Screams echoed down the narrow hallway as they fled the ghost. Akemi
looked back, seeing Kirie materialise in front of her from the other side
of the wooden door. Eien wrenched the door at the hallways end open and
stumbled through to the top of a short staircase. They clattered down
them, falling over each other in desperation to outrun the woman behind
them. Isamu ended up in front, leading them haphazardly out into the
garden again. He slammed the door shut behind Akemi as she came through,
then put is ear to the wood and listened intensely. The silence on the
other side suggested that their pursuer had given up on the chase. He
breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
"Are you guys okay?" he asked Eien and Akemi, who were both obviously shaken. Akemi nodded. Eien held his arm gingerly, having caught it in the rush. It was bleeding quite heavily from a gash near his elbow, so Akemi, ever the motherly type in a small crisis, used her initiative and hair band to cover the wound.
"Thanks..." Eien said, smiling gently.
"Don't mention it..." she replied, blushing slightly. Isamu clocked the small building at the gardens opposite end and pointed it out. They made their way over to it, and after some time and several bashings of brute force, managed to break the doors open. A structure that looked somewhat like an altar stood at the back, and the floor in the middle was non-existent. Instead, a gaping hole grinned up at them, with nothing but blackness beyond. A metal ladder was fixed into the stone side of the hole, rusting miserably away but still looking strong enough to actually climb down. The next course of action needed no discussion; the hole looked much more inviting than the prospect of being in the mansion with that woman and whoever or whatever else was there. Being the lightest in the group, Akemi went first. She lowered her legs into the blackness and cautiously onto the ladder rung. She put her full weight on slowly, testing its strength, then, satisfied it wasn't going to give way on her, she gripped a higher rung in her hands and began to climb down. Isamu followed her, then Eien.
The climb seemed to last for hours, but at last, Akemi's feet found solid ground and she stepped off the last rung onto the hard concrete. The room was dimly lit with touches on the walls that cast an eerie flicker on the walls. Isamu stepped down behind her and moved into the room a little more. Eien stepped up behind Akemi and gently took hold of her cold hand. Isamu took one of the torches from the wall and moved around the room with it. The flames golden light illuminated the stone walls, showing the drips of moisture and the worn away cracks...and the mummified figure set in a crevice in the wall.
"Shit!!" Isamu cried, jumping back and dropping the torch in fright. Eien picked the torch up and shone it over the blank skull. The empty eye sockets glared at them lifelessly, and the skill grinned menacingly. It still had hair, long and black, though ragged now though it had once probably been gorgeous. The mummified body was bound tightly, and surrounded by ceremonial cords. It just sat in the alcove behind two open sheer curtains. Akemi drew in a sharp breath, making the boys jump. She whispered an apology then pointed to a door set into the stone. Eien pulled it open with some difficulty, revealing a stone bridge over a deep, dark chasm. The bottom wasn't in sight, and the bridge looked none to inviting either. Akemi stepped onto it and walked slowly along it a little way. Satisfied it wasn't going to collapse any time soon, she beckoned the boys forwards. Eien followed her first, then had to practically drag Isamu after him. The stone door behind them closed by itself. There was no sign of Kirie now. Akemi led the way steadily over the bridge and they all shared relief when they reached the other side. The doors here opened easily into another underground corridor. Akemi made to step trough, when Eien pulled her back.
"No..." he said softy "something doesn't feel right..."
They looked down the dimly lit tunnel. Two shapes took form before them, materialising out of nowhere. The grey shapes advanced slowly, twisting around each other. Faces became clear in them and they separated again. They hovered for a moment before gliding eerily towards the trio. Eien pulled Akemi back and crashed into Isamu as he did so, knocking all three of them to the stone floor. The narrowness of the bridge meant they had nowhere to crawl off too in hope of escape. Isamu did his best to back up to try and get away, but almost fell over the edge. The ghosts made a beeline for him, and he screamed as one flew through him as though he wasn't there. His face went unnaturally pale.
"Isamu!" Akemi cried, scrambling over to him. His eyes were half closed and his lips turning blue. Akemi realised he couldn't breathe. The apparitions had vanished, but it was clear that they had done something terrible to him. He choked as he tried to take a breath in. His eyes were full of panic. Eien held onto his wrist, his pulse was fading.
"Isamu no..." he gasped. His friends' hand went limp in his and his eyes rolled back into his head. Akemi let out a cry of anguish. Eien pulled her close to himself and she burst into tears, sobbing against his chest. Eien looked down at her and wiped away the tears.
"Akemi, we have to find the others and get out of here", he said. She looked up at him, then back to Isamu's body on the stone. She let out a scream of rage and grief then fell against Eien again. He felt a tear slide down his cheek and it broke on the floor. Akemi wiped it away as he had done for her then quickly kissed him on the cheek.
"Let's go..." she said.
"Are you guys okay?" he asked Eien and Akemi, who were both obviously shaken. Akemi nodded. Eien held his arm gingerly, having caught it in the rush. It was bleeding quite heavily from a gash near his elbow, so Akemi, ever the motherly type in a small crisis, used her initiative and hair band to cover the wound.
"Thanks..." Eien said, smiling gently.
"Don't mention it..." she replied, blushing slightly. Isamu clocked the small building at the gardens opposite end and pointed it out. They made their way over to it, and after some time and several bashings of brute force, managed to break the doors open. A structure that looked somewhat like an altar stood at the back, and the floor in the middle was non-existent. Instead, a gaping hole grinned up at them, with nothing but blackness beyond. A metal ladder was fixed into the stone side of the hole, rusting miserably away but still looking strong enough to actually climb down. The next course of action needed no discussion; the hole looked much more inviting than the prospect of being in the mansion with that woman and whoever or whatever else was there. Being the lightest in the group, Akemi went first. She lowered her legs into the blackness and cautiously onto the ladder rung. She put her full weight on slowly, testing its strength, then, satisfied it wasn't going to give way on her, she gripped a higher rung in her hands and began to climb down. Isamu followed her, then Eien.
The climb seemed to last for hours, but at last, Akemi's feet found solid ground and she stepped off the last rung onto the hard concrete. The room was dimly lit with touches on the walls that cast an eerie flicker on the walls. Isamu stepped down behind her and moved into the room a little more. Eien stepped up behind Akemi and gently took hold of her cold hand. Isamu took one of the torches from the wall and moved around the room with it. The flames golden light illuminated the stone walls, showing the drips of moisture and the worn away cracks...and the mummified figure set in a crevice in the wall.
"Shit!!" Isamu cried, jumping back and dropping the torch in fright. Eien picked the torch up and shone it over the blank skull. The empty eye sockets glared at them lifelessly, and the skill grinned menacingly. It still had hair, long and black, though ragged now though it had once probably been gorgeous. The mummified body was bound tightly, and surrounded by ceremonial cords. It just sat in the alcove behind two open sheer curtains. Akemi drew in a sharp breath, making the boys jump. She whispered an apology then pointed to a door set into the stone. Eien pulled it open with some difficulty, revealing a stone bridge over a deep, dark chasm. The bottom wasn't in sight, and the bridge looked none to inviting either. Akemi stepped onto it and walked slowly along it a little way. Satisfied it wasn't going to collapse any time soon, she beckoned the boys forwards. Eien followed her first, then had to practically drag Isamu after him. The stone door behind them closed by itself. There was no sign of Kirie now. Akemi led the way steadily over the bridge and they all shared relief when they reached the other side. The doors here opened easily into another underground corridor. Akemi made to step trough, when Eien pulled her back.
"No..." he said softy "something doesn't feel right..."
They looked down the dimly lit tunnel. Two shapes took form before them, materialising out of nowhere. The grey shapes advanced slowly, twisting around each other. Faces became clear in them and they separated again. They hovered for a moment before gliding eerily towards the trio. Eien pulled Akemi back and crashed into Isamu as he did so, knocking all three of them to the stone floor. The narrowness of the bridge meant they had nowhere to crawl off too in hope of escape. Isamu did his best to back up to try and get away, but almost fell over the edge. The ghosts made a beeline for him, and he screamed as one flew through him as though he wasn't there. His face went unnaturally pale.
"Isamu!" Akemi cried, scrambling over to him. His eyes were half closed and his lips turning blue. Akemi realised he couldn't breathe. The apparitions had vanished, but it was clear that they had done something terrible to him. He choked as he tried to take a breath in. His eyes were full of panic. Eien held onto his wrist, his pulse was fading.
"Isamu no..." he gasped. His friends' hand went limp in his and his eyes rolled back into his head. Akemi let out a cry of anguish. Eien pulled her close to himself and she burst into tears, sobbing against his chest. Eien looked down at her and wiped away the tears.
"Akemi, we have to find the others and get out of here", he said. She looked up at him, then back to Isamu's body on the stone. She let out a scream of rage and grief then fell against Eien again. He felt a tear slide down his cheek and it broke on the floor. Akemi wiped it away as he had done for her then quickly kissed him on the cheek.
"Let's go..." she said.