Status: ~possibly in the process of being published~
Visual Kei
Adventures in Rotting Hospitals
Emiko brushed the wall as we walked, not quite being careful, and paint chips rained from the ceiling, hitting the floor with strange, soft taps, that were entirely too loud in the ringing silence of the abandoned hospital. Umi glared, her expression furious. “Though you can’t see it, there are dangers in this quiet building. You’d do well to silence your movements.” Emiko offered only a look of slight amusement and slight cockiness.
“You think I can’t see danger?”
“Can it, kid. You obviously didn’t see your sister’s kidnapping. Don’t think everything is visible to you.” Umi: 1, Emiko: 0.
Emiko withdrew into herself, glaring coldly at Umi as she directed us through the darkness. I’d thought we’d lost her for a moment, but then, in the murky darkness of the rotten building, her eyes would flash in the darkness like will-o’-the-wisps. As we stepped into a darker hallway that obviously led to the interior of the building, I realized that I would not be able to see anything here. My body shook fearfully as I grasped Shinji’s hand for support, feeling my nerves almost ready to overtake me. Forget the Shinigami and the Aku—I wanted to curl into the fetal position and sing to myself. Shinji’s reassuring squeeze helped guide me through the corridor.
“Can’t we use a cell phone or something to light our path?” I asked fearfully, my voice trembling almost as much as my knees. I knew it was a bad idea, but it quite frankly freaked me the hell out to be walking through abandoned and rotting hospitals blindly.
“No. It makes us easier targets in the dark,” Umi replied immediately, as if quoting someone else’s words.
After a while, it became easier to take steps down the mildew-scented hallway, but I never once relinquished Shinji’s hand. Sometimes, the floor would make creaking noises underfoot and I worried that, somehow, the floor would cave and my leg would fall through, but that was just my imagination on overdrive.
It felt unnerving to wander through such an old and abandoned building. Like all creepy structures, it felt as though something were there with me, but then that feeling lingered in large, wide open spaces. It could be a trick of the mind or it could be someone creeping on us. As I felt through the darkness with Umi at my front, Shinji at my back, and Emiko at my side, it was somewhat easier to bear. I felt a strange nagging at the edges of my mind though, as if some memory were asking to spring forth, but nothing came. I felt disappointed and it gnawed at me.
Finally, Umi turned sharply in front of us and slid open a door. In the darkness, I realized with a pang, it was another room without windows. Before we had time to feel our way around the room, the sound of heavy breathing came toward me, something brushing at my face and ears. I stifled a shriek, but stepped away and gasped loudly in surprise and fear. Shinji pulled me aside protectively, his skinny arm around my shoulders. Umi sighed.
“I don’t blame you for being jumpy. I guess the Aku decided to try and turn us against each other,” she mumbled in the darkness, her voice growing further away. She pulled out her cell phone, using its blue light to see in the thick blackness. I caught a glimpse of Chino’s face, sweating and his eyes dilated. He looked delirious, his dark brown eyes swiveling across our faces in the dark. His gaze fell on Umi as she removed the gag from his mouth and cut the tape at his wrists with keys.
“Wh—what are you doing here? Where…?” I had never seen Chino so ill-looking, not even when I’d seen him hung over. It was… wrong to see him so dazed.
“Quiet,” Umi whispered almost gently. In an uncharacteristic act of kindness, she pulled him to his feet and stepped away quickly. “Tell us what has happened. Quietly, now.”
“I—I don’t know right now. My mind… my head…” He groaned softly, rubbing his temples. “I can’t think.” Umi flashed her cell phone in his face, opening his eyes to look at his pupils and rolling back his sleeve to look at his arms. Whatever she saw there, she didn't seem to be too worried about.
“You’ve been drugged, probably so that you wouldn’t be able to use your telepathy,” she said flatly.
I pulled Chino’s sleeve back to look, too. “Holy shit.”
“You think I can’t see danger?”
“Can it, kid. You obviously didn’t see your sister’s kidnapping. Don’t think everything is visible to you.” Umi: 1, Emiko: 0.
Emiko withdrew into herself, glaring coldly at Umi as she directed us through the darkness. I’d thought we’d lost her for a moment, but then, in the murky darkness of the rotten building, her eyes would flash in the darkness like will-o’-the-wisps. As we stepped into a darker hallway that obviously led to the interior of the building, I realized that I would not be able to see anything here. My body shook fearfully as I grasped Shinji’s hand for support, feeling my nerves almost ready to overtake me. Forget the Shinigami and the Aku—I wanted to curl into the fetal position and sing to myself. Shinji’s reassuring squeeze helped guide me through the corridor.
“Can’t we use a cell phone or something to light our path?” I asked fearfully, my voice trembling almost as much as my knees. I knew it was a bad idea, but it quite frankly freaked me the hell out to be walking through abandoned and rotting hospitals blindly.
“No. It makes us easier targets in the dark,” Umi replied immediately, as if quoting someone else’s words.
After a while, it became easier to take steps down the mildew-scented hallway, but I never once relinquished Shinji’s hand. Sometimes, the floor would make creaking noises underfoot and I worried that, somehow, the floor would cave and my leg would fall through, but that was just my imagination on overdrive.
It felt unnerving to wander through such an old and abandoned building. Like all creepy structures, it felt as though something were there with me, but then that feeling lingered in large, wide open spaces. It could be a trick of the mind or it could be someone creeping on us. As I felt through the darkness with Umi at my front, Shinji at my back, and Emiko at my side, it was somewhat easier to bear. I felt a strange nagging at the edges of my mind though, as if some memory were asking to spring forth, but nothing came. I felt disappointed and it gnawed at me.
Finally, Umi turned sharply in front of us and slid open a door. In the darkness, I realized with a pang, it was another room without windows. Before we had time to feel our way around the room, the sound of heavy breathing came toward me, something brushing at my face and ears. I stifled a shriek, but stepped away and gasped loudly in surprise and fear. Shinji pulled me aside protectively, his skinny arm around my shoulders. Umi sighed.
“I don’t blame you for being jumpy. I guess the Aku decided to try and turn us against each other,” she mumbled in the darkness, her voice growing further away. She pulled out her cell phone, using its blue light to see in the thick blackness. I caught a glimpse of Chino’s face, sweating and his eyes dilated. He looked delirious, his dark brown eyes swiveling across our faces in the dark. His gaze fell on Umi as she removed the gag from his mouth and cut the tape at his wrists with keys.
“Wh—what are you doing here? Where…?” I had never seen Chino so ill-looking, not even when I’d seen him hung over. It was… wrong to see him so dazed.
“Quiet,” Umi whispered almost gently. In an uncharacteristic act of kindness, she pulled him to his feet and stepped away quickly. “Tell us what has happened. Quietly, now.”
“I—I don’t know right now. My mind… my head…” He groaned softly, rubbing his temples. “I can’t think.” Umi flashed her cell phone in his face, opening his eyes to look at his pupils and rolling back his sleeve to look at his arms. Whatever she saw there, she didn't seem to be too worried about.
“You’ve been drugged, probably so that you wouldn’t be able to use your telepathy,” she said flatly.
I pulled Chino’s sleeve back to look, too. “Holy shit.”