Party 1
"Do you remember the way back?" Naomi asked Satoshi. The two younger girls talked casually beside them.
"Yeah I kept track when we were running."
"I never would have been able to through all the chaos, glad somebody was paying attention...and I should have grabbed it, the tongue I mean. I wasn't even thinking." Naomi said with self disappointment.
"Naomi like you said it was chaos we were all focusing on getting out of there. Don't beat yourself up about it." Satoshi said genuinely.
Naomi managed a smile. "Thanks Satoshi."
Satoshi smiled back. "We're here...this is it." The entrance to the Auditorium was new to them. In all the times each of the groups had searched the school, no one had come across it and now here it was.
"That didn't take long...I thought we had run further." Naomi said eyeing the entrance nervously.
"What if she's in there?" Yuka asked anxiously.
Satoshi sighed. What if she was? They could be walking right into a trap. Bringing them didn't seem like such a good idea anymore, he just wanted to stay together. "I'll check it out first...see if it's clear."
Naomi wasn't completely comfortable with that. "Satoshi...you don't have to. I could come in with you."
"Thanks but...I don't think it's a good idea to leave them alone." He said motioning to Yuka and Nana.
Naomi frowned a little. "So what, that means it's better for you to be alone?"
"It'll only be for a minute. I'm sure it will be clear and I'll call you all in. This is just a precaution." He said trying to convince her.
Naomi relented. "Okay then...just call for us as soon as it's safe."
Satoshi nodded and hesitantly went through the auditorium door. It creaked closed behind him. Earlier when they had been here the room was bright and well lit. Now it would have been pitch black if it were not for a few stage lights. There were large windows with curtains hanging beside, but little to no light shone through. The atmosphere was chilling. Satoshi let his eyes adjust and looked around. No one was here, everything was still. He could see a sort of black stain on the ground. It was the blood from earlier looking much less gruesome in the dark. There was a noise from the side, Satoshi shot his head round and squinted his eyes. More silence. He took a step forward. He looked around the room again. Nothing. Satoshi exhaled. "Naomi! It's okay you can all come in!"
The door creaked open and footsteps approached behind him...
"It's dark now." Naomi said pulling up beside him with Yuka and Nana in tow. She pulled out her phone for a light source. "Do you remember where she threw it?"
Satoshi spun his head around in different directions. "No and I can't see it."
"We could try spreading out a bit." Nana suggested. "We might come across it quicker that way."
They spread out. Yuka stayed close to Satoshi at first but wandered off when progress became slow to see if she could find it herself.
"Any luck?" Satoshi called over to Naomi.
"Nothing here." Naomi yelled back. They were having trouble finding anything in the dark. The bag was already stained from the blood in the pool so it was probably blending in rather well. If it was even here.
Satoshi heard familiar footsteps approaching while he was searching. Naomi made her way beside him. "I think my sides clear, don't imagine I'll have any more luck with it." Naomi said.
"Yeah might be the same here."
They stared at each other. Satoshi tried to make out her features through the dark. Even when he could barely see them, her dark eyes spoke to him. They spoke soft things that made everything feel better.
Naomi blushed but Satoshi couldn't tell in the dark. "What are you looking at?" She smiled.
Satoshi grew his own blush, realising he had been staring. "Oh uh sorry I was just lost in thought." They went silent again. "Naomi. I'm glad you're alright. When we were separated and didn't know what was happening in this place. I..." Satoshi got nervous and didn't know how to finish.
"Thank you Satoshi. I'm glad you're alright too. You had me worried with you be such a scaredy cat and all but you pulled through, should have known you would."
Satoshi smiled before fully taking in what she had said. "Wait scaredy cat?!" Naomi giggled back. "I mean...you did scream really loud after Shinozaki's story tonight."
Satoshi faked being offended. "That was the thunder. Anyone could get startled by a very loud noise coming out of nowhere." Naomi couldn't help smile again. "Haha okay I get it." They smiled at each other reveling in this moment. This single moment of peace and silence together. No longer alone and no longer scared.
Both of them huddled close and continued their search.
"Huh." Nana spotted something. 'This is it' She thought triumphantly. It grossed her out but she knew it was important, she put it in her coat pocket. Nana turned to call over to the others. She felt something from behind her, like a small breeze. She turned back around. "Hello?" She said quietly. Nothing was there but she kept staring anyway because the space in front of her didn't feel empty, yet with that in mind there was still a sort of vacant feeling in the air. Nana stood in place. There was a bigger breeze that caused her hair to blow back. "What? Who's there?"
It was hard to see, at first Nana thought she was imagining it. But no, something was there, a person but just the shape. This body had no features to it. It was just darkness, like a black sort of mist that had created a person. It's eyes glowed a sort of white and purple. There was no pupils or any shape to them at all. Nana stumbled back screaming and started to run back to the others.
Their heads all shot up. "Nana what is it!?" Naomi shouted running over to her.
"Monster!" She exclaimed pointing. The others looked over, it wasn't just one monster now, there were at least five.
"Crap we have to go." Satoshi shouted. They made their way to the exit. As they were running Naomi felt her body fall forward, her leg was grabbed by an invisible force and she was pulled back across the floor.
Satoshi heard her scream and turned. "Naomi!" He jumped to the floor and grabbed at her arms. He missed by a millisecond. Naomi was pulled back faster, the shadow figures made their way closer. One flew at Satoshi and dissipated in front of him he rubbed off the shock and sprinted to Naomi. There was another scream from behind him. He skidded to a stop. Yuka and Nana had two on them. Nana was thrown like a doll to the door and slammed off it with a crunch, she didn't move. Two of the shadow figures started to wrap themselves around Yuka. She coughed and cried. "No stop! It hurts!" She pleaded. "Yuka!" Satoshi screamed with panic in his voice.
He looked at Naomi, she was being dragged painfully across the ground into the arms of more shadows. "No STOP!" He screamed clutching his head.
Screams came from both directions.
Satoshi ran, he ran towards Yuka grabbing her and swinging his arms like a maniac at the shadows. They started to circle them. Taunting them.
Then they stopped. There was a sizzling sound, the shadows shrieked painfully before evaporating in front of them. Satoshi and Yuka looked at Nana who held a small empty vial in her hands. Satoshi nodded at her gratefully. He quickly turned back to Naomi. There was silence, no more screams, no more shadows. He grabbed Yuka and the three of them ran to the other side of the auditorium. She was gone. There were no exits at this side of the room. "H-how can she. HOW CAN SHE BE GONE!? NAOMI! NAOMI!" He started shouting spinning around in circles to examine the room. "GOD DAMMIT!" He dropped to his knees.
"Big brother..." He heard Yuka say almost silently.
He turned his head to look at her and stood up. "I'm sorry Yuka. I..."
"It's okay...I'm sure they couldn't have gone far." She stopped him.
Satoshi stood with his back to her. He didn't want her to see the tears welling up in his eyes. "Yeah..." But where would they start? She had vanished. What if he couldn't find her? What would he do if he never saw her again? Or if she was already dead?
The three of them stood in the dark silence and waited for an answer.