The House in Which Nightmares Dwell 13.3

[touchturnfly]

3

'What should I do?' he said to himself.

Today a fellow teacher looked at him and avoided his gaze unnaturally.

-- Could I have been found out?

That teacher’s house was supposed to be nearby. Perhaps he might have heard something from Reiko. Or Reiko might have talked about it to someone and it already spread to him.

-- It’s all over once I’m found out.

His boss glared at him and his colleagues as well as juniors despised him. As it is there was no hope of getting ahead from now on, so he had to keep living and endure the scorn and contempt.

-- Far from that.

Chills went down his spine. Perhaps they'll punish him. A reduction in pay or a suspension by any chance. In the worst case scenario he would be sacked.

-- Are you taking legal action?

The guy next door had said that. If they took legal action, he would be punished without a doubt. What would happen to his wife? And his son's future?

First of all, he had to continue to make a living somehow. The rumors would soon spread to his school connections and he would never command a teacher's cane again. At his age he was unable to have his way with reemployment. His wife was a woman who hadn't worked since their marriage. She was unable to support their living together with him. Even so it was obvious that she spoke ill of him. She continued on like that into the present.

He covered his face. His thoughts gathered strength and lurched towards the dark. Since his wife returned from the neighboring house with a pale face, he had tried to gauge the feelings of every person he met: that fatigue gained strength rapidly and he lost weight just by thinking about it.

His wife was afraid of meeting the people in the neighborhood, so she only went out to do shopping. His son stayed holed up in his room and when he came out once in a while, he would curse out his father and mother. Even if he wanted to shut himself up inside the house like them, he still had his job. To his agony he had to appear in front of people whether he liked it or not: as it was the time that the school was overflowing with liveliness due to the preparations for the athletic festival, his anxiety caused his feelings to sink thoroughly.

What would become of him? Even though he lived desperately so far.

-- It will end.

Everything, just about everything will collapse.

"... ... Shit... ..."

He groaned.

-- Shall I beg them with 'Please don't sue us'?

It emerged in his mind many times over, but it damaged his pride every time it came up.

-- Ask them whether there is any assurance they can give. Don't take advantage of us by asking for unreasonable demands? Don't curse and scorn us?

(... ... If you don't decide quickly.)

He abruptly thought.

Indeed, he had to decide quickly. He couldn't bear such strain. He had to decide before his household collapses and before it's irrevocable

He suddenly grew anxious and tore his hair.

(To do something like suing us... ...)

(It's cruel... ... too cruel.)

-- Indeed, it is. Why do those women behave like they’re threatening people?

(There's no time... ...)

(You have to decide quickly... ...)

(Isn't it just a petty thing? Even if they don't sue at all, wouldn't it be fine?)

He groaned.

(... … You have to stop it.)

(Unless you don't stop those guys.)

-- Shall I threaten them back? Say something like, 'If you accuse us, you'll pay for this!'

After he thought that, he shook his head. Doing something like that had the opposite effect. On the contrary, it would make those women aggressive.

-- Then, what do I do.

(It would be great if those guys weren't there.)

-- That's right, it got bad once they came over.

(... ... Even though it would be great if those guys weren't there)

(It's great if they're not there, if they're not there. Because then they can't accuse us.)

He raised his face. In a daze he stared at the wall before his eyes.

-- That's right, it's great if they're not there. If they go away.

(... ... If they disappear from this world.)

(You'll be at peace if at least those people aren't there.)

(Do it so that they won't exist in this world.)

Dozing off, he caught his breath. Sweat ran down his forehead before he knew it. Although his limbs grew cold and shivered, the words lodged in his mind radiated an immense heat.

"... ...What if I kill them... ..."

If he did it, he would live there without a single loss.

Being frightened of other people's gazes, being scorned by that mother and daughter, losing his job as well as his anxiety.

He would be liberated from just about everything.

-- But what if I get caught.

A weak voice inside him said.

(It would be good if you didn't get caught. The incident must not be discovered.)

(What if you got rid of the corpses so that no one will lay an eye on them... ...)

(It will be fine, as long as you succeed.)

He shook terribly. Because he was falling into the darkness, he was unable to evade the single beam of light that suddenly shone in his eyes.

(Surely, there must have been guys who succeeded as well.)

(It's just that no one will know that there has been such an case, because the bodies cannot be found.)

He smiled as he gazed at the wall. Suddenly a laughter welled up from inside his body and it didn't stop no matter what he did.

(Because even in that case and in that case too... ... there were no reports in which the culprit was caught.)

There are also guys who escaped. As well as guys who succeeded.

If so, wouldn't he succeed as well?

He heard a familiar noise in the back. When he turned his head, his wife and son were standing there.

He didn't say anything. He only watched the two with a fixed gaze.

-- We're thinking the same thing.

Strangely enough he knew that from their complexion.

He laughed. -- This is what they call a familial bond. He knew that. There was no doubt that his wife and son knew as well.

-- What a good family.

He had to protect this.

"... ... It's inevitable."

He said.

His wife and son also nodded. It was sufficient for him to say only those words.

"We have to act urgently. Before it's too late, or else."

'That’s true,' his wife said. His son nodded again.

"It cannot be undone if the end of the month passes."

'As I thought,' the two nodded.

(We'll sue you.)

A voice inside his mind revived.

(If the construction work doesn't start by the end of this month, we'll sue you.)

He laughed.

-- We'll do it so your dreadful mouth won't say anymore.

Like that, he decided this so that his and his family's life couldn't be threatened ever again.

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