Dangerous Souls

Break A Leg

Chapter 6-Nothing

January Day 4, 6:42 P.M.

"Hey, Lin," Monk greeted the tall Chinese man as he walked into the lobby. "Something wrong?"

"Naru sent me out here to check on a camera," he answered and walked over to the camera in the corner. "How long have the group of you been in here?"

"A few minutes, why?" All eyes turned to the Chinese man in the corner. Well, all eyes but the blind medium.

"We've lost visual with two cameras at Base." Lin continued to examine the wiring. "One in here and the other being the one down that hallway over here."

"And? What aren't you telling us, Lin?" The Chinese man held up the cable from the camera.

"It's been cut clean through, just like the wires in the headset that Mai used earlier this week." He continued to inspect the camera itself for damage. "It's just the wire that sends the feed to Base. The camera itself is in perfect condition."

"I'll go check the other camera," Monk offered heading over to the other camera in the hall. "Same thing over here, the camera seems fine." He held up the cut cable. Monk stood up and walked back into the lobby. "You guys don't think that it might have been one the crew members, do you?"

"It's possible, you would need cable cutters, but I'd be surprised if there wasn't a pair backstage," John agreed. Looking to the medium sitting next to him. "But, with the activity and the spirit present, why would anyone try to sabotage our investigation?"

"Good point, also why is it Masako can only sense the spirit here when it wants her to?" Monk added, catching the taller man's attention.

"Miss Hara, you sensed the spirit since yesterday's attack?" he asked her. The medium nodded.

"Yes, just a few moments ago," she took a deep breath and kept her head down, as though she were looking at her hands. She just didn't want to feel their gaze on her blind eyes. "It was the same heavy dark presence as yesterday. As when it took my sight."

"When did this happen?" Lin turned to Monk.

"Just a few seconds before you showed up, you don't think that the spirit attacked by cutting the cables, do you?" Lin crossed his arms in response.

"Couldn't have been." He shook his head. "Even for me if takes longer than a few seconds to get all the way out here from Base. The cuts look recent but not that recent." He turned back to the medium. "How long did the sensation last?"

"Not long at all, half a minute maybe," she answered.

"I left Base before you even sensed it, and with what we've seen thus far I doubt the spirit would make itself known just to cut a few cables."

"Okay, but where might have the spirit attacked? For the most part we should have been able to hear anyone shouting." Monk crossed his arms as well. "No one's calling for help, and if Star had another light almost dropped on her head Fuyumi would have them checking exits right?"

"Perhaps, but so far this thing has taken Masako's sight and tried to hurt your sister, Takigawa," John countered. "It also seems to be able to block out sound."

"What do you mean?"

"Earlier this week, Mai set up a camera on the bridge backstage. Everyone was accounted for and back there, but we couldn't hear her shouting when the headset wires were cut," Lin explained.

"You don't think-" John never finished. The two men had already raced out of the lobby.

***

A whoosh of air finally filled her lungs after what felt like an eternity. They expanded in her chest and felt almost foreign from the miniscule activity they just went through. She rolled to her side and began coughing and wheezing, trying to gain back the breaths she had lost. Blood pounded loudly in her hears, thumping in her skull, she felt like she could throw up. Her coughing subsided, turning to big heavy breaths. Mai! Mai! She kept her eyes closed, fearing that if she were to open them she would end up just like the medium. "Mai! Can you hear me!"