A Tale of Horror

Chapter 2

By Amazon

"There is nothing to fear but fear itself."

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Is everything cleaned up?" Ryo asked. Sage nodded; he was going to pay dearly for his dad’s lamp. Not only was it only his great-grandmother’s but also an antique. Cye held the now-deflated soccer ball in his hands; the knife lay on the table.

The cut in the soccer ball was not so large but the depth that the knife had been driven to was incredible. The carving knife had been up to its handle in the ball. Ryo could have been killed.

"Who would want to kill Ryo?" Rowen asked, voicing the question on everybody’s minds.

"The Dynasty." Kento said simply.

"No." Sage interjected before Rowen could say anything. "This isn’t their style, besides Talpa’s dead and his Warlords ‘have seen the light’."

"So? It was just a suggestion." Kento grumped.

"A new evil?" Cye asked from where he was sitting.

"I haven’t sensed anything like that." Sage answered.

"Wait," Rowen looked at Ryo. "Did anything in the room change when the knife punctured the soccer ball?"

Ryo tried to remember anything that had changed. "No, not really. I was watching TV when it happened. Wait, the room did get a bit chilly but-why?"

"If I am right, and I know I probably am, I think it’s a ghost."

"Have you been into the Pixie Stixs again?" Kento asked.

Rowen shook his head. "They’re called poltergeists. Whenever a ghost or poltergeist enters a room, the temperature drops incredibly. They also tend to throw things around when they get angry. I think that we might have one living in this house with us."

"That’s ridiculous." Kento commented. "This place isn’t haunted."

"We’ve never asked Mia about the history of this place." Cye piped up.

"You might never know. There have been cases of supernatural phenomenon in old buildings or in buildings that have been built over sites that have been haunted." Rowen pointed out. "All we have to do is ask Mia."

"Uh, she’s in Tokyo remember?" Sage said.

"We can call her." Rowen shrugged.

"Rowen. There…is…no…such…thing…as…ghosts." Kento said slowly and enunciating every word.

As if to protest the room became freezing. So cold the Ronins could see their breaths and the water in the vases froze instantly, cracking the vases. The objects in the room started to shake. The carving knife that sat on the end table was picked up into the air and launched at Ryo. Ryo hit the floor.

The knife embedded itself into the wall. All the Ronins stared at the knife in shock. The coldness suddenly lifted from the room, becoming warm again.

"Does that settle any doubts you have Kento?" Rowen asked, a tad smugly.

Kento nodded, his jaw on the floor. You better believe that he believed now.

* * * * *

Ryo examined the knife, where it was stuck in the wall. It was embedded pretty well in the wall. Whatever had thrown it was very strong. I don’t understand, he thought to himself. Why would anyone want to kill me? Maybe Rowen’s wrong; maybe it IS the dynasty. But wouldn’t Sage have picked anything up? And surely Kayura and the others would have told us. It just doesn’t make any sense…

Ryo, a bit shaken by the day’s strange events, decided to go to bed early. But every once in a while, a sensation that caused the hair on his neck to raise, passed by, like a breezy touch. Shaking it off as his own imagination, he retired to his room. He shivered a bit as he undressed and sincerely hoped that Rowen was wrong. The bed creaked underneath him, and for once he jumped. What am I doing? He mused. A ronin warrior scared of his own bed?

Flopping over to his side he sighed and closed his eyes.

Ten minutes later he turned on his back and tried again. Still sleep refused to come. Growling at his vexation, Ryo punched his pillow a bit and forced his eyes shut.

And right back open when he heard the voice. He couldn’t make out what it was saying, just a soft woman’s low fluxation in her voice. He stared around the room, and a flicker of white caught his eye in the hallway. Perplexed, he started out of bed and stared down into the living room. The guys were watching some flick on TV and seemed completely oblivious.

There, it was that noise again. This time it sounded like a cry. Ryo turned and caught the backside of what appeared to be a ghost disappearing through the wall. It was only a second, but enough time to see the ethereal being’s delicate layered kimono and long, black hair.

"It’s just my imagination playing tricks," he said aloud, smirking at his own pounding heart. He stumbled back to his room and drifted into a peaceful, but disturbed sleep.

* * * * *

He was falling, falling into a void of darkness. The darkness clawed at his body, ripping at his flesh, leaving streams of blood running down his body. He fought back with all his strength but with no avail. His hands passed through the darkness as it tried to overtake him.

Then…it was gone. Silver light flooded his vision and made him squint. Blood still ran down his body, but it was touched by the silver light and sparkled. It was if his blood was not really red but liquid silver. Ryo looked up at the sky above; it was nighttime for the stars were out.

The silver light was really moonlight from the full moon that sat in the sky with the stars all around like courtiers to a noble. The moon winked down on a lake and rolling forest that looked familiar but he couldn’t place it. There was the sound of a small animal moving through the underbrush of the forest, but he still jumped at the sound.

He suddenly went very still as he felt something cold press into his back. It seemed to trace a symbol into his back with its sharp point very lightly. Then it withdrew. Ryo turned around very slowly. A katana floated in the air, level with his heart. Ryo’s heart started to pound very fast as the sword drew back again, blade flashing in the moonlight.

The sword disappeared into the forest’s shadows as a blood-curdling scream broke the silence of the night.

A Tale of Horror

Chapter 2

By Amazon

"There is nothing to fear but fear itself."

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Is everything cleaned up?" Ryo asked. Sage nodded; he was going to pay dearly for his dad’s lamp. Not only was it only his great-grandmother’s but also an antique. Cye held the now-deflated soccer ball in his hands; the knife lay on the table.

The cut in the soccer ball was not so large but the depth that the knife had been driven to was incredible. The carving knife had been up to its handle in the ball. Ryo could have been killed.

"Who would want to kill Ryo?" Rowen asked, voicing the question on everybody’s minds.

"The Dynasty." Kento said simply.

"No." Sage interjected before Rowen could say anything. "This isn’t their style, besides Talpa’s dead and his Warlords ‘have seen the light’."

"So? It was just a suggestion." Kento grumped.

"A new evil?" Cye asked from where he was sitting.

"I haven’t sensed anything like that." Sage answered.

"Wait," Rowen looked at Ryo. "Did anything in the room change when the knife punctured the soccer ball?"

Ryo tried to remember anything that had changed. "No, not really. I was watching TV when it happened. Wait, the room did get a bit chilly but-why?"

"If I am right, and I know I probably am, I think it’s a ghost."

"Have you been into the Pixie Stixs again?" Kento asked.

Rowen shook his head. "They’re called poltergeists. Whenever a ghost or poltergeist enters a room, the temperature drops incredibly. They also tend to throw things around when they get angry. I think that we might have one living in this house with us."

"That’s ridiculous." Kento commented. "This place isn’t haunted."

"We’ve never asked Mia about the history of this place." Cye piped up.

"You might never know. There have been cases of supernatural phenomenon in old buildings or in buildings that have been built over sites that have been haunted." Rowen pointed out. "All we have to do is ask Mia."

"Uh, she’s in Tokyo remember?" Sage said.

"We can call her." Rowen shrugged.

"Rowen. There…is…no…such…thing…as…ghosts." Kento said slowly and enunciating every word.

As if to protest the room became freezing. So cold the Ronins could see their breaths and the water in the vases froze instantly, cracking the vases. The objects in the room started to shake. The carving knife that sat on the end table was picked up into the air and launched at Ryo. Ryo hit the floor.

The knife embedded itself into the wall. All the Ronins stared at the knife in shock. The coldness suddenly lifted from the room, becoming warm again.

"Does that settle any doubts you have Kento?" Rowen asked, a tad smugly.

Kento nodded, his jaw on the floor. You better believe that he believed now.

* * * * *

Ryo examined the knife, where it was stuck in the wall. It was embedded pretty well in the wall. Whatever had thrown it was very strong. I don’t understand, he thought to himself. Why would anyone want to kill me? Maybe Rowen’s wrong; maybe it IS the dynasty. But wouldn’t Sage have picked anything up? And surely Kayura and the others would have told us. It just doesn’t make any sense…

Ryo, a bit shaken by the day’s strange events, decided to go to bed early. But every once in a while, a sensation that caused the hair on his neck to raise, passed by, like a breezy touch. Shaking it off as his own imagination, he retired to his room. He shivered a bit as he undressed and sincerely hoped that Rowen was wrong. The bed creaked underneath him, and for once he jumped. What am I doing? He mused. A ronin warrior scared of his own bed?

Flopping over to his side he sighed and closed his eyes.

Ten minutes later he turned on his back and tried again. Still sleep refused to come. Growling at his vexation, Ryo punched his pillow a bit and forced his eyes shut.

And right back open when he heard the voice. He couldn’t make out what it was saying, just a soft woman’s low fluxation in her voice. He stared around the room, and a flicker of white caught his eye in the hallway. Perplexed, he started out of bed and stared down into the living room. The guys were watching some flick on TV and seemed completely oblivious.

There, it was that noise again. This time it sounded like a cry. Ryo turned and caught the backside of what appeared to be a ghost disappearing through the wall. It was only a second, but enough time to see the ethereal being’s delicate layered kimono and long, black hair.

"It’s just my imagination playing tricks," he said aloud, smirking at his own pounding heart. He stumbled back to his room and drifted into a peaceful, but disturbed sleep.

* * * * *

He was falling, falling into a void of darkness. The darkness clawed at his body, ripping at his flesh, leaving streams of blood running down his body. He fought back with all his strength but with no avail. His hands passed through the darkness as it tried to overtake him.

Then…it was gone. Silver light flooded his vision and made him squint. Blood still ran down his body, but it was touched by the silver light and sparkled. It was if his blood was not really red but liquid silver. Ryo looked up at the sky above; it was nighttime for the stars were out.

The silver light was really moonlight from the full moon that sat in the sky with the stars all around like courtiers to a noble. The moon winked down on a lake and rolling forest that looked familiar but he couldn’t place it. There was the sound of a small animal moving through the underbrush of the forest, but he still jumped at the sound.

He suddenly went very still as he felt something cold press into his back. It seemed to trace a symbol into his back with its sharp point very lightly. Then it withdrew. Ryo turned around very slowly. A katana floated in the air, level with his heart. Ryo’s heart started to pound very fast as the sword drew back again, blade flashing in the moonlight.

The sword disappeared into the forest’s shadows as a blood-curdling scream broke the silence of the night.