Huh?” 

The glow was coming from the wall.

At first he thought it was a reflection. Maybe the lightning bouncing off a polished surface. But the more he stared at it, the less sense that explanation made. The light wasn't moving. It wasn't flickering. It was just... there. A thin sliver of pale cutting through the darkness.

Weird. 

Toji frowned. He had memorized the layout of the mall from the blueprint map he had found earlier and according to it there shouldn't be anything behind this wall. Maybe it was the light reflecting on it, or perhaps his eyes were simply tired. After all, he had been inside this place for hours. 

Still, curiosity slowly began creeping into the back of his mind. The same curiosity that had gotten him into trouble more times than he could count.

Toji took a few steps closer. The glow became brighter and brighter. Now he could see exactly where it was coming from, a crack; a very thin crack running vertically across the wall. A crack that absolutely should not have been there.

Toji approached it carefully. 

The light spilling through was unlike anything else in the mall. It wasn't like the cool daylight  lights. It wasn't white either. It almost looked… artificial. 

He leaned closer. There was nothing; no voices, no machinery, no footsteps, not even the distant hum of electricity.

“Hello?” Toji called out, his voice echoed through the corridor.

No response came back. 

Toji swallowed.

Now that he was standing this close, he could clearly see the light pouring through the crack. There was definitely something on the other side. Something that wasn't supposed to exist according to every map he had found; and that bothered him, because abandoned buildings followed rules. Maybe not legal and safe rules, but they followed logic. There was always an explanation. A hidden room. A forgotten hallway. An old maintenance area. Something. But this? This made absolutely no sense.

Curious despite the growing unease in his chest, Toji lifted his hand and clenched it into a fist. The logical thing to do would be to knock on the wall. If there was a hollow space behind it then he'd hear the echo immediately. Maybe there really was another section of the mall hidden away from the blueprints. It wouldn't be the first time old documentation was incomplete. Buildings this large often had maintenance corridors, storage rooms or forgotten expansions that never appeared on public records. The more he thought about it, the more reasonable explanations he found. A hidden room. A sealed-off hallway. A forgotten employee area. Anything made more sense than whatever his imagination was currently suggesting.

Swallowing hard, Toji stepped closer until he was standing directly in front of the crack. Up close the wall looked completely normal. If not for the strange glow leaking through the thin opening, there would have been nothing remarkable about it. Yet despite that, his heart continued pounding against his ribs. Something about this felt wrong. Not dangerous necessarily, just wrong; like looking at a puzzle piece that didn't belong to the same set.

“You're overthinking it,” Toji muttered to himself, letting out a nervous laugh that sounded strangely loud within the empty corridor. 

Taking one final breath, Toji raised his fist and moved forward. He expected his knuckles to touch the concrete. Instead, they kept going. His entire hand passed through the wall.

For a split second, his brain completely failed to process what had happened. The wall rippled around his wrist like disturbed water before becoming solid again. Toji stared blankly at the spot where his hand had vanished, then reality caught up with him.

“What the fuck?!” he stumbled backwards so fast that his feet tangled with each other. The camera nearly slipped from his hands as he crashed onto the floor. His heart hammered violently against his chest while every muscle in his body tensed. 

For several seconds he simply sat there staring at the wall. Nothing happened. The crack continued glowing softly. The wall remained completely still.

Toji wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced himself to take a few deep breaths. Okay. Okay. He definitely did not imagine that. There was absolutely no way. His hand had gone through the wall. Not bounced off it. Not pushed through some hidden door. Gone through it as if the concrete wasn't even there. 

The realization made his stomach twist. 

For a brief moment he considered leaving. Forget the recording. Forget the mysterious light. Just grab his stuff, drive home and pretend he never found this place. Yet even as the thought crossed his mind he already knew it wasn't going to happen. If he left now, he'd spend the rest of his life wondering what was on the other side.

Slowly, Toji pushed himself back onto his feet, pressing the camera recorder tightly against his chest. His palms felt clammy. His breathing still hadn't completely settled. Despite that, he found himself stepping forward again; one step, then another and another. Eventually he was standing directly in front of the wall once more.

“Okay…” he breathed out shakily. “You're okay.” he ran a hand through his hair. “You know you're not crazy. You saw your own hand go through the wall.” the words sounded ridiculous the moment they left his mouth, yet they were true.

Questions immediately began racing through his mind. What was on the other side? Was there a way back? What if he got stuck? What if this led somewhere else entirely? Another building? Another city? Another country? Hell, what if it wasn't even on Earth? The possibilities were so absurd that under different circumstances he would've laughed.

“Calm yourself Toji, you're alright.” he spoke the words aloud for reassurance. But being the adventurer that he was, curiosity inevitably won. It always did. The same curiosity that had driven him into abandoned buildings ever since he was a child refused to let him walk away now.

“You can do this. You can…”

Closing his eyes, Toji took a deep breath and tightened his grip around the camera. If he was really doing this, then he wanted proof. Nobody would believe him otherwise. 

Slowly he stepped inside. The moment his body touched the wall he felt resistance for only a fraction of a second before it gave way. It felt almost like walking through a thin veil hanging in the air. A cold sensation brushed across his skin. The air shifted around him. His ears popped. Then it was over.

Toji slowly released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and opened his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was the color yellow. Every surface around him was covered in faded yellow wallpaper stretching farther than it should have. The second thing he noticed was the sound. A constant buzzing filled the air, low and unending, coming from the fluorescent lamps  mounted across the ceiling. The noise seemed to softly vibrate through the room. That’s when Toji realized something. The mall was gone. Completely gone. There were only yellow walls. Yellow carpet. Yellow hallways stretching into the distance.

For the first time since entering the underground mall, genuine fear crawled up Toji's spine.

“Sooo, what was it that you wanted to show us?” Satoru asked, yawning as he relaxed comfortably in the passenger seat of Toji’s truck while everyone else was pressed together like canned sardines in the back.

“You’ll see when we get there.” Toji replied flatly, keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead.

“For you to finally text us, it must be something veeerry important.”

“I text you guys, just not in the groupchat.”

“You don’t.”

“I do.”

“When?”

“I text Sukuna like every other day.” Toji admitted.

Satoru dramatically raised his arms into the air. “You text him but not me?” he scoffed. “I’m offended.”

“You’re annoying.”

Yuki, who was squeezed next to you, let out a chuckle.

“Why are you even here Yuki? You’re not even in the groupchat.” Satoru snapped back, feeling a bit humiliated from Toji’s words.

“Choso invited me.” her smile widened as she looked over at Choso, who was squeezed to her other side.

The truck continued down the road while everyone carried on with their usual banter. Between Satoru's constant complaints, Suguru occasionally adding fuel to the fire, and Yuki laughing whenever someone got annoyed, the drive felt normal despite the mystery surrounding whatever Toji wanted to show everyone. Every now and then the truck bounced from a pothole in the road, causing everyone who sat in the back to groan in annoyance as shoulders bumped together again. At this point nobody even bothered apologizing anymore, there simply wasn't enough room.

Eventually the vehicle began slowing down. Gravel crunched beneath the tires as Toji pulled into an empty clearing before finally bringing the truck to a stop.

“Alright, everyone pipe down. We’re here.” Toji announced while stopping the car and hopping off.

As soon as he opened the back door, almost everyone tumbled outside.

One by one everyone climbed out from the back seats, stretching stiff muscles and relaxing their bodies after being seated in uncomfortable positions for so long. Several joints popped, few complaints immediately followed, meanwhile Satoru was already standing outside with a bright smile on his lips, clearly enjoying the fact everyone else had suffered while he sat comfortably in the front seat the entire trip.

According to what Sukuna had told you, Toji texted the groupchat because he had found something “extraordinary,” something nobody had ever seen before, but for whatever reason he insisted everyone be there in person instead of simply explaining it through messages. With nothing else to do, Sukuna accepted and asked if you wanted to go with him. You had agreed almost immediately. Exploring an abandoned building had always been one of those experiences sitting quietly on your bucket list. It was something you had thought about doing before, but never actually committed to. Of course, imagining yourself exploring abandoned places and actually doing it were two very different things.

Still, with everyone else hopping on board, it made you feel safer if anything were to happen. Not that your boyfriend wasn’t strong enough to protect you—far from it actually, but having more people tag along made the whole thing feel less intimidating. Besides, the men would all probably end up doing their own thing while you and Yuki stuck together. It happened every time the group went out. The guys always ended up in one corner talking about some sports match, video game, or whatever random topic had their attention that week, while you and your girl friends  managed to talk about literally everything else in existence.

Toji walked to the back of his truck and unpacked a duffle bag before quickly typing something into his phone. “Alright, everyone stay close and follow me. I set up a small tent in one of the stores so we’ll go there first before proceeding to the thing I actually wanted to show you.”

The group naturally split into pairs as they followed behind him. Toji led from the front while Choso and Yuki walked together behind him. Satoru and Suguru stayed side by side, casually engaging in chatter about something neither of them seemed particularly invested in. Meanwhile you held onto Sukuna’s forearm, staying close to him.

The moment you stepped inside, your grip around Sukuna tightened slightly. A chill immediately ran down your spine. Sure, you had wanted to explore an abandoned place before, but wanting to do it and actually doing it were completely different experiences. The air felt stale. Dust lingered in the atmosphere. Every footstep echoed softly throughout the enormous structure. Shadows stretched across corners where the light struggled to reach. The place still felt unsettling.

A quiet voice in the back of your mind whispered that this was probably a bad idea. That maybe you should've stayed home. That maybe some places were abandoned for a reason. You tried your best to ignore those thoughts. Taking a slow breath, you forced yourself to calm down. You didn't want doubts winning before the exploration had even begun, and even so, it was already too late to back out now. The only way home was in Toji’s truck, and you highly doubted he wanted to waste gasoline driving one person all the way back just because they were nervous.

“This way.” Toji turned around for a second, pointing towards a small store tucked away inside the mall before continuing.

The group followed.

“Sooooo, you’re going to tell us what this is about now?” Satoru asked, stretching his arms above his head as he walked. His voice echoed faintly throughout the empty structure.

“In a second.” Toji replied.

Reaching the small store he had been using as a temporary camp, Toji dropped the duffle bag onto the floor and crouched besides it. The store itself looked no different from the others you had passed on the way in. Empty shelves stood abandoned against the walls, dust covered nearly every surface, and part of the ceiling had collapsed near the back, leaving broken tiles scattered across the ground. In the corner sat a small tent, looking strangely out of place amongst the decay surrounding it.

Toji unzipped a duffle bag he had brought with him from the truck. Inside were several water bottles, a granola bar, an apple, a banana, chocolate chip cookies, and a bag of Doritos. There was also a flashlight, a small pocket knife, a compass, extra batteries, and a few other supplies neatly packed away.

“You’re taking us to a battlefield, Toji?” Sukuna snickered after seeing the contents inside the bag.

Toji let out a tired sigh, already regretting bringing his friends here. Ignoring the comment, he continued organizing the contents, checking his camera batteries before placing them inside the bag and closing the zipper.

“I found something strange on the second floor while exploring.” he finally revealed.

Immediately everyone's attention shifted to him.

“What did you find?” Choso asked while holding hands with Yuki.

“Well...” Toji reached down and unfolded one of the blueprint maps he had left nearby. Kneeling on the dusty floor, he spread it open and pointed towards a specific section with his finger. “According to these maps, there shouldn’t be anything behind this section of the mall.”

Everyone leaned slightly closer. The blueprints looked old and worn from how much Toji had been handling them. Various sections had been circled in pen while other areas contained small handwritten notes.

Toji tapped the location again. “But while I was exploring that hallway, I saw a glowing light coming from a crack in the wall.”

“Great, so you saw a lamp shining into another room that wasn’t on the layout map. Is that why you insisted on us coming along?” Satoru laughed teasingly, clearly hoping to get a reaction out of him.

“This is why no one likes you, Satoru.”

“Ouch.” Yuki grinned.

“Not true! Suguru, Shoko and Utahime all love me.” Satoru defended himself.

“Ehhh, debatable on that last one.”

A few chuckles spread through the group. Toji merely shook his head. His friends were all complete idiots.

Part of him wanted to explain everything right then and there. To tell them about the wall, the portal, the strange yellow room on the other side, but the moment he imagined their reactions, he immediately decided against it. If somebody had told him they walked through a wall and ended up in some impossible room hidden behind reality itself, he probably wouldn't have believed them either.

Without another word, Toji folded the blueprint back up and stood. “Come on.”

Everyone followed after him again as he guided the group deeper into the mall. The more you ventured inside, the quieter everything became. Footsteps echoed through the abandoned corridors. The occasional crunch of broken glass sounded beneath someone's shoe. As everyone walked, you found yourself looking around more carefully. The place felt even bigger. Perhaps it was because there were more people with you, allowing you to pay attention to things other than your own nervousness. Storefronts stretched endlessly along both sides of the hallways. Faded advertisements still hung from walls. Mannequins stood motionless inside display windows. Abandoned decorations remained exactly where they had been left years ago.

“Be careful not to slip.” Toji called over his shoulder while leading everyone to the staircase. “That water is dangerous and has a lot of microorganisms. One of them I read about can cause serious injuries to the brain.” then he glanced back at Satoru. “Not that it would matter much in your case, but still, be careful.”

“You truly hate me!” Satoru dramatically placed a hand over his chest, pretending to be wounded.

“Only a little.”

Satoru gasped. “See? This is workplace harassment.”

“You don't even work for me.”

The group continued climbing the stairs. One floor then another. Each level seemed more creepy than the last. The smell of stagnant water became stronger the lower you went. It lingered in the air alongside everything else, creating an unpleasant combination that made you wrinkle your nose. 

Eventually everyone reached down to the second floor. Toji slowed to a stop. One by one everyone looked ahead. And there it was, a thin crack running through the wall. Bright light spilled from the other side.

Nobody said anything at first. The corridor had gone quiet. Even Satoru wasn't making jokes anymore.

“...Wooowww...” Yuki gasped softly as she slowly stepped closer to investigate.

Almost immediately, Choso's hand tightened around hers. He gently pulled her back before she could get too close. He wasn't particularly fond of the idea of her touching something strange, especially in an underground building with almost no signal and no signs of civilization nearby.

Everyone stood there staring at the crack in the wall. The light continued shining through the narrow opening, bright and unwavering. It wasn't flickering like the lights throughout the mall, nor did it resemble sunlight. It was simply there, lightening the darkness around it with an almost unnatural glow. You found yourself staring at it too. The closer you looked, the stranger it seemed. According to the blueprints there shouldn't have been anything behind that wall, yet the evidence was right in front of you. A crack on the wall, a light behind it. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up, something about it felt wrong.

Suddenly you understood why Toji had insisted everyone come see it in person. No amount of explaining would've convinced you. You had to see it with your own eyes.

“Curious about this I placed my hand on the wall to knock, you know, an echo on the walls to give me confirmation that there was something else on the other side and not just my mind playing tricks...” Toji explained.

“Yes, Toji?” you asked, still holding on to Sukuna’s hand.

Toji took a moment before continuing. His eyes drifted towards the glowing crack before lowering to the floor. He seemed hesitant, almost unsure of how to explain what had happened without sounding completely insane. The silence stretched for several seconds before Toji finally spoke again. 

“Well... then this happened...” Toji stepped closer to the wall before taking another step and disappearing.

A breath caught in your throat.

One moment Toji was standing here in front of the whole group. The next he was gone. Not hidden behind something. Not turning a corner. Gone completely, as though the wall had swallowed him whole.

“What the hell?!”

“Where did he go????”

“Toji!”

“Toji, can you hear us?!”

“Get back here!”

Everyone shouted at the same time, voices overlapping throughout the corridor and each other. Panic immediately spread through the group as all eyes locked onto the wall. Your heart began pounding inside your chest. There was no way. That wasn't possible. Walls didn't just eat people, yet you had seen it happen with your own eyes.

“What do we do?” Yuki asked, looking at Choso for answers.

Unfortunately, Choso looked just as lost as everyone else. His hand tightened around hers while he stared at the wall, searching for some logical explanation that simply wasn't there.

For several long seconds nobody moved. 

Then Suguru let out a heavy breath through his nose. “Fuck it, I'm going in.”

Before anyone could stop him, Suguru stepped forward. He approached the wall without hesitation, stopped directly in front of it, and walked straight through. Just like Toji, he disappeared too.

“Suguru! Wait for me!” the words had barely left Satoru's mouth before he immediately ran after him. True to form, he didn't stop to think, didn't ask questions, and didn't consider the possibility that this could be dangerous. He simply charged after his best friend and vanished through the wall as well.

“These idiots...” Sukuna grunted, dragging a hand across his face. “Toji too.”

You remained frozen where you stood, staring at the spot where three people had disappeared. It felt unreal, like a magic trick somebody forgot to explain. Your brain kept trying to convince itself there had to be a rational answer somewhere, but every possibility fell apart the second you remembered what you had just witnessed.

“What now?” you asked quietly, taking a small step backwards. “Should we go in...?” your eyes shifted to Sukuna.

For the first time since you two started dating, he looked genuinely uncertain.

“Uh... I mean...” Sukuna scratched the back of his neck. “Do you want to?”

You looked back at the wall. The crack continued glowing softly, completely indifferent to the panic it had caused. 

You looked back at Sukuna again. “To be quite honest... not really,” you admitted with a nervous laugh. “I didn't expect my first time exploring abandoned places to turn out like this.” the words felt ridiculous coming out of your mouth because of course you weren't comfortable. Three people had just walked through a wall and vanished. “But what other choice do we have? We all came in Toji’s car, and he’s the only one with the keys, so it's not like we have much of a choice...”

Sukuna pressed a hand hard against his temple as realization slowly settled over him. Unfortunately, you were right.

“That fucking loser...” he groaned.

Walking home wasn't exactly an option. Not from here at least.

He let out a long sigh before looking back at you. “Just uh… let me know whenever you feel ready. We'll both go through it together.” his hand tightened around yours, enough to reassure you. A silent promise that whatever happened next, he wasn't letting you go through it alone. 

Besides you, Choso cleared his throat. “Why don't we just wait for them to come back?” he suggested.

“And if they don't?” Yuki asked, her voice noticeably quieter than before.

Immediately Choso fell silent. His mouth opened slightly before closing again, because he didn't have an answer. None of them did.

The corridor went quiet once more as everyone stared at the glowing crack in the wall. On one side was the abandoned mall. On the other was something completely unknown, something impossible. The thought of stepping through that wall without knowing what waited on the other side was foolish, yet the longer you stood there, the more thoughts began creeping into your mind.

What if it wasn't dangerous? What if whatever was on the other side wasn't bad at all? Maybe you were overthinking it. Maybe this was simply another hidden part of the mall. Maybe Toji was playing some elaborate prank. Maybe there was a projector involved. Some kind of special effect. After all, Toji did run a YouTube channel. He recorded videos, edited footage, and spent most of his free time learning new technology. Perhaps this was just another one of his ridiculous ideas to get views online. Then again… even for Toji, this felt extreme.

You shook your head and pushed those thoughts aside. None of it explained how three grown men had just vanished through a solid wall.

Taking a deep breath, you squeezed Sukuna’s hand. “Okay...” you said quietly. “I think I'm ready.”

“You sure?” Sukuna asked, studying your face carefully as if trying to figure out whether you were forcing yourself to do this.

You bit the inside of your cheek and glanced back to the wall. The strange light continued pouring from the crack, illuminating part of the corridor around it. Standing this close, it almost felt as if it were inviting you in. Every instinct in your body told you to turn around and leave, yet another part of you—the same part that had agreed to come exploring in the first place—wanted answers.

“I think so...” you admitted.

“Alright then.”

The both of you turned to face the wall. Sukuna gave the mall a long look before tightening his grip on your hand. Behind you, Choso rubbed his face while Yuki continued staring at the crack with a mixture of fascination and concern.

“Fiiiine,” Choso groaned. “We’re going too.”

Yuki smiled nervously beside him. “Thank the gods, because there is absolutely no way I’m standing here alone.”

“You weren't going to.”

“I know, but saying it out loud makes me feel better.”

You looked over at Sukuna one last time. “Together?”

“Together.”

The two of you stepped closer to the wall. The closer you got, the stranger it looked. The crack itself wasn't particularly large, yet the light coming from it seemed far brighter than what should've been possible. It spilled across the floor and walls around it.

Your heart hammered inside your chest. This was insane. Completely insane. People weren't supposed to walk through walls.

The moment you reached the crack, Sukuna gave your hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Ready?”

“No.”

“Good answer.”

Despite the fears, a small laugh escaped you. 

Before you could change your mind, both of you stepped inside. The sensation was impossible to describe. It felt cold and warm at the same time. Smooth yet rough. It felt as though your entire body had become weightless. The sounds of the mall disappeared. The air around you shifted. Time itself seemed to slow down until everything became strangely distant.

Then it was over.

The ground felt solid beneath your feet once again.

You squeezed your eyes shut. “I-is it safe?” you asked, refusing to open them. “Are we okay?” your grip around Sukuna’s hand tightened.

From somewhere nearby, you heard voices.

“Satoru, stay still. How did you even manage to do this?” Suguru sounded exasperated.

“I just wanted to grab those headphones!”

A short laugh escaped Sukuna. “Yeah, we’re okay. You can open your eyes now.”

Slowly, you did. The first thing that greeted you was the light, a neutral white light. You blinked several times before your eyes adjusted. Yellow. Everything was yellow. The walls. The carpet. The endless hallways stretching beyond the room. The place looked like some strange office building frozen in time.

In the middle of the room sat a mountain of recording equipment: cameras, microphones, headphones, tripods, memory cards, light stands, cables tangled together in massive knots, and right on top of that pile was Satoru.

“Get me out of here!” he complained. 

Several cords had somehow wrapped themselves around his legs while he desperately held onto a pair of headphones. Suguru stood next to him trying to untangle the mess while simultaneously questioning every life decision that had brought him to this moment. In the corner of the room, Toji was adjusting his camera settings as if none of this was unusual.

“Where are we?” you asked quietly, still holding onto Sukuna as you slowly observed the room around you.

Behind you, Choso and Yuki stepped through the wall as well. The moment Yuki opened her eyes her jaw practically dropped. 

“Woooooooow!” she gasped. “Toji, where are we?!?”

Even Choso looked stunned. His eyes moved across the yellow walls and endless hallways, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. 

Everyone looked amazed, baffled. No words could properly describe the feeling. Nothing about this place made sense. It felt real. The carpet beneath your feet was real. The buzzing lights overhead were real. The stale air filling your lungs was real. 

Suguru ultimately succeeded in releasing Satoru from the cords. Satoru joyfully raised the headphones right away.

“I hope these work when we get back.”

“Dumbass,” Suguru muttered.

In the corner, Toji finally finished adjusting his camera. A small red light blinked on, indicating that it was recording. Of course he was recording.

“Alright.” Toji cleared his throat. “I did walk around for a bit, but not much. Follow me.”

The group slowly gathered together. Nobody seemed particularly eager to wander off alone. Not in a place like this.

As everyone followed behind, a strange uneasiness settled over you. The room was silent aside from the constant buzzing of the fluorescent lamps overhead. No air conditioning. No distant voices. It reminded you of standing inside an empty building after closing hours, except worse. The air was strangely still. Not oppressive. Not heavy. Almost as if something was missing from it.

As Toji led everyone towards one of the hallways, your eyes drifted to a sign hanging from the wall.

AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.

The sign looked old, worn, and oddly out of place. Authorized personnel, you thought. Personnel for what exactly? Who would even work somewhere like this? You wondered if this place had once been part of the mall. Maybe some forgotten section hidden behind the walls. Maybe a store that had closed long before everything else.

“Authorized personnel only...” Choso read aloud. “Seems this is our cue to turn back now.”

“Nonsense!” Satoru immediately protested. “We just got here. We have to investigate this place.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea...” Choso replied.

Toji stopped walking then turned around to face everyone. “Okay.” his expression became more serious. “From this point on we're continuing further inside. If anyone wants to turn back, do it now.”

Nobody answered. 

You found yourself instinctively moving a little closer to Sukuna.

Suguru and Satoru seemed completely unconcerned. If anything, they looked eager to continue. Satoru's eyes kept wandering down the hallway as if he expected to find something exciting around the next corner. Suguru wasn't much different. While he appeared calmer, there wasn't any sign that he planned on turning back.

On the other side, Choso looked significantly less enthusiastic. His arm remained around Yuki's shoulders while his eyes studied the hallway ahead. The place clearly bothered him too. The problem was that curiosity always outweighed fear.

"What do you want to do?" Sukuna asked quietly, leaning closer so only you could hear.

You hesitated. The sensible answer was obvious. Turn around, go back through the wall, and pretend none of this ever happened. Yet when you imagined leaving now, a different feeling settled in your chest; regret, because if you left, you would never know what this place was. You would spend the rest of your life wondering what existed beyond these hallways.

“I don't know…” you admitted honestly. “I don't feel too sure about this place, but…” your eyes drifted towards the corridor. “I'm intrigued.”

Sukuna nodded. “I feel the same… I think I want to stay too. But I'm not leaving you here alone.”

A small smile tugged at your lips. 

You looked down at the carpet beneath your feet. Every part of your brain was screaming at you to turn around. Yet your feet refused to move. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was stubbornness. Or maybe seeing everyone else standing here made the decision easier. Whatever the reason, you eventually sighed. 

“We should stay.”

“You sure?”

You bit your lip. Not really, but you nodded anyway. “I think so.”

“Alright then.”

The two of you looked back at Toji.

Across the room, Choso let out an exaggerated groan. “Fiiiiine.” he threw one hand into the air. “We're staying too.”

Yuki immediately brightened up. “Really?”

“No.” Choso deadpanned. “I was planning on leaving you here.”

Yuki smacked his arm.

Satoru laughed. “Excellent decision. I knew you guys would come around.”

“You say that like you didn't sprint through a mystery wall after Suguru without thinking.” Sukuna said.

“I thought about it.”

“No, you didn't.”

“I thought about it very quickly.”

“That's not how thinking works.”

Meanwhile, Toji had already turned the camera back to himself. The red recording light continued blinking. Part of you wondered how he could still be focused on filming at a time like this. Then again this was probably the biggest discovery of his entire career. Millions of people explored abandoned buildings. Nobody discovered impossible worlds hidden inside walls.

“Okay…” Toji spoke into the camera. “We don't know where we are. I found this weird light inside the abandoned underground mall. When I approached it, it led me here.” he slowly turned the camera at the group.

Satoru immediately waved. “Hi mom.”

“You think your mom is watching this?” Suguru asked.

“She definitely will after this.”

Ignoring them, Toji continued. “Me and my friends are going to see what's back here. Hopefully something interesting.”

The moment he finished speaking, he stepped beyond the warning sign. The rest of the group exchanged uncertain glances before following after him.

As soon as you crossed beyond the sign, a strange feeling settled in your stomach. Nothing changed. The walls remained yellow. The lights continued to softly buzz. The carpet felt exactly the same beneath your shoes. But something felt as though you had crossed an invisible line, like the sign had been more than a warning.

The place was huuuge, endless,  no matter where you went there was just another opening taking you somewhere else. Every room seemed connected to another, every corridor opening into two more, every turn revealing another section of yellow walls and buzzing lights. It almost felt as if the place was constantly unfolding in front of you. No matter how long you walked, there was always something beyond the next room waiting to be discovered.

At first there was nothing, just big rooms that would echo the footsteps or noises someone made. The group kept quiet, looking at everything in bewilderment and baffled by what they were seeing. Every now and then someone would stop to stare at a wall for a little longer than necessary or glance down a corridor stretching into the distance. The place didn't feel real. It felt like a dream someone had forgotten to wake up from.

At some point, Satoru—as usual—began some meaningless chat, making stupid remarks and occasionally getting a response. The sound of conversation helped. It made the endless rooms feel a little less empty, a little less unsettling. Even if half of what came out of Satoru's mouth was nonsense, it was still better than listening to nothing.

A few corridors connecting the rooms were completely dark, but thankfully the rooms from both ends and Toji's camera flashlight shined inside. Even so, every time the group crossed one of those darker hallways, you found yourself walking a little faster without realizing it. The darkness felt different here. Not threatening exactly, but unnatural. 

As the group went deeper and deeper, stranger things started appearing.

There was furniture, but it was all wrong: a table was halfway finished, chairs didn't have their legs, lamps were going through the walls, a desk was stuck on the ceiling, everything was just wrong. It felt like someone had tried to photocopy a room and the image came out distorted. A copy of a copy that kept degrading each time it was reproduced. The longer you looked at those objects, the more uncomfortable they became. Everything looked familiar enough for your brain to recognize it, but wrong enough to make you wish you hadn't looked so closely.

The entrances got weird over time too. At first they were just long empty entrances, but then they got odder. A small square on the center of the wall took you somewhere else. A really slim rectangle led to another corridor. There were rooms completely dark. A piano stuck on the floor. A car that had crashed into one of the walls, dark smoke dust around it. Based on the model of the car, it must've happened years ago. Yet there was no sign of the driver. No belongings. No indication that anyone had ever been there.

“Hellooooo? Is anyone here???” Satoru stretched out his voice, the noise vibrating and resonating throughout the rooms.

As the group went deeper and deeper, more things started appearing. In some places, there were cameras on the doorways with cardboard cutouts of a caveman saying hello in multiple languages. Drawings started appearing on the walls, usually point marks or arrows leading the way. Toji, acting as the group's leader, followed them without much hesitation.

The place felt endless, like a maze. It reminded you of a labyrinth but without the Minotaur... well, at least you hadn't seen one yet. Hopefully things stayed that way too.

Over time, as you continued exploring with the group, your anxieties began calming down. The longer you were here, the more your mind started forgetting the idea that there was something else lurking somewhere within these endless rooms. Perhaps this was proof that once you faced your fears, things became less scary. And they did. What had once felt overwhelming now felt strangely familiar. The yellow walls no longer made your stomach twist. The constant buzzing slowly faded into the background. You were more at peace now, even cracking jokes with Satoru and Yuki every once in a while.

“All these empty rooms, they could build apartments here.” Yuki joked as she looked around one of the larger spaces.

“Would you move in?” you asked her.

“Hmmm...” Yuki thought about it for a second, placing a finger against her chin. “I think I would, though they seriously need to change the lighting and wallpaper. All this yellow is not it. Reminds me of piss.”

You and Satoru immediately burst out laughing. Even Suguru let out a low chuckle. Only Sukuna, Toji, and Choso remained quiet.

“Heyyy, brighten up.” Satoru reached over and shook Choso's shoulder.

“Satoru... let go.”

“What? I'm not doing anything.”

“We need to stay focused.”

“You're too tensed up dude, chill. Nothing is going to happen.”

“You don't know that.” 

“If it did, it would've happened already.”

Choso grunted. His response felt different; not annoyed but tired. Over the last hour, he had slowly spoken less and less. While everyone else occasionally got distracted by the bizarre things around them, Choso remained alert. Constantly looking around. Constantly checking hallways. Constantly making sure Yuki remained nearby. The deeper they ventured into the place, the less comfortable he seemed.

From the front Toji called out, “Can you guys keep it quiet? I'm still recording.”

Satoru looked at him and immediately let go of Choso's shoulder, raising both hands. “Alright, alright, sorry...” he whispered before adding under his breath, “party pooper...”

Toji ignored him.

On the walls even more signs started appearing, and Toji seemed far too invested to stop following them. Every new arrow felt like a clue. Every new marking felt like evidence that someone else had been here. He continued leading the group through more and more rooms, the camera constantly rolling as he documented everything. Random holes had started appearing in the floors too, forcing everyone to watch where they stepped.

Eventually the arrows led everyone to a wall covered in scribbles.

The moment you saw it, the atmosphere changed. Unlike the previous markings, these weren't simple arrows or directions. They felt desperate. Messages had been written all over the wallpaper using different colors and different handwriting.

the sound doesn't stop

it knows your fears

it hears me

it hears me

it hears me

God closed its eyes

There were handprints pressed against portions of the wall. A strange smiling face had been drawn near the center, its expression somehow making your skin crawl despite how simple it looked. Near the top—far too high for an average person to comfortably reach—someone had drawn a window with trees and a bright sun outside.

Beneath it another message had been written: if you see it don't move, don't scream, don't breathe. Stay still

You felt your stomach tighten.

At both ends of the wall were more arrows.

The arrow on the right read: Habitable Zone

The arrow on the left read: The End

“Huuuh...” Toji slowly recorded everything on the wall, taking his time documenting every message and drawing. “Habitable Zone or The End...” he muttered. “Well, I imagine The End is just the end of this.”

Nobody said. The lights continued buzzing, but louder now. 

Choso finally spoke. “Can't we go through the other side?” he asked, looking around. “We've explored enough and I don't want to take my chances pushing this further. We should all go back. I'm tired, and I'm sure it's pretty late by now.”

“What?” Yuki looked over at him. “You want to go already?”

“Yes...” Choso answered. “I think we should all return.”

“No way dude, this is all too fun and mysterious.” Satoru immediately blurted out.

“Yeah Choso...” Yuki agreed. “We just got here. No way you're tired already. Besides, this is all too cool to quit now.”

Choso exhaled slowly through his nose. “Yuki.” his voice sounded more serious this time, more commanding. “We've been here for more than an hour. There's nothing to see, and to be honest, I don't like being here.” his eyes briefly wandered around the room. “I know you're excited and all, but I don't feel comfortable being here. Honestly, I'd appreciate it if you didn't disagree with me on this one and just came back.”

“Choso.” Yuki scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You say that every time I’m out with your friends. You always want to leave before everyone else.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is.” Yuki crossed her arms. “I didn’t say anything sooner because I didn’t want to start an argument, but it feels like you’re being too overprotective. We’re fine. Nothing is going to happen.” she gestured towards you. “She is here too, and I barely get to hang out with her because we’ve all been so busy lately. Can’t you please do this for me once?”

Choso stared at her. “You don’t understand.” 

“No, you don’t understand.” Yuki immediately shot back. The frustration in her voice caught everyone off guard. “Every single time we go somewhere you act like something terrible is about to happen.”

“Because something could happen.”

“But it hasn’t.”

“Yet.” the answer came instantly. Even Choso himself seemed surprised by how harsh he sounded.

Yuki stared at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means look around, Yuki.” Choso spread his arms. “We walked through a wall. We’re in some place nobody understands. We have no clue where we are. We don’t know how big this place is. We don’t know if there’s something else here with us.”

“Exactly.” Yuki replied. “We don’t know. We don’t know anything. Which is why I want to keep exploring.”

Choso let out a disbelieving laugh. “Exploring?”

“Yes.”

“You’re treating this like some vacation.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You are.”

The argument was escalating now. You could feel it. Neither of them were really listening anymore.

“You know what?” Yuki stepped closer. “I’m tired of you acting like I can’t make decisions for myself.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.”

“It is.”

“No it isn’t.”

“You literally just asked me to leave because you don’t like being here.”

“Because I’m worried!” the words came out louder than intended. 

The entire room fell silent; even Satoru stopped smiling. Toji lowered the camera. 

Choso closed his eyes, immediately regretting it, but the words were already out. “I’m worried.” he repeated more quietly. “I’ve been worried since we walked through that wall.”

Yuki’s expression softened slightly, only for a second, then she looked away. “Choso...”

“No.” he shook his head. “I’m serious.” his hand moved through his hair. He looked exhausted. Not physically, but emotionally. “I don’t like this place.” his eyes wandered toward the hallway labeled The End, then to the one labeled Habitable Zone, then back to Yuki. “Every room looks the same. We don’t know where we are. We don’t know where we’re going. We don’t know if we can even find our way back.”

The lights continued humming.

“Maybe I’m overreacting.” Choso admitted. “Maybe I am.”

Yuki remained quiet.

“But I don’t want to keep doing this.”

Yuki looked down at the floor, then back up at him. “And I don’t want to leave.”

Choso’s shoulders dropped. For several seconds neither moved. Neither spoke. The two simply stared at each other. Then Choso slowly let go of her hand.

“Fine.” the word sounded defeated. “Do whatever you want.”

“Choso—”

“No.” he shook his head. “I’m not your father. You’re old enough to do whatever you want.” he turned and began walking away. Towards The End. Away from the argument. Away from the room. Away from the buzzing lights that never seemed to stop.

Yuki watched him leave. Something flickered across her face. Regret. Hurt. Frustration. You couldn’t tell. She turned around too. “Fine,” and started walking in the opposite direction.

“Uhhh guys...” you mumbled. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to split up.”

Neither of them listened. They just kept walking. Further and further away. Disappearing into separate hallways.

“Orrr you can just ignore me.”

The rest of the group remained standing there. 

Satoru looked at the corridor Choso disappeared into. Suguru looked at Yuki. Then both looked at each other.

Suguru massaged his forehead. “Satoru, go get Choso and convince him to come back. I’ll go get Yuki and do the same.”

Satoru groaned dramatically. “Alriiiighttt... didn’t think I’d end up playing babysitter in an interdimensional piss maze.”

Despite the argument, a short laugh escaped Suguru. “Just go.”

Satoru saluted. “Yes, sir.”

The two immediately headed in opposite directions, chasing after the couple before they managed to get too far. And just like that, the group became even smaller.

“Of course this had to happen.” Sukuna muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The room felt much larger than before. Only moments ago there had been seven people standing together. The conversations, the jokes, the occasional complaints from Satoru had made the place feel almost normal. Not safe exactly, but manageable. Now half the group had disappeared down separate hallways.

“Toji?” you looked over at him. “Are you, uhhh... going to get them?”

Toji didn't answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the wall of messages. The camera stayed raised, recording it. His gaze moved across the arrows, the warnings, the scribbled notes left behind by people who had apparently been here before.

“Toji?” you repeated.

“Huh?”

Your voice seemed to snap him out of whatever thought process he had fallen into.

He looked over his shoulder. “Oh.” he blinked. “Nah.”

“Nah?”

“They’re all grown adults.” he shrugged. “They can take care of themselves.”

You stared at him. That answer wasn't reassuring at all. 

“But—”

“I imagine they'll come back here eventually.” Toji adjusted the camera settings while speaking. “So I'll just continue exploring for a bit before they get back.”

“You seriously don't care?”

“Ehhh...” Toji tilted his hand side to side. “Not really.”

Your jaw dropped slightly.

“Like I said, they're adults. My main focus here is getting footage, not looking after them.”

“Okayyy...”

Part of you wasn't sure whether to admire his confidence or be horrified by it. Maybe both.

Sukuna leaned closer to you. “You know they're usually not like this.” he whispered.

You immediately whispered back. “No kidding?”

Normally, Choso and Yuki were practically attached at the hip. Sure, they disagreed sometimes, but never enough to storm off in opposite directions. Suguru and Satoru definitely weren't the type to wander away from each other either. Something about this place seemed to amplify everything. Every irritation, every doubt, every uncomfortable thought, like the rooms quietly took whatever was already inside your head and turned the volume up.

“Anyways,” Sukuna continued, straightening up. “We should stay close to Toji.”

“Yeah....”

You looked down the hallway where Yuki had disappeared, then to the one Choso had taken. Neither of them were visible anymore. The corridors swallowed people surprisingly fast. One minute somebody was standing there. The next they were gone behind a corner.

A strange chill ran through you. For the first time since arriving, the size of this place truly began sinking in. If someone got lost here… how would you even find them? The thought lingered in the back of your mind as Toji started walking without waiting for anyone, without even checking whether the rest of the group was following. He simply picked a direction and kept moving.

Toji paced a few steps ahead of you and Sukuna, keeping some distance while still recording everything else with his camera.

Honestly, you were starting to regret tagging along. Sure, at first the idea had been exciting and you had completely lost your mind when he walked through the wall, but after spending all this time wandering around with nothing particularly interesting happening, it was starting to become boring. The rooms had felt mysterious at first, every hallway making your imagination run wild with possibilities, but after hours of walking through endless yellow rooms and identical corridors, the novelty was beginning to wear off.

You yawned. “I’m hungry.”

Sukuna chuckled softly. “Yeah, same here.”

You continued walking besides him, your footsteps muffled by the carpet beneath your feet. “You know, I’m starting to regret coming along.”

Sukuna dramatically gasped. “Are you saying I’m boring company?”

You giggled. “Well, it’s not you. I like spending time with you, it’s just that this is boring. We haven’t seen anything interesting, and after a while it gets old seeing basically the same rooms over and over again.” you reached over and held onto his hand.

“I get it.” Sukuna nodded. “Normally we’d find something interesting, but this has just been the same rooms with weird doorways and half-finished furniture.”

“You think Toji remembers how to get back?” you asked, glancing briefly at the front before looking back at him.

Sukuna scratched his ear before replying. “Probably not.”

“Figures. We should’ve left a trail or something.”

“Mhhm.” Sukuna nodded in agreement.

The two of you continued walking behind Toji. The cameraman seemed completely absorbed in whatever he was recording. Every now and then he'd stop to film a doorway, a strange piece of furniture, or one of the countless arrows painted across the walls before continuing onward.

“Hey?”

“Yeah?”

“You think the others are fine? I hope Choso and Yuki make up because it’ll be awkward if they break up. You know, us being friends with both. It always feels like you're forced to choose between one or the other.”

Sukuna snorted. “I get it, but they'll probably be okay. It’s not the first time they've argued before, and when they make up they act like it's their first time falling in love.”

“To be fair, they act like that all the time.” a small smile tugged at your lips. “But seriously, I don't think it was a good idea to split up. Whatever. At least Satoru and Suguru are with them and Toji's not alone.”

“Agreed.”

The conversation died down. At first you didn't notice what had changed. Everything around you looked exactly the same, yet something here in this room felt different. The hairs along your arms slowly stood up. Your stomach tightened. The air had grown colder. Not dramatically colder. Just enough for you to notice, enough for your body to notice before your mind did. Your breathing suddenly felt heavier. The uneasy feeling you had experienced when first entering the wall came rushing back stronger than before.

“You feel that too?” you stopped walking, tightening your grip around Sukuna’s hand.

“Yes...” Sukuna immediately stopped as well. His eyes scanned the surrounding rooms, the entrances, corners, dark hallways, every possible direction. It wasn't panic. It was caution.

Ahead of you, Toji paid no attention to either of you. He remained completely absorbed in recording, almost captivated by whatever thoughts were running through his head. You wondered how the camera was still running, but knowing Toji he probably had enough spare batteries stored away to survive the apocalypse.

The three of you continued walking. The temperature seemed to drop another degree. The lights buzzed louder. The silence felt ominous. Toji walked inside a dark corridor. Without warning he took a sharp turn around the corner. The moment he did, his entire body froze. His posture straightened instantly. The camera lowered. For a second he simply stared.

“What the hell?!” his voice echoed through the hallway, then he ran straight into the darkness.

You and Sukuna looked at each other confused and alarmed.

“What?”

“Hey Toji, wait up!”

Neither of you received a response.

You and Sukuna ran after him. By the time you reached the entrance of the dark corridor, Toji was already gone. Only the sound of his footsteps remained, fading somewhere deeper within the maze.

“Let’s go check it out.” Sukuna said. “We can’t lose him.”

You nodded.

The two of you hurried down the hallway. The darkness swallowed the corridor between the pools of light at either end. Your footsteps echoed as you followed the direction Toji had gone, turning the corner and entering the next room he wasn't there. 

This new room was enormous. Much larger than the previous ones. Several entrances branched off in different directions, each one leading somewhere else. You and Sukuna stopped in the middle, looking around and listening for Toji, but nothing came.

“Fuck!” Sukuna cursed. “Where the fuck could he have gone?”

“Toji?” you called out. “Where are you?” your voice echoed down one of the tunnels.

No answer came back, only silence.

“Great.” Sukuna sighed.

“What do we do now?”

Sukuna stood there for a minute, thinking. “We should probably look for him. As much as I want to, we can’t just abandon him.”

You huffed. “So where do we go from here?”

The both of you slowly turned, studying each entrance. Trying to decide. Trying to guess. Trying to find some clue.

“Through here.” Sukuna finally pointed to one of the openings.

“Are you sure?”

“No.” he immediately admitted. “But what other choice do we have? We can’t just stay here.”

“Okay...” you slowly inhaled and exhaled.

“Come,”

The two of you walked towards the passageway on the left, stopping briefly at the entrance. For a moment neither of you moved, silently contemplating the decision before finally stepping through. Almost immediately the temperature returned to normal, or at least as normal as it could be in a place like this. The tension in your shoulders eased slightly. The feeling of being watched faded.

You exchanged a look with Sukuna. “I hope we find him.”

“I hope so too.”

Just as every other hallway this one seemed to lead to more pointless rooms. The two of you continued wandering through the maze. Occasionally there would be a random hole in either the ceiling or the floor leading to even more pointless rooms beyond. Every turn was similar to the last. Every corridor seemed to stretch forever before opening into another room that looked the same. Unfortunately, neither of you had been able to find Toji.

At first you had been hopeful. Every new room made you think maybe he would be standing around the corner recording something weird for his channel. Every distant shadow made you wonder if it was him. But after spending who knows how long walking through endless hallways, you were finally forced to admit the truth. He was lost.

“This was such a terrible idea.” you grunted, facepalming yourself.

Sukuna snorted. “You're only realizing that now?”

“Yes.”

Your legs kept moving, taking yet another turn. The conversation died off again as the two of you wandered through another corridor. The lights buzzed faintly overhead. The carpet muffled your footsteps. Everything felt strangely still, which at this point became normal.

Both of you stopped in a new room, but this one was different. Well, not completely different. It still had the same yellow wallpaper and the same unsettling atmosphere. Yet it was undeniably different. The room was slightly larger than the others. A row of pendant lamps hung from the ceiling, each spaced evenly apart. Bright red signs screamed 'EVERYTHING 50% OFF!' from different corners of the room. There were different types of tables: coffee tables, console tables, round tables and dining tables. There were couches: vintage camelbacks, ottomans, recliners, sofas and armchairs. Beyond them sat complete bedroom displays with different bed frames, nightstands and dressers arranged neatly together. It looked like an actual place, a setting.

“Wait...” your voice came out softer. “Is this supposed to be a furniture store?”

“Ikea?” Sukuna said.

You gently smacked his chest. “Not the time for jokes.”

“I wasn't joking.” 

He looked completely serious. You rolled your eyes.

“Even so, why would this be here?”

Sukuna shrugged his shoulders. “I dunno.”

You both slowly began circling the room, staying close to each other while investigating. You peeked inside drawers. Opened cabinet doors. Checked behind furniture displays. Part of you hoped there would be something useful here. A clue. A note. Anything that could explain where you were or where Toji had disappeared to. Unfortunately, the furniture store seemed just as abandoned as everything else. He was such an idiot for running off like that.

“You know what this whole place makes me feel like?” Sukuna suddenly said.

You glanced over at him. “What?”

“It makes me feel like I'm this forty year old guy stuck in a shitty job after my wife kicked me out of the house and I never got to accomplish my dreams.”

You immediately laughed.

Sukuna made a very dramatic face, closing his eyes, furrowing his eyebrows while somehow still grinning. One fist rose into the air, clenched tightly as if he were starring in some low-budget drama.

Slowly opened his eyes again. “You wouldn't kick me out of our house, right?”

The two of you didn't even have a house yet. You just lived together in a small apartment your father had let you borrow while the two of you scraped together enough money for a place of your own. Having only recently graduated from college and started your lives together, things had been challenging at times, but so far you had managed.

“Hmmm.... I don't know.” you placed a finger against your cheek, pretending to think about it. “If you start acting like an asshole to me, I would.”

“Well then, I'll be sure to be careful.”

“Good boy.” you patted his head.

Sukuna rolled his eyes and put on an annoyed expression, but after spending so many years together you already knew he was only putting on a show. The truth was that he loved when you coddled and praised him, but only when alone. If you were ever to do this in front of his friends you were sure he’d kill you and them. 

The two of you simply wandered around the store together; opening more drawers, testing recliners, making fun of ugly furniture designs. It was oddly normal. Almost enough to make you forget you were trapped in an interdimensional maze hidden behind reality.

Sukuna's expression slowly shifted into a devilish grin. That immediately made you suspicious.

“Since we're lost and Toji is not around...” he reached into his pocket. “I have a wonderful idea.” he pulled out his phone.

“Which is?” you narrowed your eyes.

Sukuna slowly approached you, placing one hand on your lower back and pulling you closer until the two of you were face-to-face.

“Well, we're alone and there's tons of mattresses laying around.” he gestured to the bedroom displays with his free hand. “I think you can figure out the rest.” his grin widened. He looked far too pleased with himself.

“Seriously? Now?”

“Why not?”

You shook your head. “We're lost in a nightmare.”

“Exactly.”

“That is not helping your argument.”

“It is from my perspective.” he laughed. “Think about it. Nobody’s around, so it’s not like they’re going to notice. Besides, imagine the views we’ll get if we fuck in a place like this.”

You looked around at the strange space surrounding you. It would be like the two of you were having sex in a furniture store, but something about this place wasn’t right.

You bit your lip, thinking it over before eventually giving in. “Okay... just make sure you crop out our faces when you upload it.”

Sukuna walked over to one of the bedroom sets, clicking record on his phone and placing it on top of a dresser to capture both of you as well as the weird-looking background.

“Of course. I always blur out our faces when I upload.” he started taking off his shirt, unbuckling his belt and pulling down his pants.

You laid on the bed, taking off your clothes as well and getting ready into position. “You even have signal on that thing? Mine wasn’t working earlier.”

“Nah, but after we get out of here I’ll upload it to our shared account. You know, surprisingly, Twitter pays well.”

“Makes sense. People are horny over there.”

You spread out on the bed, shifting to the side with your legs apart. From over your shoulder, you could already see the outline of his erection pressing against the fabric of his boxers. It suddenly became very obvious why he had suggested the idea in the first place. The man had been hard this entire time.

A soft giggle escaped you.

Sukuna leaned over your body, leaving kisses across your face as he immediately got to work, gently pressing his fingers against your clothed womanhood.

A soft sigh escaped you. Neither of you seemed concerned about the endless maze. 

Your hand found its way to his dick, slowly stroking him as he continued kissing your cheek and jaw.

The familiar intimacy eased some of the tension that had settled into your body over the past few hours. Being trapped should have felt terrifying, but with him close, it became easier to forget.

Moving across the bed, you came face-to-face with his hardened cock. A smile found its way to your lips as your hand wrapped around his shaft, tapping it gently against your lips before bringing it in your mouth. Slow, steady motions followed as your head bobbed around him, savoring the salty taste of his precum. A deep breath filled your lungs before taking him fully, his tip reaching the back of your throat while your lips brushed lightly against his darkened pink pubes.

“Hmmmphh…” you moaned around him, the vibrations making him shudder as his hand tightened around the back of your head.

Looking up, you watched his jaw hang open as he breathed deeply, eyes squeezed shut while he gently guided your head back towards him each time you pulled away. Fighting the urge to gag, you focused on steadying your breathing against the feeling of him fully sheathed in your mouth.

“Fuuuck…” he groaned, opening his eyes slowly to look down at you.

Without breaking eye contact, you slowly pulled away from him. His hand remained resting on your head but made no move to pull you back. Instead, his gaze sharpened, something darker settling behind it.

Suddenly your hips were in his hands. 

With a firm grip, he turned you around until your face was buried in the pillows before dropping to his knees and tugging your panties down. Strong hands settled on your hips, holding you firmly in place as he dragged his tongue across your slit. A bite of your lip did little to muffle the sounds escaping you. Fingers tightened around the pillow instead, knuckles slowly turning white against the fabric. Sukuna pressed the tip of his wet muscle on your clit, flicking your bud rapidly before sliding it back to your entrance. The juices spilled onto his mouth as he continued savoring them, like a thirsty man who hadn’t had water in over twenty-four hours. Sukuna continued. You bit your lip, trying—and miserably failing—to quiet down the moans. Your hands clutched the pillow tightly.

Without a warning Sukuna pulled away. You turned your head to look at him, a smirk pressed on his face.

He pumped his dick three times before guiding himself inside you. 

A sharp breath caught in your throat. Your eyes widened at the familiar intrusion as he slowly filled you, every inch making your body tense before gradually giving way. Not that you weren't used to Sukuna, but every time he pushed inside it still sent a sudden shock through you, that brief moment of adjustment making your fingers tighten against the sheets.

“Ohh, baby….” you moaned, pressing yourself harder into the pillows while shifting your thighs upward, spreading them further to give him more room. 

Maybe it was because the place felt so empty. Maybe it was because everything around felt artificial. Whatever the reason, the need to be close suddenly felt stronger than usual. 

Too impatient to give either of you much time to think, Sukuna immediately set a steady rhythm of thrusts. A low groan escaped him as one hand remained anchored on your lower back, keeping you close while the other traveled upwards to unclasp your bra. The garment slipped away seconds later, his touch lingering before that same hand slid to the back of your neck, holding you there as if he couldn't bear to put any distance between the two of you. 

Sukuna kept thrusting, his pace slowly losing whatever restraint he had before, each movement growing rougher and more desperate than the last.

Unable to stay pressed against the pillows any longer, you pushed yourself upright until your back rested against his chest. One hand found its way to his neck before tangling into his hair, holding on for support as the uneven rhythm of your breaths mixed together.

“You feel good…”

Sukuna was pounding into you when he abruptly pushed your body forward, the force making him slip out and leaving you feeling suddenly empty. He climbed onto the bed sideways, his legs facing the phone’s camera.

Immediately, you knew what to do. 

You moved over, spreading your legs on either side of him as you sat on top. From the vanity mirror, you could see both yourself and him beneath you. 

Settling into a steady rhythm, you found your pace. The knot in your stomach tightened little by little, each movement making it harder to focus on anything else. Around you, the lights continued their low flickering, the cold air of the furniture store contrasting sharply with the heat building between your bodies. Both of your noises mixed together, uneven breaths and quiet sounds filling the otherwise empty room. It made it easier to forget where you were.

“Fuck, you’re perfect.” Sukuna groaned. His hands snaked over to your breasts, fondling them. He had once jokingly called them his “personal stress balls,” though judging by the way he looked at you now, there was nothing particularly humorous about it.

A shaky laugh almost escaped you before it dissolved into another breathless sound.

The longer it went on, the more restraint seemed to leave him.

“Babe…” you whined, pressing your nails on his pectorals, leaving tiny scratches that would fade by morning. “I’m going to cum soon…”

Something flashed across his face at the confession. His grip tightened. He pulled away again, forcing a frustrated sound from your throat before guiding you onto your back. In one swift motion, he lifted your hips and repositioned himself, wasting little time before pulling you close again. Sukuna groaned loudly, any remaining restraint disappearing as his pace became increasingly relentless.

“I’m about to—” you cried out, the words breaking apart before you could even finish them.

“Cum with me.” he whispered into your ear, his voice rough and husky.

The request sounded less like an order and more like a plea. Something in his tone sent a shiver through you.

His grip tightened instinctively, holding you closer as if putting distance between the two of you was physically impossible. Every uneven breath, every sound, every desperate movement seemed to blur together until there was nothing left beyond the overwhelming need for each other.

The two of you came apart at the same time.

For several seconds neither of you could do anything except breathe. Both breaths came uneven and ragged. Sukuna practically collapsed on top of you, his sweaty chest pressing against your back as he struggled to catch his breath, his forehead resting briefly against your shoulder.

He placed a kiss on your cheek, sweat still dripping down his forehead.

“You stink.” you murmured against the pillows.

“Like you smell any better.”

The two of you chuckled at the meaningless exchange.

Sukuna painfully moved off you and sat besides you, his back pressed on the headboard. “Wish I had a cig right now.” 

“You think this place has showers? I could go for one right now.” 

Sukuna sighed, getting off the bed and tossing your clothes back to you before grabbing his own and pulling them on. “Here, put these on before the others come. And no, I don't think so. Well, I haven't seen any, but if I did I'm definitely thinking about doing a part two for this.” 

He grabbed the phone from the top of the dresser, clicking the red button to stop the recording before walking back over to the bed. “Uhhh, I'll edit it later.”

Opening the gallery, he gave the video a quick review before making any major changes, like blurring out both your faces.

“Okay...” you lazily reached across the bed, grabbing your clothes and painfully pulling them back on. “You know, next time you don't have to be so rough.”

He paused the video and looked up, giving you a warm smile. “Sorry, angel.” he resumed the footage.

You cuddled against his side and closed your eyes, enjoying the chance to rest. For the first time in hours, neither of you were walking. Neither of you were searching. Neither of you were worrying about endless hallways or where the others had gone off to. 

The buzzing lights in the background seemed to grow louder and louder. 

Sukuna went quiet for a second, then asked, “Wait... what is that...?” his voice was softer now, kinda confused.

You opened one eye.

Sukuna brought the phone closer to his face and increased the brightness. “Hey babe, do you see this thing?” he shook your shoulder and flipped the screen to you.

Blinking away your exhaustion, you squinted at the footage. “No...? Is there supposed to be something?”

Sukuna frowned. His finger tapped a specific spot on the screen. “Right here in the corner. Doesn't the background look weird to you?”

You looked again, harder this time. The footage showed a dark hallway splitting into three directions: forward, left, and right. There was nothing unusual, at least nothing you could see.

“No. I don't see anything. What do you see?”

His expression slowly shifted. Curiosity. Confusion. Concern. Without answering, he stood up from the bed.

“Ryo?”

With his phone in hand, he began walking towards that same darkened corner visible in the recording. His figure disappeared into the shadows.

“Babe, come back here. There's nothing over there.” you lazily waved a hand, your face still pressed against the cheap cotton sheets.

No answer came. For a few seconds everything was silent. Then suddenly a loud terrifying scream. The sound echoed throughout the furniture store. 

Every hair on your body stood upright. A wave of nausea rolled through your stomach.

“Sukuna!” you sat upright immediately. The right part of your brain fought to take control. It was probably a joke, a prank. It wouldn't have been the first time your boyfriend decided to mess with you after sex.

“Ryomen, come back here!”

Nothing, only the noise of the ceiling lamps now becoming louder than before. 

The furniture store remained perfectly still. Tentatively, you climbed off the bed slowly. Each step felt heavier than the last as you approached the same darkened corner he had disappeared into. The shadows grew larger.

“Ryo, stop that. This isn't funny.” your voice came out smaller than intended. Your heart pounded violently against your ribs.

As you reached the doorway, your steps faltered, stopping before it. You tried your best to peer through the darkness, trying to find him, trying to hear something, anything, but there was nothing there. 

“Ryo... please come back. This isn't funny...” the bedsheet remained clutched tightly around your body as though it could somehow protect you.

Taking a shaky breath, you squeezed your eyes shut, bracing yourself, trying your best to feel brave and step into the hallway. The darkness swallowed you almost immediately.

“Ryo... where are you?” your voice echoed into the corridor.

Still no answer from him.

From somewhere behind you a sound. A horrible screeching noise. Getting closer. The movements were fast, too fast. 

Your heart stopped. Spinning around, you caught a glimpse of something illuminated by the distant lights of the furniture store. It was a tall dark shape. Its limbs seemed to bend in ways they shouldn't. And it was charging directly at you.

You opened your mouth and screamed. The thing lunged, and everything went dark.

Dividers by: @\somebitchprobably-graphicdump

He moved like he belonged here more than the ship itself. Tall, broad-shouldered, with sharp features that seemed carved from something ancient rather than born. His skin was pale under the artificial lights, his hair a wild shock of pinkish that he kept slicked back loosely. Two arms, two eyes—one face. Human. Just like you. Yet something in the way he watched you made the hair on your arms rise. Maybe it was the way one half of his face took half a second to match it's other half.

You found him in the galley when you entered, leaning against the counter with that calm, almost lazy posture. One hand held a ration pack he wasn’t eating, the other resting at his side. He didn’t turn his head immediately, but you knew he was aware of you. He always was.

“Couldn’t sleep again?” His voice was smooth, laced with that strange amusement that never quite reached concern. He finally looked at you, eyes dark and unblinking. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, little one.”

You swallowed, forcing your voice steady. “Just... the ship sounds different tonight. Like something’s shifting in the walls.”

Sukuna’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Ships make noises. Metal contracts. Pipes breathe. Or maybe it’s just missing its crew.” He pushed off the counter and stepped closer, his presence filling the small space. “Or maybe it’s missing something else.”

You took a step back without thinking. He noticed, of course. His smile widened just a fraction, possessive in its gentleness.

“Come here,” he said softly, not quite a command but close enough that refusal felt dangerous. When you didn’t move, he closed the distance himself, one hand gently cupping the side of your face. His palm was warm—too warm for the chilled air of the ship. “You’re trembling. Fear suits you, but I prefer you breathing.”

The touch was meant to comfort. It always was. But there was something off about it, like his fingers lingered a second too long, mapping your skin as if claiming territory.

That night, the nightmares returned.

You jolted awake in your bunk, heart hammering against your ribs. The dream had been vivid: corridors slick with blood, thick and dark, pooling in the seams of the floor plates. Satoru Gojo’s voice—bright, teasing, impossible—screaming your name as something dragged him backward into the darkness. His white hair stained red. His bright eyes wide with terror before the scream cut off.

You sat up, gasping, the sheets tangled around your legs. The room was dark except for the faint emergency strip lighting along the baseboards. And there he was.

Sukuna sat in the chair beside your bunk, legs crossed, watching you with that calm, amused expression. He hadn’t been there when you fell asleep. You were sure of it.

“Bad dream?” he asked, voice low and even. He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. One hand reached out, brushing a strand of hair from your sweat-damp forehead. “You were calling for Gojo again. Poor thing. He’s safe back on Earth, remember? Mission logs say he made it to the escape pod in time.”

His thumb traced your cheekbone, gentle, almost tender. But his eyes—those dark, knowing eyes—held a spark of something that made your stomach twist. Amusement. Like your fear was a private joke between you two.

“I... I saw blood,” you whispered, hating how small your voice sounded. “Everywhere. And Satoru was screaming.”

“Shh.” Sukuna shifted closer, the chair creaking faintly under his weight. He pulled you against his chest with surprising ease, one arm wrapping around your shoulders while the other hand stroked your back in slow circles. The embrace felt secure, solid. Human. Yet the way his fingers pressed just a little too firmly into your spine sent a shiver down your back. “It’s only a dream. The ship is playing tricks on your mind. Isolation does that. But I’m here. I’ll always be here.”

You let yourself lean into him because there was no one else. His scent was faint—something metallic mixed with the sterile air of the ship. His heartbeat was steady against your ear. Too steady. Like it had never known panic.

The next day, the lights began to flicker.

It started in the observation deck. You were checking the star charts—pointless, since navigation was offline—when the overhead panels stuttered. For a split second, the room plunged into blackness. In that darkness, you heard it: a soft, wet sound, like bare feet on damp metal, coming from the corridor behind you.

When the lights returned, Sukuna was standing at the threshold, arms crossed, watching you with mild curiosity.

“Jumpy today,” he observed. “The generators are old. They hiccup sometimes.”

You nodded, but your eyes darted to the floor. No footprints. No wetness. Just the endless gray of the ship’s plating.

Supplies started disappearing after that.

Small things at first. A protein bar from your locker. Then an entire med-kit from the infirmary. You confronted Sukuna in the engine room, where he was tinkering with a panel that didn’t need fixing.

“Have you been taking the rations?” you asked, trying to keep accusation out of your voice.

He turned, wiping his hands on a rag. One face, two eyes, calm as ever. “Why would I need to? We have enough for two.” His head tilted slightly. “Unless you think someone else is onboard.”

The implication hung in the air. You laughed nervously. “No. Of course not. It’s just... strange.”

“Strange,” he echoed, amused. He stepped closer, backing you against the console without touching you. “Like the way you wake up every night covered in sweat? Or the footsteps you hear when you’re alone?”

You froze. You hadn’t told him about the footsteps.

He comforted you again that night.

The nightmare was worse. Blood flooded the halls, thick enough to lap at your ankles. Satoru’s scream echoed endlessly, his body twisting in ways human bodies shouldn’t. You woke screaming, and Sukuna was already there, sliding into the bunk beside you as if he’d been waiting for the exact moment.

“Easy,” he murmured, pulling you flush against him. Two arms—strong, unyielding—wrapped around you. One hand cradled the back of your head, fingers threading through your hair. The other rested low on your back, pressing you closer. “It’s over. Just a dream. Gojo is safe. Earth is safe. Only us here.”

His breath was warm against your temple. Too warm. His body heat seeped into you, chasing away the chill, but the comfort felt laced with possession. Like he was absorbing your fear, savoring it. When you tried to pull away, his grip tightened—just enough to remind you he could keep you there if he wanted.

“You’re mine to protect,” he whispered, lips brushing your ear. “No one else left to do it.”

The ship’s noises grew bolder.

In the dead of the ship’s artificial night cycle, you heard scraping from the lower decks. Metal on metal, then a low, guttural sound that might have been a voice or just expanding bulkheads. The flickering lights became more frequent, entire sections of the ship plunging into darkness for minutes at a time. Once, while walking the central corridor, the lights died completely. You stood frozen, breath shallow, listening to the darkness breathe around you.

Something brushed your ankle—cold, slick, gone before you could scream.

When the lights snapped back on, Sukuna was behind you. Close enough that you felt his chest against your back.

“Lost?” he asked softly, voice laced with that perpetual amusement. His hand settled on your shoulder, turning you to face him. “You shouldn’t wander alone.”

“I thought I felt—” You stopped, shaking your head. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

His smile was small, knowing. “Of course you are. Come. I’ll walk with you.”

He did. Always. Everywhere you turned, he was there. In the mess hall when you went for water. Leaning in the doorway of the observation deck while you stared at the void outside. Sitting at the foot of your bunk when nightmares tore you awake, ready with those wrong, soothing touches.

Days blurred. Or were they weeks? Time lost meaning without the sun.

You started checking the airlocks obsessively. All sealed. The escape pods—untouched, their logs showing no activity since the incident that scattered the crew. Satoru had made it out. The logs confirmed it. You had seen the pod jettison with your own eyes before the systems failed.

So why did the nightmares show him dying here?

One cycle, you found the hydroponics bay door ajar. Inside, several nutrient trays were overturned, their contents scattered as if clawed through. No one had been in here. You hadn’t. Sukuna claimed he hadn’t either.

“Rats, maybe,” he suggested when you showed him, shrugging with casual ease. He crouched beside the mess, one finger tracing a gouge in the soil. “Or the ship settling. Metal fatigue.”

But his eyes lingered on the damage a moment too long, and that faint smile played at his lips again.

That night’s nightmare was the clearest yet.

You were running through blood-slick halls. The walls pulsed like living tissue. Satoru’s voice cracked over the intercom: “It’s in the walls—get out, it’s—” Then wet tearing sounds. You woke with a sob, and Sukuna was already holding you, his body a solid anchor in the dark.

“Shh, little one,” he cooed, rocking you gently. His hand stroked your hair while the other pressed against your racing heart. “Just dreams. Gojo’s voice is gone. He’s home. Safe. Warm. Not like us out here in the cold dark.”

His lips brushed your forehead. The kiss was soft, almost loving. But his teeth grazed your skin for the briefest second—too sharp, too deliberate—before he pulled back.

“You’re shaking,” he murmured. “Let me warm you.”

He stayed with you until you fell back asleep, his presence a heavy blanket. Possessive. Calm. Amused by every flinch.

The dread built slowly, like pressure in a sealed chamber.

You began avoiding certain sections of the ship. The lower cargo hold, where the scraping sounds originated. The auxiliary medical bay, where supplies kept vanishing. Once, while passing the sealed observation lounge, you swore you heard humming—a low, melodic tune that sounded nothing like the ship’s systems.

Sukuna found you there, of course. He always did.

“Curious?” he asked, stepping up beside you. His shoulder brushed yours. “Nothing in there but old star maps and empty chairs.”

You nodded, but your eyes stayed on the door. “Have you been... using the other decks?”

His chuckle was soft, vibrating through his chest. “Why would I need to? Everything I want is right here.” His hand found yours, fingers intertwining with a grip that felt final. “With you.”

The flickering lights continued. Sometimes they revealed nothing. Sometimes they left shadows that lingered too long in the corners of your vision—shapes that were almost human but stretched wrong.

Missing supplies multiplied. Your personal log tablet vanished from your quarters. When you asked Sukuna, he simply tilted his head.

“Perhaps you misplaced it. Stress does funny things to memory.”

But you remembered placing it on the shelf. You always did.

The nightmares evolved. Now they included glimpses of him—Sukuna standing in the blood, watching with that same calm amusement while Satoru screamed. In one, Sukuna turned to you and smiled, whispering, “Only us now.”

You woke screaming his name.

He was there instantly, pulling you into his lap on the bunk. Two arms encircled you completely, one hand tilting your chin up so you met his eyes.

“Calling for me even in sleep,” he said, voice dripping with dark satisfaction. “Good. That’s good.” His thumb traced your lower lip. “I’m not going anywhere. Unlike the others.”

The comfort was suffocating now. His body heat enveloped you, but beneath it lurked something colder. His heartbeat—still too steady—seemed to sync with the ship’s hum.

You started sleeping with the lights on. It didn’t help.

The ship felt alive in the worst way. Doors that should have been locked hissed open when you passed. Sections you hadn’t visited in days showed signs of recent use: faint handprints on consoles, condensation on pipes as if someone had breathed there recently. Once, in the central hub, you found a trail of faint red smears leading toward the sealed lower decks. You told yourself it was rust. Old coolant leak. Anything but blood.

Sukuna watched your growing paranoia with open delight now, though he masked it as concern.

“You’re unraveling beautifully,” he said one evening in the observation deck, standing behind you as you stared into the endless black. His hands rested on your shoulders, thumbs pressing lightly into the tense muscles. “Fear makes you sharper."

You shivered under his touch. “I’m not afraid of the ship.”

“No?” His breath ghosted your neck. “Then what scares you, little one?”

You didn’t answer.

The end came quietly.

You were walking the upper corridor toward your quarters when you noticed it: the maintenance door at the far end, the one leading to the sealed auxiliary systems. It had always been locked tight since the incident. Now, a thin line of darkness showed beneath it—ajar, just a crack.

Your steps slowed. The ship’s hum seemed louder here, almost expectant.

You approached, heart pounding. The door was heavy, reinforced. No reason for it to be open. No one had the access codes except...

You crouched, peering at the gap. Something dark and crusted stained the floor just inside, visible only because the emergency light above flickered weakly.

Dried blood.

Thick, flaked edges where it had pooled and dried against the seal. It wasn’t fresh, but it wasn’t old enough to be from the initial chaos. The pattern suggested it had seeped under the door from the other side—plenty of it, enough to have come from something large. Or someone.

Your breath caught. Behind you, the corridor lights dimmed, then steadied.

You didn’t need to turn around to know he was there.

Sukuna’s voice came soft, right at your ear, calm and laced with that endless amusement.

“Found something interesting?”

His hand settled on your waist, possessive and unyielding. Two arms. One face. Two eyes that you knew would be watching you with dark, knowing delight when you finally looked.

The ship hummed on, indifferent. The blood beneath the door waited in silence.

And Sukuna—everywhere, always—smiled.

The dread had been building for what felt like an eternity, but in that moment, staring at the dried blood, you realized the nightmares had never been just dreams. The ship wasn’t haunted by ghosts.

It was haunted by him.

And he was never going to let you leave alive.

The dried blood stared back at you from beneath the maintenance door.

Your pulse hammered in your ears, louder than the ship’s endless hum. You straightened slowly, Sukuna’s hand still heavy on your waist. His touch felt heavier now, like an anchor dragging you under.

“Found something interesting?” he repeated, voice velvet-soft against your ear.

You turned. His face was calm, almost gentle. One side of his mouth curved up a fraction slower than the other. “It’s nothing,” you whispered, forcing the words out. “Just rust. Old leak.”

His thumb stroked your hip once, possessive. “Good girl. Always so quick to rationalize.” Then he smiled wider, and for a heartbeat the expression stretched too far, splitting his lips in a way that showed too many teeth. The moment passed. He was normal again. Human. “Come. You need rest.”

He guided you back to your quarters with one arm around your shoulders, the other hand resting lightly at the small of your back. The walk felt endless. Every flicker of the corridor lights made your skin crawl.

That night the nightmare swallowed you whole.

You woke gasping, sheets soaked with sweat. Sukuna was already in the bunk with you, body pressed flush against yours from behind. Two strong arms caged you in. His breath was hot on the nape of your neck.

“Shh. Just a dream,” he murmured, lips brushing your skin. One hand slid under your shirt, palm flat against your stomach, warm and steady. “I’ve got you.”

You tried to pull away. His grip tightened instantly, fingers digging in just enough to bruise. “Don’t,” he said, voice still soft but edged with warning. “You’ll only make it worse.”

The next cycle, the visions started while you were awake.

You were in the observation deck, staring into the black void, when the room fractured.

For a split second the stars vanished. Instead you saw the central corridor slick with blood. A crew member—Kento?—being dragged backward by something pale and many-limbed, his screams cutting through dead comms that should have been silent. The image flashed and was gone. Your knees buckled.

Sukuna caught you before you hit the floor. He pulled you against his chest, one hand cradling the back of your head. “Easy, little one. The isolation is eating at you.” His voice was tender. He pressed a kiss to your temple.

Then his eyes changed. The irises bled from dark brown to something redder, deeper, like fresh meat. They snapped back to normal so fast you almost doubted it. Almost.

“You’re shaking again,” he cooed, affectionate, stroking your hair. “Fear looks so pretty on you.”

Later, in the galley, you heard voices through the comms panel that had been dead for weeks.

“—help—something in the walls—Sukuna—”

The transmission cut with a wet crunch.

You dropped the ration bar you were holding. It clattered loudly.

Sukuna was across the room in an instant, moving too smoothly, too fast for the cramped space. He cupped your face with both hands, thumbs pressing under your eyes to wipe away tears you hadn’t realized were falling. “There, there. Hallucinations now? Poor thing. You’re breaking so beautifully.”

His smile widened again, unnaturally. The corners of his mouth pulled back farther than human anatomy allowed, revealing sharp canines that hadn’t been there yesterday. Then the expression softened into something almost loving. He leaned in and kissed your forehead, gentle as a lover.

But when he pulled back, his tongue darted out to taste the salt of your fear-sweat from his own lips. The hunger in that small motion was unmistakable.

He grew crueler as the cycles blurred.

One moment he would hold you in the bunk, murmuring soothing nonsense while his hands roamed your body with possessive affection, fingers tracing your ribs like he was memorizing every tremble. The next, he would pin you against a bulkhead without warning, grip bruising, voice dropping into something guttural.

“You think you can hide from me?” he’d growl, eyes flashing that unnatural red. “Everything you feel is mine. Every scream, every tear—mine to savor.”

Then, as quickly as the monster surfaced, he’d soften. Pull you close. Stroke your hair and whisper, “I’m all you have left. Don’t fight it.”

Your memories fractured further.

In one vision you saw Satoru clearly—bright blue eyes wide with terror as Sukuna’s form loomed over him, no longer pretending to be human. Multiple arms, mouth splitting open too wide, teeth sinking into flesh while Satoru screamed your name. Blood sprayed across the console. You remembered the wet sounds, the way Sukuna had looked straight at you while feeding, eyes glowing with ecstasy.

The memory lasted three heartbeats before it slipped away like smoke. You were left shaking, convinced it was another nightmare.

But Sukuna noticed. Of course he did.

He cornered you in the engine room, body blocking the only exit. “You’re remembering,” he said, voice deceptively calm. One hand tilted your chin up. The other—when had he grown a second set of arms?—rested against the wall beside your head. No. That couldn’t be right. He only had two.

Yet the pressure on both sides of you felt real.

“Stop fighting it,” he murmured, leaning close enough that his breath ghosted your lips. Affectionate again. “It tastes better when you accept it.”

His tongue traced your lower lip, slow and deliberate. Then he bit down, just hard enough to draw blood. The pain was sharp. He licked it away with obvious relish, eyes half-lidded in pleasure.

“You’re delicious when you’re terrified.”

The ship’s lights flickered more violently now. Entire sections plunged into darkness for long minutes. In those blackouts you heard dragging sounds, wet and heavy, accompanied by distant screams that echoed through the vents.

You stopped sleeping. You barely ate. Every time you closed your eyes the visions came faster.

Crew members being torn apart in flashes: limbs wrenched from sockets, bodies dragged through corridors leaving red trails. Voices crackling over dead comms begging for help that would never come.

And always Sukuna at the center of it, watching you with that amused, hungry smile.

He no longer pretended to eat the rations. No longer pretended to be like you. You caught him once in the dim galley, staring at a protein pack with open disgust before tossing it aside. “Human food,” he muttered. “So bland. Your suffering is far sweeter.”

When he noticed you watching, the monstrous expression melted into tenderness. He crossed the room and pulled you into his arms, nuzzling your neck. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m only trying to keep you safe.”

His body felt wrong against yours—too hot in places, too hard in others, bones shifting subtly under the skin like they weren’t fixed in place.

You decided you had to know.

While Sukuna was “tinkering” in the engine room (he never actually fixed anything), you slipped away. Your hands shook as you overrode the lock on the lower auxiliary section—the one with the dried blood trail. The panel sparked once, then hissed open.

The smell hit you first. Copper and rot, thick enough to choke on.

You stepped inside, emergency lights sputtering to life.

Remains.

Not bodies—remains. Scraps of uniforms torn and blood-soaked. A single white-haired scalp tangled in a ventilation grate. Broken glasses lenses scattered like shattered stars. Bones, some cracked open and sucked clean. A ribcage picked nearly bare.

Your stomach heaved.

In the center of the carnage sat a small data pad—your missing log tablet. The screen glowed faintly. On it, a looping security feed played silently: Satoru being devoured alive while you watched, screaming, until Sukuna turned toward the camera and smiled directly at you.

The memory slammed back full force.

He had eaten Gojo right in front of you. You had seen every tearing bite, every spray of blood. Then Sukuna had touched your forehead, and the memory had dissolved like sugar in water. He’d made you forget. Made you believe the pilot was safe on Earth.

A low chuckle echoed behind you.

You spun around.

Sukuna stood in the doorway, filling the frame. His smile was too wide now, splitting his face from ear to ear, revealing rows of sharp teeth. Four arms flexed at his sides, skin rippling as if something moved beneath it. His eyes glowed a deep, satisfied red.

“Naughty little thing,” he purred, voice layered with something inhuman. “Breaking into places you shouldn’t. Did you enjoy the truth?”

He took one step forward. The lights flickered and died completely.

In the sudden darkness you heard his footsteps—wet, deliberate, wrong.

And his voice, soft and affectionate once more, drifting through the black:

“Come here, little one. Let me comfort you.”

The door hissed shut behind you with a final, metallic groan. Your legs gave out first. Knees slammed into the blood-crusted floor, palms slapping wetly against cold metal still sticky with what remained of your crew. The data pad’s looping feed kept playing in your peripheral vision—Satoru’s bright eyes going dull as Sukuna’s jaws unhinged wider than any human mouth should, teeth sinking into throat while you screamed and screamed and—

Memory crashed over you like vacuum breaching hull.

Sukuna had killed them all.

Suguru first, in the cargo bay, calm and composed even as extra limbs erupted from Sukuna’s back and tore him open from sternum to pelvis. You remembered the wet rip. Then Kento, methodical even in death, trying to shield you before Sukuna’s claws punched through his chest and lifted him like a rag. Shoko—God, Shoko—had tried to kill herself before he could do it, cigarettes still between her fingers as Sukuna ate her hands first, savoring the way she was fighting against his hunger. And finally Satoru. Right in front of you on the bridge. Sukuna had made you watch every second. The most famous astronaut reduced to screaming meat.

And you—Sukuna had pressed two fingers to your forehead afterward, something ancient and wrong crawling behind your eyes, and every memory dissolved into soft, comforting lies. Gojo made it to the escape pod. The crew was simply gone. Only the two of you left in the dark.

He had kept you alive on purpose. A little terrarium of suffering. Fresh fear, day after day, seasoned with isolation and false comfort.

Your stomach heaved. Bile burned your throat but nothing came up—you hadn’t eaten real food in days. The remains around you mocked every ration pack he’d pretended to share.

A low, amused chuckle rolled through the chamber, layered like multiple voices speaking at once.

“There you are,” Sukuna said from the doorway. “Finally remembering. Took you long enough, little morsel.”

You looked up.

The lights in the auxiliary section died completely. Then the emergency reds kicked in, bathing everything in blood-colored strobe. Alarms began to wail—sharp, stuttering, as if the ship itself was screaming. Gravity fluctuated wildly; your body lurched sideways, boots scraping for purchase as artificial weight yanked you left then right. Pipes groaned overhead. Something in the walls shifted with a wet, organic sound.

Sukuna stepped forward.

His human shape fractured.

Skin split along seams that had never existed, peeling back like wet paper to reveal something ancient and wrong beneath. Four arms became six, then eight—long, sinewy limbs tipped with black claws that dripped viscous fluid. His torso elongated, ribs flaring outward like the petals of a carnivorous flower. The face you knew split vertically down the middle; the left half grinned while the right opened into a second, larger maw lined with rows of needle teeth. Eyes multiplied—four, glowing the deep red of old blood and fresh meat. His hair writhed like living tendrils. The pink strands thickened, sharpened.

He was massive now, filling the doorway, ancient hunger radiating off him in waves that made your skull throb. He was no human. He was something that had drifted between stars for eons, wearing human shapes the way others wore coats. Feeding on pain the way humans needed oxygen.

“You kept me fed so well,” the creature purred, voices overlapping—some soft and affectionate, others guttural and wet. One clawed hand reached out, almost tender, while another flexed with clear impatience. “All those pretty tears. All those little screams when you thought it was just nightmares. Delicious.”

You scrambled backward on all fours, palms sliding through dried blood and bone fragments. Your heart slammed against your ribs so hard it hurt. “Stay away—”

The ship answered before he could. A fresh alarm blared. Red lights pulsed faster. Gravity failed entirely for three terrifying seconds; you floated upward, weightless, while loose debris and scraps of crew uniforms drifted around you like macabre snow. Then gravity slammed back on at double strength. Your body crashed to the deck. Pain flared in your shoulder.

Sukuna laughed—deep, rumbling, vibrating through the floor plates.

You ran.

The chase began the moment your boots found traction.

You bolted through the open door into the main corridor. Behind you, metal screamed as Sukuna tore after you, claws gouging deep furrows in the plating. His bulk should have slowed him in the narrow passages, but he moved wrong—limbs folding and unfolding, body compressing like liquid when needed, expanding when the space allowed. Every footfall shook the ship.

“Run, little one,” he called, voice echoing from every vent at once. “It makes the fear richer.”

Red emergency lights strobed, turning the corridor into a nightmarish tunnel. Doors that should have opened automatically slammed shut instead, locks engaging with hydraulic hisses. You skidded around a corner, shoulder slamming into a bulkhead as gravity flickered again—your feet left the floor, body tumbling sideways into a wall that suddenly felt like the ceiling. Pain exploded in your ribs. You pushed off, gasping, and kept moving.

Hallucinations bled in at the edges of your vision. Or maybe they weren’t hallucinations anymore.

Suguru’s severed arm dragged itself across the floor ahead of you, fingers twitching. Shoko’s voice crackled over dead speakers: “Run… it’s still hungry…” Kento’s glasses lay shattered in a pool of fresh blood that definitely hadn’t been there seconds ago. And Satoru—bright blue eyes floating in the darkness, mouth open in a silent scream before dissolving into red mist.

You sobbed once, raw and broken, but didn’t stop.

Behind you, Sukuna’s laughter rolled closer. “Yes. Cry for them. Let me taste it all.”

A maintenance hatch loomed ahead. You slammed your palm against the override. Sparks flew. The hatch popped open with a groan. You dove through, landing hard on the grated catwalk of the lower engineering deck. The drop was farther than you expected—gravity shifted mid-fall, stretching the distance. Your ankle twisted on impact. Sharp pain lanced up your leg.

You limped forward, breath ragged. Pipes overhead burst in sequence, spraying coolant that turned to icy mist in the failing atmosphere. Alarms wailed louder, overlapping into a cacophony that drilled into your skull.

Sukuna’s form poured through the hatch behind you like smoke given claws. One massive arm lashed out, claws raking the wall where your head had been a heartbeat earlier. Metal curled like paper. “You can’t hide forever,” he growled, the affectionate tone gone now, replaced by raw hunger. “This ship is me. Every corridor. Every shadow. I’ve been inside it—and you've been inside me—for weeks.”

You ducked under a sagging conduit, heart hammering. Another vision slammed into you: Satoru’s final moments in crystal clarity. Sukuna’s stomach mouth descending while Satoru tried one last kick that landed uselessly against alien flesh. The way Sukuna had looked at you over Satoru’s dying body and whispered, “Your turn soon, but not yet. You’re too sweet to finish quickly.”

Tears streamed down your face, hot and useless. You hated how right he was. The fear tasted like copper on your tongue.

The ship fought you too. Doors sealed shut as you approached. One refused to budge even when you pounded on the panel. Behind it you heard wet chewing sounds. You veered left down a side passage, boots slipping on fresh slickness—blood or coolant, you couldn’t tell. Gravity cut out again. You floated helplessly for agonizing seconds before gravity returned with brutal force. You slammed onto the deck, air driven from your lungs. Coughing, you pushed up and ran again, limping worse now.

The observation deck. If you could reach the emergency override there, maybe—

Sukuna anticipated it.

He dropped from the ceiling ahead of you, limbs splayed like a spider, body blocking the junction. His four eyes glowed in the red strobe. The central maw opened wide, revealing rows of teeth and a tongue that split into three writhing appendages. “End of the line, little one.”

You skidded to a halt, chest heaving. No way forward. The side passages had sealed while you weren’t looking. Behind you, the corridor lights died one by one, narrowing your world to the pulsing red circle around the monster that wore Sukuna’s face.

He advanced slowly now, savoring. One clawed hand reached out almost gently, while two others flexed with clear intent. “You fought so well. Made it so much better.”

You backed up until your spine hit cold metal. Nowhere left.

He was on you in an instant.

Massive hands—too many—pinned your wrists above your head with bruising force. Another set of limbs ripped at your suit, tearing fabric and seals with casual strength. The air was freezing against suddenly bare skin. His body pressed in, hot and wrong, exoskeleton plates shifting against your flesh. His mouth hovered inches from your face, breath reeking of blood and something metallic.

“Please—” the word tore out broken.

“Begging already?” he chuckled, the sound vibrating through his chest into yours. One clawed finger traced down your sternum, leaving a thin red line that welled blood. “Good. I like when you beg.”

He took you there against the wall, brutal and relentless.

No preparation. No mercy. His cocks—thick, ridged, far too large and textured with pulsing veins that moved independently—forced its way inside you in one savage thrust. Pain exploded white-hot through your core. You screamed, body arching uselessly against the unyielding grip. He groaned in pure ecstasy, the sound layered and hungry, feeding visibly on your agony as your walls clenched around the invasion.

“So tight,” he growled, hips snapping forward again, driving deeper. “Your suffering is the best part. Feel it all for me.”

Every thrust was punishing, ridges catching and dragging inside you, tearing soft tissue. Blood slicked the way, making each movement wetter, louder. One of the smaller mouths on his palms latched onto your breast, teeth sinking in just enough to draw more blood while a tongue lapped at the wound. Another hand wrapped around your throat, squeezing rhythmically in time with his thrusts—not enough to kill, just enough to make breathing a desperate struggle.

You sobbed openly now, tears streaming, body shaking with each brutal invasion. The ship’s alarms wailed in counterpoint to your cries. Gravity flickered again, making his weight shift impossibly, driving him even deeper at strange angles.

He ate while he fucked you.

A smaller mouth of his lower left hand opened and bit into the meat of your shoulder, tearing away a chunk of flesh with casual hunger. The pain was blinding. You felt teeth grind against bone before he swallowed, eyes fluttering in bliss. “Delicious,” he murmured against your ear, voice almost tender again. “Your terror seasons the meat perfectly.”

Another bite—lower this time, into the soft flesh above your hip. Blood poured down your side, hot and sticky. He lapped at it even as he continued pounding into you, hips never slowing. The mix of violation and consumption pushed you past screaming into raw, animal whimpers.

Your vision tunneled. Pain and fear blurred into one endless wave he drank down greedily.

When he finally came, it was with a guttural roar that shook the corridor. Something hot and thick flooded you—too much, burning—and you felt his body pulse, feeding on the final peak of your suffering.

Then he stopped.

The monstrous form hovered over your broken body. You lay crumpled against the wall, bleeding from multiple bites, core aching and torn, vision fading in and out. Consciousness slipped.

But Sukuna wasn’t finished.

One clawed hand pressed to your forehead—the same gesture he’d used before. Energy, wrong and ancient, flooded into you. Wounds began to knit closed, not fully, but enough. The worst tears inside you sealed just enough to stop fatal bleeding. Flesh regrew over the bites on your shoulder and hip, leaving raw, angry scars and phantom pain. Your breathing steadied against your will. The darkness receded.

He healed you just enough to keep you alive.

Just enough to feel everything again.

His true form began to fold back inward, shrinking, compressing into the familiar human shape with two arms and one face. But the eyes stayed wrong—still too many, still glowing faintly red. He gathered your limp, blood-smeared body into his arms almost gently, cradling you against his chest as if you were something precious.

“There, there,” he whispered, voice soft and affectionate once more, lips brushing your sweat-damp forehead. “Not yet. You’re far too entertaining to finish so quickly. We have weeks left in this ship. Maybe months if I ration you carefully.”

He carried you back through the failing corridors, past the sealed doors and flickering red lights, past the remains you would never unsee. Your head lolled against his shoulder. Every breath hurt. Every memory burned.

The ship’s alarms slowly quieted, returning to the low, constant hum.

Sukuna smiled down at you, tender and monstrous all at once.

“Rest now, little one. When you wake, we’ll start again. And this time, you’ll remember everything.”

The darkness took you, but not fully. Not enough to escape.