Chapter 1: Roaches Don't Scream
Tokyo, 11:47 PM
The train hissed to a halt, spilling fluorescent light onto the grimy platform.
Kaito Narumi stepped off, dragging his boots like dead weight. His uniform clung to him—reeking of chemicals and sweat. His shoulders slumped, spine bent from crawling through vents for twelve hours straight.
He wasn't a soldier. Not a hunter. Not a hero.
He was an exterminator.
A bug man. A roach killer.
"The city has a job for everyone," his ex once said with a grin. "Too bad yours is scraping the bottom of the trash heap."
She left that night—heels clicking toward a man with a suit, a BMW, and a future.
Kaito pulled out his phone.
Buzz. Buzz. Manager Koizumi.
He knew better than to ignore it.
He answered.
"Kaito," Koizumi barked, "what the hell did you miss at the Sumitomo Arc Building? Something crawled out of the 14th-floor vent—during an executive tour."
"I triple-sprayed that floor—sealed every opening—"
"Not good enough. There's a guard waiting. Go back and fix it. Or don't come back tomorrow."
Click.
The call ended.
Kaito stood still. Neon light blinked overhead like a dying heart. He wanted to scream.
But no one in Tokyo listened to bug men.
---
12:32 AM — Sumitomo Arc Building
The tower loomed like a coffin between glass giants. No logos. No lights. Just black concrete swallowing the moonlight.
The guard stood by the entrance—tall, stiff, face blank as a department store dummy.
His uniform looked like it was from another decade. Military cut. Dusty.
He handed Kaito a key ring.
"…I've been coming here for three years," Kaito muttered. "Never seen you before."
No response.
Just the clink of keys. And the sound of the lobby doors unlocking.
Creeaaak.
---
Inside the Tower
It smelled like mildew and old blood.
Kaito's boots echoed down the marble corridor. Fluorescent bulbs flickered above. The elevator pinged with a tired chime.
He rode up in silence.
Scratching echoed in the vents above.
Not rats.
Not mice.
Legs. Many, many legs.
14th floor.
He stepped out.
Red emergency lights bathed the hallway like a crime scene. The silence was too loud.
He raised his flashlight.
Skit-skit-skit-skit.
Something darted along the ceiling. He spun, heart in his throat.
"Just a roach," he whispered. "Big one. Freak mutation. Old building. Happens."
He moved forward, spraying corners.
Then—he stopped.
Something was waiting at the end of the hallway.
It wasn't hiding.
It was watching.
A bug.
No—a humanoid insect.
Eight feet tall. Segmented arms. Black as oil. Mandibles twitching. Red eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
It tilted its head.
Mocking him.
Then—it screamed.
KREEEEEK!!
Kaito ran. Sprinting blind, breath jagged. He ducked into a utility closet and slammed the door shut.
The creature hit the metal with a thud.
Again.
And then silence.
His hands trembled as he grabbed the nearest tool—a rusty crowbar.
If this was the end, he'd take something down with him.
---
Bug Fight: Level 0
He kicked the door open. The thing was right there.
It lunged.
He swung.
Crack. The crowbar met chitin. It shrieked in rage.
He ducked, rolled, sprayed a jet of pesticide in its face. The gas hissed across its carapace, sizzling.
The creature screamed again—blinded, flailing.
He struck again.
And again.
And again.
Until it stopped.
Collapsing in a pool of dark, foul-smelling liquid.
Kaito staggered back, chest heaving.
Dead.
It was dead.
But as he lifted his flashlight toward the ceiling, his blood froze.
The vent.
Dozens of red eyes stared back.
Unblinking.
Waiting.
---
END OF CHAPTER 1