Chapter 24 : Again
Mimi
I looked around nervously as I rang the Izumi's doorbell. Izzy
had called us all over to his house to talk. When he called me he
seemed distracted and such, like he had his mind on something
else. I shrugged it off, I kept getting the feeling that
something bad was going to happen. The door opened. "Hey,
Mims. Come in." It was Sora. "Hi, where are the
others?" I asked as I stepped inside. Koushirou's apartment
was pretty small, but it was snug and comfy feeling. It was warm
and cozy inside, opposite of the late fall weather outside. I
spotted a bowl of candy near the door, for the trick-or-treaters
that would be coming no doubt.
"Izzy's in his room, he still isn't feeling too well, but he
said he had some news to tell once everyone got here. Kari said
she and Taichi would be here around 8, and we left a message on
Joe's machine." My friend replied. "Bad news?" I
wondered to no one in particular, what had happened now? How
could anything worse happen?! It seemed impossible, but I didn't
doubt it could and would happen. I shivered, I could feel it.
"Well, what do we do until the others arrive? It's only
7:35." I sighed. Sora opened the door to Koushirou's room.
The Keeper of Knowledge lay in his bed with an ice pack on his
forehead. He had his eyes closed and the television was on.
"Hey Mimi." the bruinette greeted without opening his
eyes. "How'd you know it was me?" I smiled. "Who
else would ja be? Tai and Kari aren't coming this soon, who knows
where Joe is..." "Well, the first wave of
trick-or-treaters will be about soon, anything you want to do
before the doorbell be ringing like crazy?" Sora asked. I
glanced at Izzy, "Not really...how are you feeling Iz?"
Izzy snorted; "Well, my head is throbbing like mad, it feels
like someone's taking a hammer and bashing it repeatedly at my
skull. Other than that ok I guess. Sorry, I'm in a bad
mood." he added after his cynical statement. "Sorry,
man, those guys were jerks...." Sora sighed. "What are
you going to tell us?" I couldn't contain myself.
There was a moment of silence. "Wait til Taichi gets
here." he replied. I sighed again. Much sighing going on
here. The doorbell rang. "I'll get it." Sora said, and
left the room. I sat down at Koushirou's desk, turned around in
the chair and faced the bed. "Life sucks." I mumbled.
"Yes it does." Izzy agreed absently. Again, I let my
mind recap the recent events. Takeru's dead. Yamato's been sent
away. Punks at school won't leave us alone. How could it possibly
get worse? What does Izzy have to tell us? More bad news? What's
happened now? I glanced out the window. The sun was setting,
annoucing the end of the day. A gorgeous wave of color hung in
the sky, shrinking back slowly, the light was leaving, giving way
to the darkness. I shuddered yet again, I could feel it.
Something bad was going to happen.
The next half hour was slow. Sora and I took turns answering the
door for trick-or-treaters. Ghosts, witches, goblins, demons,
assorted characters from assorted shows and games. You name it.
Pokemon still seemed popular. I must've seen 4 Pikachu at that
door. I wished everything would be normal. Or as normal as they
could be. I wished Taichi would stop being depressive. And that
Sora would stop being quiet. That Koushirou would stop being
grouchy, that Hikari would stop being paranoid. That I could stop
worrying about these things. I wished this Halloween could be
like our last. Last year was great. A memorable time, Halloween
was a wonderful time of year. It was what brought us together
every year. Right in time for the rest of the winter holidays.
Us, the Digidestined. But we were together now, I guess. Huddled
together in hate and fear. This wasn't supposed to be. We were
supposed to be together in rejoice and merriment. The doorbell
rang. I stood up again.
Taichi and Hikari stood at the door, dressed in coats and
sweaters. "Hey guys." I smiled faintly and opened the
door wider. "Hello." Kari greeted quietly. Tai mumbled
something, but I didn't catch it. "C'mon." I led the
two to Izzy's room. "Hey Tai, Kari." Sora said.
"Hello." the Keeper of Light said again. Tai still said
nothing audiable. Izzy sat up in bed, the ice pack dropped from
his head and fell into his lap. The five of us didn't say
anything for a few minutes. Just sat there in silence, reflecting
in our own thoughts. Five of us. It didn't feel right. Three of
us was missing. Takeru...dead. Yamato...away. Joe...where was
Joe?! Why did he have to be so distant...? Why now? When we had
to keep together?
Sora broke our silence. "What did you want to tell us,
Izzy?" The rest of us looked up. Taichi's face looked so
much like Matt...stoney, angry almost. Hikari's,
fearful...wondering...Sora,...worried, hopeful...Koushirou's
grim, angry. My own...I wasn't sure of...but I guessed I looked
afraid. I had been afraid quite often lately. Izzy sighed.
"Takeru's murderer is on the loose." he stated simply.
And launched a wave of unbelieving protests.
"What!?" "How do you know?!" "What do
you mean?" "Here!?" Taichi's face twisted from
stoney to demanding anger. "How do you know!?" Hikari's
expression magifyed, terrifyed. Sora's was of horror, my own. A
million emotions jumbled together. Fear. Guilt. Regret. Anger.
Sadness. Curiosity. And so many more. "How do you
know?!" the Keeper of Courage demanded again. "His name
is Resuke Aymichi. He just broke out of the county jailhouse. It
was on the news this afternoon." Izzy answered. "Odaiba
County Jailhouse?! Wasn't that where Yama was?" Sora
squeaked. "Maybe thats how he got all beat up!" I
exclaimed. "No...he can't be loose...he can't! Aren't things
bad enough for us!?" Tai exploded. "Why is this
happening to us?! It's not fair!" "Tai!"
"And where the hell is Joe?! Why isn't he ever here with
us?! Why!? Why the fuck is all this shit happening now?!?!"
Hikari had broken into quiet sobs. Sora had stood up, trying to
calm the raving bruinette. I glanced at Izzy. His eyes seemed
distant, hateful, worried. "I don't know..." he
muttered in response to Tai. "Why did this psycho freak want
to kill TK!? Why?! What is he after now!?" "Tai calm
down!" Sora grabbed hold of his arm. "Why--"
"Tai! Calm down! Don't turn into Matt! We don't want to lose
you too!" she shrieked. This caught Tai's attention. He
stopped thrashing about and sat down suddenly.
"Yama..." he muttered. Yamato...I missed him. It may
have only been a week or so. But I missed him, expecially knowing
where he was. Locked up in a nuthouse somewhere. He didn't
deserve that. Silence returned to us once more.
"We shouldn't worry...we don't even know if he's coming
after us..." Sora said quietly. "He killed Takeru. He
attacked Yamato. What do you think he's trying to do?" Izzy
asked. "We don't know he attacked Yama...and has have they
proved that he killed TK?" the redhead persisted. Koushirou
paused, "They said that investigators have 'recently
connected him with the murder of Takaishi Takeru.'" he
answered. "So they don't know for sure!" Sora
exclaimed. "But its close enough!" I replied, "its
enough...I..keep getting the feeling that something bad's going
to happen..." Sora stared at me. "Mimi...don't you
start getting paranoid on me too..." I didn't reply.
They talked and I zoned out. Busied with my own thoughts. Why did
I think something bad was going to happen? Was I getting paranoid
like Hikari? I glanced at Tai's little sister. She wasn't
participating in the conversation either, sort of huddle by
herself. She had stopped crying, but still looked on the egde.
The other's voices seem loud, but I don't catch what they say. I
hear the other things, the annoying sound of the doorbell that
we've stopped answering. The wind outside, blowing. I feel
vaguely lonely, though I was surrounded by friends. I wondered
if--I heard a thump. I saw Hikari flinch out of the corner of my
eye. I froze briefly. "I-I heard something." Tai, Sora
and Izzy glanced at me. "I didn't--" Izzy stopped.
Footsteps, soft footsteps. "P-Probably my parents."
Koushirou studdered. "You said they'd be home at
midnight." Sora breathed. Tai grabbed a large book. Hikari
gulped loudly. No one said anything. My hand felt around for a
weapon as well. I grabbed a broken speaker. The footsteps thudded
softly, closer. Echoing in the hall. No one moved, no one spoke,
no one breathed. We quivered there. Frozen. Waiting.
Louder, closer, louder, closer. With each footstep, my heart
pounded faster. Why was this happening? I had already thought I
was about to die already. Again so soon? It isn't fair...I
couldn't die now...not now...even with all the shit going on
now...no...I didn't want to die. Oh...I was shaking. I gripped
the speaker tightly. Shaking. Quivering. The footsteps stopped.
Right outside of Izzy's bedroom. He was here. Whoever he was. The
murderer. The murderer. The one who killed Takeru...I don't want
to die...I don't want to die...Please no....the doorknob turned.
Slowly. The door opened.
© Kiriska