Hiro sat on the couch, watching the pacing monkey. His unease grew with every movement the creature made. He and Naomi had agreed to take in Maru, a rescued Japanese macaque she had been caring for. At first, everything seemed fine, but soon, Maru began acting strangely. The monkey followed Naomi everywhere, its sharp eyes never leaving her. Hiro couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Why was Maru so fixated on Naomi? From the moment the monkey arrived, it stayed unnervingly close to her. The constant proximity started to make Hiro uncomfortable. Then came the cryptic message on Naomi’s phone. Her reaction to it was odd—was she hiding something? Hiro felt a chill run down his spine. He needed answers.
Adding to his suspicion, Maru started reacting aggressively whenever Hiro got too close to Naomi. The monkey would bare its teeth, chatter loudly, and even lunge at him if he approached. It was as if Maru was trying to protect Naomi from something—or someone.