Chapter 14

Peekaboo

Black*Star didn't trust Justin for one second. There was something… off, about him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Justin's fingers repeatedly twitched and so did his neck. Man, he had only seen nutcases with chronic psychotic disorders twitch like that when they headed into a psychotic episode. His mother worked at the forensic psychiatric care where killers and rapist served their sentence. She had taught him a lot of chronic psychotic disorders and other psychiatric illnesses and taught him how to deal with them. He had already decided he wanted to work at the forensic psychiatric care, dealing with criminals with psychiatric disorders. He could run into his mother's former patients when they were shopping for groceries and when he was out at night he could run into them when they were frying their brains from the psychosis and going ballistic, punching the ground, walls and if anyone gained their attention, you would turn into their punching bag. There was nothing stopping a sick person in a psychotic episode.

But Justin was too calm and collected to be heading into a psychosis. He was sure Justin didn't have any sort of schizophrenia, but… there was definitely something unnerving about him.

The deal keeping them together was one of his biggest concerns. He needed the answers. He desperately needed it so he, Tsubaki, Maka and his other friends could get the hell away from there. This dude was intelligent and experienced and he needed to squeeze out all the knowledge he possessed. He knew as soon as he learned of the way out, he was going to get the hell away from him.

He didn't say anything. He knew she should ask more about this place and all the experience Justin had, but for some reason he kept quiet, sensing it was better to mind his own business. For now. He had seen people who talked to psychotic people and they always ended up with their face battered to the point their face was completely deranged.

So he kept quiet.

Justin went two steps in front of him, he made sure a good arm's length was between them at all costs. He had tried to make it discreet, but who was he kidding. He knew Justin knew he didn't trust him and he had put up safety precautions.

In silence they went through the corridors, occasionally looking inside of the classrooms or other spaces in search for Enrique. It seemed like they would never find him, if he even was real. He knew there were dangers. There were metal wires set up and he still didn't know about these ghost children and man with a chainsaw Maka and Tsubaki had warned about. It was a mystery and he begged to not run into them.

He was starting to grow tired of simply walking around and around. Teaming up with Justin was starting to look like a waste of his time and energy. Every second he was with Justin he could go and look for Maka and Tsubaki, but here he was with a twitching asshole of a jerkface.

They had wandered around in a circle because when they reached the same spot where he had noticed the body with the severed head and the metal wire strung up on the stairway and wall, the body was gone. A boy couldn't simply stand up and wander away. The student had surely been dead. Nobody could survive without a head. Could… maybe she had turned into a zombie and had started to wander around.

Justin must've noticed his questioning glance toward the spot where the student's body had been. "Don't even bother. Some of the bodies are moved to somewhere else."

He cocked his eyebrow at Justin. "Why?"

He shrugged his shoulder. "Don't know. All I know is Giriko grabs the bodies and he takes them somewhere, but we don't know. We haven't found the place where he takes them yet. It surely is a secret place."

Secret place? This whole school was a goddamned secret place! With nowhere to run in this cursed place, there surely couldn't be more?

"What do you mean more?"

"That's what we have been trying to figure out. We have made some research about Gallows Elementary School's structure and before these buildings were converted into a school, it was a military academy and there was some kind of underground system. When they rebuild the buildings, they must've filled in the underground system, but that can't be the whole story. There is an underground system and we've tried to find it but we haven't been able to find it yet."

It was crazy. An underground system? This school was big enough and… an underground system? That shit was just crazy!

"Why in hell would there be an underground system?"

"For the soldiers to escape the buildings if the enemy were to barge in on them, of course. They acted as a mean of escaping if necessary and of course it served the purpose of a bunker too."

"Why weren't they used when they converted it into a school?"

"Because the bunkers were in a bad condition. There was a lot of mildew and the ventilation simply wasn't working. It was practically a huge health violation and instead of putting in the money and time of fixing them, they chose to save their money by close the entrances and ventilation off and seal them away so no children could find it and get lost."

It was a crazy idea. The idea of an underground system on top of this creepy as place made his skin crawl. Simply being over the ground was scary, but being below has his courage run low.

He was about to open his mouth and question Justin when a double door caught his attention. On the doors were… he had seen Maka draw those kinds of papers before. They were the size of bookmarks with a red frame and in the middle were signs he knew was Japanese. He had seen Tsubaki and Maka pass notes and written them in Japanese so nobody could know what they were writing. The papers were glued up on the doors as if they plastered the doors shut. On time, Maka had been writing on that kind of paper at the end of the class. He had been on his way to a competition in martial art and she had given it to him, saying it was… a charm? Yeah, it was a charm and it would give him luck, of course he didn't need any charm or luck, he had beaten his opponent into a pulp and won! HA!

But… these charms on the door doesn't look that lucky or bringers of fortune. Quite the opposite. They looked… evil.

"What's that about?" Black*Star asked, nodding toward the door.

Justin casted a glance before he brushed it away. "Nothing really. Once Tezca was caught by the madness and was killed, I made sure to seal him away so he wouldn't hurt anyone else."

He hadn't run into any of the evil spirits or Giriko, and he wanted to avoid that as long as possible. All he wanted as to find the way out and find his friends so they could all get the hell away from here.

They headed down the corridor and Justin's head twisted, eyes alerted. Black*Star raised his eyebrow as Justin hurried toward a classroom. He was about to question what the hell Justin was doing when he ripped the doors open and there pressed against the door was a man. Dark hair and chocolate brown eyes and by his side was a messenger bag and camera in his hand.

This must be Enrique.

Joy swelled. Now he would find out what the way out was and he would be free from Justin. No longer would he have to watch his steps around Justin and—

His train of thoughts were immediately interrupted when Enrique let out a cry of horror. Face twisted in fear as he stared at Justin, crawling away from him as Justin came closer. Enrique behaved as if he had seen a ghost and not his friend.

"Stay away from me, y-you monster!" Enrique screamed at the top of his lungs. The camcorder he had held in his hand slipped and fell to the floor as he tried to grow the space between them.

Before Black*Star could question what was going on, Justin had pulled out a knife from the waistband of his pants and threateningly held it in his hand. He could barely believe it as Enrique backed into a fallen desk, breathing became irregular as Justin towered over him. He stood paralyzed as Enrique gave out a loud cry of fear as Justin stabbed the knife in Enrique's neck. Blood splashed from his neck and immediately soaked Enrique's shirt.

He had just witnessed a murder.

Justin turned his head toward him, some drops of blood splattered on his cheek and the gleam of bloodlust in his eyes. The hidden agenda he had only sensed before was now in the open. Justin wanted to kill him. Had hold back the lust and now when he had murdered his friend, now he was Justin's next target.

"My, my, my, you seem shocked," Justin smirked wide as if he was overjoyed by his kill. "Ahhhh, it had felt wonderful driving your face into the corpse and now…" he raised the knife and his tongue liked the blade, savouring the taste of blood. "I'll surely enjoy watching you die."

His breath was lost as terror ran through his veins, but he had sense enough to plan ahead. Not knowing if the risk would pay off, he lunges for the camcorder and the messenger bag, dodging Justin's knife going right over his head. He bolted out of the room, slamming the door shut in the process.

He sprinted down the corridor, not daring to look behind his shoulder as he heard the door banging open.

Justin's laughter ran through the corridor as he followed. "Run little star, run!"

He ran for dear life. Dared to cast a glance behind his shoulder and found Justin simply walking. Surely he must be enjoying this hunt. That was what he had been doing. He had been keeping him around while he hunted Enrique, keeping him around for his next target. For his next prey to hunt.

He ran up the stairs, tiptoeing around the school as he heard Justin's steps, slowly following him, calling for him as if it was a game of hide and seek.

It was hard to focus, knowing where he should seek cover and hide from Justin. He only had one shot at finding a hiding place. Justin had a strong sense of seeking and finding, and if he chose to hide at the wrong place, he would be done for it.

Black*Star bit his lower lip as he threw the messenger bag over his shoulder. Justin was slow and that gave him some time to breathe, all he needed to do was keep on moving as he decided—

He let out a gasp when from around the corner in front of him was a large man with long brown gloves and the most terrifying chainsaw with blood on it.

He cursed loudly as he swiftly turned around, hearing Justin coming closer before he came around the corner. His head whipped in the direction of the chainsaw man and Justin, looking back and forth as if he was about to pick his poison, or rather, get stabbed by a knife or a chainsaw.

No, he wouldn't die.

He still had Tsubaki and Maka to return to.

Before he could think further, be stomped repeatedly on the ground. The floor boards started to bulge, the soft wood breaking from every stomp of his foot. The wood cracked and he repeatedly stomped his foot as the two men came closer to him. The floorboards broken and he kicked the edges, making the hole grow wider. Before he could think, he jumped down into the whole and when he hit the ground, he made a skilful roll. He casted a look over his shoulder and saw Justin kneeling by the hole.

Holy. Shit.

He bolted when Justin jumped down the hole. He pumped his arms as he skidded around the corner. Before Justin could catch up or the god damned big dude with chainsaw, he snuck inside the first classroom around the corner.

His throat ran dry when he was met by a lot of costumes of different sizes. Quickly he hurried over to the closet and costumes poured out. Without bothering to throw the costumes out, he crammed himself into the closet, but didn't manage to close it fully. There was a crack he could look out at the door.

His heart hammered in his chest as he looked out of crack. Justin's footsteps rung in the corridor. His footsteps grew more hurriedly and another pair grew louder. The door slammed open and he witnessed Justin haste inside as he banged the door shut.

His breath was lost as he watched Justin pound his back against the door. The door bulged as the man on the other side tried to force it open. Justin grunted as he put his whole weight against the door. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut as he gave out a yell of exhau—

Out from his abdomen erupted the chainsaw, roaring loudly as blood went flying and flesh hung out and fell to the ground. His eyes were blown wide as he slowly looked down at the chainsaw sawing his insides apart. The chainsaw was ripped out of him and his eyes rolled behind his head. The knife slipped from his hand as he fell down on the ground and blood pooled underneath him. The door was slammed open, not an ounce of any regard for the corpse on the floor. The door smacked into the body and the man hovered over him, looking down at him before he kneeled down, heaved the body on his shoulder before he turned on his heel and leaving.

Black*Star held his breath, sinking down against the wall of the closet, exhaling shakily. His eyes fluttered shut and his hands shook madly. His hands entwined in a poor attempt to stop the shakes, but he couldn't. The sound of the chainsaw cutting through flesh and the images of blood splattering and the sound of the body hitting the ground. All the pictures flashed before his eyes and… he couldn't look away. Couldn't think of anything else. Couldn't do anything else. He was a prisoner of his own mind, forcing him to stare at the images of the murder he had witnessed. Even if he didn't care of the dude, it was… tough. He… as much as he tried to violently throw his thoughts away from what happened, Justin's face would slowly fade away and his face would take its place. Now… he couldn't stop but see the chainsaw going through his stomach and him falling down on the ground dead.

His knees quivered and his shaky hands ran through his hair. He rested his head between his legs, trying to focus on the one fundamental function he couldn't escape from: his breathing. He focused on it. Taking long and deep breaths, holding it in for a couple of seconds before he would let it out, taking all the time he needed. It was difficult even though it was ridiculous! Breathing shouldn't be hard! Breathing was the most natural thing that existed! Breathing is the essence of life, proof that he was still alive and not Justin being carried away by that man. He was well and… HE WAS GOD AND GODS DON'T KNEEL TO DEATH! HE WAS IMMORTAL!

He bit his lower lip and he silenced the cry as tears welled up in his eyes.

He wasn't immortal. He was very much mortal. Blood ran through his veins and his body depended on it and his beating heart. Without it and several other functioning organs in his body he didn't know which he needed and Maka would scold him for not paying enough attention in class but that wasn't the point! He had flaws. His body was one of a mere human. A body that would slowly decay and he would meet his inevitable end. He was going to die. But he wouldn't die here. Couldn't die here. He just… he couldn't simply die this suddenly. He was still young and he hadn't told Tsubaki how he felt. He… there were so many things he still wanted to do, so he couldn't die. He didn't have the option. The fear of death and staring at it in the eyes scared him, but he needed to hold out. Find a way out and find Tsubaki and Maka and get the hell away from here.

Loudly he inhaled as he lifted his hand, gaze going to the camcorder.

He hadn't learned of the way out from Justin, but Enrique had a camera and surely he had to have documented it. It was his only hope. The only thread of hope he had left. He took it. He pulled out the screen and turned it on, starting to review all the footage.

…

Rage boiled in her veins. All Liz could see was red as she ran with the three ghost girls right on her tail. She hated them. Hated them with her entire being for killing Tsubaki so ruthlessly. There was nothing holding her back. She was going to get her revenge on them.

The three ghosts were quick. They gurgled and hollered in excitement as they chased her.

She skidded as she rounded the corner.

She needed to find a weapon. Anything could do.

She ran as quickly as she could. Forced herself to run even quicker, pushing on her limit. Her eyes caught sight of the familiar entrance and an idea appeared. She dashed toward the junction in the hallways. She used one shelf to round the corner faster. She let out a loud scream as she tripped, her face planted in the ground.

Loud giggles from the ghosts rung in her ears and looked over her shoulder, seeing the three girls right behind her. Anya with her guts hanging from her abdomen dangled on the edge of the shelf while Meme missing part of her head were rolling around on the ground like crazy, as if she was excited at her fall.

Tsugumi with her eye missing simply looked at her while her neck twitched as if she tried to stay calm but her excitement was leaking through her body language.

Anger flushed her cheeks as she stretched her hand out, fingertips almost reaching the floorboard on the ground in front of the school entrance, but she couldn't reach it. Her finger tips only brushed against the nearest board. Her jaw tightened as she tried to reach it as she heard the footsteps of the ghost nearing her.

She grunted and switched focus. She quickly grabbed a shoe from the shelf, threw it behind her at Tsugumi square in her face. For some reason, the hold on her leg diminished. She crawled and grasped the board. She cried as she swung the board around, hitting Tsugumi right in the head. The girl's eye widened in shock as she backpedalled, but it didn't leave any wound, not even a scratch! And she had hit her with all her might!

She huffed as she swung the board toward Anya and the board went right through her. The girl simply giggled and gurgled as she mocked her for her poor attempt. Anya jumped down from the shelf and Meme floated up in the air before she gently landed on her feet.

She gulped as she backpedalled closer to the main entrance. The splatter from the rain rung loudly and the smell of wet grass hit her.

She was left with a choice. Letting the three ghosts kill them in a way that was surely painful or she could take things into her own hands and run outside, run into the mines she knew laid buried under the surface. One would be her choice, the other she would be at the mercy of the ghosts. But then again, if she died, she would suffer the pain of the way she died for all of eternity. Blowing up because of a mine would hurt like hell, and that pain she would have to live with forever. The ghosts killing her would scare her to death, simply seeing how they had killed Tsubaki, they would kill her in a horrifying way just like her, but there is a chance it could hurt less.

Her jaw tensed as she stared at the ghosts who came closer and closer, forcing her to backpedalling closer to the door. It was almost as if they wanted to witness her walking on a mine and being blown up.

But she wasn't going to die because she understood what this was all about.

They may be supernatural killing machines, but she understood. She wasn't going to die.

Her grip on the board tightened and she braced herself. Slowly she kneeled to the ground and took another board. The ghosts studied her every move, but they allowed her to arm herself with another board. They certainly were… impulsive and blood-lusting and… they weren't afraid of her. They knew they were superior in every sense and she couldn't kill them.

But she had a plan.

She let out a loud cry as she leapt toward Tsugumi, she swung the board expectedly and just as she suspected, the board went right through her, but she didn't stop. She used the momentum to whirl toward Meme and pushed her up against the wall. An opening of escape was open and she took it. She dashed passed the ghosts and right before she rounded the corner, she swung the floor board and threw it at the ghosts which hit them right in the shoulders.

She breathed heavily as she ran through the corridor with her only floor board left. The ghost trio laughed excitedly as they followed her.

She couldn't fight them and win. They were immortal. They couldn't be killed. Her only choice of survival was to hide away from them.

A corner came into her view and she rounded it. There was a large double door to the inner courtyard, surrounded by the building. There were plenty of hiding spots and with the heavy raining, it would make it more difficult for them to find her. She hasted toward the double doors. She pulled at the handle and it budged, but it didn't open.

She didn't have time for this!

She kicked the door and it swung wide open. Without any shred of fear for mines, she hurried out and the rain hit her. Her eyes scanned the inner court and she found the pond with a straw bush. She didn't waste any more time. She ran over to the pond, discarding the board in the straw bush, snatching a straw before she dived into the pond when the ghosts reached the court yard.

The water caged her and she brought the straw to her lips, making sure it was angled not to get more rain water into it. She breathed through it as she tried to keep herself as still as she could in the water. Through the muddy and blurry water, she could make out the faint blue hue from the ghosts as they scurried around the courtyard in search for her. Their laughter was muffled by the water and the light moved around in a maddening hurry.

Her heart rushed in her chest. Her lungs begged her for more oxygen than was provided to them through the straw. But she remained calm. Dying down the voices in her head telling her she needed air, she didn't want to stay in the muddy water. She silenced them all and she remained.

She ignored it all. The shifting of blue light, the oxygen her body begged for, the sensation of being too long underwater and the unusual soft flesh her hand kept on brushing against. Her mind remained blank. Not daring to give any of it any of her attention. There was only her and her beating heart. She was alive. That was all it mattered.

She didn't know how long she remained under water, or when the blue light seemed to disappear or how long she remained in the pond after the ghosts had disappeared. She stayed under the water where she was safe. Simply letting time pass. Once some time had passed, she didn't know how long; cautiously she rose toward the surface, not too fast to disturb the water too much. She peeked up, water right underneath her eyes and the rain dropped on her head.

There was no sight of the ghost trio. The inner courtyard was completely calm and only the rain hitting the pond's surface could be heard. She almost dived back down into the water when a sudden slam caught her attention. Her gaze drifted to a lonely shed in the middle of the courtyard. The door was open and there was a large man with a chainsaw. Immediately she connected the man with the warning she and— Maka and Soul had written a note warning for a man with a chainsaw. This had to be that man.

But… when she had run into the courtyard, he hadn't been there. She was sure of it. If he had been somewhere in the courtyard and she hadn't noticed him, he would've found her immediately. She had only noticed the movement of the ghosts, none of a new character. She was sure he hadn't come any recently. And… that shed wasn't large. What would he be doing in there?

She shook off her train of thoughts. Her mind was running wild again. There wasn't anything special. All she had to do is keep her eye on him.

As cautiously as she could, she eyed the man as he dragged his feet toward the double doors. He hadn't noticed her or even cared to look around. He went inside, disappearing from her view.

She remained, staying silent and became one with the background. She didn't allow herself to relax for even one second. She didn't know if the ghosts would return or not, but it wasn't wise to take out her victory too early.

She let a couple of minutes pass. Let time float by. She didn't know how long she allowed herself to simply be one with the water. She stayed there, for the first time finding some peace in the pond ever since she arrived at Gallows Elementary School.

It wasn't until the ground started to shake. She catapulted up on her feet, breathing heavily as water dripped from her hair.

"A-a-an earthquake?!" she stuttered as the cold air started to nibble on her skin. She stood her ground, trying to remain her balance, but the shakes were strong. Far stronger than she had experience. This was a big one. Her eyes rapidly looked around her as the leaves on the trees fell from the force and the metal chains on the swings rustled loudly. It lasted far longer, but slowly it ebbed away and she was left standing in the rain in the middle of the pond with the straw in hand.

Water dripped from her clothes as she wandered up to the edge, stumbling on sticks she knew too well to be bones and flesh to be arms or legs, but she didn't care. Her shoes made squishy sounds as the rain poured down around her. Leaves were stuck in her hair and her usually white clothes were a pale brown colour. Her hands were balled as she stared in the direction of the double doors, in the direction the ghost trio had disappeared in.

She was still alive.