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Shadow Stalker (1) - You're walking in the dark and soon hear the sound of footsteps following behind you. Every time you turn around, nothing is there. If you try to quicken your pace, the footsteps start running right along with you. No matter how you try to see behind you--if you use your phone camera or if you look in window reflections, you can't see anything...but you know it's getting closer. If you don't run fast enough, you can almost feel a hand on your arm, a breath on your neck...

You need to get out of here, fast. If you can.

Once you reach your destination and are safely inside, there might be a banging on the doors or windows. The air is heavy, but after a few moments it seems to lift. You have the distinct sensation that something is still out there, though. You just don’t know what.



On her way back home, Satori or Sato for short, decided to cut through the park as a shortcut. It was not the wisest, but she knew her way around the area. Years of experience cannot be easily written off, after all. Plus, she knew that by doing so, she could potentially shave a few minutes off her time spent on returning home, and hopefully, she could avoid further ire from her parents. She didn’t mean to linger at the arcade, and its plentiful crane machines for too long, but since Nemu insisted on going back home sooner than later, the two begrudgingly agreed that Nemu would be the first to return (to placate Dalgona mainly to start), and that Sato would quickly follow (hopefully within the half hour or so).

Plus, she was hoping to glance at the changing leaves from the neat tree-lined park, and perhaps, spot any new and familiar mystery to find to collect before the sun finally set. On the eerily vacant path, devoid of people, Satori couldn’t help but feel a sneaking suspicion that she was being followed.

Sato swung around and sternly asked, “Who goes there?”

All she saw was the empty path save for a rustling leaf or two. Well now, it appears that someone is trying to test the splendid sneaky Satori. How daring!

She turned around and began to hasten her steps, partly to listen to the follower, and partly because deep down, this sort of thing was actually pretty unsettling. While she was given the run-down on horror films using this sort of phenomena, experiencing it in reality wasn’t the same. Why yes, she could transform and attempt to address it, but for once, she really wanted to make sure she got home before it was too late.

And so, after doing a second turnaround to see who and finding none, Sato took a deep breath and began to jog the rest of the way. As she jogged, she took out her smartphone and attempted to use the camera or even the screen reflection to see if it could capture the shadowy stalker. Unsurprisingly, the footsteps followed her, but no visual could be captured or reflected. How suspicious, mysterious, and annoying! How bold of who-knows-what to challenge Satori in what she was proud of?

‘Actually… scratch that thought,’ Satori thought to herself, and she instantly felt a shiver down her spine. And a breath? A breath by her arm? She didn’t want to jump to conclusions or rely on an overactive imagination, but it may be best if she just made a run for it.

Eventually, she reached a corner in her neighborhood and sharply turned without slowing down. Naturally, her pursuer maintained pace. A part of her realized that taking it home wouldn’t be a bright idea… yet there’s strength in numbers, right? Moreover, her family had recently upgraded their security, so surely it should be a notable deterrent.

Soon, Sato sprinted toward’s the front door’s porch and entered the safety of her home, closing and locking the door as quickly as she entered. She didn’t particularly care about how she looked at this point per se, but she couldn’t help but shriek when she heard a hard series of knocks on the door.

Minutes later, Sato peered through the viewfinder, but no one was there… how awfully mysterious! And frightfully annoying! What was up with that chase? How could there be a being that could outpace and outwit the resident prankster Satori? However, for the time being, she best shelve that thought, because she suddenly bore the presence of her concerned and understandably confused twin sister Nemu and a slightly grimly concerned Dalgona. It seems that Satori has some explaining to do.