Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

Day 56, Hour 10:16

Monk led the pack of running SPR members, bursting through Deittman's base, jumping over the pots and pans that had been used for breakfast, and scaling the stairs with incredible speed. He continuously called out for Ayako, but there was no response. It took a few more moments to catch up with him, but Lin managed before Monk could run out of the SPR base on his own. Naru slowed so that Mai and John could catch up before they too exited into the hallway.

By the time they reached the corridor that led to the bedrooms and the only working restroom, they could already smell smoke. Ash had apparently already managed to get stir up more trouble. Monk skidded to a halt at the end of the hallway and stopped for just a moment before shouting for Ayako again, and disappearing around the corner. Lin, on the other hand, stopped within their sight and whistled sharply, summoning his familiars to his side.

Not a good sign…

The remaining three caught up and followed Lin's gaze.

Monk stood next to Ash, just a few feet into the next hallway. Ash was moving her hands back and forth, a ball of fire moving between them. And just beyond them…

Masako was laying on the ground next to Yasu. Neither of them were moving—Mai couldn't even tell if they were breathing. Masako's head was turned away, but Mai could see Yasuhara's. He was crumbled on the ground, bleeding from his lip, nose, and temple. There was blood on a chunk of stone laying just in front of him.

All of that was secondary though. What they were all staring at was the figure in a black cloak and plague doctor mask, holding Ayako against him tightly, with a scalpel centimeters from her neck. She was trying not to breath, likely afraid that she would cut herself if she even swallowed.

"I swear to god, if you hurt her, I will light you up so fast…" Ash growled. As she did, the ball of fire in her hands grew, as if to reaffirm her point. The figure in black seemed to think about it for a moment and adjusted his grasp on the scalpel, lowering it just a bit.

"Let her go," Monk snapped, though there wasn't much else he could do without risking Ayako's life.

"You don't have to do this," Ayako said, her voice shaking. Her eyes started watering and the first tear of fear rolled down her cheek. "For god's sake, just let me go. You can't do this. Please. I'm pregnant. Don't do this."

The figure froze at Ayako's words. Mai hoped that it was enough to make him rethink his actions, whether Ayako was being honest or not. Is she telling the truth?

"What?" Monk hissed, though Mai couldn't tell if he was more angry or surprised. Maybe it was just fear that made him sound so abrasive.

The masked figure turned his scalpel towards Ash, though it wasn't exactly menacing, since they were still more than a yard apart. And then he let go. And then the scalpel hung in the air. Mai couldn't contain her gasp, seeing the object lazily floating in the air. Naru quickly stepped up to block Mai, standing just behind both Monk and Ash. At first Mai thought it was for her own protection, but when the sharp instrument shot forward towards Ash and the figure shoved Ayako towards Monk, Naru was ready. He raised his hand and a burst of energy shot out from Naru's body throwing everyone around him (minus Lin, who likely prepared for Naru's action) to the ground, as well as scalpel.

Ash hit the wall from the force of Naru's PK, but she quickly started to force herself to stand. She staggered forward, trying to go after the figure. She was too late though, he was gone. He knew the grounds better than any of them, and he knew how to disappear quickly. She started firing out a slew of curses, many of them in her native tongue.

Mai looked up at Naru from her spot on the ground, surprised at the force he had managed to expel so quickly. Her awe was short lived as he immediately started to sway. She was on her feet in an instant, grabbing onto him and guiding him to the wall to keep him from collapsing on the ground. Monk and Ayako were still on the ground and they made no effort to stand. Monk held Ayako to him tightly while she sobbed. John went to check on Masako and Yasuhara while Lin sent off one of his familiars to persue their attacker.

"Are you okay, Naru?" Mai asked, still holding onto Naru's arm so that he didn't slide down the wall. He didn't answer, but he didn't need to. Mai had seen what happened when he released so much energy at once. He would need time to rest.

"Guys, Masako looks okay, but is unconscious. Yasuhara doesn't look good though," John said from his spot next to the two SPR members.

"He just… appeared. Masako and I were walking out of the restroom. Yasu was waiting outside of us. We turned around, and he was there! The piece of walling flew at Yasu, hitting him into the wall. Masako went flying back as well, though nothing hit her… He grabbed me and then Ash got here. If she hadn't arrived when she did…." Ayako spoke between sobs and then buried her head into Monk's chest. It seemed, for the moment, they were all avoiding mentioning the other topic. Now wasn't the time, anyhow. "I don't understand, who is he, why is he doing this?"

"We know who it is," Mai replied quickly, "it's—"

"—fucking Markus," Ash replied with a snarl, hitting her hand off the wall.

"You knew," Monk hissed, moving Ayako off of him so that he could stand and close in on Ash. "You didn't say anything? I'm starting to think you're in on all of this!"

"Calm down," Naru interrupted as he put his head against the wall and shut his eyes. "He obviously sees her as a threat, if he was willing to turn the scalpel on her instead of the person he already had in his grasp."

"We need to go back to the base. We need to tend to Yasuhara and Masako," Lin stated, joining John and carefully looking over Yasuhara. "Monk, help me move him. John, can you get Masako?"

"Yeah, I think I can manage. Ash can you help me carefully lift her?" John asked. He received a nod in return.

"Come on," Mai said, pulling Naru gently in the direction of their base.

"I can walk on my own, Mai," Naru replied and started to pull his arm away. Even just that bit of force caused him to start to slide backwards. Mai caught him and shook her head.

"No, you can't. Now come on." She pulled him again and this time, he followed, though with a reluctant sigh. The two led the way as Monk and Lin carried Yasu behind them, and Ayako followed after. Ash helped get John situated, then followed after him, continuously looking over her shoulder to make sure there was no danger.

Once they were all safely inside, everyone seemed to be in silent agreement of what to do. John set Masako down on one of the cots and set to work on keeping the door to the hallway shut. There was no lock, but he started shuffling items around to make a make-shift barricade. Ash headed for Deittman's base and started to commandeer any remaining supplies that hadn't already been moved into the SPR base: left over flashlights and batteries, chair and tables to use for barriers, food and drink… Anything that could be useful, really.

When she returned, she and Lin worked on creating something to block the SPR base from Deittman's base. There was no door, so they were completely exposed on that front.

Naru sat by, idly watching. Mai didn't need to ask to know that he was deep in thought. The far off look in his eyes told her that he wasn't exactly present. So, once she was sure he was okay on his own, Mai went to help Monk and Ayako clean off Yasu's wounds.

"Will he be okay?"Mai asked, opening a bottle of water and wetting a cloth for Ayako.

Ayako sniffed and shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just glad he's still breathing. Poor guy. He's had some bad luck this trip," she said with a forced laugh.

Mai nodded. Bad luck. I think we're all actually lucky to still be alive at this point…

"Ayako, you know we're really going to talk about this," Monk muttered and opened the first aid kit to pull out some bandages.

"Not not," Ayako replied quickly, and perhaps a bit harshly. "I just… can't. I didn't even want to bring it up until this was all over."

"How long have you known?" Monk asked, despite Ayako's insistence.

She sighed. "Just before we left Japan. Now drop it."

Monk nodded, though it looked like there were words on the tip of his tongue. After a few more moments of awkward tension, he spoke those words. "You know, John's a priest, he could totally mar—"

"I said drop it."

Mai decided that was her cue to leave the couple be. She stood and walked to the center of the room. She felt useless. She couldn't help the others really do anything. There was nothing she could do to keep Markus…

And then things finally started to hit her. Mai slowly walked over to the cot she had slept on and sat down, bringing her knees to her chest. How had she missed it? Usually her instincts were so spot on… And yet she hadn't suspected a thing, not one iota of darkness in the blonde man. Maybe she hadn't really been paying attention. Maybe she was so distracted by his attention to her that it never occurred to her to suspect him.

Just a few hours ago, he was suggesting he come visit her. Did he say that, thinking he was going to kill all of them before they even had a chance to see their boat off the island?

More than anything, Mai wondered why Markus had killed four people. Apparently, she wasn't the only one thinking that.

"I think you owe us some answers," Naru said, interrupting Mai's thoughts. His eyes were on Ash's back. She finished whatever it was that she was doing and turned around with a sigh. "Now."

"Fine, but first…" She crossed the room to where the liquor bottles were sitting and poured herself a drink. She downed it and then poured another. "Yeah, okay, that's better. What do you want to know?" She flipped one of the chairs around and sat down, crossing her long legs. Her posture made it clear that Naru shouldn't expect to interrogate her—whatever she told was voluntary.

"Confirm that Markus is a telekinetic," Naru started, putting his hands together in front of his mouth. Ash nodded. "How long have you known, and why wasn't it disclosed? Our research shows that he has never shown any signs of psychic activity."

"About two years, just before we, ah, broke up. It was never disclose d because, well he never told anyone. I didn't think it was my business to tell. Diettman had gone through a series of tests with him years ago, but nothing turned up. I guess the power was dormant. Probably popped up after his mother died. That's when I noticed it, at least," Ash said with a shrug.

"I think it's all of our business to know when we're around a powerful psychic who can do us harm," Monk snapped and frowned. Mai noticed a slight wince from Naru, but he quickly covered it.

Ash rolled her eyes. "I, more than anyone, know what it's like to be abused for your abilities. So I kept my mouth shut. Same way I didn't say anything about Mai."

"Mai?" Naru asked with a raised brow. Mai applauded his ability to play dumb, when needed.

"Yeah, Mai," Ash replied sharply, "please. Don't take me for an idiot. I can feel abnormal power at a distance. How do you think I ended up at that shrine when we first met? It's this thing inside of me. The more it consumes me, the more it's drawn to others. Markus never told me about his power when it popped up, but I knew. And after that, I started noticing the way things would move when he got worked up. It's why I ended our relationship. I have a tendency to aggravate people, him not excluded. I figured it was safer for everyone if I kept our interaction minimal."

Naru hummed and said nothing, staring at Ash instead. Mai supposed he determined she was telling the truth before he continued. "Why would he want to kill his team? Is Deittman involved?"

Ash shrugged and looked down, sipping from her cup. "No idea. He's always been good at hiding his thoughts and emotions. Who knows what set him off. I know he's had some trouble with Deittman and his and Isabella's pay for these trips, but that's about it."

"And Isabella? Could she be involved?"

"I don't know. I honestly don't think Isabella has it in her to hurt anything. Hell, I've seen her save spiders. But she's also entirely reliant on Markus. They're… inseperable. It's hard for me to imagine that she was away from him long enough for him to sneak off to…" Ash didn't finish. She shook her head and reached in her pocket, pulling out her pack of cigarettes and lighter. She didn't ask if anyone minded before she lit up, filling the SPR room with smoke.

Mai didn't mind. Seeing red glow at the end was actually somewhat comforting.

"So," Naru said and leaned forward a bit in his seat. "We're trapped on an island, sequestered in one room, with a murderous telekinetic and his possible accomplice. We have no way to call out for help, and we have approximately twenty-one hours before our boat out arrives. I believe I can safely say this is the worst situation I have ever found myself in."

Mai looked over at Naru, thinking perhaps he was trying to make a joke. He wasn't. He was completely serious.

Ash took a long drag from her cigarette and then puffed out the smoke. "Well, there's one way to call for help. Of course, it would require someone to get into Deittman's room."

000

Author's Notes: I know… probably not as dramatic as I would have liked. Hopefully you guys aren't losing interest now! Also, if anyone checked out the tumbl r page, you may have seen the image I used for Markus. Honestly, the fact I chose that was sort of a dead giveaway. It's Johan from the series 'Monster' (which I absolutely adore, by the way.) I mean… I chose a psychopathic killer as a base for a psychopathic killer.

Also, I am reminded of something I saw floating around the internet regarding Ghost Hunt (I had already started writing this before I read it), it was something along the lines of "I want to read a story where it isn't ghosts. Like Scooby Doo—the mystery is actually John Peters, you know, the farmer." (Okay, so I may have mixed fandoms there a bit.) While there is a supernatural influence, I wanted the killer to be one of the group, and not just ghosts. My husband says all the time when we go ghost hunting—it isn't ghosts that scare him, it's the possibility of a psycho breaking in while we're alone in a place and killing us. So viola. Story.

If you're having trouble connecting the dots, which, honestly, I don't blame you, some aspects were very subtle... I will probably get onto the tumblr at some point and work through the evidence to show how he did what he did, and probably why he did it. I may reveal why he did it in the epilogue, but it depends on which direction I go (and who survives... I am debating still...)

MistressSleepwell66: haha, yes, it's somewhat difficult to have attachments to characters you saw so little. But, Mai had very little interaction with them, so we just didn't see them too much! I had plans for them originally, but it just didn't fit with the flow of the story. Father Grunwald actually has a pretty good reason for not being there. It's also something that will be left for the epilogue, but it involves a headcannon with John so I can't add that in at the moment... I have considered the possibility of Mai taking in the fire spirit, but it really would doom her to a short life and change her in a not so good way... I have a plan to reveal more about Ash, but it will probably happen as an entry on the tumblr page... Thanks so much for your review! I'm glad that you're formulating some really good thoughts about the story! Makes me feel like I'm doing my job =)

Vella: I try to update quickly, but I'm afraid I may be going down to once a week until I can write the ending chapters... As for the murder mysteries- I write them for fun though would love to do it professionally! I have about 20 friends who chip in to cover the cost of me hosting. I come up with an over all story, enough characters to fit the attendees, write out character descriptions, then Act I information and Act II. Attendees get their characters about a month ahead of time so they have time to prepare. I decorate for the theme, come up with prizes for best actor/dressed/super sleuth, and props such as evidence. It's a ton of fun! As for THIS mystery... I think I've set it in a way that wouldn't have readers guessing the killer right away (because they don't have the motive,) but I have it lined up that the reader could go back and see how the pieces were falling together once they knew who the killer was (though some people were totally guessing it!) Mostly, I hate when you're watching/reading something, and you know who the killer is, and you want to shake the main characters for not figuring it out. I wanted the readers to not really know until Mai did, though they could formulate speculations if they were suspicious! Mai just isn't. So she didn't start speculating. Beyond Deittman, that is. Everyone in story would have likely blamed Deittman! I hope you won't be let down by the end! But thank you, thank you, thank you, as always, for your great review!

Kikifan: I will say, though with this chapter, I show that it is Markus I'm naming as the killer, I can tell you that probably not everyone is sure it's only him. And it will certainly come into play a bit later! Perhaps Markus's interest in Mai will save her? Or maybe it will make her more of a target... Whoooooo knows? As for the fire demon... it will likely not be revisited in the story... But it is something I may add into the post-story breakdown on the tumblr page! Thank you for your review!

(I am not trying to pimp the tumblr page, I promise! I just do want to do a thorough breakdown so that those who feel like they might have missed something by the end can double check without re-reading everything (kinda like when there's a new Slenderman video uploaded. Why try to read into it super far when you can just find a webpage that's already figured it out?). I just can't do that on )

Thanks for reading!

Ever Your Servant,

A.F