Ghost Hunt: The Forest of Blood and Snow

Where It All Began

Naru's POV

The inside of the house was beautiful. Red colored carpet covered the wooden floor. Pictures decorated the walls with a warm, comfortable feeling. But my simple-minded assistant was too distracted by the inside of the huge Victorian house to realize that I had stopped in front of her and I just watched as she bumped right into me.

"S-sorry Naru." Mai said looking up at me with those curious and distracted eyes. I just sighed and walked up a flight of stairs with my assistant, who was stuttering apologies as she followed me, in tow. The two-story mansion was huge and Mai probably would get lost in it as soon as she was left alone. I stole a glance at my assistant, who was being unnaturally quiet, and froze. There stood my assistant standing on the last step of the stairs-frozen and unmoving-like a statue.

"Mai?"

Her head hanged low but I could still see that her face was twisted in a horrified and worried look. She looked pale and sick, like she was about to vomit. Her eyes seemed like they were voiding, just gone. It was obvious that she wasn't there at the moment.

"Mai?" I took a step closer to her, watching her. She didn't move or even acknowledge that I had called out to her. "Mai!" I yelled.

Suddenly she flinched like a deer in headlights and her head snapped up like someone had forced her to look up. That voided look in her eyes disappeared and she looked normal again. When her eyes met mine she just flashed a smile. A fake smile that was masking her dreaded expression. Like nothing happened. Like she wasn't horrified or scared for that brief moment of utter silence.

"Oh sorry, I was spacing out again." She said and bopped herself on the head. She hurried past me and stopped. Another lie. "Um...Naru which one is my room?"

I glared at her, but the worry kept trying to sneak back into my eyes so I closed them briefly and sighed.

"This one right here is your room, Mai." I informed, moving out of the way as she scurried inside and closed the door. But not before I shoved my foot in the door. She looked down at my foot and then back up at me though the crack in the door. I glared at her and expected a glare back but she looked at me with an exhausted expression. Too tired to put up a fight today, huh?

"I expect you to be in base by 7:00 am so we can discuss what we know about the case from what our client has told us. No later than that or I will start deducting your pay. Do you understand Mai? Don't be late." I expected her to complain about the time being too early but she was quite again. Not a word from my normally loud assistant.

"What happened to the clients?" she asked innocently. I glared, again, at her stupidity and sighed.

"If you bothered to pay attention to the client yesterday Mai, you would know our client said they would not be staying with us in the house until the spirit or spirits are gone."

No response. Just a nod was all I got from her.

Mai just nodded and kicked my foot from the crack in the door and closed it. I don't know how long I stood there glaring at the door, hoping it would open again. But it didn't. So I left.

Mai's POV

As soon as I closed the door on Naru, I sank to my knees and went into the fetal position on the warm red floor. I heard them again. They were whispering again. Or screaming in pain. They Whispered and screamed to the only one who could hear their bloody cries. The screams like I heard on the staircase. Like I heard in the hallway. Crying and screaming. I didn't hear a word Naru had told me. They were suffering...all of them...trapped in this house. Mai cried herself to sleep.