AN~ Oh boy, what a heck of a chapter to write. We are drawing near the end so I want to hear some feedback from you guys. I love nerding out and I would love to nerd out with you guys! Enjoy!
Mai stared at him as if he had just performed the ultimate betrayal. And in a way, he had. Though it never had been voiced it was clear the case had become Mai's at some point throughout the week. Naru would even say it had become her's after her first dream, when she had gotten a full serving of Prudence's memories, and was well aware of the effects his refusal to allow her to finish it would have on her. But he could not let her endanger her life any further. Had it been up to him they would have departed for Japan days ago but she had convinced him to stay and while it was growing more apparent each passing minute that Prudence could not be cleansed, he would at least see her suffering end and exorcise her. If only for Mai's sake.
But he could not deny the way his chest tightened at the sight of that expression she wore directed at him.
He could not let her continue down the path she was traveling. His confidence had faltered the first time he had seen blood pouring from her nose and mouth after experiencing Prudence's memories. His confidence had faltered when she had nearly committed suicide had he not woken her in time. His confidence had nearly shattered when he had had to pull her from the lake and practically force the life back into her. But after finding her, sitting defenseless in an empty room with a rotting demon hovering over her, blood pouring from various wounds and hands outstretched towards her neck, fingers wavering in excitement, he had come to the conclusion that he could not allow her to go any further. Because somewhere along the line she had become more than a simple act of kindness. She had been nothing more than a kind gesture, empathetic, as he had seen himself in her. But at some point she had become valuable to solving cases. And then she had become valuable to him when he had learned that she had been in contact with his brother. She had been a representation of all that he had suffered and lost in his time on the Earth and it had thrown him off balance. Then she had confessed to him and he had made a smart comment to return the favor. To throw her off balance for a change. But even as he had turned away from her that day in the wood he had caught the barest traces of a smile from the corner of his eye. She had smiled back at him and he did not know how to take it and so he did not react. But he realized that, again, she had unbalanced him.
He met her eyes blankly but a million thoughts were racing through his mind while he watched the anger build within her. He saw it in the way her fists clenched and her whole body tensed. How her brows crashed together and she grit her teeth, obvious by the way her jaw worked, and her eyes turned hard.
They had been so warm not a few minutes ago.
"I can't do that," she stated heatedly and gripped the comforter in her fists, ready to pull it off of her and push herself to her feet, but she paused when Naru spoke.
"Why are you so determined to cleanse her?" he asked with a hint of ire in his soft voice.
Mai fell silent but her eyes did not waver from his as she said quietly, "Because she's like me." She swallowed and leaned forward, pulling his hand into both or hers, "Because she is like you. And all the others who have suffered in this world."
"She is not like us, Mai, she is dead," Naru argued coldly though his fingers wrapped around hers without thought.
"The only difference between her and us is luck and strength of will," she said quietly and lowered her eyes to their clasped hands absently while her mind raced with thoughts.
Naru fell silent for a moment, lips drawn tight in a frown as he struggled to comprehend the emotions she was feeling, before he lowered his own eyes. "Be that as it may . . . I can't allow you to get yourself killed."
"Then why else am I here?" she asked quietly, the words having slipped out without thought, and her eyes widened upon realizing it. What else was she meant to do with her life other than help those lost souls who had not quite made it to the finish line yet. It was her calling. She was obligated to help all those she could because she felt and understood their suffering like so few did. She gave what she could and it was all she wanted to do. Why couldn't he understand that?
"Because you have people in this realm that care about you," he replied quietly. "And if even one of them remained, wouldn't you want to make them happy? Because this is the realm where people truly suffer and no amount of cleansing can help them unless they have people to support them."
Mai stared at him in the silence that followed. She was stunned by his words. He showed so little emotion so when he truly spoke words from the heart it was equal to the tolling of a bell in silence. And his words were true. She instantly felt guilt and doubt flood her mind and she slumped back against the pillows in defeat. Spirits did have conscious thoughts like they did, they were stuck in a loop of the emotions they had before they died, but the living could feel so much more and suffer for it. And here she was, so ready to throw away her life, for one tortured soul that could no longer distinguish the difference between right and wrong. She thought of her new family and frowned. But she would have just as easily risked her life to save a kitten stuck in a tree. She tightened her grip on Naru's hand and sighed.
Naru squeezed her hand in return before he pulled his away and stood from the bed, "Get some rest, Mai." His quiet voice barely penetrated the wall of thoughts circulating in her mind but she lifted her eyes to him in acknowledgement before they returned to her now empty hands.
Naru turned away from her and left the room, shutting the door behind him gently as he did so, and let out a heavy sigh.
Luella was seated at a table nursing a cup of tea when he reentered the room and she set it back down at the table to watch him expectantly. Obliging her voiceless demand he shuffled over to the table and sat down across from her quietly. It was obvious he was at his wits end with that girl but Luella demanded to know what was going on. It was her right as his mother after all!
"What happened?" she asked quietly and watched him warily. Masako had come into base not an hour before and had pulled Naru aside to whisper to him in urgency after which her son had fled the room with the dog at his heels. The very creature now resting at her feet under the table and subsequently keeping her feet warm in the cold room.
"She tried to cleanse the spirit," he answered dully and lifted a hand to his face to rub at it in frustration.
"She was unable to?" Luella asked in befuddlement.
Naru did not miss her tone of surprise and leveled a slightly curious but warning look at his mother. It was endearing to know Luella thought so highly of Mai but he feared that the expectations of others would pressure her into making rash decisions. And she certainly needed no help in that area. "She failed," he muttered and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table as he spoke, "Prudence is far to corrupted for someone like her to cleanse."
"So you think Prudence is capable of being cleansed, just not by any of us," Luella concluded matter of factly and quirked a brow at her son before taking a sip of her tea.
"I didn't say that," Naru replied cooly and pushed himself out of the chair to make himself a cup of tea. He disappeared for a moment to collect enough water before returning. It was two cups that he sat out, something Luella took note of, before he continued speaking. "She cannot be cleansed, period, in my opinion."
"That's not what you were implying," Luella said lightly.
Naru did not outwardly show his growing frustration with his mother but if one were to look closely they could have seen the way his fingers tensed and his eyes closed against the building emotion. "I was implying nothing," he muttered while he stared at the pot of soon to be boiling water as if his annoyance would be enough to hurry it along.
"You think Gene would have been able to?" Luella asked quietly.
Naru dropped his eyes to his hands, resting on the dresser they had set up the tea station on, and drummed his fingers against the dark wood thoughtlessly. "Gene was a perfect medium, he had trained to become so, he was capable of becoming one with the spirits he contacted, he had a strong will and an empathetic disposition beyond what I have seen in anyone else in my life . . ." he trailed off. "Mai is rash, empathetic yes, almost as much as Gene had been, but she is not careful and gives little value to her own life. She has not been fully trained. I fear that if she were to continue in the manner she has been then her life would be sucked dry."
Luella stared at him in sad comprehension before she dropped her eyes to the tea cup in front of her and sighed. "I see," she mumbled quietly.
Naru poured the hat water into the two cups and set about preparing them while they fell into a sad but tense silence. "Will you take this to her?" he asked as he stood, holding both cups within his hands, and stared at her with a hint of imploring.
Luella blinked in confusion before she pushed her chair back and stood, joints popping as she did so, and moved to take one of the cups from his hand.
"It's this one," he muttered and pulled the one she had been reaching for back to offer her the other.
Luella smirked knowingly and took the offered one. Obviously it had been prepared specifically to the girl's liking, before she paused and asked, "And why can't you bring it to her, if I may ask?"
Naru stared at her blankly and muttered, "She wouldn't want to see me right now."
Luella frowned at him but nonetheless turned towards the girl's room. She hated to see him so upset, though she took a moment to bemoan how little emotion he showed and her need of the ability to distinguish his emotions through so little clues, before she stepped into the room and shut the door behind her.
Naru watched her go before he finally dropped his hand and looked down at the tea in his other. He was used to playing the part of the bad guy. He was the boss of a team of idiots and often found himself setting his foot down to declare order. He was used to denying troubled clients and or telling it to them straight that he could not or would not help them. He operated under cold logic. It was just how he was. So why did his chest feel so tight? Why now, was it so different?
He heard the sound of the door and lifted his eyes to find Lin shutting the door behind him. The man stared at him curiously, unaware of what had just transpired in the past hour because he had been up in Prudence's room helping the others prepare, but able to see the confused frustration Naru was struggling with instantly.
"Mai is officially off the case," he said simply and took a sip from his tea before moving over to the table where his notes were set up neatly for him to look over.
Lin's brows furrowed at this but he moved away from the door and to the table set up with their spare equipment to collect a handheld camera. He would not bother asking what had happened but he made a mental note to pry later. Luella would be the perfect victim as, despite her professional manner, she was still a woman prone to gossip. Especially in regards to her son and his possible love interest.
He had ruined everything. Of course he would. It was in his nature. She knew that but she could not deny the frustrations she felt as she nursed the cup of tea Luella had brought for her. Something she knew he had made because it had just the right amount of sugar in it and she was certain Luella would not have known her preferences. They had kissed. Shared something so intimate and yet he had dashed it away minutes later by shutting her out of the case and leaving her in a room by herself to stew over everything that had happened.
She growled and set the tea cup down on her nightstand before shutting her eyes and crossing her arms. Really now, how does one kiss a girl one moment and than simultaneously shatter the moment and metaphorically slap in her in the face the next? She was pretty sure he was the only one capable. She knew he was only trying to do what he thought was best but still. . .
She sighed and opened her eyes to look down at her lap, covered with the comforter he had pulled over her, and she blushed.
But the problem that was Prudence intruded upon her thoughts and she shivered. She had never seen anything as ghastly as she had been, except maybe in the cursed house case, when those zombies had come crawling through the windows to attack them. She recalled the way the woman had pulled her tattered mouth and cheeks into a smile while blood poured from the wound in her head. And the smell of her breath. She grew nauseas just thinking about it.
And she was going to be exorcised that night.
The image of Alexander's desperate tears filtered through her mind and she grimaced. She was letting him down. Him and Kikio. She was certain that cleansing Prudence was the way to cleanse them as well. What would happen when Prudence was exorcised and they were left to figure it out? She gasped at the thought, disbelieving that she had not thought of the consequences until then. Would they turn angry with betrayal?
Without a second thought she leaned back into the pillows and closed her eyes. She needed to speak with Gene. Again she found herself slowing her breathing, relaxing her body, and drifting off to sleep to contact him for the second time that day. She vaguely wondered if he ever got annoyed with how often she bothered him. Probably not. He was probably lonely.
When she felt the familiar presence of the astral plain she opened her eyes and sighed. The gentle lights, floating effortlessly through the air, had become comforting to her over time. She felt her mind easing at the sight of them and she turned about lazily in search of the familiar figure of Gene. He wasn't far off. He could probably feel her presence the moment she had slipped onto the plain so it was with relief that Mai spotted him walking towards her in the distance. But it was with surprise that she saw someone else walking alongside him.
"Gene, Alexander . . . ?" she called hesitantly.
"Mai," Gene greeted with a saddened smile. Alexander only nodded but offered his own smile in return.
"I'm sorry," Mai immediately exclaimed and moved to meet the two half way, "I tried to cleanse her on my own because we weren't able to contact Catherine . . ."
"It's alright," Alexander calmed her fears with his gentle words and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze, before he stood back.
Mai frowned sadly but turned her eyes to Gene pleadingly, "What should I do? I've exhausted all my options. Naru wants to exorcise her tonight!"
Gene lifted a hand to stall her rambling and grinned, "What do you think I've been doing all this time stuck on the astral plain?"
Mai shrugged sheepishly and gave him a hesitant smile.
"Alexander thinks you may be able to contact her if he were to lead you to their home," Gene stated and crossed his arms. "The closer contact may allow you to reach her wherever she is."
"But how will he be able to lead me? That would take an immense amount of energy and on top of that Naru has me on house arrest. Luella is sitting right outside the door!" Mai shot back nervously and clasped her hands together anxiously.
"Rocco will have to assist," Gene answered matter of factly and shrugged with one shoulder but he wore a cheeky grin and the expression boosted Mai's confidence.
"Rocco?" Mai reiterated with a quirked brow.
"I'll posses him," Alexander answered simply. He watched Mai critically, wondering if she were capable of performing the task he had selfishly asked her too. She had already been through so much in that house and he feared she would break before the job was done.
"Posses-," she cut herself off, realizing she probably sounded like a parrot and scowled before shaking her head. "Will he be able to withstand that?"
"Animals are extremely resilient, I have no doubt he will be fine," Gene stepped in and placed a hand on each of her shoulders, drawing her eyes to his, before he continued, "Mai, I know how much this means to you. I want to help you and this seems to be the only option we have left . . . Naru is already pissed with me so I don't mind pushing him a little further but I also don't want to see you get hurt."
Mai stared at him in stunned surprise. She nodded once, absently, before swallowing and lifted her clasped hands to her chest. "I understand, but I feel that this has to be done," she responded quietly and dropped her eyes to her hands.
"I know you do," Gene said quietly. He took his hands away and crossed his arms again before smirking at her and tilting his head to the side, "By the way, it seems you finally got Naru to make a move, good job."
Mai blushed from the tips of her toes to the top of her head and stared at him, aghast that he would say such a thing in their situation, before she turned her head away and crossed her arms. "That's rude Gene," she grouched.
Gene laughed, "Maybe, but he's a little late in stealing a kiss, I got to you first," he declared.
"What are you talking about?" she exclaimed and whipped her head around to look at him. She could not recall him ever kissing her, not even while they were experiencing the memories of others, and his cheekiness surprised her.
"Don't you worry about it," he waved a hand and laughed when she scowled. "But more importantly, you should wake up now."
Mai blinked in confusion but when she opened her eyes she was back in her room, staring at the ceiling, but the blush still painted her face. Something on the bed shifted and she sat up quickly to find Rocco waiting for her. She rubbed at her face with her hands and sighed, "That Gene," she muttered. She dropped her hands to her lap and turned to look at Rocco and was surprised to see that he was looking straight at her with lively green eyes that did not belong to him. "Alexander?" she questioned.
The dog touched his nose to her hand in acknowledgement.
"I suppose we should get started then," she mumbled in awe, resisting the urge to pet him for fear of offending him, before she pushed the covers away and slid out of bed.
Alexander stood up and jumped off to follow her.
She patted her clothes down, making sure she was presentable, before she squared her shoulders and looked down at Rocco turned Alexander with a small smile. "Let's do this then, we have to sneak out first though . . ."
Alexander nodded in response and stepped forward to nudge her leg, urging her forward, and Mai laughed before doing as he wanted and opening the door. The room was empty accept for Luella as she expected. The woman was sitting in front of the monitors now, watching as the rest of SPR began the exorcism. At the sound of the door opening Luella turned in her seat to look at Mai.
"Rocco has to go out," Mai answered her silent question and laughed nervously when the woman frowned.
"I don't think it wise, Mai, but if you have to take him out then be quick. And take a charm," she warned, gesturing to the table where Lin and Ayako had worked to produce as many charms as possible.
Mai nodded in understanding before doing as she was told. She could feel the woman's eyes on her as she left the base and wished she did not have to deceive her but it was the only way. Alexander padded along beside her but the further they got from base the more anxious he became. They hurried down the steps and out the front door of the mansion, into the humid but chilly night air, before he broke into a run and Mai had to rush to keep up with him.
She could not recall her ever being in a stranger situation. She was running through a dark park, at night, breath fogging the air while she followed a possessed dog in order to save the spirit of the woman he loved. And she was in Florida. And Naru had kissed her. Even as she panted for breath she could not fight the blush that tinged her cheeks and it annoyed her to no end. She could just see Alexander ahead of her, paws scrabbling over the gravel, and tried to put in an extra burst of speed as they approached the park entrance. She didn't even bother sparing a glance for the eerie lake as she passed it.
He paused briefly at the gate to look back at her, when he had assured himself that she was able to keep up he took off down the street at a slightly more relaxed pace. He had wanted to get away from the property the second he had entered Rocco's body. He felt the pressure of the charms, scattered about the rooms and hallways, but they had not hindered him too much. It could only be because of his positive disposition. He was not marked as an evil spirit yet and for that he was thankful.
Mai wondered at the night life of St. Pete even as they ran through the streets, it was nearing nine o'clock but there were still plenty of people despite it being a business night, and was distracted by the several night clubs and bars that spilled fourth crowds and loud music. Pounding away they cried in defiance against the societal rut the world had fallen into.
Where was this house anyway? Mai thought incredulously as they passed the fifth block. Her lungs were burning and she feared she was nearing the end of her energy but Alexander was still running full force and had yet to slow.
Cars slowed to watch the two as they ran and at one point someone even called out asking if Mai needed help and she realized it probably looked as if Rocco had gotten off his leash and she was chasing him down. She waved the man off but did not falter in her pursuit.
By the time Alexander slowed to an easy lope Mai's feet were killing her and her lungs were screaming for air. She had fallen several yards behind him during their trek through downtown but she did not have the drive to catch up with him at that moment. She slowed to a walk while Alexander dipped down a street into an old neighborhood, filled with winding cobblestone streets barely wide enough to allow one car through let alone two. He was a dark figure in the distance, as there were no street lights on this road to illuminate him, and so Mai had to squint to follow his movements. Thankfully he never went more than one turn ahead of her.
When she turned down a particularly dark road, not even large enough to consider it a road really, she lost sight of Alexander for a moment. There were so many parked cars along the driveways and road that she feared she had lost him for good amongst them. But before the panic could set in she caught his eyes flashing in some distant light and jogged over to him. He had come to a stop in front of a two story house, old in its design, and roof sagging with age. The windows were large and made of fragile glass, most broken in its abandonment, but they displayed little else but darkness. The front door was closed but one of the hinges had broken. A wrap around patio sported a broken porch swing and several piles of junk and trash.
It was a dump.
Alexander whined, his tail fell between his legs, and he dropped his nose to the ground as he approached over the sparse grass and dirt that made up the small patch of lawn. Mai watched him sadly before she followed him, her boots crunching over broken glass, and climbed the creaking steps onto the patio. The air was musty and smelled of disuse and rotting wood.
"Let's get started then, I guess . . ." she whispered and let out a breath of air, watching as it fogged in the night, and stepped forward. The door gave way under her strength easily, as the doorknob had broken over the years and become stuck, and she stepped into the dark house hesitantly. She leaned forward in the doorway and peeked about before she stepped in and allowed Alexander to scamper in behind her before gently shutting the door. She briefly worried about squatters. People high on drugs or drunk hiding out within the house. But Alexander seemed relaxed and that eased her mind.
She walked the expanse of the bottom floor, finding the kitchen and sitting room easily enough, and paused to look out the window over the sink. The backyard was more like a graveyard for old furniture. It was overtaken by plant life and she could see several raccoons pass by as she watched. There was a broken dinner table off to her left and she moved over to it, pulling at a chair as she did, and seated herself carefully. The chair creaked under her weight but it held.
"How does Masako do this?" she wondered aloud, throwing her eyes about the room thoughtfully. The medium always had a candle and incense burning when she performed a seance but Mai had neither. Did she even really need them? She had never required any kind of aid, other than Gene, to contact the spirits of the dead before. But just to be safe she pushed herself out of the chair and searched the house for a candle, an easy enough task as there were several scattered about all coated in dust, and then located a book of matches in the kitchen windowsill. When the candle was burning away at the table she reclaimed her seat and let out a breath before giving an encouraging smile to Alexander, still possessing Rocco's body, who had sat on his haunches at her side.
She leaned back in the chair, ignoring the way it groaned in warning, and shut her eyes against the flickering light of the candle. She breathed in the dusty air of the house and relaxed her body before drifting off into a sleep like state.
When she opened her eyes she was once more in the astral plain. Gene was waiting for her with a relieved expression on his face.
"I was wondering what was taking you so long . . ." he muttered with a relieved sigh and brushed a hand through his hair.
"Sorry," Mai grouched, "But I had to go on foot seeing as how I can't drive."
Gene rolled his eyes but there was a smirk on his face. He glanced about the astral plain before turning back to Mai with a shrug, "I've been trying to get a hold of Catherine but Masako was right, she has moved on. This place feels right though, I can feel her presence, faintly, but it's there."
"Well that's good," Mai commented thoughtfully and sat down on the spot. Even in the astral plain her legs still felt like jelly from all the running. She crossed them and straightened her back before closing her eyes to repeat the process.
"Be careful, Mai, it's dangerous to project in the astral plain." Gene warned before crouching down in front of her. "I'll be here to ground you just don't go getting lost," he added lightly.
Mai nodded once before clearing her mind and letting out a long breath. She rested her hands on her knees and let go of whatever tension had built up in her body throughout their trip. And she thought only of Catherine and Prudence. She thought of the loving embrace of a mother, a mother's encouraging smile, a helpful hand, but at first felt nothing in response. Even on the astral plain the house still felt abandoned and empty, with few spirits about, but the longer she drifted the more optimistic she became. She had unknowingly gripped the key that hung from a chain on her neck and felt it grow warm beneath her fingers. Though she did need a mother in that moment it was not her mother she was calling for and whatever force she was working with seemed to recognize this.
As Gene watched a distant glow became apparent on the horizon of the astral plain. A usually dark and comforting expanse of nothingness was suddenly awash with the soft light of hundreds of thousands of souls as the approached at an energetic pace. They danced among each other, flitting about to and fro, and Gene was reminded of a wave of fairies. They closed the spanning distance and rushed to circle them in their spiraling lights. So fast did they circle the two that their hair was ruffled by the wind left in their wake.
Gene pushed himself to his feet, face pointed towards the heavens, and watched as the spirits spiraled up and up. Higher than he had ever seen them reach. And compacted themselves into a tight formation that, when their lights had dimmed, revealed itself to be a staircase.
"Mai," he called gently.
Mai opened her eyes curiously and lifted them to Gene, who had yet to look down, and up at the spiral staircase constructed out of the shimmering orbs that were the spirits of the astral plain. It circled so far over head that Mai could not see the end. It was a daunting climb that was ahead of her and the thought forced her to swallow before she pushed herself to her feet and absently dusted off her tights.
"Will you come with me?" she asked quietly, her voice wavering.
Gene glanced down at her with an encouraging smile and lifted a hand towards her, "What kind of a gentleman would I be if I didn't?"
Mai grinned at him, "No gentleman at all, really," she shot back playfully and took his hand in hers gratefully.
Their fingers tightened before Gene pulled her along towards the first step.
It felt solid enough and was radiating a gentle warmth that managed to penetrate the souls of their shoes as they walked. It boosted Mai's spirits and soon it was she that was leading the way, pulling Gene along behind her, her eyes never wavering from the climb ahead of them. Were they walking towards heaven? It was hard to say for certain, as these were uncharted boundaries that no human had ever crossed before, but what was certain was the emotions that the looming destination spurred within their chests. It was like winning a marathon or ending a war. The high of adrenaline and pure joy that their path radiated was enough to push them into a run.
It was exhilarating. Mai didn't even feel fear as she glanced over the side of the staircase and saw how far they had already climbed. She could just make out the surface of the astral plain, that strange watery surface that was solid at the same time, only excitement.
This was it. She was about to accomplish what she had set out to do all those days ago and she was about to do what no one had ever done before. She was going to retrieve someone from another realm all together. She vaguely wondered if it was fair of her to do so. This was such a momentous thing that it seemed highly unlikely that she would survive. Was this what the first man on the moon felt like? Had his heart pounded just as much as hers was in that moment when he coasted around the satellite and saw Earth from over it's horizons for the first time? She grinned at the thought. What would Naru say? She could imagine him staring at her like she was an idiot but he would eventually be forced to admit her feat was quite impressive in the most begrudging way possible.
The staircase continued to wind on in front of them.
They were all squished into the room that had, at one point, belonged to Prudence herself. They had decided it would be best to let John go first, as it was probable that the woman had been christian in life, and had lined up around the walls and or sat on the bed or vanity seat while he worked. Lin stood next to Naru near the doorway, handheld camera powered on an recording, and watched on with a grim expression as John read from his bible. The small vial of holy water was sprinkled about carefully, only a few drops here and there, as he spoke.
They waited with baited breath. Feeling the room grow colder the longer John worked, but nothing else happened, it was as if Prudence was unphased by his words. Usually anyone who was god fearing would show some kind of reaction to his exorcism. Either they would leave or put up a fight. But it was becoming more and more apparent that Prudence was not doing either. Her presence, the oppressing cold that seemed to cling to each of their shoulders as if it were she herself hanging over them, had not diminished in the slightest.
Naru had crossed his arms and stood with his weight evenly distributed between both legs in his usual stoic stance, but his fingers were digging into his arms and bruising the flesh, frustration welled up within him. Clearly, Prudence no longer feared the wrath of God, otherwise she would have been kicking up a fuss by now. The exorcism would not be easy, he knew, but he wished it would be. Thoughts of Mai, pulled tight between her moral obligations and physical limitations, circulated in his mind like a broken record. He wanted this to end for her sake.
John slowed to a stop in his readings, having reached the end, and slowly shut his book before crossing himself and letting out a resigned sigh. "I'm sorry you guys . . ." he trailed off in defeat and glanced about the others.
"It's alright, John," Monk spoke up seriously but wore a kind smile as he stepped up.
John stepped aside as the monk took his place and lifted his hands in front of him to begin.
But he never got the chance.
As soon as he shut his eyes the rest of the room was thrown into darkness. The light of the only lamp in the room was shattered and everyone jumped to their feet or tensed as the temperature dropped even further.
Naru did not move.
The sound of a light chuckle, long and quiet, as if from a distance, slipped in through the closed door of the room and circled about their ears. "Please, no more, it's just too sad to watch . . ." a rasping voice followed it and sent shivers down all of their spines. It was too guttural to even assign a gender to it but they all knew who it was.
"Enough of this," Monk growled and began is chant. His brows crashed together in concentration and is voice was commanding, like that of a king addressing his people, and refused to be swayed by the continued laughter of the evil spirit.
"Wait!" Ayako cried from where she stood by the bed, causing Monk to stumble to a halt, and he turned back to send her an annoyed look. But his face grew concerned by the urgent expression she wore.
"What is it?" he asked curiously.
"Don't you hear that?" Ayako asked in surprise as she took a step forward with a fist held against her chest.
"The annoying laughter?" Monk deadpanned and scowled at the woman as if she were an idiot.
"No-" Ayako shook her head but was cut off by movement from the corner of her eye.
All turned to look at Naru who had dropped his arms to his sides, fists clenched, and turned his head back towards the door. He paused in place, listening attentively, before he launched himself at the door and flung it open. They could all hear it now. The sound of people screaming in terror coming from the first floor, two flights of stairs below them, and Naru cursed. He had hoped those on the lower floors would not be affected but it was clear he had only been practicing wishful thinking, something incredibly rare for him, and had been too distracted by Mai's troubles to order the property manager and his staff to vacate to premises.
"Noll," Luella's voice filtered to him through the walkie-talkie at his waist and he reached for it in a flash.
"Yes?" he growled out in anger, though not directed at his mother in any way, and signaled for the others to head down stairs towards the commotion as he followed. They hurried out of the room and down the hall in a chaotic stream of modern clothing and traditional robes.
"Mai left to take Rocco out," Luella continued worriedly, "That was almost an hour ago . . ."
Naru felt a spike of rage but calmed himself with the knowledge that she was at least of the property during the exorcism.
"But she said something to me earlier and I didn't think much of it at the time, well, I did but I didn't want to say anything because I wanted to help her . . ." Luella trailed off. "When she saw that you were setting up the exorcism in Prudence's room she mentioned that it was the wrong room."
Naru charged passed the others as they hurried down the first flight of stairs, anger, frustration, and worry eating away at his mind. "Did she say which room was the right room?"
Luella fell quiet, she was safe within the charm covered base and so was oblivious to the extent of their troubles other than the fact that the temperatures had all drastically dropped. "No, but wasn't she in the pool room earlier?"
Naru did not bother to respond. He clenched the handheld device in his hand and jumped the last three steps of the staircase before leading the charge down the hall. The rest of SPR and his father trailing behind him. That's where the screams were originating from, he was sure of it, and didn't even pause as he bypassed the base doors and headed for the main foyer staircase.
As the group trailed after him Luella stuck her head out of the door, caught sight of them all, and hurried after them. She had shut the door tight behind her as she did so and caught up with Martin just as he passed.
Naru slid to a stop upon reaching the staircase and stared with wide eyes down at the chaotic mess below. The main doors had been thrown open and staff were fleeing the house as the floor was consumed by a flood of red liquid. It reached their ankles as the splashed through it, followed them out the door and spewed forth down the main steps, but did not seem to be slowing.
"Holy shit," Monk exclaimed as he came to a stop behind Naru to take in the scene.
The quiet laughter of Prudence had yet to subside and, in fact, had grown more obvious at the sight of the turmoil below.
"Get everyone out!" Naru ordered, looking back at his team who all wore expressions of shock and fear, "Now is not the time to falter!" To prove his point he launched himself down the stairs and jumped into the pooling blood without hesitation and pushed his way through the panicking employees to head upstream of the flowing liquid. It was almost at his knees by the time the others had followed his example and ushered the remaining staff out of the building.
Lin followed after Naru, camera still in hand, and ignored the calls of the others. They were pushing their way against the flow of the blood towards the indoor pool. The doors had been thrown open and from the pool itself, now red with blood, was where the flow originated. It bubbled and boiled with the liquid and spilled forth every few seconds or so with another wave of it. It was like a natural spring of gore. The pool room was lost in the red and the blood was up to their thighs as they approached.
But Naru did not enter the pool room. No. He paused at the doorway and turned his head to take in the cellar door next to it. The blood seemed to be splashing up against it particularly hard, not like the gentle rushing ebb that the pool produced. It was as if it were trying to force its way through the door. Without hesitating Naru reached for the handle and threw the door open. The blood rushed forward, spilling forth down the stairs, and disappeared into the darkness.
The stairs lead directly under the pool.
"It's down here," Naru muttered darkly and leaned in through the door to get a better look.
"Naru-" Lin warned lowly but he was cut off by another voice.
"Yes, come to me, little one!"
Something within the darkness reached rotting hands out and clutched Naru around his shoulders before pulling him forward and down the stairs. Lin jumped after him without second thought but the sound of Naru's body, crashing its way down the stairs along the river of blood, made his heart stop. The others were shortly behind him as he stumbled down after his charge and someone, he assumed Yasuhara, and pulled out a flashlight to light their way.
"What just happened?" Ayako demanded fearfully.
"Where's Noll!" Luella cried.
The stairs seemed to go on forever but the sound of Naru's decent had ended just seconds ago.
Yasuhara's light illuminated the bottom of the stairs and there Naru lied, body half submerged under the flow of blood, unmoving. Lin splashed down onto the cellar floor and grabbed Naru by the scruff of his neck. He pulled his face from the blood, grimacing at the sight of it trailing from his mouth, and pulled his arm of his shoulder and supported his weight with his other arm wrapped around his torso.
"Naru-bou!" Monk cried out and splashed down next to Lin to check the young man over.
Naru groaned as the monk smacked his cheeks and choked, spitting out another mouthful of blood before he lifted his head and gasped for breath.
"Oh thank god," Luella cried from the stairs and hurried down to the bottom towards her son. She lifted his face in her hands and wiped the blood out of his eyes to the best of her ability while the others hurried down after. Last to reach the bottom was Masako, who had taken her sandals off in favor of more stability in the flowing blood, and was holding on to the slick stone wall for support. She held a sleeve to her mouth at the stench of the stuff and at the sight of Naru drenched within it.
"Is everyone alright?" Naru coughed out and pushed his mother's hands away tiredly.
"We're all here," Yasuhara supplied helpfully as he shone his light about the cellar. There was not much to it except for the stone walls and piping above their heads. The blood had completely covered the floor by that point and so there was not much to be gained from searching it. He took a couple of steps in and scanned their surroundings. His light caught a door off to the right, it was dark and made of some heavy rotting wood, and like before the blood seemed to be attempting to force its way through. From the other side of the door came the sound of scratching. As if somebody was scrabbling against the door to get out, nails dragging across the wood and catching on the metal hinges.
"She's leading us straight to her," Naru muttered darkly and pushed himself away from Lin to move over towards the door.
"Naru, I don't think this is such a good idea," Monk warned and shuffled after him, his robes dragging in the blood behind him.
But Naru ignored him, something had changed within him when he had been pulled down those stairs, it festered in his stomach and threatened to push its way back up. But it made his blood feel hot as anger and pride warred within his mind. Prudence had made a fool of him and he would not let her get away with it. But more importantly, she had tried to kill Mai. He glowered at the door with such hatred and loathing that even Lin began to feel uncomfortable against the building PK energy.
The others watched him with varying looks of worry.
They had been climbing for what felt like hours and Mai's legs were beginning to strain. They trembled with the pressure of her weight and threatened to give out if it had not been for Gene at her side. But she ignored her troubles as they drew closer to the end. She knew it was the end because there was a glowing doorway, just another hundred steps or so above them, and she could feel it drawing her in eagerly.
"Mai," Gene called her name and slowed to a stop. He was staring up at the entrance with a forlorn expression but he managed to tear his eyes away to look back at her apologetically. "I won't be able to go any further," he said quietly.
Mai stared up at him in confusion, "What? Why?" She had made it that far only because of the man standing in front of her and the thought of continuing on without his support frightened her. She gripped his hand all the tighter, loathe to let him go, and shook her head in denial.
Gene chuckled, "I'll wait for you here, but even if I am not meant to pass on, I don't think it would be a good idea for me to go any further . . .I might not be able to come back." His explanation was quiet and calming and he pulled her forward as he talked, urging her to go on ahead of him. "I'll be right here," he mumbled into her ear as she passed.
Mai looked back at him with a worried expression but she nodded hesitantly before she turned to face the glowing doorway. She squared her shoulders to steady her nerves and stepped forward. Her hand slid from Gene's grasp as she did and she immediately felt the loss of his presence like a slap to the face but she continued forward. Now was not the time to falter. Not when everyone was counting on her.
She did not look back as she climbed the last couple of steps and came to a stop at the wall of light. She could not see past it and was struggling to squint against the light, going so far as to lift a hand in front of her face, before she gulped and stepped forward.
It was like passing into the sunlight after being stuck in a cold and dark cave for days. It was burning and intense but in the same moment welcoming and comforting. She shut her eyes as she stepped through and came to a stop when she could no longer feel the coolness of the astral plain at her back. The oppressive silence was forced away by the sound of birds twittering in the trees. Tree's she knew were there because of the wind that rustled their leaves and tossed her hair about. It smelled of flowers and the fresh air of the ocean.
She felt like she was home. As if any moment she would hear her mother's voice for the first time in years and her father would laugh at her state of dress. After all that she had done that day she was certain her clothes were dirty and sweat stained.
Tears pulled in her eyes which she had yet to open.
"Were you calling for me, little one?"
The voice was so soft and gentle, so kind and caring, that the tears she could no longer fight spilled down her cheeks and she barely managed to restrain a sob. She opened her eyes and saw the most beautiful creature she had ever seen in all of her existence. The sight of her made her gasp and the tears continued to pour down her face as she wordlessly nodded and wiped at her eyes with a sleeve. It was pure happiness that overwhelmed her and she realized that it had been she who had been pulling her forward, filling her with hope and excitement, and welcoming her into her realm.
The creature smiled, such a radiant thing that it made Mai's heart clench, and pulled one of Mai's hands into her own. Warmth seeped into her from where they touched and it soothed her very soul in a way no other thing could. "Well then, I am here now, tell me what it is that troubles you, little one," she whispered joyfully and wiped at the tears.
Gene had waited for Mai just as he promised but he would have been lying if he said he had known what to expect when she returned. He had watched her disappear within the light apprehensively, worried of what was to come. Wondering if she would even return. It would be a difficult conversation to have with his brother when he next called on him. Be that as it may he had waited hopefully just a few steps down from the door for several minutes before he turned to glance down at the stairs impatiently. The spirits had yet to disperse, he took that as a good sign, but he did not know how much longer they had before they began to move again.
When he turned back to the entrance to the next realm he caught sight of Mai, a black figure against the light, and smiled in triumph. She moved towards him slowly, as if she were in a daze, and he waited for her to draw closer. But when she did he was stunned. She was not even looking at him as she walked. She was moving forward down the steps blindly and he worried that she had somehow managed to leave her soul behind before he shook his head and snorted. This was her soul that he was looking at. Her body was back in the house in reality. But she had changed. Her skin glowed with its own light and her eyes shined a brilliant blue against the darkness she now entered.
Without thought he reached his hand out and took one of hers in it, gently as he could, and guided her back down the spiral steps.
He knew now that they had succeeded.
It would be a long trip back for her but he was certain Alexander would guide her properly. He walked her all the way back down the steps, now seeming like a much shorter distance, and came to a stop at the bottom. He looked her over once before smiling sadly at her unresponsiveness. He dropped a kiss onto her forehead, like he had done all those days ago at the indoor pool, and rubbed a thumb over her cheek. He was so proud of her. So proud of how far she had come and how strong she had grown and even how loyal she was to his brother. Had he been alive he would have loved her, would have fought his brother for her, but he knew that it was unfair of him to do so. Naru needed her like she needed him. He could never give her what Naru could. He couldn't come to her in her times of need unless she was sleeping whilst his brother could be there for her always.
Gene sighed, giving her one last look over, before he gently pushed her back.
She fell back into her body, light as a feather, and opened her eyes to the abandoned house. But they were still glowing blue as she dropped them to the dog at her feet and smiled sweetly down at him.
"Faithful little Alex," she mumbled and ran a gentle hand over his head and down his neck, "Always ready to get her out of trouble."
Alexander whined happily and his tail thumped against the rotting wood floor of the house, stirring up dust as he did so, before he pushed himself to his feet and barked.
"Yes, I know, she has told me," she answered his question and stood from the chair. Her eyes roved over the state of the house thoughtfully before she gracefully padded down the hall and out the front door. "Lead me to her, Alexander, so that this tragedy may come to an end."