Chapter2:Chapter1

Hey guys I'm here with chapter one and I'm really excited: D...well just a little explanation:

First of all I'm going to change some events in the original story, but the plot will not be affected.

Italics are Shiori's thoughts.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shiki and anything related to it. All is property of Fuyumi Ono.

2. – The Beginning of the End.

August 9, 9:45 pm

It was a warm summer night, the sky was so clear that you could see the moon in its full glory. I was supposed to go home an hour ago, losing track of time like always I missed the bus to Sotoba. I had been studying in the library for my dreaded recuperation chemistry exam on Tuesday.

"It's too late! Damn, Erii will be crazy when I get home." I hung my backpack on my shoulder and walked down the street back to my house.

I had two options to get home:

a) Keep walking down the street till I reach it.

b) Take my secret shortcut.

In the end I opted for the shortcut. It's a small path that passes in the middle of the woods and reached the fence that surrounded the backyard of the house. I discovered it two months ago while I was following Megumi in one of her stalker-ish activities. That girl has the bad habit of watching Natsuno from the bushes in front of the window of his room. Perhaps, that's why she knows the area so well.

As I walked I realized the night was eerie silent even the cicadas weren't making its characteristic noise, that gave me an uneasy feeling.

I had a bad presentiment.

I heard the noise of a branch breaking behind me. I turned sharply to see what or who had caused it, but found nothing just darkness that swallowed everything.

"What are you looking at?" A soft,childish voice said.

There was someone behind me. I flipped and what I saw was a little girl dressed in a gothic navy blue dress. She had long, dark purple hair and her eyes had a strange violet color, for some reason they looked hollow.

"You scared me! Who are you?" My voice was a whisper. She chuckled.

"I'm sorry…My name is Kirishiki Sunako pleased to meet you. What's yours?" Said the girl with a little smile gracing her lips.

"I'm Takahisa Shiori. I've never seen you around Kirishiki-san, where do you come from?"

There is something wrong with this girl.

"I just moved."

"I see. It's late for a young girl to be the middle of a forest alone." I crossed my arms over my chest loosely.

"I could say the same to you Takahisa-san." She responded with a mocking tone.

There's something really wrong with her.

"Probably...I'm going to my house if you want I can accompany you to yours." The words left my mouth before I noticed.

"Really? I would be grateful if you did." She said with elation and something else I couldn't identify. Mischievousness, perhaps?

The girl took my hand and started to walk in a different path.

Her hand is icy cold.

"Kirishiki-san, I forgot to ask, where exactly do you live?"

"In the house that's up on the hill."

"Kanemasa? I never thought someone might like to live there."

Besides Megumi.

I was surprised. I thought the only one who liked that monstrous and creepy mansion was her.

"Why do you say that Takahisa-san?" Curiosity laced in her voice.

"That mansion gave an eerie vibe. It seems to hover over the town." I said and she looked at me.

The atmosphere around us seemed to change drastically. It was like the temperature had dropped a few degrees. The moon was hidden by the tops of the trees making the shadows darker, deeper and threatening. It seemed I had gotten into a scene of an old horror movie Erii is so fond of and that I used to watch with her every Friday night. An alarm rang inside my head to run away from that place immediately.

Why did I want to escape?

"...I think I should go back now. My family must be worried." I said, shuffling nervously.

"Shiori, are you afraid?" She asked, trying to sound innocent but her eyes gleamed with sick pleasure.

"Scared?" I repeated, more for me than for her.

Fear. Perhaps that's what I feel, but fear of what or whom? I'm just being paranoid that's all.

"You're not afraid, are you? Why are you trembling?" Her questions made me uncomfortable. Why is she acting so weirdly?

"I...don't know. I gotta go now!" I said urgently tugging my hand away but the girl's hand tightened her grip, but I couldn't get away from her.

What the hell?! WHAT THE HELL?!

I tried to pull my hand a million times. Useless. This girl didn't let go of me. My heart started to race and my breathing became hectic. Panic...This girl scared me to death. Suddenly, her little hand let go of mine and I fell to the ground hitting my head with the ground.

"I'm so sorry, but I can't hold any longer. I'm very, very hungry." She said as if what was going to happen was a foregone conclusion.

Hungry? She's hungry. Hungry of what?

Sunako leant over me, her right hand rested over my shoulder while the left held my face to the side leaving my neck exposed. And I feel it...a sharp, stabbing pain on my neck. I tried to fight back, push her away and run, but I couldn't. Everything felt so unreal, like a dream. My legs and arms felt strangely numb and heavy.

I'm...sleepy. Why am I so tired?

"Someone...please someone...help." I said between gasps, a small tear slipped the corner of my eye.

I can't speak well; the words don't get out of my mouth. My voice is barely a whisper. If I don't speak louder no one will hear me, nobody will come!

"Please...someone..." My pathetic whimpers echoed in the silent night.

I couldn't finish the sentence. My body was trembling, but I wasn't sure if it was of cold or fear or something entire else. There was a light, maybe a flashlight. When I drew my attention to that light the only thing I saw was the moon. An enormous full moon. She was the only witness of this tragic scene. Tears began to slide down my face and sleep finally beat me. I let the darkness take my remaining conscience away as I drifted into a painless slumber.