Chapter 7: The Second Victim

"So... What you're saying..." Yoshiki whispered as the five of them sat outside of the restrooms.

"Yeah. So far, all the corpses we've found in here have all been people we've met before." Ayumi sighed. "But that stain was left behind by someone really close to us. Someone who was completely filled with the pain and agony of death. And the next thing I knew, I was in your arms."

"But who left that stain?" Kwazii frowned.

"Someone really close to us." Yoshiki sighed. "I really hope that just this once, your intuitions are wrong."

"But I could feel all her pain." Ayumi insisted. "I was freezing cold, but my throat was so hot it felt like it was on fire. And then I voided my bowels and everything went dark. No matter how hard I struggled, my arms and legs just wouldn't move."

"Sounds like what you experienced, was someone..." Barnacles gulped. "Dare I say it, they hung themselves."

The others gasped at this. It made perfect sense.

"I wanted to yell out 'Help me' but I had no voice." Ayumi cried. "I was scared, and the pain was so excruciating."

"Calm down, Ayumi." Peso comforted her. "That wasn't you. You're still alive."

"You're right." Ayumi sniffed as the five of them stood back up.

"Well, we've searched the whole building." Yoshiki sighed. "Ms. Yui really is nowhere to be found."

"Maybe we should head back to the classroom?" Ayumi suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea." Barnacles nodded.

And so, they stood up and began walking back to the classroom. As they approached the infirmary, they gasped at what they saw.

It was a ghost, but this time, it was a girl. They watched as she entered the infirmary. They listened, and could make out the sound of laughing. One of the laughs sounded... Quite familiar.

Together, they all entered the infirmary, and gasped at what they saw.

It was Mayu! She was sitting on the floor, talking to the ghost girl, and another ghost girl with no head.

"That right, it's the same for me." Mayu laughed. "I love my school."

"Mayu! Get away!" Ayumi cried to her friend.

"You need to run, quickly!" Yoshiki added.

"Don't trust those ghosts, Mayu!" The Octonauts shouted.

"And my homeroom teacher's the best." Mayu continued. "But I guess you feel the same way about yours, huh?"

The ghosts laughed as they listened to their victim.

"Mayu! Snap out of it, will ya!" Yoshiki screamed.

"Mayu, it's us, ok." Ayumi begged.

"Ayumi, Yoshiki, Captain Barnacles, Kwazii, Peso?" Mayu sobbed as she finally noticed her friends.

"Can you stand?" Peso asked hopefully. "Come on, we're right here."

"No, I'm OK. Believe it or not, these aren't really bad kids." Mayu explained. "They've just been through some really horrible experiences. Here, read this and you'll see what I mean."

With that, Mayu brought out a newspaper and gave it to her friends. They took it and read it together.

"[Heavenly Post] Four Children Abducted - follow up report. The brutal, shocking deaths of the recent kidnapped grade-schoolers have now been traced back to the hands of the instructor that was found in the room with them. The scissors he held are confirmed to have been used to cut out the victims tongues, ultimately leading to death through excessive bleeding or choking. One of the victims even had the majority of her head slowly and methodically removed. This cranial mass was found on the floor next to her body. The Heavenly Host Elementary students pictured here are the four who were found in that basement room."

They gasped as they read the newspaper, reading of such horrible things happening to such young children. They gasped even more when they saw the pictures.

"These ghosts have the same faces and uniforms as the children in these pictures!" Yoshiki gasped.

"The ghost that was chasing us earlier is one of them too." Ayumi shivered.

"I can't just ignore these poor souls." Mayu protested. "I'm going to stay with them."

"Aye, I don't think that's a really good idea, matey." Kwazii shook his head.

"Yes, you really need to get out of this room." Barnacles nodded.

Mayu shivered, unsure of what to do. Ayumi was getting frustrated as she raised her voice.

"Mayu, you need to stop this!" She cried. "Don't let your emotions get the better of you!"

Suddenly, light flashed through the room as the ghosts summoned an invisible force to lift Mayu off the ground. Her friends stared in horror as their friend floated above the ground, unconscious and unaware of what was happening to her.

"No! Stop!" Ayumi begged.

"Hey! What's going on?!" Yoshiki shouted.

Suddenly, light flashed again as the ghosts pushed Ayumi back, causing her to scream as she fell.

"Ayumi!" The boys shouted in fear.

"Damn it!" Yoshiki cursed. "What did they do?!"

"Let go of her!" Barnacles growled as he tried to run up to the floating girl, only to be knocked back by the ghosts.

"Captain!" The others cried as he was knocked against the wall.

"Err, ow." Barnacles whimpered as he stood back up, cradling his left arm. "Son of a... Mmm."

"Let's get out of here, before somebody else gets hurt." Peso suggested.

The others nodded and they went out back into the hall.

"Are you ok, captain?" Ayumi asked.

"I think so." Barnacles nodded. "Ow!"

"Let me take a look." Peso offered as he approached his captain.

Barnacles nodded and let the medic take a look at his arm.

"I don't think it's broken." Peso shook his head. "But it's definitely going to be bruised."

"Well, there's some good news." Barnacles nodded. "But what about Mayu? We can't even touch her, much less get her down."

"So what the hell do we do?" Yoshiki wondered.

"I don't know, but we have to do something!" Ayumi cried. "We have too!"

"Ayumi!" Peso gasped. "You're nose is bleeding!"

"What?!" Ayumi cried. "Don't tell me that. Gosh, you're so blunt about it too."

"Would you rather I just let it run?" Peso frowned, handing her a tissue from his medical bag. "Here, use this."

"Thanks." Ayumi smiled as she gratefully took the soft cloth like paper.

"Hello." Said a voice suddenly behind them.

They turned to see who was speaking to them, and were quite surprised to see a girl about their own age. She looked pretty normal, except, something was different.

Her eyes were a pale grey, like that of a dead fish.

"You've only just arrived at this school, have you not?" She asked.

"That's right." Yoshiki nodded. "Were you brought here against your will too? I can't say I recognize your uniform."

"I died here many years ago already." The stranger explained, making the others gasp. "I came here to search for someone very important to me, you see."

"Um, your name wouldn't have to be Naho, would it?" Ayumi asked.

"You know her?" Barnacles frowned.

"A high school paranormalist, Naho Saenoki." Ayumi explained. "She has a very popular homepage with lots of information on paranormal studies and occults. I'm a big fan of yours, Ms. Saenoki. I'm on your website all the time."

"Thank you." Naho smiled. "Although, I'm afraid you won't be seeing any new posts from me anymore."

"Your last post was about the Sachiko Ever After charm." Ayumi remembered. "I've been wondering what happened to you since then. Now I know."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, me hearties," Kwazii suddenly butte in. "But, did you say you came here in search of someone?"

"Yes." Naho nodded.

"So you came here on your own free will?" Kwazii gasped. "Surely that means there's a way out too."

"Let's not get our hopes too high up Kwazii." Barnacles warned. "The time pool may have led us to our deaths rather than another mission."

"Don't say that, captain." Peso begged. "It's certainly not like you."

"I'm sorry, this place is getting to me." Barnacles sighed.

"I'm afraid that's not something I can talk about right now, Kwazii." Naho shook her head. "Our main concern right now is your friend."

"That's right!" Ayumi gasped. "Do you have any idea of how we can save her?"

"Before I died, I searched high and low for any means of escape." Naho explained. "In the process, I learned that these closed spaces were given the form of Heavenly Host Elementary through the sorrows and agony of its victims. Victims of an incident that occurred thirty years ago before our time."

"The murdered children." The others gasped in realization.

"Unfortunately, this place took its toll on me, and I died before I could make my escape." Naho sighed. "But the key seems to lie with those children. If they can be put to rest, there might be a way out. Without all that sorrow and agony, these planes would surely break down. All this pointless suffering would end, and we would all be released from this hell. That's my theory anyway."

"Yeah, but put them to rest?" Yoshiki frowned. "How the hell do we do that?!"

"Give them closure, of course." Naho answered as if it was obvious. "What they lack is any remorse or regret from the one who killed them."

"The one who killed them?" Ayumi gasped. "Are you saying…?!"

"The murderer is here in this school, yes." Naho nodded.

"Great, just great!" Barnacles growled. "It was hard enough that we had ghosts in our way, now we have the murderer too?!"

"Relax, Captain." Peso soothed. "Let's hear what Naho has to say."

"But Peso, how are we supposed to get someone like that to express remorse?" Barnacles demanded. "Where would we even begin?!"

Everybody was silent when they suddenly heard crying coming from inside the infirmary. It was Mayu.

"You need to do whatever you can, and do it quickly." Naho assured. "If you don't, those two spirits are going to hurt your friend like they've hurt you."

"We will, we'll think of something." Ayumi agreed. "I guess the first order of business… is actually finding the killer."

"That's really dangerous, Ayumi." Kwazii gasped. "What if he tries to kill us?"

"We have no choice!" Ayumi cried as she ran off in a direction.

"Ayumi! Wait! Hold up a sec'!" The boys called after her as they ran.

Barnacles stopped and turned back to Naho.

"I don't know much about you as an author, or a paranormal researcher, but I'm going to take your word anyway." He said to her. "Hopefully, it's not a mistake and will actually help me and the other Octonauts with this mission."

Naho smiled and nodded at the polar bear. Barnacles smiled and nodded back before running to catch up with his friends.

Barnacles ran down the stairs and finally caught up with his friends. They were kneeling next to Ayumi, who had collapsed on the floor again.

"Hey, is everything alright down here?" He asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Ayumi nodded. "I thought I was going to throw up, but I didn't."

"Come on, let's go figure this thing out." Yoshiki insisted.

Ayumi nodded and stood up. With Ayumi on her feet again, they searched around the school, trying to find anything that would help them give the ghosts any closure. Of course, there was the usual problem of the ghost boy.

"Damn, he's still following us!" Yoshiki growled.

"Just ignore him." Ayumi advised.

The boys nodded and continued walking. Eventually, they lost the boy as they headed up the stairs again. When they reached the curve, something on the floor caught their eyes. It was a severed head of an old-fashioned festival doll.

"Do you think this little piece of treasure will be of any use?" Kwazii asked, picking up the head.

"I don't know, maybe." Ayumi shrugged. "It's hard to tell with this place anymore."

"Let's keep it anyway," Yoshiki took it and putted it in his coat pocket. "Just in case."

With that settled, our heros continued searching through the school. Suddenly, thoughts began to echo in their minds, seemingly coming from the doll in Yoshiki's pocket. Quickly, Yoshiki took it out and they all looked at it. It was true! Somehow or another, the doll found a way to communicate its sole desire.

"Return… my body."

The Octonauts and the humans looked at each other, neither knowing what to say about this.

Yoshiki placed the doll back in his pocket and they continued walking. They walked up to the third floor and went down the hall. They saw a red will-o-wisp, but next to it, was the body of the doll they picked up earlier.

"This must be it." Peso picked up the body. "Quick Yoshiki, it demands for its head."

Quickly, Yoshiki took out the doll's head and gave it to the penguin, who twisted it back onto the body. As the head and body of the antique doll are joined, it begins speaking more clearly and directly. With a high-pitched voice like that of a child, it slowly repeats several phrases in a cold, methodical, and almost robotic monotone.

"To have killed children so brutally. I was not in my right mind. I did not want them to die. I was scared too. I am so sorry. I am so sorry. So very sorry. I am actually a good person. I am so sorry. I am so sorry. So very sorry."

"Did this doll… belong to the murderer?" Yoshiki frowned.

"Doesn't it kind of piss you off?" Ayumi hissed. "Like, it's just playing around, and saying what we want to hear. We don't need this thing!"

"Wait!" Peso cried. "Don't you think it might count as repentance from the murderer?"

"We can only hope, Peso." Barnacles nodded.

"I'll never forgive him! No matter what he says!" Ayumi screamed.

"Well, lucky it's not about you." Kwazii hissed.

"Kwazii!" Barnacles gasped. "That was uncalled for."

"I'm sorry Captain, but I'm just getting tired of her shrieking." Kwazii snapped. "It's hard to tell if this is the real Ayumi or not."

"I understand, Kwazii," Barnacles sighed, placing a paw on his shoulder. "But you need to control your anger. Please, just until we get out of here."

"Oh, like you did?"

Barnacles blinked in surprise. He couldn't believe his best friend just said that to him. It was official. The gloom of the school was getting to them, and they needed to get out, fast!

Silence rang between the friends as they silently made their way back to the infirmary to try the doll on the spirits holding Mayu. They finally made it to the infirmary and ran in. They gasped when they saw that the spirits still had their friend.

"Mayu! Mayu!" They screamed.

"Open your eyes! Please!" Ayumi begged, but Mayu did not respond.

Suddenly, the doors slammed shut and the room shook.

"Haven't you ghosts done enough already?!" Yoshiki shouted in anger. "I don't know about everything that happened to you, and yeah, I get that it was really horrible, but you're cursing and killing innocent people who had nothing to do with any of it! What the hell is that supposed to accomplish?!"

The room shook more violently as ghostly screams could be heard around the room.

"Stop!" Ayumi cried. "If you make them mad, they'll shut us out!"

Ayumi turned back to the ghosts and brought out the doll.

"Come on, you two… I have something you need to hear, ok? Just listen!"

Ayumi held up the antique doll, and let the children listen to the penitent spirit sealed within. The ghosts stood still, listening to the heart pulling cries of the doll. Suddenly, they too, started crying.

"You can rest peacefully now, ok." Peso smiled warmly. "You don't have to keep suffering."

"The horrible things that happened to you are all in the past." Barnacles nodded. "Your loved ones… your parents are waiting for you. Go to them now!"

"Please?" Kwazii smiled. "I know you can do it, hearties."

"Let go of that girl." Yoshiki nodded. "Let go of Mayu."

The room was still and silent. They thought that the spirits were thinking of taking their advice, until they looked up, blood running from their eyes as they smiled evilly, and ran, taking Mayu with them.

"No! Stop!" Ayumi cried as they watched them take their friend.

Shivers ran down their spines, unable to move when they heard Mayu give out a shrill scream. Suddenly, they heard a loud splat, like something being thrown against a wall at superhuman speed.

Ayumi cried and threw the antique doll to the ground in a fit of panic and frustration. She cried as they all ran out into the hall in panic, wanting to see what happened to their friend, and praying to god that she was alright.

When they reached the end of the hall, they stopped in their tracks, gasping and screaming at what they saw.

It was Mayu's body, squished and splattered all over the wall. There was nothing left of her. Her death was the same bloody, meaty mess found by Seiko, Naomi, Tweak, and Dashi just hours before.

"Ayumi! Don't look!" Yoshiki tried to get the girl to turn away. "Come on, let's get away from here!"

"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" She screamed as she started running away.

"Ayumi!" The boys cried after her.

"Gosh, I'm… I'm really starting to lose it." Yoshiki shivered.

"Don't say that, Yoshiki." Barnacles begged. "Kwazii and I may be starting to lose it, but you can't. You have to stay strong. For Ayumi. You have to."

Yoshiki nodded and sighed.

"You guys go ahead and go after her. I'm just gonna be a minute." He suggested.

"Are you sure?" Barnacles asked.

"Yeah, you go ahead." Yoshiki nodded.

The Octonauts nodded and ran off, leaving their friend behind. But, if they would've known what was about to happen to him, they never would've left him.

Meanwhile, back in room 3-A, Ms. Yui woke up from being unconscious. The weight of the shelf had subsided and she was able to crawl out. As she stood up, she realized just how much her back was messed up.

"OUCH!" She squeaked in pain.

"So, you're really, truly concerned about the safety of your students, are you?" The red wisp that tortured her asked softly.

"Of course I am!" Ms. Yui exclaimed.

"But, you're just their instructor, no? You have no familial bond with any of them." The wisp protested. "You're not their mother."

"But they're my children!" Ms. Yui nodded. "I think I speak for every single one of us at Kisaragi Academy when I say that we love our children. We care about them just as their parents do."

The wisp gasped silently as it watched Ms. Yui completely stand up, clutching her broken arm.

"Never underestimate a teacher." She added hoarsely.

The wisp trembled before it started crying. Ms. Yui stayed with it, staying silent as she left the little ball of red fire release its invisible tears. When it finally stopped crying, Ms. Yui nodded.

"Now, answer me this." She demanded. "Your little rant earlier suggested that more of my students are here than the five I came with and the three I heard. Is it true? Were the others brought here as well?"

"... It is." It finally said quietly. "Numerous corporeal entities joined us in theses closed spaces, all at the same time. Counting you, I sensed the arrival of seventeen people, eight of them which are not human."

Ms. Yui nodded, silently thanking it for its help. Silently, she passed the wisp, heading back to the classroom where she thought her students were waiting for her.