Chapter Seven

The Open Window

"Nene," I recognized that voice, so like my own, I was dreaming again.

"Who are you," I asked, "I'm gonna keep asking until you tell me."

"You know who I am,"

"You're me," I said, "but you're also someone else."

"I was someone else, once upon a time, you were someone else, none of that is important right now, I need you to help someone, someone very important to me."

"Who is it? Do I know them?"

"Help Amane, he needs you, he needs us."

~oOoOoOo~

I woke up, covered in a cold sweat, inexplicably terrified. I felt a draft, and rolled over towards the window, it was wide open, the curtains fluttering in the breeze.

"Hanako?" I called, there was no response. Shivering, I walked to the window, shut it and locked it. I was on the second story, there was no way someone climbed up and broke in, besides, I'm sure Hanako would have something to say if there was an intruder. Even still, I decided to check around the apartment. I fished my pepper spray from my bag, and peered around the corner into the hallway. There was no one there, I carefully made my way to the kitchen. Again, no one there, but there was something off.

An old newspaper lie on the counter, open to a page with the headline Serial Killer Strikes Again! In bold, dramatic print. I checked the date on the paper, it read 1974, 47 years ago. What was a paper from the 70s doing on my kitchen counter?

A fifth victim has been discovered in a string of slaying of local young women, but authorities said on Monday that they weren't close to solving any of the cases.

Since February 18th 1972, five young women have been found slain in their own apartments with no obvious sign of forced entry…

I stopped reading, this paper was giving me the chills, I flipped the paper closed. Something told me not to throw it away, although that was all I wanted to do right now. I decided to fold it up and tuck it away, I'd look at it later when I felt less creeped out about it.

"What are you doing?" Hanako asked, appearing right in front of me. I screamed.

"Woah!" Hanako clapped his hands over his ears and ducked his head, "why so loud?"

"I told you to stop doing that!" I clutched at my chest, breathing heavily. The window and the news paper had me on edge already, he had almost given me a heart attack. He raised his hands in a gesture of compliance.

"Sorry, sorry, I was just wondering what you were doing wandering around so late."

"This is my apartment you know."

"I know, but you're usually asleep at 2:00 am, aren't most people?" He asked, "I haven't be alive for a while, for all I know people are nocturnal now."

"Did you leave the window in my bedroom open?" I asked him. His expression soured.

"No."

"Did you leave that newspaper on the counter?" I asked.

"What newspaper?"

I grabbed it and showed it to him, flipping it back open to the page about the serial killer, Hanako visibly paled, though I'm not sure how that's possible for a ghost. He took the paper from me and began methodically tearing it into small pieces.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, "I was going to read that later! You're making a mess!" Hanako didn't answer, just kept tearing up the paper. I grabbed it back from him.

"Stop! Tell me what's going on!" I dropped the paper and grabbed his hands, he was shaking, a look of pure terror on his face. "Please, I want to understand, I want to help."

"You can't help me, Yashiro, I'm already dead."