Miyako's execution is cancelled due to some unknown reasons. She was transferred inside a room where she could rest instead. The box where the two bloody corpses lay were brought somewhere in an isolated area beside the deserted shrine where Harugii Aika was disemboweled. Otome reopened the box where she finds the bodies of Ryuu and Aika drenched in dried blood. The men grabbed their shovels and started digging.
The corpses were buried deep. The next day, the whole village mourned for the loss of both siblings. They were loved. They will always be remembered.
--
Six weeks after the improper burial (yet no one knows where they were buried), Miyako was set free and the executions were cancelled for good. She and Hikaru were sent back to their homes for better safety.
Otome sat on her table and browsed the untouched files of the Harugiis. They were known for their intelligence. But what bothered her is how did they get those abilities to unlock secrets. Of course she wanted the village chief to own the village as the personal paradise, but how did they know everything? They never sneaked inside the main hall, nor did they brought recorders. This matter is a mystery.
The woman slammed the folders on the table, frustrated. They're dead... but those mysteries of their life are bothering her. She wants to know everything. She sighed and went to the Matsumoto residence. When she knocked on the door, it was Hikaru, one of the survivors, and Aika's companion before she was killed. Otome decided to ask the girl a few questions.
"You're Matsumoto Hikaru-san, am I right?"
"Uhmm.. yes?"
Otomo let out a small cough. She opened the folders and revealed the picture of Aika on her file. "You were with this girl inside your home. How are you related?"
Hikaru bit her lip. "She's a friend of mine... why?"
"How about this guy?" she showed the picture of Ryuu. Hikaru gasped and twitched.
"H-He..." she stammered. "H-he's the guy you brutally murdered!"
"Why, he and his sister were brutally murdered. They deserve to die after the riot they caused in our village. Their mysterious intelligence is causing stress to the congress." she said in her most business-like tone. "They are executed and are charged from illegal and false generalizations against the public."
"Ryuu was right!" This time, Hikaru is raising her voice. "Why are you using us villagers as your slaves?! We're not born to be treated like dogs! We have the right to demand independence!"
Otome fumed. "It is from the public law that you should not break the orders, or else be sent to the torturing shrine and be disintegrated."
"So what? We don't care if any of us will be killed. You can't make this village the chief's personal paradise forever. He should at least deal with us fairly."
"There's nothing you can do, Matsumoto-san." the woman shook her head. "If you are sticking with the Harugiis, I'm afraid you can't anymore. They're dead. They don't exist. They're buried six feet underground and their bones would have been brittle and dead under the soil!"
Hikaru balled her hands into fists. "Yeah, yeah, you shoved their dead bodies inside a box instead of a proper burial."
"Exactly. They were buried beside the shrine where Aika-san was executed. It's so sad Ryuu-chi endured all the pain and died so he can be with her. The execution is an absolute success."
"You just don't want your secrets to be revealed, right?! You're doing everything to make this village all yours and turn the villagers into dogs!"
Otome gritted her teeth and stood up, dropping the folders on her feet. "You better watch that mouth of yours, kid. Or else I'll send you to the local discipline committee."
"Go on, send me there! That'll make me prove everyone that the death of the Harugiis is an injustice!"
The woman grimaced. "You fucking piece of shit, taking me lightly like that."
Hikaru flinched from her curse. Otome approached her and grabbed her by the neck.
"A legal-aged kid like you should be taken to the police!" she yelled. "Why do you defend the Harugiis so much?! Can't you see our quest was a success? With those two little brats gone, the village will be in peace once again and NO ONE WILL EVER TRY TO RUIN THE CHIEF'S IMAGE AGAIN!"
Hikaru grabbed her arm and struggled for air. Unfortunately, there's nothing, not even an obstacle to snatch for retaliation. Otome's lips formed a slow psychotic grin.
"No one can protect you now, girlie. It's just you and me now."
Hikaru slapped her arm away and staggered backwards. She massaged her neck and inhaled some air.
"Get out of my house!" She screamed, grabbing a stool beside her and raising it up. "Get out! OR ELSE!"
Otome smirked. "Huh. Looks like you have some strength there." she said with a sinister chuckle. "Of course I'll get out of your house." then she pulls out a knife.
"...RIGHT AFTER I FINISH YOU OFF!"
The woman lunged at her. But Hikaru threw the stool and the woman dodged. Hikaru ran towards the kitchen and searched in the drawers for knives. The table stood between them as Otome motions her to come over.
"Come closer. Hikaru-chan." she says teasingly. "I'll leave you alone after I ask you a favor."
"There's no way I'm gonna fall for that trick."
"It's a quick favor, darling." she chuckled. "Come on now, don't be shy."
"Never..." Hikaru mumbled under her breath. She stared daggers with the woman, who is skirting around the table and approaching her. She raised the knife and Hikaru saw that her face became more psychotic than before. Her iris has shrunk and her mouth had a wide grin.
"Tehehehehe, I told you to come over, right??? I TOLD YOU TO COME!"
Hikaru trembled and made her run. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" As Otome chased her, the girl found her room, prepared to slam it shut, when she saw fingers pushing it back.
"AAAHHH!"
"You think you can escape now, ha?!" Otome said, her voice have gone raspy. "You'll convince the villagers about the injustice! And you'll be the cause of our downfall!"
Hikaru grunted and pushed back. "I said..." She hissed furiously while pushing. She watched Otome's fingers curl around the wooden door until it was close to the door frame. Her chest tightened as she tightened her own fingers around the knob.
"Gaahh!!"
The woman let out a bloodcurdling screech. Her fingers are tightly stuck in the door because of Hikaru's force.
"GET OUT!" the girl yelled. "GET OUT!"
"YOU LOUSY LITTLE BRAT!" Otome shrieked. "I'm not finished with you!"
"GET OUT!"
Hikaru sees the woman's fingers strangled, the skin turning red... then purple. The finger-strangling ended when Otome let out another cry... after a sudden swing of a blade.
Hikaru loosened her grip, and to her horror, the woman's severed hand fell on the floor.
What the?!
As she looked up, Otome is on her buttocks, her knife dropped on the floor and her right hand missing. Who could have done this? Blood is on the floor. Otome is blurting out curses. There's no one in the house but the two of them.
"Hikaru..."
A faint voice echoed on her ear. She looked behind Otome and saw a shadowy figure. It was holding a blood-stained cleaver (hatchet) and is wearing a a silver vest, purple shirt, dark and bluish-green skirt... and a pair of glasses.
Hikaru;'s sky blue eyes widened.. mixed with horror and surprise.
"A-Aika..."
The ghostly figure of Aika put a finger on her lips. Otome, not aware what was behind her, glared at her grudgingly.
"You're lucky you're saved." she hissed. She used her free hand to fish out her phone. "I'll call the headquarters to get in here and sentence you for execution!"
Hikaru didn't say anything but to stare at Aika holding the cleaver.
"What's wrong? You're not gonna say anything? Or I'm gonna --- UGHH!"
Her head started to bleed when the cleaver made its way at the center of her skull. Otome's eyes bled and her iris shrunk, going up to her head until Hikaru can see the white part. One eye then fell out of the sockets, as her tongue lolled and huge drops of blood dripped from her broken teeth. Aika pulled off the cleaver and put it back again, this time almost chopping off her skull. Hikaru couldn't help but to tremble on her legs from what she's seeing.
Otome's limp body fell on the pool of blood.
"A-Aika, you are --"
But the girl put her finger on her lips again. She simply nodded, turned to her left, and disappeared through the wall. Hikaru, half terrified and half relieved, hurried downstairs to get some of the extra garbage bags. She did all her effort to shove the body inside the bag and tie it into a knot. She hopped out of her bedroom window and threw the bag somewhere far away from her house. She hurried back home and used a mop to clean up the pool of blood before her parents arrived.
Right before her eyes, Harugii Aika appeared again, which got her hitting her back on the wall.
"You're safe now..." she said. "Onii will take care of the rest...."
Before she could say anything, the meganeko vanished like dust the moment Hikaru blinked. She wanted to thank her dead friend that she killed that psychotic woman. But what about the files she left behind? She has to keep them securely in her drawer before her parents see them...
TBC
No comments:
Post a Comment