Here is the second chapter to my story The House of Horrors.
I appreciate your long wait, and I am so sorry for this late upload.
Chapter 2: Let's Investigate
Mai woke up to the sound of her alarm clock. She slammed her hand to the button making it fall over. She pushed herself out of bed. She looked at the clock.
10:18...
Her eyes widen when she realized the time.
Shit! I'm suppose to meet Yasuhara at 10:30!
She jumped out of her bed, and prepared herself. She stumbled with her socks and grabbed the toast she made. She quickly put on her shoes and ran out of the apartment.
She made it to the train station. She fell to the floor breathing hard. She glanced over to the big clock over the ticket counter.
Ten thirty-two. The next stop is at 10:40, I don't have enough time. Maybe if I run…
She thought hard about it but found it the only answer. She helped herself up and ran out the subway.
--x--
She was able to make it. She was forty-five minutes late, but it could've been worse. She was to catch a taxi, but not for long. As soon as the driver found out where she was going and found out she didn't have enough money to pay for it he kicked her out. Luckily Mai took a ride with her teacher. Which made up for most of the time.
She stepped out of her teachers car and gave her regards. She looked at the big, colorful sign that hung above her. In big yellow words it read: One Wish Amusement Park. Standing there, she felt the excitement bubbling inside of her. It had been months since their last case. She smiled brightly and ran inside.
She saw Yasuhara sitting by a bench checking his watch.
Poor guy, I made him wait for so long.
"Yasuhara-san!" Mai called out. The said boy looked up and waved.
"You're late," he said when Mai arrived. He looked very angry and his arms were folded, but Mai knew he had forgiven her.
"I'm sorry, I woke up late," she took a seat next to her friend. She had a lot of things going on in her mind. Especially one certain question. It had been bugging her since yesterday. She was scared of the answer but also curious. She spoke to herself on how she would say it, but not knowing it she said it out loud, "If it was some spirit causing all this, how come you didn't go ask Naru about it?"
Her friend looked at her with a surprise look.
Oops! I thought out loud!
Yasuhara looked at her very surprised. "The reason for that," he said but stopped. I let out a big sigh and fixed his glasses. "I did."
"What? If you did, how come Naru didn't say anything about it?" Mai said. She noticed people looking at them. Shoot. I didn't meant it to be that loud.
"Actually, yesterday's case wasn't the first. Starting eight months ago, the first incident happened. When I started working here I heard all sorts of rumors. I really didn't believe it at first, but five days after I started working here I somewhat witnessed a spirit phenomenon. After that I went to Shibuya-san about it…"
He stopped talking, he had a look that there was lump in his throat.
"So? What did that narcissist idiot say?" Mai said. She meant it as a joke, but saw that her friend was serious. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright, Taniyama-san. He already knew about it, Shibuya-san that is. The media covered all the stories about it, and that's the reason he wouldn't take it."
"I see, He really doesn't like cases that would involve the media," Mai looked down, a little disappointed. "Then, why did you ask me to come? Why couldn't you ask Bou-san or Ayako?"
Yasuhara laughed at the brunette girl's suggestion. "I did, but when I contacted Takigawa-san he laughed, as well as Matsuzaki-san. Of course if you hear that there is paranormal phenomenon at some amusement park haunted house, you'll laugh too, wouldn't you? The old cliché haunted house case."
Yasuhara let his chin rest on his closed fist, laughing to himself.
He finally snapped!
"Anyway, Taniyama-san," Yasuhara turn abruptly to Mai, who flinched a little. "I want you to help me. I know something is up. I witnessed it with my own eyes…"
Mai looked at her friend. His eyes were distant, but there was hint of fear to it. "What exactly did you see?"
"Huh?" He turn to the brunette girl. "What… I saw? Well, I… Oh! Taniyama-san! You're suppose to be very sensitive to spirits right!?"
"Huh? Wha- yeah kind of," the girl was taken back by her friends sudden change of subject.
"Did you see anything? Sense anything?"
"Ah well," she said nervously. Then she suddenly remembered the little girl. "I saw a little girl. She was about six or seven years old. Had a dress and a teddy bear. I saw her in the Hall of Mirrors. You see, I lost my I.D. card, so I went back to look for it, and I saw her. I took her hand and led her back to my friend, but when I got there she suddenly disappeared."
"Hmmm,"
"I felt her presence, I felt the warmth of her hand. I swore she was there, but…" Mai stopped. "Oh wait! When the buses were leaving in one of the windows of the haunted house, I saw her again. She was waving, at me… I think."
The two sat in silence. They could hear the laughs and screams around them. Mai couldn't handle it any longer so she decided to speak.
"Wait, if its just you and me, what are we going to do? We're just regular people. Sure I have some special powers and can you warding off spells, but what about you? What if we do find what's causing all this? Even if it is a spirit, Its not like we can exorcise it.?"
Yasuhara looked at her surprised, "You have a point the. We really can't do anything, but it doesn't hurt to look." He stood up and turned to Mai. "Lets go."
*…*
They entered the building of the haunted house. A lady behind a desk near the entrance asked if they would like to take a tour around.
"It's alright," Yasuhara refused kindly. The two walked fast, passed the others.
Yasuhara took the lead with Mai right behind him, "What if someone sees us?"
"No one will see us, they blocked off the area around the room. There's security all around."
"Don't you think they're over doing it with the protection?"
"I thought the same at first, but yesterday's incident wasn't the first."
"It wasn't the first? You mean this thing happened a couple of times-?" her sentence was cut off by the sight of a security guard.
They were almost nearing the room. A tall, brick-like man stood in front of the opening.
Scary… They're guarding it like it's some sort of safe full of treasures.
"Hey Yasuhara-san, how are we-" Mai looked around her but saw that her glasses friend was gone.
Where? Where? Where did her go? He dares to chicken out and abandon me like this?!
"Excuse me,"
Mai recognized the voice at once. She turned back to where the guard was, and in front of him was her missing friend. He wore the same exact uniform the guard was wearing.
Whoa! Quick change!
The man guarding the door looked down on the small man. "What?"
"Your shift has ended, its time to switch."
"No, my shift isn't over until 12:00," the man's deep low voice scared Mai. He didn't seem to be convinced by Yasuhara's white lie.
"Yes, yes it is. Your shift ends right now, 11:15."
The guard still wasn't convinced. He even looked a little suspicious.
"Listen kid," the man's deep voiced raised up in anger. "I know exactly when my shift ends. Now I won't be fooled by you. I've heard about you, tricking people with that innocent smile of yours."
If this keeps up he's going to get caught!
Mai, still hiding behind the wall, watched very closely. The guard gave the hardest stare she has ever seen. She was surprised that Yasuhara didn't even flinched, but then again this is Yasuhara we're talking about. Mai then saw a guard passing by the two.
"Hey Osamu-kun, Ryuu-kun," the guard gave them a very welcoming greeting. Much nicer than his co-worker. He looked very young, around his early twenties maybe?
The guard name Ryuu raised his voice even louder, "Minami-san! What are you doing! Shifting doesn't start until 12:00!"
Geeze, temper much?
"WHat are you talking about Yes it does? The manager just announced it a few minutes ago. Don't tell me you didn't get the memo?"
The big, scary guard seemed taken back at this. He gave a cold stare to Yasuhara. He turned in the other direction and stomped away.
Yasuhara took his place at the opening. Mai took a step forward but her friend's eyes said to stay back. After a couple of minutes, Yasuhara called Mai over.
"Geeze! What was that?"
"What? We need a way in here, and here's our chance right now." he checked the hallways before heading down the dark hallway.
"Wait," Mai grabbed Yasuhara's arm. "What if somebody comes and sees that nobody is guarding the door?"
"Don't worry. Another employee is heading here right now. I made it so that he is guarding this area. That's why I was in such a hurry earlier. Good thing that Minami-san came by or Ryuu-san would never leave."
"How did you do that?"
Yasuhara gave her a sarcastic smile and said, "It's a secret." He turned and walked ahead.
I swear, he is evil more than anybody knows.
"Taniyama-san, hurry up!"
Mai jumped, but kept it together, "Okay."
The two then walked deeper in to the room upstairs.
--x--
The sound in the small room was quiet except for the sound of a faint foot tapping and a pen clicking. The room held a bookcase full of strange books, a desk, and one irritated being.
A very handsome, teenage male sat on a chair behind the desk. He was looking at out-dated newspapers. He read the articles, but didn't process the words. As time went by, his foot tapping got louder and the pen clicking more often. While doing that little pattern of his, he occasionally looked at the clock. It read 11:25. The more he checked the time, the more it annoyed him.
His stomping then got louder and harder. His clutch on the newspaper made wrinkles. As for his pen, he slammed it down. Signaling he had enough.
He walked out of his office and walked down the hall to a small room. He could hear tiny mumbling as he got closer. As he entered the room, two set of eyes stared at him.
He ignored their stares and walked to the small coffee table. He took a deep breath in and slammed his hands down. The two visitors winced at this, they didn't like where this was heading.
Finally, the boy spoke, "Can any one tell me, where are those two idiots!" The handsome boy's calm look turned into a monstrous one. His eyes switch from the male visitor to the female visitor.
Both were unable to speak until one took the courage, "If you're talking about Mai and Yasuhara-shounen, then they're at One Wish Amusement Park," said the male.
The young man had a solid, expressionless face, but you can very well tell that he was confused.
"And what do you mean by that Bou-san?"
The man called Bou-san reached into his pants front pocket and took a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and places it on the table. The young man took it and read it silently, while Bou-san read it out loud, having it memorized.
" 'Taniyama-san and I are going on a date today to One Wish Amusement Park, so we won't be able to make it to work today. Yasuhara Osamu-sama."
The female visitor laughed at that last part, "That kids got some nerve to add 'sama'."
Bou-san rolled his eyes at her and turned to look at the teenage boy. "So what are you going to do now, Naru-chan?"
So what do you guys think so far?
Please tell me what you think! I also ask if you can critic me on my writing.
Thank you so much! ^^