No NO NO LET ME GO PLEASE

Seiko was being held down tightly by the three ghost children. She screamed out ferociously as they stuck their tiny little fingers in to her flesh. She felt one of them grab onto her face slipping its finger through her eye socket in an attempt to find something to grip. The other two grabbed at her sides. They began to pull. There was a loud ripping sound, her world turned red. Seiko looked over at her headless corpse and screamed though no sound came out. Blood sprayed out from her empty neck space all the way over to her detached head, right into her good eye. The ghost children weren't there anymore, she could hear footsteps approaching. The figure came into her line of sight and bent down on its knees to look her in the eye. Seiko stared back at the smiling distorted face of her best friend covered in her own blood.

Seiko gasped throwing herself up and grabbing at her body to make sure everything was still attached. She looked around remembering that she was in the infirmary. They had stopped to rest. Satoshi was sitting at the end of the other bed re-reading the article they had found. He turned around and looked at her with concern.

"Shinohara are you alright?" Seiko looked at his bewildered face. 'Gee I must have came of as a more than a little hysteric' Seiko thought, she didn't like bringing attention to herself for anything other than being the over the top eccentric classmate. Seiko tried to force a smile "What you asking me for you're the one who looks like you've seen a ghost." They had seen a ghost though, thinking back to it Seiko found her comment less funny.

Satoshi continued to stare looking more concerned. Seiko sighed and finally gave him eye contact. "It was just a nightmare nothing I can't handle." She now sounded extremely solemn.

Satoshi looked down at the article. "Sorry, are you sure you're alright?"

Seiko nodded unenthusiastically. She reluctantly pulled herself off the bed patting her skirt down. She inhaled heavily, breathing in the awkwardness. "Um well maybe we should get going, ya'know if you're up for it."

Satoshi folded up the article and stood up as well. "Yeah I'm about ready to get out of here as long as you can keep going."

As if on cue there was a loud rumble in the room, Seiko remembered the familiar sensation from earlier and grabbed onto the bed.

"Earthquake" Satoshi said exhausted. With that just as fast as he could say it the building began to settle.

"Thank god" Seiko let go of the bed."Just a short one." She smiled faintly, making her way out of the room. She slid the door open and stepped out turning back to look at Satoshi.

When Satoshi exited the room he was met with the sight of a now scared looking Seiko who was covering her mouth and looking straight past him, to the walls. Satoshi's eyes widened, he jumped over to her quickly and turned around to the wall. It and the door of the infirmary were now covered in thick wet blood. It definitely wasn't there when they came in. But there was no noise from outside that indicated anything, there was no way anything could have happened whilst they were in there. And yet here it was, more blood, dripping down slowly onto the floor below.

Seiko gripped her eyes shut and turned away. "Ghh, god what the hell. When did that. How!?"

Satoshi looked the wall up and down, it was truly a horrendous sight. He closed his mouth slowly and backed off a step, closer to Seiko but still looking in the direction of the infirmary. "No idea, I swear there was no noise from out here while we were in there."

Seiko pulled her hands away from her mouth to let out a breath. She opened her eyes. "Hm?" There was something on the floor. Seiko walked over to it, she was sure it wasn't there earlier. It was clearly a student ID but it was face down so she couldn't see who's yet.

Satoshi noticed Seikos movements and finally tore his eyes away from the blood. He watched as she bent down to pick something up and he watched her eyes widen. Seiko looked over at Satoshi, standing up to go towards him she held the ID out for show. Satoshi read the name and took the ID from Seiko gently, just so he knew it was real. "It's...Yoshiki's" he sighed. "He's here too." That much he had gathered, the spirit they had met informed them there was other's but this made it a reality.

"Yeah, but why would this be here?" Seiko asked anxiously.

Satoshi rubbed his face with one hand trying to think of a convincing answer. "He...could've just dropped it...I mean he's been careless with his stuff before, always leaving his phone behind in class and..." Without finishing his sentence he looked at Seiko "Makes sense right.?"

Seiko would have agreed but the ginormous blood splatter behind Satoshi was telling them both something different. Seiko did the math. They went into the infirmary and the hallway was empty, they come out and Kishinuma's ID is found right next to a newfound mass of fresh blood. It seemed like too much to be just a coincidence. Although there wasn't much blood on the ID, just a few specs but Seiko figured if it was in his pocket at the time it wouldn't have taken the brunt of the damage. Seiko mentally scolded herself, they didn't yet have any real evidence that these two things were related, just in the same place. Seiko noticed Satoshi's solemn expression, he was thinking the same but the wheels in his head were turning while he tried to come up with less grisly explanations. Seiko motioned to the ID "Hold onto it Mochida, I'm sure he's looking for it."

Satoshi gave a weak nod and smile to Seiko appreciating her hopeful tone. "Y-Yeah okay."

"The paper scrap its in there too right?" Seiko asked referring to the scrap of paper doll Ayumi had made them use for the ritual in the first place. It was supposed to tie them all together as friends, forever.

"Yeah it is." Satoshi saw Seiko's sad expression, she couldn't hide it. She had discovered the loss of her own paper scrap not much earlier. Satoshi had assured her they'd come across it. He hoped he was right. It was so much more than just a scrap of paper now, it was a symbol of their friends, the ones they were trying so desperately to find. It was important.

...

They continued to search, calling out their friends name from time to time in hopes that even one of them would hear.

Seiko stopped walking. "Mochida look there's something under the floor here I think." From beneath the floorboards something vaguely shiny caught Seiko's eyes.

"Hm I don't see anything." Before Satoshi had even finished his sentence Seiko was down on her knees fishing through the cracks.

"Wait you said you think! Shinohara don't just put your hands down there!" Too late Seiko was already picking at the object. Satoshi relinquished knowing fine well trying to get Seiko to listen to him was futile.

Seiko stuck her tongue out as she awkwardly tugged at the object. "Ugh almost got it Yes come on...Ow!"

Satoshi panickedly dropped down beside her "What is it?!"

"Geez relax I scraped my hand off the wood a little that's all."

Satoshi looked at her with disbelief and slight frustration. He started making incoherent noises trying to process Seiko's overt calmness. He sighed openly gathering himself. "Just please don't do that."

Seiko smiled in her evil playful way. "Aww Mochi I knew you cared about me." She batted her eyelashes innocently at him.

Satoshi was about to start sputtering again furiously questioning his new nickname but he stopped himself and instead just looked down at the ground shaking his head, he laughed lightly.

Seiko finally retrieved the object pulling it up from beneath the floor, she held it in her palm for both of them to see. Satoshi tilted his head and examined it, "It looks like some kind of... what are those things called again?"

"Winders" Seiko answered.

"Yeah like for a watch." Satoshi exclaimed.

"Or a jewelry box" Seiko said sounding perky.

"Um yeah or that."

"Don't sound so shy when I bring it up, your secrets safe with me." Seiko said slyly.

Satoshi looked at her baffled and slightly embarrassed. Seiko was referring to a time before all this when she had bumped into him buying a very pretty oriental jewelry box after school. No matter how much he persisted it was for his sister Seiko still just smiled and insisted there was no shame. Satoshi was embarrassed at the time but the thought made him smile now, there was nothing Seiko loved more than teasing her friends. "Do you think it will have any use?" Satoshi asked changing the subject.

"Hmmm" Seiko turned the winder around in her hand interlacing it between her fingers. She put on a more serious tone "My first thought would be no but we don't know for sure there's not something here we can use it with."

"So we hang onto it just in case." Satoshi said half asking half stating.

"Well yeah I didn't go through all that just to leave it."

Satoshi smiled at her. "All that? Thought it was just a scrape that's why you told me to calm down right?"

Seiko pursed her lips avoiding a smile. "Yeah well I changed my mind it was traumatic."

Satoshi rolled his eyes and stood up before helping Seiko on her feet.

"On we go" Seiko said raising her eyebrows in a here we go again fashion. "Yep, here we go." Satoshi answered ruefully.

As they walked the putrid smell of the building seemed to worsen, so many bodies all in different stages of decay all crammed together wasn't kind on their noses. Seiko didn't think she'd ever get this smell out of her memories. One thing was for sure, when she got out she was taking a bath in a perfume store.

"Seiko?!" "Satoshi?!"

Both of them stood still. "Did you hear that?" Satoshi asked his eyes darting around rapidly.

Seiko froze while her brain hurriedly tried to process the voice, even from a distance she knew. "It's Naomi!"

"Seiko?" They heard the call again.

Seiko looked and sounded a mix between scared and excited now. "Come on Mochida this way!" Satoshi darted beside her and and they ran through the halls towards the voice calling their names. "Come on Naomi say something again." Satoshi pleaded.

They kept running until they felt their feet hit nothing, for a moment it was like they were running on air. The solid floor they were on disappeared below them and they fell in unison down to the darkness below. The feeling was overwhelming. Seiko screamed. Probably louder than she had ever screamed before.

There was a splash as they both hit what appeared to be deep black water. Although on closer inspection the space was filled up with countless different insects. Bugs, worms and spiders alike. Seiko spat and screamed in a panic. Beside her was a raised solid platform that she had been fortunate enough to land right next to. She grabbed on and tried weakly to pull herself up. Her torso half was up and her legs still kicked wildly behind her trying to give her some leverage to push forward. The worms and bugs were on her clothes and mostly likely in her hair but the ones she felt were the ones on her legs slithering and crawling around. Some fell off as she kicked while others grasped to her tightly with their sticky insect claws. The sensation was horrible, it was an invasion on her skin. "NO NO NO GET OFF! Help!" Seiko dug her nails into the platform that was topped with dry dirt and pulled herself up rolling onto her back once she had made it. She coughed and sputtered, her stomach felt like it had dropped through her. "Gah wait Mochida?!" Seiko sat up and looked out onto the pool of insects, the space wasn't huge but it was definitely deep. Satoshi hadn't been fortunate enough to land near the edge, he was further out struggling to keep himself from sinking. Seiko got into a crawling position and went to the edge of the platform, she had her hand outstretched. "Mochida come over hurry!"

Satoshi desperately pushed through the heavy insects. He was going under more with each pull. Now his chest was completely covered and his shoulders were the next target. Seiko ignored the tears and the bugs she kept screaming at him to get over with her hand outstretched. Satoshi made it to her hand and grabbed just as the lower half of his face went under, he closed his mouth trying to keep the bugs out but he needed to breathe, they were already crawling up his nose. Soon his whole head went under but his arm still had hold of Seiko's. She whimpered loudly now using both hand's to pull him out. She held on hard and pulled back again and again so hard she was afraid his arm might just come off. Satoshi had no breathing space, all he could hear was the squelching sound of bugs entering his ears ultimately blocking his hearing and all he could feel was the heaviness of thousands of different sized bugs weighing and pulling him down. The fear was the worst, the feeling you experience when you're dying and can't do anything about. His life wasn't flashing before his eyes, his death was.

"AHhhhhhhh" Seiko pulled back again and his head was pulled up, she kept going and he managed to get his other hand free using it to grip the rocky cut off. Eventually he was up. He fell flat on his face coughing and spitting out bugs some of which lay dead others that scurried off. Seiko started to pat down his back frantically swooshing all them off him all while her own collection crawled through her clothes and on her skin. Satoshi sat up exhaustively and patted the rest of them down before realising he wasn't the only one who was covered, he quickly helped Seiko do the same. Even with them off Seiko shivered repeatedly unable to get past the feeling of them on her skin. The unpleasant feeling of them in her shoes, the way the spiders moved their quick legs over her one after another. These sensations stayed there making her feel sick

Satoshi could breathe better now but was still taking big gasps of air in between words. "Shinohara you. Okay? What. The. Hell happened?!" Seiko wiped her face with her now insect free sleeve. "I don't know it happened so quickly. I, I think the floor broke?" She was unsure but it was the only thing that could have happened.

"Yeah broke." he said skeptically.

Seiko noted his tone."What? you don't think it was like a trap door or something crazy like that do you?"

"I think that's exactly what I think" Satoshi said looking up above them. There was no hole in the floor where they fell most of it was just compact dirt save for the exact spot where they fell which looked like a wooden ceiling. There was a ladder to the side which he was thankful for, they could've been trapped down here.

Seiko wiped another tear and made a noise that was sort of like a laugh. "Satoshi Mochida you completely owe me for life." Satoshi gave her a weak look but smiled gratefully, "Ha yeah I really do."

Not wanting to spend another second in this place they climbed up the ladder one after another. "No peeking" Seiko joked, climbing up first.

The first thing Seiko done when they made it back up was shout on Naomi. "She'll be long gone by now won't she?" Seiko said sadly.

Satoshi's eyes made there way around the hall. "She won't be here right now but we heard her so we know she must be close. Come on let's find her." Seiko gave him a look that indicated she agreed. Satoshi remembering something suddenly quickly checked all his pockets, his student ID as well as Kishinumas had miraculously survived the incident, he was grateful for inside pockets, but the same could not be said for the extra money he had brought with him for the culture festival. 'Not much to pout over I suppose.'

"Mochida in here" Seiko looked back at him, "We haven't been in here yet." The two stepped in to the unchecked classroom. Both their brows furrowed. "What is this?" Seiko asked perplexed. "Not sure, It's not like any classroom I've ever seen." The whole room was shaped like a rectangle, a very unspacious rectangle. There was only one desk that was stuck in the far corner, a huge space in the floor which took up half of the room and a body placed quite indelicately in the centre pushed up against the wall. Seiko shook her head at it sadly.

"There's something over there" Satoshi said making his way to the end of the room. Seiko followed hesitantly. "I've never seen anything like this in a school before" Seiko said blandly.

"It's like a pulley thing system right?" Satoshi asked giving the mechanism a confused glare.

"A what?" Seiko gave him an estranged look.

"You know like a pulley system" Satoshi decided not to go any further when he saw Seiko's confused and bored face. "Nevermind, I don't know how to explain it anyway."

"Cool so what's it do?" Seiko asked. That was the question Satoshi thought,'what did it do?' his hand's traced around it. "Hmm...winder." he said almost in a whisper.

"What is it?" Seiko couldn't hear him. "The winder do you still have it?" Satoshi asked rather determined.

Seiko felt around her pockets afraid it might have been lost in the bug incident, but no there it was. When she pulled it out a small remaining bug came with it causing her to scream and making Satoshi jump, he seemed more scared than her. He let out a breath and gently took the winder from her. Seiko watched closely and figured out herself the connection. "Huh no way, if this thing turns out to be useful you owe me your life savings."

"I don't think those are fair terms" Satoshi rebutted pushing in and turning the winder. They both stood still in anticipation, after about 10 seconds Seiko let out a disappointed breath. "Well there goes my college fund."

"Wait the lever." Satoshi remembered the rusty lever on the mechanism was yet to be pulled all the way. He grabbed on to it and begun to pull. "It's really stiff." He said through gritted teeth. Seiko grabbed onto it as well and together they managed to pull it down one last notch. This time they felt something, the ground rumbled before resuming still. "Well that felt like something" Seiko said looking around the room expectantly.

They went out in search of anything new. "Look" Seiko said leaning down to pick up something. "What is it?" Satoshi gave a look at her hand's. "A tape." He said answering his own question. It read Kibiki Research Data.

"Do you feel that?" Seiko asked, she knew what was happening. In the next few second's the earthquake had begun and it was much more forceful than the last. "Ah" Seiko fell back onto her rear.

"Gah are you okay." Satoshi leaned down on his knee (knowing he would fall over anyway) and made sure Seiko was alright. At least Thirty seconds, that's how long they assumed this earthquake lasted. Longer than the last that was for sure. Satoshi and Seiko helped each other up. Seiko picked up the tape again and pocketed it "Ugh I really don't like this place."

"That makes two of us" Satoshi replied ruefully.

They made their way forward making it all the way to the custodians closet for the first time. "Locked" Seiko said, she turned and started to leave.

"Wait Shinohara I hear something" Satoshi put his ear up against the door. Seiko walked back and leaned against it gently. They gave each other a look. "Static?" Seiko questioned. "TV static..I would say." Satoshi replied.

"You're telling me a place like this would have a TV?" Seiko asked intrigued but more confused.

"Wouldn't say it's impossible." Satoshi answered. "Huh yeah well I wouldn't say anythings impossible after this." Seiko said backing away from the door.

"This door isn't like the other ones that are locked" Satoshi started "It's not fake so we might just need-"

"A key" Seiko finished his sentence. Satoshi nodded. "Okay we can do that."

"Yeah let's look around" Seiko said.

They traveled back down towards the entrance way, towards the west hallway. Everything appeared normal (whatever normal was in this place) until they noticed the very apparent, large and definitely was not there before passage space in the wall. "That's new right?" Seiko asked looking at Satoshi while they walked closer to it.

"Definitely." He answered staring at it with obvious curiosity. "Stop!" He said suddenly.

Seiko gasped "what?"

"Voices" he whispered. Seiko listened closely, there were definitely people coming from the space. She watched frozen in place as two figures appeared from inside, drenched from head to toe. "Oh my god" Seiko gasped and covered her mouth before the relief filled her entire body. "Naomi."


A/N

Hi everyone, my first Authors Notes is just to let you know if you've been reading since this started that I updated the end of Chapter 2. Nothing significant it's only some rewording of the last few paragraphs cause honestly it's been annoying me for ages. thanks for reading.