Summary: On their way to the location of their new case, the group gets lost on a wooded road. There, no matter which path they took, they always end up on the same place. Now, how can they find their way out when a group of lost souls wants them to stay trapped forever? How can they hope to survive the nights on the woods, when they are the ones been hunted?

AN: New story, old warning for grammatical errors. Hope you like this one because it refuse to be left behind, slow updates. I don't own Ghost Hunt. Thanks for reading and this story happens sometime after the anime.

The Path Of The Lost Souls

Chapter One: Lost

"Isn't that the same tree as a minute ago?" Asked Ayako Matsuzaki while looking outside the car window. She has been having the nagging feeling that they were going in circles for a while and just looking at the front mirror, she knew she wasn't the only one who was thinking the same lines.

"It sure looks like that to me. Aren't we supposed to be there by now? We have been on this road for a while now." Takigawa said while driving his white car through the wooded road that seems to have no end. Just a few hours ago, they departed from the office to the destination of their new case, but somewhere around the way, they seem to have lost all sense of direction. He was sure Lin and Naru, inside the black Van in front of them were probably thinking the same. They were definitely lost, of that he was one hundred percent sure but where were they exactly, was the question he wanted an answer.

"It's kind of cold too, don't you think? I mean, the sun is shining up there with no clouds in sight but it feels like we are in winter instead of summer." Added Mai almost shivering on the back sit of the car by John's side. Masako also unconsciously hugged herself, trying not to look outside as if the source of her cold wasn't the odd temperature outside, but the woods themselves.

"To be honest, this whole road it's creeping me out. Just what is wrong with this place?" Asked Ayako, looking left and right trying to decipher exactly why everything felt odd.

"What do you think Masako? Are we simply lost or is something out there trying to get us lost?" Takigawa wasn't one to get panic, but he was beginning to get worry at that point. They had travel for hours and the path always looked the same.

"It feels strange, as if someone is watching us, but I can't see nor sense anything out of place." She said shivering on her seat. John looked at her for a second and looked to the outside woods like they were haunted. He too was restless for the never ending road and he felt, more than seen that there was something out of place ever since they took the wooden road to their destination. He also wonders if Lin and Naru will stop at some point on their way for an emergency gathering to find out what was going on there.

"Mai I think you should call the narcissist now. It's not like this road will end anytime soon. The more we travel in, the more we get lost." Ayako said and Takigawa accented in agreement. Fortunately for Mai, the black Van in front of them reduced speed until coming to a stop and soon after, both Lin and Naru got out of the Van to meet with them. Takigawa, Ayako, John and Mai also got out of the car, but Masako preferred to stay on the Monk's car. The feeling of being watched was too present on her mind and for some reason the car felt more secure than the outside wooden road.

"Hey Naru, what's going on? The road wasn't supposed to be this long right? You said it would take us two hours to arrive on the location of the new case, but it's been almost four and this road keep looking the same no matter where you look at. Are we lost or is this just something else?" Asked Takigawa concerned, by his side Ayako looked right and left nervously. Even thought trees always make her feel better and felt like a fountain of wisdom, the ones on that road felt hostile and scary.

"So you notice as well. We have followed the directions to the destination accurately, taking the right turns and following the streets the clients wrote themselves before leaving the office. Just by following the instructions, we should have arrived in town two hours ago." Naru said casually looking at the priestess which was too distracted by the woods on both sides and taking note of Hara's absence among the group. Mai also looked uncharacteristically scared, which could be an sign that something was wrong if instinct was taking over. Her intuition was correct most of the time and the unexpected circumstances pointed at an unexplained phenomenon.

"So is this some kind of haunting? I mean, the girl's don't look so good and it's kind of colder than it should for a summer day." Said John letting out his own concerns. Takigawa also agree with John about a haunting. It sure felt like one, even if it was on the open without houses nearby or anything else that could point to one. With so many bloody wars on the past, it wasn't completely uncommon for a particular place to be haunted, but he wondered if that was the case or it was something else entirely.

"Giving the circumstances, it's possible we are experiencing some kind of paranormal phenomena that could be explained as a haunting. My phone doesn't have a signal here. What about yours?" They all have a look at their phones and judging by their reactions, the phones were as useless as his own.

"Damn it, this is so creepy! How are we going to go back home if we can't get out of this place?" Asked Ayako, unconsciously moving closer to the Monk.

"I hate to say it, but Ayako is right. If this road never ends, how can we find our way back?" Asked Takigawa and Lin give his shikis full permission to explore around. Maybe they could find something they were missing.

Just like in an answer to his many questions, Ayako was grabbed by a hand and pulled with great force towards the woods. Although the sudden action took them all by surprise, the Monk quick response to her sudden movement, manage to grab Ayako by her other hand, stopping her advance towards the woods shortly after she hit that ground, while Lin's shikis took action to free the scared priestess that was yelling her heart out. The Monk took the trembling Ayako on his arms and the rest of the team rushed to their side. This time even Masako go out of the car to see if the priestess was okay. Aside from the frightening experience she just experience, Ayako only got small wounds that could be easily clean with a first aid kit.

"It's safe to assume we are victims of some kind of haunting, the real questions now are from whom and why." Naru said while looking at the dark forest right in front of him, like by doing so, the answer will come to him. Mai by the other hand, have the feeling that they will be trapped there for a while and this time, they will be the ones being hunted.