"All right everyone calm down." Satoshi was at the front of the classroom playing the roll of the mediator. People were scared, they had saw what Sachiko was capable of and they weren't exactly sure they could hide from her. All of the ten remaining students had ended up together, they made their way into one of the classrooms and hid there in silence until they were sure they were safe. Now there was the question of what to do next.
"Calm down, you kidding?!" Kai shouted to the front of the room, he was leaning nonchalantly on one of the tables with his arms folded. "That crazy bitch is still trying to kill us and there's no way out."
"That's not necessarily true." Satoshi said, he was a born public speaker. "My friend's Shinozaki and Naomi met with the paranormalist, the one that posted the charm we all did that brought us here. She as well as one of the victims, the little girl Yuki Kanno both explained to them methods of escape." He looked at Ayumi who stood up beside him.
"And how can we be so sure she's one of the victims? I mean we thought that red dress was one." Kai asked.
"Because I saw it." Ayumi spoke up, Satoshi had metaphorically passed the mic to her.
"Saw it?" Kai asked skeptically.
"Yuki Kanno showed me what happened with a vision."
Kai looked at her like she was insane and others just gave each other puzzled glances.
Ayumi ignored them and continued. "If we want to get out of here and go home I think our first course of action would be to get the tongue and appease the final ghost child."
"That's what was in the bag right?" Mitsuki asked. "So it's in the stage room?"
"Yes...we'll have to go back there to get it." Ayumi said with a hint of nervousness.
"All of us?" Yuka asked.
"No." Ayumi started on another speech. "That's not the only thing we need so here's what I'm suggesting." She picked up a piece of old chalk and went to the board behind her. "We split up into groups. What we know we need so far is the tongue." She wrote that down. "So I'd say we need at least two volunteers to go back to the Auditorium and retrieve it. But we also need to appease Sachiko." She wrote that down and circled it. "So we'll need volunteers to do some digging on that. I think we should send another party to the infirmary to gather thing's not only in case of emergencies but right now we already have one injury." She looked at Kishinuma's hand so everyone understood. "That will need rubbing alcohol and bandages which I'm hoping will be there, and like I say these things might come in handy later."
"You mean if she tries to kill us again?" Kai said blandly pretending to not be paying attention.
"Precisely." Ayumi said acting like she wasn't bothered by his comments. "Anyone have anything else to add so far?"
"Oh me and Mochida found a tape." Seiko said holding it up.
"Yeah and we heard TV static coming inside the room with the red door. That might have some use if we can get in there and play it." Satoshi added.
Ayumi turned and wrote that on the board.
"I have a key." Yuka said gathering everyone's attention, she held up the red key.
"Custodians closet" Satoshi read off it. "What do you bet this is it."
Seiko laughed out loud. "Yuka you genius." Yuka smiled and handed Seiko the key. "And another thing" Everyone looked at her expectantly. "There's another wing." That got everyone's attention, even Kai looked up. "I woke up there so I don't know how to get to it..."
"It's probably out the exit way." Naomi said. "And that's been locked since we got here."
"Then we'll find a way through." Ayumi said writing this on the board. She calculated in her head and summed it all up. "Okay so the tongue, the tape, the infirmary and the second wing. There is 10 of us, maybe two of us could go in pairs and two in groups of three."
Everyone looked at each other nervously. "Unless anyone has a better idea." Yoshiki said.
No arguments there. "Okay then." Satoshi started. Ayumi had her chalk at the ready. "Who want's to volunteer for what?" No one said anything. Satoshi sighed, "Okay I'll start then, I'll go with someone to the auditorium for the tongue bag."
Naomi hesitated before speaking up, "I'll go with you." Ayumi flinched and Seiko smirked with one raised eyebrow.
Ayumi swallowed. "Okay then...Mochida and Nakashima to the Auditorium." She wrote it down.
"I want to go too. I want to stay together" Yuka said. "I agree we'll stay together." Satoshi nodded.
"I'll go to the second wind." Morishige said. If Mayu wasn't anywhere to be found here that be the place to look.
"Yeah I'll go to." Yoshiki added. Morishige nodded at him.
"You sure you're alright to go with your hand like that?" Satoshi questioned, genuinely concerned. "Yeah I'll find something to wrap it with before I go."
Ayumi put it on the chalkboard. "Shinohara, since you've got the tape why don't you and I go to the custodians closet together."
"All good with me." She said smiling, adding "I know you really just want some quality time with me." Ayumi ignored that and wrote it on the board. "Okay last is the infirmary." She looked at Kai and Mitsuki.
"Hmph, who said I'm volunteering for anything." Kai said arrogantly. "Fine stay here yourself then, I'm going." Mitsuki said giving him a distasteful stare. "Phf, fine whatever." He said rolling his eyes.
"What about you Nana? Who'd you want to go with?" Ayumi asked. Everyone had been avoiding eye contact with Nana, scared she was going to freak out after seeing the only friend she had left here die. Kai was worried she was going to go all 'Ohkawa' on them and start attacking things. "Um' I'll go with Yuka." Yuka smiled at her.
Ayumi wrote it down. "That's everyone. Guess we're doing this."
No one looked pleased about it. They were all exhausted. "How about we get settled and ready for 10 minutes?" Satoshi suggested. There were nods of agreement. They all split up to different parts of the room.
...
Yoshiki and Morishige were talking in the back near the door. "Kishinuma?" Morishige said.
"What's up?"
Morishige gave Kishinuma a serious look. "Sachiko said everyone was there...but yet there was no sign of Mayu, or Ms Yui for that fact." Yoshiki listened in silence with his eyes cast down. "What do you make of that?"
"Um I..." He was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth to speak.
"Maybe I should ask around, see if any of the new people have saw her."
Yoshiki swallowed. "Eh yeah sure good idea." He felt sick.
"You should really do something about that hand by the way." Morishige said wandering off. Yoshiki looked at it, it still hurt like hell. He thought about Mayu and how stupid it was not to tell Morishige. In his growing frustration he dug his nails into his open wound.
"You okay?" Satoshi said coming over. Yoshiki flinched and uncurled his hands. "Yeah I'm good." Satoshi didn't look convinced. "Um here." He handed Yoshiki something for him to wrap his wound in. "Ripped my shirt up a little, just at the back though, its barely noticeable with the blazer on."
Yoshiki nodded appreciatively "Thanks."
Satoshi smiled, "It's good to see you in one piece...I actually wanted to thank you."
"Oh yeah?"
"Ha, yeah...for what you did back there. You saved Yuka y'know." Satoshi said gratefully.
"Oh, no problem I just...wish I had acted sooner." Both of them looked down sadly, the horrors that took place in the auditorium would stick with them for the rest of their lives.
Satoshi perked up, remembering something. "Your ID, I have it. Me and Shinohara found it outside the infirmary."
Yoshiki smiled back, "No way must've dropped it when I was..." he stopped himself before he accidentally revealed anything about the black mist. "Walking." He finished awkwardly.
"Ha, no offense man but you can be a real klutz." Satoshi joked. Yoshiki laughed back. "Yeah well I have my reasons."
Satoshi grew serious again. "I hate to be the one to have to tell you but. He shook his head. "It's Ms Yui she's dead. Shinozaki and Naomi saw." Yoshiki let out a noise.
"I'm sorry you okay?" Satoshi asked. "Yeah, um god that's awful. Poor Ms Yui." Yoshiki said sounding distant.
"Yeah." Satoshi agreed. "Look Satoshi, um I'll tell Morishige okay? It's just they two were together earlier and he's been looking for her. So let me handle it?"
"Oh yeah okay, If that's what you want."
"Big brother." Satoshi turned to Yuka. "I need to talk to you. In private." She whispered the last part.
"Hmm okay." He turned back to Yoshiki. "Talk to you before we go."
"Alright." Yoshiki gave a light nod. He rubbed his face. If Morishige found out Ms Yui was dead and that's the reason she wasn't at the Auditorium it wouldn't be hard for him to deduct the same about Mayu. Yoshiki felt sick, he didn't mean it but he was digging himself in deeper.
...
Yuka pulled Satoshi away. "What is is Yuka?"
Yuka looked at him nervously. "Um it's just..." She gave a glance to the Byakudan students. To what was left of them. "In the other part of the school, I met loads of nice people, they helped me and...they had the same uniform as them on." She motioned to Kai and Mitsuki. "But stuff happened...and they all." Yuka couldn't finish but Satoshi got the message. "I think we should tell them." She added.
Satoshi absorbed that information and sighed, "God...I guess you're right. Come on let's get it over with."
...
Yoshiki stood trapped in his own spiraling thoughts. 'If I had been good enough she wouldn't have died and none of this would be a problem.'
"Are you okay Kishinuma?" Ayumi stood in front of him. "You look down. Does it hurt still?"
He was a little caught off guard, he hadn't properly spoken to her since before the earthquake. He wanted her to know how happy he was to see her but didn't think she'd appreciate it. "Hey...Shinozaki..." He suddenly remembered she had asked a question. "Oh yeah it does hurt a bit but really it's not that bad." That was a lie, it was excruciating.
"Oh you looked like you were in pain." Ayumi grabbed his hand and inspected it.
Yoshiki let a blush slip. "I...Satoshi gave me this." he held up the shred of clothing. "I was just going to wrap it up."
"That was nice of him." Ayumi was thinking about how thoughtful Satoshi was. Without asking she took the shred and started wrapping it around the wound.
"Ow that hurts can't you be gentle." He said wincing.
"No I can't be it has to go around tight." She snapped at him.
Yoshiki just grunted.
"You're an idiot you know." She deadpanned.
Yoshiki was startled by her comment. "Huh what?!" What did I do?"
She scoffed at him. "You acted like an idiot is what you did and almost got yourself killed!" She went silent. "I thought she was going to kill you...God just don't do stuff like that you need to think before you speak." She pulled on the end of the clothing tightening it hard one final time. Yoshiki flinched again.
"Shinozaki. ...Sorry."
She didn't acknowledge the apology. "There, that should do you." She looked him in the eyes. "...Be careful."
...
"So you're coming then or not!?" Mitsuki asked Kai sharply.
"Gah just shut up already I'm coming with you."
Mitsuki went silent. "Asshole."
"What you say?!"
Mitsuki turned away from him. Two of her classmates just died and there was no sign of any of her friends, and who does she get stuck with? This rude selfish heartless prick. She sniffed quietly not wanting him to see her upset.
Kai rolled his eyes. "It's like I can't say anything around here." She didn't say anything. "Seriously since when were you supposed to be the sensitive one?!" She stayed silent. "Grr godsake! Sorry okay you think I want to be here either!? ...Let's just do what we have to to get out." Mitsuki made eye contact, with an irritated expression.
"Excuse me" Satoshi said walking up to them with Yuka. They waited for him to speak. He coughed trying to stall. "My sister...she recognizes your uniforms, she says she was with your friends."
Mitsuki looked at Yuka, "When? where are they now? Are they alright?"
The answers would be 'a while ago, dead, please refer back to the second answer.' But Yuka didn't think that those were good answers.
Yuka whimpered. "I'm sorry."
Her face said it all, Mitsuki fell back on to the desk. Her eyes turned bloodshot quickly. "Okay thanks for telling me." She said her voice cracking. Kai looked thoughtful. "All of them?" He thought out loud. Yuka nodded "I think so." She said. 'Even Kizami then huh, good riddance to him.' he thought.
"If there's anything we can do to help." Satoshi offered.
Mitsuki blinked away tears rapidly and put on a brave face. "Just help us get out of here."
Satoshi nodded, and Yuka gave her an apologetic look.
As soon as they were gone Mitsuki turned and walked further into the corner of the room and sobbed to herself. Kai looked at her and then back to the floor pensively.
...
"You watch yourself out there. Wouldn't want anything bad happening to dat ass." Seiko said grabbing at Naomi.
"Seiko stop!" Naomi begged embarrassed.
"Not like I should be worried for ya right? Not with Mochida around." She winked making Naomi blush.
"I don't even know what you're saying."
Seiko laughed at her friend's red face.
"Seiko seriously you be careful too."
"Always am." They hugged each other.
...
Nana watched somewhat across the room as everyone chatted and wished their friends luck. She was alone now. She had found Chihaya's corpse early on. She could only assume the rest of them were dead. She wanted to cry and she wanted to scream but nothing was there. Nari...the way she went. If she ever got out of here what would she tell her parents? It was so cruel. Nana watched Yoshiki, he saved a lot of people and no one was really acknowledging it. She wished he had done what he did earlier, she was sure he did too. Still he may have not been able to save Nari but what he did was brave and admirable. She herself would have been killed eventually had he not did what he did. Nana decided right there if she was to follow anyone here it would be him. Till the bitter end.
God she was lonely. What would she do now she was all alone?
...
...
Satoshi stood at the front of the classroom again. "Okay is everyone ready to go?" There was nods and unenthusiatic 'yes's' and groans. So this room will be the meeting point, and we'll bring whatever we get back here."
"So what this is like our base now?" Mitsuki asked tilting her head.
"I suppose so."
Ayumi came up and rubbed her work off the board, couldn't have Sachiko seeing all their plans. "Right everyone let's do this."
Everyone split off into their groups, said their final goodbyes and good-lucks and headed off.
Sachiko sat in the schools basements leaning her chin on her knees, scratching herself repeatedly. Yoshikazu groaned at her.
"I'm going to assume that was you asking 'why aren't we going after them now?' 'why haven't you went up there and gutted them already?" She spun around and smiled. "Good question idiot." She licked her elbow.
"It wouldn't be any fun if everyone just died like that." She clicked her fingers beside her ear. Or what if they just got lost in the dark and died slowly. No. Boring. They think 'm not actively...whats that word pursing them?" She was trying to say pursuing. "Yeah that, and if they think that they think they have a chance. Because you see..." Sachiko got on her knees and crawled forward. "Giving them 'a chance'" She went on making quotation marks with her hands. "Letting them find 'useful' things...it gives them hope...which gives me a chance to tear it all away."
Yoshikazu grunted again. "I know you're right I am a genius." She was picking at her fingernails lost in thought, planning her next move. She turned around again. On the floor was a hastily drawn child's picture. Sachiko had drawn her own versions of all the remaining students. "Who's next...?" She picked up her red crayon and scribbled over a face.
