DI chapter 2
Kim's room became warm, her chest burned. Something was breathing on her ear and neck. Long sharp nailed fingers ran up and down her spine. The thing hissed as the charm kicked in, burning its hands.
"I'll find you, you can't hide forever." A voice hiss in her ear. Kimiko bolts out her bed and let's out a frighten scream.
Her mother rushed in.
"Sweet heart what's wrong? Are you alright?"
"I . . . I had a nightmare. There was this thing but it was blurred, I couldn't make it out. It was trying to find me. Mom, I'm scared." Kim sobbed into her mother's shoulder.
"Shh, shh, it's okay, it's ok. Cho can help us. She'll know what to do." Sumiko reassures the hyperventilating girl.
Kim takes a deep breath.
"Okay, mom?"
"Yes?"
"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Kim duck her face in shame. Only babies sleep with their parents. But Kim thought about the thing that whispered to her and hoped the answer would be yes. It was the same nightmare over the last four days. Kim's eye bags had bags.
"Honey, of course you can. Let's go grab your pillow." Sumiko lead her daughter in the master bedroom. Sumiko looked worriedly at her daughter. The night terrors were
They both settled into the warm covers. Sleep sneaking up onto them.
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Kimiko lounged on a chair at the low seated table. Tapping her pencil to a beat from her head phones. Working on a school packet. Kimiko swung her head towards Grandma Cho who was concentrating on making a charm.
"Staring at me doesn't get your work done any faster." Cho didn't even look up from her careful work.
Kimiko sighed before turning back to her book. She only had two pages left before she would be done.
Kimiko hunkered down to finish the last of the pages.
Kimiko stretched.
"Whoo! I'm done! No more school work for me today. Yes!" Kimiko jumped up.
"Hold your horses, there is no need to rush." Cho put down the charm.
"Never rush into things that's dangerous."
Kimiko forced herself to calm down.
"I'm just excited that's all. I'm going to be free for the weekend no school work for me. Plus mom is off work and we're going to the movies tonight."
"What movie?" Cho smiled.
"It's this new Jackie Chan movie, and we're gonna get movie pop corn, candy, you know the works."
Kimiko had a bounce in her step.
"This'll be the first time, in a couple weeks we do something together. Mom been so busy with work."
"That's sounds fun, try to get your mother to smile. She far to serious." Cho teased.
"It'll be great." Kimiko beamed.
"Well come help me with dinner and by the time your mother gets here you'll be ready to go." Cho put the charm away and turned on the stove.
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Kimiko was standing behind her mother, the ticket line was a like a long line of fish, packed like sardines. Sumiko grabbed the tickets, motioning for Kimiko to follow her into the theater.
"I got the tickets, who's the best mom in the world." Sumiko waved the tickets.
"You are!" Kimiko pumped a fist into the air.
"So on candy, I'm thinking Sour patch kids, oh and nachos! Oh look they also have chocolate almonds!" Kimiko pressed her face against the glass display case.
Sumiko shook her head amused at her daughter's antics.
The worker a pizza face emo teen glared down at Kimiko. Her face now resembling a pig from his side of the glass.
"Welcome to West theaters." He wheezed."Please order your snacks, and leave."
Sumiko handed the boy a twenty dollar bill.
"We need a medium pop corn, some nachos, sour patch kids, and chocolate almonds." Sumiko ordered, the teen grumbled as he left to grab their snacks. He returned his skinny arms filled with the food.
Kimiko scooped the snack up and bounced off to the theater room her mother following after.
Maneuvering around legs, and rowdy kids, they found their seats. Kimiko and her mother snickering and making jokes about the commercials. Stifling their mirth once the previews started rolling.
Warmth rolling in Kimiko's chest, green smoke leaving out threw her nose. Kimiko tensed, her eyes rooming the large room for the ghost. She found the source in the upper rafters. Kimiko watched in horror as a young woman dressed in a sixty style pushed a middle aged
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Kimiko felt the heat, this time she didn't fight it. Her lungs tighten with a warm numbing feeling. Kimiko stiffen, the hair at on her back rose. She shook, she knew this feeling, that thing was back. And this time she could make out its features.
The hot breath on her neck began. She could hear the heavy breathing in her ear. Kimiko could smell the acrid, rotting, and coppery scent.
Kimiko didn't want to see its ugly face. The stitched eyes and mouth, the greasy black hair, it's long,sharp and hooked nose.
But she couldn't deny it it any longer.
It had been following her for months. It whispered the most deprived things to her. At first she could send it away but now it took all of her energy to kick it out.
Kimiko knew that this thing was different then anything she'd ever met. The others didn't have the pure power nor the nasty, bad and completely frightening feeling that it gave off.
"Please go away." She bravely said to it.
It wheezed and shuttered like it was laughing.
"Sweetie?" Sumiko called concerned for her daughter who had gone very pale.
Kimiko froze, the thing had never met her mother before. She could feel it twist it attention to her Mom.
"Mother can't save you. No, mommy can't save anyone." The thing hissed at her threw sewn lips.
"Mommy is powerless to stop me."
"Wow! Did Mrs. Ling get that for you? It's beautiful." Sumiko smiled at her daughter nodded towards the neckless.
"Y . . . Yes. For protection." Kimiko replyed.
"Are you alright darling?" She asks in concerned.
"S-stop the car Mom." Kimiko tries to keep her voice steady.
"Honey?" Sumiko's voice shakes.
They were on the long road near the old forest.
"Nice spot. A beautiful spot. A prefect spot to do it." The thing murmured to Kimiko.
Dread flew threw her at those words.
"Mom! No!" Kim didn't have any time to say anything more.
Everything was chaos, the wheel jerked sideways. The car rammed into a transformer, the wires ripped and landed onto the car. It felt like a thousand little needles were punching in her. She felt like she was being burned from the inside. She was on fire.
She could smell burned flesh. She screamed so loudly that the eerie screech could be heard for miles around. Glass flew everywhere and then darkness fell upon Kimiko as her heart stopped.
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B-bum, B-bum, B-bum. Her heart was beating again but so slow.
Kimiko woke to the sickening sound of crunches, smacks, and ripping noises. She shot up so fast her head felt like it was going to tear open.
She grimaces in pain. She opens her eyes to look at the sounds. The thing is eating something, her vision is blurred she blinks until it clears. She focuses on the Thing.
It's eating a human hand. The bone was broken off from the rest off the body. She can feel her dinner rise up to her throat. She doesn't want to look at the face she already knows what she'll find. Her mother.
She feels faint and weak but also fury at the thing. It killed her, it killed her mother. It was eating her mother! She tries to get up, she tries again.
The thing's eyes aren't sewn shut anymore neither is it's mouth. Blood drips from it lips as a black forked tongue darts out to lick it. It's eye's are a hellish red orange. The lids still have the holes from the wire that held them shut for so long.
"So you're awake. I was waiting a long . . . Time you know." It's voice is horse from disuse having never raised its voice above a whisper.
Kimiko is silent.
"My Name is Jazsal and you are Kimiko Nao. I've been . . . watching you for a very very long time."
Kimiko is silent again, shifting her weight to search for a weakness. This thing was going to die even if it was the last thing she ever did.
"I'm a collector, I collect to things. Like you, I very much want you to be my . . . greatest prize. A natural born Hafha, together we would be unstoppable. You just need to forget my dear." It grin sickeningly at her, it's razor sharp teeth snapped at her.
Kimiko was in shock, he wanted to collect her. He killed her mother so he could collect her?! Who, no what was this thing? What the hell was this thing talking about? A natural born Hafha? What is that?
She was so furious, she felt her hands burning. She glanced down at them, green glowing energy covered her hands. Kimiko horrified tried to put them out. Her hair flickered, white flame.
"What's happening to me? My hair is on fire!" Kimiko couldn't think. Everything was crazy.
"You're fine . . . after all, you're only half dead." It snickered enjoying a private joke.
"Why did you do this? My mom." Tears began sidling down Kimiko's face.
"Your mother is worthless to me, expect for a good snack. Oh I've been hungry for far to long." It came closer to her.
"You're . . . special, I would never harm you." It's hand caressed her cheek, before erupting into burns. It pulled back it's hand with a hiss.
"You're a monster, and if you think you're going to get away with murdering my mother. You have another thing coming!"
Kimiko wanted to hurt this thing so bad. The feeling in her hands began to burn again. Energy itching to escape. A blast of green energy hit it and it flew backwards into a tree ten yards away.
"Stay away from me. I'm going to destroy you for what you did." Kimiko had snapped. Her eyes burned with energy. The only thing she wanted to do was to kill this thing for what it did to her mother.
"I knew . . . you'd be powerful. So very, very powerful. After all you are his daughter." It coos to her.
Kimiko is on autopilot, she fights until she is to weak to fight anymore.
She falls to ground after a vicious punch to her stomach. She hacks up blood, no it's not blood it's green with a red sheen.
Kimiko can't help herself, she panics. Her blood is green. Her blood is green. She's losing consciousness fast. She still can't get over that fact her mother's dead eyes are boring into her's blaming her, accusing her. Her mother had every right to, Kimiko failed.
Her vision is fading to black.
"Get away from her." Mrs. Ling shouts at the thing. Kimiko can hear Mrs. Ling yell something in Chinese. A bright light, the thing hisses, then thing is gone.
"Kimiko? Kimiko? Hold on, hold on." Mrs. Ling is panicking.
Kimiko drifts away.
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"What the hell? She's breathing but I can't find a heart beat." The young nurse looks frighten.
"What that can't be right. Let me see." The doctor comes over to look at the results. She stares in shock.
"It's there but it's only beating 5 times every minute. This is impossible, did you check her other stats?"
"Yes her blood pressure is threw the roof, her temperature is 120 degrees. And from the patients' past files it said her hair was black and her eyes blue." The nurse twitches nervously.
"But her hair is pure white and her eyes are green. What in god's name is going on here? Mother found partially eaten, the daughter found mostly dead. I don't really want to get involved in this case." The nurse says.
"You're not the only one, go find that old woman who signed for her. And the police I want to talk with them." The doctor orders.
The nurse hurries away grateful to get away from the unnatural girl.
Ten minutes later the nurse comes back with the old woman.
"The police will be here shortly." Then the nurse all but runs away.
"You found them?" The doctor asks.
"Yes, I did." The woman answered.
"You know this girl?" The doctor asks.
"Yes she is like my grand daughter, and I'm a close family friend." She tells the doctor.
"You reported a car accident? The mother drove into a transformer. and when you came onto the scene, you chased away the rabid animal eating the mother correct." The doctor felt sick. Something was going on here and she wanted nothing to do with it.
"Yes." The old woman's voice cracked.
"Then called 911." She said.
The doctor doesn't want to deal with this. The bites were almost human. She would rather that it was an animal. Ignorance is bliss.
"And the girl? Why is her appearance so different?" The doctor wants all of this to end and be someone else's problem.
"Kimiko likes anime, she just dyed her hair and is wearing contacts." The elderly woman says this quickly.
The doctor doesn't care.
"Alright Mrs. Ling, thank you." The doctor leaves.
Mrs. Ling rushes over to Kimiko she places a piece of paper with unreadable letters on her wrist.
"I hope this works." She whispered.
A black ring forms around Kim's middle, the light running up and down returning to her normal form.
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It was a beautiful sunny day, Kimiko hated it. The weather and day should reflect her mood on this terrible day.
The small church was sparse of life. Only Mrs. Ling, a couple of her mother's friends, Vlad Masters the rich business man and shockingly enough her grandparents.
The minster droned on about how her mother was in a better place. Kimiko's nails dug into her hands blood dripping rhythmically against the floor.
How was her mother in a better place? She should be here with her daughter. Perhaps she'll become a ghost she was murdered after all. Kimiko thought darkly.
It wouldn't be so bad if her mother became a ghost. If only but it wouldn't fix the gaping hole in Kimiko's heart.
The sickening scent from the imported Sakura blossoms filled Kimiko's nose. Her mother loves-loved the smell. Vlad Masters had spared no expense for the funeral service. Kimiko was determined to find out why.
Her mother's body had already been cremated as per her wishes. Kimiko wished they had the time to have had her mother buried with a new tree growing over her grave. Her mother had wanted a green funeral.
But there wasn't anytime.
Vlad sat stiff backed next to her on the bench. Trying and succeeding to hide his unshed tears from the world.
The minster finally stopped talking.
Erie quiet surrounded the people in the room.
Kimiko's grandparents had muttered morning words in Japanese to the urn of their daughter and left with out saying a word to Kimiko.
Kimiko tried to keep the stab of pain from their rejection at bay.
Vlad put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Which she viciously shook off. Turning her back to him.
Vlad sighed, he didn't know what to do with this girl, or why he should even care.
Vlad stood up walking over to the table of refreshments to get a glass of wine.
Sumiko's friends gave their condolences to him. But in their eyes Vlad could see the itching questions of how he knew Sumiko.
The greedy look in the women's eyes. Looking to strike gold by dating or marrying him. Vlad was sweating. It was time to go for him and the guests to go.
Mrs. Ling seemed to be reading his thoughts as she politely shooed everyone out of the church. Kimiko sat on the bench in front if the memorial picture of her mother. Staring at it with dead eyes.
She sat like that for hours.
"Kimko it's time to go. You need to sleep." Mrs. Ling says gently to Kimiko. Vlad watched as the old woman gently lead Sumiko's daughter out of the church.
Kimiko looked devoid of color even her blue eyes seemed a dark gray. Her all black clothing dimmed her even more.
Mrs. Ling come over to Vlad.
"Vlad dear, I'll take Kimiko tonight. You go sleep, you need it."
Vlad's throat tighten with emotion.
He couldn't speak so he only nodded.
Mrs. Ling looked at the two lost souls. "Take heart in each other you'll need it for what's to come." Vlad stared at her. Was she crazy?
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It had been a week since the funeral. Kimiko felt dead inside, she wanted everything to stop. She wanted to sleep all day and wake up from this nightmare.
She was staying with Mrs. Ling, but not for long. She was going to a will reading and people whispered her father was in it.
Once upon a time Kimiko would have been happy to finally have met her father, but now.
She just didn't care.
She had nightmares and she didn't eat. All she cared about now was finding the thing and tearing it to shreds.
Strange things were happening around her. Stranger things then what used to happen anyway.
All the things only she could see of the ghost variety, stayed far away from her. Like they could sense her rage and itching for a fight.
"Kimmy, it's time to go." Mrs. Ling stuck her head into the room.
Kim blinked then nodded slowly.
They drove to the court house in tense silence.
They walked to the room for the will reading. Kimiko sat down in a chair Mrs. Ling sat right next to her.
The reader of the will reached over to hold her hand. Kimiko went white.
"I'm very sorry about your loss Miss Nao." He says.
Kimiko say nothing and snaps her hand away. The will reader looks at her pityingly.
The door opens again and Vlad Masters walks in.
He freezes when he see Kimiko, his face drains of blood. He looks as if he's seen a ghost. Kimiko stares him in the eye, she wasn't going to back down. Vlad looked away it was painful to see Sumiko's face staring at him with his eyes.
"Let's get started shall we." Vlad wipes his sweaty hands on his pants.
"Of course." The will reader starts to read.
Kimiko tunes him out.
She wonders why her mother never told her that she knew the billionaire Vladimir Masters. What was he doing here anyway? Could he be her mysterious father? No! Kimiko wasn't going to go there. She had been with out a father for fourteen years she didn't need one now.
"In the invent of my death I would like my daughter to live with her father Vladimir Masters." Kimiko stares at the reader avoiding Vlad's gaze.
"Can you repeat that?" She asks.
"Um . . . Yes of course. In the invent of my death I would like my daughter to live with her father Vladimir Masters." The reader squeaks.
"I . . . would like a DNA test to be sure." Vlad's voice cracks as he says this.
"Yes of course." The reader looks relived as the rich man leaves the room.
Kimiko glaring at his back.
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The nurse who just left after taking the blood samples, took the hot feeling in her chest too.
Kimiko sat on the chair alone in the room with Vlad. Vlad had opened and closed his mouth several times now.
They both had their samples taken.
Vlad nervously began to tap his shoe and mess with his red tie.
Kimiko looked at Vlad in the corner of her eye. She hoped it wasn't true, she didn't want to go live with this man. But she couldn't deny how much she looked like him.
He had white hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her mother always told her that she had her father's shade of blue eyes. And his cheek bones.
Kimiko wanted to hit something so badly.
Vlad was sweating in his expensive Italian made suit. Sumiko was dead, this child might be his. No, not might, she was his child. Everything to her hair and the shape of her eyes was her mother's.
but her blue colored eyes, cheek bones and even her manner of sitting reminded him of himself.
It was foolish of him to have not believed Sumiko. It seem everything he's done in these past 20 years was so very foolish.
The door opened and the nurse walked back in with the test results.
"She is your daughter Mr. Masters.
There's no doubt about that." The man said his voice sounding strange like it was else someone's voice.
Vlad watched as his new daughter's face crumbled.
He was sure his face mirrored her own. Vlad had the feeling everything was about to change, weather it was good or bad was yet to be seen.
End of Chapter 2