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V11 Story I – Part 08

I burst out of the door, but the cook was already gone. He was abnormally fast. Long streaks of blood marked his passage in the hallway. Running, I followed the red trail as it wound its way, even leaving marks from the organs on the walls at the corner. Just as I turned, I heard a scream, stopping me in my tracks. I stared at the iron door at the end of the hallway, where the blood trail led. I lunged at it and, with all my strength, pulled it open. The door groaned, sending a chill down my spine.

A fierce breeze buffeted me, carrying the salty scent of the ocean. Before me stretched a narrow space enclosed by a rusty iron fence. Short grass covered the sandy ground, and I could hear the sound of waves echoing nearby.

There was a backyard jutting out into the sea. Several garbage bags were piled in front of the fence, and there was a giant incinerator next to them. The cook opened the iron lid and dropped something inside.

Clang, thud.

Tatenashi’s body vanished into the incinerator. The cook rolled his shoulders, then turned. Our eyes met. His half-closed eyes darted around. He furrowed his brows in puzzlement.

“What… is it, sir?” he asked.

“What… what are you doing?”

“…What do you mean?”

“That man was murdered! Why did you drag around that body and throw it into the incinerator?! It’s not an object! How could you even ask me that?!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

The cook bit his lip. After a few moments, he gestured towards the incinerator.

“Um… couldn’t you have told me that sooner?”

“…What?”

“So he was murdered. And judging by your reaction, he was an acquaintance of yours. Had I been aware, I would have been more considerate when moving it. I’ll hold off on igniting it for now.”

He bowed in apology. Murky eyes studied me from beneath his cook’s hat.

“If you wish, I can bring some ice later. It will keep it cool inside.”

“No, um, that’s not the issue…”

“Would that be all right? There’s no point in returning him to his room. I will keep the body preserved until you pass away.”

With a respectful bow, the cook walked away, closing the door behind him.

As I came to my senses, I approached the still-new incinerator. Its iron form resembled a coffin. I tried to lift the heavy lid, and sharp pain shot through my left hand, snapping me out of my thoughts.

There was no point in removing the body. What do we do with it once it was out? Until we left the island, it was best to keep it inside to prevent decay, frustrating as it was.

Shaking my head, I stepped back. High above the incinerator, seabirds cried loudly from the thin chimney. I glanced up at the sky, then back down. Then, I noticed a gap in the iron fence.

“Huh?”

Squinting, I confirmed what appeared to be stairs. Just as I moved towards them, someone called from behind.

“What are you doing, Odagiri?”

I turned to find Mikage leaning against the door, arms crossed, her gaze narrowed.

I glanced back at the stairs. “There’s a staircase here.”

“Hmm, wonder what it’s for. Well, it doesn’t matter. Come. Gotta close the door to keep out the cold.”

With a sniff, Mikage returned to the hallway. I followed reluctantly. There might be something important to discuss.

She paused halfway down the hallway, her voice lowered to a hush. “Well, we’ve achieved our goal. So, what’s next? Any thoughts?”

“What do you mean… what’s next?”

“Yes. What’s next. No point obsessing over a dead guy. We’ve destroyed my eye, and we’re not planning on killing ourselves. The dinner party’s still on. So, what’s the plan?”

Mikage scrutinized me. Indeed, she had a point. Despite the presence of a murderer, the next meal would still be served. If we didn’t do anything, Kaya would die. We had to do something.

Plus, scenes from my dream occasionally appeared before my eyes. Feasting on humans was taboo. This event itself was wrong. The ongoing mad banquet had to be stopped.

“Should we inform them that we’re withdrawing?” Mikage suggested. “I doubt they would suddenly tear us apart. We just need to hang in there until the last day. Though I am curious as to who killed Tatenashi.”

“No, we can’t leave things as they are. I’m going to talk to the host… to Yuuyami Towa.”

She alone held the means of communication with the mainland. We had to ask the host themselves to cancel the dinner party.

Mikage whistled. She wore a thoughtful look, then smirked. “You’ve got guts. Going straight to the big boss to demand the cancellation of the party? I like reckless fools like you. I’ll tell you this, then.”

Mikage jerked her chin, pointing in the direction I came from.

“You probably already guessed. Yuuyami Towa’s on the second floor. I was a bit curious, you see. After you passed out last night, I searched the entire mansion. The second floor has a noticeably different atmosphere. If you’re serious, why not try going up the grand staircase at the entrance? I won’t accompany you, though.”

I never intended to involve her in the first place. I thanked her, then walked away. Mikage snorted in displeasure and passed me, swiftly turning another corner.

The grand entrance hall lay deserted. The mansion seemed eerily quiet, as if nothing had happened. A staircase as dark as the bottom of the abyss stretched before me. Stepping cautiously on the unstable stairs, I made my way to the second floor.

A cold draft blew against me. The second floor seemed more deteriorated than the first. The damp floorboards creaked as I proceeded carefully down the straight hallway. I tried to listen for any presence behind the doors, but I couldn’t tell if anyone was inside. When I turned the first corner, I heard a noise.

Whoosh, thud.

A searing pain ripped through my abdomen, gradually spreading to my whole body. I looked down to see an arrow sticking out of it.

“Huh?”

I heard someone running away. I raised my gaze and found the hallway ahead empty. One door stood open, but I couldn’t give chase. Carefully, I grasped the arrow lodged in my abdomen.

A sense of relief slowly washed over me. The arrow was lodged in my belly; it shouldn’t kill me. But as the baby squirmed inside, brushing against the arrowhead, cold sweat erupted across my body in an instant.

Pa.

“Oh, shit…”

The baby might come out before I could go down the stairs. If my belly were to rupture here, Mayuzumi might not make it in time to treat me. I had to pull out the arrow by myself before the baby became active.

What a situation. I grabbed the arrow and pulled it a little.

“Ugh…”

I bit my tongue and quickly shoved my tie into my mouth, wiping my sweaty hands before grabbing the arrow again. After readying myself, I pulled it out, feeling the metal scraping against my insides. Drool and sweat poured out of me. The sensation was so repulsive that my limbs convulsed uncontrollably. It was different from external wounds. Unbearable. My left hand throbbed.

The agony ravaged my entire body. I screamed wildly in my mind, pulling out the arrow.

Clang!

Everything went red, then blank, and finally, the arrow safely dropped to the floor.

Spitting out the tie, I fell to my knees, retching several times, saliva and stomach acid dripping from my mouth.

Reacting to the intense pain, Uka thrashed violently. I placed a hand on the wound. Except for the part Uka tore, the wound had already disappeared.

Softly, like a mantra, I repeated over and over, “It’s okay… Uka, it’s okay… calm down…”

The dissatisfied whimpering gradually subsided. I exhaled, struggling to get up.

There was a chance that the culprit would return. I had to inform Mayuzumi. Whoever killed Tatenashi was attacking people indiscriminately. I needed to warn the guests on the first floor to flee.

But this was a remote island, and only the host could provide an escape route.

Realizing this fact, my blood ran cold. I had to talk to Towa. But where could she be? Just as I was at a loss, a cold voice came from above.

“What are you doing? If you’re going to die, couldn’t you do it in your own room?”

The neighboring door was slightly ajar, and someone emerged from it. The floor creaked as polished leather shoes and white socks came into view. The person stood with both feet aligned, looking down at me.

Her gaze pierced through me as if she was regarding filth. Her expression was icy.

“Oh my,” she breathed, smiling curiously. “What a fascinating belly you have.”

Towa hugged her knees like a girl who had found an abandoned kitten.

It seemed I had piqued her interest.