Chapter 22:

2nd night: Part eight

Author's notes: Guys, I know you probably hate me right now… I deserve it. But I do have a reason as to why I have updated in forever: My Xbox broke TT. I can't play Fatal Frame anymore! (At least until I get it fixed. Hopefully that'll be soon.)

EDIT: My Xbox is fixed! I can now update. Check out the bottom of the page for details.

Lina backed away until she could feel the cold, dust-covered wall against her back. She watched as the child crawled closer and closer, her head bent forward in an unnatural position. The child's hands gripped the floorboards, the pale skin almost glowing against the dark brown texture of the floor. Voices pierced her thoughts as the child got closer and closer. Lina began to feel her fragile composure, barely holding together as it was, begin to unravel.

Gripping the camera for reassurance, she took in a deep breath and brought it up to her eye, looking through the small hole and taking careful aim. Her fingers were trembling, she noted briefly, and fidgeted every few seconds. The child was within arms length now. She was reaching out, trying to grab Lina. Lina felt a sudden rush of fear, and before she realized it, her index finger had pressed down on the shutter, snapping a useless photo. It had little effect, and the child didn't hesitate.

Lina felt her leg go numb from cold as the child closed its grip around her ankle. She fought off the urge to scream and pulled away as fast as she could, but she already felt the effects of the attack. Her knees felt weak suddenly, and her head seemed like it wanted to split in two. But she struggled to ignore it, and forced herself to be calm. She'd been through this before. She could handle this.

She lifted the camera up and peered through the lens. There was just enough distance between the ghost and herself that she had just enough time to charge. As the child crawled forward, Lina began to feel faint. Her breathing was labored, and her limbs were screaming at her for exerting her body like this. But still, she had to find an opening, she had to- There!

Without hesitation, she snapped the photo, and heard the now familiar cry as the child was pulled forward and into the photo. And then the silence fell over the room again, save her shallow breathing, and everything stood still. Lina took a moment to recover, and she felt her energy begin to come back to her, albeit slowly. With a grunt, she moved towards the only blank wall in the room. She felt a cold sensation slip down her spine, and she shook it off with ease.

She pulled her backpack off her shoulders, noting the newly formed tears and scratches on it, and reached inside. Pushing aside a few items, her fingers finally closed around the object she need, and she pulled it out, a breath of relief falling from her lips. She stood and shouldered her bag once more, and then unrolled the scroll. Taking it by the edge, she hung it around a small hook that was the top.

There was a sudden click, and then the wall seemed to move. Placing her hands on the right side of it, she pushed, and found that it gave way easily. She stepped through, and realizing that the wall was like a revolving door, just like one at a fancy hotel or something.

She peered around, and then let out a soft gasp, for the room she was in was very familiar. Kimonos stood at every corner, different sizes and colors, some for children, other for adults. A few were probably Yukatas. This was the room she'd been in when she'd laid Xellos Metalium's spirit to rest. A shudder pasted over her as she remembered the horrible fate that the poor man had received.

As she stepped farther into the room, she thought she heard a whisper. There was a line of Kimonos in front of her, obstructing her view, but through the cracks she could see parts of the room. She watched, frozen, as a small boy ray by the Kimonos, his pale skin almost fluorescent in the dark light. He vanished as he approached the wall. Lina shivered, and moved on.

There was only one way out of the room, aside from the hidden door she had entered through, so it wasn't hard to figure out where she needed to go next. She passed through the room and reached the door. She slid it open, and peered inside. The room was still; it was the room where she had found Mr. Metalium's… body? Could she call it that? It was more like the imprint of his body, really, but… it seemed wrong. Twisted, in some way.

She pushed the thought from her mind as she quickly made her way towards the door that led to the hallway. As she neared it, she could have sworn she heard the sound of someone running through the hall. She fought back a shudder and entered the hallway. It looked just like she had left it; the lamps hung from the ceiling had an oriental appearance, and the boards beneath her feet were still creaking under her weight.

She was obviously being led somewhere, albeit she had absolutely no idea where. As far as she knew, there were only two ways out of the hall, the way she had come, and the door that led into the room with the fireplace.

Which meant that she would have to go to the room with the fireplace. Determined, she set off down the hall. As she walked, a strange gust of wind blew in, and a soft whisper echoed throughout the hall. The lamps began to sway back and forth effortlessly. Lina knew that she was heading in the right direction. The spirits were getting restless.

It took her less than a full minute to reach the end of the hallway. As she approached the door leading to the fireplace room, she felt a shiver run down her spine and feeling a dread wash over her. Something big was about to happen. But she couldn't help but wonder: perhaps the strong emotions she was feeling came from the mirror piece she had lost? Maybe she was getting closer? She could only hope that that was the case.

She reached out to open the door and realized that her hand was shaking. For good reason… she thought bitterly, and pulled open the door.

The fireplace room was the same she remembered it as. The screen she had moved the reveal the doorway she stood now was still resting to the side, the fireplace was still cold, and the room was still eerie and uncomfortable. Aside from the last points, she was almost relieved to be back in the room. Compared to some of the memories she had from the other rooms in the house, this place was paradise.

As she took her first few steps into the room, however, that feeling quickly fled her. The temperature dropped almost instantly, and Lina could almost see her breath. Her chest tightened, and she held the camera a little tighter, almost by reflex.

She walked by the small staircase, and looked around carefully. The room was surging with negative feelings. She stopped moving when she heard a creak behind her as something shifted. She turned slowly, and narrowed her eyes, which were following the beam of her flashlight. And then she caught sight of movement in the corner by the stairs. Her flashlight fell on an old grandfather clock.

She heard another creak, and then she watched as the glass door of the clock began to slowly open, the glass reflecting the beam of her flashlight.

Author's notes: Can anyone say, "The author is a dead girl"? I thought so. Yes, yes, it's a cliffhanger. And worse yet, it's miserably short. I know that it's cruel, especially since I haven't updated in… what? A year? Over a year? I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to make you guys hang like that. But this is just a quick reminder:

I have not forgotten, nor have I discontinued this story.

Get that? Good. Updates will hopefully start sticking to a regular schedule. I try and update again by the end of next month, deal? Hey, it's better than waiting a year!

…I wonder if anyone still reads this story…