Thank you to SchoolBoredom for her review.
Jemma peered down the dark stairwell. It had taken both her and her father some time to move Raul's body. The English girl wasn't too sure on Julia's state, but what she had heard from the other bladers, Julia was not at all happy.
"Can you see anything?" Nathan called as he walked up behind his team captain. Jemma shook her head, her eyes trained on the darkness. A burst of cold belched forward from the door way.
"Jeez." Jemma whispered, rubbing her arms. Nathan frowned a little as he pulled his jacket closer to him. "Is a window open down there or something?" Jemma inquired, glancing at her friend. Nathan shrugged a little.
"Hey you two! You ain't leaving without us are you?"
Jemma turned and smiled at her friends. May-lin and Elizabeta ran quickly toward the pair with Brooklyn close behind. "Nah. We were just waiting for you." Jemma replied. Brooklyn frowned as he looked down into the dark.
"Are you sure it's safe to go down there?" he questioned as the library doors opened a second time. Jemma smiled when a sixth person arrived.
"Ah. There you are. What took you so long?" Jemma giggled. The sixth figure sneered a little and handed out torches. Elizabeta did not take one; instead she turned to stare at Jemma. The team captain smiled innocently.
"What is he doing here?" The Scottish girl questioned, pointing at finger at the figure. Johnny merely sneered and grabbed her hand. "Unhand me this instant!" Elizabeta roared as Johnny forced her hand open. He slapped the torch into her hand before looking at Jemma.
"We're all set. Can we get going?" He asked. Jemma nodded her head, switched on her torch and descended into the darkness.
--
"I can't see a thing."
"Isn't there a light switch around here?"
"Yeah but…"
"Turn the damn light on then!"
Jemma swung round, shining her torch light in Johnny's face. "If the light worked, do you honestly think I would ask you to bring some torches?" she snapped. Johnny fell silently. "Thought so."
The group continued on, keeping out of the way of junk and other odds and sods. "I didn't realise how big the basement is." May-lin breathed before coughing violently. Brooklyn shone his light onto May-lin to check on her, when he gasped loudly.
"Brooklyn? What's wrong?" Nathan questioned. Brooklyn grabbed May-lin by the arm and pulled her back.
"Look."
The group all turned and stared at a large patch. There was blood everywhere. A newly used rolled of duck tape lay to one side but the weapon that had caused the injuries, was no where to be found. "Oh my god." Johnny whispered, following a trail of blood. Elizabeta was violently sick in a corner.
"Jesus Chris!" Elizabeta spat, resting her hands on her knees. Suddenly she caught sight of something. Slowly straitening up, Elizabeta took a few steps back. "Guys. I think we should leave, like now." She hissed.
--
Sean frowned a little as he opened the library door. Early he had watched Johnny run towards the library, loaded with torches. Although he had given Jemma strict instructions on staying out of the basement, Sean was damn sure she had gone any way.
"Jemma?"
There came a sudden loud bang and then heavy breathing. Sean raced to the far end of the library to find the gang leaning against the basement door. Doing a quick head count Sean noticed someone was missing. "Nath, where's Jemma?" he questioned.
Nathan's eyes widened. "Oh god no!" he gasped.
--
"Just my luck! Just my damned luck!"
Jemma switched her torch off and tried to find a suitable hiding place. A smiled quickly appeared on her face as she found a large wardrobe. She quickly pulled open the rotting door and slipped inside.
"Come out, come out wherever you are!"
Jemma squeezed herself into a corner of the wardrobe and frowned a little. That voice. Why does it sound so familiar?
Footsteps were heard, causing Jemma to hold her breath. Please don't find me here. Please! Jemma begged. The killer stopped right outside the wardrobe.
"Come on Princess. Come and play!"
Suddenly Jemma heard the basement door open and a figure rushed into the basement. The killer chuckled a little. "Jemma! Where are you?" Nathan called. Jemma whimpered a little. She knew she had to get out without the killer finding both her and Nath.
The killer moved away, in the opposite direction of Nathan's voice. Jemma swallowed and slowly crept out of the wardrobe, almost slipping on a food carton. "That's strange." Jemma mumbled before darting off to find Nathan.
--
Sean chewed his nails as he waited top-side. He had not heard a sign of Nathan or Jemma and he was getting worried. Slowly footsteps began their way up the stairs before the two missing teens appeared. "Good god Jemma! You had me scared to death!" Sean hugged his daughter.
"Dad, there's something else down there." Jemma began pulling away from her father. Nathan closed the basement door and locked it tightly. He rested against it, his eyes closed.
"Apart from blood? Did you find the murder weapon?" Brooklyn questioned. Jemma shook her head.
"No, no murder weapon. But…" Jemma trailed off and took a step back. "There are food cartons down there. Did Winnie mention anything about food disappearing?" The British girl asked. Sean tapped his chin.
"A couple of weeks ago." Everyone turned to look at May-lin. "I heard Winnie complain that the kitchen is going through twice as much food as usual. The new Sushi chef, Ichi, told me he hears things moving around at night." May-lin paused again. It was clear it un-nerved her.
"Ichi's been hearing a lot of things lately." Elizabeta commented before looking at Sean. "Are you still sure it's okay to hire him? He's a strange one." She pointed out. Sean waved it off.
"He's a good kid. What kind of things did he hear Lin?" Sean questioned. May-lin shrugged.
"He didn't say."
Jemma shook her head. "Look, all of you. Someone is living in the basement. There were food cartons everywhere. I reckon they're been here for some time…." Jemma trailed off when Nathan spoke.
"Before the snow storm. They might have been living here when we arrived." He added. Sean shook his head violently. "It's possible. The guy who sold this place to you said that Homeless people like to live in the basement." Nathan stated. Once again Sean shook his head.
"We would have seen them when we moved all the stuff into the basement. We never saw any signs of someone living there." Sean replied. Silence fell over the group. "Explains where they're hiding. The air-ducts begin in the basement, explains how they get around too." Sean mumbled a little.
Elizabeta shivered a little. "Okay, theory time is over. Can we get the hell out of here?" She asked. Jemma nodded her head. Sean headed off first, slowly followed by everyone else. Nathan stopped walking and stared at the door.
"Nath-kun?"
The half-Japanese male continued to stare at the door. "We've got to do something Jem. We've got to track this killer down before everyone is dead." Nathan began. He turned to face Jemma who smiled sweetly.
"We will Nathan. I promise."