Kenzo stepped onto the late-night bus expecting the usual quiet ride, but something felt wrong the moment he entered. The air was unusually cold, and the dim lights flickered as if struggling to stay alive. Only one passenger was seated at the back — a woman in a long black coat, her face completely hidden beneath her hood.

He took a seat a few rows ahead of her, trying to ignore the strange heaviness in the vehicle. But after a few minutes, he felt eyes on him. When he looked back, the woman had turned her head in his direction. Her voice, when it finally reached him, was barely louder than a breath.

“You’re not alone,” she whispered. “Something followed you in.”

The words unsettled him more than the darkness outside. He tried to laugh it off, but the woman lifted a trembling hand and pointed at the empty seat beside him. Confused, Kenzo followed her gesture — and then froze.

The seatbelt on the empty chair slowly pulled forward and clicked into place, tightening as though something invisible had just settled into the seat.

Before Kenzo could react, the entire bus went dark, swallowing every detail in pitch black. The driver’s voice broke through the silence, shaking with fear.

“Don’t move,” he warned. “It’s sitting right next to you.”