Wonderland Carnival

Widow

Halo Seventeen: Widow:

Evie's not home again. Makoto shuddered as his mind became lost in his maze. This time, it felt closer to him than before. The screaming came with the smell of burning flesh. They have tracked me down! They have tracked me down! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!

He knew this would happen. However, Makoto didn't expect it to come to him so quickly. The man could sense that the storm was going to be at its worst this time. He already felt the signs in his soul.

Noriko hasn't been sleeping for days now. The images only get stronger if she closes her eyes. She can't understand what she is seeing. It wasn't just pictures anymore. She could hear and smells the slightest details around her. Noriko couldn't tell anyone what she was experiencing. The best she could do was put on a forced smile and go on with her day. Only Chiharu saw the truth.

"How are you holding up?" her friend asked as they walked to school. Noriko shook her head. Chiharu paused and put her arm around her friend's shoulders.

"It's gotten that bad, hasn't it?" she asked. Noriko wouldn't even look her in the eye. Chiharu already that this would be happening again. Suddenly, her friend jerked her head upwards.

"What is it?" Chiharu asked. Noriko broke down into trembling as she pointed forward. Her voice broke into gasps as she tried to speak.

"What is it?" her friend asked. "Please talk to me."

"T-T-T-The Widow!" she cried. "It's the widow!"

"What?" Chiharu asked as she turned in the direction of where her friend was pointing. She couldn't see the pair of deep red eyes glaring at them, but Noriko could. The inflicted girl sank to her knees, gasping for air.

Michiko could feel it too. It started when the new residents moved into apartment number twenty-seven in Kinko Sekai Apartments. One look at that woman's face and she knew they would be trapped in this hell once again. Masaomi didn't get what was going on.

"What's the matter?" he asked, shaking her on the shoulder. Michiko only pushed away his hand as she turned and fled.

"Michi-chan?" he asked, following after her. Michiko clenched the little dog charm around her neck. How the hell did they get one step ahead of this time?! I was so careful! She knew that the storm would be coming to swallow them all once again.

Elsewhere, Junko stood next to her boss as he looked down upon the city from the high glass windows. She leaned up again said glass.

"So it's actually begun, huh?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied. "It's a pity about Ringo." Junko shrugged her shoulders.

"Why?" she asked. "She served her purpose." Another thought crossed her mind. "What about that Izaya guy? You can't be serious about letting him into the inner circle, can you?" The doctor shook his head, smiling.

"Of course not," he said. "You just let me deal with him. Speaking of which, how is our sacrificial lamb coming along?" Junko's face lit up at that question.

"It's starting to take hold of her," she said.

"Good, good," he said.

"So when will we see the results?"

"Soon. It has to be at the right moment." Right now, number one should be getting back soon of his memories right... about... now...

Back at his home, Makoto froze as he heard the front door open. His maze vanished as high heels crossed the hard tatami floors.

"I'm home!" Evie called out as she took them off. Her words set off a light bulb in his head as she walked into the living room. Evie tilted her head as she gave him a strange look.

"Makoto?" she asked. "What's the matter? Makoto?" The man grabbed onto his right arm.

"I think I was married," he confessed out of the blue.