Notes: So Mai in my story is going to be a little OOC. This is Mai x Gene. Just stick with it. It will tell the story of a truly desperate soul searching to save another.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. Period. If I did, the romance would have been more fleshed out and Mai wouldn't have been so childish all the time.

Chapter 14

The late afternoon sun cast a golden glow over the café as Mai and Gene finished their meal. Despite the unspoken tension lingering between them, their conversation had grown lighter, more comfortable. For the first time in what felt like ages, Mai found herself laughing, the sound surprising even her. Gene's quiet humor, his knack for dry observations, reminded her why she had missed him so much.

Yet, beneath her smile, the gnawing fear persisted. She couldn't let her guard down.

As they left the café, Gene's phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at it, his brow furrowing as he read the caller ID.

"Hold on a second," he said, stepping to the side. Mai watched as he answered, her heart skipping a beat. Something about the way his expression shifted—curiosity mixed with a hint of excitement—put her on edge.

"Yeah, this is Ichuru," he said, his voice growing more focused. "Mm-hmm. Really? A bus crash?"

Mai's stomach dropped. She instinctively took a step closer, straining to hear.

"Right, near the lake," Gene continued, nodding absently as he listened. "And the kids... they just vanished?"

Vanished.

Mai's blood ran cold. The stories about the cabin had been vague, pieced together from whispers and rumors, but she remembered hearing something about a school bus accident. It had been years ago, before she'd joined the SPR team, but the details had stuck with her—children disappearing without a trace, the site becoming a hotspot for strange activity.

Gene ended the call and turned back to her, his expression unreadable.

"That was a contact of mine," he explained. "Apparently, the cabin I mentioned earlier has some history. A school bus crashed near the lake about twenty years ago. The kids on board were never found, and people have been reporting strange sightings there ever since."

Mai forced herself to stay calm. "And you think it's connected to the cabin?"

Gene nodded. "Maybe. My contact said it's one of the most active sites they've come across in a long time. They've even got some old reports of people seeing figures in the woods, hearing voices at night."

His voice held a note of excitement, the kind she had heard so many times during investigations. It wasn't reckless—it was curiosity, the drive to uncover the truth. But Mai knew the risks were far greater than he realized.

"You're thinking about going," she said quietly.

Gene hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. It sounds like it's worth checking out. If those kids... if there's any way to help them, we should try."

Mai's chest tightened. "Gene, you just said people have seen strange things out there. It doesn't sound safe."

"I know," he said, his tone gentle but firm. "But when has that ever stopped us before? You know how this works, Mai. If there's even a chance we can uncover something important, we have to take it."

Her mind raced. She couldn't talk him out of this—not now. If she pushed too hard, he'd see through her, start asking questions she couldn't answer.

"Then I'm coming with you," she said, the words out before she could second-guess them.

Gene blinked, surprised. "Mai, you don't have to—"

"I'm coming," she repeated firmly. "You're not going out there alone. End of discussion."

For a moment, he looked like he might argue, but then he smiled, a small, almost grateful smile. "All right," he said. "We'll go together."

They set out the next morning, the sky overcast and gray. Mai had spent the night poring over everything she could remember about the cabin and the lake, trying to prepare herself for whatever they might encounter. But no amount of research could shake the dread pooling in her stomach.

Gene drove, his focus on the winding road ahead. The closer they got to their destination, the quieter he became, as if the gravity of the situation was finally sinking in.

The forest grew denser as they approached the lake, the trees towering overhead like silent sentinels. The road narrowed, gravel crunching beneath the tires as they pulled up to a small clearing near the water's edge.

The cabin stood in the distance, its weathered exterior barely visible through the trees. It looked abandoned, the windows dark and empty, the roof sagging slightly. Yet there was something about it—an oppressive stillness, a sense of being watched—that made Mai's skin crawl.

Gene stepped out of the car, slinging a backpack over his shoulder. He glanced at her, his expression unreadable. "Ready?"

Mai nodded, though her heart was pounding. "Yeah. Let's go."

The air grew colder as they approached the cabin, their footsteps crunching softly on the forest floor. Mai stayed close to Gene, her eyes darting to every shadow, every rustling leaf.

As they reached the cabin, Gene stopped, his gaze fixed on the front door. "Do you feel that?" he asked softly.

Mai nodded. The air was heavy, charged with an energy she couldn't quite place.

Gene took a step forward, his hand hovering over the doorknob. Before he could open it, a faint sound reached their ears—a whisper, distant but unmistakable.

"Help us..."

Mai froze, her blood running cold. The voice was faint, almost childlike, and it seemed to echo from all around them.

Gene turned to her, his expression serious. "Did you hear that?"

She nodded, her throat dry. "Yeah. I heard it."

They exchanged a glance, unspoken understanding passing between them. Whatever was waiting inside that cabin, they were in it together.

Gene pushed the door open, and they stepped inside, the darkness swallowing them whole.

A/N: I swear I'll finish this! lol Here's chapter 14 done! Sorry it took so long!