Blood
Day Two continued
1:00 Pm
Water rushes over my head in shallow waves, I seal my lips and squint my eyes through the salt and possible tears, trying to see the stones ahead. Blood spattered crimson all over grey cement, splotchy red trails leading to the center of the rock formation too small to call an island. In the center, laid the bodies belonging to Sakura and Kazuhiko. A few feet from them, Was a green backpack that was meant to be someone's weapon and food supply. I imagine whoever decided to call a quits must have thrown it down before jumping.
My small hands grab at the rocks as I pull my slender form upward, it takes all the strength I have in my shaking arms not to fall right back down. The water is freezing, my clothes feel heavy and my head is spinning, pins and needles prick at my skin, I didn't want to do this, I didn't want to climb down a cliff side and swim out into icy ocean water. Kiriyama didn't leave me much of a choice, he wanted the bag and as I've been learning for the last twenty-four hours, Kiriyama gets what he wants.
Once on top the rock formation, I step over Sakura, a knot forms deep inside my stomach as I try my best not to touch her at all. I want to be as respectful as I possibly can. Biting my lower lip, I cast a glance upward, looking back at the cliff top. Kiriyama had already started to make his way down to the beach to wait for me. I could have swam out from the shore but he wanted to watch me clamber down the cliff side. Of all his games thus far, this one was my least favorite.
My delicate hands swipe the bag of in one swift motion and I draw in a sharp breath. "Okay…" I whisper, trying to soothe myself. "Okay." Another sharp breath. "Okay." I slip my arms through the straps and sitch the green sack onto my back. The water isn't quite as cold when I dive into it this time, though it's still rather unpleasant.
My arms reach out in front of me and slowly but surely, I start to make my way back to the beach, where I can see Kiriyama standing and waiting, I can tell that he's tired of waiting, even though he shows no signs of impatience. As demanding as he is, I'm almost certain he's never had to wait very long for anything.
The corners of my vision darken, my head is pounding as I feel my limbs growing heavy. What's-What's happening? Kiriyama cocks his head to the side, his eyes portray confusion. Suddenly, he's moving forward and my vision is gone.
Water rushes up my throat, ugly, violent gags force it forward and I roll onto my side, weird marks dance across my vision in blurs as I stare at the sand. Slender fingers are resting on my arm, sliding up toward my shoulder. Ragged breathing slips from my lips as I glance toward Kiriyama.
When I thought he was trying to comfort me, he was really just taking the backpack from me. He fell back, taking a seat as he placed the bag in his lap, crossing his long legs. Did I faint? For how long? My eyes shifted toward the sky that hadn't changed.
"How long?" My voice rasps.
Kiriyama holds up five fingers. I nod in silent response. Just five minutes. If five hours had passed, it'd be kind of dark already. My legs tremble as I shift onto my knees. "What weapon did-"
He pulls a cloth head band from the bottom of the bag. Anger surges through my veins and I curl my lip back in irritation, I scaled a cliff...for a cloth headband. In response to the look on my face, Kiriyama smiles, and it isn't creepy, it's genuine, which made it a little unsettling. A small sound slips from his lips.
I raise a confused eyebrow and his head falls back, a perfect mouth drops open and Kiriyama begins laughing. My heart beats hard against my ribs, so hard I feel like it's going to burst. He's laughing, he's laughing like a child. It's beautiful. Everything about it is beautiful, from the sound, to the way his lips peel back over his teeth to form the most gorgeous smile. His dark eyes are closed and his eyelashes are long.
Just like that...the irritation falls from my face and something else takes over, something unfamiliar. What I'm feeling now, is unfamiliar to me. His laugh, it makes me ache. It's unnerving. "Stop it." My voice is a murmur. My tone becomes something more aggressive, something not quite myself. "Stop it." Kiriyama's response is simple, he gets louder. My delicate hand flies up and I slap him hard across the face. Everything goes silent, the only sound is the waves smashing against the cliff side.
My hands fly up over my gaping mouth, Kiriyama is staring at me, full disbelief holds his face. The full magnitude of what I just did starts to hit me as he lunges forward and pushes my back into the sand. Long fingers wrap around my wrists and pin them to the ground on either side of my head.
His lips lay down on mine, he trails hungry kisses over my mouth and I arch my back trying to knock him off of me. A rough hand forces my hips downward as he captures my lower lip between two rows of perfect teeth. I whimper as he bites down, it hurts, I can taste blood, he definitely busted my lip.
What is this? I hit him, why is he kissing me? Why is his mouth so warm? My head falls back and I feel my eyelids grow heavy, his mouth is working down the length of my neck, slow, acutely placed kisses turn violent and toothy so fast it makes my head spin. My legs shift and his hand slams down on my raised knee, forcing my leg straight. It hurt, a burning pain rushed through the tendons in my leg.
His fingers are pushing my skirt up my thighs, I feel my cheeks growing warm and I bite my lower lip, right where he'd busted it just moments ago. "Ouch." I murmur as my gaze turns toward the sky. He's just trying to make me uncomfortable, that must be it. My dark eyes widen to the size of saucers and my pupils center, his lips are pressed against the most intimate part of me.
"No!" I squeal, thrashing to the side, my knee connects with his face as I crawl forward. Soft hands roughly grab my hips, Kiriyama snarls slightly as he drags me back toward him. My back against his chest, he wraps a strong around around my waist and uses his free hand to turn my head toward him. Once more, he captures my lips with his own.
I moan into his mouth, his tongue is prodding at my lower lip now. I can't help it, I shift slightly, only one of my arms is trapped by the one he has locked around me, I place my free hand on the side of his face and open my mouth slightly to let his tongue inside. The kiss becomes more urgent, his hand leaves my face and slips down my collar bone, nimble fingers undo my top two buttons and then slide beneath the crisp white fabric.
"K-Kiri-" I lose my breath, his fingers are sliding over top of my bra and my legs are starting to quiver. There's a burn under my skin, it races through my veins, filling them up with fire. I feel more at home in this moment then I've felt anywhere with anyone since Noa died. For the life of me, I can't figure out why it feels this way, to be touched by a madman, by someone without remorse, without feelings, by someone who shoots down his peers without even flinching. The kiss deepens, his lips become more urgent against mine and my thoughts are getting away from me.
A loud squeal sounds from the woods near by and the kiss comes to an abrupt end. Kiriyama places his large hand between my shoulder blades and knocks me forward with one hard shove. My knees knock together in the sand as I hear him brushing off his pants. I close my eyes and draw in a breath only to be yanked upward by a handful of my hair.
"I'm coming!" I squeak softly as I hop forward, trying to catch up with the hand that is pulling me. His steps are like two of mine. In one hand, he holds my hair, in the other, he holds the backpack he'd forced me to retrieve. He lets go of me and his hands shove the soaked green bag into my arms. His eyes tell me to put it on and keep my mouth shut. I nod my head in silent response as I slide it on.
My clothes are wet and uncomfortable, and the backpack doesn't help anything. My eyes shift toward Kazuo, I can see the wet spot on his chest from where my back was pressed against it. For some reason, that makes me smile, a small, silent, guilty smile. His fingers are now working the rope back around my neck. I bite my lip and try not to think about how much worse this is going to feel now that my skin is wet. "I told you." I try again, "I'm not going anywhere, Kiriyama." His fingers wrap around the end of the rope and he tugs me forward. That's what I thought you'd say. My thoughts hiss.
As we walk through the woods, the humidity burns into my cheeks, it makes my skin itch and turn blotchy, it makes the air sticky and hard to breathe. Kiriyama doesn't seem to mind it, but I can see the sweat beading just above his brow. It almost reminds me of….
The gymnasium is alive with the sound of the student body cheering on their team. Feet are stomping excitedly against the wood floor as hands clap together. In the bleachers, I can see signs, I see red streamers and hear girls screaming. In a corner, I can see Mitsuko, she was always so alone. My hearts racing, there's a smile on my face as I feel myself being lifted onto the shoulders of Tendo and Yukiko. I tumble backward, my team mates catch me and I bounce forward, arms stretched wide as we burst into our next routine. As for the game, We're about to win. Sugimura tosses the ball toward the basket, when it ricochets off the rim , a player from the other team catches the rebound. The crowd goes silent, I'm standing off to the side, clad in a skirt and crop top, my hands, clutching orange pompoms fall to my sides and the rest of my team comes to a halt. He makes an attempt at a break down the court, Sugimura blocks and once the ball is in his hands, he passes it to Mimura. He was still Shinji to me in those days. Sweat beads just above Shinji's furrowed brow as the ball bounces hard against the floor and he begins to drive down the court. Once faced with another team member, He passes the ball back to Sugimura, a nervous look on his face, Sugimura tosses the ball toward the hoop, again it smacks against the rim and bounces off. Shinji catches the rebound and shoots just as the timer goes off. A loud buzz fills the now silent room. The ball soars through air and hits the backboard. It spins around the rim.I can see Shinji watching it, I can see his eyes, cool and collected, he knows he's won. It drops through the hoop and our peers, seated on the bleachers scream in elation, The score is 65 to 64. We cheerleaders burst back into our routine. My arms streach out above my head, I give my pom poms a hard shake as my leg kicks up in front of me and I spin around in unison with my group. As I'm turning back around, a strong arm wraps around my waist and Shinji's lips are against mine. This is our first kiss and my heart has found a new home...in my throat.
A tug on the rope around my neck breaks me from my thoughts and I look to Kiriyama, he's staring forward, we're hiding in a thicket of trees, watching Minami (Girl#20) and Mizuho (Girl#1) as they scream at one another. I bite my lip, remembering how close the two had always been, even as Mizuho was called up to start this game...they embraced, promising to always be friends.
"I d-don't want to have to kill you!" Minami quips. "So please!" she screams, gripping the pick ax at her side, "Put that knife down! We'll figure this out together!"
"I can't!" There are tears in Mizuho's dark eyes, "I can't! There's only one winner! If you're still alive when I am...w-we both"
Kiriyama is no longer amused, he steps forward, leaving me behind. When he reveals himself, The two friends hold each other close, both are crying, legs shaking, both just want to go home. "L-Leave us alone!" Minami screams, her voice is ugly, and unusual.
"You-you better go!" Mizuho threatens, "You're outnumbered!" I don't need to see Kiriyama's face to know he's amused. Minami screams out as Kiriyama grabs her by the arm, throwing her small body to the ground. Her ponytail flies over her shoulder and Kiriyama stomps his foot between her shoulder blades.
Mizuho grips her kitchen knife and raised her hand above her head, I raise an eyebrow. She's going to stab Kiriyama. My body moves on it's own. I lunge forward, heart racing as I knock Mizuho to the ground. I roll her over, hands grabbing anything I see in an attempt to take her knife away. Her weight forced me onto my back, she raised her hand above her head and my hands fly up to catch her wrists. The tip of the knife is dangerously close to my right eye but I can feel her grip starting to shake. She's going to falter, any second now. I'm not entirely sure what Kiriyama is doing to Minami just a few feet away but she's crying out and it's loud. It might be louder if my heart weren't beating so loud in my ears.
Mizuho falters, I manage to force her hand to the side, I cry out as the blade of her knife slits through my cheek. It's a sharp pain, it burns too, there are tears in my eyes and I feel them rolling down my cheeks, mixing blood with salty warm water. The knife is mine now, one hard lunge and I bury it in her side. She screams bloody murder as I use my leg to knock her off of me. She's on her back. I throw my leg over her hip, straddling her as my hand rips the knife from her flesh.
"Kenta." She wheezes, the pain in her eyes is evident as she cries out. "Why? What are you?" her voice breaks, snot runs down her angel's peak, touching the tips of her upper lip. "Y-you were always so...so quiet...I...ahaaaa!" she screams as I raise the knife above my head. Finish what you started. My thoughts whisper. When the knife breaks skin, I hear it, I hear the flesh tearing around the blade and it makes my stomach turn, again and again, and again, and with each time, the sound becomes a little less uncomfortable. Blood splashes against my face, my clothes. I feel it staining me in more ways than one.
The life leaves her eyes and I come to a horrific realization. Carmine killed my sister and it probably made him feel better. A loud, awful shriek erupts from the back of my throat. I throw the kitchen knife, it disappears somewhere in the grass. My hands fly backward and I frantically scoot away from the body belonging to the female I'd just killed. Crocodile tears roll down my cheeks as I rub at my face, it hurts, the cut in my cheek is a deep one and I don't care because all I want to do is rip my own face off.
Kiriyama is in front of me now, he's covered in blood, Minami's ax is buried in her forehead. He's staring at me, his hands are combing over my arms and my foot flies up, landing a hard kick in his chest. "Don't touch me!" my voice is a command. He staggers, but not by much. He's glancing over his shoulder, checking out my handy work.
Violent shudders wracked my body. I'm combing through my memories, trying to remember where I met Inada, Mizuho. It was school, I had two classes with her, and also lunch, on a few occasions, she borrowed a pencil from me. She always gave them back. I stiffen up, she was a good person and I took her life. The worst part of it all, is just how much I love it. For the first time in years, I'm not feeling guilty over Noa's death. I feel in control of the world around me, I feel like I can win this game and I feel free, and that...terrifies me.
I stare past Kiriyama, looking at Inada's open eyes. She's watching me, somehow, someway, I know she can see me, she's still asking why, she's still crying out and as I force myself to stand on shaking legs, I rip the pickax from Minami's head and scream "Shut up!" at the top of my lungs. The sound of bone cracking fills the air as I slam her friend's weapon into her face.
Kiriyama is quiet, not a shock. He's watching me, analyzing me. He stands, his hands push my back against a tree, and the bark bites into my shoulder blades. I stare into his eyes. His fingers are prodding at the cut in my cheek, it's numb, and I don't feel it. Everything is numb. His fingers slid downward, from my cheek to my neck, to the rope around it. He grips at my leash and tugs me forward.
Does nothing phase him?
As we venture farther into the woods, I idly wonder if Noriko is still alive. Shinji too. We hadn't been walking for very long. This clearing is small, there are two small houses adjacent from another another, and everything is surrounded by trees. Kiriyama notes one of the abandoned houses and promptly pulls me inside. One hard shove and I fall against the kitchen table. A few snaps of his fingers and I know to sit down. Once seated on the kitchen table, I watch Kiriyama lock up the door.
He crosses the room in just a few strides of his long legs, a squeak fills the air as he twists the knob belonging to the kitchen sink. The water is hot, I can see the steam as it rises on the air. His hands are removing the rope from around my neck. I can feel the red ring it's left on my skin, it feels good to have the twine removed. "Kiriyama?" I whisper softly as he grabs my arm roughly. I stagger as he drags me toward the sink. "Kiriyama it's too!" I scream as he grabs me by my bangs and forced my head down into the sink.
Blistering water scalds the entire right side of my face. It soaks into my hair, blistering my scalp as it washed over me. It mixes with the blood from my cut. Ugly, violent sobs wrack my body as the blood and water spin down the drain. "St-st-st!" I can't even form words. The pain is too great. His hand is firm, it keeps my head in place as the water works over my cut. It burns, the pain is more intense than being cut with the knife ever was.
My weak knees knock together and my arm flails, his free hand twists it behind my back. I can't cry anymore, my voice is broken, all that comes out is wheezing, mouse like squeals and choking. He let's my arm go to turn the water off. It's not much of a change, The water still burns, everything still hurts, My wet hair is hot against my face. His arms wrap around my slender waist and lift me off the floor, placing me on the kitchen counter. "Why?" I croak.
He disappears down the hall. My eyes shift toward the door, I consider running. By the time I can make a solid decision, Kiriyama is standing in front of me again. In his hand, it a spool of thread and a needle. Nimble fingers are working one into the other. He was cleaning out my cut….
He grips my face between his thumb and forefinger, breaking the thread off with his teeth, he looks me over. I bite my lip, knowing full well, this will hurt. My skin is tender and the first time he breaks it with the needle, I scream, he gives my head a hard shake and I bite my tongue. There's a great deal I want to say to him, but it has to wait until he's finished. We're silent. Every now and then, a small whimper breaks that silence.
When he's done, he steps backward and I whisper "Th-thank you…" he says nothing. "Kiriyama, I'm going to search the house for some dry clothes…" He says nothing. I shift off the counter and make my way down the hallway. The first door is a closet, inside there's a broom. The next door is a bathroom, the next is a pantry, inside the pantry is a bag of rice. I swipe that up and make my way to the next door, it's a bedroom, from the looks of it, it belonged to a girl about my age. The blanket on the bed is faded but it was pink once upon a time, I can tell.
I set the bag of rice down on the bed and walk past a shelf of books and stuffed animals to open up the closet door.
It's pretty empty, only a few things left behind.I have to wonder what the evacuation of this island looked like. My fingers comb over the fabric of a navy colored polo. I shed my wet clothes right down to my socks and panties. Unable to find a bra, I pull the polo on over my bare skin, the fabric is soft, it's sleeves are elbow length and the neckline is a shallow V. The top drawer of a small dresser is full of socks and panties, I prod at the cloth to be sure everything is clean before pulling anything on. I settle on a pair of white panties and grey socks. The socks are a little big and when I roll them down, they bunch up at my ankles. Doesn't matter, they're dry. I've found three or four skirts, two from a school uniform, but I want shorts. In the bottom drawer, I manage to find a pair of dark jean shorts, They're a bit small for me, but not so small that they don't fit.
In the corner of the closet, I find a pair of brown boots, a pair of black dress shoes and a pair of white and pink running shoes. The boots look a little more durable, the running shoes are kind of faded. The moment I pick up the pair of boots, I note that one is missing a sole. They make a soft sound as I toss them aside and grab up the running shoes.
Once they're on my feet, I'm glad they're a little worn, if they weren't they would have been uncomfortably small. There's a light breeze and it causes pink curtains to shift. I crawl across the bed, it's frame squeaks beneath my weight as I push the curtains aside to look out the window. Everything outside is engrossed in tall shadows cast by the house and trees, I can see an old pinwheel, colors worn with time, but still, it's spinning round in the wind. All this time, and that thing still stands. If it could talk, what stories would it tell? Near it to my own surprise are four shallow graves. Maybe someone buried their friends a few games ago, maybe it was the family that lived here, maybe when they island was evacuated, they refused to leave. I imagine someone had to refuse, I know if someone told my mother to leave our home, she'd rather die. Pulling myself away from the window, I look back toward the door, almost surprised Kiriyama wasn't staring at me. Near the door, was a bigger dresser. On top the dresser, beside a pink bunny rabbit is a picture of a young girl, with her mother, father and brother. I cross the room and gently pull the picture from it's frame. On the back, names are written.
Tsume, Reira, Kyosuke, and finally Tsubaki. Judging by the order of people shown in the picture, it's Riera's clothes I'm wearing. She really was a tiny girl, her skin was tanned, her eyes were big and her hair was crimped and bleached. She seemed happy.
I smile a soft smile as I stare at the image in my hand. Hanging above the dresser is a mirror. When I look up, I see the stitches Kiriyama has laid into my cheek. They're perfect, precise, as if done by a professional. "Where did you learn…" my voice was a rasp as it trailed off.
I shake my head, fold up the picture and stick it in the pocket of my new shorts. I guess I can get Reira and her family off the island symbolically, that is, if I make it out myself. Making my way back toward the bed, I grab the bag of rice and take one more look out the window.
"Traitor." his voice startles me. It's only my second time hearing it.
"What?" I snap back quickly as I swing around to see Kiriyama. He's furious and I have no idea why. Dark eyes bore holes into my skull from a distance. I can see that he's shaking, that's new. My heart leaps into my throat as he stalks toward me.
I start to scoot backward only to have my back meet the windowsill. He grips my shoulder and slams my side into the mattress. I'm clinging to the rice bag because it's all I have. "What did I do?" I quip. Tears are welling up in the corners of my eyes. His large hands snatch the bag of rice and throw it across the room.
"Kiriyama?" I question frantically as he slams my body against the wall, my knees on the bed as he holds me in place. I'm trapped between him and the wall, my breathing is heavy and I have no idea what to expect. I'm not even sure what he's angry about.
"What do you mean?" I whimper as he slams the window shut. "Traitor?" I question. "What are you talking about?" I hiss as he pins my wrists above my head. "I know I didn't mishear you this time!" I finally put my foot down. I may be trapped and I may be weak but I'm through being polite about this. "You can talk!" I shout. "I know you can! You choose not to!"
Kiriyama is dead eyed. It's as if he's just come to a realization. Slowly, he let's me go. Dark eyes hollow as he backs up and walks toward the other side of the room. One hard throw and the rice bag is back in my hands. He snaps his fingers and walks back down the hallway.
I lay back against the wall and draw in a deep breath. What was that?
~Dead~
Girl # 01
Girl # 20
Authors note: As far as this chapter goes, I'm sorry it took so long to update. Thank you for your patience. As you can see, Kaoru is changing her tune a bit. The point of her is that she was always a ticking time bomb, she was never not crazy after her sister died, she was just all bundled up, wound down and caged, slowly but surely, that is changing.