Sorry for such a long wait! Here's chapter 3!
Chapter 3 Kuchisake-Onna
"It's going to be alright, Hanako." I knew that was a lie, but I had to stay calm; for Hanako, and for Sora as well, wherever he is. I hold Hanako to my chest, looking at the doll as I think everything through. The stomach was ripped through in a mindless rage, no doubt by whatever spirit we had summoned. It must be out there somewhere. If only we'd used a knife…. Hanako is sobbing an awful lot, and I can't help but feel bad for her. Kinen was her best friend, and now…
A noise in the driveway catches both of our attention. We pull apart and move to the doorway to see Hanako's mother pulling up with her car. Shit, this is bad! She gets out of the car, smiling, and carries two grocery bags up to the house.
She sees Hanako's terrified expression and swiftly sets her things down on the ground. "Oh, Hanako, dear. What's wrong, you're as pale as snow." She pulls Hanako close. "Oh my, you're cold too. Come now, let's get you inside. It's chilly out this evening."
I'm too shocked to say anything as she pushes Hanako into the house, turning to me and grabbing my arm gently. She closes the door, shivering off the cold as Hanako and I turn our backs to the nightmare we know lies behind us. Turning to look at us, she smiles, lowering her eyebrows in a concerned, motherly look. "Why, you two are awfully quiet. Where are the others? Have they gone home already?"
She doesn't even know. Oh God. I don't want to tell her.
I look at Hanako, and catch a glimpse of the room behind us. Gasping I stumble back, turning Hanako so that she looks as well. She covers her mouth, stifling a cry.
Gone…
Everything, the blood, the book, the...body. We turn back to her mother, dazed. "Oh, yeah, Kyouji said he had somewhere he forgot he needed to go, and Kinen's mom called her. Said she needed to come home early…" The lies rolled off my tongue a little too easily. Hanako fidgeted, nodding at what I had said.
She didn't question Sora's absence, and told me that it was late anyway. She asked if I wanted a ride home, but I declined.
I have to find Kyouji and Sora.
I step outside and note the temperature. She wasn't lying, it's ridiculously cold for this time of year. I rub my hands together, glancing up and down the street. It's pitch black outside, but at least the street lights are still operational. I start walking, looking around constantly. Where could he have gone? It's been at least fifteen minutes, so I guess he could've went home. But damn, I can't believe he just left us like that.
I sigh, slowing down and looking at my hands. "Maybe I shouldn't even bother finding his sorry ass…"
Kinen's smiling face flashes through my mind, and I shake my head. No… she would've wanted me to make sure he's safe. I laugh, thinking how true that was. Even now, as she resides in…. well, wherever you go when you die. Even now, she still wants to make sure he's safe, I know it.
They were close ever since they were kids. Sora, Kyouji and Kinen were best friends who could always been seen hanging around one another. That's what everyone told me, at least. I got here right after Hanako found her way into their group, and she pulled me in with her. She's definitely my best friend. Even though I give her a lot of crap, I couldn't get through a single day without her. That's probably what Kyouji is feeling like right now.
I walk on, calling out their names, and wandering around aimlessly. Where would I go if I were a terrified Sora? Or Kyouji, for that matter. Those two could be anywhere. I just don't understand why Kyouji left so quickly. He didn't say a word, he was just gone.
Suddenly, I feel a cold tingle down my spine. "HIRO!"
I whip around, scanning the area. "Wh-what the hell? Sora?" I don't see anything, whether because of the darkness or the lack of something to see. I know I heard him, though.
In the distance, I see something, a figure walking slowly towards me. "Sora?" I start running towards it, hoping and praying it was him. As I reach them, I slow down, easing into a light jog, then slump over as I see who it is.
A young woman, covering her mouth with a surgical mask. She looks up at me, and I back up slightly. She stares, and seems to be about to say something when I bow, turning to leave. "Sorry, I'm looking for someone." I run past her, glancing over my shoulder, and see that she is still staring at me intensely.
A cold seeps into my bones, and I shrug it off. What could she possibly be doing out here?
I turn the corner, glancing to my left at the town's arcade. I laugh softly. "Sora loved this place. Always dragged me here after school…" I gaze through the window, til something catches my eyes. A smudge, like someone had pressed up against the glass recently.
A snap behind me makes me jump, and I whip around to see… the woman, standing at the edge of the forest. What the hell? "U-um, can I help you with something, ma'am?"
She looks away, shaking her head, and I take it as a no. Now that I look at her again, she is fairly pretty, even without seeing half of her face.
I bow again, continuing the way I had been going, speaking to her over my shoulder. "Well, alright then. Goodnight, ma'am." I walk a little faster, rubbing my hands up and down my arms. How weird… she comes out of nowhere. Is she… I cringe, glancing back at where the woman still stood, staring. Is she following me?
I quickly turn left, and walk down the center of the street. "Hiro…" Around the corner, I just heard him!
"Kyouji? Is that you?" I run to the sidewalk, jetting around the corner, but stopping short. "FU- dear god, you scared the hell out of me!" The woman looks at me blankly, and I swear she is smiling under her mask. "What do you want from me?"
She closes her eyes, nodding. "A question. Or actually, an answer." I frown, curious enough at what she's talking about.
"Alright, that's fine, but make it quick." I sigh.
She nods. "Do you think I'm pretty?"
My mouth gapes, and I fight back my disbelief. All of that, just to ask me if she's pretty? Hell, I already thought that earlier. I nod. "Yeah, you are. Is that all you needed?"
She moves her hands slowly, raising one up to the mask around her mouth. Her eyes flicker to mine, then look away quickly. She pulls the mask down, revealing a hideous sight.
Both corners of her mouth were torn, cut, all the way to her ears. Her exposed jaw glinted red in the moonlight, and I take a step back, terrified. She opens her mouth, but I am already gone. "Am I still pretty?"
I pump my legs quickly, running across the streets, and glance back to where she stood, staring at me. Oh my god, this is crazy. What the hell is she?
I run past the building, and suddenly see her standing at its corner. "Am I still pretty?" I let out a cry, swerving away from her, and running straight on into the forest. I'll definitely lose her in here.
I push through the trees, limbs hitting me in my face and arms. Ahead of me, I see some kind of clearing and sigh. I glance back, and there she is again. Her hair sways forward as though she stopped suddenly, and she stares at me with her dark, piercing eyes.
I burst through the opening, and there's the temple; dilapidated, but still standing tall.
"Am I still pretty?"
I whip around, backing away from her. "N-no way! Just leave me alone!"
The woman lowers her head, pulling the mask all the way off with her left hand, holding it limply at her waist. "Is that so?" She whispers. She reaches behind her back with her right hand, and a shadow flicks past, expanding until it is a long rod towering above her. Grabbing it, she raises it up, spinning it as the shadows seem to pour off of it. My eyes widen at the sight of the curved blade, shining in the moonlight.
She is suddenly too close, and her eyes are overwhelmed with black. I stumble backwards, into a lion statue. "Ready to be torn to bits?" She growls.
I shake my head furiously. "The disappearances! No! It couldn't be!" I screech. The torn flesh curls into what could have been a smile. She swings the scythe down in an ark.
"Are you sure I'm not pretty?"
Kuchisake-Onna - Slit-Mouth Woman