Chapter Text
You were on a private plane with a handful of other passengers, each wearing some mix of confusion, unease, or indifference. You felt a little of all three. After all, you were supposed to be on a standard business-class flight—not a private jet headed to some unknown island, a big one.
When you accepted the job, the man handed you a thick folder. Inside were documents—contracts, confidentiality agreements, legal jargon. Fifty-eight pages in total. Signing them all, filling out your information, and agreeing to keep everything classified—never to speak a word of it to friends or family—was probably one of the most tedious and nerve-wracking things you'd ever done. If you broke the contract, you’d owe two billion dollars. Money you definitely did not have.
The worst part? You still had no idea what you were actually supposed to be watching 24/7.
Something about a "new species" under study. A very unique one.
Apparently, they had acquired many of them.
Whatever they were.
The plane ride lasted eight long, excruciating hours.
When it finally landed, everyone hurried off. You followed the others into a building, where a group of people was already waiting.
Your eyes were immediately drawn to a man with stark white hair and bloodshot eyes. He looked fierce—intimidating. Dangerous.
Three passengers from the plane were called over to him. They looked strong, well-built—fighters. They followed him without question. That’s when you noticed the badge on his shirt.
Head of Security.
You weren’t sure if you were supposed to be waiting for someone—until a strikingly elegant woman with white hair approached you.
“You must be Y/N L/N. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Amane,” she said, offering a quick yet composed handshake. “I’ll be showing you around today and giving you all the information you need.”
“It’s nice to meet you as well.” Relief washed over you. Finally, you’d get some answers—what this place was studying, what exactly you’d be watching.
“I’m a bit busy today, so I’ll have to make the tour and explanation quick,” she added.
And that was when you learned the truth.
This island was studying a new species they called demons.
Amane handed you a thick folder filled with files on each demon they had captured, along with a map detailing which cameras monitored their enclosures—though cells seemed like a more fitting word. She spoke about how difficult it had been to transport them here and how a woman named Shinobu had been their saving grace. The tranquilizers she developed finally worked.
Well—on some of the demons.
You also learned something else.
You were the only member of the camera management team.
When you asked why, Amane didn’t say much.
The tour continued. She showed you to your sleeping quarters—surprisingly nice, with a private bathroom—and the cafeteria, where you met a warm, cheerful woman named Mitsuri, the head chef.
By the time Amane finished explaining everything, you felt like you’d made the worst mistake of your life.
But then you reminded yourself—you wouldn’t be near the demons. Not unless a camera needed fixing.
The pay was good. Great, even.
All you had to do was watch.
Very, very closely.
And you had to file reports every day—documenting anything unusual that happened while you monitored the demons.
If someone wandered somewhere they shouldn’t be and managed to slip past security, that went in the report too.
Essentially, you were the compound’s eyes. Its silent informant.
You knew almost everything.
Your first few days were simple. Watching cameras, switching between feeds quickly and efficiently, writing down anything interesting—or, in one case, snitching on a guy who tried to steal tomorrow night’s dessert.
Observing the demons was surprisingly fascinating. Each one was unique, their forms unlike anything you’d ever seen. You knew they were dangerous. But you couldn’t deny it—some of them were beautiful.
At all times, you carried a pager. If it detected movement, it would instantly display the corresponding camera footage.
It made you feel like a spy. A creepy one.
You almost felt bad, intruding on the demons’ privacy. But what’s done is done—you needed that bank.
But bank wasn’t the reason why your were sprinting back to the monitoring room, lunch clutched in your hands.
Your pager had gone off. At first, you didn’t think much of it—until you saw the camera feed.
Enclosure 2.
One of the strong demons.
The stronger, faster demons—the more intelligent ones—you never saw them. Even with full control over the cameras, even with the ones installed inside their enclosures—or should you call them cells?
The cells were massive. The more powerful the demon, the larger its cell, some spanning the size of four decent-sized houses. Cameras were positioned everywhere, yet the cages always appeared empty.
The demons were hidden, unseen. But others—people you’d met—whispered eerie tales about the last subduing team that ventured inside. They spoke of bodies torn apart, guts strewn across the floors, all of it captured by the cameras, right in front of the thick glass windows. That was why the last camera operator left. They couldn’t stomach the horror.
It left you uneasy, dreading every glance at the monitors. But so far, you hadn’t seen any bodies.
(Still, you weren’t about to mention how just watching the screens made you feel like you were trapped in Five Nights at Freddy’s.)
Now, as you dropped into your chair, you tossed your sandwich onto the desk and switched all the monitors to Enclosure 22.
You stared at the screens, eyes sharp. Watching. Waiting.
The screens remained empty.
A flicker of disappointment crept in.
You sighed, ready to take a defeated bite of your sandwich—
An eerie, suffocating chill crept up the back of your neck.
You quickly glanced around the room—empty. Of course it was.
But the sensation of being watched refused to leave.
It was as if the demon you’d been trying to catch on camera was the one watching you. Even though it couldn’t see you—and even though it was the one trapped in the cage—you still couldn’t see it either. Sight meant nothing here. You just knew it knew you were watching.
And somehow, that made you feel like the one in the cage.
Your fingers hovered above the keyboard before tapping rapidly, switching through live feeds of other enclosures in a futile attempt to shake the feeling.
But it lingered—sinking into your bones, curdling your appetite. The untouched sandwich beside you sat forgotten.
You considered writing it into your report… then thought better of it. No one liked the dramatic ones.
With a sigh, you tossed the sandwich into the bin and stood from your rolling chair.
That’s when your pager buzzed.
You pulled it from your pocket.
Blank screen. One word: Error.
Enclosure 2.
Camera failure.
Now that was worth reporting.
That feeling didn’t go away. Not even by dinner.
Your appetite still wavered, dulled by the unease clinging to your chest like damp air.
It was over a shared meal in the cafeteria with Kanao that something slipped.
She was the first person you’d really befriended here—quiet, kind, and part of Shinobu’s team. More importantly, she was Shinobu’s younger sister.
Your inside source.
She filled in the gaps, giving you the information you might’ve otherwise missed. And she loved talking about her sister.
It was sweet, really.
You learned that Shinobu was one of the only toxicologists on the island—the one responsible for developing a tranquilizer strong enough to put demons to sleep.
She wasn’t the first to try. There had been others before her, but none had ever come close to creating a formula that actually worked. Unlike them, Shinobu had dedicated her entire life to studying biology, genetics, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine.
And she was the only one who had succeeded.
Her tranquilizers could knock demons unconscious—though only for a short time. Still, she was improving. The real challenge lay with the stronger demons. Each one was so unique that predicting what would work on which was nearly impossible.
You had a feeling there was more to the story. Kanao had paused earlier, mid-sentence, before suddenly shoving food into her mouth—like she was trying to avoid saying something.
You didn’t press her that day.
But a few nights later, while picking at another barely touched meal, Kanao noticed.
She pestered you—gently—and you caved.
You told her everything: the feeling of being watched, the constant unease that refused to fade, the camera glitch. And the enclosure.
That’s when you saw it.
The way she flinched.
Like the number 2 had scraped a memory raw.
You saw the sadness draw across her features, soft and quiet, but heavy enough to hurt just watching it.
Something was wrong with Enclosure 2.
“Is… is there something I should know?” you asked carefully.
“Well…” she mumbled, her voice soft. “I guess you’re one of the few who doesn’t know, since you’re new.”
Her eyes darkened, and her hands began to nervously fiddle with her fork. It was clear the memory was still fresh, still raw—something that seemed to break her, even now.
“You’ve heard the stories, right? About why the last camera manager left?”
You nodded.
She took a deep breath before continuing, her voice shaking slightly.
She explained slowly, carefully, each word weighed with significance as she spoke of the demons. How they were unique. Each one—different. It was extraordinary, the way they behaved, the way they were.
Shinobu’s tranquilizers could knock demons unconscious, but only for a short time. Still, she was making progress. The real challenge lay with the stronger demons. With each one being so distinct, it was nearly impossible to predict what would work on whom.
Then, Kanao’s face faltered as she spoke of her sisters—and herself.
They had underestimated the biology of the demons. The demon that killed their older sister, Kanae.
Shinobu had believed she had perfected the formula. They had tested it on one demon before moving on to the one
in Cell 2.
Kanae, her sister, was part of the action team—the ones who entered the enclosures to subdue the demons. Thanks to Shinobu’s poison, the first demon had gone down without a fight.
But they hadn’t yet understood just how different each demon truly was.
The tranquilizer didn’t work.
Kanae and her entire team were slaughtered. No one survived.
The demon threw their bodies at the cell door, right in front of the cameras—torn apart, unrecognisable, their blood seeping into the snow. That was the story, the one that made the last camera operator quit, because they saw it first hand.
At first, you thought it was just a creepy tale meant to scare you, maybe get a laugh at your expense.
But apparently, it was true.
And that made it so much worse.
Sure, plenty of people had died at the hands of these demons. But this attack? It was the most brutal, 27 people lost in an instant.
And the most recent.
Just a week before you came here. And you only got here four days ago.
The last camera manager had quit so fast they barely had time to pack, and you were hired just as quickly to replace them. The people in charge of feeding the demons refused to go near the cage. Terrified. Shaken. Everyone was.
So the demon was left to starve.
The boss—everyone’s boss—wasn’t sure what to do, nobody wanted to get close to it. Others said ‘There were plenty more demons. Let this one starve. Maybe it would learn its lesson.’
The next day, the demon ate the bodies.
All except Kanae’s. It hadn’t had the chance. A heavily armed team had stormed in before it could. Kanae’s body was the only one they managed to retrieve, after more lives were lost when they barged in.
After that, the entire wing of the lab was sealed off. No one was allowed in. No one was allowed out.
Except you.
You had access to the cameras. Every inch of that place, including the demon’s cell, was under your watch. You also had a keycard—one that could open any door, hallway, or enclosure. Officially, it was only for maintenance, in case a camera needed fixing or had mysteriously gone offline.
But there was no way you were ever stepping foot in there.
Screw that.
They called it the Quarters of Death.
And you had no plans to become a new piece of it.
The guilt and unease was eating you alive.
Every time your eyes flicked to the monitors displaying Enclosure 2, your stomach twisted.
It had only been two days since you found out, but the weight of it sat heavy on your chest, gnawing at the edges of your conscience.
You weren’t one to tolerate cruelty. You hated the thought of an animal suffering—*if* you could even call them animals. Scientists still didn’t know for sure.
The low-level demons were mindless, feral things, driven purely by instinct.
But the stronger ones? The ones like this?
No one had gotten close enough to find out.
Still, no matter what it was, no matter what it had done… starving to death was a cruel fate.
You knew that better than anyone. Hell, you could barely go ten minutes without needing a snack.
With a click of your mouse, you switched to another set of cameras, trying to push the thought away.
Maybe you could bring it food.
Would that be insane? Probably. But if you didn’t… it would die.
You chewed your lip, mulling it over. Mitsuri might let you into the kitchen if you asked. You could say you wanted to cook something for yourself—she wouldn’t question it.
Assuming she was still awake.
Before you could second-guess yourself, you stood and slipped out of your room, making the long trek to the cafeteria.
You hadn’t expected anyone to still be there, but to your surprise, you found Mitsuri and her team inside, cleaning up for the night.
You approached.
“Evening, Mitsuri!”
“Ah! Hi, Y/n! You’re up late! Anything interesting happen?” She slid up to the serving bench, hand at her ear, clearly waiting for some juicy tidbit.
You couldn’t resist playing along, knowing exactly what you’d tease her with.
“I caught Obanai sneaking glances at you again.”
Her eyes went wide, and her face flushed bright red. “Whaaat!? No way!” She swung her head side to side, as if trying to shake the blush away.
“You should just ask him already! He’s totally got the hots for you.” You grinned mischievously, watching her squirm. Luckily, it was early enough that no one else was around to overhear—although her team probably knew.
“Shush!” She placed her hands over your mouth, trying to quiet you. “Someone could hear you!”
You pushed her hands off your face, teasing her more.
“It’s way too late at night for anyone to be up, except you and your team cleaning,” you said with a smirk.
“Which makes me suspicious!” Mitsuri crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. “What are you doing up this late, huh??”
With your best attempt at a completely innocent smile, you shrugged. “Oh, I was just going to ask if I could make my own dinner. I kinda miss cooking my own meals, that’s why I came in.” You added a generous helping of puppy-dog eyes for effect.
“Of course you can! Use whatever you need!” Mitsuri’s face lit up, and she hurried to open the door to the kitchen. “I’ll stay with you, so I can lock up after you leave.”
You smiled, stepping inside.
After an hour of cooking, Mitsuri didn’t seem to mind staying late. While you worked, she happily snacked on sweets—a lot of them.
By the time you finished, you had prepared a large, medium-rare rump steak with a side salad, carefully placing everything into a large container. You also made a fruit salad, considering all the research you’d done on what else demons might eat. And, of course, you put together something small for yourself.
Still, when you looked at the spread in front of you, it did look like enough food for five people.
“I’m finished!” you sang, carefully packing everything into a bag.
You turned to find Mitsuri, who was still munching on an absurd amount of sweets.
“That’s it?” she asked, looking genuinely confused.
You blinked. “Umm… yes?” You glanced at the food, suddenly questioning yourself. It’s a lot… right?
Mitsuri shook her head. “That’s such a small amount!”
“What—no it’s not!” You frowned, looking down at the packed meals. “I think...”
Without warning, Mitsuri grabbed a pristine white box, about the size of your forearm, tied neatly with a light pink ribbon, and dumped it into your arms.
“Here! You can have my chocolate-covered strawberries and cake pops.”
You gawked at the sheer size of the box. There’s no way I can eat all this by myself.
“I—uh, thank you,” you said, still a little stunned.
Mitsuri stretched her arms with a yawn. “Welp, I’d better get to bed.”
You nodded, watching as she locked up the kitchen before the two of you went your separate ways.
Back in your room, you scarfed down your own dinner before grabbing your bag of food, your laptop.
With it, you could access the cameras remotely… and more importantly, turn them off. That way, no one would be able to prove you had been anywhere you shouldn’t.
Then again, you were the only one with full access to the cameras.
Huh.
Before leaving, you hesitated at the door. Though your security system would warn you if someone approached, you had a better idea.
Your pager had a setting to alert you of movement specifically from hallway cameras.
You quickly adjusted the settings. If anyone came near, you’d know instantly.
With that final precaution in place, you took a deep breath—then stepped out of your room, slipping into the silent halls.
Your pager beeped a few times, but the alerts came from different wings—far enough away that they weren’t a concern. For now, you were in the clear.
Moving quickly yet carefully, you navigated the halls, each step light but deliberate.
This was probably the most action you’d ever had in your entire life.
Might be the last, too.
Hopefully not.
Hopefully, whatever was inside that cell would prefer your meal over you being the meal.
God help you.
The door was massive. And it wasn’t even the entrance to the cell—just the entrance to the wing that housed the demon.
You swiped your keycard. A soft beep followed, and the heavy metal doors groaned as they slid open, slow and silent. A relief.
Stepping inside, the doors shut behind you. The air was colder here. Heavier.
Your footsteps slowed. Uncertainty crept in. The darkness was oppressive, pressing against the dim beam of your flashlight. The only other light source would be the moon filtering through the cell’s ceiling.
All the enclosures had a windowed roof, built from the same reinforced glass as the viewing panels. Supposedly unbreakable.
Hopefully.
The silence here wasn’t normal. It wasn’t just quiet—it was unnatural. Dead.
Every step toward the final set of doors felt heavier, like the air itself was warning you.
Then, you froze.
The viewing glass was frosted over, concealing whatever lay beyond. Only thin beams of moonlight slipped through the ice-coated surface.
You hesitated before reaching out. Pressed a hand to the glass.
Ice-cold.
A heavy disadvantage not being able to see into the death trap, but your plan was simple. Open the first door, step inside, lock it behind you. Then, crack open the second door just enough to slip in, drop the food somewhere.
And get out before it noticed.
You scanned your keycard. The first door unlocked with a low beep. You stepped inside and quickly shut it behind you.
The second scanner blinked red.
ACCESS DENIED
You frowned and looked down at the screen.
"Are you sure? Demon Danger Level: 10."
…Well, that’s reassuring.
You jabbed the “YES” button—maybe a little too aggressively—like the screen was personally questioning your life choices.
With a low hum, the door unlocked, but you only cracked it open a sliver. Just enough to slip through. Far from enough for anything to squeeze out.
Hopefully.
You actually had no idea how big the demon was.
You took a deep breath. Then another. And another.
Then, gripping your bag, you slipped inside.
Cold slammed into you instantly.
You’d felt a chill the moment the door cracked open, but this—this was different. It wasn’t just cold. It was the kind of bitter, bone-deep freeze that seeped into your lungs, that made your teeth want to chatter.
Swallowing, you scanned your surroundings. The pale glow of moonlight filtered in from above, casting long, eerie shadows across the snow-covered ground. You searched for a spot you’d identified earlier—a small dip in the terrain near the door.
Moving quickly, you crouched down, flinching at every crunch of snow underfoot. You dug a small divot in the ground, clearing a space so the food wouldn’t freeze instantly. One by one, you placed the containers down.
Then, the air shifted.
The temperature dropped even further, something unseen pressing against your senses.
Your stomach twisted.
Shit—!
Without thinking, you tossed the box of sweets onto the pile and bolted.
You’d never run so fast in your life. Every nerve in your body screamed at you to move, to go, to get the hell out before it was too late—
You barely made it.
With a desperate shove, you yanked the door shut just as something moved in the darkness.
And for the briefest moment—just before the frost overtook the glass—you caught a glimpse.
A pair of kaleidoscope eyes staring straight at you.
Then, the ice swallowed them whole.