Rumie: Threats and Safety

((My apologies for the silent hiatus for anyone who happens to have been reading this. I was failing my college course so I had to change my focus to that.))

I was on the floor, holding Nishihara close until eventually she calmed down. Kyouya had gone exploring to see if he could find anything. Eventually, he came back over, looking lost.
"Nothing but holes." He replied. "If we had a way of crossing them, that would be great, but, well, we don't. Is Nishihara okay?"
I shrugged. "She's stopped crying, so I'd assume so..."
Kyouya offered her a hand and she reluctantly accepted. We both stood and she dusted herself off, sighing heavily. "All I can find are dead ends and holes..." He muttered, tone one of heavy defeat. "There's a door, but I can't get it open. It's really shut up tight, annoyingly."
"Locked?" Nishihara asked.
"I think so, yeah."
She gave a nod and we walked on. Kyouya was in a foul mood, and he walked away, snapping for us to follow. Even Nishihara was afraid of him, I could tell. She hung back a moment more before walking after him, and eventually I jogged on behind.
"I wish I could cheer him up..." I admitted as we reached the nearest hole.
"It'd take a lot to cheer someone up in here." I saw Nishihara lean down to search around a body, hands inside the deceased girl's pockets. "Besides, he probably has his mind on...other things..."
"Other things?" I repeated uncertainly.
"Yeah. Things like the girls he has to protect...plus..."
I looked round, then. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I already let slip I'm pregnant. He's probably concerned."
"Wouldn't anyone be? You're, what, fifteen?"
Nishihara shrugged. "I like to think he has paternal instincts. Wouldn't that be cute?"
"Paternal...?"
"You know, he's protective over me and the baby, like a good father. Paternal."
I clenched my fists then. Had Sako been fooling around with my boyfriend or was she just messing with me? Either way, I couldn't explain how much I hated her right then.

I was starting to get real hungry. How long had we been here? I stuck close to Kyouya as we walked, occasionally shooting a glare back to Sako. She would reply with a cheerful grin. Every now and then we stopped to test the doors, see if they would open. Nishihara had something in her hand, but it didn't seem to be anything good. After a while, Kyouya-chan brightened up and picked up the pace.
"I remembered there were loose boards over the room we started in!" He explained excitedly. "We could get across some of the holes in the floor using those, but we have to move carefully and keep our balance."
We nodded firmly, agreeing. He hefted up the biggest board he could find and dragged it back to a wide hole in the floor before laying it across. Arms out, he made his way around to the other side, careful, ever so careful. At least I got a really good view of his backside. Shooting a glare to Nishihara, I went across next, and she read whatever was in her hand while she waited. I tried to glance over to read as I crossed, but I almost lost my balance. Kyouya caught my arm and smiled.
"Careful, Rumie-san." He warned, and I eagerly threw my arms around him, nuzzling my head into his chest. He awkwardly patted my shoulder and I turned my head to stick my tongue out at the bitch behind us. She just smiled bravely and wobbled across the board.
"Read this!" She insisted, grinning and forcing it at us while we were having a moment! Kyouya sighed exasperatedly and took it, skimming over it.
"Naho's notes..."
I tuned him out, walking on a little. I could hear an interesting sound. Like wet tearing, like someone was really digging their fingers into something big and meaty. I stopped, finding a piece of paper with something hurriedly scrawled onto it in what I hoped was red ink.

She...she's gone. She's gone. My beloved Akino, so beautiful, her perfectly sculpted body, and she's gone. The bitch destroyed my last link to my one true love and now I fear I have lost her forever. I feel like I'm just trapped in this reverie, wanting and needing the mere image of my love to sustain my sanity. Then again, if Karina heard me talking this way of Akino, she would insist my sanity was already gone. That I was sick. Here, I am not the sick one. It is her. She, who readily destroys everything I hold dear, and smashes the hopes and dreams of all. I will kill her. I will kill her. She has to die. She took away my last hope and she has to die I have to kill her kill her kill her die she has to die I am going to destroy her just as she has destroyed my hope Karina will die

It trailed off in pretty much the same manner. I felt a presence behind me, and turned to see Kyouya and Sako had caught up with me, and I expected a reprimand. Instead, Sako clamped a hand over her mouth and nose, having gone very pale, and Kyouya looked solemn. It took me a moment to realise they had read the note over my shoulder, and a moment more to catch the smell in the air. The same smell you get on your period or during dissections. The smell of unfiltered blood and gore, still with the wet tearing sound, the occasional grunt and slurp, as though someone were eating the very meat they were tearing into. We exchanged worried looks before pressing forward.

Turning a corner, we were met with a simply awful sight.

A boy in red was crouched over a bloody, torn body that had once been a teenage girl, supposedly the Karina in the note. Of course, there was a Karina in our class, but I didn't dare so much as think that girl could be her. I also knew an Akino. Kiyomizu's little sister, or at least one of them, was called Akino. He came from an exceptionally large family, I remembered. The boy crouched over the corpse was tearing into it with his hands and lifting the lumps of meat to his mouth. I think he was eating them. That was enough to push Sako to throwing up. Ew. We jerked away from her with a quiet yelp and the boy turned. He had purple hair in a long plait, but the plait had been over his shoulder, riding down his chest, where it too was covered in blood. His eyes were a dull blue and everything seemed to make his already pale skin glow an eerie white. The emblem on his breast pocket was difficult to make out, but I already knew what school he was from. It was Youku. Our Youku. Which meant the blue-haired corpse pulled open like a dissected frog was our Karina.

Youku didn't say anything, just stared at us for the longest time. Then, he licked the blood off his hand and off something glinting in his grip. A knife? I felt a shiver run down my spine and suddenly I wanted nothing more than to be home in bed, maybe with Kyouya cuddled up to my side. "Looks like we have some little piggies watching us, don't we, Karina?" He reached over and made her lifeless head move, nodding as though she could agree. "They look like they could make some very tasty morsels." His tongue flicked over his lips and he began to advance on us. I felt frozen in place, but someone pulled me away by my arm. Sako was leading me and Kyouya away briskly, thanking him for his 'offer' and saying they really ought to go find the others. Footsteps followed. He was following.

"Come back here, you sons of bitches." Came the awful rasp. I sped up at once, almost pulling Sako over. I gripped her wrist, practically dragging her after me, and we sped down the hall, frightened out of our wits. We had taken a turn away from the huge hole we'd bridged and now we were bound to get lost. Matters were made far worse when a girl rounded the corner in the opposite direction and we collided, all four of us falling in a heap. I looked up, saw Youku approaching and shut my eyes tight.

A blood-curdling scream pierced the building.

Sako: Damn It All To Hell

I settled down for a little rest after a moment. We were still in the locker room, not moved yet. Teruhiko was still trying to figure out what we'd just found. It was a book, seemingly a diary. Most of the pages were encrusted in blood. Finally, he found pages he could read and started speaking them out loud.
"I've lost track of the date. I can't tell you how long I've been, maybe days, weeks or only hours. I'm so cold, but I found some notes. If I can find my friends, maybe I can get out of here. These notes from the other people say there's a way out of here. I just have to find the others and perform the charm backwards, chant the words and put the paper doll back together. Once for each one of us and once for the spirit of Sachiko. It'll make her happy or something. I need others with me for it to work. I can't find my friends and the children are closing in." He paused and frowned. "Wait, the children?"
I shook my head quickly. I was kind of having a panic attack, and he had no clue how to react. He didn't now what to do to help. I didn't care, not really. He was still stood by me, and that was enough for me.

I don't know how long it took. Finally I'd calmed down and he had his arm around me.
"I need the bathroom." I muttered when I was calm. I wiped my eyes on my hand and he bit his lip.
"I don't want to separate."
"Come with me then."
"Just pee yourself!" He insisted. I slapped him.
"No, don't be disgusting!"
He paused, hand hovering over his cheek where I'd hit him. "Nishihara-san..."
I turned and stalked off. I was sick of all this. All of it. The corpses, the nightmare, the death, all the blood and guts and bugs and ew, I can't stand it.

I went to the bathroom, and then walked out and began to make my way back to the locker room, hand resting on my belly. I had to stop for a moment in one of the halls to empty my stomach. God, I was so sick, I just wanted to go home. I wiped my eyes quickly and went to walk forward, but another earthquake struck, and all I could do was crouch down and wait for it to pass. I was so scared. I could hear things fall and break around me and I had to call out, because if I didn't, what if I lost Teruhiko? "Teruhiko!" He cried meekly, keeping my head down as dust and wood fell. It was in my hair and my clothes and my nails, and I felt something sharp slice against my hand, and I cried. I let tears run down my face as I tried to calm down, and in the end I was sobbing and I hated it. "Teruhiko, I'm sorry!" I cried as the earthquake finally subsided.
"Nishihara?" A voice called. A girl's voice, but still I stupidly called for Teruhiko.
"Nishihara!" Hands grabbed my shoulder and someone was shaking me, trying to pull me up. "Nishihara, stand up, come on, get up! Please be okay!"
I looked up and saw Tsutsumi and Ishizaki. Taking a few deep breaths, I let them help me up.
"Are you okay?" Tsutsumi asked with a look of deep concern. "Did you get hurt in the earthquake? Have you seen anyone else?"
"Uh..." I gave a slight nod, uncertain.
"You saw Iwase?" Ishizaki asked, arching an eyebrow.
I nodded again. "Yeah, back by the pool."
"What pool?"
"Uh, the pool. Come on." I walked off confidently, leading the way, but where the door to the locker room should have been, there was just wall. "No!" I shrieked, hammering at the wall. "Where'd the door go? It was right here, between that classroom and those stairs! Teruhiko! Teruhiko, answer me!"
They each grabbed an arm and pulled me away from the wall. They looked terrified, I don't think they'd ever seen me in such a state. "We were going to escape together!" I cried. "You promised to make everything okay! You promised to hurt Matsuno and help with the baby and everything! You said it would all be okay! That we could get out of here!"
They helped me to the floor and Tsutsumi held me, resting my head on her chest and rubbing my back, and I could hear them whispering, about what I had just said, about the baby. I wished I was dead, but no such satisfaction would come.

Kazufumi: Delicious Smells

I don't know how long we've been travelling. A long time, certainly. I always snacked between meals, but still managed to be absolutely famished by dinner. Well, admittedly, I tended not to have lunch or breakfast. Now I was wishing I had considering all I'd eaten today was a small chocolate bar and lolly. We could have been walking for days. Either way, I was really hungry, and, well...
"I need to go." I announced suddenly. Nijiko arched an eyebrow.
"Go?"
"Yeah, go. Like, I really need to go."
She was silent for a moment before sighing. "There's a bathroom upstairs."
"Will you wait here for me?"
"Of course. You go."
I nodded gratefully and hurried off to the stairs. There were desks blocking the way, but that didn't bother me, not totally,so I just clambered over them. I kept my gaze straight ahead. Seeing all those bodies was still making me feel so sick. How long had we been here?

The boys' bathroom was heavily boarded up. The girls' was hanging open, but, well, I wasn't a girl. Tentaively, I went in despite my better judgement. It seemed empty and quiet but for the creaking of old wood. I tried the first door, but it was locked. All of them seemed to be locked, actually.
"Boys aren't allowed in the girls' bathroom.' Stated a voice. It felt like a hand of ice had gripped my heart.
"The boys' bathroom is out of order..." I stammered as I stumbled back. "I...I'll find somewhere else to go..."
The spirit of a little girl appeared before me and that was it, I ran out of the room screaming, begging her not to hurt me.

When I came back to my senses, I was stood outside a classroom. I was lost. I let out a feeble cry for Nijiko-san. I didn't want to be alone, I desperately didn't want to be alone, but all I could find here was an empty bucket and the splattered remains of another student. I relieved myselfinto the bucket and went exploring, calling for the names of my classmates all the while.
"Kotani! Nishimoto! Kiyomizu! Anyone?"
The smell of something frying filled my nostrils. It smelled...delightful. Something was cooking, and I was so hungry. My belly told me to follow my nose and I obeyed, stopping outside the school lab. I pushed the door, only to find it locked.
"Hello?" I called as I knocked on the door. "Hello, is anyone in there?"
No reply. I went back to walking.

I found the key to the lab eventually. It was among some human remains, and I still hadn't seen anyone from school. I was tired and scared, and I'd been crying and calling for help. I guess this is what Nishimoto meant when she would tell me I was a mouse rather than a man. I just wanted some company in this hell, someone to be with when I eventually died! Someone would find me eventually, I thought as I sat opposite the corpse of a young girl. She looked to be a junior schooler. Very young. I stared at her a long while, trying to keep from wailing, and eventually I noticed something in her breast pocket. Something bronzey-gold and small, and shiny. I crept forward and, apologising softly, took the item, finding myself holding the key for the lab.

The door slid open happily once I'd turned the lock. "Hello?" I called as I stepped in, looking around. No-one was there, apart from a girl tied to a chair with piano wire, the top half of her body horribly burnt. And yet I could still smell that chip fat smell, the smell of cooking oil. A full circle of the room showed plenty of pots of boiling oil, but nothing to eat. Nothing being cooked. Nothing but the girl...but she couldn't be the source of that delicious smell.

I looked again, and this time, I found a young boy hiding under a table. Well, I say young, he was at least 17, maybe older. He was wearing a school uniform for a school I didn't recognise. "Hello?" I asked. The boy grabbed my shoulders.
"You have to hide!" He hissed, pulling me under the table with him. "I just came here with my friends and brother, and now I think they're all dead."
"Calm down..."
"Have you seem the bodies?!"
"I have...but you can't survive this if you're hysterical. Close your eyes and go to your happy place, that's what I always do."
The boy did so and I took in his dishevilled appearance. He had brown hair and blue eyes, and he was taller and thinner than me. Finally, he opened his eyes. "Have you seen anyone from Ritoruiro Girls' School?"
I shook my head. "You're not from there."
"No, I'm from Pichitsuri University School...my sister is in here somewhere though. I need to find her. If Akimitsu and Kunihide are dead and I already know Noaki is, he's hanging in the toilets upstairs and it's all my fault and-"
I slapped him then. "Shut up and stop panicking!"
There was a loud thump and a groan from beyond our hiding place, and I covered the boy's mouth with my hand. Even so, we were found.