

They didn’t dare turn around much, but when they did, they saw that Slit-Mouthed Woman still standing there, panting, watching them go.Īll the girls gathered in the gym, sitting in the bleachers according to class. They ran as far as they could, holding onto their bleeding faces. While she stood there, panting, holding her bloody scissors against her jacket, they got away. The girls fought this attacker as best they could. She slashed at their faces, ripping their flesh, making the color red mingle with the colors on their lips. Yukiyo raised her scissors and swiped at the girls. Their faces twisted, and she fed into her fear. Like stupid, scared animals, they backed themselves into an alley. She advanced on them in wide, graceful steps as they backed up. They would respect her, and she was going to make them. But now they were to see her as a thing to respect. They saw her exactly as they should see her, a thing to be afraid of.
