Escaping Death
Note- Hey! It seems like you guys are enjoying it so far. That's great.
Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha.
Summary- Kagome is an average girl. But after a strange online conversation, a psychotic killer wants HER to choose his victims. She can't escape, not without sacrificing everyone she loves. So what can she do?
I hope you all enjoy. Please review and thanks for reading. Here it goes.
Escaping Death
Chapter Twelve
"Are you sure about him? I mean, he's a nice guy." Kagome looked at Bankotsu, her brown eyes full of uncertainty.
It was almost time for school and they were fully dressed, walking down the sidewalk, picking out people.
Bankotsu sighed sadly. "Well, I never liked him. And he doesn't have a girlfriend, so it's not like anyone will miss him much."
"That's mean!" Kagome said. "Hojo is a nice, respectable person. His family and all the girls who like him will miss him if we just have him killed."
Bankotsu shifted his bag to his other shoulder. "I know, Kagome, but you need someone -- and fast. If you don't have anyone, it could be Inuyasha that gets killed instead. Or Sango. Maybe even Miroku."
"Or even you," she whispered, her eyes now facing the ground. She sighed heavily as the school came into sight not far ahead of them. "You're right." It wasn't a moral thing for her to think or do, but she realized that it was better for Hojo to die instead of everyone else she loved even more -- even if Hojo's family would suffer immensely from his murder.
When they reached the school and Bankotsu had left her alone, Inuyasha caught her in the hallway by her locker. "Hey," he said apprehensively, looking around. "How are you?"
"I'm okay." She craned her neck to work in the code to her lock. "Bankotsu spent the night with me last night since mom didn't come home until around midnight or so." She opened her locker and pulled out the books for her first two classes -- Geometry and World Civics.
"That's good." He took her books from her so she could put her other books in her locker and close it. When she locked her locker, he handed them back to her. "Does he know?"
Kagome nodded.
"Oh." They made their way towards their homerooms, which were two classes away from one another. "Be careful. You don't want him to end up like Koga. By the way, you pick anybody?"
"Hojo," she said, her voice low. "I just feel really guilty."
He impetuously embraced her. "Don't," he said sternly, rubbing her back. "Everything will be fine. It's only until we can put a stop to him." She pulled away and looked up into his amber eyes. They were the most beautiful and stunning amber eyes she had ever seen.
She nodded. "All right." Before she could turn and go to her homeroom, he bent over and kissed her on the lips. When he pulled away, he smiled at her and went to his homeroom.
---
"He kissed you?" Sango asked, not bothering the hide her feelings in the sentence. She was walking home with Kagome today.
"Uh-huh," Kagome was halfway dazed.
"Hmm, it's about time." Sango said. She scuffed her shoes on the sidewalk. "He really likes you."
"How do you know?" Kagome asked, not in a mean way, either. "Did he tell you that himself?"
Sango shook her head and killed Kagome's hopes. "Miroku did. But that's a good sign since they are best friends."
"Yeah, I guess." Her house came into view and her stomach lurched. Her heart rate increased as she remembered that she was going home to set someone's death into motion.
"Hey, you want me to come over? We could do homework and watch a movie or something." Sango offered, smiling brightly. "Bankotsu told me how freaked you were about the whole thing."
Kagome shook her head slowly. "No. Thanks anyway. Mom will be home on time today. Besides, I don't feel like watching a movie." She began going up her driveway, leaving Sango on the sidewalk. "I'll try to call you later."
Sango's smile faded. "All right." Then she turned and went to her house a couple houses down.
Once inside, Kagome locked her door again and closed all of the shades. Then she went upstairs to her room, tossed her book bag on her bed, and got online. She received an instant message almost immediately after signing on.
Death986: Hello Kagome.
Miko17: Hey.
She really didn't feel like going through with this. It was horrible to think about how Hojo was going to be killed and how his entire family would weep over the loss of their young son.
Death986: Who's it going to be?
Miko17: Hojo.
The words on the screen blurred together after she sent it. She realized that she was crying. She was crying for Hojo. She was sobbing for his family, for his friends, and for herself.
Death986: So be it.
DEATH986 HAS JUST LOGGED OFF.
Kagome let a groan emanate from her lips. "I'm sorry, Hojo." She said in a hoarse whisper. "I'm so sorry, but I had to."
She signed off and collapsed onto her bed, kicking her backpack into the floor. Forget about homework. She didn't feel like doing it. She couldn't do it with the guilt of a murder on her conscious. Instead, she let sleep overtake her and thought of how things were before she met Death986.
---
"He was a gifted boy--"
Kagome was watching the news. She was fully dressed and was about to leave, but couldn't bring herself to do so until she watched the report. Apparently, Hojo's mother had found him…Dead. She felt fresh tears spring up in her eyes.
"Oh, God," she said, not able to keep herself from crying. "I'm sorry, Hojo." She was sorry for his mother, too, for having to find her son murdered.
"The Police have issued that there will be no more school. There will be a city-wide curfew for eight every night. Failure to comply with these rules will result in a trip downtown to the Sheriff's office. Everyone must keep their doors and windows securely locked. If you see anything strange, call the police."
"It's about time!" Kagome cried. Finally, finally, a curfew was set. Finally, there was no school. Finally, these cops were doing their jobs!
She turned the television off and rose from her place on the couch and stretched. She had a day off to try and calm her frazzled nerves. No school, no anything. She had to call her mother and inform her of the curfew. She didn't know since she was at work. She went to the phone and extended her hand to lift it from its cradle.
It rang.
She jumped and held in a squeal. Now that was weird. But she brushed it off. What if it was her mother, calling in to check on her? Or maybe Sango? It could have been Miroku, asking her if they should come over. Heck, it could have even been Inuyasha, wanting to know if he could come over and they could kiss some more.
With this thought in mind, she answered with a bright, "Hello?"
"Hey, babe," that sickening, disguised voice rang in her ear. "Have you watched the news yet?"
"Y-Yeah," she stammered through numb lips. She felt light-headed. "I saw it."
"A day off from school," he continued, his voice making her angry, afraid, and sick at the same time. "A perfect day to commit multiple murders."
"No," she said automatically. The words flew from her mouth before she could control them. "Not today, okay? I mean, you could get caught, right?"
"Not when you're as clever as I am," he said. "But I'm touched that you're worried about the fact that I could get captured by the police."
"Don't flatter yourself," she growled. "I'm not worried one bit."
"Oh well. It's nice to fantasize." He laughed lightly. "Hojo wasn't the only one I killed last night."
Once again, Kagome found herself shrieking words before she could stop them, "What? Who else did you kill?"
He laughed. "You remember Koga's friends, don't you? Ginta and Hakkaku? Yeah, they can join their friend in hell."
Kagome felt nauseas. Everything began to spin in a sickening way, as if she had just stepped off the Scrambler at the amusement park. "Why?" She found herself asking softly as she tried to keep herself from throwing up. "Why them? They were innocent."
"Well, innocent people die every day," he said. "And besides, I was bored with just one murder. I needed something else to do. So I killed them. And let me tell you something, Kagome." He paused momentarily. "It was fun."
Kagome began crying again. She couldn't help it. Even though she didn't know Ginta and Hakkaku that well, they were nice people who didn't deserve to die so young -- just like all the other victims. She was trembling. This guy was sick -- he found it fun to kill innocent people. "You're sick. You hear me? You're totally mental."
"Everyone goes a little crazy sometimes," he said simply. "Even you, Kagome. Eventually, you'll go crazy."
"Why me?" She asked helplessly. "Why do you have to play this twisted little game with me?"
"You're so fun to play with, Kagome. Always have been." Was his answer.
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome was suddenly interested.
"I have to go now," he said, sounded almost sad. "I'll call ya later, hon."
There was a click. Then a dial tone.
"I've always been fun to play with?" She murmured to herself. Then she remembered her conversation with him the day before.
"'You're clever, Kagome. Always have been.'" Is what he had said.
What in the world was going on? The only person she could think of that she had played with when she was younger was…
The phone slipped from her hands. Bankotsu.
"Oh, God," she said through numb lips. It felt as if her blood had frozen in her veins. Was Bankotsu the killer?
"No, it can't be him. He's my closest cousin. He loves me too much. He's a good guy." She tried to will herself to believe it was true.
But somehow, she didn't believe it.
Note- Oh my! Maybe our little Banky isn't as innocent as we all assumed he was. Or is he? Let me know what you think!
