Ghost Hunters, Lies, & Money (Ghost Hunt Fanfiction)

In Which: Mai Is A Fair Maiden

Day Three

4:15pm

The Miyuki Theater

Mai burst from the room at full speed, her feet slapping the floor as she ran, a cold sweat breaking across her forehead. At some point in her rush, she managed to tuck the picture inside her pocket. The corridors blew past Mai as she turned corner after corner, but slowly it dawned on her that she had no idea where she was or where she was running to. Confused, Mai came to a halt at yet another corner. Panting she glanced around, the hallways in front of her and behind her were draped in a veil of silence.

Darn it! Which way did they go? Which way did I go...?

Mai straightened up, swallowing the lump of panic that had risen in her throat; this was no time to lose her cool. Taking a few deep breaths and closing her eyes, Mai strained to hear anything at all that would lead her towards Ayako and Masako. But there were no sudden cries, no foot steps, no voices-- nothing.

Mai opened her eyes with a frown, it was as if the world was muffled somehow-- or muted. A terrible thought crept in the back of her mind, maybe this was a side effect of the vision she just had? Maybe she could hear nothing at all? A cold shiver rushed through Mai, her heart began to pound, the panic rose again in her throat and this time she was helpless to swallow it.

In one frantic motion Mai kicked the wall nearest her and was answered with a dull thud and a surprised cry from herself. Mai winced and held her foot, she hadn't meant to kick out quite so hard, but relief filled her- she had heard the thud and her own voice.

Reassured that she had not lost her hearing, Mai decided to turn the corner she had just came up on, if she was lucky it would lead her somewhere she recognized. That was when she heard it-- like a shot Bou-san's voice reached her ears. Knowing that she must be getting closer, Mai broke into a run, wincing occasionally at the pain that flared in her foot.

Mai reached the end of the hall and realized that it branched off in two directions, Mai quickly looked left and saw nothing but an endless hall- but she then looked right and there, at the opposite end, stood Bou-san and the others. Relief swelled in Mai's chest, blocking out the protest her foot was putting up as she found herself running towards them even faster than before.

"Hey!" Mai called as she approached, but no one seemed to notice, they were all staring at the wall. Mai's eyes widened, stretched out across almost the whole length of the right side of the hall-- mirrors one after another, all gilded and gleaming.

The Hall of Mirrors? Mai thought as she recalled Naru's orders to Ayako and Masako.

Mai stopped a few feet away from them, just outside the reflection of the first mirror,

"Bou-san..." Mai persisted, looking at him with concern.

The monk stood there rigidly, unblinking, his face the color of ash. When she couldn't get a response, Mai looked to Ayako beside him. Her cheeks were drained of all color, her mouth open in a kind of eternal scream, her hands grabbed at Bou-san's sleeve in horror.

Mai felt the warmth of her relief leave her, replaced by cold fear. In alarm, she looked to Masako next. She looked like a broken porcelain doll, her dark hair falling wildly across her white face, her blue eyes staring unseeingly as though they were glass.

At the sight of the three of them rendered motionless, Mai felt the fear take hold of her mind, terrifying conclusions racing through her head. It was then that she saw John. He stood just on the other side of Masako, his hand clutching the cross at his neck, gazing into the mirror in front of him. Suddenly he looked away, and noticing Mai, shouted,