EASRS: The Cycle of Hatred I
Chapter 1
XX/XX/1995
Franta City, United States
The night hung heavily over the quiet suburbs of Franta City, stretching endlessly beneath a sky swallowed by clouds and pale moonlight.
Rain fell slowly.
Not in violent bursts, but in a steady, whispering rhythm—droplets tapping against rooftops, sliding along wooden walls, dripping from rusted gutters. The small suburban houses lining the road seemed almost abandoned beneath the thin veil of mist rising from the wet pavement.
Streetlights flickered faintly.
Their orange glow reflected off the rain-soaked asphalt, turning the narrow streets into long, trembling mirrors.
Somewhere far away, music drifted faintly through the damp night air.
A soft, melancholic rhythm.
"Night Cover."
The sound blended with the quiet hiss of rain and the distant hum of engines traveling along the empty highways of the American West.
Then—
Two bright headlights pierced through the darkness.
A 1990s sedan tore through the empty road, its tires slicing through shallow pools of rainwater as it sped recklessly past the silent houses.
Inside the car, the atmosphere was completely different from the quiet world outside.
The air was thick with the smell of cheap alcohol.
Spilled liquor soaked into the fabric of the seats.
Empty bottles rolled across the floor whenever the car swerved too sharply.
At the wheel sat a young man gripping the steering wheel with one hand.
His fingers were tight around the worn leather, yet his posture showed none of the caution one would expect from someone driving on a rain-slick road at night.
His blond hair, parted roughly down the middle, had fallen messily across his forehead. Every few seconds he brushed it aside with his right hand in an impatient gesture.
Under the faint glow of the dashboard lights, his blue eyes shimmered with reckless excitement.
The red flush on his face betrayed the alcohol already burning through his veins.
His white T-shirt was stained where liquor had spilled down his chest earlier. His worn blue jeans were damp with rain and alcohol alike.
Despite it all, he looked energized.
Wild.
Alive in the most dangerous way possible.
His build was solid—broad shoulders and muscular arms like a high school football player, the kind of athlete who relied more on strength and instinct than discipline.
He was roughly 175 centimeters tall, but the way he carried himself made him seem larger.
This was Erwin.
And right now, he was driving far too fast.
The speedometer needle crept higher and higher as the car raced through the rain.
With his left hand gripping the wheel, his right hand blindly searched beside him for something rolling around the seat.
A bottle.
When his fingers finally found it, his grin widened.
Without slowing down in the slightest, he lifted the bottle and took another long drink.
The burning liquid slid down his throat.
He laughed loudly.
Outside the windshield, rain streaked across the glass in chaotic lines as the wipers struggled to keep up.
Beside him sat a girl who looked completely out of place in the chaos.
Her reddish-orange hair fell in loose curls around her shoulders, slightly frizzy from the damp night air. A scattering of faint freckles dotted her cheeks, giving her a youthful appearance.
Behind a pair of thin-framed glasses, her soft blue eyes followed the road ahead anxiously.
She wore a simple white button-up shirt, layered under a loose green cardigan that looked slightly oversized on her slim frame. Below that, a short black pleated skirt rested neatly over her knees.
Even sitting in the passenger seat of a speeding car filled with drunken boys, her posture remained strangely composed.
She was shorter than Erwin—probably around 163 or 164 centimeters.
Her name was Jenny.
And right now, she looked deeply unimpressed.
Her arms were folded across her chest as she watched Erwin steer the car with one hand while casually drinking with the other.
Rain hammered softly against the windshield.
The engine roared.
The car sped deeper into the night.
Finally she sighed and spoke.
---
Jenny
> "I'm fine, you know…"
Her voice carried a mixture of resignation and stubborn loyalty.
> "I'm staying here with you anyway."
---
Erwin glanced at her for half a second before taking another careless drink.
His laughter echoed inside the car.
---
Erwin
> "Oh come on, give it a rest already…"
He smirked.
> "Miss Jenny W. Kennedy."
His tone carried playful mockery.
> "Our genius honor student worrying about us again?"
---
Suddenly—
Two massive arms wrapped around both of their shoulders from behind.
The smell of alcohol grew even stronger.
A loud, booming laugh exploded inside the car.
---
Jones
> "HAHA!"
A huge head suddenly appeared between them.
The man in the back seat leaned forward, nearly crushing both of them under his massive arms.
He was enormous.
Dark-skinned, broad-chested, and easily around 185 centimeters tall, his presence filled the cramped car interior.
His hair was cut into a rough blond buzz cut, and his eyes glowed with the reckless energy of someone deep into a drunken high.
---
Jones
> "Live a little!"
He shouted with drunken enthusiasm.
> "We're young! Who cares about school or any of that garbage?"
---
Jenny wrinkled her nose.
The smell of alcohol inside the car had become suffocating.
She turned slightly toward the window, watching rain streak down the glass.
Moments later—
The car slowed.
Then rolled into the parking lot of a lonely roadside gas station.
The neon sign above it flickered weakly.
Several massive freight trucks sat parked nearby, their engines rumbling quietly in the cold night.
A few old intercity buses rested beside them like tired beasts after a long journey.
Inside the station building, a small bar area glowed dimly with yellow light.
Truck drivers sat inside drinking cheap beer and talking quietly.
When the car finally stopped—
Erwin opened the door.
And immediately vomited violently onto the concrete pavement.
The sound echoed unpleasantly through the quiet lot.
The gas station employee standing near the pump grimaced in disgust.
Meanwhile, Jones staggered toward the pump laughing.
---
Jones
> "Fill it up!"
He slapped the metal pump with his palm.
> "Don't worry—I'll pay!"
He laughed loudly.
> "HAHA!"
---
The pump numbers climbed steadily.
$7.80
$12.40
$16.70
Jones watched them with growing concern.
Finally the machine stopped.
$19.50
His smile disappeared.
He dug into his pockets with irritation while muttering to himself.
Behind him, Jenny gently patted Erwin's back as he leaned over the pavement.
Jones glanced over his shoulder.
---
Jones
> "What did you drink tonight?"
He snorted.
> "Gasoline instead of water or something?"
---
Then—
Erwin suddenly stopped moving.
His body froze.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
His eyes widened.
Across the parking lot…
Near the dimly lit restroom building…
Someone was standing there.
A girl.
The wind rustled softly through the night.
Rain dripped from the roof.
And in the faint yellow light—
Her eyes glowed a strange deep red.
Erwin slowly raised his finger and pointed.
His voice fell to a quiet whisper.
---
Erwin
> "…Do you see that girl with the red eyes?"
---
The rain continued falling.
And the girl did not move.
---
A few minutes later…
The rain hadn't stopped.
It never did.
Water dripped steadily from the edges of the gas station roof, forming small ripples across the uneven concrete. The flickering fluorescent lights above the restroom cast a weak, pale glow that barely reached the edges of the darkness.
Beyond that light—
There was only black.
Erwin and Jones stood in front of the men's restroom.
Neither of them spoke.
For once.
Their earlier drunken laughter had faded into something else.
Something quieter.
Something heavier.
Jones slowly raised a flashlight.
The beam cut through the darkness inside the restroom doorway, revealing cracked tiles, damp walls… and a long stretch of shadow that seemed to swallow the light whole.
His grip tightened.
So did Erwin's.
Neither of them said it out loud, but the same instinct crawled up their spines like something alive—
Run.
Just run.
Before either of them could react—
Something moved.
A shadow.
Fast.
Too fast.
It darted across the interior of the restroom in a blur, accompanied by a faint, distorted sound—like a whisper being crushed into silence.
Erwin didn't even process it.
His body reacted first.
---
Erwin
> "FUCK—!"
---
He screamed and stumbled backward violently, losing his balance and falling onto the wet concrete.
At the same time, his leg lashed out blindly—
And kicked Jones straight into the restroom.
Hard.
Jones disappeared inside with a heavy crash.
Erwin scrambled to his feet in panic, slipping slightly on the wet ground before lunging forward and slamming the door shut.
His breathing was out of control.
Fast.
Shallow.
Behind the door—
Footsteps.
Slow at first.
Step…
Step…
Then faster.
Closer.
Too close.
---
Suddenly—
Another set of footsteps approached from behind him.
Calm.
Steady.
Not running.
Not panicking.
Jenny.
She walked into the scene holding a cup of coffee, her expression flat as she looked down at Erwin, who was now half-crawling across the ground like someone trying to escape death itself.
---
Jenny
> "Alright, let me guess…"
She sighed.
> "You got drunk, saw something that wasn't there…"
A pause.
Her eyes shifted toward the restroom door.
> "…so where's Jones?"
---
Erwin didn't answer properly.
He lunged forward, grabbing onto the front of her cardigan with trembling hands.
His face was pale.
Completely drained of color.
His eyes were wide with genuine fear.
---
Erwin
> "Fuck…! There's something in there!"
His voice cracked.
> "A monster—inside the restroom!"
He shook her desperately.
> "We need to run! We left Jones in there—just run!"
---
Jenny winced.
---
Jenny
> "Stop—!"
She raised a hand, trying to steady herself as her body was shaken back and forth.
> "You're making me dizzy—!"
---
She pushed him aside.
Took a step forward.
Toward the door.
Her hand reached out slowly…
And wrapped around the cold metal handle.
For a brief moment—
She paused.
Then she took a quiet breath.
And opened the door.
---
Inside—
A low groan echoed.
Not something monstrous.
Just pain.
Jones was lying on the floor, his large body twisted awkwardly near the entrance. One hand clutched his lower back as he winced.
Then—
He laughed.
---
Jones
> "Hah… you idiot…"
He groaned.
> "You almost broke my damn back…"
---
Erwin stepped back slowly.
His expression still tense, still uncertain.
He stared at Jones.
Then spoke quietly.
---
Erwin
> "…Hey… man…"
His voice dropped lower.
> "Where's that red-eyed thing we saw?"
---
Jones blinked.
Then suddenly burst into laughter again.
He reached into his jacket—
And pulled something out.
A raccoon.
The small animal squirmed wildly, its body twisting as it tried to escape his grip, hanging upside down in protest.
---
Jones
> "This your monster?"
He laughed loudly.
> "Man, you're losing it."
---
Jenny crouched slightly, curiosity replacing her earlier irritation.
She gently poked the raccoon's small belly.
The animal twitched.
She smiled faintly.
Then carefully lifted it into her arms, holding it close like something fragile.
For a moment—
Everything felt normal again.
Almost peaceful.
Jones walked over and threw an arm around Erwin's shoulder.
---
Jones
> "Seriously, man…"
He smirked.
> "Since when did you get this scared?"
> "You're supposed to be the toughest guy in school, remember?"
He laughed.
> "And I didn't see any red-eyed monster either… you're just drunk as hell."
---
Jenny released the raccoon.
It landed softly on the ground, glanced at the three of them—
Then disappeared into the darkness beyond the gas station.
Erwin scratched his head awkwardly.
But his eyes drifted back toward the restroom door.
Something didn't sit right.
---
Erwin
> "…I swear…"
He muttered.
> "What I saw was around… five feet tall."
A pause.
> "…that thing was way too small."
---
The three of them began walking back toward the car.
The rain continued falling.
The neon lights flickered again.
Then—
A scream.
Sharp.
Sudden.
Violent.
It tore through the night.
All three of them froze.
Inside the gas station—
A truck driver collapsed onto the floor, clutching his chest.
His face twisted in pain.
Pale.
Sweat poured down his skin.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
And something about the way he screamed—
Didn't sound human anymore.
---
[To be continued]