A dark office is dimly litted by the light of a projector from the back end of the room, whilst windows are closed to help the projector focus its coloration. Several people sat around a large rectangular table, having nothing but cups of water by their side. Their eyes focused attentively on the screen, waiting for the briefing to begin. Among the members were the white-haired girls who are twins, a tomboyish girl, and finally, the wavy blonde girl resting her neck with her hand on the table. While they are in a state of boredom, they never shift their expression and remain constant with patience. Only some of them are wearing the formal police uniform while the rest are still in civilian clothes


"Woah," Hanako awed. "Saku onee-chan looks incredibly serious here."

"I kinda half-expected something funny is going to happen in the opening," Nadeshiko commented.

Sakurako merely shares a glance. "I never said it was comedy."

"Alright, you're already as serious as you in the movie," Nadeshiko stated back.

"What's going on there?" Akane asked. "Are they having a presentation?"

Sakurako contemplates for a moment. "A briefing."


The camera pans at the screen, revealing a female detective standing next to it, well dressed for the occasion. She clears her throat and fixes her collar before examining the members available in the room.

"Is everyone here?" the detective asked, her thick brown pale ponytail almost unmoved after glancing.

"Yes," one of the white-haired twins replied.

"Alright, I'll get to the point then."

The projector enters a slide, revealing a face of an almost bald man, 30 years old from the looks of his wide cheekbones and proper size of his jaw with a sharp, thin square beard on his chin.

"The man you are looking at is Fujio Kasaguna, a suspect who has recently been freed from jail after serving seven years for murder, arson, and grand theft auto."

Then a black American man steps in, standing on the other side of the screen. "One week after his release, he returned to a life of crime, recently committing grand theft auto at a car auction down at Sora Taiki Auction House with his crew of eight armed men."

The slide then shows the pictures of two different men, one of them looking half-American. "Two of his men, namely Itoh Mamoru, a long friend of Fujio who was released two years earlier than him, and Bond Mamitoru, a specialist carjacker, orchestrated this entire car robbery with him. They managed to steal three cars, which brands are Mercedes, Ferrari, and Rolls-Royce, pricing around six million dollars each."


"Um, remind me again, how much six million dollars is in yen?" Chitose turned around and asked awkwardly.

"Seven hundred million yen," Sakurako responded, earning the attention of her sisters and the Akazas.

"That much for a car?!" Akari dropped her jaw.

"Well, those are expensive brands he's talking about," Nadeshiko spoke. "I'm not even surprised it would cost billions to buy one of those cars."

"It's a different story if they wrecked it, though," Yui commented.

"Can't they just fix it?" Hanako asked.

"So you want to spend money to fix an expensive car and then sell it?"

Hanako only stares at Sakurako, pretty much flabbergasted than pouting.

"That's pretty much a loss of money," Akane commented, placing a finger under her chin.


"Despite their success, however, it was short-lived. The officers managed to intercept them quickly and arrested two suspects while the other three were neutralized while the cars were already back in our hands. Unfortunately, these three main suspects got away, and their whereabouts remain unknown until a witness came forward."

Then the next slide shows the overhead view of a forested area, with an empty highway to the left. The detective continues from this onward.

"Six hours ago, a man living near the outskirts of the city have claimed that he saw them moving from the city in a brown pickup truck, possibly a stolen vehicle; he didn't see the ID plate. They're heading west down the highway into the forest about a day ago."

The following slide comes in, revealing a ground view of what looks like a tunnel in the clearing, alongside the truck parked far in front of it.

"Two hours later, Another witness had come forward to report that he found the very same truck the suspects used to escape the mess at an unnamed mine about 10 km west from the outskirts, deep within the forest when he went on a hike. He said that he did not see any of the suspects mentioned by our department, but he had to vacate the area immediately. After some convincing, the witness admitted that he heard a blood-curdling scream emanating from the mine, and it spooks him."


"Huh," Nadeshiko leaned her head back a little. "That witness is smart for once."

"Do those horror movies are not appealing these days?" Sakurako asked.

"Not that they aren't appealing," Nadeshiko replied. "Just kinda glad I didn't hear and watch someone end up dead for doing something stupid."


"Regarding the mine," the detective continued. "If it was abandoned, there's no information about the mine. No map, not even the slightest clue of what kind of mine they're taking refuge in. Probably lost to history. Some officers have been dispatched to check out the area. However, they found that their police cruisers would be extremely hard to negotiate the rough dirt path leading up to the mine, and walking there would cost a lot of time. Now they have set up a restriction zone at the dirt path entrance to prevent anyone from coming in and out. Additional forest rangers have been dispatched to reconnoiter the forest surrounding the mine."

The black man continues. "We have the warrant, and the department has seen it fit to sanction a raid on the mine. Our objective is to recon the area and find the suspects within the mine. Arrest or neutralize in accordance of ROE, bring all them in alive if possible. Advise caution, these men are to be considered armed and dangerous; they may still have automatic weapons from the previous theft. As usual, River Team will be the entry team, while Tampa Team will be on reserve in case this mission goes south. Forest rangers and officers will provide the outer cordon, and a helicopter will be provided to scan the entire area overhead to prevent uninvited guests.

NVGs and special comms pack will be provided for this mission. Any questions?"

The attending officers, including the girls, looked at each other, but they didn't sound out a single question and looked back at the man.

"We'll be moving out in half an hour," the black man replied. "Get yourself geared up. Dismissed."

Then the next scene immediately shows the officers gearing up for a fight. There were various firearms, gears, and equipment on the table. The officers surrounding it have worn their dark blue uniform, coated with a black bulletproof vest; some, including the girls, are wearing black plate carriers, all of which has the white SAT written on their backs. The scene is quite a montage, loading, cocking, strapping, counting, and whatever words came into mind. This scene lasted for at least 10 seconds before it transitioned to SAT teams moving to off-road cars provided by the police. Focusing on a blonde girl in her uniform sitting beside the driver, the same black man, with their primary weapons ready.

Then the scene transitioned once again, watching a convoy of armored cars driving down the empty highway in a column with forests between them. As the cars leave the scene, the title gently fades in across the middle screen, white futuristic font with blunt edges, namely 'Dark Contact.'


The Akazas and Sakurako's sisters were wholly baffled that they have such properties in her movie. From the looks on their faces, Sakurako might have been one step too far on the action theme. Sakurako herself only remains quiet, bland-looking as ever, but her eyes seem drawn to the montage.

Nadeshiko turns at her second sister. "How did you get all of those resources for a short movie in such a short time?"

Sakurako raises her eyebrows in turn. "Shiba, Sumida, and George helped us on that. They know many friends to get those resources."

"That montage was excellent, to be honest," Akari commented. "Yui actually looked so cool in there."

"Ahaha, thanks, Akarin," Yui humbly replied.

"Saku nee-chan," Hanako called. "I think you're taking that SWAT game a little too far."

"This is not America, though," Sakurako responded.

"That's not the point," Hanako responded.

"I'm just wondering," Akane turned to Sakurako. "Those gun props aren't heavy, yes?"

"Actually," Sakurako replied, almost shaking her head. "It's as heavy as the real ones."

"Heh?" Nadeshiko paused for a moment. "Does that mean it has ammo like the real ones too?"

"Yes, but those are blanks," Sakurako explained. "It's loud and harmless, but it's dangerous to fire it so close to your skin."

Nadeshiko winces her eyes tight. "How close?"

Sakurako then places a finger against her forehead. "This close."

Their curious glances were replaced with dread at the imagination Sakurako presented. And Nadeshiko dared to ask once again. "Does that mean… it still can kill people?"

"Probably."

The vague answer should be left as it is; it seems to be wise on their part.


After a quick transition, a boot steps out of the armored car, landing on the seemingly wet but solid dirt. A couple of steps forward, she has her weapon low-ready, scanning the surroundings carefully. The blonde treads her path towards a nearby container, catching glances of her teammates spreading out from their vehicles. As they set up the perimeter, though a little relaxed, the short-haired officer came over to her from behind.

"So… that's the mine," the officer commented.

"Something you need to talk about?" the blonde asked her.

"Well… that looks spooky to me," the tomboy responded. "Wonder what's the screaming all about."

"That's why we're here, Tana," the detective called out from the other vehicle. "We'll be going to ask them when we find 'em."

"Do we?" one of the twins asked, the green-eyed one. "Not handing their asses to 'em?"

"Shut it, Kimi," the detective retorted. "It was your idea to bring that sledgehammer aroun-"

"That's enough, both of you," the black man interjected. "We've got a job to do."

The blonde reaches her radio—"Entry team to TOC. We reached the location. Preparing to enter the mine now."

"Roger that, entry team. Advise caution when entering the mine."

"Copy," the blonde responded. "Interrogative: any update from the intel unit regarding the mine?"

"Negative. The intel unit is currently looking over lesser mining companies within the city. If they find anything, we'll let you know."

"Understood, entry team out."

A sigh is heard behind the blonde. "What do you think they mine here, Morita?"

The blonde shrugs. "Minerals, I guess. Why'd you ask?"

"Nothing," Tana responded. "To be honest, it feels like whoever mined here, deep in the forest, was too hasty or careless. With that narrow path back there, no big trucks can get through unless they don't mind bringing what little cargo to sell. Or…."

"Or what?" Morita asked.

"Or… well…," Tana paused. "Someone's trying to cover something up in here. Like an accident."

"We're here to find suspects, not to come up with useless theories, Tana," the detective sternly said, hearing what she said over the radio. "Find anything in that truck, James?"

The American-looking man who's only wearing the SAT vest and sunglasses looks out from the truck. "Fujio's ID, truck keys, newspaper, and a machine pistol. Nothing else, Aoki."

"Careless," detective Aoki replied. "Put them in our vehicle."

"Got it."

"Morita, better get your squad ready," Aoki said. "The rest of you, set up a perimeter around the mine."

Aoki leers off to her surroundings to find the other twin, Kimu, is standing unwarily in the open. "Hey."

She didn't budge for a moment until she was called the second time. "Hey, Kimu! What are you standing there for?"

The white-haired officer wasn't startled but gave away her nervousness. "Any of you notice this place is too quiet?"

At first, the officers thought nothing of what she said. But Morita and Tana were intently listening to their surroundings. Aside from the sounds of their own footsteps, there was nothing else. No birds singing, crickets cricking, or even a gust of wind pushing the leaves away. The longer they listen for any voice, the greater the eerie atmosphere looming over them.

"Kimu, get yourself together! We're the police, dammit," Aoki addressed sternly. "You're getting scared over nothing."

"Right, sorry," Kimu acknowledged before jogging toward Morita and Tana.

Tana turns to the blonde. "I'm starting to not like this."

"Well, we can't give the suspects another leeway now, do we?" Morita responded. "Let's go."

"Right behind you."

The blonde officer walks closer to the mine with her teammates in tow, then stops when Kimi and James are stacked on the other side of the mine entrance. "NVGs ready?"

"Check." – Tana

"Ready." – James

"Functional." – Kimi.

"Ready." - Kimu

"Alright," Morita nodded, then pressed her radio. "Comms check. Do you read?"

"Loud and clear." – Tana

"5 by 5." – James

"Crystal clear." – Kimi

"Crystal clear as well." – Kimu

"I read ya', Mori." - Aoki

"Okay," Morita radioed in. "TOC, this is River Lead; we're entering the mine now."

"Understood, proceed."

"Stay frosty," James reminded before they proceeded into the mine in a square formation.


"Okay, I can feel the anticipation is killing me," Nadeshiko commented. "Also, I already felt that those officers look so competent from how you portray them."

"George taught us how to do it," Sakurako replied. "And Sumida taught us a little about SAT's procedure."

"To be honest, the formation thing was a bit hard to interpret in that tight space," Chitose added. "With that gun props and all."

"Um, it also has the horror theme, right?" Akari asked.

"Yes," Yui replied. "Are you scared, Akari?"

"Mm, well, yeah," Akari awkwardly replied, leaning closer to her sister.

"Don't worry. I'm here with you, Akarin~," Akane assured her.

"Are there any jumpscare, Saku nee-chan?" Hanako asked with concern.

Sakurako returns a perplexed look. "What's a jumpscare?"

Nadeshiko almost face-palmed if she hadn't self-restrained. "It's a thing in horror movies where you scare people with loud noises and surprising appearance out of nowhere. But usually, it gets boring the more jump scares are used, and they only do it for the sake to scare us."

"Oh, it usually doesn't harm the characters, right?"

"Yes, that."

"Oh," Sakurako just shrugged. "We didn't use that, I think."

"Are you certain?" Nadeshiko furrowed her eyebrows a little.

"Well, we used a little, actually," Chizuru added. "You'll see."


A minimal amount of natural light illuminated the entirety of the tunnel. Rough footsteps continually echoed the tunnel, though at a lower rate of noise that a rat can listen to. Through this darkness, five figures are barely seen traversing the long tunnel and intersections, and not even a reflection could be achieved from their weapons.

Looking through Kimu's goggles, the entirety of the tunnel is engulfed with different shades of green. Her teammates are also engulfed by the green view, including their weapons. The only way to differentiate between people and objects is by figuring out what particular shades of green are shaping up in front of her.

"Wish we could get some lighting down here," Tana commented.

"Even if we want to, I don't see any generators back there to use," James stated.

"I saw one back there near the entrance," Kimi replied. "But the damn thing's busted, last I checked."

"Do you think there's another generator down here?" Kimu asked, turning her goggles to her six.

"If there's even another one down here, we can't turn it on right now," Morita replied. "We're just letting them know we're here."

"Well, let's just make sure any of us didn't lose our NVGs," Kimu replied before turning forward.

Now looking through James's goggles, Tana asks. "Say, how much do you think they spend on these goggles?"

"Probably 600000 yens," Morita replied. "James, these are third-generation devices, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," James firmly responded. "The department was splurging their money over these kinds of stuff."

"Huh," Tana paused. "I wonder if I can buy one after this."

"What for?" Kimi asked. "Raiding your attic?"

"No, for camping," Tana replied. "I want to play with my sister with it."

"I heard you're planning that on the next week," Kimu added.

"Yep, can't wait to get a couple days off," Tana responded, and the rest of the way was continued in silence.

Soon, they reach a three-way intersection, and Morita raises her fist at that moment.

"Contact, right."

The twins immediately watch the forward corridor while James stacks up with Tana and Morita on the right. Now looking through Morita's goggles, from where she is crouching, she sees a man she assumes wearing a grey jacket standing still at the end of that corridor, facing away from her team and against the wall. With Tana aiming just above her head, Morita immediately radios in.

"TOC, River lead, we found a possible suspect. Moving to apprehend, over."

"Copy, River lead. Be careful."


"Well, that's a start," Nadeshiko commented. "That was rather easy. I expected something to suddenly jump out of nowhere."

"Um, Oomuro-san," Akane called, a slight tidbit of shaken tone. "Please don't jinx it for us."

"Right, sorry about that," Nadeshiko raised an open palm.

Sakurako looks over to her little sister and finds her feeling unnerved at the screen like some people in the crowd do. "Mmm, I don't like that."

"What you don't like?" Sakurako asked her.

"The way that man is standing there...," Hanako paused for a moment. "I don't like it."

"Me too," Akane replied in agreement. "Why is he standing there for?"


When Morita's team is halfway in the corridor, they wear off their goggles and set their flashlights alight on their weapons before aiming at the suspect. And the next, chorus of orders.

"Police! Hands in the air!"

"Put those hands up!"

"Takaoka PD!"

"On your knees! Do it!"

"Get on the ground and put your hands up!"

A barrage of orders continues, echoing the tunnels in doing so. But it was to no avail, as the man didn't respond nor turn in their direction. The orders ended abruptly, seeing no choice but to put the man down in force.

"If that's what you want," Morita whispered. "Watch our backs."

"Got it," Kimu replied as she and her twin turned around.

"Watch for sudden movement," James reminded as he and Morita walked closer to the suspect.

"Wait!" Morita turned her head slightly at Tana's call. "Something ain't right about him."

Morita merely shakes her head and ignores her. They advance closer, and the flashlights are now entirely illuminating like a bright spotlight on the suspect. Morita calls him once again when she is sure she's standing five feet away from him.

"Hey, do you hear me? Put your hands up," Morita ordered firmly. "I won't say it again."

After a moment of silence, not even a slight movement from the man, Morita was about to order again. But James immediately catches something odd in the air.

"Wait, Morita," James suddenly interjected. "Do you smell that?"

Morita was a second away to register what he said until she picked up a particular odor on her nose. It startled her at the repulsiveness of such odor, something that is… rotting. There's nothing dead around here, as far as they could see. Morita looks back at the facing away suspect and grabs one of his arms. She wished she hadn't done that.

The suspect immediately falls toward her like a doll, which the blonde officer avoided in time. And lo, lay on the ground the body of the suspect, and they immediately regretted when they lay their eyes upon him.

The man was long dead.


"KYAAAAAA!"

Loud cries, gasps, and screams fill in the entirety. Sakurako could've sworn that the entire crowd was frightened by the jump scare. What was amazing was that there was no music or loud noises, just a sound of a dropped body and the horrifying sight of the dead man. Hanako was so frightened that she tightly hugged Nadeshiko. On the other hand, Akari had almost fainted that even Akane had to turn her head to her face. Sakurako merely looks away from the screen, not wishing to see what abomination of a scene they created themselves.

"Holy-. What the heck is this scene?!" Nadeshiko exclaimed though it seemed her skin was about to turn pale. "I can't believe you got first place for this!"

"Well…, that's the jump scare, Nade nee-chan," Yui replied, seemingly about to turn pale as well. "I think we're going a little too far on this, didn't we?"

"There's not even music," Akane commented. "Wow…."

"I just remembered," Chitose turned around. "I didn't ask from where you get the inspiration for the horror theme."

"That?" Sakurako paused for a second. "I got the inspiration from reading SCP files."

"Huh, SCP what now?" Nadeshiko looked on with confusion.

"Oh, those files about anomalous stuff?" Chitose asked, then smiled with concern. "I think I can see why."


"Oh, sh-!" – James

"Crap!" – Morita

"What the goddamn!?" – Tana

The three officers look on with both disgust and revulsion at what savagery the dead man had to sustain. Even though the camera does not wish to show what damage has been done to the man, the strains on their faces are already apparent. James' light slowly scans over whatever parts of his body are left undamaged. It seems Tana can't stand what she sees that she had vomited on the spot.

"My God," Morita swore in a whisper, gritting her teeth.

"Who could've done this?" James questioned himself.

Tana coughs up before she can reply. "Maybe I should've skipped lunch."

The twins happened to come closer and see the almost disfigured dead body as well. "Jeez, how long do you think he's dead here?" asked Kimi.

"Judging from the smell, probably hours ago," James replied. "Kimu, watch the right corridor."

"Got it."

Morita crouches against the corner of the left corridor, still using the flashlight. "James, see if you can find his ID. I think that's Bond, but I want to make sure."

Despite the blood and grotesque on the dead man's body, James puts his weapon aside and searches every pocket of his jacket, pants, and shirt. At first, he finds a couple of mags and a pistol holster, but his sidearm is nowhere to be found. Searching into the pants' backside pocket, he finds a wallet. Opening it reveals the ID of the man.

"Yep, this is him," James nodded. "It's Bond, Morita."

The blonde officer heavily sighs, still watching the corridor as she radios in. "TOC, this is River lead. We have a DOA on a suspect. ID says Bond Mamitoru. Over."

"Copy, the cause of death?"

Morita looks behind her, unwilling to describe the grotesque behind her. "James."

The man presses his radio. "TOC, this is River 5. The suspect suffered heavy mutilations to the torso and the head. He's probably killed hours ago by an unknown party. Judging from the severity of the mutilation, this doesn't seem like an animal attack. We may have another group of interest lurking in the mine."

"Understood. Informing the EMTs," TOC responded. "Status of the other suspects?"

"River lead, we haven't found them yet. We may need to explore the mine further," Morita radioed back. "Permission to continue the search, over."

"Permission granted. If you feel the AO is too large for you to fully explore, exfil your squad from the mine. Over."

"Understood. River 1 out."

Tana shakes her head in disbelief, coming out as annoyance. "Now we have some cults to deal with now?"

"Maybe. That's actually even better, though," Kimi commented.

"I don't know why that's even better, Kimi," her sister replied.

"We get to shoot a bunch of lunatics, sister," Kimi answered.

"We still have to follow the rules, 3," Morita stated. "But I also agree with you."

"What about the dead suspect?" James asked.

"Leave a glow stick on him," Morita ordered ruggedly. "We'll get him out of here later."

"Understood," James replied, shaking the green glow stick to light and placing it next to the dead man, and he noticed something. "Morita, found a broken camera."

"Hm?" Morita looked over as James inspected the camera. "Is it working?"

"No," James then checked the memory card. "Camera's banged up. The memory card is broken too."

"Alright, bring the camera with us. The forensic might want to take a look at it. Let's start moving," Morita began. "On me."


"Oh, no," Nadeshiko shook her head. "Any sane person, even the police, would just get their butts out of that mine."

"Mutilated?" Hanako whispered, about to faint. "Is that what I think it means?"

"Let's not get too far here," Akane assured them. "I'm sure they just want to get the job done. Right, Sakurako?"

The blonde Oomuro nods. "They can't leave until they find the other two criminals."

"T-that's insane, though," Akari commented. "That place is like a maze, and they hardly see anything down there."

"Say," Akane digressed. "Are… NVGs supposed to look like that when you look through it?"

"According to George, yes," Sakurako replied. "It does look confusing, though."

"It looks weird, to be honest," Chitose chuckled. "But at least we don't have to walk blindly in the dark."

"Yeah," Yui agreed. "And everything does look exactly what we see when we use a flashlight, except that everything's colored green."


On topside, Aoki and her men still scan the perimeter, mainly the forest surrounding them. There's nothing out of the ordinary aside from the lack of animal and bug noises, even the wind. While the clouds grey out the sky, she could feel the temperature was a little cold than she would expect.

One of the men guarding near the outskirts of the forest was startled a bit. "Huh? Hey, this is River 9. Did you guys see something moving?"

"I ain't seen nothing," another officer guarding the other end of the outskirts radioed back. "Why you're jumpy all a sudden?"

"I could've sworn I saw something moving in the bushes," the frightened officer replied. "It must be my imagination."

Aoki simply tilts her head at the frightened man on her very right, wondering a little if an animal is hiding in the forest.

Back in the mine, Morita's squad is following down the unused tracks of a corridor. Morita is the point woman and the only one with her flashlight on, while her teammates followed in a column to minimize their presence. None except Kimi are using NVGs, knowing that using them together with a flashlight can sometimes temporarily blind the wearer. There was nothing out of the ordinary aside from their own footsteps and the silence within the mine.

That's when Morita stops in her tracks, forcing her teammates to do the same and look at what she finds on the ground. Stain droplets of dry red are still visible on the ground.

"Blood trail," Morita whispered.

"Stay alert," Tana nervously gripped her M4. "This is not a good sign."

When the team was about to move, Kimi had turned behind her with her goggles on and immediately aimed at that direction with a slight gasp, accompanied by her gun's cackle. Her sister quickly turns around and turns her flashlight on in that direction. The entire team, including the glancing Morita, looks in that direction, some aiming their weapons down the corridor. It was still empty.

"Kimi, you're not playing with us, right?" Kimu asked.

"I saw someone looking at us," Kimi responded.

"There's nothing there," Tana added. "You must be imagining things."

"I swear there was someone standing on that far end of this corridor!" Kimi retorted in a whisper

"Did you see what he looks like?" James asked.

"Dunno, that guy's a bit taller than you," Kimi replied, refusing to look away from the corridor. "Also a bit bulkier."

Morita didn't address her but decided to contact the department. "TOC, this is River 1. We are being stalked by an unknown individual. Last seen behind us, current location unknown. Should we chase him down first?"

"Negative, you are not well versed to travel around the mine. Continue the search for the suspects. Whoever that individual is will be bound to come out and attack. Over."

"Understood. River 1 out."

"Do you think that was the cult guy?" Tana asked.

"Probably," Morita absent-mindedly replied. "Let's keep moving."

While Kimi still warily watches their backs, they follow down the blood trail leading to a more expansive room. Pickaxes, jackhammers, hammers, carts, and other tools are carelessly placed around the room. However, the blood trail stopped at the wooden platform next to the tracks. After a little looking around, James had incidentally found a handgun lying on the ground near a table.

As he picks it up, Morita asks. "Is that Bond's gun?"

"It seems so," James replied. "I wonder how it got here."

*TR-TAK*

They immediately aim their rifles in the direction of the noise. With a bit of deliberation, they realized the sound was coming from a wooden chest. With tense hearts and heavy breathing, they approach the chest slowly with an arc formation. When they get close, they have to look at each other for a moment, at which Morita is the only one who dares to open the chest. She carefully reaches her hand onto the chest's lid, holds it as she takes a deep breath, and immediately flings the lid open and steps back—guns aimed at the content of the chest.

And a man immediately springs out from within. "NO, NO, NO, DON'T KILL MEE! DON'T KILL MEE!"

Instead of being frightened, the officers are taken aback by his loud plea that even Tana has to lower her M4 down. Morita raises the flashlight to the man's face, and lo, they have found one of the suspects they're looking for. Lowering the flashlight a little, there is a cut on the side of his stomach, still bleeding a little bit, covered with what bandage he might have found in the mine.

"What the-, Itoh Mamoru?" Kimu asked, lowering her weapon.

"Huh?" the suspect lowered his arms from his face and leered over to the officers' uniforms. "H-holy smokes. Are you the police?"

"Y-yes," Kimi awkwardly replied.

The suspect drops to his knees. "My God. I'm saved!"

"W-wha-?" Tana was stunned for a moment. "You do realize we're here to arrest you, right?"

"I don't care," Itoh said carelessly, holding his wound. "Just get me outta here!"

As James brings him out of the chest, Morita radios in. "TOC, this is entry team. We found Itoh Mamoru, alive but wounded. We're prepping him up for custody. Over."

"Copy, River. Trailers on standby. Bring him out before you continue your search, over."

"Understood, we'll be on our way. Out."

"How the hell did you end up stuffed up inside the chest?" Kimi asked with an understandable suspicious glare.

"W-well… s-something was chasing us around the mine," Itoh replied as James found the cuffs.

"What? A bear?" Tana asked.

"No, no. Not that," Itoh quickly shook his head. "I think it was… someone. I dunno. I think it was a ghost."

"Ghost?" James asked.

"Yeah, well, that's what Bond said after seeing something with a camera," Itoh replied. "On night vision setting too."

Tana laughs as she looks at the ground. "Really? A ghost? Your imagination must've been wild."

"I'm not kidding you. The ghost was real!" Itoh insisted. "Some kind of ghost attacked us in the middle of the dark, and we got split up!"

"Is that how you got your wound?" Kimu asked, pointing at his stomach.

"Yeah, it felt like a sharp nail. Kinda glad I didn't get worse."

"I can't say the same for your friend," James said as he was about to cuff him.

And Itoh pulls his hands back. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Itoh, show me your ha-."

"No! Tell me what you mean by that!"

Morita takes a deep sigh. "We found Bond back there, just a little far from here. He was… mutilated."

"Oh- oh no," Itoh's face turned dreadful. "This is bad. So bad."

Kimi interjects. "Do you have any idea where Fujio might be now?"

"When we got split up, I think he went deeper into the mine," he responded. "I don't know if he's still alive, though."

"Alright, Itoh," James nodded. "Let's cuff you up and get ourselves out of here."

"Just make it quick," Itoh complied quickly. "I don't want to stay here for long."

Moments after cuffing up Itoh, they arm themselves up and depar-.

*THUG-THUD*

All the officers aim straight in the direction of the new sound, with Itoh freezing behind them. They lit the entire room with all flashlights on, including half of themselves. But despite the heavy signature of the sound that was right behind them, they found nothing standing in front of them. They could lower their weapons now, but the reluctance was apparent on their faces. Itoh was far more terrified than he should be.

"Tha- that's the ghost!" Itoh whispered.

"What? How can a ghost make loud thumping noises like that?" Tana whispered back.

"How the hell I know!? What I know is that's the ghost that attacked us!" Itoh whispered back immediately.

"Shh! Quiet!" Morita shushed. "Listen."

They kept their eyes forward, though they were unnerved by the present sound of heavy breathing, similar to a gorilla. But no matter if it's coming from in front of them, they can't see where the unseen individual is. However, Kimi was suspicious of what Itoh said of Bond's discovery. With a deep sigh, she turns her flashlight off and wears on her NVGs. He could be trippin' for all she knows.

When she saw a large human-like creature standing before her.

"KUSO!"


"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The crowd screams so hard that it seems the auditorium's ceiling is already gone. Even though Sakurako had watched this finished movie once, a brief of it, this scene still somehow shocks her to the core. Sakurako soon notices Hanako clinging too hard onto Nadeshiko. As for Akari, it seems she had fainted on the spot. At the same time, her sister is terrorized that her shut-in eyes seemingly lost their colors for the lack of a better word. Yui and the twins, who had only already watched the beginning part before, were terribly awestruck.


Before Kimi could fire, the creature charged toward them, bulldozing through her and the team. Kimi, Morita, and James have pushed aside to the ground, but Tana and Itoh were grabbed by their necks and lifted against the wall. Kimi looked back with her goggles still on and saw the creature was howling its scream at its two victims. Kimi immediately rolls over and aims her rifle at the monster.

"SHOOT!"

"Shoot at what?!" Morita responded, confused why she could not see the supposed beast save for the victims.

"JUST SHOOT GODDAMMIT!"

*TRATATATATATATATAT*

On topside, Aoki turns her head at the mine as anyone else, startled by the gunfire. Aoki raises her sidearm a little at the mine and radios in.

"River 1, River 6, what the hell's going on down there?"

"We're a little busy here!"

Back in the mine, Morita and James are on their feet and proceed to shoot at the seemingly invisible monster. After sustaining more than twenty shots to the back, the monster bellowed and threw Tana and Itoh at Morita and James, doubling them over. Kimi glances up at the monster again and sees its face meet hers. Its jaws open inhumanly wide, shrieks with its muscled arms in the air before charging straight at her like a high-speed truck.

Kimi was more prepared for it and immediately jumped to her left, avoiding its collision at the last second. The monster crashed on the entrance where they come in, cracking the pillars and causing the rocks to fall from the ceiling. However, that did not deter the monster. Kimi crawled away from the monster as far as she could and opened fire as it tried to regain its balance.

After a dozen shots - *CLICK*

Kimi looks at her rifle. "Agh, dingleberries!"

Thankfully, the three other officers quickly get on their feet and shoot at whatever Kimi aimed. They could hear the monster bawling in pain as they saw blood weirdly popping up in the air with their very own eyes. They continued firing until they ran out of current ammo and looked at the invisible creature, hopefully still in front of them. The monster wails aloud once more before finally expiring and dropping onto the ground with a loud *BUAG*; dust jumps around the supposed dead invisible monster.

Morita, with her flashlight on, steps over next to Kimi. "Is it dead?"

Kimi didn't answer for a moment and instead put another couple of shots at it with her sidearm.

"I hope so…," Kimi reluctantly replied, holstering her sidearm. "Why don't you use your NVGs?"

At first, Morita was about to scoff, but she decided to use her NVG after a slight glance at the tenths of blood wounds pouring out of thin air. Voila, she could see the dead monster. The creature was hairless, pale-skinned, its entire anatomy bulked up that would shame a bodybuilder, and has such a terrifying disfigured face. James could say it looks like a disfigured Sasquatch. Just looking at the monster through the green lenses of her goggles just makes it even more unsettling for the blonde officer.

"That's the 'ghost?'" Tana asked, coughing as she was wearing her goggles. "Really?"

"Is that thing even human?" Kimu asked her.

"Well, at least we know why this place was abandoned in the first place," Morita commented.

"It was a good thing that we were the ones to come here," James commented optimistically. "If it were any other officers, they would've ended up like Bond."

"Yeah, it's all nice and good," Itoh interrupted. "But we got another problem."

Morita looks back at him before facing forward, and she could feel the despair that overcomes her. The only path to return to the topside is now blocked by numerous debris of rocks. Tana and Kimi cursed out while the others shook their heads. And Morita comes to another realization.

"TOC, this is River Lead. Do you read me? Over."

"River …, your … breaking …, ….again?"

"TOC, I say again, do you read me? Over."

After a while later, the radio meets static.

"Dammit," Morita cursed. "They can't hear us."

"What do we do now?" Kimu turned at the questioning James.

Taking a deliberation at what options they have, Morita reloads her rifle. "Looks like we have to go deeper into the mine."

Itoh hates the decision, and he could let out a deep breath. "Guess there's no other choice. Let's just get this over with."

As everyone re-checks their armaments, Morita looks at James. "James, un-cuff him."

Everyone, including Itoh, is surprised at the decision. "Wha- do you think that's a good idea?" Tana asked in concern.

"Yeah, he's a suspect," Kimu agreed with Tana.

"Look, we don't know what's deep in the mine. But if there's another creature like that thing we killed down there, I rather have everyone armed with weapons than just bare hands."

"It seems I can't argue with you," James un-cuffed Itoh's hand.

"Well, that's a fast development," Itoh commented in surprise.

"Don't get used to it," Kimi replied to his comment. "You're still in trouble for grand theft auto."

"Oh, I'll keep that in mind, officer," the suspect assured her.

"Is that gun still working?" Morita asked, looking at Bond's supposed gun.

"Jammed and I ran out of ammo for it," Itoh replied. "It's useless now."

James then hands over his M9 pistol. "You can have mine for now."

"You don't have something bigger than this?" Itoh asked.

"This is all we have. Don't get your hopes up," James responded. "Let me take a look at your wounds."

"Thanks, officer."

"Okay, let's keep moving," Morita began. "The faster, the better."

Back at topside, Aoki has been radioing with TOC to ascertain the status of the entry team.

"Was there any transmission from entry team?"

"They responded if they hear us before it went static. From the sound of it, they might have suffered a cave-in."

"Dammit!" Aoki swore as she bowed. "Has Tampa team been dispatched?"

"They're on the way now. Hold your position."

"Understood," Aoki could only shake her head as she turned toward the perimeter.

As her men watch the perimeter, the same officer on her very right radios in. "Uh, all units, this is River 9. I got movement here. There's someone in the bushes. I'm gonna ch-"

*TCHWAK-SHH*

Aoki and the rest of her men quickly turn at River 9, only to find that his rifle is on the ground, and that officer vanishes within a second.

"Oh, kuso! Contact! River 9 got contact!" Aoki ran over River 9's former position and immediately scanned the forest. "River 9's down! Officer down, over!"

"What the hell happened?!" River 8, who is not far from 9, alarmingly asked.

"I dunno! Something just yeeted him outta our sight!" Aoki quickly grabbed the abandoned rifle. "TOC, this is River 6. We got hostile contact in the forest. River 9 just vanished, and our perimeter's compromised. We're repositioning our cordon over."

"Understood, 6."

"River 6 to all units. Do not enter the forest. I say again, do not enter the forest at all cost. Stay clear from it!"

"TOC to River 6, did you identify the unknown contact?"

"Negative, but whoever that was, he just made an officer disappear in front of our eyes! I cannot risk sending any men into the mix. Requesting helicopter support to scan the area, over."

"Understood, River 6. Pigeon to TOC, you are to scan from point Bravo-1 to point Delta-7. Let us know if you spot any movement."

"Copy TOC, helicopter is inbound. Scanning the area now."

"TOC to all ranger units, stay clear of the forest until further orders. Out."

As a result, the arc-formation of the cordon tightened, giving a considerable distance from the outskirts of the forest. Through this development, Aoki commented on her crap situation.

"I didn't get paid enough for this."


"Yeah, right," Nadeshiko commented. "That sounds about right, Sumida-san."

"Well…," Akari paused, unnerved. "The monster back then was so scary."

"It's nice to know bullets can kill it, though," Akane added, which concept unnerved the innocent Akari. "I can't imagine what I would do against an invisible monster like that."

Sakurako looks over to Hanako, who's still in discomfort. "Are you scared, Hanako?"

"Yes," Hanako nodded. "But also a little bit unrealistic."

"That's a first," Nadeshiko raised her eyebrows. "What's unrealistic about this movie?"

Hanako turns at her. "Sakurako nee-chan as a leader of the police squad."

Nadeshiko's eyes quickly turn dull. "Ah, I guess it does seem a bit odd to see her as a competent leader."

"Are you complaining?" Sakurako asked.

"No," Nadeshiko contemplated a moment. "Well, I guess a little bit."


In the mine, the squad carefully traverses deeper into the mine. Thankfully, they don't need to rely on their flashlights or even NVGs because there are still functional white-bluish lights illuminating the corridors, possibly emergency lights. But just in case, Kimu volunteered to stay using the NVG if there was a possibility to meet the same monster back then.

"Weird," Tana commented. "Someone's actually living here?"

"Or maybe they forgot to put out the lights when they left," Kimi suggested.

"Or probably already dead," Itoh remarked.

James turns his head at the suspect. "Did you visit this part of the mine before?"

"No, why would I?" Itoh responded. "I'm a fugitive, not some amateur adventurer."

They stop near a four-way intersection, guns aiming forward, at which point Morita asks. "Why did you decide to hide here?"

"Well, Fujio brought us here, to begin with," Itoh replied. "He knows a friend who said that there's an abandoned mine that no one ever visited. Some rumors about sightings of ghosts and cannibals and cults inhabited this place, some stupid nonsense. Those rumors definitely helped to steer people away from this place, woulda been better though, if there wasn't a literal goddamn invisible monster trying to eat us."

"I would've said the same, to be honest," Kimu added. "I didn't expect to turn out like this."

"At least we're still alive, Kimu," Morita then slowly checked around the left corner. "But we need to conserve ammo if we want to ge-"

Morita immediately aims in that corridor, prompting the squad to peek at that corridor while James secured the right. Halfway in that corridor stands an unknown individual, not shone by the light of that corridor, but his silhouette is visible but a little bent. The sight itself weirded out even Itoh himself. They raise their gun at the individual.

"This is Takaoka PD. Put your hands in the air!" Morita ordered aloud.

However, the individual didn't budge. Morita was about to retort again when the individual suddenly turned in their direction and stood there.

"You put your hands up, now!" Morita ordered once more.

A moment after she blinks, the individual growls, then suddenly moves in their direction. What was jarring was the way the individual was moving. He wasn't running, but he was lagging fast straight at them like a broken AI.

Itoh quickly widens his eyes. "The hell-?!"

"Open fire!" Morita ordered.

The successive semi-auto fires that nearly resemble a suppressive fire ensued, and it looked as if the hostile contact was dodging the bullets because the squad's ping was high. Before the individual could reach the squad, he immediately stumbled before them, bullet wounds apparent throughout his torso. Looking at the now dead man, his arms have… mutated into large blades, and his face and his entire body eerily resembled a zombie.


As the crowd gasps, Sakurako looks over to the audience on her sides, and she can tell that their skins are starting to look like a ghost. Akari had fainted again, and Akane could feel her heart beating. Her own team was seemingly disturbed at Sakurako's idea of such a monster, but not to the extent that they turned pale. Nadeshiko has bloodshot eyes at the sight, probably a sign she will get a nightmare later. On the other hand, Hanako, who's scared to even look at the monster, turns at her second sister.

"Sakurako onee-chan," Hanako began in a disturbingly flat tone. "I hate you."

Sakurako merely shrugs, unsure how to respond to that.


"Kami no nanioite," Tana dreadfully complained. "Did that thing escape a game program or something?"

"Whatever this thing is, it definitely reminds me of that old horror game I played on PlayStation," James added to her comment.

Itoh kicks the dead zombie before reloading his sidearm. "You sure you don't want to put another round in this thing?"

"It's already dead. Why bother?" Kimi asked.

"Great, another kind of monster to deal with," Morita scoffed, though nervous at the new monster. "Let's keep moving, don't get left behind."

"Do you even know where we are going?" Kimu questioned.

"No, but we can't stay here for long."

They move forward after the intersection. Moments after that, when they reach half of the corridor, there are suddenly loud screeching and growling echoing throughout the mine. Three people watch each direction of the narrow corridor. And they would be lying if they were not afraid of the incoming wave.

"Heeh…, we're screwed," Itoh said. Anxiety is evident in his tone alongside his shaken arms. "It was nice knowing ya'."

"Too early to say that, Itoh," Kimi confidently replied, didn't even turn around at him. "I ain't going to die just because we're stuck with those monsters."

"Then let's neutralize them as many as we can before we get killed," Morita gripped her ACR tighter. "Get ready."

The abrupt change from echoed screaming to silence affects the squad's morale by a significant percentage, but to start running without directions would be signing their death sentence. After what seems like a full minute, the lagging zombies from both ends of the corridor show themselves with varying physique differences. It didn't matter, and as soon as the monsters showed up, they immediately opened fire upon the attackers.

Watching the undead simply lagging straight at them was more horrifying than the invisible bodybuilding monster. But thanks to the narrow corridor, they didn't have to worry about the monsters spreading out. By sustaining enough semi-auto suppressive and successive fire, the monsters are quickly dispatched, though a few of them managed to reach about five feet in front of them before they died.

What it feels like an hour of fight ended in less than two minutes. The officers and the suspect take a deep breath but are still reluctant to lower their firearms. Just when they felt relief, they suddenly heard loud thumping steps. Fortunately, Kimu is still wearing the NVG.

"Big invisible monster on our twelve!"

"Reloading!" Tana shouted as the squad formed a line at the unseen monster.

"Fire!" Morita howled, and they began to mow the muscular monster.

Before the monster could cover half the distance to the team, it immediately fell face-first after it could not tank more than dozens of rounds delivered to its body. Kimu was the last to stop firing, but only due to running out of current mag ammo.

"Crap, that was close," Itoh let his arm drop as he caught his breath. "I guess the jail is more comfortable than this."

"Well, I hope that's all of them," Kimi commented, looking at each end of the corridor. "Now we have to climb through them."

"Let's make it quick," Morita agreed.


"Jeez, you guys actually made the fight much proper than how the military poorly deals with monsters in other movies," Nadeshiko complimented. "I have to give it that."

"They didn't even flinch when the monsters are so close," Akane added. "I can really see the fear in their eyes."

"Disturbingly so," Akari added in agreement.

"This is so weird," Hanako commented. "Sakurako onee-chan and her friends are actually fitting to be professional actors."

"Were we that good, though?" Chitose humbly asked. "It was hard to show our expression as genuine as that on camera."

"How many times have we had to get that scene right again?" Yui asked.

"Five to six times, I think," Chizuru answered. "George helped us to properly express that fear."

"All that hard work really pays well in the end, huh?" Nadeshiko commented with a smile. "I think mom will scream a lot if she watches this."


After leaving the slaughter site, they move forward without further interruptions from any monsters, as if they had just cleared out an entire army in the mine. However, making an arc U-turn to the left, they soon discover what appears to be a facility or a bunker. The facility's metal door is half-open. Next to the door were a few corpses of monsters, which Tana referred them as Laggers to their disturbingly videogame-like movements on multiplayer. But one body that stands out has its back against the wall, sitting with an MP5 submachine gun in his hand, and Itoh immediately recognizes him.

"Oh, oh, damn. Fujio," Itoh almost dropped to his knees. "You stubborn bastard. You didn't deserve this."

Tana looks at the dead man and looks away in repulsiveness. "I'm sorry about your friend."

"At least, he will be glad to know that he killed some of the monsters with him," Morita commented. "Well, Itoh. It looks like you just found your bigger gun."

Itoh crouches and takes the MP5, alongside extra ammo in his person. "Keep reapin' in heaven, friend."

"James," Morita called. "Take point."

"Yes, ma'am."

James had tried to pry the metal door to open fully; however, it won't budge. He slips through what gap the door can grant him and determines the other side's security. Once he announces the clear, one by one enters the door, not forgetting to watch their backs while at it. Inside, they found the interior is pretty far off than what they expect to find in a mine. One would expect another storage or perhaps a mining office. What they found inside was too modern, something one expects to see from a business building.

They explore the facility further, from the security office up to a laboratory. They found numbers of dirtied notes, skeletons of old and murdered, old firearms, and chemical equipment and utilities are strewn about. What was notable were the old corpses' clothing that signifies them as scientists, security guards, a couple of military personnel, and suspicious businessmen in their old uniforms. They snoop around the lab for a while.

Kimi stood as she looked around. "Is this… is this a secret lab?"

"What were they experimenting here?" Tana asked, looking around what papers were still intact on the boards.

James and Itoh walk over to a table sprawled with documents. After a few minutes of reading about what documents were intact during decomposition, they both started to not like what they found. Kimu comes over to look at the documents they found.

"Did you find what this place was for?" asked a twin, the blue-eyed officer.

"From what I'm reading here… those dead people were developing super soldiers," James replied. "Mutated soldiers, that is."

"What the hell?" Itoh turned to where they came from. "Why the hell did they want to build kind of army?"

Tana has an old diary in her hand. "Looks like everyone working in this facility was very bitter after losing the war against America. This book dates so far back in the 1950s."

"Huh," Itoh raised an eyebrow. "No wonder those dead fellas are wearing those clothes."

"What causes these monsters to lose, though?" James asked.

Kimi finds a pile of scrawled notes full of helpless begging, and she finds one that stands out. "According to the notes, it seems a Professor Wakimaki sabotaged the entire operation and set the monsters loose, killing everyone within."

"Well, it is 50 years too late, but boy, how glad I am that professor has a sane mind," Tana commented.

"But those monsters are on the loose," George argued. "How come none of them ever come to the city? Or at least a report of any sightings of those monsters?"

"You think someone's keeping them in check through all these years?" Kimu asked.

"Probably the military has something to do with this," Morita replied. "We shouldn't be here in the first place had Itoh and his friends didn't decide to hide here."

"Well, what choice did we have?" Itoh widened his arms. "You guys were hunting us like bloodhounds. It's not like we have a safe house or something."

"You could, I don't know, turn yourself in?" Tana asked with a shrug. "And find a proper job next time?"

Itoh irritatingly grins. "Do you think it's easy for a criminal like me to get a job?"

"Fair enough."

"Okay, I'll look around for a map," Morita replied. "If you think there's something worth taking, grab it."

"Got it," James nodded before Morita left the lab by herself.

"Do we have any idea how these monsters were created?" Kimu asked.

"I'm not a scientist, but it seems they manipulated quantum physics and fused it in these monsters," James responded, reading the documents. "Looks like the formula is incomplete, but they rushed with the human experiments…."

"Wait, quantum phy-. Are they trying to make them agile?" Kimi asked.

"It seems so. With bad results."

"That explains the laggers," Tana responded. "What about that invisible bigfoot?"

"Something about experimental drugs and modulation."

"And… modulation in this context?" Itoh asked.

"Reflecting the light from one side of an object to another," James stared as Itoh was perplexed. "It's modifying the light to create an invisible layer on a person."

"Oh, got it, professor," Itoh thumbs up. "Wanna bag these papers?"

"… I think we should," James replied. "As evidence."

"I dunno, James," Tana frowned. "We might have trouble with the military later."

"At least we can bring some justice by bringing this to light."

Morita continues to look around by herself, rifle low ready. She has now entered an administration office—an expansive room colored in dirty white while the cabinets are ransacked and standing unorganized. But there is a particular… unpleasant atmosphere in the air, and she can't tell what it is. The blonde officer shrugs it off and searches for a map from the tables and cabinets if there's any.

After a couple of tables and a few cabinets searched, she stumbled upon a surprisingly dustless table. She opens up about three drawers before she finds a folded paper. Laying it out on the table reveals the entire mine system and half of the facility that pinpoints entrances. Morita gradually smiles.

"Jackpot."

*RT-TAK*

Morita quickly pulls her sidearm and aims at the open door on her right across an aisle. There was nothing but pitch black beyond the door. It seems like a ghost opened the door, yet she remains hesitant to lower her weapon. A few seconds have passed, nothing emerged, and she was about to sigh a relief. Then a cloaked figure composedly emerges from the dark. Her muscles tensed up and aimed at the cloaked figure.

Then she suddenly felt a strong tug inside her head. She grunts in pain as she holds her head with her left arm, the other still holding the sidearm. Morita looked back up at the cloaked man and could see half of his face; his cheeks and jaw looked melted or burned. Disturbingly, she could see the wicked grin on his face. Under constant pain, still consciously held to her sanity, she aims her gun at the cloaked figure. To which then she sees him made his hand to almost a fist.

Now that tug in her head becomes too strong. Almost as if someone's holding her brain right now. The entirety of her muscles tensed, and as if it was an urge or as a puppet, her hands slowly aimed her gun at her own head. She grits, grunts, groans, and cries, pushing her arms away with what willpower she has in her. Her eyes even struggled to not look away and instead look back at the figure.

And sees his mouth move.

"Fresshh… meeaatth…."

Her eyes widen. Is this her end? The barrel soon finds its place below her chin, and her eyes slowly turn dead white. Her groaning soon becomes that of a zombie's voice. She could feel her finger struggling from pressing the trigger. She voices her last groan and-

*BAR-DAR-DAR*

Out of nowhere, Tana came behind her and shot rounds after rounds of her M4 onto the creature. Moments after the cloaked human got hit, the influence in Morita quickly dissipates, regaining her sight and her entire system once again. The human monster is staggered and pained before voicing its last inhuman scream, then falls to the ground. Tana shoots another couple of rounds at the dead cloaked figure, just in case.

Tana turns at the relieved but unnerved leader. "You okay, Mori?"

"Thank you, Tana," Morita stammered, gasping for breath as her heart beat faster. "I almost died if you didn't come."

"Okay, what did it do to you?" Tana asked. "It's right in front of you, but you didn't shoot it."

"It-it used mind control on me," Morita carefully holstered her pistol, albeit shaken. "I almost shot myself."

Tana looks at the dead monster and shakes her head. Then she inquires if Morita found something useful. After showing her the map, they folded it up, and Tana led her back to the squad in the lab. James asked what's the gunfire was about, and they were taken aback by Morita's encounter with a mind-controlling monster. Morita hastily shrugs that aside and shows them the map.

"We're here, in this lab," Morita pointed. "The other entrance is not far from here. But seeing that this place has no power, we might not be able to pry the door open like that door we entered back there."

"So we need to find explosives?" Kimi asked.

"Yes," Morita replied. "Or a generator of some sort. The problem is, the map doesn't show the armory nor even the generator room."

"Explosives…," Itoh raised his eyebrows higher. "I think I saw some bombs somewhere back there. I think I can get them for you?"

"Are you certain you've seen them?" Kimu concernedly asked.

"Yeah, I've seen them. Lemme go find 'em."

"Alright, Kimi, you go with him," Morita ordered. "There might be some monsters crawling around. If you find them come meet us at the exit."

"Okay, boss," Kimi turned to Itoh. "Just don't do anything stupid."

"Chill, officer," Itoh responded before they both left the room.

"These are the alternative cave systems?" Tana asked. "I can barely remember it with this map."

"Let me and James worry about that," Morita responded. "The rest of you will provide cover fire as we escape the mine. We might have to fight through what monsters are in front of us as well."

"Well, we don't have any questions then," Kimu shrugged wearily.

"Then let's go to it."


"I like the development so far," Nadeshiko commented.

"Still…," Hanako paused, gulping. "I couldn't stand watching Sakurako nee-chan shooting herself because of that mind-controlling monster."

"I agree," Akane added, still clutching her chest. "My heart almost skipped a beat after watching that. Right, Akari?"

They turn at her, surprised to find her stifling her cry. "A-Ah, Akarin?!" her sister called in a panic.

"Oh, em, urg, I'm sorry," Akari sniffed a little, wiping her tears. "I… I'm glad Morita didn't die."

"… I… see…," Chizuru looked at Sakurako. "I don't think we should bring Akari to watch a horror film next time."

"No, no, don't worry! I'm fine, really," Akari waved her hands. "I want to finish watching this movie."

"Are you sure?" Sakurako hesitated. "You fainted a couple of times, Akarin."

"I'm fine," Akari replied as she wiped her last tears. "Let's keep watching."


Aoki stays in her position alongside the remaining men in an arc at the entrance, at which two new trucks come in and park next to theirs. New SAT officers dismount the vehicles, and one of them, the Tampa leader, jogs toward her.

"Glad to see you, Tampa."

"You too, detective. I heard that one of your officers vanished."

"Yeah, don't know who picked him out of thin air. But we got a much big problem down there."

"Don't worry. We'll do our best to find her squad. Something else we need to know down there?"

"River entry team left a mark on a DOA suspect. Nothing else aside from that gunfire."

"Understood. Alright, people, last check on equipment before we enter!"

In the mine, Tana and James are planting a satchel charge on the metal door. Although James is more experienced in explosives, their charge is old, and they don't know if it is usable. Itoh, Kimi, Kimu, and Morita watched their backs, one of them using the NVGs despite the emergency lights being on. Itoh still has the other charge he somehow procured from a dead soldier in an abandoned room.

"Are you done?" Itoh asked.

"Just a little more… and…," James pulled the cord. "Okay, cover!"

They immediately run back around the corner and cover the hallway, backs against the wall. A couple of them crouched, waiting for the charge to blow. They wait for a few seconds, and it should be exploding any time now. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1….

No explosion. Tana had to poke her head out in irritation.

"Great, it's a du-."

*BUAAARR*

They immediately look away as the shockwave blast flies past them. After the abrupt silence, they peek back at the exit and find it missing the metal door. They slowly begin to smile at the path to salvation when the air is suddenly interrupted by a lot of screaming from different unseen monsters. But one such scream, so deep and so monstrous, was coming from behind them. They look behind them and then at each other.

"I think that's our cue," Kimu stated.

"Of course, Sherlock, let's go!" Morita ordered before they sprinted out the door.

Back at the top, both Tampa and the remaining River team immediately turn towards the mine after hearing an echoing boom. As everyone stands and stares at the mine, Aoki reaches her radio,

"TOC, this is River 6. We just heard an explosion from the mine. Tampa is almost ready to go. Over."

"Copy, another SAT reserve will be on standby. Proceed with the-."

"-units, any units, this is River 1! Does anyone read me, over?!"

Everyone immediately jumps into their radios at the new voice. "River 1, this is Tampa 1. We read you. What's your situation?"

"I got two dozen hostiles chasing us," Morita radioed back. "Tana, watch that lagger! Tampa, we got Itoh with us, and we're running towards the exit, over!"

"Understood, we're entering the mine now, over."

"Negative, stay at the mine entrance!" Morita's statement gave a shock to all officers involved. "The mine is not secure, I say again. The entire mine is not secure. We got more incoming from all directions, and- what the heck is that?!"

"River lead, this is TOC. What happened?"

"Oh, God-we got a big monster coming our way!"

The officers on topside immediately look at each other at the particular subject Morita used.

"River 1, what monster?" TOC asked again.

"A big, ugly one!" Morita radioed back. "Itoh, give that bomb to James. We're going to seal the damn tunnel!"

"Eh!?" Aoki leaned her head back. "The suspect has a bomb?!"

"We're busy here. I'll get back to you," Morita radioed again before silencing her radio.

After this silence, they begin to hear faint gunfire within the tunnel. The gunfire was unlike what they had heard in their entire career, for it was ferocious to call it a small firefight. The Tampa officers cock their guns, as well as River officers. After a while of faint gunfire, another explosion echoed again, now a much louder one than before, and they could've sworn to hear some rocks crumbling.

"Is she saying they're working together with the suspect?" Tampa leader inquired.

"That's not what worries me," Aoki commented. "Where did the two dozen more hostiles come from?"

"Who knows?" they turned at one of the Tampa officers by the vehicle. "Probably there are cannibals living down there. We've got more people to shoo-AAAAAHHH!"

The officers and Aoki stare with horror as that officer is stabbed by what seems to be an invisible sword from behind; only the blood helps see where the sword is. The poor officer is slowly lifted into the air as he writhes and screams in pain before he is thrown away to the side. Here comes the next problem, they cannot see where the invisible creature is. Chaos ensued while some were on the radio.

"Where the hell is it?!"

"Was that a goddamn ghost?!"

"Start shooting!"

"Shoot at where?"

"Everywhere, dammit!"

Some of the officers start shooting in every direction they think where the creature is. However, it was in vain when the creature claimed another Tampa officer, stabbing him through the vehicle behind him. As the creature is about to attack another officer unscathed and under fire, Aoki pulls her flashbang out of desperation, watching the next officer slashed but crawling away from where the monster is. The flashbang soon finds its way between the two.

"FLASHBANG!"

*BANG*

All officers looked away and shut their eyes since they were used to its effects. When they looked back, there was the creature, some part of it, that is. Parts of the creature's body are continuously cloaked and uncloaked and dazed by its effect. Oddly, there was no scream from the monster. But they waste no time.

"Got the target. OPEN FIRE!"

A barrage lands upon it, and after suffering at least more than a dozen, the creature disappears. The officers, including the one lying on the ground, hold their fire as they prepare for the worst. They continue to scan the area, ignoring the dead officers around them. However, being unnerved makes it hard for them to hold themselves from shooting at anything moving that doesn't look like the monster.

However, seeing the flashbang actually made it show itself, Aoki is ready for the second try, if she knows where it is, though. She aims forward, forgetting to get her finger off the trigger for how panic-stricken she is. What disturbs her is the lack of blood the creature left behind. Aoki was about to pull another flashbang when she spotted something in the air in front of her.

There was a slight distortion in the air, and it was coming fast at her. She raises her gun, but she isn't quick enough as the invisible creature has covered halfway in front of her. She shuts her eyes.

*BRATARATATATA*

The gunfire frightens everyone, even Aoki herself being the one who didn't press the trigger. Aoki opens her eyes and clumsily steps back. She could see the hole on her left, and the motions on the earth were enough to confirm the monster was there. Several shots were quickly sent past her legs and waist from her right, eventually killing the creature outright.

She looks to her right, and voila, all of Morita's squad, including Itoh, is present at the entrance, guns already aiming at the invisible monster. The officers are even startled at why Itoh is armed and helping that squad, but no matter. The officers, including those that escaped, surround the invisible monster. Some can't help but wonder why some of Morita's squad are using NVGs outside the mine, although the sky is already greyed out by clouds.

Morita puts another couple of rounds into it before lowering her gun. "It's dead now."

"You sure?" Tampa leader asked.

"I'm sure."

The officers lower their guns, and Aoki's River team returns to their cordon while Tampa attends to the fallen men.

"Any casualties?" James asked.

"Three dead, including one of my team," Aoki replied. "And one wounded. This… thing made River 9 vanish."

"I'm sorry," Morita bowed her head.

"Alright, putting that aside," Aoki replied, though still upset. "What the heck happened down there? And why is he armed?"

"Hey, ya'll not gonna believe what we had gone through down there, officer," Itoh shrugged, gasping and resting on his knees. "Goddamn, I'm so tired."

"Aoki, there are a lot of monsters down there," Tana replied. "We need to get off this area now."

"There are more of them?" Aoki looked at the invisible monster, if she could see it. "I wanna say I don't believe you, but…. What about the other suspects?"

"We also found Fujio. He's dead," Kimi replied. "We have to leave them behind."

"I see," Aoki then reached her radio. "TOC, this is River 6. River 1 and her squad have successfully exited the mine. Itoh is here prepared for custody. Over."

"Understood, be advised, the military is on the way. Exfil the area immediately along with the suspect and return to the department. Over."

"What? The military?" Aoki immediately asked. "What the hell are the military doing coming here?"

Morita's squad deadpans at her, even leans their heads at her. "Really?" Kimu asked.

Aoki looks at the dead invisible monster for a while, then slaps her own forehead. "Took you a moment, huh?" Kimi asked flatly.

"But TOC," Aoki radioed. "Shouldn't we help as well?"

"Negative, we already caused enough trouble. The military will handle the mine from here. Just get your men out of there."

"What about EMTs?"

"EMTs can't get through the path. You'll have to bring those officers down there with your vehicles. Out."

"Welp, it's time for us to get out from here," Tana commented.

"Oh, it's time?" Itoh then handed the MP5 to James. "Guess I don't need this anymore."

"Yeah," James procured the handcuffs. "Alright, let's cuff you up. No personal feelings."

"I gotcha, officer," Itoh nodded. "A sleep in a jail sounds more appealing to me."

"Alright, people, get the wounded and the dead inside," Tampa leader ordered, coming over to one of his downed men with pity.

"Did you find anything down there?" Aoki asked.

"A few of suspects' items," Morita replied. "And some documents we got from the mine."

"Alright, we're going to have a lot of conversation back at HQ," Aoki opens her car. "Come on. We're getting out.

Morita nods. "Squad, get inside. Time for us to go ho-."

*WHUAAAAAEEEEEEEEEERRGGG*

They freeze, turning slowly at the mine. All is silent for a moment until a couple of rough thumping sounds are heard. At the sound of another screech, all officers immediately aimed at the mine, excluding Tampa, who gathered their casualties and immediately entered their vehicles. Itoh, the suspect, is already concerned for the officers, but James ushered him inside the car. A tense minute passed, and a creature finally emerged from the cave.

Such a hideous abomination of a creature. Gigantic muscled creature, one and a half times taller than an adult man, at least it wasn't invisible. Its head is replaced with a literal giant goat skull with small horns, still possesses two human arms and claws but has four tentacle appendages on its sides of abs. Its legs are hinds akin to a Minotaur.

"What… the hell is that?" Aoki stuttered.

"That's the big monster we tried to seal," Morita whispered.

"Not even a cave-in worked against that thing," Kimu stated nervously.

"So we're screwed?" Tana asked discouragingly.

The monster screeches again into the air; even the leaves dance from their scream. Such a vicious scream gives chills up to their spines. With what muscles that monster had, it could crush anyone in its path. Aoki immediately radioed TOC of the situation, while Morita merely scoffs, even though she's actually afraid.

James asks his leader. "What's your order?"

"All River units," Morita began. "Open fire!"

The monster immediately charges, so River units begin to open fire at it. Halfway into the fight, the clip immediately transitioned into a black screen, and the credits began.


After the movie ended, everyone within the auditorium has finally sighed out their relief. Akari and Hanako seem pretty joyful that this action-horror movie finally ended, no longer feeling the tension and terror of the movie Sakurako and her team had made. But Akane and Nadeshiko are more upset that the movie's end happened to be a cliffhanger. The team in front of her are more relieved that they finally got through the minor embarrassment of themselves acting in the movie.

"Okay, I don't know how your movie got first place with all the brutal and horrifying scenes, but…," Nadeshiko began. "This is actually the best short film I watched made by your team. Probably even better than those videos I've seen on the internet."

"Well, aside from the curses and the procedures, I like the ideas of the monsters you made," Akane criticized. "It must be hard to think what monsters should be in this movie."

"It is," Chizuru answered. "Sakurako got her ideas from those SCPs while I got mine over horror books."

"That's brilliant," Nadeshiko commented. "What is this SCP Sakurako's talking about?"

"It's on the internet," Yui replied. "I don't dare look into it, though."

"Sakurako," Akari called. "This movie is awesome. You really deserved that trophy."

"T-thanks, Akarin," Sakurako nodded.

"But… the lab part feels a bit short," Hanako pointed out.

"It's because it was going over the duration the competition allowed," Chitose replied. "So we have no choice but to cut it short."

"I see," Hanako then pouted at Sakurako. "Saku nee-chan."

"Yes?" she responded.

"I want you to sleep with me tonight."

Sakurako is taken aback by her request. "Why?"

"I-I just want you to sleep with me," Hanako looked away.

Nadeshiko smiles at Hanako. "You're going to have a nightmare, don't you?"

"N-no, I'm not," Hanako faintly blushed. "I'm just feeling uncomfortable to sleep at night alone."

Sakurako stares off for a moment, then smiles. "Don't worry, Hanako. I'll sleep with you tonight."

Hanako is surprised that she accepts her request and pouts and looks away once again. "T-thank you, Sakurako nee-chan."

Akane looks up toward the stage. "Oh? The next movie is about to start."

"Finally, I want to take a break from a horror movie for now," Akane clasped her hands together.

The auditorium remains dark, and the screen is white. Soon, the screen changes color, and the next movie from Nagibara School begins. The change of genre and atmosphere was very welcoming, and Sakurako knew she would enjoy this.