Happy New Year and my present to you is the next chapter that I hope makes your skin crawl. For some of you who have watched it, you would guess that my inspiration for the chapter is the Poltergeist. For those who haven't, don't, it isn't very good. I think I will stick to insidious. Thank you for the reviews and sorry for the wait.

Chapter 3: The Grave Scandal

The house from the outside looked brand new. It was red bricked with three white windows in the fronts of the house and a white door that shuddered violently as it slammed into the door frame. There was a window on the roof that suggested that there was another bedroom or, maybe even, a game room in the attic. Moments ago people would have claimed that the house had a small, yet beautiful front garden with fresh green grass and vibrant flowers. However, before Mai's eyes, the grass quickly turned a dull grey and the flowers drooped as they died suddenly giving up on life. Mai had never seen something like that happen before and froze, unsure of what was happening around her.

Close to the house a large tree swung itself angrily against the side of the house as if strong winds were forcing it to do so. But there was no wind. In fact, while Mai and everyone was in the threatre the wind and clouds seemed to just disappear, leaving behind black skies all around.

Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass snapped Mai from her thoughts and a terrified scream rippled through the air. Naru had only just caught up to Mai before she sprinted towards the house door and shoved her entire body into the door. With her full body weight and the momentum of the push, Mai managed to force the door open enough to slid into the house. The door slammed shut behind her shuddering once more. What ever was in this house seemed to realize what the brunette had done. As if learning from it mistakes the audible 'click,click' of the front and back door of the house locking made Mai swallow nervously. She was in the haunted house and Naru and everyone else was out there.

Looking around her Mai saw cream walls and a stair case to her left that creaked ominously. For some reason those loud, moaning creaks seemed like a threat to Mai, warning her that if she tried to climb up them the boards would break beneath her feet. So, hoping that she will not have to go up them, Mai focused her attention elsewhere. Beside the staircase their was a white door leading to the basement, the young woman guessed. On the wall was a dark oak chest of drawers with a lamp that flickered on and off. On and off.

Mai did not like the looks on this.

Judging by the amount of activity in the house and the type of paranormal occurrences, it had to be a poltergeist. A very powerful poltergeist. According to the journals that Mai's ancestors had given her and Naru, a poltergeists power comes from negative emotions such as anger and hate. In other words, Mai was dealing with a very pissed off ghost.

Walking forward slightly, the brunette strained her hearing. There was a rumble that sounded like foot steps coming from upstairs, but that could be the poltergeist trying to lure her up the stairs and possible have her fall to her death. However, it could always be someone trying to hide from the angry spirit that seems to be attached to this house. Taking another step forward, Mai moved closer to the stairs and paused. She had heard something else. I soft whimper or whisper? There it was again. Yes it definitely was a whimper of pain.

"Hello, is anyone there," Mai called out knowing that she may attract the attention of the poltergeist but will to try if it helped her aid someone else. "Hello."

There was a pause where Mai tried to block out the furious shuddering of the windows and doors. Then suddenly as loud as if someone was shouting in her ear, Mai heard a panicked voice call out, "Help! Oh God get me out of here!"

Mai's eyes shot to the door beside the staircase. The basement. Why did the creepiest stuff always happen in either the basement or the attic. Mai shivered as she recalled her many unpleasant experiences with ghosts and attics and/or basements.

Moving over to the white door, Mai pulled and frowned when it would not budge. Then she tried again, only to get the same result. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Mai shouted through the door.

"No i'm not hurt. I'm fine. The door slammed behind me and all the lights went out. I think I hit my head on something though," came the woman's relieved response. Yes, the voice was certainly feminine.

"Okay, I need you to push on the door the same time that I pull, okay?" Mai asked trying to keep calm even as she felt the temperature drop around her.

"Okay," whimpered the woman again.

"Ready?" Mai questioned and at the woman's muttered reply she shouted, "Push."

The door cracked open and Mai took her chance, reaching the side of the door to get a better grip. Then the woman screamed as she was pulled away from the door and with a sudden burst of adrenaline, Mai ripped the door open. She followed the woman's screams to the bottom of the basement stairs and reached forward to grab her hand. The woman clutched Mai's hand in a death gripped, any tighter and the brunette was sure that her hand would break.

"Something's got my foot," the woman said huskily. Her scream causing her throat to feel raw.

Mai muttered a curse in Japanese and pulled on the woman's arm, gripping it tightly as she prepared herself. Then Mai suddenly released one hand and in quick succession muttered confidently, "Rin Pyou Tou Sha Kai Chin Retsu Zai Zen."

The power of the nine cuts slammed into the poltergeist causing the arms to shrink back into the ground, letting Mai and the woman to scramble out, closing the basement door behind them.

"Lara!" a young boyish voice shouted and the pounding of feet from upstairs was suddenly moving towards them. Much to Mai's relief, it was another human being that was upstairs and not the poltergeist. However the young womans relief was short lived as she suddenly realized the chaos around her was still going on. It wasn't possible. The poltergeist in the basement fled as soon as it was hit with the nine cuts, why would...

Realization dawned on Mai and her heart dropped to her stomach. There was more than one.

The first question that jumped into Mai's head was, how? The house, if appearances where correct, was brand new. As in newly build. There is no reason for a poltergeist, let alone two, to be attached to such a place because it had yet to cause anyone any anger. That left two answers; either the houses appearance was deceiving or the poltergeists were attached to the people in the house.

"Maddie!" The boy suddenly shouted. "I can't find Maddie. I told her to hide in her room, but she was gone."

Panic licked its way into Mai's mind and her body began to move, however as her hand wrapped around the banister of the staircase. Everything stopped.

The lights that flickered continuously suddenly stopped and the violent slamming and shuddering of doors and windows ceased, drowning Mai and the two people beside her in darkness and silence. Well not completely, a rectangle white light turned on inside the room to Mai's right, stretching to the opposite wall of the doorway, and disembodied whispers brushed against Mai's ears. Slowly, as if scared to make another sound, Mai and the two strangers walked towards the doorway.

Mai, gasped, there, sat millimeters in front of the television set was a girl no older than six years old. She giggled and chattered happily to the fizzy screen muttering about how much fun they was 'have' and how she can't wait to see them. The young, redheaded girl then reached out to touch the white screen...

"Mai!" The front door banged open revealing Naru, his parents and Masako.

The temperature dropped and Mai shuddered in the doorway for the living room. She knew what was going to happen before it happened and then a sudden burst of wind shot towards her sending Mai's body tumbling into the open kitchen area.

"Mai!" Naru shouted again so he saw her getting tossed from the doorway.

With a grunt, the brunette ignored her pain and shouted back, "Get the girl, Naru. Stop her!"

The young black-haired man moved without hesitation at Mai's order. He had learnt the hard way that the woman's instincts were always right and he knew she would not forgive him if he chose to ignore her now. Whilst the poltergeist was busy keeping Mai away from Maddie, Naru ran into the living room and wrapped his hands around the little girls stomach. Hand began to appear on the television set as if they were trying to reach for the blond girl that Naru had pulled away from them., sparing a quick glance towards his parents only to find them leading a woman and a young boy towards the door and away from the house.

The young redheaded girl fought and struggled in Naru's arms as he carried her further and further away for the screen and more and more hand prints appeared. They over lapped each other until the screen was completely black with the number of hand prints on it.

There wasn't just one poltergeist. Or two. Or even three. There was dozens.