The moment I figured out what that sound was, my ears suddenly cleared. It was obviously getting closer.
And the most hair-raising part was—
It wasn't just one voice. It was the sobbing of many women.
The clouds hung low overhead, and not a single ray of light shone down on this night. Outside, a violent storm was raging, and yet I could hear the thin, shrill sound of a woman
crying. A shiver ran through me from head to toe.
I wasn't afraid of ghosts. I really wasn't!
It wasn't like I was afraid to go upstairs and called my father's name from downstairs. That wasn't me.
It wasn't like I was afraid to watch horror movies and couldn't turn off the lights at night. That wasn't me. It absolutely wasn't me.
Absolutely not.
I kept telling myself that, but my heart couldn't help trembling as I recalled all the ghost stories I'd heard as a child.
Did I believe in ghosts? Even I didn't know. But now... outside, the storm was so fierce that even century-old trees couldn't withstand it. I could clearly
hear their trunks snapping. Even rocks were being blown around, and I could hear them rolling across the ground. Even this mountain occasionally trembled slightly as the wind
swept over it.
But...
None of that was as terrifying as this sound.
No, I wasn't scared!
I gritted my teeth and took a step forward. But that one step made the sounds outside even clearer.
"Eee~"
"Waaah..."
"Help me... help me~"
"Don't..."
"Eee~"
The voices instantly reached my ears, and my whole body nearly froze on the spot. I could barely see anything in front of me. There was only the faintest
glimmer of light from the bonfire behind me, bringing a little warmth to this