Summary: AU. Anthropologist Kagome specializes in ghost towns. When she learns from a stranger that there's a ghost town nearby while traveling for her thesis, she immediately goes to investigate the deserted town. But what happens when that town isn't as deserted as she thinks?
A/N: I was inspired to write this from a course I'm taking. My professor is an anthropologist who specializes in ghost towns, islands, and other places like that. He was telling us a story the other day in class, and I thought it was really cool so here we are :)
Ghost Town
Part 1
As the wind blew her scarf backwards, Kagome surged forward. The hill she was climbing was covered with stalks of golden wheat and swaying grass. Her destination was just ahead of her, she was sure of it. Glancing down at the wrinkled napkin in her hands, she traced the sketches of the stranger from last night with her fingertips.
The man had approached her at the bar, asking what someone like her was doing in the isolated town of Shikon no Tama. Despite his straggled appearance and red rimmed eyes, he seemed genuinely curious, so Kagome decided to tell him. When she explained that she was an anthropologist who specialized in ghost towns, he immediately began to spew tales of the town in which he used to live, Tessaiga, that was now empty.
"It's about a two hour drive from here," he had told her. Picking up a napkin from the bar, he pulled a pen out of his shirt pocket and proceeded to draw a rough map. "Just drive south. You'll know it when you see it, it's the only thing in the middle of nowhere. Might want to wear better shoes though, you know. It's quite a hike."
She had thanked the man for his kindness, and left the bar with the napkin stowed safely in her coat pocket. Settling down in the car she had rented for this project, she studied the thick black lines and dots the man had drawn. Though she knew this could be her last expedition of her life, her curiosity demanded that she at least check out the empty town.
With a few more steps, she now stood on the top of the grassy hill. Around her were more hills of rolling grass; in the distance stood tall gray mountains, blurred from the low lying clouds that hung around their bases. Kagome glanced down, and let out a gasp.
Below her, in the valley between the hill on which she stood and the next, was an actual town. From her position, she could see neighborhoods of neat houses, a grocery store, and even a hotel at the far corner. The man was right; this place was definitely empty. Even from so far away, Kagome could tell that no one had lived in this town for at least a few decades. As she walked closer and closer, she noticed more and more signs that this place was deserted.
Strolling down what must've been the main road, Kagome paused to take photos of doors hanging wide open on their hinges, dusty front steps, and weeds that had managed to poke through the cobblestones beneath her feet. In front of her, the main road ended at what looked like a court. To either side of her were the remains of the town's industry: demon slayers. With every building she passed, Kagome saw the history of the town unfold.
Tessaiga must have started as a prosperous town, she mused as she noticed the faded signs advertising Tessaiga's "powerful" and "invincible" demon slayers. In the windows of the shops were shabby posters, most of which featured a brunette dressed in skin-tight black and pink leather. The woman looked like she was in the middle of fighting a demon, with her arm extended backwards and a huge boomerang behind her. Kagome frowned; there was no way the demon slayer was using the boomerang as a weapon… right?
Advertisement after advertisement screamed out Tessaiga's demon slayer achievements. One particular shop had plastered its main window with yellowing newspaper clippings.
DEMON SLAYERS EXTERMINATE MISTRESS CENTIPEDE, a bold headline yelled. The photo beneath the title displayed the same brunette, standing proudly over the carcass of an enormous centipede demon. Sango of Tessaiga, Japan, stands over her most recent extermination, the caption beneath the photo read.
SANGO DEFEATS THE VILLAN, NARAKU, another headline stated. This time, the photo showed a badly beaten Sango, smiling away at the camera while she held in her hands a white sphere. Sango showcases the purified jewel that had once been defiled in Naraku's hands, this caption said. Kagome vaguely remembered hearing the name Naraku before. Thinking hard, she tried to remember the context. It must have been her history class, where the professor briefly mentioned the struggle between good and evil that happened 50 years ago; a half-demon named Naraku had tried to defile some precious jewel to give himself more power, but had been stopped by a team of elite demon slayers with the help of a monk and a priestess. Interesting, Kagome thought. She pulled out her journal and wrote down a note to herself. She would have to read up on the Naraku ordeal later.
Clearly, something had happened to the town of Tessaiga. Kagome continued wandering down the street, pausing occasionally to take a photo or jot down some notes in her journal. Approaching the end of the street, something to her left caught her eye. A side road, made of flattened dirt, led her eye to a small house, partially hidden from view by the massive bushes and ivies that had taken over the structure. Something about that house was strange, but she couldn't tell what. Nevertheless, she found herself drawn to the abandoned house.
She walked up the steps and noticed that the metal railing along the front porch had rusted so much, it disintegrated at her touch. The front door wasn't doing much better; the paint had completely peeled off and the door had rotted until there wasn't much of a door anymore. Pushing aside what remained of the door, Kagome stepped inside the house.
The first thing she noticed was how much dust had accumulated on the ground. As she let out a soft breath, she could see the dust billow around her in the soft light coming through the windows. A grand staircase curled upwards to her right, and to her left was a dining room. Taking a cautious step towards the grand table, Kagome tried to ignore the smell of rotting food and wood that accosted her nose.
The table was still standing, and the surrounding chairs seemed to be in good condition. There must have been cloth placemats in front of the chairs; Kagome could see the remains of them ingrained on the dust on the table. A large cabinet with glass doors showcased an assortment plates, bowls, teacups, and utensils. An opening from the dining room led to a kitchen, and beyond that was a small living room. The kitchen was strangely clean, Kagome noticed as she stepped softly into the room. The appliances were rusty, but there was no clutter on the counters. In her experience, houses in ghost towns usually seemed like the inhabitants just suddenly vanished, leaving behind cluttered countertops and stocked cabinets and drawers. But no, this kitchen, aside from all the dust, was spotless. The living room was even more so: the coffee table in front of the outdated television was covered in dust and nothing else. A little lamp sat on the corner table, its lampshade sporting holes that must've been eaten through by moths. But even the lamp was intact, all the windows were closed, all the window shades in place. Even the body on the couch was neatly arranged—
Wait a second.
Body on the couch?
Her heart skipped a beat, then began to race. A body. There was a body on the couch. There was a body on the couch. It had to be a body; what else was shaped like that? It was covered in a dark blue blanket, facing away from her. A mane of silver hair cascaded around where the head should be. It was a body, it had to be. Was it… dead? Decomposing? That would certainly explain why the neat house smelled like rotting flesh. Kagome didn't dare move. What if it was alive? That would be even worse. She gulped as quietly as she could, and tried to calm down her racing heart. The stranger had said this place was deserted. How long did it take a body to decompose? If the body on the couch still held its shape under a blanket, then the flesh must still be there. How long ago did this person die? It must have been recent. What was going on here?!
"I thought this place was deserted," Kagome mumbled to herself, so quietly that even she could barely hear her own voice.
"Apparently not," said another voice.
Then the body began to move.