Chapter Twenty-Two:

Yugi didn't get a chance to talk to Kaiba until Saturday evening. He followed the buzz of Yami's presence up to Kaiba's home office, figuring that if they weren't together, then Yami would know where he was.

He knocked, but there was no answer. A second knock still didn't get an answer. Hesitantly, Yugi opened the door and peered around the edge. Kaiba was sitting in his office chair, facing back to the door and looking out over the backyard. Yami wasn't in sight.

"Hi, Kaiba," Yugi said as he stepped into the office. "Um, sorry to bother you-"

"Now's not a good time," Kaiba said shortly.

"Sorry. It'll just take a minute-"

"Leave."

"But-"

He broke off without interruption this time, because he'd just seen movement in front of Kaiba. Spiky hair rose into sight over the desk top. Yami had been kneeling on the floor in front of Kaiba and now he rested his chin in his hand with his elbow on the arm rest, looking very amused.

"Hello, Aibou," he said with a smirk.

Yugi felt his face burn. He squeaked in horror and turned for the door. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't see anything! I'm sorry!"

He rushed out of the office, hearing Yami's laughter on his heels. Slamming the door shut, he scurried down the halls and back to his room. Mortified, he buried his face in his hands, making sure his link with Yami was still very firmly closed. Noise at the door made him look up with dread, but it was Joey, carrying his laptop like a book against his ribs and holding a plate of cookies and a can of strawberry-flavored soda pop in his hands. He'd had a half-day at the warehouse, because it was being briefly shut down for some upgrading of machinery, and he had clearly just gotten home.

"Talk to Kaiba?" he asked.

Yugi felt his cheeks burn even more and he cleared his throat. "He was busy."

Joey didn't seem to notice his blush. He set the plate and can on the nightstand, then unfolded his laptop and settled down beside him. "Okay, so, I found some places for us to take a look at."

Yugi gratefully allowed himself to be distracted by apartment listings.

The next day, Yugi avoided going to breakfast until he was sure Kaiba was gone for the day. However, Yami was coming out to the set again for lack of anything better to do, so Yugi very reluctantly came face to face with him. As he'd expected, Yami was still laughing.

/Don't worry, Yugi, I told Seto not to be upset with you./

As if that would stop him. /I'm really sorry, Yami, I shouldn't have come in./

/Accidents happen. Though I'll make sure the lock the door next time. What did you want to speak to him about?/

/Something that could have waited,/ Yugi said sourly. He glared at Yami's grin. /I was going to ask him if it's okay if Joey and I stay with you for a little longer. We're moving out of that apartment and getting a new place./

/Of course it's okay./

/I just wanted to ask him because it's his house and I didn't want to assume-/

Yami smiled at him. /You are kind, Aibou, but I do mean it's okay. Seto doesn't care. He has more than enough room. Plenty even to dodge Joey./

Yugi laughed, though he still wanted to make sure that Yami wasn't just speaking for Kaiba. Probably he even actually didn't care, as the brunette was not nearly the same borderline-villainous man he'd used to be. Yami had seen to that, in more ways than one.

This was the day that Tristan was finally going to actually be used on set. The previous few days had seen them redoing the initial exploration of the Inn over and over until Yugi could probably say everyone's lines, not just his own. Certainly, when this was over, he was never going to be looking to get into show business.

Tristan, it turned out, was adept at acting. He had memorized his lines and nailed every emotion and gesture. Joey was clearly astounded, and it was clear Tristan was doing better than all of them, but Joey was a good sport and congratulated him. Erica and Kevin, too, had nothing but praise.

As the day passed, Yugi wondered how he could possibly bring up to Erica that he wanted the sex scene with Rin removed. He also wondered if Rin's feelings would be hurt. She was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen, but was not in the least stuck-up. Nadia also might be hurt that Joey was trying to duck out of their scene. From the way she acted around him, Yugi strongly suspected Nadia was developing a crush. Joey, being Joey, seemed oblivious.

To his surprise, Erica called wrap at only two in the afternoon. They'd completed Tristan's introduction and the supper scenes, but they worked until four. However, when Erica gathered them all together, it was to inform them that she was going to allow them to watch some of their filmed scenes, as Joey had asked for before. With half the cast thrilled and the other half resigned, they gathered back at the hotel's base of operations in the conference room to watch. Yami was the only non cast-member, but he was allowed to stay without even a question from Erica.

/You don't have to watch,/ Yugi reminded him.

/I know. Horror movies are terrible, but it's important to Joey and he's my friend./

Yugi smiled and turned to the TV. It looked like the type on wheels found in old classrooms, but it was more modern than it looked. It was hooked up to an expensive laptop sitting on the conference table. Erica typed some buttons and the TV started playing the file from the laptop.

The film was surprisingly generic-looking and a timestamp scrolled continuously in the bottom right corner. Yugi hadn't realized just how much editing work went into a movie after the filming was done.

They watched the crash scene. Even without any big effects, it was well done. He watched with surprise at how good the six of them seemed to be. Already a little editing had happened and the interior shots of the crash looked realistic. Yugi watched himself bang off the dashboard and Joey hit the steering wheel. Spliced together with the recommencement of filming after they'd been to makeup, they came up with bloody wounds and Yugi thought it looked quite real. It would look even more so once the special effects team had been at it.

The scene continued all the way to heading for the diner before it faded away to black. Erica paused the TV and grinned at them. "What do you think?"

"It's awesome!" Joey exclaimed.

"Wow, it looked so real," Nadia said. "Wait 'til we get to the deaths!"

"We already have one. You guys want to see Daisy's scene?"

"Yes!" Joey, Tristan, Mark, and Sota said together. Yugi really wished they hadn't.

Erica turned to the equipment and started setting it up to switch scenes. Yugi noted that Nadia hadn't said yes with the boys. She looked a little put-out, staring at her hands on the table. Rin noticed as well.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just… Daisy flaked on me. She didn't show up for dinner last week and hasn't responded to me since. I don't know, I guess I'm just mad and don't want to see her face right now."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe she has a good reason."

Nadia sighed. "Yeah, maybe."

"Even if she doesn't, you don't have to see her again," Sota said. "She's won't be here anymore."

"I just didn't think she'd be that type of person," Nadia said. "I thought she seemed real nice. I had invited another friend out and we waited like an hour. It was embarrassing and totally rude."

"Okay, here we go," Erica said, not seeming having noticed their conversation.

Sitting in the conference room under dim lighting, Yugi watched as the scene opened up at the hotel. For about twenty minutes, it was generic. Set apparently well before their scenes, a few people milled around the active hotel, indistinct snatches of conversation half-heard from every direction. A taxi pulled up out front and Daisy emerged, pulling a big rolling suitcase out after her and grinning broadly up at the hotel, holding a cell phone to her ear. She then trundled up to the front stairs, speaking into the phone.

"Yeah, I just got here. It's so beautiful! I can't wait until you see it tomorrow."

A man opened the door for Daisy and she went in, saying a quick thank you to him and then continuing her conversation as she paused and looked around the lobby. Like it was genuinely, it was furnished in rich English décor and furnishings, with lots of wood and pale pink.

"It's like something out of the 1800s," she said into the phone.

Yugi thought her delivery was a little stilted, despite her big smile, but hardly a bad performance for all the worry she'd had that day. He could see why Nadia was hurt over her actions. Daisy had seemed so sweet and shy. He wondered if they'd read her wrong and she was the type to amuse herself playing games with others. Yet if that was the case, she acted far better in real life than she did on camera.

The scene continued through a short sign-in and smash cuts to Daisy making her way to her room on the second floor. A brief review over the small, but plush bedroom and Daisy smiling happily at the view from the window. Then the scene changed to Daisy speaking with the concierge about the hotel's entertainment. While she did that, the camera pulled back, the conversation fading away, until part of the body of a man came into view, mostly off camera, but seen from about his bicep to his knee. His hand appeared to bear a ring.

The scene changed again to Daisy outside, walking among the trees beginning to get their fall colors. The camera appeared to be on the wraparound porch out back. As Daisy, almost too tiny to see very clearly, reached up to pluck a late-blooming cherry blossom that the hotel got its name from, a man's hand suddenly appeared and gripped the railing of the porch. Sure enough, a ring was on his middle finger. It looked like a heavy silver ring with a skull carved into it. Tiny rubies glittered in the eye sockets and a long gold tongue stuck obscenely out of the parted teeth. Yugi wondered if Joey would soon have another ring.

With the obvious establishment of danger for Daisy's character, the movie didn't play around and the next scene was night. Daisy was lying in bed, reading a book by lamplight, still dressed. She reached for a glass on the nightstand, which was empty, and appeared to be annoyed to find that out. The previous review of the hotel had shown the old-fashioned rooms had no fridge or microwave, so Daisy set aside her book, got out of bed, and headed out of the room.

In the kitchen, which was far bigger and more modern than the original house the hotel used to be would have had, was empty. Daisy called for any staff, but there was silence. Looking around, uncertain, she then shrugged and went across to the fridge, pulling out a jug of what looked like sweet tea. The camera was close on her and it cleverly spun when she turned away from the fridge, so they saw when she did the man suddenly standing a foot behind her.

Yugi jumped along with Daisy and he wasn't the only one. He heard Rin, Nadia, and Sota make noises and Nadia then giggled happily.

On screen, Daisy dropped the jug of sweet tea. It hit the tile floor and clattered, but was made of plastic and didn't break. The man stooped to pick it up and Yugi saw it was one of the characters who had been in the background, a hotel employee. He had a name badge on his shirt.

"Didn't mean to scare you," he said.

Daisy, hand pressed to her heart, laughed shakily. Yugi felt guilty for thinking it sounded awful. "Sorry! I was thirsty and there was no one-"

"I was back with Nancy in the laundry room, finishing up the day's wash." He held the jug out. "We heard you, but-"

"That's okay." Daisy took the jug and turned to her glass on the counter. She filled it up quickly and returned the jug to the fridge.

"Breakfast's six to nine. You have a good night."

Daisy smiled and scooted from the kitchen. The employee looked after her, then turned back to the other door that left from the kitchen. It turned out to be another that led to the back porch, which was mostly dark. In the light of the kitchen, the man slipped out and turned to a woman standing almost entirely hidden.

"She didn't notice," he said.

The woman, presumably Nancy, reached out and put her hand on his chest. "Good."

She grabbed a handful of shirt and pulled the man toward her. In the dim lighting, nothing much could be seen, but it was clear the two started making out. However, the scene didn't linger with them and instead cut to following Daisy down the second floor hall to her room.

"Help me," a tiny voice said from off camera.

Daisy paused, stopping to listen. When nothing else came, she evidently thought she'd imagined it and started walking again.

"Help me," the voice said again, not any louder.

Daisy stopped, turned around. The view moved with her again and from her perspective, they all could see that there was a door ajar in one of the rooms in the other hall on the other side of the staircase. The overhead light in that section of the hallway was off and there was a small metal sign that said, "This wing closed" right at the front. A white light was spilling into the dark hall from the open door. At the far end of the hall, a window was open, gossamer curtains stirring in the night breeze.

Yugi felt dread wash over him.

"Hello?" Daisy said in a voice hardly louder than the one that had asked for help. When there was no answer, she got a little louder and said, "Hello? Is someone there?"

"Help me," the voice pleaded a third time.

Daisy hesitated, then set her tea on a sideboard and went back onto the landing. The group watched as she approached the sign, stopped just in front of it, and stared down the hall.

"Hello? Are you okay?"

Silence.

Daisy bypassed the sign and crept cautiously down the hall. Maroon-and-cream striped wall paper. Silky white curtains fluttering in the breeze. An ornate mirror over another sideboard on which sat a crystal vase of flowers, a silent music box, and a gilded silver candy dish.

The dread increased in Yugi.

Daisy reached the open door and peeked through the gap. The camera was still in the hall, viewing her profile. Nothing moved and it was silent. Daisy slowly pushed open the door and the camera moved up closer to her. As the door finished swinging open, the camera came up behind Daisy and shot over her shoulder.

The view showed an empty bedroom. A bed without sheets and pillows without cases, an empty nightstand and dresser, a window without curtains.

An old, damaged dentist chair with a camera attached to it.

As Yugi gasped in recognition, Daisy clearly didn't like what she saw either. She turned away from the room to the hall.

A hand grabbed her arm. As she started to scream, another hand clamped over her mouth. One with a skull ring on the middle finger. With the camera's viewpoint once again in the hall down a ways from the bedroom, Daisy was yanked through the open door and out of sight.

The scene changed to what appeared to be some minutes later. The camera was in the bedroom now, shooting from by the bed. Daisy was in the dentist chair, strapped down, kicking and squirming. The camera briefly panned over a dentist tray laden with implements, including a drill.

Yugi's blood felt cold. He started to say something and couldn't find his voice.

Beside him, Yami looked at him, he could see it out of the corner of his eye. But he didn't turn his head, unable to take his eyes off the screen.

What followed next was his nightmare.

tbc...