Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi, Shonen Jump, FUNimation, etc. However, I do own the idea for this story. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.
Warning(s): This story contains utter horror. I myself had to have help writing a few of the scenes for lack of nerves. I highly suggest that if you can't handle something like this, then you don't read it at all. I will not be held accountable for anything that happens to someone if they do not read this and act without thinking of consequences.
Opening Notes: I'm sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I had to update three other stories as well, and I got kind of overwhelmed. n.n; Plus, I had a bit of a writer's block on how to start this, but I got an idea while I was getting towels out of the linen closet...
Eh heh...
Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews, by the way!
To Bluespark 'In Hiding.': No, I don't have a name for the attic creature. Call him Billy, or whatever. I think that things that remain nameless are much more terrifying than those with a title.
There's a bit of humor at the beginning. Enjoy, as it's going to be very, very rare.
Proceed with caution.
Shadow House
Chapter Four: Panic Room
Hiei shook his head, exhaling deeply once more. He continued down the stairs, pushing the issue to the back of his mind. At the moment, he had more pressing matters to deal with...
Such as, what he had just slaughtered wasn't the youkai he was searching for. (He still didn't know what it had been.) And now he was without his sword, with only his youki to rely on...
A small smirk graced Hiei's lips. Such a challenge may prove... fun...
.-.-.-.
A vicious snarl came from the hiyoukai as he stumbled out of the closet. He clawed at the navy towel that had wrapped itself around his head, smothering his face in an attempt to suffocate him. As he pulled it off for a second, giving himself time to take a small breath of air, a bed sheet flew from the wardrobe and flung itself around him.
Hiei growled as he fell to the ground, his arms bound to his sides tightly. He kicked and thrashed about violently before resorting to biting the towel. Oddly enough, it let out a high-pitched shriek while dropping to the floor, where it remained limp.
The Jaganshi bit the sheet as well, and it too screamed and fell away, becoming a heap on the ground. Now that he was free, Hiei leapt to his feet and slammed the closet door shut, abruptly stopping the attack of several rabid pillows.
Once he was sure that the door wouldn't spring open and allow him to be attacked by more possessed bedding, Hiei stepped away. He shook his head, muttering to himself as he continued on his way down the hall.
"That was absurd..." he murmured, his next comment taking on a sarcastic tone. "I'm beginning to think that this demon's wrong in the head."
After a minute or so, the half-Koorime stopped in front of the next door, one of the few that gave off a sense of youki on this level. The wood was rather beaten up and chipped, and it looked as if something had dragged its claws across it several times. With a roll of his garnet eyes, he gripped the battered knob and shoved the door open, stepping through after it.
The room was empty.
Frowning, Hiei walked rather into the small room, glancing around for something unusual, besides the fact that it was void of furniture, paint, carpet, or anything else. (Even blood, for that matter.) He quickly became aware that there was no window, and felt a shudder run up his spine. He positively loathed small, enclosed places, and avoided them at all costs.
Coming to the decision that there was nothing worth seeing here, the Jaganshi made to leave. However, as a resounding bang echoed throughout the room, he froze, spinning around a second later only to see that the door had closed behind him.
Hiei dashed over to it, hurriedly tugging at the handle, finding that it didn't make any move to budge. Growling, he hit the wood with his fist, frustration arising within him when it didn't split. This was the second time today that he had become trapped somewhere, and he mentally berated himself for being so careless.
Just as he was about to lunge at the door again, Hiei noticed that on this side, the many scratches actually made up letters and words. He assumed someone had carved the short 'poem' during their stay here, and that it was probably meaningless; however, he decided to read it anyway.
Welcome to the Panic Room,
Where your dark fears are the theme.
And it is here that you will stay,
Until we hear you scream!
Hiei raised a brow. Him? Scream? A low chuckle escaped him as he looked around the room once more. Nothing seemed even remotely frightening about it, save for the fact that it was extremely small... and there were no windows... and no ways to escape...
The hiyoukai shook his head quickly to dispel those thoughts. He was being foolish. He hadn't experienced a claustrophobia-induced breakdown since he was a child. Even then, it had been under intense circumstances; apparently, the band of thieves that had "adopted" him thought that it would be funny to trap him in a miniscule cavern for a night, having discovered his 'fear' not long before.
Hiei bit his lip. He didn't like using the word 'fear'. It usually was used as a synonym for 'weakness', and that went hand-in-hand with 'fragile', 'pathetic', and 'breakable'. He didn't like any of those words. They gave off a sense of vulnerability, and that's one thing that he didn't want.
Another growl escaped the Jaganshi. This was stupid; he wasn't weak, and he wouldn't succumb to something as idiotic as 'claustrophobia'. He backed up into the center of the room, a rather arrogant look upon his visage as he began to think up a way to escape.
"Scream? I think not..."
.-.-.-.
It had long since been over an hour since he had been trapped in the room. Hiei had eventually given up on any sort of escape plan, becoming too distracted with his confinements to think clearly. He could barely see straight, being taunted by visions of the ceiling crashing down upon him, and other sights along those lines.
A quiet, almost inaudible whimper escaped the Jaganshi as he paced around the room, his eyes flickering over the blank walls. He paused near one of the corners, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, an anxious look on his face. He could hear the walls mocking him, laughing at his discomfort. In the recesses of his mind, he knew that he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.
Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw one of the walls move toward him. He shook his head, looking at it fully only to see that it hadn't budged at all. Without his consent, a whining noise emitted from his throat as he sank to the floor, unable to hide the fact that he was trembling.
Almost instantaneously, the barrier of Hiei's control shattered, and he collapsed into a fetal position, his hands becoming entangled in his ebony hair while his crimson eyes shut tightly. '...No... The walls... T-They're closing in on me...'
He whimpered loudly, trying to picture a wide open area. Anywhere would do... But his mind drew a blank, only showing him scenes of dreary caves and things akin to ningen elevators. "No... No..."
He began to thrash about slightly, shudders racking his small frame. His whining increased in pitch, if possible, and his eyes were clenched so tightly that it was painful. He shook his head, barely hearing his mental rants. 'N-N-No... T-The ceiling's falling, too...! I-I'm going to run out of air...!'
He started to take ragged and hurried breaths, inhaling sharply each time. Occasionally he would moan deeply while his talons raked across the floor, leaving behind long gashes.
He was pushed to his breaking point, and a piercing shriek erupted from him, echoing through the entire House. He held on to the scream for what seemed like an eternity, though it died away soon enough. It was followed by several more raspy screeches, but those were interrupted as a terrible sound - similar to nails being dragged across a chalkboard - ripped through the air.
Fearfully, Hiei peeked one ruby eye open, his gaze landing on the wall opposite him. It was as if an invisible hand was writing on the surface, though in truth, the words were being carved by themselves.
Well, we suppose that will have to do.
We enjoyed your look of dread.
But your cries have awakened the Creature,
And you're as good as dead.
As soon as the final word was engraved, the door swung open. However, Hiei remained where he was for several minutes, still trembling violently. His claws had dug into the palms of his hands, leaving many crescent-shaped cuts along them from which blood leaked out of. He whined again, resisting the urge to bury his head in his arms while he gazed at the open door.
'Hurry... There's an escape! Take it, quickly! Before it disappears!'
Wasting no time, Hiei leapt to his feet, shaking as he stumbled to the exit. His mind was clouded, unable to comprehend anything until he stopped, hearing the door close behind him softly.
He collapsed against the wall across from it, sweat dripping down his pale face as the terror began to leave him, just enough to let him think clearly. He glanced back to the battered door, whimpering under his breath.
'What's happening to me...?'
Ending Notes: Ah, that was a fun chapter to write! The beginning... Gah, I loved it. My favorite quote that came out while writing this...
"I'm killing Hiei with linen!"
I seriously think that this is my favorite story out of everything I've ever written! n.n
Points to anyone that guesses what the Creature is. Here's a hint: It's already been in the story.
