Let's see, a gymnastics squad butchered, five familiar faces diced, and now Kuno and Kodachi are staring the killer in the face, as it were. Who will survive? Will Michael and Ukyo meet? What has become of Mikado, Kasumi, and Mr. Kuonji? Can the evil that is Michael Myers ever be stopped?
And now, back to our terror-filled story in progress!
Chapter 3: Still He Kills!
Half the gymnastics squad, dead! Some of them were her friends, and he'd chopped them apart without so much as a qualm! Kodachi was horror struck at the carnage before her, and a quick glance at her brother told her that this was not the first time he'd seen something this cruel or brutal. Whatever had happened to her father, it was just as nasty. As they looked on, the shape stared at them, and then raising the knife in his hand, he marched forward in their direction.
The cop didn't hesitate. He shot off a round into the killers shoulder, momentarily slowing him.
"Run!" he snapped at the teens in his charge. They didn't need to be told that twice! They dashed to the other door leading out from the locker room while the cop capped off another round into the shape before turning away himself. The three dashed into the corridor and went down the hall back the way they had come. A few moments after they had left the locker room, the shape shoved the door open and calmly marched down the hall after them.
They just barreled ahead, not worrying about what was in the way. The cop swerved for a moment and let off another shot at the shape, and then continued to run. After a few moments they reached the others again.
"Where's the gear?" Ranma asked immediately.
"Gone, used on the gymnasts," Kodachi stated. And then they heard the breathing, and all turned to see the end of the hall. The shape came around the corner and stopped, looking at them.
"Michael, listen to me? It's your doctor. Leave her alone. She's done nothing to you," Loomis found himself falling into his usual plea bargaining position.
"That's my cousin?!" Ukyo asked. He didn't seem that fiendish for a supposed mass murderer.
"What did you do with Mikie?!" Azusa screamed at Michael. Michael then started to walk forward, knife raised again.
"God damn you!" Loomis said as he pulled out the .9 mm he'd gotten on loan from Sheriff Minako, and proceeded to empty the clip into Michael, the last one finally sending him to the floor.
"You got him," Akane said.
"No, I didn't," Dr. Loomis said as he dumped the empty clip and slid in another one from his pocket. As soon as the clip was in, he pulled the slide back, chambering the first round. No sooner had he done so than Michael's hand reaffirmed its grip on the knife, and the killer rose to his feet. The group couldn't believe what they saw. Ten rounds in him, and he still kept coming!
"Is there another way out of here?" Loomis cried.
"Down there!" Kodachi said, pointing to a side corridor two feet away.
"We'll cover you! Go!" Sheriff Mina said to them and pulled her gun as the other two cops followed suit. As Loomis and the kids ran down the hall, gun fire was heard right behind them. The cops kept in pace, emptying shots into Michael. "This is Mina. He's inside! Get a bunch of guys in here, now!" she cried into her walkie talkie.
"Aaaaa!" one cop screamed as Michael reached him, and shoved his knife into the unfortunate man's chest, and dropped him on the ground. Michael then continued forward, ever intent on his prey. In a moment of desperation, Ukyo dove into a side room. Seeing this, Michael changed course for the room, stopping only to slit the throat of the next cop.
Ukyo found herself in the bio lab, the students looking up to see what was going on. There were no other exits except the way she came in.
"Shit!" she said, and turned to go back, only to find Michael already at the door. She instantly backed away towards the chalkboard.
"Hey, what's the deal here?!" one girl stood up, facing Ukyo. Michael rammed the knife into her heart from the back as he went by. "UHH!" she gasped her last. All the girls screamed at the scene and dashed to a far corner of the room. Michael started toward them.
"Hey, Michael!" Ukyo called, "Over here!" He turned back to her, and moved in her direction. With nowhere else to go, Ukyo dove through a nearby window that had been left open for ventilation. Michael reached the window and looked out, seeing his prey sprint off. All the while, the teacher in the room watched from where she stood pressed against the chalkboard, too terrified to do anything else.
As they reached the exit, Kodachi threw off her cooking robe and hat, leaving on her leotard.
"The coverall will only slow me down," she said quickly. They dashed outside and up to one of the waiting police cars. As they stopped to breathe, Nabiki suddenly gasped.
"Where's Ukyo?!" she cried. They then heard a scream from across the lawn shortly thereafter followed by a soft thump. After a moment, Ukyo sprinted up to the others.
"Okay," she said, "Trying to lure him off doesn't work so well." As they took a moment to rest, Ranma moved up to Ukyo.
"You alright?" he asked.
"Yeah. It's just that...no one's ever wanted to kill me before," Ukyo said.
"I'd say you get used to it, but this is different from what I usually get into. This is actually serious," Ranma commented. And then another gurgling scream came as a fire extinguisher smashed into the skull of one of the cops near the door. The other two gasped and pulled back as Michael came out of the door.
"In the cars!" Loomis beckoned the teens, who quickly complied, Shampoo and Nabiki in one, Ranma and Akane in another, Kodachi and Ukyo in the third, Azusa diving into the fourth. But Kuno had made a decision. Raising his boken, he took a deep breath.
"Now, murderer, you will feel the full fury of the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High," he whispered, and then charged forward at Michael, unleashing his ultimate technique upon him. Michael watched it intently, and then grabbed the boken in mid-swing, twisted around till the boken's handle was in his hand and he held Kuno by the scruff, and then thrust the boken clean through Kuno's middle. Kuno gagged, and then went limp and still.
"Noooo!" Kodachi screamed as she watched Michael drop her limp brother to the ground. Michael then retrieved his knife and began to move forward again.
"What the hell?!" a voice from nearby cried. They turned and saw Ryoga coming up the walk. He had just seen Kuno fall, and it was not a pretty sight.
"Charlotte! Get in!" Azusa cried out to him. Having seen what had happened to Kuno, Ryoga didn't hesitate. He dove in with Azusa, and the remaining cops dove in the front seats of the cars, Mina and Loomis taking the one carrying Ukyo and Kodachi.
"Where do we go?!" Mina asked.
"How about my place?!" Akane screamed from her car over the short wave radio, and she quickly gave out the address.
"Sounds good!" Mina said, and passed the word to the others. The cars ripped away from St. Hebereke's and Michael Myers. He watched them escape impassively, then walked off in another direction.
Tendo Dojo, 2:05.
The cars pulled up to the dojo, and everyone disembarked to the relative safety of the house. From the wall, a small man with only a small line of white hair along the base of his head wearing a magenta gi with a black belt and shoes and a large green, bulging bag over his shoulders watched mutely. 'So they finally decided to turn me in, hmm? Good for them, they're finally growing backbones,' the old man thought to himself.
Inside, they quickly collapsed in the doorway, and Akane called out, "Dad! Mr. Saotome! Kasumi! Are you home?!"
"Hey, Pop! We got a problem here!" Ranma added. After a moment, Genma and a distraught Soun came around a corner.
"What's wrong?!" Nabiki jumped up.
"We . . . can't find Kasumi," Soun said.
"All we found was a pool of blood near the kitchen door," Genma added. Nabiki and Akane looked as if someone had nailed them in the gut with a sledge hammer.
"No, . . . not Kasumi," Akane wailed lightly.
"Just like Mikado," Azusa said quietly, "He took the body. But where? And why?"
"There is no reason in him anymore, just pure evil from the darkest depths of Hell," Loomis said.
"So, you finally decided to turn me in, huh? Very well, I surrender," a voice said behind them. They turned to see Happosai opening the door.
"What are you talking about, old man?" Ranma snapped.
"The cops, of course. What else could they be here for?" Happosai said.
"This has nothing to do with your panty thieving!" Nabiki yelled.
"It doesn't?" Happy asked.
"You're the notorious panty thief?" Mina asked him as she stared him right in the face.
"Uh, yeah," Happy answered.
"We'll arrest you later. Right now we have more pressing demands," she said, standing back up. She pulled out her walkie talkie and said into it, "This is Sheriff Mina, we're going to need some major back-up out here!" All she got back was static. Mina's face betrayed her inner fear. "This is not a good sign."
"We better go and see what's happened," Loomis said.
"You five, stay here and make sure these people are still breathing when we get back," Mina snapped at the other cops present. "Especially him," she added, indicating Happosai on the way out. Somehow, they didn't feel much safer.
Police Station, 2:38.
Mina and Loomis carefully stepped into the building, and gasped at the sight. Twelve cops had been left behind that morning to keep tabs on things, and now they were all over the place. Mina slightly shuddered.
"How could one man do such a thing?" she asked.
"We aren't dealing with a man, Sheriff. That part of him died a long time ago," Loomis answered. Then a sick look entered his face. "The Dojo!" he said, and they zipped back out.
The Dojo, 2:39.
Four of the cops were walking the perimeter of the house while the others stayed inside. One turned a corner, and met the shape head on. His eyes widened, and then a screwdriver came straight into the side of his head.
A little way away, another cop stopped for a quick drag. He puffed, wondering how they would take this guy down. Behind him, the shape loomed quietly, then came forward, and struck the cop with a dumbbell. The cop crumpled, and the shape struck a few more times for good measure.
On the other side of the complex, a rather green officer paced nervously. He'd only been on the force a few days and already he was caught in a seriously dangerous case. He wasn't ready for this! But there was no way to get out of it.
"Kogoro, Robert, everything okay on your ends?" he asked into his talkie. When no answer came, he got even more worried. "Guys, don't fool around please." Still nothing. "Hoshi, something's wrong. I can't get Kogoro or Robert on the horn."
"Calm down, Shiro, they probably just shut their radios off," the voice of the other cop patrolling the area said from the talkie. Behind Shiro, the shape turned the corner, and moved toward him.
"I hope you're right," Shiro said. Then he heard the light breathing behind him. His eyes bulged, and a hand whipped around his head and seized him. Holding him with inhuman strength, the shape brought the knife to bear, and slit Shiro's throat.
On the other side of the house, Hoshi heard the sudden muffling, and got worried.
"Shiro, what's going on?" he asked, but got no answer. "Oh, shit!" he swore. He pulled out his gun and started towards Shiro's last position. When he rounded the corner, he saw Shiro lying on the ground, a pool of blood forming around his head. "Oh god," he said in shock. Scanning the area he spotted the shape across the lawn. He then moved forward, knife in hand. Hoshi fired two quick shots that took Michael down cleanly. Hoshi moved forward cautiously, inspecting the damage. One bullet went into the shoulder, the other had scored right in the heart.
"I got him," Hoshi breathed, and then Michael's hand shot up, thrusting the knife into Hoshi's sternum. Michael lifted his head as he did so, and then gave the knife a twist before chucking the latest corpse aside. He rose to his feet and walked off.
Inside, the group was feeling no less edgy. They had explained what they knew to Soun, Genma, Ryoga, and Happosai, which wasn't much, all things considered. After a bit, Ryoga stood up.
"I need to use the restroom, if you don't mind," he said.
"Want me to walk you down there?" Ranma joked, referring to Ryoga's lack of directional sense.
"I can find it myself!" he snapped, and marched down the hall. It took him a few turns, but he got there before too long. He quickly took care of his business, and started washing his hands. As he rinsed, he looked up at the mirror, and saw the shape looming behind him. He whirled around into a fighting stance. The shape stared at him and moved forward, knife raised. Ryoga threw a high kick, sending the knife across the room. The shape glanced at his empty hand in surprise, then went at Ryoga with his bare hands. Ryoga used half the moves in his repertoire on Michael, who never seemed to notice.
"No wonder you don't die, your nerves are already dead!" he exclaimed. Michael then grabbed him and thrust him into the wall. Ryoga grunted, and then felt himself being lifted slightly as Michael proceeded to chuck him into the door separating the sink and toilet section from the bath area. Not made from very strong material, the door gave, and Ryoga hit the ground next to the tub. As he groaned in pain, Michael stepped in and took one of the shower heads out of it's holder, and grabbed Ryoga up, winding the shower cord around his throat. Ryoga struggled valiantly, but it was in vain. Michael gave a sharp tug, and the last thing Ryoga ever heard was the sickening crack of his own neck.
The others were becoming increasingly nervous while they waited. Then they heard a crash from the bathroom.
"I better go see what happened," the last cop said, pulling his side arm, being careful to keep his index finger off the trigger till he was ready to fire. As he rounded the corner, a hand snaked out and grabbed him. He let out a shocked screech, and there was the sickening sound of something hard smacking against the man's skull. The cop then fell down in the hallway, and Michael stepped out, holding one of Akane's dumbbells, which he dropped.
"You bastard!" Soun roared, and charged forward. Michael caught him and flung him clean through the wall. He landed in the kitchen, and ceased to move. Then Genma sprang up and tried his luck. Michael grabbed him by the head, and jerked sharply, snapping Genma neck.
"Dad!" Akane, Ranma, and Nabiki screamed in unison. As if by some common signal, all the teens and old man dashed out the patio door, and zipped over the wall. As soon as they were over, Ranma stopped and asked, "Where do we go now?"
"My restaurant! We'll be safe there," Ukyo snapped. Without hesitation, they bolted in the appropriate direction. A few minutes later Mina and Loomis drove up and dove into the premises. After a little bit they came out, Mina speaking into her hand radio.
"All cars, all cars, break off what you're doing and get an ambulance to the Tendo Dojo, there's a wounded man in the kitchen. Then shag ass to Okonomiyaki Uuchan's!" she ordered. Dr. Loomis gave her a quizzical look. "Saw it in one of her pictures," she explained as they dove back into the car.
Okonomiyaki Uuchan's, 3:59.
Dusk was settling on the town as they reached Ukyo's restaurant, the only place they felt safe anymore. They stopped at the entrance to catch their breath.
"I intend to wait for him out here," Happosai said simply. "We shall see which evil is the stronger. But just in case, I want you to have this Ranma," he added, handing Ranma a folded piece of paper.
"What is it?" he asked.
"My special note, saying that you are now the master of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Like I said, just in case," Happosai explained.
"Thanks," Ranma said, putting it in his pocket. As they all began to look down the street for any sign of Michael, Ukyo slipped into her restaurant, to take a seat. When she looked around inside, she noticed someone sitting at the bar. She moved forward cautiously.
"Who's there?" she asked, and reached out to touch the person, the bar stool rolled around to reveal a young girl of about twenty wearing a yellow dress under a white apron with long brown hair lying limply along her shoulder. A large patch of blood stained her bosom for all to see, her hands hanging limply at her sides. Her head had flopped to one side, her open eyes staring on in abject horror. It was Kasumi.
"Oh, God," Ukyo breathed in fear, and backed up along the bar till she passed it completely and bumped a table, the chairs still stacked upright. An arm flopped on her shoulder. Ukyo whirled around and Mikado's limp upper body flopped down along the table atop the chairs, a large gash across his face with blood all around it. Ukyo whimpered lightly, and backed up into the kitchen of the restaurant and bumped into something swaying in the middle of the room. She snapped around and saw it was her father, his eyes looking on blankly, a rope hanging him by the neck coming from the ceiling from around a fire sprinkler head. The rope was wrapped around the head and brought down to the fridge where it was tied off on the door handle.
"Daddy," she whimpered quietly. Then she heard the breathing. Turning she saw Michael in the back door, watching her. She lowered herself to her knees, and with tears flooding her eyes at what she had found, begged, "Michael, please promise me, when I'm gone, you won't hurt anyone else." Michael looked at her and nodded in the affirmative twice. Ukyo raised her eyes to the ceiling.
"Please, Michael, make it fast," she pleaded. Michael came up to her, and raised his knife above her to make the final kill.
TO BE CONCLUDED! (Ain't I a stinker!)
Well, I think I may have broken his record for most kills in a single story! And I'm not finished! Next chapter it all comes down! Who will live, and who else will die?! And I would like to apologize, apparently at the time I wrote this I didn't realize Ukyo's apartment was in fact right over her restaurant, making them the same building, and when I realized my error in dusting off this chapter, I couldn't think of a decent way to fix things, so I just left it. So please don't bite my ears off over it, cause I know, I know... Leave a review!
