Last year during the Obon holiday, my friends and I went to a tunnel at a well-known haunted spot in Hokkaido. By the way, this is a serious, true story, so please don't ask which tunnel it is. And I don't want you to go there. I'll explain why later.
So, a group of four idiots—two guys (including me) and two girls—headed toward the tunnel. We arrived at the tunnel entrance in my friend's prized Prado SUV. It was just a little past 10:00 PM. The interior of the abandoned tunnel was pitch black and had quite an impact.
We inched our way deeper inside while still in the car. The girls were screaming and making a fuss. After going in for a bit, my friend said, "Huh, it's a dead end..." There was a wire mesh fence blocking the front. There wasn't enough room to make a U-turn. With no other choice, we had to back out...
The moment he shifted into reverse, there was a strange, heavy gulping sound, and the engine died. The headlights went out completely as well. Suddenly, we were left abandoned in the darkness. Seriously? Why? The girls were on the verge of fainting. The guys were shaking, too.
Then, from out of nowhere, we distinctly heard an eerie, humming sound: "Hmmmmmmmmmmmm..." At that exact moment, the car suddenly began to shake violently—just like that bed in *The Exorcist*. It felt as though someone had climbed onto the hood and was rocking it.
This was getting serious. We scrambled and jumped out of the car. The RV was rocking back and forth like crazy. One of my friend's female companions had collapsed to the ground, her legs giving out. The other woman fainted right on the spot after seeing the shaking car. Can't really blame them.
We thought we were done for... But just as we felt that way, a voice called out from behind, scaring us out of our skins. Two men were standing behind us, shining flashlights our way. A red emergency light was spinning at the entrance of the tunnel. Police...!? Were we saved?!
A uniformed police officer shone his flashlight on the Prado, which was still shaking violently. Another man, this one wearing a suit—a detective?—looked at the scene and said, "Ah, I see. Okay, okay. Leave it to us. Can you kids run to the entrance?"
Before my stammering friend could reply with, "U-Um, the girl, she's fainted...", the detective stepped behind the unconscious woman and gave her back a firm push with a sharp grunt. She came to, just like in a movie. Then, the detective effortlessly scooped up the woman whose legs had given out, tucked her under his arm, and started walking briskly toward the entrance, saying, "Let's get out of here." Behind us, the Prado was still shaking.
We cleared the tunnel and collapsed near the patrol car. "Hey, take these guys first and let them rest at the station," the detective told the young uniformed officer. Wearing a black pinstripe suit that felt out of place in the Hokkaido countryside, the detective was unusually tall, kind of giving off an Abe Hiroshi vibe.
"Besides, the patrol car only seats five anyway. Your car still has the keys in the ignition, right? I'll go grab it and bring it to you later." We thanked him over and over again.
"That thing is basically like a yōkai. People with some kind of sixth sense or whatever often get messed with around here," the detective said. "It looked like a child-sized thing with a face like a bald old man. Did you see it?"
We hadn't seen it. And I was glad we hadn't. "Well, it's not just about thieves and whatnot; a cop has to protect citizens from all sorts of other things when necessary."
The uniformed officer led us to a nearby police box where we could rest. Even though it was summer, the hot, milky coffee tasted amazing. Before long, the detective drove back in my friend's Prado. Tossing the keys to my friend, he warned us, "Don't go back there. Even the local idiot kids are too scared to go near that place."
From the bottom of our hearts, we thanked him over and over again. I mean, he was insanely cool. Since that place is the real deal, I'd love to introduce it here. But I can't name the location because I don't want to cause any trouble for that detective. Absolutely not.
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