Ubiquitous Nightmare.
Note: I do not own anything to do with Azumanga Daioh or Silent Hill. I only own this fan fiction story.
Back, with a new chapter to boot. Hope that the people who have read continue to do so. Thanks in advance, please review and on with the story!
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Chapter Three: Reality?
The air empty of all sound, Sakaki and the group huddled as they proceeded down the concrete stairs. With each step creating a deep thud, Yomi gulped as they reached the bottom. An old sign was placed upon the wall, barely depicting the words 'basement'.
"So, where did she go?" asked Tomo, aware that no one else knew either. A small buzzing sound emanated from the dark opposite end of the hallway. Tomo quickly turned the flashlight to see what was there.
After combing the area, nothing seemed to be there. The radio seemed to fizz continuously, causing Osaka to rub her ear.
"Why is it goin' off like that?" she said. Behind them, another buzz was audible. Turning around, Yomi noticed a sort of cockroach. Casting her mind back to that day in school where one caused everyone to panic, she screamed.
"What is it!?" Kagura shouted, until seeing the roach on the floor. "Damn, he sure is big."
It started approaching the group, with one or two more behind it. Yomi started shivering, hiding behind Osaka. Sakaki stepped back as one drew near, before realising her position. 'It may be big, but...'
With that, she lifted her leg. She brought it down harshly, enough to flatten a good sized critter. It definitely worked in this case. She felt faint at the snapping sound underfoot, as she gingerly lifted it, not bearing to look at the remains. The other two came closer.
"Wow, nice going Sakaki!" shouted Kagura, before she attempted the same. It worked again, this time with the roach making a clicking sound after being flattened. Tomo excitedly tried it on the last one, but missed a couple of times. She finally caught it, causing Yomi to reappear on the scene.
"Glad they're gone..." she muttered. Taking a deep breath, Sakaki glanced at the map. Everyone gathered, seeing that there were only a couple of rooms down there. A generator, janitor's room and the stairway to the second basement were drawn on the map, as the group approached the janitor's room door.
With a good turn on the doorknob, it opened. Inside was nothing more then a chair, some mops and a small box on the table. The radio seemed to die out once again, returning the girl's hearts to a normal pace along with it.
"What's this?" asked Tomo, lifting up the box. Kagura seemed worried, asking her to be careful. Carefully printed on the box were the words 'handgun bullets'. Tomo's eyes lit up at the very sight of the words.
"Hey, look! We can use the gun now," she said, before Yomi glared at her.
"You're not going to be the one to shoot it," she replied, worried at the thought of her friend holding a gun. She received a sad expression in return.
"Who has the gun?" Tomo said, grasping onto the bullets. Osaka stepped forward, her arm outstretched with the item in her hands. She handed it to her, who tried her best to reload it.
"Why won't they go in?" she quizzed, seeing the cartridge slide out on every attempt. Sakaki motioned for the gun, clipping it correctly into place. Everyone else stared in astonishment.
"How did ya do that?" Osaka asked, mouth open slightly.
"When we went to that summer festival, I won a prize in the shooting game," she paused, blushing slightly. Kagura spoke up, causing her to remember also what she had said soon after.
"So you learnt how to then? Cool," Without further ado, they proceeded back out of the small room, back into the corridor. Tomo was seemingly annoyed, and not just because she could not get the gun back from Sakaki.
"This is a big place, how're we gonna look everywhere? Chiyo could be anywhere," she whined, getting a silent response. Ignoring her, they headed to the generator room. They stepped inside, again glad that the radio remained quiet. Inside was nothing more then the main generator, although it was turned off. Beside it was a pole, around two feet in length, lightly rusted.
Kagura stepped towards the pole, with the others glaring at the generator. The switch was in the off position, as Sakaki pondered whether to turn it on. Kagura lifted the pole, wielding it and swinging it softly to get a feel for the weight. 'Feels like a good weapon'.
Sooner or later, the generator was switched on, creating a humming sound throughout the floor. Lights were still off, as Tomo attempted switching the room one on. Failing, they preceded back to the last door on the floor.
"Oh man, it's locked," said Osaka, pulling harshly on the door. Kagura stepped forward, with everyone else not taking notice of the pole now in her hands.
"You have to push it, Osaka, see?" she said, slightly amused. Osaka grinned back, before the radio began to fizz again.
Gulping, they started the descent to the second basement. Slowly but surely, they made it, not being able to see anything other then the direction of the flashlight. There seemed to be nothing ahead, as they walked around the corner. The corridor was much smaller then the one before, restricting as many as three of them at the most to walk side by side.
They reached the end of the passage, looking again at the map. Sakaki began sweating lightly, feeling something warm on her leg. She looked down, holding her breath, to see another of the children she had met earlier. She screamed, causing the creature to step back, before everyone looked towards it. Kagura began to raise her arm holding the pipe, readying it.
The creature stood, somewhat stunned, unable to move. The Azu girls seemed to do the same, until Kagura could not hold herself anymore. She rushed forward, bashing the creature as hard as she possibly could. Scared at this outcome, Sakaki looked down. Her leg now featured a three inch cut, presumably from the child's claws. Her heart beating faster, she sat down with her back resting against the wall. Osaka noticed her slump, and walked over to her.
"What's the matter?" she asked, before seeing the cut on her leg. Her smile turned to a frown, as she ruffled through her only pocket. She produced a very small bandana, one that she had kept from somewhere. She handed it to Sakaki, who by now started to breathe heavily.
"T-thank you," she murmured, wrapping it as tight as she could around the torn surface. She winced at the pain, before attempting to stand. She did so successfully, but had a small pain in her leg with every step. She walked over to Kagura, who was panting very heavily, holding a, now more reddish, pole.
Sakaki held one hand over her mouth, as she saw the sheer amount of blood bathing the creature. Yomi rushed over to comfort her, with Kagura catching her breath. Osaka stared, content at keeping an eye on her friends. The radio flickered out of existence.
After rallying themselves, they returned to the map. Seeing only one room on the map made Tomo smile slightly, although it had no name. It seemed to have been drawn on, yet the door was in front of them.
Half wanting to see and half not, Tomo walked up and opened the door. It was not locked, although it bared a lot of weight. The radio started up. Forcing the door aside, the inside was a grotesque sight. The walls were covered in blood, as well as being replaced with a fence like structure, causing Sakaki to revert to her queasy state. The floor was replaced with a form of grating, with below showing nothing other then darkness. In front of them, a corpse was hung by the neck, showing hideous amounts of blood, puss and multiple other stains. A putrid smell fermented the air, causing Yomi to cover her mouth and nose.
Little did they know, they were inside the room. The door slammed shut, trapping them in. Tomo rushed over, trying her best to budge it, yet it would not move. Panicking, a low pitch groan echoed throughout the room. They all looked at each other, on the verge of screaming.
"W-what is this!?" shouted Tomo, feeling uneasy and slightly claustrophobic. Yomi looked around, until the hung victim twitched.
"Oh...My..." she finished, witnessing the corpse now moving. It seemed to struggle, swaying about. The others watched in horror, unable to react even if they wanted to. Fear had encapsulated them.
After a few seconds of aggravated movement, the corpse had broken free. It was restricted by a covering on its arms, although this did not really mean it was much safer. It landed with a crash, as the room rumbled slightly. Kagura felt scared, kneeling with the pole in her hands. A few seconds later, the room began to shake. Sakaki looked around, dismissing the creature in front of her. The room began to scrape down the walls, falling into the perpetual darkness below. The group screamed, accompanied by a loud groan from the creature.
Time seemed to freeze. The girls could see, only by the aid of the flashlight. The creature was sitting in the corner, groaning louder as the cage fell. It started to slow, as the creature now lifted itself to its feet. After a few more seconds, the room hit the bottom. The jolt sent through the girls caught all of them unprepared, as they struggled to return to their feet afterwards. The creature moaned, before approaching the one closest to it, Osaka.
"Osaka, look out!" shouted Sakaki, as she saw the thing walk up to her. It seemed harmless with its arms concealed, but it was scary nonetheless. Osaka raised her head, giving a frightened expression, as the creature began to vibrate.
It then stood, immobile. A small spike penetrated the surface of its neck, before receding. Blood dripped through, before the hole began to rip down its chest, and the arm restraint.
"Quick, let's go!" shouted Sakaki, fearing the result if its arms should be set free. A door was on the same side as the previous one, as they all rushed over to open it. They struggled, as the door seemed to slowly slide open. They pushed harder; with Tomo looking back to see the rip half way down its body. This forced her to react even more, until it was open enough to let them through. They ran, quickly pivoting to try and slide it shut. A small bolt was on the door, as if someone was trying to help them.
After pushing it once again, it slid shut completely. A harsh nudge was delivered to the door from the inside creature, causing Sakaki to panic. She quickly bolted the door, hoping that it would detain the thing. It worked, if only for now. The moaning and banging ceased, as the group struggled to regain their breaths. The radio droned out once again.
"T-that was scary...Just what was it?" Yomi said, shivering. Kagura looked over to see Sakaki, standing in silence. She also saw the gun in her hand.
"Why didn't ya shoot it?" she asked. Sakaki looked at her, before lifting the gun up to examine it.
"I-I was too scared. I couldn't do anything."
"Well, we're safe now, I hope. Hey, wait a minute, look at the walls. Do they look familiar to ya?" said Osaka, as the others looked. The walls and floor were equal to the room they were just in, grated and coated in blood. Sakaki felt uneasy, but fought it. They looked at the map they still had, to see that the only place that resembled it was the second basement. This made them feel confused, and unsafe. Tomo took a deep breath, as she stared down the hallway, into the darkness
"Well, no goin' back now," Osaka added. They started heading over to the first basement stairs, whereas they could not help but share a single thought.
'I wonder if Chiyo is alright...'
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And there you have it. I hope you've enjoyed this, as I'll be continuing soon. Please review with any thoughts, and I thank you for reading. This is Love Hina Addict signing off.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Azumanga Daioh or Silent Hill. I only own this fan fiction story.