Dark circles, Dark secrets

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The night was dark, the rain relentless. A lone car cruised along the narrow road, far from the bustling highway. Inside, a family of four—father, mother, and two children—chatted about their vacation plans.

The father, gripping the steering wheel, sighed. "Taking this shortcut was a good idea. That highway was packed."

The mother, checking the map on her phone, nodded. "Just a few more kilometers, and we should be back on the main road."

But fate had different plans.

As they took a turn, the headlights illuminated a lone figure standing in the middle of the road.

A man.

His clothes were drenched from the rain, his posture eerily still. Yet, his face remained hidden in the shadows.

The father slowed the car, pulling to a stop just a few meters away. His brows furrowed.

"Who the hell stands in a storm like this?" he muttered, opening the car door.

Stepping out into the downpour, he approached the figure cautiously.

"Hey, are you alright? Why are you out in this weather?"

The man took a slow step forward.

Then another.

The rain dripped from his hair, his clothes clinging to his body like a second skin.

Then, in a low, almost whisper-like voice, he spoke.

"I quit."

The father blinked in confusion. "What?"

His instinct told him to turn back, to return to his family.

But he was too late.

The blade came fast—too fast. A sharp, wet sound echoed through the rain as the dagger tore through his face, splitting it apart in a grotesque arc of crimson.

His body collapsed onto the wet road.

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the night as his wife watched in horror. She clutched her children, shaking, unable to process what had just happened.

But there was no time.

No mercy.

The man moved with precision, slashing, stabbing, tearing through them like they were nothing more than dolls. The children's cries were drowned by the storm.

And then—silence.

Only the sound of rain remained, washing the blood away into the endless night.

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Scene Change – Hinata

The sound of distant thunder rumbled through the city.

Hinata couldn't sleep.

Her thoughts kept drifting back to Akira. What was he doing? Where had he gone?

She sighed, getting out of bed. Maybe a small walk would clear her mind.

As she stepped outside her apartment, she instinctively glanced toward Akira's door. She wanted to check on him. Maybe ask him again about the movie.

But then—she froze.

A figure stood just two meters away from her.

Silent. Motionless. Watching.

The streetlamp flickered, casting brief glimpses of the man's drenched clothes.

Hinata's breath caught in her throat.

Who… was this?

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