Chapter 8: Reunions And Love Sacrifices
Previously…
"There is no time to waste. We need to move on," Masako said not waiting to see if anyone was following her. Still, she could feel John's presence right behind her and she smiled.
Team Katsumi
A sudden, laud sound of something breaking was heard just when they all left the room where the ghost of Asami Megumi was a moment before. Masako and the rest of the team all turned in the direction of the previous room.
"What was that?" asked Katsumi while Masako gasped noticing the sudden rise of negative energy all around. She gave Gene a glance, but to her big surprise, the boy was no longer by her side and neither was Asami. They were both missing.
"Oh, no. Hurry, we need to go back!" yelled Masako, walking back to the room as fast as her outfit allowed her. John remained by her side but Lin and the rest ran ahead of her. Just what was going on? Why did she feel such an oppressing energy all of a sudden? Had the monster woken up and was now going after them? Will he attack again? There was no barrier here, just warding charms.
Lin reached the room first and took out the tatami mat that covered the hidden door toward the room below. He had a very bad feeling about that. He should have gone with Noll even if he was against it. Before, he felt something odd coming from his shiki guarding the group and was relieved when it turned out being a residual image. Now he probably was going to regret not running toward his charge when he first feared something bad was going to happen.
"Take this Lin, I'll go down with you," said Katsumi passing the metallic ladder to him and Lin took out his flash light and descended, closely follow by Katsumi. They illuminated the room once again and both of them almost fell inside the big hole in the floor.
"I'll be damned…how…this is…" Katsumi tried to say something to describe his surprise. How a hole just broke open in hard concrete was certainly beyond his understanding, yet he was actually glad it did happen. His sister was now closer to him than he dared to imagine before.
"It doesn't matter, lets see how far it goes," said Lin turning his flashlight toward the now open space in the floor. There was a cloud of dust from the broken floor that limited his vision but it seemed deep. He could distinguish a few objects below scattered here and there. There was also a foul smell that almost made him gag. Just what was down there? He thought, covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief.
He tried to focus on the objects as much as his limited sight and the sediment cloud allowed him. The objects seemed to him like some kinds of sticks, there were some smaller than others. Then, a little farther to the right he could distinguish a bigger object that looked a lot like a… human skull? The impression did make him back off a little to calm his racing heart a bit. They were all there. The remains of the women who went missing long ago.
"Oh, hell… are those bones?" asked Katsumi equally shocked at the sight. Was his sister really down there among that much decay and horror? He loudly cursed and stood up. Was she even still alive? Could he truly hope to see her again? To save her? He sat down in despair and covered his face with his hands. This was beginning to overwhelm him.
"John, we need a rope. A very long one!" yelled Lin to the priest who was beginning to go down the stairs. John looked at Lin and assented, but Tadashi stopped him from going up again.
"I'll go find one. Akihiro, come with me." The two men left the room in a hurry.
"What did you find?" asked John when he reached them. Judging from Lin's expression and Katsumi's despair, it wasn't anything good. He just hoped it wasn't the missing woman. He had been fervently praying for her safety ever since Mai found out that the woman was still alive.
"Bones… lots of them," said Lin recovering for his momentary lapse of weakness.
"Dear God. May God bless their poor souls," he said while praying.
"This is bad… they are coming. Lin you need to get out and find Naru, now!" Masako yelled almost horrified at the feeling she was having. The hole was created by Asami herself with the extra energy she had gathered during her captivity, so they could reach the dying woman below, but she was going to use others instead to give them time to retrieve the woman. She was going to give the monster a bait he will not be able to refuse, both Mai and Naru.
Takigawa And Ayako
"Naru, Mai!" yelled Ayako when she saw the earth break under both of them and the pair disappeared down the hole it made, back into the darkness below. She moved forward in an attempt to reached them, but was stopped by Takigawa, who held her by her waist and pushed her back just in time to prevent her from falling inside when a piece of earth detached from the border because her weight.
"What are you doing?! Let go of me you stupid Monk, I need to help her!" yelled Ayako struggling her way out of Monk's embrace in vain. Monk did have a very good hold on her and wasn't planning to let her go until she calmed down. It wasn't that he didn't care about what happened to the two swallowed by the earth, but he was deeply afraid she would join them in her haste to reach for them.
"Calm down, Ayako. Stop fighting against me, you idiot! Do you plan to follow them down? The earth here is not stable. There is nothing you can do to help them by falling inside too. Damn it, woman! Stop already… look at me, Ayako. Look at me." He suddenly turned her to face him, still holding her tightly. The priestess was a mess of panic and tears, but she still looked at him.
"Yes, calm down and we will find a way to get them back. Now breathe… breathe Ayako. Nice and slow, just breathe," he said holding her against his chest. The priestess held him back with desperation and cried her pained heart out.
"That thing almost killed her last time, she must be scared to death. Why do we let her take these cases? She is so young, so caring… we let her face these horrible things…" Ayako said between sobs, feeling really guilty for the first time.
"This is not the time for blaming ourselves… what we need is help. We need to call Lin, if he is not on his way by now. I need a rope or something to hold on to while I go down. You, however, need the tree's help. Go and do what you must. Naru said so himself, cleansing the other's spirits will weaken the monster. Mai is not alone there, Ayako. She has Naru and Lin's shiki," he said to the now more calmed Ayako.
"But what if they are injured? The hole seems deep, I couldn't see anything but darkness," she said still sobbing a bit. Monk still held her close thinking she had a point. What happened if one of them or both were seriously hurt? Damn it! I need to find a way down fast! He thought while looking right and left in search for anything he could use. Then almost as if in answer to his thoughts, the radio static was heard.
"Give me your location, Monk. We are on our way," said Lin with an unusually emotional voice and he sighs in relief.
"We need a long rope or something like that. Hurry!" he said to Lin, then he let go of Ayako. "You need to perform your ritual once everyone is here. Prepare yourself." She assented and breathed slowly to calm herself. She will cleanse this place no matter what.
Naru And Mai
"Wake up, Noll," a voice far away called to him but he could barely hear it. Why was someone trying to wake him up? It was still dark right? He couldn't detect any trace of light. He must be dreaming.
"Wake up. You need to get out. Wake up, stupid scientist!" Stupid scientist… he had heard that before, but where? Stupid scientist… Yes, there was one person who used to call him that in the past. The past… past… Gene! It's Gene! In an instant Oliver Davis woke up from his dizzy state to a total darkness.
"Gene," he whispered still feeling a little lost. Every part of his body ached for some reason, specially his left foot. Why was everything so dark? Why did he feel like he had been struck with something really heavy? Where was he? What happened to him?
"You are still dizzy and disoriented because you hit your head. Wake up, you need to get out." Gene's voice resonated inside his head like it use to, not so long ago.
"Where am I? Why did I hit my head? Gene, where are you?" asked Naru taking one of his hands to the back of his head. It was a little wet so he guessed he bled a little. His head certainly hurt like hell for that matter. He was bound to have a concussion for sure.
"Noll, you did fall a great deal of a distance. Both of you are still alive by a mere miracle, but it's time to find your way out. Danger will close in very soon. You need to get Mai out. Mai, Noll, she was with you remember?" said Gene and he tried to think back on the past event that eluded him. A fall… a woman… Mai was it? Mai… Mai… his heart began to beat faster for some reason and he tried to think harder on the owner of the name. A small girl, big chocolate eyes, caramel hair, caring heart, far to reckless, defying nature, trouble seeker, devastating warm smile… cute blushing, beloved, tea...
"Mai!" he yelled and sat back in a fast motion that made his body protest in deep waves of pain. None of that matter however, he was stupid enough to forget her even if it was for a minute. They had fallen underground and she fell because he was holding her hand. Damn it! He cursed himself and tried to move his body. He need to find her and fast.
"Mai! Mai, are you there?" he asked the silence in panic and could feel his usually perfect control over himself slipping away. He could feel the air turning colder and some things began to rise from the ground.
"Way to go, you idiot. Calm yourself. She is relatively fine, way better than you, a little farther to your left". Gene said and he moved his aching body toward the direction Gene pointed out. His control was now miraculously back and ignoring his throbbing ankle, he dragged himself until he touched something warm.
"Mai, Mai, wake up. Mai, please wake up," he pleaded for the first time since he met her, whatever it took for her to come back to him. His heart was beating way off scale, while he checked her head with trembling fingers and sighed in relief when he didn't find any trace of blood or wounds. He lightly checked her neck next and arms after that. She got some cuts on her arms and probably her back, but she was otherwise fine.
"Like I said, she is fine, now wake her up. Something not good is closing in," Gene said again. They had two problems on their hands and he didn't know which was worse. Asami Megumi's thirst for vengeance or Susumu Takeshi's taste for power.
"Mai! Mai, you need to wake up! Wake up!" Naru yelled and shook her a little. The girl whimpered and moaned before opening her eyes or he thought she did. He honestly couldn't see her at all, just feel her.
"Mmmmm… did I fall from the bed again? Damn, it hurts…" said Mai moving until she touched something warm. A hand? Wait, a hand? A disembodied hand or something gross like that? Don't tell me I'm in one of those dreams again.
"Don't panic, idiot, it's me," Naru voice said to her and Mai sighed in relief, then she remembered the fall and began to panic again. They were underground, what was going too happened to them this time? Did she still have her wards? Did they work?
"We need to get out, do you have a flashlight with you? I know Katsumi distributed some, although I didn't bring mine," Naru said regretting the moment he forgot to bring the thing.
"I think I took one of the smallest and put it in my pocket, but I think I lost it in the fall. I can't find it," she said searching in the pockets of her pants without success.
"I will try to find it then," Naru said closing his eyes and focusing on something metallic. He reached one hand in front of him when he felt the little thing and the flashlight came to his hand in a blink of an eye.
"You shouldn't be using your powers in a situation like this. If you pass out, Mai will be left alone," Gene said and Mai gasped in surprise. She had heard that voice in her dreams.
"Wait, who said that? Am I dreaming? Aren't you Dream Naru?" Mai asked innocently. If the situation wasn't a serious one, I would have laughed. Gene thought.
"Did you hear him too?" Naru asked her, turning the flashlight on. She was covered in dirt and had traces of blood here and there, but nothing serious.
"What do you mean if I can hear it? I'm definitely not deaf," she said in confusion.
"Gene…" Naru began.
"I am connected to both of you in similar ways and you two are also connected to each other. Now that our telepathy is back, I think one of us dragged Mai in too. Hi Mai, my name is Gene, sorry for not telling you this before. I had my reasons, but I was Noll's twin brother when I was alive," the voice said.
"Say what?!" she asked looking everywhere but not able to see anything.
"Sorry Mai, there is no time to assimilate the news. Both of you get out of there. Time is running out," Gene said and Naru stood up with difficulty, Mai stood by his side when she heard a barely audible moan of pain.
"Are you hurt? Naru…"
"I'm fine, can you tell us which way is out?" he asked not too sure of whom.
"It doesn't matter now, they are coming!" Gene yelled and Naru held Mai close to him. He needed to act faster than ever before. He just hoped he could make it on time and he closed his eyes in concentration, he dropped the flashlight which illuminated the previously dark floor. Out of impulse Mai looked at the ground and saw scattered bones and skulls as far as the light could reach.
She yelled, scared to death and pressed her head on Naru's chest like her life depended on it. Then the sound of dragging caught up to them, lots of them and Mai was beyond terrified. Last time, she was out of her body and protected by a barrier. This time she only had the nine cuts at her disposal and a couple of warding charms. Naru was out of the question, since using his powers would only kill him faster.
Steel yourself Mai. You need to be strong for two this time. Just get yourself together! She yelled to herself and turn around to face her destiny. She would not give up her life that easily. Then she saw them, crawling corpses with rotten meat hanging down from their broken bodies. They moaned in pain as they got closer. The smell was overwhelming with putrefied dry blood leaving traces in their path. Seeing it, was far worse than hearing them outside the base.
She extended a trembling hand to perform the nine cuts when the corpses suddenly threw themselves at her in an unnatural haste. Despite herself, she screamed like never before and covered Naru's body in a hug that was meant to take the attack for him, yet a surge of light flashed and illuminated the tunnel like day light.
She looked surprised at the odd scene in front of her. The corpses were thrown away by an invisible force and when they tried to reach back a bright golden-yellow light flashed, throwing them back again. Then white orbs of light broke through some of them, making parts of them fall to the ground. She wanted to throw up right there, but she needed to act too. She was guessing the golden light was Naru's barrier, the one he said he was creating before in the base.
Back then he had said it only required the energy he usually discarded in meditation, but she wasn't relieved with that. The attack was meant to be an intense one and it would need more energy than his body could hold. If she didn't act fast, he was going to kill himself mostly for her sake.
"Rin, pyo, to, sha, kai, jin, retsu zai, zen…" She performed the nine cuts on whatever tried to reach Naru's barrier and escaped Lin's shiki. Over and over with more determination than ever. She gathered as much strength as she could muster in every attack and to her surprise, her nine cuts did a great deal of damage on the rotting corpses, almost as much as Lin's shiki.
"Don't, Mai… you are using too much…" said Naru, sensing her energy draining rapidly. She was untrained and inexperienced. The combination made for a perfect disaster. He knew she was trying to help the only way she knew and he loved her for doing so, but at her pace she too was going to end up in a bad shape, not so different from his.
"There is no way I will just sit back and do nothing! You should give up the barrier! Are you planing to give up your life?!" she asked him, now angry.
"There is no other choice. One of us is enough if things go for the worst. Mai… I…" A new flash illuminated the darkness and she saw how pale he was, if he uses any more of it he will die there.
"To hell with all!" she suddenly said and without thinking twice, she threw herself on Naru's chest, put her hands on both sides of his face and kissed him as if the world was ending. She didn't hesitate while giving him all the feelings she had held for him and simply kissed him as passionate as she could, given the circumstances. Maybe it was the adrenaline that made her do the unthinkable or the decision she had made, but she gave the kiss her all. After that, he could have no mistake of her feelings for him and if she survived, she would be in very big trouble, yet she didn't care. Surprisingly enough he responded her kiss with almost as many feelings as her and she felt his barrier weaken. Now, it was time.
"You said so yourself, one of us is enough. I hope we meet again in the next life," she said having one last look at his pale face and ran toward the mass of corpses on her own.
"MAI!" Naru yelled in horror and before he could go after her, a mass of darkness appear out of nowhere covering the girl completely and she was gone for good, no trace of her or the corpses from just a second ago. He was left behind alone and in shock. Then he screamed her name out in deep pain and despair.
"MAIIII!"
AN: I never thought that I will be enjoying writing horror this much. Something is seriously wrong with me! Thanks for reading.
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