Devil's Wonderland

Noriko

Halo Sixteen: Noriko:

Kitano hit record on his tape player.

"I one had a mental patient that set me on this path," he said. "Her husband called her Hya-chan. Short for Hyacinth Girl. I can't use her real name for this report. So, I will call her Hya-chan." He shook his head.

"Anyway, she was a strange woman. I have told you the stories from before. Baby died and she had a nervous breakdown. Husband took her to Chou Mori. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Thinking about her hits a sore spot with me. I couldn't understand why so clung to her faith so tightly. Even after her son died and she lost her mind. She still clung to her god. I tried to kill her god but failed." Kitano rubbed his forehead.

"Still, I can't deny that she plays a huge role in this game. Even now."

-Noriko-

It started with that little red diary. The little notebook was just shoved into the mail slot. Noriko looked up when it hit the floor. She walked over to the door and spotted the diary on the floor. A wave of déjà vu washed over her face.

"Huh?" she asked. The girl picked up the diary and looked at front and back. There was no text on the cover.

"Wha tis this?" Noriko asked. Suddenly, her phone rang. The girl walked over to her phone charging on the side table.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hya-chan," an old man's voice said. Noriko froze for a second.

"Who is this?" she asked.

"You don't remember me at all," he said. "That's okay. We will get to know each other all over again. I am just calling to see if you are alive and well."

"What are you talking about?" Noriko asked. "Who are you? Why did you call me Hya-chan?"

"We will talk again soon," the man said. He hung up before she had a chance to speak. Noriko stared at her phone. That voice sounded so familiar. Why did they call her 'Hya-chan'? Her mind started to go back to another strange memory.

The walls looked so dull and white. She looked so out of it. Not even smell of bleach couldn't reach her. She didn't even know what day it was. Was it fall or winter? It didn't matter to her. The door opened behind her.

"Good morning _-san," a woman said. She didn't reply. Rubber soles walked across the hard floor.

"How are you today?" the nurse asked. No answer.

"Time for your medicine," she said. No answer. The nurse walked in front of her. She dragged a large metal tray with her. The nurse picked up a small cup of pills.

Back in reality, Noriko huddled on the floor, shaking.

Kitano looked up at the ceiling. "It should be time for her to come back to the game. Same with Makoto." He smiled and shook his head to himself.

"Poor Michiko-san. She's trying to hard to stop this game. She's trying to pull Makoto back in. But doesn't want to play anymore. Oh, don't worry. I have a faster way of doing that." The therapist smiled to himself.

-Noriko-

Since that evening, her memories have getting worse. The diary and taunting phone calls didn't help either.

First, the diary.

Noriko couldn't stop reading that first night. Something about it wouldn't let her ignore the book. Just touching it felt to so familiar to her. This was a gift to her. She couldn't remember when or from who, though. But who sent this book to her? And why?