• I don’t get .. – Erich mumbled, trying to soothe her with strokes and sweet nothings. But then—right by his ear—a sharp voice cut through the air like a scalpel:


  
• Open the Let her out. She’s not in control right now. Something’s guiding her.


  

  Louisa flinched and saw that the doctor—who had just been snoozing like a happy dumpling—was now bolt upright, staring into the void and speaking like a possessed priest. His calm, coma-like nap had mutated into something straight out of The Exorcist. Erich was visibly shaking, watching his trusted therapist lose his shit, but Louisa—practical as a tax auditor—knew the score: he was just tripping again. Hard.

  

  
• Doc, Go back to sleep. We’ll get you to a bed soon enough...


  

  

  
• LET HER OUT! LET HER OUT! – Toshi screamed and started kicking the back of the driver’s seat like a toddler mid-tantrum. He flailed wildly, shoving Erich and the equally deranged cat.


  

  Louisa nearly lost control of the car—and thank god the road was empty, or they'd all be a red smear on the pavement by now.

  She tried to regain control, but Toshi was now in full meltdown mode, pounding the car interior like it owed him money. Erich was being tossed around, and then—bam—he lost his grip on Sanura. The kitten launched herself at Toshi’s face like a tiny demon, claws first, raking his cheeks open with surgical precision. Toshi screamed, leaned back to peel her off—and cracked his head on the door.

  Erich lunged to catch the cat, but now they were just a tangle of limbs, blood, and yowling. No one knew where anyone was. Chaos reigned.

  Louisa swerved hard and slammed the brakes, skidding onto the roadside gravel. She turned to her brother, pure fury in her eyes:

  

  
• Get them the hell out, or I swear I’ll lose it!


  

  Still, the wrestling match continued. So she took matters into her own hands—literally. Louisa climbed out, flung the back door open, and out they tumbled in a heap. First to recover? Sanura, who darted off into the fields like a furry little banshee.

  Erich lay draped over the battered doctor like he was using him as an emotional airbag. He grabbed his sister’s hand, stood up with a wince.

  Toshi followed. Now standing, dazed, still bleeding slightly, he began walking in the same direction the cat had fled—like a sleepwalker pulled by invisible string.

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  Louisa locked the car with a beep and sighed.

  

  
• So what now?


  
• We go after – Erich muttered, dead serious.


  

  

  
• Hell – She snapped. – It’s already getting dark, and I am not trekking around the goddamn wilderness chasing after some psycho doctor and a possessed house cat.


  
• We have If we don’t, something bad might happen. I’ll never forgive myself.


  
• Well I’ll forgive you. I’ll write you a formal absolution with a glitter Get back in the car, Erich! This isn’t our mess!


  

  He didn’t move.

  She stomped her foot. – Seriously. I’m waiting.

  But her brother brushed off his shirt, stretched his legs, and silently started following the doctor. Into the dark.

  Louisa stood there, alone on the roadside. She didn’t stand there long. With a groan, she kicked a rock and yelled: – Screw it all!

  And just like that, the comedy caravan was back on the road.

  In spring or summer, this stretch of countryside would be an influencer’s dream. A hundred photogenic backdrops for couples—whether first, second, or polyamorous third loves. But not today. Today the once-lush rice fields were glued to the mud by the weight of falling rain. And that rain—erratic, mischievous, and oddly loyal—was a farmer’s best friend. A rich harvest doesn’t come out of nowhere. It needs... chaos.

  Agronomists would’ve loved it. But Louisa gave approximately zero shits about the crops.

  Darkness was settling in. The air had that special kind of wet chill that slaps you in the face when you’ve just left the comfort of a warm car heater. For a girl from the American South, it may as well have been frozen Greenland.

  When does this stupid road end?

  She easily kept pace with her brother, who moved at a steady walk. He was following the doctor like a shadow, and the doctor... well, he wasn’t walking so much as gliding. Eyes vacant, feet steady, like a zombie with GPS built into his soul.

  Louisa stepped up beside Erich and, once they were walking in sync, asked: – How does he even know where he’s going?

  Erich answered reluctantly, and it was obvious he was wondering the same thing: – He somehow... senses the direction Sanura ran off to.

  It all smelled strongly of the supernatural, but Louisa wasn’t about to melt her brain over it. She just kept walking and counting the steps, waiting for the moment they'd finally turn around and head back to the car. The day had flipped from -pretty good- to -pure trash- in record time. She couldn’t believe she'd thought this place was more fun than her corporate treadmill back home.

  Maybe the universe had heard her grumbling, because suddenly the rice field ended and rocky terrain took over. Up ahead loomed the lower slope of a mountain, a winding path curling up like a snake. And yeah… Mount Fuji really was something else. Even Louisa—who never got all breathy over scenic crap—stood there, staring at the giant dome that pierced the clouds and wore mist like royal robes. It was stunning.

  

  
• I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this – Erich admitted, pausing beside her. – I used to come here a lot. Just sit. All day. Barely move. Just… take it all in.