CLASSMATES

     The building was decrepit, aching at the foundation, and suffering on its surface. Like a person on their deathbed yearning for the end to come swiftly… but hanging on to life with every ounce of strength they had left. It existed in limbo. Existing, but unnoticed. Tangible, but untouched. Speaking, but unheard.

     A building that had long since been abandoned for all the right reasons, was now the center of attention of six school children: for all the wrong reasons.

     As they crept through the front gate, Misa, with her hair tied into a bun, a light-yellow sweater wrapped around her waist, and a sense of determination in her eyes, opened the group up to a conversation with the one obvious question, “When the hell was this place built?”

     “That’s what you’re interested in?” Yano, dressed in the same school uniform and her hair cut just below the chin, complained. Paying her no mind, Misa continued, “I can’t get any service here!” Once again, her classmate scowled, “Just record the video and upload it later. Look, give me the phone, let me show you.”

     Swiftly swiping the phone from her hands, Yano's demeanor changed in seconds as she got into character, “Minna-san, Konbanwa!”

     Before she could continue any further, the phone was snatched back from her.

     “It’s my account, I get to start it off!”

     Standing behind the two as they tussled back and forth, another classmate, Azamu, tiringly scoffed, “Can you two get over yourselves. I need to be home in an hour.”

     They both then paused and handed him a despised look. Aware of what he’d gotten himself in to, he chose to avoid instigating them any further as he looked the other way. Now, with their rivalry behind them, the two girls turned towards the phone and kickstarted their poorly planned evening.

     “Hey everyone, it’s Misa” “And I’m Yano.”

     “And we’ve just entered the old Shin-Tsubaki Elementary School!”

     Panning the camera around to show off the environment, Misa announced to her would-be viewers, “What do you think? Creepy as shit, right? Take a look at this!”

     Gesturing for Azamu to come over, he frustratingly rolled his eyes before acquiescing. Dragging him into frame, Misa forced a folder in his hand up towards the camera.

     “We have a file… Tell them about the file, Azamu!”

     “Are you serious?”

     Bothered, she gestured at him to get on with it.

     “My dad can lose his job for this.”

     “Then, why’d you come here in the first place?”

     Nicking the file from him, she continued, “Over 40 years ago, a student from Shin-Tsubaki High School lured 12 classmates here and chased them around the school murdering them! And get this!”

     Fumbling to get the file open while Azamu stood visibly frustrated beside her, she stretched the phone over to Yano.

     “Hold the camera for me.”

     Passing off responsibility, Yano cried, “Iya desu! Uzu, you do it!” Yano shoved the phone into the hands of a timid girl with round glasses. She had lily-white hair and a soft facial contour. Without much opposition, she took the phone and unsuccessfully attempted to fit Misa and Yano in the video frame. Before a second could even pass, Misa balked at the girl to turn the phone vertical.

     “It’s hard to get you both in the camera when it’s in portrait,” Uzu attempted to explain. Vaguely entertaining her argument, Misa then ordered, “Well… just focus on me!” Angered, Yano dug her elbow into Misa’s side, “Hey!” Ignoring her, Misa began flipping through the file before pausing and looking up at Uzu once again. She then made a commanding gesture for her to turn the phone upright, to Uzu’s dismay.

     “Fine, whatever!”

     Once the camera was set, Misa carried on.

     “Yup, twelve students were apparently hunted throughout the school halls. Being lured into different traps in which the culprit then brutally murdered each individual.”

     As she chanted on, some papers slipped from the folder and onto the floor.

     Glancing at the scattered papers briefly, Misa continued to read the file while Yano dipped down and grabbed a handful of papers and photographs.

     “Maji! Is that blood on the walls?” She concerningly hollered.

     Staring down at her, Misa barked, “It’s a murder scene what else is it supposed to be?”

     “She painted arrows on the wall in blood. What the hell?”

     Intrigued, Misa looked more closely as Azamu and two other class members; school bookworm, Yukio and Yano’s childhood friend, Mai, peeked over her shoulder as well.

     “Oh damn! How far gone was this person?” Azamu stated. “Wait, what was her name?” Yukio, then interjected.

     Fishing through the file, Misa twisted her face as she scavenged for the culprit’s profile.

     “It says her name is Fuyu Morinaka.”

     Lifting her picture from the file, Misa gathered everyone’s attention. “I guess this is her.”

     Jabbingly, Azamu then beckoned, “Look! She dresses just like you!” hinting at how the two of them both wrapped their sweaters around their waste. Disturbed, Misa shoved him to the side with the threat of penance in her eyes.

     Still skimming through the papers she’d lifted from the floor; Yano found an interesting piece of info. “It says here she attended this school when she was a child before leaving for Korea. And her mother was the school nurse…”

     “Well, I guess that explains why she knew the school so well,” Yukio followed, with a slight adjustment of his squared off frames.

     “Yea, but why did she do it in the first place?” Azamu then questioned.

     Everyone, unable to conjure up a theory, just fell to silence for a minute.

     Slapping the file shut, Misa looked towards the camera with excitement. “Why don’t we try and find out? And what better place to start than her old classroom.” Looking at Yano, “Which, by the way is…?” Caught off guard, Yano quickly scoured for the info, “Umm, there’s quite a few actually… When she was in first grade she was in 1-2, second grade, 2-4...“

     Misa then cut her off, “Where’s the one she killed people in?”

     “Room 6-2,” Azamu called out. “It’s her homeroom from the sixth grade.”

     With a devious look, Misa followed, “Fair enough! Now, let’s go find it.”

     Using their phone lights, they worked their way up the stairs. Mai, inexplicably quiet this entire time, shined her light on the wall and noticed a bloody arrow. “Oh my god they didn’t clean this place!” She yelled in a panic. She then slowly reached out towards it before Misa slapped her hand away, “Don’t touch it! That’s disgusting.”

     Peeking around the corner of the staircase, Yukio noted that the room was numbered 4-3, deducing that years 5 and 6 must be above them.

     As they walked up to the third floor with Misa leading the way, she unexpectedly leapt backwards; bumping into Uzu who was filming her from behind and knocking everyone down the stairs.

     Mai, taking the brunt of the impact, viciously banged her head against the wall behind her. It didn’t take long for the group to realize how dire the situation was. With blood running from her skull, and her body limp, the group of six soon recognized just how dire the situation had grown.

     In a trembling voice, Uzu wept, “I… I think she’s dead.”