Chapter 18:
2nd night: Part Four
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Okay, please don't kill me for not updating! I'm innocent, I swear! Life has been hectic! But, to make up for it, I'm gonna make a nice and long chappie this time. At least, long for me.
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As the child hovered above the well, Lina seemed to freeze in place. Fear began to rise up in her, seeping into her normally calm and collected eyes. Squeezing the camera to her chest, she took a step back. And then another. Before she knew it, she was against the fence. The child slowly hovered towards her, her arms out stretched, reaching for Lina.
Lina immediately pulled the camera up and began to aim. Her hands trembled slightly as the child came closer and closer. The camera, though for a different reason, began to tremble itself. And then, in a sudden rush, the ghost began to rush her. As she felt the cold hands grab her arms, Lina's finger pressed the shutter button and sent the ghost back screaming.
The ghost backed away and began to head into the backyard. Lina once again pulled up her camera and let it charge. The child was wandering through trees and seemingly towards the fence. Gently, Lina pressed the shutter once again. The child spun around and gave Lina a glare that literally sent chills down her spine.
Lina pulled the camera up and began to aim. The child came forward, rushing quickly. Just as she reached Lina, she stopped. Slowly, she pointed towards the well, her long, slender finger trembling as she did so. As Lina followed her finger, her vision blur slightly. There was a sudden flash of light, which nearly blinded her despite how dull it was, and when Lina regained her vision, the girl was gone.
Lina sighed and, after picking up her photos and putting them away, began to once again approach the well. As she neared it, she saw something shimming in the low light. Walking over to it, Lina discovered it was a carved stone; much the one she had found in the swampy area she had learned was the Abyss. This time, however, the stone was carved with blue instead of black ink.
Lifting it up, Lina realized it wasn't just the type of ink used that differed this from the other. The symbol on it was different, and though made with same effort and care as the other, it seemed as though who ever had made it finished in a hurry.
Lina let out a low gasp as her breath suddenly became very shallow. Her hand trembled slightly as she looked away from the carving in front of her. A small, child like voice reached her ears.
"This way!" With out thinking, Lina spun on her heel. There in front of her was little Amelia, staring up at her pleadingly. "Follow me!"
Amelia turned and dashed away, her pale feet flashing every so often as the edges of the Kimono went up and down with her movement. Lina began to follow, trying hard to keep up. Amelia went right through the door that led to the Fish Tank Room and continued running. Lina grabbed the handle, feeling the cool metal against her skin, and yanked the door open, catching a glimpse of Amelia as she left the Fish Tank Room and re-entered the Stairway.
The chase led to the Cherry Atrium, in which Lina had no time to look around in, straight to the room with the candles, and to the room filled with broken and old parts of the mansion, which actually described the mansion in entirety, but Lina couldn't very well imagine the entire house fitting in this one tiny room. Amelia stopped in the room, turned to Lina, and looked up at her. Her eyes were different than everything else in the mansion. She actually had some emotion in them. She was pleading. Pleading for help.
Slowly, she began to fade. Her lips opened as if to say something, but before she could, she was gone.
Lina looked around carefully, from side to side. Making her way around the rubble, Lina slowly walked to the back of the room. It was then, for the first time Lina noticed a large door. It resembled the Shrine in which she had found Mr. Gabrief. Lina shuddered at the thought.
Slowly, Lina pulled out the carving and fitted it into the door. The door unlocked with a click that echoed through the dark room. Lina carefully pulled the doors open, which gave way within a few tries. Obviously these doors hadn't been used in ages.
As she entered, the first thing she noticed was how cramped the space was. Though she wasn't claustrophobic, Lina did hate being in small spaces. They made her uncomfortable, and the last thing she'd want was to be attacked in a space as small as this. There was barely enough room to move.
She was in a long corridor. The floor, like most else, was hard wood and covered in dust. The walls, though made of a stronger substance, seemed to be made from paper. There were candles lining each wall, which only added to her suspicions that the people who owned this place were a family of nut-jobs all cluttered together in a tiny house that could barely sustain one lunatic, considering that if the walls were paper, this place would be in flames the first time the candles swayed. But then, how could a breath of wind find it's way here?
Sighing, Lina continued down the hall. Humor wasn't helping her situation, no matter how funny. And the last thing she needed at the moment was to break out laughing in the middle of one of her "battles" thinking of one of her lame jokes.
Along half way down the hall, it curved at an angle, making it hard to see beyond. As she approached, Lina felt a sudden shiver run down her spine. Her mouth became dry, and her heart seemed to speed up. Slowly, she peered past the curve, and almost fell back, letting out a small cry and began to run. Forward.
"Zel!" Though his head was looking down, and his step didn't have the usual calm and confident stride it usually did, it was him. It had to be. Some how, he kept in front of her, though he was at such a sluggish pace that a turtle could beat him in a race, as though she was being pushed away by some force. "Zel, wait!"
And then, he disappeared. He simply vanished. And it was a split second later she realized why. When she reached the area he had disappeared from, she ran smack into a door. Landing hard on her lower back, Lina groaned and looked around. It wasn't him. It couldn't have been, her brother was alive. That was the whole reason she had come.
It wasn't from belief. That would have been stupid, to just walk into a place she knew had a terrible history. No, when she had heard of her brother's strange disappearance, she had been surprised. Very surprise.
"H-he went to Mikumoru…?" Lina asked the man in front of her, grabbing a tissue. "He was going to search for Mr. Gabrief, I didn't think he would actually go…"
"If he went to Mikumoru, then you know as well as I do he's as good as dead." The chief of police murmured, patting her on the back reassuringly, not knowing how awkward that felt for her. "But we'll look into it, ma'am. Just, please, don't get your hopes up,"
And with that, he left, leaving Lina to sit on the couch she had once shared with her brother. The couch they had curled up together and watched horror movies about ghosts, zombies, and everything else. And now… he was gone.
No, he wasn't gone. She would know if he were dead. She would know. She could still sense him. His essence. It was still strong. Which meant he was somewhere at Mikumoru. Which meant that was where she was going.
Sighing, Lina pulled herself up. She could still sense him. His essence was still there, though much fainter than when she had entered. Using her flashlight to look around, Lina glanced up at the door. She mentally cursed to herself as she noticed the puzzle lock on it. Once again, this lock was missing a carving. Which meant she would have to find it.
Groaning, Lina pulled up her camera. So far, it had revealed many mysteries to her, though it seemed to add on ten times as many questions, so she figured it was worth a shot (No pun intended). Aiming at the lock, Lina pressed down on the shutter. After a moment, the photo developed and Lina looked it over. It clearly showed a large stone, almost like a grave, on a small island. Very small. The island was barely big enough to hold the "grave". As she looked into the background, she noticed it was very foggy. The island was surrounded by murky water. Shaking her head as she realized that this was a picture of the Abyss, Lina put the photo away and look at her feet, sighing.
It was then she saw a small piece of paper on the floor. Picking it, Lina used her flashlight to look at it. It was written in her brother's handwriting.
The mansion is starting to change… as far as I can tell; the spirits here are trying to pull me into the past, as far fetched as that might sound. They're using their power to change parts of the mansion back to the way it was in their time. They're beginning to stir.
Just what happened to this mansion, anyway? And what exactly am I supposed to do about it?
"Being pulled into the past?" Lina repeated, surprised. That could explain why her brother's essence was growing fainter, but was still there. He was alive, but trapped in two different times…
"I swear," She murmured, beginning to move back the way she had come. "When I find my brother and we get out of this, I will never look at the horror genre the same again,"