Mai blinked, taking in the empty space the figure had just been standing in. The blank, featureless face burned into her mind. Fear, senseless and overpowering, dominated her mind and sent adrenaline rushing through her veins. She couldn't control it. Her breathing picked up and she felt as if her heart was about to beat through her chest. It consumed her. Told her to run. To run as far away as she could. As fast as she could. But even then, a little voice in that back of her mind told her it was futile… And a conscious level, she had to agree.
The moon still smiled down on her viciously, turning the shadows into horrible figures. She took one last look at the tree when she realised she was holding another page. Just like the first, she was unable to release it. But her struggles were interrupted when a faint white light caught her attention and she gasped when she turned to look. It was the boy from her vision, his figure hazy and faded but unmistakeably real. Or was he, she questioned…
His small hand moved as if through water, slowly motioning her forward, towards him. A frown was set on his face, worry etched on his young features. But the illusion was shattered when long black tentacles, like what took Dazo, suddenly leapt from the darkness.
She dodged just as they slammed into the decrepit tree, the sharp ends piercing it like paper.
Mai scrambled across the ground, stones and sticks stabbing her skin as she forced herself up, avoiding more tentacles. She shoved the second page into her pocket and took off into the woods, the darkness playing tricks on her eyes. Trees seemed to reach for her, their limbs bending unnaturally, clawing at her skin. It felt like she had run for hours, but logically, she knew, Nadoru Camping Grounds wasn't that large.
"Mai!"
A sudden yell broke through her panic and she stopped dead, using a tree to brace herself. A beam of light shone into her eyes and she turned to find the source. Just ahead were two beams of light breaking through the endless night. A sense of foreboding overtook her the more she stood still and a chill raced up her spine. The wind howled past her ear and she took off, jumping and weaving through the woods. Her mind blank , her body moving on automatic. The air whipped at her face, but she kept going on, unblinkingly towards the light.
~X-x-X~ Monk and Naru ~X-x-X~
"Mai!" Mink called, shining his light through the dense forest, "Damnit Mai."
"Takigawa." Naru's voice was stern and drew the blonde's attention towards a set of parked trucks, "These will do us no good. We'll have to keep going on foot."
"Well, it shouldn't be that hard. If this is the workers stop area then we should be at the edge of the camping grounds." Monk thought aloud, trying to recall the map in his mind, "Which means, there should be a camera around here…"
With a nod, Naru lifted the walkie talkie from his belt and spoke, "Base. Come in."
"I'm here." Lin's voice crackled through the static.
"We've found the area the workers park. Tell me where the camera is around here."
"Walk forward. Yes. To your left. I see your torch. There. I see you now."
"Good. We'll keep in touch. Guide us from here. Also, has Mai shown up on any camera's?" His question was cut out by static before Lin's voice broke through,
"Naru! Behind you!"
All of the sudden, the bushes behind them parted, a figure lunged out of the shadows, a solitary black tentacle following close behind. Monk acted quickly, slicing through it with his Tokkosho. It turned into black smoke before it even hit the ground. "What the hell?" He yelled, turning to stare at the figure sitting on the ground.
