Chapter 2: The House
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The day did not start out very well. First Mai's alarm didn't go off and she was late, then Monk's car decided it wasn't going to work and since he had previously picked up John and Masako they all had to stuff in Lin's van to get to the Akiyama's home. Of course that meant that Lin and Naru themselves were seated comfortably in the drivers and passenger seat and the rest of them were stuffed in the back with all the equipment. Threatened with their lives if the broke anything, made things even more complicated.
"You stupid Monk get your elbow out of my face!" Ayako screeched as she shoved the man as well as she could, effectively bumping him into John, who fell into Masako who then knocked into Yasuhara, who landed on Mai.
"Ayako!" The others exclaimed.
"Get yourselves situated would you. We don't want to be pulled over."Naru growled from the front. Everyone grumbled incoherently but soon were able to seat themselves comfortably enough for the trip.
Monk and John found themselves crammed on the floor discussing music, as Ayako stood leaned against the back of Lin's seat, filing her nails. Masako took a seat on the small compartment between Naru and Lin, chatting away to the younger, trying to flirt. Finally, Yasu sat on the only fold-out seat in the back behind Naru, playing a hand-held videogame with Mai on his lap.
"Geez Yasu, watch where you're going, you almost fell off the edge." Mai commented as she watched Yasu play.
"Hey, no lap sitter driving." He retorted.
"Watch out for that shell!"
"Oh crap."
"See I told you, you were going to fall."
"Hey you try driving on a rainbow, it's not easy!"
"Would you two shut up?" Ayako broke in, groaning. The two both stuck their tongues out at her childishly.
"Give me that." Mai stole the game and began her own set of races.
"You slipped on a banana peel, you're such an amateur." Yasu snorted.
"Oh yeah, and getting hit by a green shell is so skilled."
"That shell came out of nowhere and you know it."
"Whatever you say, never mind I always win at this game on the Wii."
"That's only because you have a home field advantage!"
"Just because we're at my apartment doesn't mean I have a home field advantage. You're just a sore loser!"
"Liiiiinnnn! Mai and Yasu won't shut up!" Monk suddenly whined obnoxiously. Lin scowled and glared at the two teens through the review mirror, mostly because he couldn't see Monk on the floor.
"If you two don't keep quiet you'll be tied to the roof." The teens wanted to laugh but they quickly realized that the threat was extremely likely if they didn't do as they were told.
"It sure is a lot more fun at my place where we can be as loud as we want." Mai mumbled. Yasu snickered.
"That sounded so dirty." Yasu snorted. Mai wacked him on the head with the game.
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The drive was too long. After going over a suspicious rickety old bridge they finally reached a large black iron gate. It surrounded the house and stretched out farther thsn Mai could see. The Victorian style house was more like a mansion. There were big trees everywhere and everything was over grown with vegetation.
Even with the old and ominous feel of the surroundings the house itself was actually quite beautiful. It was old, but not falling apart. Yet Mai know she would not want to ever live there.
"This house is huge! I thought it was just the one couple living here." Ayako commented as she stretched her arms above her head.
"Both Mr. and Mrs. Akiyama are historians and archeologists." Naru announced to everyone. "They moved into the house to find out more about its mysterious history."
Lin and Naru approached Mrs. Akiyama and what Mai assumed to be her husband at their car. It seemed that they didn't plan on staying.
"Either we're getting another car for the ride back or I'm walking 'cause I'm not sitting on the floor again." Monk complained as he stretched his back out with a crack.
"If you weren't such an old man maybe it wouldn't be so bad." Ayako jibbed. Monk glared at her.
"Do you sense anything Miss Hara?" John asked Masako who was staring at the house in that unnerving way she always did.
"Yes, there are several spirits here. Most seem lost, or trapped. But there is one that has more of a dark and dangerous aura." She said rather cryptically.
If anything else was said it was lost to Mai as she studied the house. From the stories that Ms. Akiyama told and Masako's observation, Mai wasn't surprised by the cold feeling she got from the house. It was creepy and Mai already knew she wasn't going to like going inside.
Suddenly there was massive unsettling shiver running up her spine and she saw a woman glaring at her from the highest window.
"Naru!" Mai exclaimed pointing up to the window as the others rushed to her but the woman had vanished.
"There was a woman in that window." She stated firmly, forcing herself to look Naru in the eyes.
"I saw her too." Masako spoke up and Mai felt a little less crazy.
"Ms. Akiyama, what room is that window from?" He addressed the pale woman.
"The attic." Was all she was able to choke out in her fear. Mai felt a shiver run up her spine. Apparently that would be a reoccurring event.
"You mean the locked attic that you haven't been able to open?" Mai asked rhetorically as she sweat dropped. Nothing living could possibly be in that room. That wasn't a good sign.
"We need to start setting up." Naru nodded at Lin, who began to remove the equipment from the van. "Neither you or your husband touched anything before leaving the house the other night, correct?"
"Yes, we grabbed only a few personal things before we got out." Hisa confirmed and Naru nodded at her.
"Very well, we will conduct a thorough investigation on the house and keep you updated on our progress."
"Thank you Mr. Shibuya." Mai heard Mr. Akiyama speak for the first time. "Oh and here is all the information we have already found on the house and its history. I would avoid the west side of the house. It has not been refurbished yet and could be dangerous to walk around through there."
Naru nodded in thanks and the couple got in their car and left. They made to enter the house and find the room that Ms. Akiyama claimed would work for their base before bringing in most of the heavy equipment.
Upon entering the house, Mai and Masako broke down into a violent coughing fit. John and Monk quickly grabbed onto them to prevent them from falling.
"What is it? Blood?" Monk asked them knowing of their sensitivity.
"No." Mai answered, her nose burning and eyes watering. "It smells like cleaner."
"Like bleach." Masako finished, with her kimono sleeve covering half her face.
"Hmmm… Well that's a new one." Monk commented lightly as he looked around. Suddenly the front door slammed shut causing Mai to squeal in surprise. A literal chill ran through the room.
"The spirits know were here." Naru stated firmly, seemingly ruling out the possibility of any rational explanation for the phenomenon going on in the house. It seemed like a poltergeist was also not the cause, making Mai quite uneasy. The last time they dealt with something they didn't understand one of them ended up kidnapped and they all almost died.
"They are daring us to challenge them. Let's get set up quickly and get straight to work." Naru directed and everyone shuffled around getting ready.
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Everyone spent the next hour setting up camera's and mic's in the rooms with the most activity; the living room, where the axe stuck in the wall; the kitchen, where the eerie voice was heard; the backyard, where headless apparitions appeared and finally the landing with the locked door to the attic where Mai and Masako had seen the ghost woman.
"These pictures are totally creeping me out." Mai commented as she, Ayako and Masako made their way down the hallway. All along the sides were pictures of people staring with wide eyes that seemed to follow you. None of them were smiling and their clothing seemed like it was from the 1800's.
Upon their return to base they found that they were last to arrive.
"Guys there's an actual cemetery at this place. A cemetery! This is your typical haunted house in every horror movie you've ever seen. I don't know whether to laugh at the irony or to break down into tears." Yasu told them.
"Now that everyone is back, here's how we're going to begin." Naru started by giving out assignments. He seemed to believe that in order to solve this case they would need to get into the locked attic room. So he wanted everyone to search for a key of some kind as they took measurements and temperatures. Everyone began to move out once Naru was finished.
"One more thing, I don't think it is a good idea for anyone to be walking around here alone." He stared pointedly at Mai and she glared at him. Like it was her fault she always seemed to find trouble. She wasn't the one that went out by herself and got kidnapped by a crazy monster back at the, what they liked to call 'Bloodstained Labyrinth'.
"Also keep close to the house. This property is large and anyone could get easily lost, especially in that cemetery. Dissmissed."
"We're not school children you know." Monk grumbled.
"Technically half of us here are school children." Yasu pointed out and Naru gave him a look. "Well we're that age anyway. Never mind that Naru and Masako don't really attend school."
Everyone knew that Naru had already graduated high school at the age of 17. Right before he had come to Japan to start the branch of SPR. They all just figured that Masako had private tutors.
Splitting up into teams to search the house, everyone left Lin and Naru to set up the base. Mai, Yasu and Monk made their way to the living room first.
"The hatchet! It's gone!" Mai exclaimed once they arrived. The wall was bare from the sharp object though the mark was still deep. They did a quick search but the axe was nowhere to be found.
"I swear it was there when we set up the cameras. How could it just disappear?"
"We'll have to check the footage when we get back to base. But one thing's for sure, whatever the hell is haunting this place is messing with us. Thinks it's cheeky." Monk growled looking warily around the room. "Let's get the measurements and get out. I don't think it's safe for any of us to be here for long.
Mai and Yasu got straight to work while Monk examined the mark on the wall. Nothing happened as the trio finished and they all exited the room swiftly. They went through a few more rooms before Yasu noticed something funny.
"This is a really weird spot for a fire place. There's not even a chimney attached." He proceeded to crawl inside to inspect it better. "I don't even think it's ever been used as a fire place."
"So? People have decorative fire places all the time." Mai asked tapping her pen to her chin.
"As old as this house is, no one would put in a non working fire place. It was their main source of heat in the winter." Monk informed her.
"I think I feel a draft in here." Yasu called from the fireplace. He was running his hands along the back wall and felt grooves in the stone where there shouldn't be. Making his way out he brushed dust off of his shirt.
"I think there's another room behind this- EEP!"
Yasu flew back with such force he fell to the floor in terror. The hatchet had reappeared and wedged itself into the wall once more right in front of where Yasu's nose had been. Mai ran to his side and Monk tore the hatchet out.
"Are you okay?" Mai turned Yasu's face around jerkily to ensure that nothing had been clipped off by the sharp object.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Yasu smacked Mai's hands away and grinned a little sheepishly. "Not so use to having my life in danger though. I usually leave that to you."
Mai scowled at him but she knew he was trying to poke fun to forget his terrifying experience.
"I think you struck a nerve." Monk spoke as he stared at the fire place, holding the axe firmly. "We better get back, and this time this is coming with us."
"What if it suddenly flings at someone head again?" Mai didn't think taking a haunted axe back to base with a bunch of people was a good idea.
"Then let's hope it flings itself at Naru this time." Monk joked and Yasu snickered. Mai only frowned at them. "Chill out Mai, I'll keep a hold of it. Let's just hope this," Monk shook the axe, "Was the worst of our problems."
It wasn't.
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