A/N: Now, I don't mean to toot my own horn, but…oh, hell- TOOT TOOT! This is my favorite chapter so far. Hope you all like it!
Koji tugged on the doorknob, but the door refused to budge. He slammed his shoulder into it, hoping to break it down, but only earned himself a sore shoulder. The mansion may have been old, but the door was as strong as the day it had been built. Rubbing his sore shoulder, he headed down the stairs. Where were Mr. Takamine and Tomoe? He'd searched everywhere; everywhere he could find, anyway. He had tried to go through the door on the left end of the rope hallway but it was stuck, but he had been sure he'd heard voices from behind the door upstairs in the fireplace room. How had Mr. Takamine and Tomoe gotten through if it was locked, though? Lost in his thoughts, it took Koji a moment to notice the little girl waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.
She looked about seven or eight years old, with thick black hair curtaining her round pale face. She wore a white kimono with a faded gold flower pattern. She stared up at Koji with wide, dark eyes, but said nothing.
Surprised, Koji forced a smile and knelt down to the little girl's height. "Hey there," he said cheerfully. "I didn't know anyone else was here. Have you seen two people around here? An old man with white hair and a woman with a red sweater?"
The little girl didn't say anything, but pointed to a nearby folding screen. Perplexed, Koji looked over at it. "What is it?" he asked, turning back to the little girl- but she was gone.
Koji was more confused than ever. Where had she gone? He tried to shake off his uneasiness. The kid was creepy, but maybe she was just shy. Curious, he turned back to the folding screen. He pushed it aside, revealing a door. He turned the handle and was relieved to find it was unlocked. He walked inside, finding himself in a dusty hallway dimly lit by a row of votive lamps hanging from the ceiling. Slightly cheered up, Koji entered the room to his left. Tomoe and Mr. Takamine must be back here somewhere! He thought. No one was in the room, however, which looked like it could have possibly been the library. "Mr. Takamine!" he called. "Tomoe! Where have you both gone?"
There was no sign of life anywhere in the room. Koji slid open a door that revealed a small room with old, faded kimonos. He called their names again but didn't receive an answer. He went back to the hallway, tried the door at the right of the end of it, but it wouldn't budge. Disappointed, he decided he'd head back upstairs and try to break the door down again. When he approached the door that led back to the sunken fireplace room, however, he found himself face to face with a young woman.
She had long black hair shrouding her face, like the little girl, but was older-about seventeen- and wore a pure white kimono. She didn't acknowledge Koji at all.
"Hi," he said. "I'm Koji Ogata. I'm here researching with a couple other people." He held out his hand, but the woman didn't move. Letting his hand drop to his side, he said, "Well…I was surprised to find anyone else here. Are you from the village?" The woman still said nothing. Koji sighed. "Look, I got separated from the other two people in my group. I think they're somewhere beyond that door upstairs, but it's locked. Can you help me?"
The woman remained silent.
"I can't find the key," Koji said, desperation creeping into his voice. "Where is it?"
The woman finally spoke, but it was the last thing that Koji wanted to hear.
"I'll make you feel my pain."
One cold, quiet phrase. It sent shivers down Koji's spine. "What do you…?" he began, but he let his sentence trail off when he saw dozens of hands emerge from behind the woman; grey, dead looking arms, reaching out, snatching for Koji. He stumbled backwards, then broke into a run. He looked over his shoulder at the woman, who wasn't moving as if to say "You can run, but you can't hide."
Hurrying into the library, Koji looked around wildly for a place to hide. He spotted a closet in the corner and ran to it, slid the door open, and clambered inside. He slid the door partially shut, leaving it open a crack to keep wait. "Oh, God, please don't let me die," he thought. To his horror, the woman glided into the room.
"Don't let her find me, please, don't let her find me…"
She looked toward the closet and came closer.
"OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod…."
The door slid open, and Koji screamed. Two hands reached out from behind the woman and grasped Koji's wrists. They let go after a moment, but he could still feel a tightening on his wrists. Looking at them, he saw that each of them had reddish black rope marks. Another pair of hands grabbed his ankles. They let go and once again he felt a tightening sensation around his ankles, even though the hands had released him. Finally the woman reached out her own hands and tightened them around Koji's neck. She let go, but the tightening continued. Koji felt his limbs being pulled, his flesh tearing, his bones breaking-
And then Koji felt no more.
REVIEW! Now! Or I'll set all the ghosties on you! Mwahahahaha!
