Chapter 1: The Call That Changed Everything
Season 1 – "The Bug He Shouldn't Have Killed"
Tokyo — 11:47 PM
The chemical stink clung to his clothes like a curse. Kaito Narumi stepped off the train, his boots worn, his eyes dull, his body aching from another twelve-hour shift spent chasing cockroaches under flickering fluorescent lights.
He wasn't a hunter. Not in the heroic, sword-swinging, demon-slaying sense.
He was an exterminator.
A bug man. The lowest of the low.
"This city has a place for everyone," his ex-girlfriend once said while laughing, "you just chose the garbage pile."
She said it the day she left him—right after stepping into a BMW with her new boyfriend, a marketing exec who smelled like cologne and not bug spray.
His work phone buzzed.
He didn't want to look. He already knew the name flashing across the screen. Manager Koizumi.
Kaito hesitated, fingers clenched. Then picked it up.
"Narumi, what the hell did you do?" The man's voice was already shouting. "You call that clean-up? One of the executives saw something crawling out of the 14th floor vents tonight. We've got a board meeting at dawn!"
"I double-sprayed the floors and sealed the cracks like—"
"Shut it. Go back now. There's a guard waiting. He has the keys. If you don't fix this, don't bother showing up tomorrow."
The call ended.
Kaito stared at the dark Tokyo sky above the station, neon ads flickering across the buildings. His arms hung limp. He wanted to scream. But no one would hear him. No one ever did.
---
12:32 AM – Sumitomo Arc Building
The building stood like a shadow between skyscrapers, old and out of place. No signs. No lights on. Just a tall black tower shrouded in quiet.
The guard was already there, as promised. But something felt off.
He was tall. Too tall. Dressed in an old-fashioned security uniform that looked decades out of date. His face was… blank. Unmoving. Eyes glassy like a mannequin's.
The man handed Kaito a ring of keys without a word.
"Thanks," Kaito muttered, staring at him. "I've worked here three years and I've never seen you before."
No answer.
Just a slow blink… and the sound of the building doors unlocking behind him.
---
Inside the Building
It was supposed to be empty. But Kaito felt watched.
The elevator lights flickered. The carpet smelled like mold. A faint scratching echoed in the vents. He swallowed.
He knew Tokyo had rats. But this sound… it was heavier. Like legs. Many legs.
14th floor.
He stepped off the elevator and turned down the corridor.
No lights.
Just emergency reds glowing dimly.
His flashlight cut through the dark—and then—
Skit-skit-skit-skit.
He spun. Something darted across the ceiling tiles—too fast, too long. His breath caught.
"Calm down," he muttered, fumbling for his spray gun. "Just a roach. A big one. They grow big in these old towers."
He stepped forward… and then froze.
It wasn't on the ceiling anymore.
It was waiting ahead.
At the end of the hallway stood a thing.
A bug. But not a bug.
It was man-sized. Its body shone black like oil, limbs segmented like knives, eyes glowing faint red. It stood upright, mandibles twitching… watching him.
It wasn't afraid.
It was mocking him.
And then it shrieked.
Kreeeeeeek!!
Kaito ran. Heart hammering. Spray can in hand. No plan. No hope.
He ducked into a utility room, slammed the door shut. Breathing ragged.
The thing slammed into the door—once, twice—then silence.
He pulled out his phone.
No signal.
No one to call.
His hand shook as he grabbed a crowbar from the supply rack. Just a tool. But it was all he had.
If this was his last night, he'd go down swinging.
He pushed the door open—and it was waiting.
It pounced.
---
Fight in the Dark
The hallway turned into chaos.
The bug screeched and lunged. Kaito swung the crowbar with everything he had—striking its leg. It cracked.
The bug shrieked again, flailing.
It was learning.
He ducked under its strike, rolled to the side, and sprayed his pesticide into its face.
It screamed as the gas hissed over its shell—bubbling, searing.
Then—he brought the crowbar down—once, twice, again—and again—until the creature collapsed.
Dead.
Or so he thought.
The body convulsed. The red glow in its eyes blinked once. Then dimmed.
Kaito staggered back, panting, covered in fluid. His hands shook.
He'd never seen a bug like this. No one had.
This wasn't a mutation. This was something else.
His eyes rose—up to the vent the bug had come from.
And inside—there were dozens more.
All watching.
All waiting.
---
End of Chapter 1