ALOHA readers! I come to you with another chapter. I would like to thank Rangerforever6 for giving me a rather amazing idea which I shall be using later on in the story! *clapping* Please review and comment
While I'd been asleep, John, Bou and Ayako had already set up the cameras around the house, so there wasn't much left for me to do apart from make tea for Naru, and whoever else wanted it until I went to bed. I got a bit of homework done, but to be honest, I wasn't really in the mood for homework. I couldn't concentrate.
It's hard, having to keep my grades up when I work so much, but I don't mind. I love it here. I love everyone here, even Madoka. These people are my family and I treasure them with all I have. I don't know what I'd do without them anymore.
At around 11:30, we all decided that it was time for bed. Naru and Lin had decided that they would sleep in the base, in case anything happened on the monitors.
When we reached our rooms, I retreat to my room and got ready for bed. I changed into my oversized top that Bou had given to me. It was left over from one of Bou's bands concerts, and he thought it would make a nice present.
I also put on some sweats and tied my hair into a small ponytail before grabbing my wash bag and knocking on the door that connected our two rooms.
"Can I come in?" I asked through the door.
"Yes" I heard Masako say. I pushed down the handle and opened the door.
"Can I use your bathroom?" I asked. "I don't want to go to the one downstairs."
"Of course you can Mai." Ayako mumbled sleepily from underneath the covers. "But could you hurry up. I need to get my beauty sleep."
I smiled to myself. Typical Ayako. I wandered over to the bathroom, went in and locked the door.
I turned on the hot water tap, put in the plug and let the hot water run. I sat on the side of the bath and stared at my reflection in the mirror but it was all steamed up from the hot water. Droplets of water were running down the surface of the mirror, making it look like I was crying.
I decided that the sink was full enough and turned the tap off. I got my flannel and face wash out of my wash bag and enjoyed the hot water.
I was going to have a shower, but I decided that I was too tired so I was going to have one in the morning instead.
I left my wash bag in there, seeing no point in taking it back to my room when I'd probably be using this bathroom the whole time anyway. I didn't fancy the idea of going downstairs on my own to use the bathroom. It probably isn't used very much. There were probably spiders everywhere! I am terrified of spiders. Naru keeps telling me that it's an irrational fear, but they're just so creepy!
I bid goodnight to Masako and Ayako before returning to my room. I jumped on the bed and pulled the fluffy covers over myself, ready for a good night's sleep, although I highly doubted that was going to happen.
My eyes shot open. Something had woken me up, but what? I sat up in bed and looked around. It was still dark, but the moon cast a silvery glow over everything through the thin cotton curtains.
A cold chill seemed to slither into my bones as goose bumps appeared on my bare flesh. My breath was visible in the air around me and tiny crystals of frost embedded themselves onto the inside of the window.
"Have you missed me Shiori?" I heard a hateful voice sneer from behind me. I felt a single tear roll down my cheek out of pure terror. I felt my hair being grabbed and yanked upwards, drawing a sharp gasp from my lungs. My toes curled and I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to accept that this was real. Please let this be a dream!
I tried to call for help, but no words were coming out.
"Why did you come back? I THOUGHT I'D ALREADY GOTTEN RID OF YOU! YOU STUPID BITCH!" She screamed, before drawing a razor sharp knife to my throat.
The tears were coming out in waterfalls now and I began to hyperventilate. There was a loud knocking coming from the door that led to Ayako's room, along with lots of yelling, although I couldn't quite work out what they were saying. I also heard lots of people running up the stairs. They sounded like they were in a hurry.
All of a sudden, I found my voice again.
"I'm not Shiori! I'm Mai! Just leave me alon-"She pressed the knife harder into my throat and I felt a warm liquid drip down my neck.
"Oh be quiet. I can't concentrate of killing you when you're going on like that." She slipped her hand around my waist and sharply dug her fingernails into my stomach. I screamed. It felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside.
I heard more shouting and yelling, along with what I think could have been chanting.
I heard a shrill whistle as two figures appeared from under the door. It was Lin's shiki. The ghost released me from her grip and I fell sideways onto the cold floor, completely limp and void of all energy. I felt drained.
I vaguely remember hearing a door being broken down and people rushing over to me. Someone was shaking me, but I was so tired. I just wanted to sleep. I like sleep…
Lin POV
I was sat downstairs in the base, watching the monitors. I think I was beginning to doze off when I got a bad feeling. Naru was asleep on the sofa. He didn't want to, but I forced him by threatening to ring his parents and tell them he hasn't been getting enough rest.
My shiki were becoming restless and the hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end. Something wasn't right. All of a sudden, one of the temperature monitor's started to beep loudly.
Naru jolted awake and sat up, taking a few seconds to get his bearings.
"Nar-" I began.
"Which room is it?" He asked. His voice had a worried tone to it that he never let anyone else hear.I turned my head back to the monitor's and looked at whose room had triggered the alert.
Room 8. Mai's room.
Naru was looking at the screen over my shoulder.
"Shit." he swore under his breath, bolting out of the base towards the stairs. "Lin, go and get the others." He yelled over his shoulder before ascending up the stairs three at a time.
I followed behind him but stopped at the second floor and ran down the corridor to the room Takigawa and the others were staying in. I knocked on the door.
"Hey! Wake up!" I yelled through the door. There was some shuffling about and I heard a loud thump, as well as some whispering. The door creaked open slowly to reveal a very scruffy looking Takigawa. He was wearing a pair of grey sweats and blue tee shirt.
"You do realise it's 3 in the mornin-"
"There was a sever temperature drop in Mai's room." He was out of the door before I'd finished the sentence. John and Yasu followed closely behind.
When we go to Mai's room, Naru was trying to break the door down by ramming into it with his shoulder.
"Dammit! Mai! Mai, can you hear me?" he shouted urgently. There was no reply. Bou immediately began reciting one of his Buddhist chants.
"Noomaku sanmanda bazaradan…"
Then Mai screamed. It was a heart wrenching scream that was filled with pain which made all of us flinch.
Naru went silent for a minute, just staring at the door, a look of complete helplessness on his face.
I decided that it was time to call upon my shiki for help as a last resort. I blew my whistle and they slid under the door to get rid of the evil spirit. I hoped they were strong enough.
Naru slammed against the door with his shoulder again, this time breaking the door down. He was going to have a bruise tomorrow. It landed on the ground with a loud bang.
We ran in, only to see Mai lying face down on the floor next to the bed, in two small pools of blood. One underneath her abdomen and the other underneath her neck, where the blood continued to drip from a small cut.
I ran over to her as Ayako and Masako ran in from the door joining the two rooms.
"We couldn't get in." Ayako said.
"I know." I replied. "The spirit was using a spiritual force to keep the doors closed so we couldn't get in."
She looked around the room, her eyes finally settling on Mai's limp form on the ground next to me.
"Oh god!" she said, kneeling down next to Mai. She rolled her onto her side, so that she was in the recovery position.
Ayako looked at the blood on the floor, and then at Mai's stomach and neck. She lifted up Mai's shirt to reveal four painful looking puncture wounds.
"Does anyone have something I could use to apply pressure to the wounds?" Yasu quickly peeled off the sweatshirt he was wearing and handed it over.
"It was getting too small anyway." he said as Ayako pressed it onto the unconscious girls stomach, causing her to stir slightly, but not wake up.
"Lin, could you carry her into our room?" she asked me. I took her in my arms and held her securely next to my chest. I stood up and walked into their room, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. Ayako walked in and retrieved her kit from a suitcase that was under one of the double beds.
I placed Mai on the spare bed at the end of the room and got out of the way to let Ayako get to work.
"Honestly! This girl is going to be the death of me!" I heard Ayako mumble in a motherly fashion. I agreed. Mai was certainly going to be the death of us all, but we didn't mind.
I walked over to the others.
"How is she?" John asked, wringing his hands.
"She has four puncture wounds in her stomach and a small cut on the neck. Neither looked too deep, or not deep enough to damage anything important, so I think she'll be fine.
Masako sat down on one of the beds and exhaled deeply, as if she'd been holding her breath the entire time. Takigawa was sat on the floor with his back against a wall and his head in his hands. Naru was running his fingers through his hair, which I knew was a sign of worry. The last time he did it was when he was informed that gene had gone missing.
"You guys should probably leave now. The cuts aren't that bad but she's going to need a few stitches so unless you want to watch, I suggest you leave now."