Darkness Falls - Chapter Eight: Camera

That wasn't quite true. There still was something there, it just…

Wasn't Hunter Headquarters. Or, at least, it was, but it was changed. It looked dilapidated, like a hundred-year-old building that should have been torn down long ago. The sky seemed to darken above, a heavy feeling filling the air.

"So… it has begun."

Whirling around, Caroline stared at Iris, confusion evident on her face. "What are you talking about? What just happened in there? What… what's happening to the building?"

"Slow down, slow down," Iris remarked in a distant tone, her gaze going past Caroline and landing on the building. "I can't answer all your questions. What am I talking about? The Himuro Mansion legend. What happened? Malice was let loose. The Calamity is starting. What's happening? I have no clue."

For a moment, Caroline said nothing, her mind trying to comprehend what she had just heard. Then: "The Himuro Mansion legend? You mean, the one about grandma and the haunted mansion with the camera? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything Caroline. Everything." Looking back at her, she could see the pain in Iris' eyes. "Your grandmother locked Malice back away, and then left. The camera that she had used to stop Malice was broken. And now she, he, it, Malice is back. Don't you get this? Malice is a soul eater. She killed your grandfather. She's trying to kill X, Alia, and Zero. Don't you understand?!"

Caroline took a step back from Iris, slightly afraid of the raging spirit. Anger was literally seeping from her, causing a sick, nauseated feeling to wash over her. "Iris… I'm sorry…" Covering her mouth with her hand, she retched, her body trying to force the contents of her stomach up and out. "Iris, please-"

She stopped, staring at her wrist. And then did vomit.

The marks, the black, oozing rope marks on her wrists had changed. Fresh red blood began to trickle down, running down her arms and down her hands, running down her neck. Sharp, shooting pains racked her entire body. It hurt. It hurt. Something was trying to pull her apart, just like in her dreams.

"…-ine, Caroline! Please, snap out of it! Look at me, damnit! Caroline!"

Startled, she looked up and saw Iris right in front of her, hands on her shoulders, shaking her. The cold, prickling feeling that she got whenever Iris touched her ran up and down her spin, like millions of tiny fingers touching her. Shuddering, she pulled away and looked down at her wrists again.

They were back to normal. Unchanged. There was no blood, no fresh marks, no pain of being pulled apart.

"What's happening to me?" she asked, her voice far calmer than what she expected. Something was messing with her mind; she should be hysterical. Instead, she was acting like she was an everyday occurrence. Of course, people always hallucinated that their body was being pulled apart! That was perfectly normal!

"You need to stop this. Only you can. Caroline, please, listen to me. Take this-" Iris shoved something into her hands. "Take this. Stop Malice. Only you can. You can save them, too. Not your grandfather; he's already dead. But the others. You can save them!"

Confused once more, Caroline examined the small object she held. It was a camera. An old, antiquated camera. Something glimmered inside of it and, curious, she tried to pry the back off of it.

"Don't do that!" Blinking, she stared at Iris.

"Why not?"

"… there's something in there…" Sighing, Iris shook her head. "Caroline, please, save them. The camera, it'll help you. Save them!"