"God dammit, useless this whole search is useless how long has it been since we've found one!?" Ayumi was referring to the tongue bags, they hadn't had any luck in some time.

Naomi looked at her with sad eyes, "A while I know but surely we'll come across one eventu-"

"When is eventually? This place is dangerous our friends are in danger! We're in danger! Bodies! Everywhere! This place I don't want to be here I want to go home I, I" Ayumi's tangent became faster in pace, her breathing sped up and she could feel the familiar triggers of a panic attack.

"Class-rep" Naomi said sounding scared. She looked at her classmate, who was as scared as she was and put on a determined face. Walking up to the class-rep she put her arms on her shoulders an looked her in the eyes. "It's ok, breathe. I'm...scared too but we've made progress, probably more progress than anyone in this school has ever made before. We're getting out of here."

Ayumi slowed her breathing and returned eye contact, "No ones...ever made it out of here before, they've all died..." A tear ran down her face and Naomi had to fight to keep her own composure. "I just want everyone to be safe."

Naomi smiled faintly. "Me too. More than anything. So let's find them, let's find them right now! The air, it's changing we both feel it. So if no one's ever got out of this place alive then we'll be the first." Naomi gave a more convincing smile, Ayumi couldn't hold back any longer, she cried out loud and tears streamed down Naomi's face. They hugged each other like friends do. Ayumi put aside her jealousy. She didn't care that Naomi was prettier than her, or that Mochida liked her more, or that her boobs were bigger, none of it mattered, they were friends. Closer than ever and all each other had right now.

They both pulled away wiping their tears. "Sorry for the outburst Nakashima... this place." Ayumi didn't have to finish her sentence. "Yeah I get it, it takes its toll."

Ayumi was about to suggest heading off when she caught sight of the redness on Naomi's cheek. "Nakashima what happened to your cheek, it's all red?"

Naomi instinctively placed her hand on her face, she stroked it lightly. "It's nothing to worry about, I didn't want you to feel bad or anything. When you were...possessed earlier you weren't yourself." Naomi tried to continue beating around it but Ayumi had already caught on, she covered her mouth in shock.

"Oh god, don't tell me I did that!?" She wanted to cry again, she was so against violence the thought of hurting someone especially a friend was one of the worst feelings. She shook her head and fought off tears. "I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry, I-"

"Class-rep don't it's okay you weren't yourself! And plus I'm completely fine now." Naomi cut her off and tried extremely hard to convince Ayumi that it wasn't her fault.

Ayumi stood there looking and feeling ashamed, she sniffed unable to give eye contact. "I'll make it up to you somehow."

Naomi looked more apologetic than her now and was unsure what to say, she took her hand. "It's alright, I wouldn't blame you." Ayumi nodded at her but was still on the verge of tears. "How about you make it up to me by not blaming yourself and helping me find this bag?"

Ayumi almost laughed. "Alright."

They walked staying close together. Ayumi held the doll 'Why aren't you doing anything anymore, don't stop on me, you still need to repent.' She thought to herself staring it dead in the eyes.

"You want me to hold it for a bit?" Naomi offered catching Ayumi off guard. "Sure if you don't mind." Ayumi handed Naomi the doll. "Thanks."

No more silence, that's all Naomi asked for, it was unbearable. "I miss them too." She said giving Ayumi a sorry glance.

For a moment it seemed like Ayumi hadn't heard, she stared on looking unmotivated and tired. "You think they're alright?" Ayumi looked at Naomi.

"Yes" Naomi lied. She glanced in the other direction, "I don't know, I just hope so." She admitted.

"You miss Mochida?" Ayumi wasn't quite sure why she asked that, but at the same time she knew exactly why. It just came out. Her feeling's were there and they couldn't be helped. If that was the same for Naomi then surely she should be more understanding.

Naomi was caught off guard by the question, she stuttered before getting an answer out. "Of course I do, I miss everyone." She was silent for a bit before continuing. "He's...just such a scaredy cat I'm worried about how he's handling this. I'm worried for him that's all."

"Yeah he really is" Ayumi smiled thinking back to better times than this. "Whenever I tell a story he's always the first to get scared and the most blatantly obvious about it."

Naomi smiled too, "He's always ends up grabbing onto someone which is usually poor Kishinuma who ends up hitting him." Naomi couldn't help but snicker at the thought and neither could Ayumi, they both started laughing with each other for the first time in this place.

"And tonight when he screamed." Ayumi said laughing. "Priceless." Said Naomi. Ayumi had to stop herself from laughing more because she was about to start crying again. How could so much change in one night? How could it have only been a few hours since then? Naomi was thinking the same, their laughter died down and their footsteps got louder.

"Do you like him Nakashima...like, like him?" Once again Ayumi was caught off guard by her own question and once again Naomi was caught off guard By Ayumi's question.

"Of course I like him he's my friend...I mean I'm not sure maybe I do but." Naomi already regretted saying that, it was too much information, her face started to turn red.

Ayumi knew the answer but hearing it was different. Because she knew, deep down she knew Mochida liked her too. But it wasn't like she owned him, if that's how it was then that's how it would be. Sure some part or her hoped for a miracle, that Satoshi would get down on his knees to her and say "it was you all along Ayumi" but she knew better. It would hurt, maybe for a long time but she'd get through it.

Ayumi's silence made Naomi nervous, "What? You don't think he feels the same do you?" Naomi was more embarrassed now, she looked like an idiot for admitting feeling's -Possible- feelings for a guy who didn't like her like that.

Ayumi felt guilty now, seeing her embarrassed face. "No it's not that. He...probably does." There it was out. No going back. She felt sad because she knew that maybe all they needed was one person to say to one of them, "they like you" it was basically like saying go for it. But if she was to move on from a guy who didn't see her in the same way, she had to start somehow.

Naomi tried not to perk up. "No way, there's no way. Where would you even get an idea like that!?"

Ayumi smiled at her, her eyes showed sadness but her words were different, they sounded supportive. "Nakashima...trust me."

Naomi smiled shyly.

Straight Ahead

Naomi practically jumped out of her skin. "What was that?!"

"It was the doll." Ayumi said loudly.

Straight Ahead

"I heard you the first time." Naomi said clutching her chest feeling it beat up and down much too fast.

The girls walked ahead. "There." Ayumi said pointing, "That wasn't there before." A large new passageway had appeared in the west hallway. "Should we check i-" Naomi started. "Let's check it out" Ayumi finished.

Ayumi went in first and Naomi followed straight after. "It's shower's." Ayumi stated. "Yeah, a locker room, exactly the thing you'd expect to find in a school I suppose." Naomi said scanning the room. It was all grey and very dirty, there was limescale and moss and broken lockers and a broken shower, with more cracks everywhere. Not much different from the rest of the building. "Sure but if this has always been here then why has the doorway only appeared now?" Ayumi was talking more to herself at this point.

"Ahhhh" Naomi's hand suddenly felt like fire, she let the doll roll out of it and smack down onto the ground. It had burned her, like acid. The smooth white skin on her palm was now marked red.

Figure the rest out all by yourself. The doll taunted. It had a sweet childlike voice but it wasn't fooling anyone.

"It burned me." Naomi said showing her hand to Ayumi. Ayumi kicked the doll away in anger. "Are you okay? Does it still hurt?" Ayumi grabbed her hand and inspected it concerned.

Naomi nodded biting her tongue, "Yes it burns a little still."

Ayumi went to each of the showers and tried to turn them on, she hoped water would help the pain but each time she was met with an obnoxious squeaking sound and no result. "I'm sorry Nakashima none of these are working, is there anything else I can do?"

Naomi held her hand and jabbed her nails into another part of her arm to draw the pain away. "No let's just do what it says and figure this out, the pain will pass soon."

There was another door in the locker room, as they approached a familiar sound could be heard from behind it. Ayumi pushed it open and both of the girls were instantly soaked. "It's raining."

"We're outside." Naomi said. They both had to say these very obvious things out loud, just to reassure themselves. Naomi put out her hand and let the cold rain hit it. The cooling effect was magnificent.

Ayumi let out her own hand which was now bloody, her nose had started bleeding, she tried to wash it away with the rainwater. Naomi noticed and turned to her, "What's happening are you alright?"

"My head hurts a bit...I'm okay though." Ayumi placed a hand on her head trying to force the pain away. 'Please stop I really can't deal with this right now.' Ignoring the pain and the nose bleed she took in her surroundings. The big pool was filled up with grotesque coloured water and stretched so far she couldn't see the other side. Ayumi noticed Naomi cupping her hand's together to try to gather some rainwater and did the same. "Come one Nakashima let's go around."

At the other side of the pool Naomi was the first to notice the key lodged underneath one of the tiles. "Pump room" she read aloud.

"That should be close by." Ayumi said taking a look at the key. Surely enough it was, the key snapped on impact. They entered the room moving closer together trying to absorb each others body heat. "The rain, it's freezing out there." Said Naomi. "And not much better in here." Ayumi said hugging herself.

"I can barely see anything It's so dark in here." Naomi said taking a risky step forward. They made their way around the room until they found the drainage valve. It took both of their combined strength to turn the rusted old wheel.

"How's your hand?" Ayumi asked while they left the room. "mm better I suppose, still stings a little." Ayumi mentally cursed at the doll, she secretly felt bad she wasn't the one holding it.

"Oh my god" Naomi blurted out with hers eyes widened. Now with the murky water gone they could see the that the pool was filled with bodies, way too many bodies all spread out like they were on display.

"This is horrible." Ayumi said walking to the edge. She took a deep breath and hesitantly climbed down the ladder. "Nakashima I think there might be something in this grate." Ayumi leaned down the wet ground making her knees feel uncomfortably sticky. She could hear Naomi walking up beside her. While she fished whatever it was out Naomi walked around her looking at the bodies of this school's poor victims. 'How horrible' she thought. Just before she was about to turn round to Ayumi one in particular caught her eye, one at the very end that was barely visible from where she was standing. Naomi took a few steps forward eyeing the corpse suspiciously. There was something about it that was- "Got it." Ayumi said triumphantly standing up to show Naomi.

Naomi turned to her. "Good, what is it?"

"Some sort of handle I think."

Naomi gave it a closer look. "Looks like a valve wheel. We could see if it works up there." She pointed up at the large faucet at the top of the pool.

"Worth a shot, nice thinking Nakashima. Let's quickly check up here first." Ayumi motioned to the centre ladder leading up to the separated chunk of walkway. As she walked she averted her eyes away from the corpses.

At the top of the ladder was a note, drenched but by some miracle legible. Ayumi started to read it out loud. "I removed the wheel from the water pump-" As she read the word's started to fade, the rain water made the ink run heavily down the paper and spill onto the ground, Ayumi was holding it lightly but her smallest movement tore it apart easy. On the part she still held words started to appear I said figure it out by yourself bitch. Except the word 'bitch' didn't appear it was already there, the only remaining word of the original letter. The girls flinched and Ayumi dropped the paper in disgust. "Screw you murderer" She shouted at no one.

Naomi shook her head at it also in disgust. "At least we know my faucet theory is probably correct."

"Unless that's what he wants us to think." Ayumi sighed and relented. "Not like we have a choice though."

They made their way out of the pool and trudged towards the faucet. "It's not going to work, there's nowhere for this handle to go." Ayumi said disappointed.

"Maybe we're at the wrong valve." Naomi suggested. And with that they trudged over to the pump room again.

"Ugh I hate this room." Ayumi announced upon entering the pump room.

"Hey class-rep this says water pump." Naomi held out her hand and Ayumi passed the valve to her and watched her struggle to turn it all the way around. "I can't get it any farther, but it moved so it could've worked."

"I hope so." They made their way out of the pump room and stood at the edge of the empty pool ready to head down. "Ahhh" Ayumi felt a hard pressure on her back and fell painfully down to the bottom of the pool. She sat up instinctively grabbing at her now sore nose. She heard Naomi plop down the ladder beside her. "Are you okay? what happened!?"

Ayumi fought back tears. "I was pushed!" She eyed Naomi suspectedly.

"Pushed how could-" She noticed Ayumi's stare. "Class-rep I didn't push you."

"Then who the hell did?!" Ayumi shouted at her.

"How the hell would I know!"

"Maybe because YOU PUSHED ME" Ayumi yelled back at her, she wasn't sure why. If she were to think back on this later she would think to herself 'that was a strong push, there's no way Naomi would have been able to push me that hard' but this was right now in the moment and the constant ache you feel when your body has just hit something short of solid concrete at a very high speed was all that was on Ayumi's mind.

The girls argued back and forward, Ayumi in pain and Naomi offended by the sudden accusations and distrust. They both failed to notice the red liquid pouring out of the faucets right into the pool they were standing in.

"WHY WOULD I PUSH YOU!?" Naomi yelled.

"I DON'T KNOW MAYBE BECAUSE YOU HATE ME!?"

"WHY WOULD I HATE YOU!?"

"I DON'T KNOWWWW!" Ayumi stopped shouting and looked at her knees, they were now cold and wet from more than rain. Naomi looked down at her feet, the red liquid was making its way over her shoes. "Blood?" Ayumi said quietly. They both turned to the faucet which was now spitting out blood at an alarming rate. And it wasn't just there, the blood was seeping through the cracks at the sides. The pool began to fill.

Naomi went at Ayumi and pulled her up. "Come on class-rep we have to go!" Naomi grabbed onto the ladder and put her first foot onto it.

"Wait! I have to check!?" Ayumi ignored her pained knees and sprinted towards the spigot splashing through the blood as she did. The top of the bag was the only part not drowned by the blood when she got there. She picked it up and held it in front of herself. "Tokiko" She read from the label. "This is it."

"Come on hurry!" Naomi shouted now at the centre of the pool waiting for Ayumi. She ran towards her and they sprinted to the ladder. The blood was at their ankles now. Naomi once again grabbed onto the ladder and started to climb.

*Clink*

The top of the ladder broke away from the wall and hurtled back down throwing Naomi into the blood and crushing her.

"Nakashima!" Ayumi shouted, the ladder had barely missed her. She grabbed onto it and pulled it to the side with much exertion. She bent down and grabbed Naomi's arms. Naomi was coughing and sputtering but managed to get to her feet. Daze she asked, "what happened?" "It broke It Just broke!?" Ayumi sputtered out.

They turned around and ran to the adjacent ladder. This time it fell before they got there. "Watch out!" Naomi yelled pulling Ayumi back, the ladder landed with a splash at their feet drenching their clothes and splattering all over their faces.

"Ugh NO!" Ayumi groaned. They ran to the next ladder. It broke, they ran to the next. The blood was right below their skirts now and still rising. "Is there even any use?" Naomi said dejectedly putting one hand on the side of the ladder. The answer appeared to be no. The final usable ladder crashed down in front of them. They both put their hands up this time to cover themselves from the blood.

It was at their waists now. "NO GOD NO SOMEBODY HELP ME PLEASE!" Ayumi screamed running around in a circle panicking and looking for another way out. She ran at the wall. "We can climb! We can climb!" She ran at it and started scratching and clawing as high as she could reach, she was much too short to reach the top.

Naomi just stood there and watched, panting heavily. She trudged awkwardly through the blood which constricted their movements greatly. Ripples formed around her with each pull. She got to Ayumi. "Class-rep calm down I'll boost you up and then you can help me up okay?"

"Okay" Ayumi said in sob. Naomi got into position cupping her hands so Ayumi could step on them. Ayumi tried but the blood was already just below their chest and it was near impossible to lift her feet up out of the blood and into Naomi's too high up hand. She still tried, desperately grabbing at Naomi's shoulders. "Your shoulders" she said out loud. "I could climb on top of them."

"Do it!" Naomi cried. Ayumi got her foot on Naomi's shoulder and was almost able to reach up but the rain and the blood made everything too slippy to grip, she fell back and went straight under. "Class-rep!" The blood went up more until it was neck length with Naomi. She held her breath and went under arising a few seconds later with the flailing Ayumi in hand. They grabbed onto each other and screamed. "Swim! We have to swim!" Naomi said.

"No don't let go." Ayumi cried out.

"You know how to swim I know you do! Come on." Ayumi turned to Naomi, they still had hold of each other. She nodded and they let go. It wasn't going to be easy. The blood was thick. Each time they tried to take a stroke forward it was like they were pushing themselves back.

'Come on you can do this Ayumi' Ayumi thought to herself determined not to let this be how she died. She finally started to make some progress almost reaching the edge. Then out of nowhere there was a corpse, one that had floated up face first. It was like most corpses were in this place, bloody and wrecked with open wounds. This one had broken, no not broken-shattered bones. It was a brutal sight. What was worse was this particular corpse wasn't a stranger. "Ms Yui! nononono, ahH" Ayumi was about to let out an ear piercing scream when her whole body went under.

Naomi who had somehow managed to grab hold of the edge at the side of the pool stared on in horror. The pool should have been still but waves splashed around as if this was an ocean, like someone had turned a wave machine on in a public swimming pool. Blood surged forward making its way into her open mouth. She spat it out in disgust and pulled herself up. She sat up weakly and looked out onto the blood filled pool. She was crying openly just waiting for Ayumi to appear. Naomi knew if she went back in there she'd die. She was at a loss. "CLASS-REP" she screamed. She pushed herself back away from the edge of the pool a few paces and lay on her side just crying and letting the rain hit her.

"NAKASHIMA HELP!" Her head darted up. She stood up and instantly slipped but stood up again and scrambled from the left side of the pool to the top. Ayumi had made it back up but couldn't quite reach the edge, especially not with Ms Yui's body floating into her. Naomi dropped down and outstretched her hands, Ayumi grabbed them and almost pulled her in but she kept her balance. She pulled her up and the two collapsed beside each other, their feet at the edge. They cried and they grabbed onto each other not caring that they had never been that close before. Yui's corpse sank back down.

They stayed there a while too long, it was freezing and as soon as the adrenaline started to die down the temperature became harder to ignore. Naomi put her hand in front of her face, the rain had washed a lot of the red off her skin but it would surely stain her clothes for life.

Ayumi sat up, she was shaking violently either from cold or fear or both. "Nakashima we should go inside."

Naomi didn't say anything but she stood up with Ayumi and they made their way back into the locker room. There was a gasp from both of them as they entered. There in front of them was the little ghost girl from earlier, the one with the missing eye. They had already returned her tongue but they still stood wary in case she hadn't been fully appeased.

"Hello" She said, her voice was soft like you would expect from a child.

The girls stared at her blankly and Ayumi suddenly remembered how to speak, "You're Yuki right?" She took a step forward.

Yuki nodded, her expression was still sorrowful. "You helped me so I came to check on you, are you both alright?"

"Not exactly" Ayumi said honestly, she was the furthest from alright she had ever been in this place.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Is all Yuki had to say. They both just stared at her. "You're trying to appease all of us...?"

"Yes we plan to appease all of you, if we do that we can leave right?" Ayumi asked.

Yuki looked at her solemnly. "I have to thank you for making the effort to help those of us who were killed in this school. But It...won't be enough...what you're doing it won't be enough."

Ayumi tilted her head up and gave a startled expression. "What do you mean. Why not? We're giving you your voices back...and we even got your murderer to repent."

"There's more too it. Us, the tortured souls who were murdered here, we're the ones holding this place together. The agony that feeds off of us makes us the perfect cogs to hold it all together." Yuki explained to the two bewildered looking girls.

"Did you bring us here?" Naomi asked finally deciding to speak up.

"No." Yuki answered quickly. "Like I said...we're being forced to hold this place together, but it is not our space and we do not bring anyone here."

"Then who..." Ayumi said softly feeling her energy sink lower and lower. "Why won't what we're doing be enough!?" She sounded frustrated.

"It's the repentance...It's not enough." Yuki's tone stayed the same, soft and scared.

"Why!? Can you not forgive him?" Ayumi was practically begging for an answer now.

"That's not it." Yuki said slowly.

Ayumi was forced to ask more questions. "Then why won't the repentance be good enough? Why won't it work? Tell us please."

Yuki stood silent for a moment while she thought things over. Finally she said, "Okay...It's not easy to remember but I can tell...even show you everything." Yuki walked over to Ayumi and took her hand. That was the last thing she saw before her head started to pound and she passed out.


Ayumi heard crying, right in her ear. The loud sobs of scared and confused children. Not just any children, the ghost children the ones that were murdered. Except very much alive. They like Ayumi were tied at the hands and feet. She was the only one who wasn't blindfolded. A large man towered over the bodies, laid out one by one right next to each other. The cry's were deafening, the constriction was sickening, the unsureness of it all was petrifying...and the murders were brutal. In order she heard him say. Despite her resistance he blindfolded Ayumi, she could hear one by one the children who were set out before her being carved up and mutilated. Her ears hurt from the screams and her head hurt from the fear. She figured it out, this was it...the murders. 'But why show me this? What does this have to do with repentance. Yuki stop this!'

The scream's were too much, she just wanted it to end and finally they did. But after the relief of silence she remembered. She was next. The killer spared no time, Ayumi was grabbed by the hair and pulled up forcefully into a sitting position. He wanted her to see, he was taking off the blindfold. But...it wasn't him.

Ayumi's eyes widened to an unsettling degree as what she saw before her was the furthest from what she could have expected to see. The killer...the one covered in the blood of her victims was the little girl. The one from the article. 'No...you're the victim how can it be you?!' Ayumi didn't have the strength to say these words out loud. As if she had heard the little girl, the fourth victim Sachiko Shinozaki started to laugh. It was a small giggle that turned into a menacing cackle 'She's enjoying this...' Ayumi thought in disgust. The man she thought to be the murderer was trembling in the corner of the room, making noises sporadically all while Sachiko mocked Ayumi with the scissors, closing and opening them again and again.

Then came the pain. Sachiko brought the scissors down on Ayumi's left eye and stabbed at it repeatedly until there was nothing left. It was Ayumi's turn to scream. She wanted to die it hurt so bad and it just kept going never relenting the pain never relented! "Nooooooo!"


Ayumi was still screaming and crying begging Sachiko not to kill her, even when she was brought back to reality. She was in the locker room again, no longer tied down, she had both her eyes. There was no real pain but what she had experienced lingered like it had really happened to her and not to Yuki.

"Class-rep!" Naomi was repeating. Ayumi who was on her knees almost fell forward face first, she put her hand out when she was barely a few inches away from the floor, she coughed and spat, saliva dripped down and she did her best to wipe it away. Naomi rubbed her back while she gathered herself. "It's okay." Naomi said. "What happened?"

Ayumi let out another large moan before pushing herself up. "I was there...I saw everything." Naomi stared at her expectantly and hung on every word. "It wasn't him, we had the wrong guy."

"Then who-?" Naomi started. "It was the girl...the little girl from the newspaper, Sachiko Shinozaki. We thought she was the victim but we were wrong. She's far from it." Ayumi breathed in and out heavily. Naomi still had her hand on her back but she was motionless.

"The doll...who does it belong to if not the murderer?" Was the first question Naomi asked. Ayumi swallowed, "An accomplice, and a terrified one at that. I saw him shivering in the corner while she was..." Ayumi didn't want to say anything along the lines of 'Killing me'. Ayumi spoke directly to Yuki, "We're going to finish this Yuki, we'll exorcise all of you."

"I...appreciate that...I have to warn you first. The foundations of this school are standing very thin. Your interference so far has already started to merge the spaces together. Thing's from one are starting to sift into others, and that's not all good. There's not enough room for everything in the same space. And that doesn't just mean the physical, that means the souls and the pain are merging together too. And unfortunately that will take a toll, on me especially, you see this school is stronger than my mind. The pain will start to chew away at me again and It's likely that at any time I'll revert back to my old state. I might try to hurt you. With that said, I wish you the best."

Ayumi and Naomi stared at her with sad eyes. "Thank you...Yuki." Ayumi said standing up.

Yuki suddenly looked surprised. "Another earthquake." She muttered The girls barely heard her. "What? now?" Naomi asked. They waited but nothing happened. They looked at each other and then to Yuki in confusion. Yuki almost smiled, "Thank you, both of you and I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help. Just remember for Sachiko to feel remorse you have to appeal to her humanity, purify her soul. And...next time you see me, run." With that Yuki was gone.

"What about the doll?" Naomi said to Ayumi. Ayumi looked over at it, "I don't think we need it anymore..." There were no complaints about leaving it behind. Naomi unconsciously rubbed the burn mark on her hand. "Come on, we can't waste any time." Ayumi said, they headed out of the locker room determined.

"Naomi?" A familiar voice called at her. They both could've dropped to their knees right then and there. After everything they had been through, all to see their friends again here was their reward. Seiko and Satoshi standing here in the flesh right in front of them. Naomi couldn't contain herself, tears streamed down her face, her and Seiko ran up to and hugged each other tightly both talking over each other about how much they had missed one another.

Ayumi walked forward a bit and watched as Satoshi came up to her, Ayumi let him hug her, "Glad you're both okay." He said to her softly. Ayumi hugged him back and cried. It was a friend hug clearly, followed with a soft pat on the back but Ayumi was still completely taken over by it the, the feeling was exactly what she needed. They let go and Satoshi switched his hug to Naomi.

Seiko wiped away a tear and smiled at Ayumi. "Ha what's up class-rep, you're looking well." Ayumi smiled back, "Thanks but I'm not feeling it." "Don't blame you." Seiko said before they exchanged a hug.

Soon they were all sitting down in small circle, it was time to catch everyone up. Ayumi had the most to say, it ranged from :we caused the earthquakes to the little girl in the red dress is actually the murderer to the closed spaces are breaking down to we've spent most of our times searching for tongue's and so on. The new's of Ms Yui had to be shared too, they all gave a mournful minute of silence. Ayumi started to cry silently, she was going to miss her so much. "Hey, Ms Yui was a great teacher, she would have wanted us to get out..." Satoshi said mostly to Ayumi. She nodded and stifled her tears.

"We found this too." Satoshi said holding out Yoshiki's student ID. Ayumi's stomach turned, if something happened to anyone else because of her she didn't know what she'd do. "Where was it?" She asked.

"Outside of the infirmary...where all the blood was." Seiko said sounding uneasy.

"Oh god." Naomi said. "We saw the blood... but this wasn't there."

"That's good, maybe he dropped it after whatever caused the blood stain happened, which means it had nothing to do with him." Seiko said sounding hopeful.

Satoshi pocketed the ID, "You're right and anyway I'm not going to assume the worst, anything could have happened." They gave each other awkward glances.

"So tongues...that's what you've been looking for?" Seiko sounded grossed out at the idea.

"Yeah. We thought we needed two more but now I don't know what we'll need to appease Sachiko." Instinctively Ayumi grabbed at the tongue bag in her pocket for confirmation it was there, but she felt nothing. 'No I was holding it wasn't I?' Ayumi started patting herself down frantically. "No no please No."

"What is it what's wrong!?" Naomi asked, she was exhausted, neither of them could take much more of anything so the panic in her voice was evident.

Ayumi sobbed. "It's not here it's gone, It's...it's in the pool." She said realising the sad truth. Naomi put her face in her hand's. The other's watched them with dread. "So we go get it." Satoshi said with courage. "But the pool, if the blood's still there...It's not something you can swim in Satoshi." Naomi said with a sort of sharpness in her voice. "We could drain it." Ayumi suggested. Naomi thought it over, "Okay but what if it drains the bag too." Ayumi rubbed her face, "I don't know but we don't have a choice we need that bag." They had went through so much to get it, the thought of it lying back down there at the bottom of the blood covered, corpse filled pool which contained the remains of their own teacher made Ayumi more than just sad, but angry too. She stood up and the others did the same.

"It's okay we can get it we just have to..." Ayumi stopped herself, Satoshi and Seiko were staring behind her and Naomi with wide eyes. "Look." Seiko said pointing.

Behind them was a monster. Ayumi recognised him. It was the man who blindfolded her in Yuki's vision, but he was different now, dead for sure. A terrifying walking corpse with no life left in him. "Run!" Seiko shouted. All simultaneously Naomi and Ayumi turned to run and Satoshi and Seiko were grabbed violently from behind by none other than the last ghost girl who's tongue they had just lost, the one with no head. She was very small but had a tight grip, Satoshi and Seiko were trapped. Instead of running Ayumi and Naomi stopped but before they could do anything to help their friend's the monster Yoshikazu was on them.

All four of them were dragged away. Sachiko observed happily.