Chasing Shadows: An Alice In Borderlands Fanfic (Completed)

Chapter 14: The Witch Hunt

The Beach was in a state of panic. Everyone scrambled to make it down to the lobby.

I got swept up in the crowd as it spilled onto the main floor. Pushing through panicked people, I searched for Niragi, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, I ran into Usagi as we both reached for phones sitting on a table near the dead body of a familiar woman.

Usagi and I both saw her at the same time. "She was in the first game I played with Arisu," she said, holding a hand to her mouth in shock.

"Momoka. But where is her friend? And why is she here?" Asahi and Momoka were inseparable.

Then Usagi seemed to realize who she was talking to and drew back.

"What is it?" I asked. Then I realized...

"Stay away from me. Your boyfriend kidnapped Arisu. And he...he..." Her bottom lip trembled.

"Usagi..." I reached a hand toward her but she stepped back out of my reach. When her eyes went wide, I turned around to see Niragi marching our way. Blood dripped from his mouth like he'd been punched or bitten.

He went straight for Usagi and caught her, whispering something in her ear with a sadistic grin that made her frown and push him away before disappearing into the crowd. He laughed and wiped at his mouth. "The little rabbit has a bite," he said.

I slapped him. "What did you do to her? What did you do with Arisu?"

Before he could answer, the computer game voice filled the lobby. So, instead, he delivered a savage kiss to my lips, flooding my tongue with the taste of his blood. I jerked my head back and pushed him away.

Having him near me always left me off-kilter, and I struggled to understand the rules of the game. Momoka was a part of it. Someone had murdered her, and we had two hours to find the killer and burn them in a bonfire that sprang up outside. To find the witch, so to speak. Everyone was a suspect.

Niragi stalked over to the body, then turned and faced the crowd, his rifle thrown arrogantly over his shoulder. "Let's make this simple," he projected his voice to be heard. "If the murderer would just step forward, that would solve everything."

The crowd murmured but no one moved until a small figure burst through the people. "Momoka! Momoka, no!" The deceased's best friend, Asahi collapsed beside the corpse.

Niragi was quick to jump on her, shoving the muzzle of his rifle in her face. "Did you do it?" She shook her head furiously. "Don't lie! Were you envious? Jealous? Is that why you killed her?"

"No!" the girl cried through her tears. "I would never hurt her." Her gaze returned to her friend. "Momoka, who did this to you?"

Ann stepped forward at that moment. "Leave her be, Niragi. Isn't it obvious she's distraught?"

Another man, someone I didn't recognize, came forward. "We should all just calm down and try to figure this out." As he spoke, Niragi eyed him with this wild grin on his face, nodding at every word, the rifle pointed in the man's direction.

Oh shit...

Before I knew it, the psycho militant squeezed the trigger, blowing the man away. "WAHOO!"

I dragged him back. "Stop it," I hissed, but he shrugged me off.

Ann spoke again, her voice trembling. "Look, we need everyone to disclose their recent whereabouts. We can solve this without anyone else dying."

"That will take too long." Aguni's voice filled the room. "The quicker the solution, the better."

"Then what do you propose?" Ann asked, crossing her arms.

"Shoot everyone and toss their bodies into the fire until the witch is found," Aguni replied.

Over the gasps and screams, Niragi advanced on the former forensics scientist. "Should I start with you?"

"You're all mad." Ann backed away.

"Absolutely." Niragi grinned at her. Then he turned to the militants who had gathered behind Aguni. "You heard the boss. Kill them all."

People scattered as he opened fire, the other militants backing him. Weaponless, all I could do was just stand in shock.

This wasn't right. None of this was right!

I pleaded with Aguni, "Make them stop! There has to be a better way!"

The militant leader ignored me. After all I'd done for him...

There were a few militants standing with guns held in trembling hands. Niragi told them to shoot or he'd mow them down, too.

It was getting crazy. And I didn't know how to stop it. Body after body was carried outside to the bonfire.

When Niragi started moving, chasing after fleeing players, I followed him.

He entered a dead-end hall and cut more people down.

"Niragi, stop! This is insane!"

He faced me, looking down at me in disgust. "Where's your rifle? We've got work to do."

"I don't have it." A wave of dizziness swept over me, and he had to catch me. "I'm not feeling so well..." Anxiety gripped me, raising my blood pressure. My head throbbed. I wanted to throw up.

He looked around and forced a door open, shoving me inside. I fell into a shelf of cleaning materials.

"Stay in here. I'll win this game, then come get you." Concern now wrinkled his brow. "You probably have a concussion. You'll be safe here." How he changed his feelings toward me so fast, I'd never figure out. Hating me one minute, afraid for me, caring about me the next.

And I ate it up. Borderland. It was making me crazy. Making me crave this psycho I had no business being with. Yet, I couldn't stay away from him. Like a whipped dog, I kept coming back.

I sat up as he moved to leave. "Niragi, I have the cards." What possessed me to say that?

"What?"

"The heart cards. I have them all. We can get out of here."

He stared at me a moment before shaking his head to clear it. "Not until the game is won. But, truly, you have them?"

I nodded and pulled the baggie from my pocket.

"How did you--?"

"Chishiya. He took the complete deck...well, complete except the ten of hearts...and gave me the stack of extra heart cards."

"Why did he do that?"

"Because he wanted the camera. He knows about it, what it does."

Niragi rifled through his pocket and pulled it out. "Here. Keep it safe. I'll come back for you, I promise. But if I don't, take the camera and go. Win the game and go, do you hear me?"

I could only nod. His lips crashed down on mine. When we pulled apart, I cried, "Don't leave here alone. Please. I don't want to die alone."

He pressed his forehead to mine. "You won't. Take this. It's your militant-issue radio. We won't be alone. You can talk to me through it." He shoved a small walkie-talkie into my hands. Someone called him on it. "I have to go." He pulled his own off his belt and spoke into it. "Yeah. I'm heading for the roof. Herd them all outside toward the bonfire. It'll make things easier."

And then he was gone.

I sat in the darkness, numb and confused. Sniffling, I put the camera in the baggie and sealed it. Then placed it in my pocket.

Turns out, that was a good thing.