After our debrief, we go our separate ways for dinner. Something chews in the back of my head and I find myself heading away from the food stand.
"Evening. Thought I would come here and investigate by myself." I turn around and see Suguru's smiling face. "It looks like you have seen a ghost."
"Hey, looks like I am raining on your parade. Do you want to ride together?" My head nods up and down involuntarily. My eyes bug out when another question comes to mind.
"Where is Satoru?"
"Tormenting Ijichi or stuffing his face with sugar. What did you find at Space Mountain?" Well, talk about changing the subject.
"How did...Osamu reached out to us." Suguru gives me a toothless grin, confirming my assumption.
By the time the ride finishes, the sidewalks are tied off by rope. I bid Suguru farewell and grab food.
After chowing down on a few buns, I breathe a sigh of relief and smile. I walk quickly, zig-zagging through the crowds forming on the sidewalk. Once inside the alleyway, I take a detour...slowly jogging with a light heart.
The ladder is just out of my grasp. With my feet dangling in the air, I hoist myself up swinging my body onto the first landing. I scale the rest of the escape as quietly as possible. Yellow, red, and green light up the sky, illuminating the corps in front of me.
8:30 pm: Down in the Alleyway
"Interesting, I am the first one here. I wonder what is holding Santa-Clara up? She seems like the type to show up on time for meetings."
"Haibara, glad you made it. Where is everyone else? It is 8:30 already." Nanami announces with Ijichi walking close behind him.
Crash, thump.
"What was that?" Ijichi shouts while crouching behind Nanami. "Whoever you are, show yourself!"
"What a splendid surprise! Everyone is on time!" Satoru shouts loud enough to wake the dead.
"Satoru, we are ten minutes late. Where is Blaise?"
"Right here, everyone." I walk over to the group with a slight limp in my step and a fake smile on my face.
"Have a seat everyone, and feel free to eat or drink as you see fit." Osamu curtly states while walking into the conference room. I avert my eyes from the map plastered on the ceiling to look at the group.
I take a breath in and release it before saying, "There is a body on the roof of this building. I did not get a good look at their face, but they could be a missing patron."
"It would have shown up on the security cameras. Are you certain there is a body?"
"I did not see the cameras but, I was on the roof between 8:00 and 8:30."
Osamu lets out a sigh and addresses the room while everyone else gets comfortable.
"When I said to be subtle with your investigation, that was not an invitation to poke around in closed-off rides." He stares at me while talking. I shrug my shoulders, sit back in my chair and stare at the ceiling.
"Then why did you give us security badges? I was on Space Mountain when it experienced mechanical issues. Something force stopped the ride. The force felt unnatural...as if something grabbed hold of the ride." I am having a staring contest with the curse while saying this.
"The security badges are not a free ticket to do whatever you want. What are you looking at?"
"I am admiring the decor on the ceiling. You are welcome to ask my colleagues for their reports if you are finished chastising me." I am facing Osamu at this point.
"When we contacted Jujutsu Technical College, I was informed you all deal with cases of the supernatural kind. Is this correct?"
"You are right, Sir Osamu." Osamu turns the conversation to Suguru.
"Then tell me, have any of you suspected foul play of the supernatural sort?"
"Are you comfortable sharing why we were hired by Sir Shingo?"
Osamu takes a sharp inhale and a long exhale.
"There was an incident last year involving a child. After the park closed, my team and I searched high and low for the boy. He was found in the Haunted Mansion, fast asleep. I noticed a few scratches on his person and tried getting answers from him. But he could not remember what happened. It did not look like the child was thrown from a significant height or physically abused. Just a few scratches on his knees and face."
Osamu wipes away tears before continuing with his story.
"A few months later, the father found the boy lying in bed and assumed he was asleep. After a few hours, he tried getting his son out of bed and found scratch marks, a missing ear, and a cold body in his son's bed."
My heart goes to the family involved but, I maintain a stoic expression like my colleagues.
"And why wasn't this reported to us?" Suguru probes.
"At the time, we did not think anything of it. We are not the only theme park with death-related incidences. Tech was contacted when more people disappeared."
If someone died on my watch, I would do anything to ensure it never happens again.
"May I suggest checking the security footage for Space Mountain? Something is living in the ride." A curse has curled itself on my lap and I am getting stares from the people I am working with.
"And how do you know something is living in Space Mountain? And why there?"
"It is a popular attraction for kids and adults, the area inside is pitch black, and there is a multitude of hideouts along the tracks. I sensed the presence of something that is not quite human. If I were a supernatural being, I would use it as a hunting ground."
Osamu just stares at me with a furrowed brow and narrowed eyes. Applause from the spectators dilutes the tension building in the room.
"I will look at the footage from today and see if anything odd comes up. You all have rooms booked at the Hilton Tokyo Bay with meals included. Complimentary of Sir Shingo, of course. I expect you all to head over to the hotel, clean up, and report back here within two hours."
I smile and pet the curse that is in my lap. Tonight is going to be fun, I can feel it in my bones.
10:00 pm: Hilton Tokyo Bay Lobby
"Here are your room keys and the codes for the pool. Enjoy your stay." The front desk attendant to Haibara. He smiles in return while dancing back toward the rest of us.
"What a nice person. Here is a key for Satoru and Suguru, I will hold the key for our room, and Santa-Clara here you go."
"Thank you. What time are we meeting?"
"Eleven. Come on everyone, let's eat! I am hungry." Satoru says.
Once inside my room, I notice the light blue envelope sitting atop my bag. I put it away, intending to read it later.
11:30 pm: Front Entrance of Disney
"I was starting to wonder if your accommodations were too comfortable." Sir Shingo states with a hint of arrogance. "Osamu informed me you all found a body and suspect there is a creature living in the park?"
We all nod our heads up and down...I throw my eyes towards the sky while bobbing.
"The six of you will stay with your partner, and explore the following areas: Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and Main Street. Report back here in two hours. Use force to subdue any attackers and avoid lethal force if possible."
Osamu stares at me while saying this.
"I don't appreciate you singling me out." My tone is direct and firm. Suguru shakes his head 'no' to get me to calm down.
"I don't appreciate a rude teenager coming into my place of business, telling my staff what to do, and taking it upon herself to explore a closed-off area. Bear in mind, Miss Santa-Clara, I have hired you for this job...and I can fire you if I see fit."
I crossed a boundary and close my mouth.
Staging Area of Space Mountain
"How are you holding up?"
My partner-in-crime is hunched over and staring at the ground. He puts on a brave face and a professional manner.
"I am alright, Santa-Clara. What do you need me to do?"
"Follow behind me. If we get separated, clap your hands three times or text me. Should we find ourselves face-to-face with an opponent, I expect you to fight."
He nods his head in agreement.
The moment we step inside, it feels like I have walked into a wall of death: frigid air, contracted pupils, and a small smile. It is time to get to work locating the creature.
"Are you feeling up to climbing?" I turn around and see Kiyotaka cowering behind the control panel.
"Nope. I am not cut out for this line of work! You go on ahead and call out if you need me to help you."
I let out an internal sigh before rummaging in my bag.
"Here, take these." I toss a pocketknife, can of mace, and a lighter to my partner.
Midnight-The Dining Hall Scene of Haunted Mansion
"There is something here, Satoru."
"I am aware Suguru. The question is where, and what. My Six-Eyes are picking up faint traces of cursed energy that are difficult to pin down: it's like whatever is in here runs back and forth between spots."
Crash! Thump.
"Over there, by the left corner of the dining table. I saw a human." Suguru yells at his partner.
"I am right here dude. Let's go...they could not have gotten very far."
The two men catch up to the civilian and tackle him to the ground. He is beside himself and looks malnourished.
"Let me go! Don't kill me, please. I beg of you."
"Sir, we are not going to hurt you. Satoru, let him go. We have a few questions to ask..." The civilian kicks Suguru in the shin and is pinned to the ground once again.
12:15 am: Space Mountain (Trigger Warning: Violence and Blood Ahead)
"I know you are here, show yourself."
I am straddling the rails, arms crossed over my chest. My eyes are dark purple and staring towards the middle of the ride. The yellow eyes bore into my soul as if the creature is figuring out what I am. Sulfur, blood, and cedarwood filter through my nose.
"Mind telling me your name?"
A grin flashes underneath the eyes; in a split second, I am knocked from my perch and fighting in mid-air. This thing's skin is cold as steel and they are ripped to the heavens.
"Ouch! Stop biting me."
My back crashes into the tracks first and I am pinned underneath the creature. It looks at my neck and tries to bite me again. I headbutt its mouth as it is about to chomp into my flesh. With my free leg, I kick the monster.
The creature looks at me, looks at the area below us, and is distracted by three claps. It smiles widely, dashing toward the noise.
"Ijichi! Run and hide!" I scream this out loud, hoping my partner is smart and fast enough to seek shelter.
"Curse-Technique: Soul Trace"
My five senses light up like a holiday tree, giving me a first-class experience of what the creature is experiencing. The corners of my mouth spread wide, the smell of human blood drives me into a fit, and I find myself falling down the tracks. The prey is close, and I am hungry.
Clap, clap, clap.
"Soul Trace, deactivate." The moment these words leave my lips, I catch myself before falling onto the launching pad. My heart pounds in my ears and my bones hurt. A feeling of warmth cocoons my flesh as my body initiates a reverse curse.
While indulging in euphoria, I fly into the steel walls of the launching area; my body dropping to the ground like a sack of potatoes. A pair of fangs graze my neck, leaving trails of red fluid on my brown flesh. My pupils dilate and lock onto a pair of dark-brown eyes that are void of life. I laugh under my breath.
"You must be hungry." The vampire's eyes perk up while I expose the right side of my neck. I aim for their forehead and send them flying away from me.
I run after them and land a blow on their face. Without a second thought, I wrap my arms underneath their armpits, and around their neck. My hand is met with a bite that breaks my wrist. Blood rushes down my arms forcing my body to start a new reverse curse.
"Well then, now that you have bitten my arm down to the bone, how about you suck up as much blood as you want?" My eyes start flickering, a sinister grin adorns my face, and I shove my hand down the vampire's throat, making them choke and move around frantically.
My heart rate shoots up! The adrenaline helps me ignore the pounding in my head as I am rolled off the vampire's back. The vampire charges toward me but, a sharp object laced with cursed energy stops them dead in their tracks.
"Santa Clara?" A shaky voice draws my attention to the yellow-eyed vampire.
"Well done taking care of my latest catch." The vampire says with his fangs bare.
"You talk after all? What a relief." The room starts spinning once my body deactivates the reverse curse. I puff out my cheeks, keeping my dinner from swimming upstream.
"Cut the sarcasm!. As repayment, I will eat your friend first?"
"If you are going to drink from me, just do so already," Kiyotaka says while punching the vampire.
I throw my knife at him and graze Kiyotaka's head. A few hairs fall to the ground as the vampire releases my partner. Before getting too far, the vampire grabs Kiyotaka's ankle and throws him up the walkway.
I use the few seconds my partner has bought to run by the control panel, and grab new weapons. With the vampire's back turned towards me, I hold the lighter up and spray the can of mace at the same time.
"Why you little!" The vampire lets go of Kiyotaka, turns around, and holds out his hand...extinguishing my makeshift torch. I lunge onto him and receive a vicious bite to the neck. I smear my blood on the vampire's face as I crash into the floor.
"Curse-Technique: Soul Prison." I manage to say while gasping for air and holding my neck.
"Why can't I move? What have you done to me you brat?!" The vampire yells while struggling to move.
"I have taken what is left of your soul as a hostage. Until I release my technique, you are under my control." I jerk my arms forward, making the vampire get onto his feet.
My partner looks at me with puppy dog eyes.
"I have a feeling Satoru and Suguru have found something interesting at Haunted Mansion."