Story 22
A Dangerous Place
There’s a street in the town where I live that’s pretty famous for being dangerous.
When you hear “dangerous area,” you probably picture somewhere like a bar district—but that’s not the case here. It’s actually just a rural farm road, surrounded by rice fields and nothing else.
And yet, some really nasty crimes happen there. It’s been a while, but there was even a random stabbing incident once. There are also a lot of muggings, assaults, and car accidents.
The traffic—both cars and people—isn’t that sparse, and it’s a straight, open road with good visibility… but still.
That place even has a bit of an urban legend.
They say that anyone who passes through there and catches the eye of a yokai—a supernatural spirit—will become possessed. Once possessed, the person becomes overwhelmed with an uncontrollable urge to commit evil deeds.
You hear about “cursed lands” in scary stories sometimes, but the idea of being possessed by a yokai that makes you want to do bad things—that’s not something you hear every day.
I moved here more than ten years ago, and even back then, this urban legend was well known. There were always accidents and incidents happening around there.
That’s why the streets near that road, and even along the irrigation ditches beside the rice fields, are full of signs like “Frequent Accidents! Be Careful!” or “Beware of Molesters.”
Actually… I once had an accident there myself.
It happened while I was working, driving through that area by chance. Out of nowhere, this strange, powerful impulse hit me—
I had to commit a crime.
I couldn’t stop myself. I slammed the accelerator and rammed into the car in front of me.
Luckily, neither I nor the other driver was hurt.
My memory of what happened right before and after the crash is kind of hazy, but I still don’t understand why I did something like that.
I remember feeling as if I wasn’t myself—as if something else had taken over me.
Before that accident, I never believed in the story about people getting possessed by a yokai.
But after that… I do.
I haven’t been possessed again since then.
I wonder—what makes the yokai choose its victims?
Whatever the reason, you really should be careful on that road.
It’s seriously dangerous.
