When she turned to look, at first she thought there was nothing there. It was hard to see through the tears anyway, and she wiped her eyes, drawing shuddering breaths as she tried to keep herself calm and her vision clear.

There was another flicker of motion, just off to the side, and this time when she looked she could still see something, a dark shape, the colour of rotten fruit, and then it vanished, dropping behind her bags.

Fear overwhelmed despair, driving her to her feet and clearing her eyes in a moment. Standing, she could see the creature, dark as decay, something twisted and warped that might once have been a lizard, and as it turned what must be its head towards her, she was assaulted by the sweet stench of rotting oranges. It didn’t seem to have any eyes, or mouth, but somehow she sensed that it was looking at her, assessing her, and she backed away without thinking until the railing touched her from behind.

Something brushed against her arm, something wet and slimy, instantly soaking the sleeve of her blouse with a stinking wetness that stung against her skin, and she jumped sideways, flicking her head round to look at the shape, the vivid green of pus from an infected wound, that jumped from the railing to land among her clothes and burrow into them.

She screamed.

At the sound, the shapes appeared from among the bags, apparently looking at her. The black lizard was climbing on top of her suitcase, while the pus-coloured creature, which resembled a rat, poked its nose out from behind a box of cosmetics. A charred bird with eyes the shifting colour of chemical fires pulled itself up by its wings from behind her television, and opened its beak to breath a cloud of ash in her direction.

Akiko screamed again.

The creatures hardly responded, merely continuing to stare at her. Her breath was coming in ever-shorter gasps as her panic rose. What were they? What did they want with her? She wondered if they were anything to do with the kami. Could they be his servants? Or guards? Or assassins?

That last thought sent a deep chill through her. Was the kami not happy with ruining her life, and set on taking it as well?

That didn’t make sense, though. She always felt better at the shrine. And these things didn’t seem anything like Tamao. They were still watching her, but they were making no move to approach. Akiko felt as though the patch of slime on her sleeve was spreading over her whole body, and she had a desperate desire for a shower. But, of course, her shower was on the other side of a door she could no longer get through.

The realisations crowded in. She had lost her job. She had lost her home. There were monsters sitting on her clothes. She was either mad or being persecuted by a kami.

She couldn’t cope, and, with a wail of fear and despair, she ran from the landing, bolting down the stairs, almost falling, and running from the flats as the rain pounded on her and tears obscured her vision.