Dangerous Souls

Kumbaya

Chapter 8-Red Hair

August Day 5 9:34 P.M.

Red hair...

"You little bitch!" their captor cried, racing into the cellar. She ran up to Mai, slapping her across the face. "I could have gotten away with this! I was gonna stop once you got rid of that pest Dai! But you just had to come ruin everything!"

Mai gave a small cry as she fell back. She briefly remembered the day she met the counselor. She was so nice and helpful. Even in Mai's dream she had seemed worried about the disappearance of Emi. How could she have been able to pull off such an act?

It didn't matter right now. What mattered was staying alive long enough for her narcissistic boss to find her before she ended up like Dai. Their captor was having an internal conflict with herself. "I just don't know which of you I should take care of first!" she growled, pacing.

Mai sighed. "Miyuko, you can stop. You can let us go and things won't be as harsh," she lied. Nothing was that simple.

"Oh no. I don't think so! You have to pay for doing this to me!" she exclaimed. A wicked grin appeared on the redhead's face. She gripped Makoto's hair sharply, who gave a weak cry. "Perhaps, if you watch Riku's beloved sister die, then you-"

It was on mere impulse that Mai cried out. "No! Take me!" She softened her voice and whimpered, "Leave Makoto alone, you're angry with me. So take me."

An evil smirk was Miyuko's response. She threw Makoto back to the ground and grabbed the rope restraining Mai's arms. "Then come with me! And no funny business!" Mai could only nod.

Miyuko pulled her captive toward the cellar door, the little seven year old trying to stop them. "Mai! No!" she whimpered, looking up with big eyes. "You're supposed to get married to Mr. Meany..."

Mai looked at her sympathetically, while Miyuko merely kicked her back. "Shut up brat!"

"Don't worry, Makoto," Mai said confidently. "I'll be fine, we'll get out of this. I promise."

That seemed to calm the girl down long enough for Miyuko to drag Mai out of there and lock the cellar door. She grabbed her captive's bonds and dragged her along, extinguishing the lamp. "How noble, lying to a little girl!" she mocked as Mai tried to figure any way to get out of this.

"I had to keep her calm, give her a chance to live longer," Mai replied, racking her brain for any way to stall for time. There had to be something she could do. Something. Anything...

"Why are you doing this?"

***

About thirty minutes earlier...

"No one has seen Mai since before lunch and Miyuko's been missing since dinner," Riku explained, walking back into base. "Yasuhara and I just searched around the camp."

"I think it's safe to say Miyuko is our culprit," Monk sighed, crossing his arms.

"It's weird, I never would have taken her to be the serial killer type," the priestess commented.

"Unfortunately, these days you can't simply see these things just by looking at someone. Some of the most infamous killers seemed normal upon first glance," the priest added.

"I still don't see it, Miyuko was always so kind," Riku rambled, trying to make sense of it all. "She seemed so worried about the missing campers, at some points she even joined the search..."

"To throw the search party in the wrong direction..." Yasuhara concluded.

"What do you think, Naru-boy? Got any ideas you're not sharing?" Monk called over his shoulder where a thinking narcissist sat.