Ghostbusters: Regeneration

Chapter Five

Hiroko Hamano took her torch and began surveying the frosty cemetery grounds. As she stood in this dark and foreign place, scanning her light over solemn gravestones and mausoleums, she could not help but muse about the strange direction her life had taken in the last 12 hours.

Her day had started out like a typical one in her comfortable little rut of a life. Her average week comprised primarily of the occasional shifts at the local 7-Eleven, binging on video games and movies, and working on her various tech projects. She had few responsibilities besides her job and keeping her parents' house in a decent condition. It was a largely solitary and often mundane existence but it was safe, easy, and all her own.

Today's events had pushed her out of this stable little rut. She had seen her former best friend stroll back into her life, gotten swept up in a paranormal investigation, and was now partaking in a clandestine night meeting in a cemetery. Though part of her was annoyed to have her usual life routine disrupted, it had been for a good reason. If anything could motivate her in life it was the paranormal, and this was the closest she had ever come to a genuine paranormal event.

Ideally, she would have preferred that Melissa was not involved with the situation. The pair had drifted apart over a span of seven years, something that Hiroko was still sore over. However, deep-down she had to admit that she was enjoying her old friend's company. She was surprised at just how quickly they had resumed their old dynamic and how strong their bond remained after all this time.

Despite having never partaken in a clandestine rendezvous, Hiroko had adequately prepared herself for the meeting. She had swaddled herself in a warm and almost comically bulky padded winter coat, zipped up all the way so it covered her chin. She was also equipped with a pair of baby blue-coloured Wellington boots and a pink matching set of mittens and ear muffs. She wore a sturdy backpack which currently held her smartphone, her 'Dwayne Johnson' taser-like device, and a few other just-in-case items. While the hastily assembled ensemble was not exactly low-key, it was practical for the current icy-cold conditions.

Melissa was standing beside her on the paved path that bisected the cemetery grounds, decidedly less protected from the elements. She wore a light scarf, a knee-length coat, boots, and black gloves. Having been at work most of the day, this was presumably all the outerwear she had on-hand. However, her outfit still somehow looked both far more apt for a covert meeting and 'grown-up' compared to Hiroko's.

Awaiting their contact, the duo could do little more than keep their eyes and ears on alert for any signs of movement among the dark cemetery grounds. Correctly figuring that there would be little to no artificial light here, Hiroko had smartly packed a torch in with her array of gear. As she stood sweeping the torch's beam across gravestones and mausoleums, she soon realised that she could not recall having actually been to a cemetery before. She found it somewhat amusing that someone as interested in ghosts as herself had not once visited somewhere like this. However, given how creepy it was here at the Silver Mount Cemetery, at least under the cover of darkness, she was not particularly regretting that life choice.

She noticed Melissa glancing at the brightly-lit display of her smartphone once again. The clock on the lock screen now read 21:02.

'How long do we give him?' Hiroko asked. Her jaw shuddered a little as she spoke due to the combination of suspense and the cold night air.

'I dunno, 30 minutes, maybe?' Melissa replied. 'If we've not seen or heard anything by then I'll have to email him again.'

After a few more long seconds of standing in the frigid darkness, Melissa spoke up.

'Your bag's making a noise.' She noted nonchalantly.

Hiroko had not picked up any unusual sounds, probably due to the presence of her thick fuzzy ear muffs. She took Melissa's word, suspecting that her smartphone had dinged due to a notification or a message, though she had no clue who or what would be pinging her right now.