Chapter 2- Police Duty:
The Road Ahead Appears To Disappear Into The Setting Sun, Casting A Golden Glow Over The Scenery. The Sky Is Still Bright On The Horizon, But The Darkness Of Night Is Settling In.
You Can Feel The Warm Air Of The Day Slowly Giving Way To The Colder Air Of The Night, As The Breeze Of The Setting Sun Caress Your Skin. The Road Is Still Clear, But It's Getting More Difficult To See The Curves And Turns Of The Road.
At The Wheel Were Two Police Officers In The Unmarked Silver Car. One Was Ozawa He Was Driving As He Actually Was Decent On The Road Unlike Nagao Who Always Got Sleepy When Driving In A Dusk Or Night Setting.
"So Were Visiting A Housing Complex Because Of A Certain Ghost Sighting And Weird Sounds?" Nagao Asked With A Chuckle Believing The Story To Be Nothing But Crap.
"Yes We Are What Are You Scared?" Ozawa Asked Bluntly With A Sarcastic Tone, Nagao Took Note Of This And Merely Crossed His Arms With A Frown.
"Pfft Whatever! I'm Not Scared Of A Little Fake Sighting" He Grumbled With An Angered Tone. "Oh But Could You Care To Explain Why You Asked About Forty Seven Different Questions About The Job To The Boss!?" Ozawa Asked With A Frustrated Tone.
"Look Nagao... This Job Will Probably Be Some Hoax Call There's Nothing To Worry About I Mean Seriously Zombie And Ghost Sightings? It's Probably Gonna Be Some Homeless Dude Making A Racket Around The Abandoned Apartment" He Explained In A Matter Of Fact Tone With A Yawn.
They Soon Parked Up Next To The Old Apartment, From The Two's Angle The Abandoned Apartment Building Is Barely Noticeable Beneath The Thick Covering Of Dark Green Moss. The Brick Facade Is Obscured By The Creeping Plants, The Windows Completely Hidden Beneath The Verdant Carpet.
Even The Doors Are Barely Visible, Partially Hidden By The Thick Moss, Though The Occasional Passerby Can Catch A Glimpse Of The Rotting Wood Underneath. The Building's Roof Is Nearly Overgrown, The Entire Structure A Dark Green Mass That Resembles A Small Jungle.
"I Guess Mother Nature Wasn't Too Happy" Nagao Joked With A Smirk, To Which Ozawa Frowned And Shook His Head Although Not Actually Saying The Word, Nagao Knew Ozawa Was Saying "Shut Up" Under His Breath.
"I Guess We're Going In?" Nagao Sighed With A Depressed Look As Ozawa Was Merely Shaking His Head. As There Two Made Their Way To The Front Door It Already Seemed To Be Falling Off Their Hinges.
Suddenly, Without Warning, A Small Mammal Sprang From The Wall And Began To Fall Through The Air. The Rat Landed With A Sickening Thunk On The Ground, Rolling Over On Its Back. It Lay Motionless, Its Body Unnaturally Twisted. The Rat Had Fallen Out Of The Window.
The Rats Body However Was Covered In Greenery And Plants Sprouted From It Similar. To The Moss Growing On The Apartment Building. Nagao Kneeled Down To The Now Deceased Animal Examining The Green Substance On It.
"Hmm Seems To Be Lolium Or As Most People Know It Ryegrass, A Poisonous Type Of Grass, Ingestion Of This Perennial Infested Ryegrass Can Lead To Severe Neurological Symptoms" Nagao Explained While Ozawa Looked In Intrigue Since He Was Completely Clueless On Plants.
"It Seems Whatever Is Causing This Doesn't Want Anyone In Here Especially Animals" He Was In Deep Thought As He Examined The Piece Of Ryegrass In His Hand. Ozawa Decided To Look Around The Outside Meanwhile.
As Ozawa Kept Looking Around The Now Decrepit Building He Kept Finding Lines Of Grass However It Repeatedly Kept Being Outlined In A Weird Way. Almost Like The Grass Was In The Outline Of A Human On The Ground, He Just Couldn't Shake That Theory Out Of His Head.
"Hey Nagao Come Look At This!" He Yelled Thinking It'd Best To Get Nagao's Opinion On It. As Nagao Arrived In A Rush His Eyes Widended In Shock At The Peculiar Outline Of Grass On The Ground. "This Doesn't Make Sense... This Is Something Way Above Our Usual Pay Grade" He Sighed Scratching His Head In Confusion.
Ozawa Decided To Check The Walkie Talkie However It Seemed There Was No Reception In The Area. "Dammit Our Walkie Talkies Are Dead Out Here" Ozawa Gave It A Light Punch However No Result As It Came up With The Same "Offline" Notification.
"Well The Sheriff Wanted Us To Check It Out Ourselves So It Would Be No Point In Calling Backup Anyway... We Can't Let Boss Down" Nagao Explained Tensing His Fist. "We're Going In" He Nodded Entering The Nature Covered Apartment.
Ozawa Followed Of Course However Reluctantly And Decided To Stay Behind Nagao. As His Entire Body Was Shaken Up And His Skin Grew Pale, Fear Seemed To Now Travel All The Way Up His Spine.
The Walls Of The Apartment Were Covered In Layers Of Moss, Which Had Spread Even To The Windows And The Floors. The Ceiling Was Filled With Cobwebs, Giving The Room A Somber Feeling. There Were Hardly Any Furniture Inside The Apartment, Just A Few Old Chairs And A Rotting Bedframe Surrounded By Dampness.
The Air Inside The Apartment Was Thick With Mold And Moisture. In The Center Of The Room Was A Small Table, Upon Which Sat A Broken Lamp, Its Shade Covered In Dust. It Was A Dim, Lonely Place.
"Right Let's Devise A Plan First Of All" Nagao Turned To Ozawa Which Was Now Shaking In His Boots, Nagao Now Merely Responded With A Shake Of His Head. "Ozawa... Come On What's There To Worry About?" He Sighed Reassuring Him.
When Ozawa Noticed That He Was Shaking He Quickly Sprung Back Into A Brave Pose, "I Am Not Scared! Or Shaking... From A Mere Hoax Ghost Story" He Proclaimed As Nagao Merely Rolled His Eyes.
"Right... Anyway, Ozawa You Go Check The Lower Levels For Any Clues" He Paused Before Taking Out His 9mm And Turning On The Flashlight Attached To The Pistol. "I'll Check The Higher Levels, How Does That Sound?" He Asked With A Laid-back Tone.
"Uh L-Lower Levels?! I Mean That's Fine With Me, Yeah... Totally Fine" Ozawa Stuttered Crossing His Arms. "Well Then Good Luck" Nagao Then Split Off From Ozawa Heading Up To The Higher Levels Of The Apartment.
As Nagao Traversed Through The Higher Floors Of The Apartment He Found That Oddly All The Doors Were Locked And Seemed To Be Boarded Up By Some Other Heavier Objects. "Huh Odd... It's Like Someone Almost Knew We Were Coming" Nagao Scratched His Chin On Confusion.
At That Moment, He Noticed A Trail Of More Greenery, "Huh More Ryegrass...", He Decided To Follow Up The Trail However He Started Hearing Murmuring And Almost Groaning Sounds So He Decided To Take Out His 9mm Swiftly. Aiming It Forward With An Ounce Of Fear Wondering What The Sound Was.
As He Kept Walking Down The Hallway, He Came Across A Crooked Open Door Which Coincidentally Had The Trail Of Ryegrass Leading Inside It. However To Nagao's Horror Suddenly A Person Stepped Out But This Time They Were Different....
The Person's Body Is Covered In Decay And Rot, Its Skin A Putrid Blue-gray Hue That Smells Sour And Sickening. The Flesh Has Started To Break Down From The Inside Out, Exposing Chunks Of Yellowing Bone As The Decay Spreads Through Its Body.
It's Missing A Few Fingers On One Hand, As Well As An Eye, And One Side Of Its Jaw Is Completely Missing, Revealing More Of Its Yellowed Teeth And Broken Jawbone.
'Uhhhhggghhh..." The Decaying Person Spoke As It Turned It's Attention To Nagao As It Turned It's Neck To The Side To Examine Nagao, A Bone Cracking Sound Could Be Heard. The Latter Was Merely Frozen In Place Due To The Mere Sight Of This Fictional Monster Brought To Reality Somehow.
Nagao Then Started Sweating Heavily, Panic Started To Set In As This Was A Job He Wasn't Used To As The Decaying Person Walked Closer Nagao Pressed Firmly On The Trigger As He Fired Multiple Rounds Into The Zombie-Like Person's Head.
Gunshots Echoed Throughout The Apartment As Nagao Didn't Stop Until He Knew The Zombie Was Dead. After Five Seconds Of Constant Fire, The Zombies Body Fell With Large Thud As It Layed Lifeless On The Ground. It's Head Blown Apart Because Of The constant Gunfire.
Nagao Walked Over To The Corpse, Before Rubbing His Eyes In Shock And Confusion. Trying To Piece Together A Theory For This Unexplainable Situation He Now Got Himself Into.
As Nagao Bent Down To Get A Sample Of The Corpses Skin, He Noticed In The Room A Small Notebook Laying On The Desk...
Meanwhile, In The Lower Levels Ozawa Managed To Find The Entrance To The Basement However It Was Pitch Black And The Only Light Source He Had Was His Flashlight That Was Attached To His Pistol Offering Only A Small Amount Of Light To Actually Shine.
Area Around Him Was Dark And Damp, With An Uneven Floor And Moss Growing On The Walls. Cobwebs Dangle From The Ceiling, And The Air Has An Earthy Scent. Old Boxes And Crates Are Stacked Haphazardly In One Corner, While The Other Corner Holds A Pile Of Discarded Furniture. Dust Covers Most Surfaces, Though There Are Some Areas Where It Has Been Brushed Away.
The Temperature In The Basement Is Cool And Damp, As If The Heat Has Been Absorbed By The Earthen Walls. "Hmm This Place Seems Older Than My Grandma" He Walked Around The Discarded Basement As He Noticed Many Bookshelves Filled With Old Toys.
He Then Noticed A Doll, It Seemed Still In Decent Condition And Thought It Would Be Best To Take Home As A Souvenir For His Little Sister As It Technically Didn't Count As Meddling With Evidence. "I Think This Would Make A Brilliant Gift For Lil Sis" He Nodded Holding The Doll In His Hand With A Smile.
The Doll Had Black Short Hair In A Bobcut, She Had Amber Eyes With Black Pupils, Along With Horns. Her Outfit Seemed To Be Some Demon-Like Costume. Lastly She Had A Grin Painted Along Her Face. "They Don't Make Dolls Like They Used To Anymore, It's Just Plastic Crap These Days" He Chuckled.
As He Pocketed The Doll He Then Noticed On The Stone Wall That One Of The Rocks Seemed To Be Turned Diagonally Unlike The Other Rocks In The Stone. "Huh That's Odd" Ozawa Then Walked Towards The Wall With A Swift Place Before Turning It Back Into Place.
Suddenly, The Stone Wall Moved Sideways Revealing An Opening For Ozawa To Walk Through. "What The.... This Is Something You'd See In A Crime Thriller, Although I Always Wanted To Go Through A Secret Passage" He Chuckled With A Smirk Before Entering It.
However As He Entered The Opening He Seemed To Be Walking Straight Into Cave. The Walls Of The Cave Are Lined With A Variety Of Crystals In All Shapes, Sizes, And Colors. The Crystals Glimmer In The Dim Lighting, Reflecting The Ambient Light With Their Shimmering Colors. The Cave Itself Is Cold And Damp, With The Scent Of Damp Earth Filling The Air.
The Crystals In Some Of The Paths Are Larger And Brighter Than Those In The Main Cave, Creating A Dazzling Display Of Color And Light.
"Wow This Place Is Beautiful So All This Time The Apartment Had A Secret Passage Way Leading To A Majestic Cave" He Looked In Awe At The Different Crystals.
He Decided To Snap Some Photos On His Phone For The Investigation, However He Then Turned His Head Forward. Noticing A Short Black Haired Girl Sitting On A Rock, His Eyes Widended In Shock As She Turned Her Head Looking At Him With Her Amber Eyes. She Looked Just Like The Doll....
Then Ozawa Looked At Her Head Noticing She Had Horns Which Caused His Heart To Race Faster Than A Formula One Car. "Ahhhh!" He Screamed Loudly As It Echoed Through The Cave And Even To The Point Where Nagao Heard It. Which Caused The Latter To Rush Downstairs To The Basement In A Quick Pace.
As Nagao Ran He Was Thinking About The Possibilities Of What Was Happening Down There, Sure Ozawa Wasn't The Smartest Tool In The Shed But He Was A Good Friend Of Nagao So He Just Couldn't Lose Him. "Dammit Ozawa Always Getting Yourself Into These Dangerous Situations" He Sighed With A Light Face Palm.
However Soon He Entered The Cave, Out Of Breath And Sweaty But Ready For What's To Come, In This Glowing Cave Filled With Stunning Crystals. He Held Onto 9mm Pistol Tightly As He Went Deeper Into The Cave.
Soon He Arrived To The Sight Of Ozawa Sat Down With A Girl With Sable Short Hair In A Bobcut. She Wore A Succubus Like Black Bodysuit, With Pointy Horns On Her Head. Lastly She Had Amber Eyes With Black Pupils.
Without Hesitation He Pulled The Trigger But In An Instant Ozawa Jumped In Front While Shouting The Word "No!" Loudly As If He Was Protecting Her. The Bullet Pierced The Top Of His Shoulder As He Collapsed To The Floor, It Wasn't Anything Major However.
"Stop!" The Girl Yelled Crying As She Bent Down In Front Of Him. She Then Placed Her Hand On The Wound And Healed It With Just A Touch. Nagao's Eyes Widended At The Display Of Supernatural Power. "What The..." He Was Speechless At This Point.
"Let Me Explain What Happened Please" The Girl Pleaded So Nagao Just Nodded. The Girl Then Stood Up And Opened Her Mouth Again Speaking In A Soft Spoken Tone.
"I Am Mirai, The Moon Goddess, I Am A Being On An Unreachable Plane From This One I Came Down To This Place Disguised As A Young Girl, I Lived Here Amongst The People For So Long.... However The People Started Fighting After A Few Foreigners Moved Into The Apartment."
"They All Kept Fighting I Tried To Stop Them But It Was Hopeless So I Tried To Bring There Corpses Back To Life But I Wasn't Able To Properly As I Couldn't Bring Those Back To Life Who Didn't Want To Be Saved... So They Became Zombies"
"I Protected This Building By Wrapping It In Plants With My Powers To Keep People Out I Wanted To Preserve The Memories But People Just Kept Coming In" She Paused With A Saddened Expression With Teary Eyes.
"I Didn't Want To Hurt People" She Finished Off Her Explanation With A Hopeful Look, Hoping That Nagao Wouldn't Think Of Her As A Villain.
"So You Wanted To Protect You're Most Cherished Memories... I Understand Even If You're Not Human" He Sighed.
Ozawa Finally Got Up After He Was Healed And Spoke With A Pleading Tone "We Have To Do Something About This Place And Protect It From Outsiders" Nagao Looked At This Idea And Nodded.
"I Think I've Got Just The Thing..."
So A Week After The Ordeal, Nagao Asked The Sheriff To Corner Off Any Entrances To The Place, So He Did With Gates Aligned With Barbed Wire. Allowing No One In, Nagao And Ozawa Both Got Promoted For Their Bravery Too. Mirai Was Able To Now Live In Pure Peace Shielded From Intruders For The Rest Of Her Life Ending Her Story...