Part 40: Mire, Part 2

Video: Yuuya Kizami

Music: Unrest



I'd been screaming and crying so much that my throat was now bone dry. I couldn't manage any more than a whimper.

*pant* *gasp*

My throat was actually in a lot of pain. It burned like someone had cut it wide open.

*deep breathing*

Kizami had raised the knife as if he were about to kill me, but for some reason, he just froze like that. And all I could do was lie there, struggling to breathe. Aside from his heavy panting, I could only hear the sound of my own chattering teeth.

*pant* *wheeze*
...!
(I don't want to die. I want to see my big brother again. Even if it's just one last time...)



*inhale* Haaaghgh... Big br...brothe...

No good. The sentiment was there, but the words couldn't possibly have been heard by anyone else... except the person I didn't want to hear them.

(Big brother won't know to come help me if that's as loud as I can go...)
Big...brother...! Big brother! Biiig broootheeer!

Music: Fear of the Occult (B)



My strained scream seemed to snap Kizami out of his trance. He brought the tip of his knife down onto my cheek...but didn't break the skin.

Ahhgh! ...mnghhhh...
You do know...that no matter how much you scream, no one's going to come save you, right?

He was looking down at me with blank, empty eyes. It was like he'd just woken up from a really long dream.

B-Big br... Big brother...is going...to come!

I was absolutely certain about that. He may not have found me yet, but I knew he was looking. He was worried, and looking all over for me. It was only a matter of time... Big brother is my prince, after all. And the prince always comes to rescue his princess.



H-He is c-com(ghllgh)!
...Shut your mouth.



Mngbllgh! Gllhblh! Ghhhrrgglghh!

For all the pain and fear I was feeling, I knew I had a chance to fight back. So I opened my mouth, and I bit down hard on his palm.



I must have bitten even harder than I thought. I could taste his blood. It was warm and mineraly, and slid down my parched throat, easing a little bit of the pain and dryness.

*pant* *pant* *pant* ...He is coming! Big brother is coming for sure!

I just kept shouting. I didn't care if these were the last words I ever said. I had no regrets. I just wanted to cry out.



He's not coming. He's not coming, he's not coming, he's not coming! Your big brother is not coming!
Gh...!



Ghaaaaaahlgh!!
Hnng...?
BLAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!



Kizami just grabbed his head in both hands and let out a cry of pain that didn't even sound human.

What is it? What is this?! What the hell is this voice I'm hearing?!
(Did I really want a little sister?)



I did. I wanted a little sister!
...!
Someone weaker than I. Yes...someone who needed me!
(But was it really a little sister that I wanted?)
That's right! If I had a little sister, I'd change!



...?
GHLAAAAGH! REEAGGH! GHHHLLLHH!!

He grabbed his head again and began stumbling around. He looked like he was in real pain -- there were even tears in his eyes!

Dammit... Goddammit, goddammit all! What does it all mean?! I don't need a reason! Not now! It's too late for that! This is who I am now! This is what I've become! Everything is mine! I've stomped out everyone in my way, and held my head high the whole time!
...ACK!! GHAAAAAAAAAALLLGGHH!! ...*pant*...
...



Are you...okay? D-Does your head...hurt? I have some headache medicine...in my pocket...
...!
You can take some...if you want...
*gag* ...RrrrrrRRRRREEEEAAAAAAGGGHHH!! ...Oolgh!

Music: Distress



Sound Effect: Smash



(If I had a little sister...maybe I'd have acted more like a big brother should. Yes...I'm sure of it... I'd have been just like my asshole brother... when he was crying over me.)
...EAAALLLGGH!!



Ki...zami...

He fell to his knees, and just stayed like that. Not moving...maybe not even breathing.

*gasp* *wheeze*



...Mnngh?
OUUAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!

After another unnerving yell, the huge man with the hammer just stood there, staring at me. He had blood spattered all over him. Somehow, though, I got the impression he wasn't going to attack me.

Are you...here to save me...?
Oogh...ooouagh...

He reached one hand toward me, slowly and gently. ...Though it may have been a little too slowly. He moved like a zombie, as if I were watching a TV show in slow motion.



Ouagh! Ouuuuaaaaaaggghh!!
Wh-What's wrong...?
OuuAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!

???: ...

It almost seemed like he was afraid of me... But I was just a little girl tied to a table! What could he possibly think I'd do to him?



He didn't answer. I wasn't even sure he'd heard the question. He wasn't looking at me...he was looking past me.

I want to know...what you're looking at.

???: Kill her.





OuuAAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!!
Aagh! Yaaaaaaaaagghh!!

Sound Effect: Smash



My arms and legs suddenly went slack. I felt like I could move them now.



Ahhh...!

I knew I didn't have much time. I tried my hardest to wake up my sleeping hands and feet and shake the broken, splintered ropes from my wrists and ankles.

???: Kill her!

OOOOUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!!



It seemed like the little girl was pulling the huge man's strings, and he didn't really want to hurt me. So maybe I could reason with him...?

Ummmm...

???: What are you doing? Kill her!

GUAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!
Ugyaaah...! Wh-What's wrong?

He suddenly doubled over and began clawing at his throat, seemingly in a great deal of pain. Reasoning with him really wasn't going to work. He was too unstable...and if it came down to me or the little girl, I was pretty sure I wouldn't win.

(Now might be my best chance to escape!)
UUUOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!

Video: Yuuya Kizami ends here.



We're put into control, and immediately break the tension by grabbing this nametag.

It's a decayed, skeletal corpse. There's nothing about its outward appearance that gives any clear indication of age or gender. However, there's a student ID name tag partially lodged in its rib cage that indicates it probably belonged to a junior high school girl:

Ai Honda Age: 14
Takine Municipal Middle School

Cranium bashed in with blunt object.



After grabbing the nametag, we pick up this bottle from the floor.

There's a bottle on the ground filled with a transparent liquid. Take it?

Take it
Leave it

(I wonder what's in here... It's...not water, is it...?)

Sound Effect: Item



???: How long are you planning to squat there like that? Kill her.



Eeeaaoogh...!

Instinctively, I threw the glass bottle at the huge man with the hammer.

Ouuugggghhhhhh...gggoooouuuhhh...

He flinched and stumbled backwards. His hammer was still raised, however, and smashed into one of the light bulbs on the ceiling, shattering it.



(But I might be able to get away now!)

The feeling had begun returning to my legs, so I wasted no time. Habitually yelling "Excuse me!" as I left, I darted through the dark lab, using what I remembered of its layout to avoid obstacles and reach the door.

*pant* *whimper*

Music: None





Hey. Did you do that on purpose?
Aooouuaaagghh!



Aauuulllgghh...
Just go after her already!
OOOOUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!



Tch! Maybe she has the paper scrap to keep her safe. Her fate hasn't been sealed yet...





(I have to... I have to find...somewhere to hide...)
Mngh?!



I couldn't make out who it was with any certainty, but I did briefly catch a glimpse of a figure retreating into the darkness. And it looked like...



(That...was big brother just now, wasn't it?)

I took off in pursuit. If that was big brother, then I just had to catch up to him!

Big brother! Big brother!



(He's not stopping. I have to go after him!)
Big brother! Biiig broootheeeer!

Music: Revolving Door Brass



We're put back into control of Yuka, a short distance from the science lab.



We start by heading north, to the third floor.



...It's too quiet. I don't think he came this way. I should look for him back in the main hallway.



Yuka won't go upstairs, so we start checking classrooms for Satoshi.



There's nothing of immediate interest in here. We check out the cupboard in the corner.



Unfortunately, there's nothing useful inside.

(Now's no time to search shelves anyway. I have to find my big brother!)



We can go in each of the classrooms, and generally you won't find anything at all inside, but there'll be a bit of flavor text and you'll hear Yoshikazu getting closer to Yuka. He'll never actually catch up though, so you can wander around for awhile. Every object you investigate boosts the darkening meter, however, so if you wander around for too long (like, investigating every object in every room five times each), you'll get a game over.



Skipping the less interesting rooms, we enter 1-B.



We check the writing on the board.



RRROOOOOAAAAGGGHHH!!



None of the other classrooms are all that interesting, so we head down to the first floor.



A cutscene will trigger once you step two spaces north of either first floor staircase.

Music: None



Background Sound: Quake



Suddenly, my field of vision started going topsy-turvy. Was I falling...? It was an earthquake, but there was more than just that. The floor beneath me was moving up and down in time with the quake's left and right motion.

Mnnnngghhh... Big brother... Big brother...!

I tried putting my hand on the floor for balance and getting back to my feet.



I thought I'd done it. I was standing now, and had started getting used to the vibration. As long as I hugged the walls, I could walk. But that all quite literally came crashing down around me soon enough. The wildly-shaking floor cracked, then crumbled...and I was free-falling.

Ahh, ahhhhh, I'm f-fa--AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!