Chapter 2: Making Preparations

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The next day, Kitsune went to the store to pick up a few things. She hummed softly as she carried the basket- the only items she had in there thus far was a box of protein bars. As she made her way through the store, she continued picking up everything she needed.

She had picked up some batteries, a few bottles of water, chips, and trail mix. All she needed now was a new flashlight, and she was good to go. She bent down, trying to reach a flashlight on one of the lower shelves. She was so caught up in her task and planning for the upcoming night, she hasn't even noticed the boy behind her.

"Hey, hey, you're the journalist girl, aren't you?!"

She was so caught off guard by the sudden question, she jolted and bumped her head. "Ow- fuck!" She cursed, rubbing the top of her head.

"Whoops- sorry! Didn't mean to scare you." He apologized. He sounded fairly young, and... kinda like he was wired on sugar. Standing up, Kitsune turned to face him. He looked to be a teenager, with blonde hair, a bandage around his head, and orange eyes.

"That's alright- you just startled me a bit." Kitsune responded. "In any case, I see my reputation precedes me. Yes, I'm the journalist girl. My name is Kitsune." She stated.

"...Can I call you Kit?" The boy asked, making Kitsune chuckle a bit.

"If you want to, go right ahead." She said.

"Yay! My name is-"

"ARC!!"

A girl's voice suddenly called. Turning to the direction where the shout came from, the two noticed a tan girl with brown hair and orange eyes marching towards them. "Arc, what have I told you about running off like that? You scared the hell out of me!" She reprimanded him as though she was a mother.

"I'm sorry, Say. I just saw the journalist lady and I wanted to say hi to her." The boy, now known as Arc, explained to her. Kitsune looked at the 'Say' person.

"Does this happen often?" She asked.

"Oh, you have no idea. He's like a puppy- if he sees someone new, he gets extremely excited. Are you ok?" Say responded. "I could hear you bump your head from two aisles away." She asked.

"Say, you have super hearing." Arc bluntly stated. "Yeah, but still." Say brushed off.

"Yeah, I'm good. Trust me, I've experienced worse." Kitsune replied. "Oh geez." Say mumbled.

"Are you getting stuff for your trip tonight?" Arc asked, pointing at the basket the redheaded woman was holding. "Yeah, how'd you know?" Kitsune asked, surprised since she hasn't mentioned her purpose for being here.

"Word spreads quickly around here, as you've probably guessed. Shirley and Adres were talking about it outside, and it spread like wildfire. You've definitely made an impact." Say explained.

"An impact?" Kitsune blinked. "How so?"

"Everyone seems worried in some way or another." Arc replied.

"But it's no wonder- the disappearances aren't a joke. Everyone has a pretty positive opinion on you thus far, and we really hope nothing bad happens to you." Say added on.

"Considering the Distortionist doesn't know you're here yet, maybe it'll be easier?" Arc suggested. "What's your plan, anyways?" Say asked.

"Well, I'm gonna head back ho- I mean, to the inn, have a snack, take a nap, wake up at 7:45, sneak into the woods, wait for him to leave, and go into the mansion. From there, I guess I'll look around a bit, see if I can find anything." Kitsune explained.

"Right, well... Be safe, Kit. Stay alive, ok?" Say said.

"Yeah, of course.." The redhead nodded.

"In any case, I should get going now. It was nice to meet you both. Bye for now." She said, heading for the cashier.

'I really hope I'm right when I say "for now"...' Kitsune thought, sighing a bit to herself.

Setting her items on the conveyor belt, she stood in front of the cashier- a young man with blonde hair, white eyes, and bandaged hands.

"Is that all, miss?" He asked.

"Yes, thank you. How much?" Kitsune asked in return. "$25.99." Was the response.

With a nod, she took out some cash from her bag and handed it to him. "You're real brave, y'know." He suddenly commented. "Not a lot of visitors of this town really think about exploring that old mansion. Hell, no one in town has been there in... Years." He stated.

"Did something happen?" Kitsune questioned.

"A lot of us believe so, but we're not sure what. It was about five years ago when the disappearances started happening. When Christopher constantly shut himself in." The cashier explained.

"You called him 'Christopher'. Did you know him? Everyone else, aside from Shirley, refers to him as the Distortionist." Kitsune asked.

"I mean, I've talked to him once way back when. He was sweet. Charming. To this day, I still have zero idea as to what caused him to snap..." The male said. "Oh, heck- sorry, I neglected to introduce myself. I'm Albert." He stated.

"Nice to meet you, Albert. I'm Kitsune." Albert nodded in response to her words.

"Be safe out there, Kitsune. I wish you luck." He stated.

Bidding him farewell, Kitsune exited the store and made her way back to the in. Putting her supplies in her bag, she closed the curtains, turned out the light, and laid down in bed to get some rest.

Her adventure began very soon.

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