Horror of Possession
Xxx
Hiroshi's gut twisted painfully and his heart was once again thudding in his skull. Just a few moments ago he had been worried about puzzles and keys, but now there was something else to worry about.
It wasn't an oni like Hiroshi thought it would be. It was the distorted form of Satō. Only it wasn't him, it was a more twisted version; he had long, black hair now instead of his traditional short cropped, dark blonde and his eyes were no longer blue but yellow. A Cheshire grin spread across his lips slowly.
"God doesn't want to save us," he hissed in a low, breathy tone. "We are trapped. There is no escape from them."
Hiroshi shuddered. "What are you on about?" He murmured cautiously. "Satō…what happened-"
"You are forgotten," Satō hissed and his head dropped loosely onto his shoulder. "It doesn't understand. Asks what happened."
The abrupt change in Satō's dialogue worried Hiroshi immensely. He was honestly shaking in his socks, but he had to pretend he still had confidence. Satō was becoming primal, as if he had lost his mind. He flipped his head onto his other shoulder as Hiroshi slowly made his way towards the piano.
"Satō, what happened to you?" Hiroshi wondered. "Or are you an oni now?"
"It asks, it asks!" Satō cheered. "But who are we, it says? There's flesh here! It rots."
Hiroshi swallowed down his fear and grasped the piano lid for support. His legs were jelly. "If you're flesh, than I'm perceiving you are human."
Satō craned his neck. "You look tasty."
Hiroshi recoiled, his hand slipping on the slick lid. Has Satō just called him 'tasty?' That definitely wasn't Satō anymore; the actual Satō wouldn't compliment Hiroshi in any way. "You're not Satō," he ground out hesitantly. He needed to somehow lure Satō away from the door so that he could escape.
"I have no brain!" Satō was suddenly in tears. "I am not alive or dead! Undead, your answer!"
"You're undead?" Hiroshi pushed his glasses up and took a step back. "So, Satō is still there?"
"He is half," was the soft reply. "We are two. You scream in fear on your insides." Hiroshi thought, that's only partially true, and prepared himself for what he knew was coming. "It won't escape. Eaten, its bones and all." And Satō limped forward.
Here we go! Hiroshi positioned himself to the far right of the piano, knowing Satō would come right at him. But, for whatever reason, Satō went left. What a dolt!
Hiroshi was immediately sprinting for the door as Satō wound around the piano behind him, suddenly in a full out sprint as if he had never been limping. Hiroshi was quickly disoriented when he found the knob was stiff inside the door. He pushed away from the door and raced back to the piano, narrowly missing one of Satō's swipes. This half monster Satō was crying like an eager, starving wolf. He was the image of a possessed, mentally ill man torn apart from the inside. That terrified Hiroshi to no end.
One hit and it's over! Hiroshi thought wildly. He'll disorient me and then take me down! He dodged another clawed hand and vaguely heard the air rush by from the powerful force of the action.
Hiroshi ran around the piano and Satō jumped on top of the lid, ready to swing. Hiroshi yelled and ducked just as Satō's arm sliced through the air above him. Then he ran back in front of the safe, working on a tactic against Satō. Maybe he could fight back? But Hiroshi didn't know how to fight; he'd only seen examples in movies. But this wasn't Hollywood, this was real life. This was happening and if Hiroshi were caught, Satō would rip him into pieces.
But fighting seemed like the only way to escape this mess. Maybe if Hiroshi could stun him he'd have a clear shot for the door. It was risky, but it was all Hiroshi could think of.
As Satō jumped off the lid and sped forward, Hiroshi braced himself and fisted his hand. The second Satō was in reach he swung. But Satō was quicker than he had anticipated; he caught Hiroshi's hand and brought it quickly to his blue lips, drooling. Hiroshi yelled and yanked his hand back. Satō was open now. Hiroshi took the initiative and kneed Satō right in his gut. With an ear-piercing screech Satō seemed to crumple into himself and he dropped to the floor like a dead leaf.
Hiroshi mentally congratulated himself and ran to the door, twisting the knob furiously. Unfortunately, Satō was back on his feet and sprinting after Hiroshi in a matter of seconds. It was a tense situation but Hiroshi had the door opened with a desperate movement and he ran out the door, Satō dangerously close to him. Hiroshi raced him across the second floor while he thought up another plan.
He couldn't risk hiding in the closet this time; Satō was fast if not faster than the oni. He would break into the room within seconds. Hiroshi decided he'd have to lose him around the third floor. Yes, he could race into bedroom and drop into the hole! Then he could escape into the last locked room on the second floor and hide inside before Satō could find him.
Hiroshi dodged another swing by the railing and headed towards the third floor staircase. He barely made it to the first step when he was dragged back; Satō had hold of his scarf. As much as Hiroshi loved and valued that scarf he valued his life more. He pulled the opposite end off his neck with one hand on the railing and tossed it over his shoulder. Satō had been pulling so hard he stumbled backward until he collapsed on the ground with the scarf in hand.
I'm sorry, mother! Hiroshi thought sadly.
He launched himself up the stairs, running so fast uphill that his legs were trembling. But he didn't notice; he was on an adrenaline high. Finally on the third floor, Hiroshi sped to the bedroom door and leapt inside before Satō had a chance to catch up. Then, Hiroshi ran to the edge of the hole and slid down the makeshift rope like a fireman's pole and landed a little sloppily on the music room's floor. He tugged on the rope until the end he had tied to the bed effectively pulled it sideways over the hole. Just as Hiroshi fled for the door he heard Satō enter the third floor bedroom.
Hiroshi hurried to the locked door and fiddled with the key. His hands were trembling so horribly he couldn't direct the key perfectly into the lock. Upstairs he heard banging and crashing and he knew Satō would be starting back downstairs soon enough.
"Come on!" Hiroshi spat. "Come on, you damn key, come on!"
Finally, after several more tries, Hiroshi successfully fit the key into the slot and the door aptly jolted. He rushed inside and shut the door quietly as a bead of sweat slid down his cheek. Relief soothed his burning heart and he suddenly noticed how horribly his legs hurt. He turned to check out the room when his gaze caught a figure lurking in a shadowy corner.
"Gyahh!" He exclaimed, recoiling in shock.
He was about to turn back to the door when a feminine voice called out, "Hiroshi, wait!"
Hiroshi stopped and looked back at the figure. As she stepped forward in the dark room Hiroshi squinted his eyes and the lights suddenly became slightly brighter. He gaped when he realized the figure was Mika, her normally beautiful face tear-stained and her brunette hair sticking up every which way.
"Mika!" He exclaimed, astonished.
She ran forward and hugged him tightly. "You're okay!" She cried. "I-I was so afraid everyone had…had…!"
"No, no," Hiroshi comforted her, patting her back awkwardly. He wasn't quite good with hugs. "I'm all right." He pushed her back and held her effectively by one shoulder. "Mika, what happened? Where is Takuro?"
Mika's puffy eyes welled up. "He…I don't know. Takeshi, he was right!"
Hiroshi nodded; "Yes, he was, Mika. You saw the oni, too, then."
Mika's lower lip quivered and her shoulders trembled. "Y-yeah, I saw it. T-Tak-he and I were here and it jumped out from the closet. Then he ran out of the room, acting like a decoy, and it followed him. He told me to stay in here, so I was, but then I couldn't get out…" She wiped her face with the collar of her uniform. "I've been locked in here."
Hiroshi pulsed with guilt; to think he'd passed this room many times and hadn't heard her. Wait, he had, he had when he heard the moaning. That must have been her. He felt horrible. "I'm so sorry Mika. Are you all right other than that?"
She sniffed. "Yes. Yes, I'm okay. But where's…?"
Unsure how to reply, Hiroshi slowly shook his head. "I'm not sure where he is, Mika. But I'm sure he's fine; Takuro-" She cringed at the name. "-is strong. I promise, he is fine"
"And the others?" She whispered hesitantly, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.
Hiroshi cleared his throat; how was he supposed to calm her and tell her what exactly was going on? "Well, Naoki-" She cringed at that name, too. "-is still around somewhere, Takeshi is missing, and Nikoru-" He stopped abruptly.
What had happened to her? She had said she was going upstairs! Oh, no. Hiroshi swallowed his fear and thought, no, don't think that way, Hiroshi! She's much more agile than that! She couldn't have been caught! No, she must have wandered somewhere else, maybe she found the hole in the bedroom, or maybe she was in that other room…I must search there after speaking with Mika. She needs to stay here and hide.
"She's around, somewhere. And Satō…" He paused; how was he going to explain that? "Well, Satō…"
"Satō?" Mika persisted.
Suddenly, there was a sharp grunt from beyond the door. Hiroshi covered Mika's open mouth, eyeing the door warily over his shoulder, and moved Mika over to one of the beds in the corner.
'Go to your emo corner!', as Nikoru would say.
The sound evolved into heavy pants and Satō raked his nails against the door. Hiroshi and Mika crouched in the corner.
"Where are you?" Satō's disgustingly malevolent hiss came from beyond the door. "Where are you?"
Mika was beginning to shake. Hiroshi shook his head at her; don't cry Mika, don't give us away!
Finally, Satō moved on and Hiroshi heard the faint thuds of steps as Satō started down to the foyer. Hiroshi removed his hand from Mika's mouth and sighed in relief. "That was him," he murmured quietly.
Mika's eyes widened in terror. "That was Satō? N-no, oh, God, no! Oh, God, what happened to him?"
She was growing hysterical, but Hiroshi didn't know how to sooth her. "I don't know. Listen, Mika, listen, you need to hear this. You need to be strong. You can't cower away, you must-"
"I'm not leaving this room!" She exclaimed a little too loudly. Hiroshi slammed his hand back over her mouth.
"Mika, you need to calm down!" He whispered harshly. "I know you're terrified, so am I, but you need to calm yourself before you lose it! I didn't say you're leaving; in fact, I want you to stay here. I will find Takuro and the others and then we'll come back for you and escape. I promise, Mika, everything will be all right, but you must trust that it will be.'
Mika's green eyes glistened and she nodded. Hiroshi nodded back and removed his hand. She swallowed and took a deep, calming breath. "Okay, HiroshiPEN," she murmured softly. "If anyone can do it, I believe you can."
Hiroshi nodded; "Thank you, Mika. Now, I know you don't want to be alone, but I must leave for a while to figure out where everyone else has gone. Are you all right with that?"
"I am," she whispered. "But before you go, I found this." Her hand stretched forward and she uncurled her fingers to reveal something Hiroshi couldn't see well in the dark.
He took it anyway and muttered a 'thanks.' Then he got up and rushed to the door, Mika's teary eyes following him before she lost sight as he exited.
Xxx
Nikoru was searching around the third floor's back room when she found an empty door against the wall. When she opened it, she was disappointed to find nothing behind it. But when she backed away the knob dropped off and hit the ground with a soft clink.
"Cool," she said as she bent down to pick it up. She sang the Treasure Found melody from Zelda; "Duh-duh-duh-duh! I found a doorknob!"
She pocketed it and sniffed, feeling slightly less apprehensive about being found by the oni now that she was making progress. If a broken knob meant progress. Which meant it would be more likely to be found out. Strange logic.
It was just as she was standing up that Nikoru noticed a strange pattern swirling around on the door, though she was positive it hadn't been there earlier. It looked like three small circles with a swirl in each set in a triangle. The swirls were twisting clockwise except for the one on the top. It wasn't moving at all.
"Someone should fix that…" Nikoru mumbled to herself. She tried twisting it with her fingers but they slipped right through the door. Surprised, she jumped back and checked her fingers to see if they had vanished. They were as they had been before she'd stuck them in the swirl; they were unharmed. "What the…?"
She took a long, hard stare at that swirl, trying to think of a way to spin it. It was so hypnotizing, she had to keep herself from drifting off into sleep. Eventually, she decided she'd just wing it; she stepped to the side and started to blow on it. Surprisingly, it worked. The swirl started to turn clockwise along with the other two.
"So, does something happen now?" She wondered, sniffing curiously. "What the heck are they, anyway?" She attempted to touch a different swirl but thought better of it. "Nah, I don't have sense as it is. If I lose one more brain cell…"
She trailed off, defeated. She had tried to ignore what Satō had said but she was susceptible to insults. He had practically confirmed her worst fears and she was too shy and too afraid to ask for Hiroshi's answer regarding Naoki replacing her. She wasn't sure if she could take rejection after feeling like she did for so long. And that made her feel weak; she should be able to fess up to her feelings and tell Hiroshi about them without hesitation. But she didn't have the courage Mika did; Mika had been the first to confess her undying love for Takuro. Nikoru couldn't even confide in anyone about it.
But that was being human, as Mika would put it. Damn Mika and her inspirational proverbs.
"I'll tell him at some point," Nikoru told herself defiantly. She wouldn't give into fear like Takeshi did, and believe me, he gave into fear every time he went to the Waffle House behind the Academy and gave in his money to school bullies. She didn't blame him, but she certainly didn't want to be that timid. "I'll tell him next time I see him! Definitely…maybe…Well, I won't dwell on it, that won't solve anything..."
Suddenly, the door clicked and it sounded as if someone were knocking against the wall. Puzzled, Nikoru pulled the door back open by its frame to discover it was empty behind once again. Then, just as quickly as it begun, the knocking ceased and it was silent again.
Nikoru huffed and then sniffed. "Huh. Weird…Guess I'll go find somebody now." She turned back to the door and walked out.
Xxx
A small hole opened below Takuro's feet and he fell through. He reached up to grab something on instinct and yelled fearfully when his hand was sucked into darkness. It seemed to feed on his hand then it slowly made its way around him until he was enveloped inside the black mass. He felt as though he were underwater with no way to reach the surface.
He shut his eyes tightly, praying for it to end. Lights flashed behind his eyelids in polka dots and stripes. They made his head spin until he felt he was spinning himself.
And then, he hit something. Hard.
He opened his eyes hesitantly, expected the devil to be looming over him. But all he saw was the ceiling. He sat up carefully, testing his bones and muscles. Nothing ached, besides his head, so he stood up. He swayed dangerously on his feet and stumbled into one of the walls. On instinct he threw his hands out to catch himself.
His vision was white for a moment and when he came to, he found he was lying on a matted floor in a back hallway.
He had returned to the mansion.
"Mika!" He gasped, jumping to his feet and stumbling drunkenly. His vision was messing with him, making the walls bulge and the floor swirl like quicksand. "I gotta find her! I gotta find the others!"
Xxx
Takuro has returned, yay.
Inspiration is directly from Eminem's Amityville. And The Woman in Black, Bakura, again, the concept of having schizophrenia, and curses in general.
Note: The next few chapters may be slightly longer to publish since starting this week I'll be packing like an Olympic packer to prepare for moving cross country, and I'll be very busy with errands and last minute visiting. I'll type when I have the chance!
So fav/follow/review (you know you want to!) and stay awesome, guys!
-Cappy
