Te // Hands

The tip of the viola bow scratches on the wall of the corridor as Kokoro sings, the voice turns louder and louder as her footsteps sound nearer and nearer. Wataru and Shinji turn to Kokoro and step backward slowly until their backs hit the wall. Wataru stands in front of Shinji opening his arms trying to protect him, Shinji clenches tight onto Wataru's sleeve.

"W-W-Wataru...What should we do...?" softly, Shinji whispered from behind as he looks at Kokoro approaching.

"Calm down, Izaki Shinji-kun." while Wataru tries to comfort him, he persuades, "Turn your head around, look closely, try to find an opening, a door or a window..."

There, Shinji nods, he then follows Wataru's instruction.

A second later, Wataru asks, "What do you see?"

Shinji squints his eyes into the dark and looks around them. At their left, there is just a wall like the one behind him. Whereas at their right, there is a space, a dark space, Shinji can't see clearly, but he thought he sees a black rectangular structure standing at the deepest side of the space.

With a smile, Shinji pulls Wataru's sleeve and whispers back at him, "Wataru, I think I found a door, at you right, two o'clock, at the deepest side."

Wataru nods, he says, "Good job, Izaki Shinji-kun. Now, let's run."

Just by the moment Wataru said, the both of them immediately run to the deepest side of the space. When Shinji touches it, he knows it is a metal door, but it is rusty, he can't pull it open.

Suddenly, a sweet voice comes from the behind, her voice echoes, "Shinji-kun... Wataru-kun... Why are you running? Come join our class, it's fun, isn't it?"

"She's coming!" Wataru yelled as he turned his head back. He comes to the door and gives Shinji a hand, "Hurry up!"

"Come join our class, the wonderful Class 1-1..."

Kokoro's voice keeps echoing in the dark space, Wataru can't estimate the distance between them anymore. He pulls harder and harder as he becomes more tensioned. While just by another few tries, a loud crack is heard, the both of them successfully tear the door down.

Grabbing Shinji's wrist tight, Wataru pulls Shinji and dashes into the door. Right behind the door, it is a staircase leading upwards. The both of them run up the stairs without hesitating. Loud clanking sound echoes across, Wataru and Shinji gasp as they run upwards and upwards, until suddenly, they come to the end, the last door enters Wataru's sight.

"It must be the rooftop..."

While just by the moment Wataru reaches his arm out and opens the door, a girl's figure turns up behind the door. It is Kokoro, she was just behind them, but now she is standing right in front of them.

"Ah!"

Right before Wataru could have the time to react, Kokoro stretches her finger out and lays her fingertip on Wataru's forehead. She gives him a mischievous smile, and then, she applies a little force on her finger and pushes Wataru off.

Losing his balance, Wataru sprains his ankle and falls backwards heavily. He slides and rolls down the stairs until he hits a corner and stops.

"Wataru!" with an agitated scream, Shinji runs to Wataru, he bends down and pulls him up, "Wataru! Get up!"

However, even if Wataru is still in his conscious, he seems fainting. Then, just as Shinji is in panic, he sees another door right behind them, a few stairs downwards. A door before the rooftop, it must be leading to the third floor. As Shinji thought, he pulls Wataru's arms and drags him down the stairs. As they reach the door, Shinji increases his speed and drags Wataru all the way down the corridor on the third floor, he tries to open every door one by one, but they are all locked, until when they arrive at the last door, the door is wide opened, just like the it is welcoming them into the room.

Without having another option, Shinji quickly drags Wataru into the room and locks the door. He then drags Wataru to the furthest corner of the room and leans him onto a metal cupboard. Taking his breath, Shinji looks around their surroundings. The room they just entered, there are musical instruments all around. And the viola, the one Wataru played when they first met in this building. Shinji realizes they are now in the music room.

"I-Izaki... Shinji-kun...", suddenly, Wataru called as he pants slowly.

"Shh!" while Shinji thought it is a bad idea talking to each other right now, because Kokoro could be out there searching for them, she will hear them, "Quiet!"

"Izaki Shinji-kun..." however, Wataru insists on talking, it seems like there is something important that he must tell Shinji right away. In a ghastly face, Wataru holds Shinji's hand, he pants and says, "If I can't make it... You'll need to run for yourself..."

With his expression turning serious, Shinji realizes something might have happened to Wataru, "W-why are you saying this, Wataru?" in a trembling voice, Shinji asked.

While just as he asked, he hears thick liquid dripping down quietly. With the help of the dim moonlight, Shinji takes a look at it, and there, he sees blood. He quickly pulls Wataru up and lays his hand over the back of Wataru's head. Just by then, he feels warm thick blood streaming down his fingers and hand.

"Wataru!" with a sharp gasp, Shinji yells, "Wataru! You're bleeding!"

Leaning onto the cupboard faintly, Wataru says, "I hit my head when I fell off the stairs..."

"Kuso, Wataru!" clenching his fists in blood, Shinji yells in uneasiness, "Why didn't you say it earlier! I dragged you all the way here!" it must have worsened his injuries, Shinji is certain about that.

While just before their conversation could go on, a series of slow footsteps comes in from the outside. The tip of the bow continues to scratch on the wall, and Kokoro continues to sing.

"Shh..." putting his index finger in front of his lips, Shinji turns to Wataru and warns, "She's coming..."

"Ugh!"

While unexpectedly, Wataru suddenly sits up straight and sticks his back tightly onto the cupboard, just like someone is pulling him from behind. Just as Shinji thought, he looks closely at Wataru. There, he sees numerous hands coming out from the surface of the metal cupboard trying to pull Wataru in. The hands are covered in dried blood and mud, they grab Wataru's arms, neck and body, one of them even straightens its index finger and places it before Wataru's lips. It warns Shinji to be quiet, it then covers Wataru's mouth tightly to prevent him from making a sound.

As he sees them, Shinji jumps onto Wataru's body, he tries to pull away the hands from Wataru, he fights them trying to loosen Wataru, but no matter how hard they struggle, the hands just won't let go. There are too many of them, there is no way Shinji could save Wataru. Just then, Wataru cries and shakes his head, he wants Shinji to give up, and just by the moment he stops struggling, the hands take over him, they slowly drag Wataru into the cupboard, Wataru gradually vanishes from Shinji's sight.

"Wataru...!"

Kneeling in front of the cupboard, tears blurred Shinji's eyes in an instance. Wataru is now gone, Shinji is left all alone in this dark building, and there is a psychotic killer coming after him.

Abruptly, before Shinji could get himself together, the door of the music room is pulled open. A figure of a girl in seifuku appears in front of Shinji.