PROLOGUE
For as far back as I can remember I have been having nightmares of a rundown school. The floors have holes and pitfalls scattered throughout them all; it's a wonder the school doesn't collapse with me still inside. However, that wasn't what made it so terrifying. This particular school was a nightmare long before it became rundown and unusable. The principal of Heavenly Host Elementary School was the start of its downfall and the reason for the loss of so many lives. Whenever I would find myself within its walls the silence was always deafening. The place stunk of death which was no surprise considering all the corpses that were scattered about.
I never once told Naru or any of the other members of SPR about this. I can't recall why...perhaps I was afraid. Afraid that Naru would become intrigued and want to drag us all out there to investigate. But the truth is that I didn't even know where "there" was. Supposedly the elementary school was torn down and a high school was built in its place. And if the school was no longer erect then why was I dreaming about it now 50 years later? It just didn't make sense since some of the corpses I had seen lying about were dressed in school uniforms that even I recognized to be current.
I shot up in my bed, recovering from yet another nightmare; how many has that been now, I've lost count. However, this time the dream had been slightly different. It took place in a different school and these kids were much older. I believe high school age. They were gathered around in a circle, each had one hand gripping the edge of some sort of, I don't know, paper doll. I wanted to yell out to them not to do what they were about to do whatever it was, but it was almost like I was not a part of the dream, like I was only a spectator. One of the girls who appeared to be the leader of the group, started to explain to the rest what they were about to do and then they all became quiet. I hadn't heard anything the girl had said, but my sorry excuse for a skill of reading lips had allowed me to catch bits and pieces here and there of her explanation. Something about a Sachiko Ever After charm and needing to say "Sachiko, we beg of you" for each person in the room.
When they were finished with whatever they were doing they then proceeded to tear the doll into eight separate pieces, and that's when all hell broke loose. The ground began to shake and tear apart. The screams-oh God the screams-were unbearable! They were screams of pure terror, undiluted horror. What just happened, what did I just see?! Who were they, would they survive the fall or would they be crushed and killed instantly?! And if they did somehow manage to survive where would they end up? Why hasn't anybody reported them as missing?!
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and then decided I would go to that school in the morning and ask around about the kids from my dream - I mean, maybe it hadn't happened yet or maybe it wouldn't happen at all...maybe I was just going crazy...
However, once I got to the school and started showing the surprisingly unbelievably well drawn sketches I made of the missing kids to the arriving students...no one even recognized them. OK so maybe I was going crazy and I only say this because the alternative would be so far beyond worse. Because if my dream was just as accurate as all the dreams I've had on previous cases, then that would mean that I was the last person to see this group of kids alive. And if there were any chance that they could still be alive then that means that this has now officially become a case and I would have no choice but to tell Naru...And at that very moment nothing frightened me more.