Chapter Text
The sun is about to set, and the legendary bladers along with Masamune, Yuu, and Benkei are all tired from their non-stop battling since afternoon. Inside the WBBA park that is slowly deserted from human activity, they talked up a storm after the events since afternoon, where there were lots of the legendary bladers fans trying to get their autograph or asked them to battle (which they accepted gladly).
“Have you guys ever heard of the creepy rumors about the WBBA park?”
The topic that King spew out gained the attention of his friends. “Huh? Since when is there a rumor to this building?” Gingka’s eyebrow arched in confusion. “What the—does any of you people, who have visited this place way longer than I am, really have no idea?” The blue haired blader eyed Gingka, Kyoya, Kenta, Yuu, and Benkei respectively. Said bladers shook their head, save for Kyoya who responded with an offended tone. “Look, I just don’t care about superstition.”
“Well, considering Nemesis, I think you should start believing.” Kyoya shot a glare to a certain blond in the room, meanwhile violet irises avoided looking at the Leone blader. Not happy with the comment that the Orion blader made, Benkei decided to defend Kyoya. “Hey! Kyoya may be a non-believer of ghosts, but he will learn that the supernatural does exist one way or another!”
Chris shoots a devious grin towards Benkei and Kyoya. “So, you agree with me.” Benkei was about to retaliate before Kyoya raised his hand while he used his other hand to facepalm. “Benkei, just… Stop.” Through the gap of his fingers, Kyoya eyed Chris once more. “And I don’t want to hear that from someone who tried to help Nemesis.”
“Ouch, that hurts.”
“Anyway, King! What is the rumor about?” Yuu’s voice brimmed with enthusiasm, changing the topic back to the square one. The libra blader is very energetic despite all the energy he spent since the afternoon. Beside him, Tithi stood with an equal enthusiasm that Yuu radiated. The look on both of their eyes are urging King to continue his gossip. “Huh? Oh yeah, I heard from the crowd from before. Someone said when night comes, the staffs who worked late tends to hear the sound of a girl laughing, or objects being moved around when there is no one there.”
Even if they don’t believe (or tried to not believe) the story, they went silent when King begins to talk.
The digital clock in the stadium told him that is 10.00 PM. Which means that it has went past closing time. A lone man sighed as he finished the last spot that he haven’t cleaned yet. He stood up and wipes the sweats off of his forehead with the back of his hand. Finally, the man finished his job cleaning the seats surrounding the stadium.
“Hey, I’m finished here.”
“Same here.”
“Me too.”
At the same time, voices of his co-workers’ rings throughout the stadium. “I’m finished too.” The man added. The four then brings their own cleaning tools and puts them back in the storage behind the supporter seats.
“Whew, that’s another job well-done everybody!”
“That’s true. Man, these rowdy kids should really know how to restrain themselves. Cleaning after them is a pain.”
“I know right? The stains on the seats are the hardest to deal with!”
“Oh. My. God. That is a nightmare.”
“All right guys, calm down. We finished our job today, so let’s just get back home okay?”
They nodded their heads in unison. Along the way, they chatted merrily, forgetting their complaints from before. Until suddenly, the man from before turned his back to the dark empty hallway. “Hey, what’s wrong?” One of his co-workers asked.
“Huh? Did you not hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“It’s light steps, like a child? It was following us since we left the stadium.”
The other three eyed each other in an awkward manner until finally one of them breaks the ice. “Hey, maybe you’re just hearing things. That happens a lot when you’re tired. Besides, why would there be a child in this place at this hour?”
“R-right! You must be tired!”
“Yeah! As I said before, the stains on the seats are nightmare to be dealt with.”
The others laughed at the joke, while the man scratched behind his neck. Maybe they were right, and he was just imagining things. True to their words, the sound of footsteps behind them stopped. The four continued walking and talking as if the events from before did not happen. And that’s what they believe in because the alternative is terrifying.
But it doesn’t last long.
A loud crash can be heard from behind them. This made the four to turn around in an instant. In a silent unison, they decided to investigate the source of the crashing sound. That is when they found that a bench has been flipped over. Which is a bizarre sight to them.
What could have done this when there is no one around but the four of them?
A door opening on its own is easy to bluff with the problem of someone not closing it completely and the wind is blowing it. But what kind of bluff can they make if it’s a bench that got flipped over?
Surely that is not the work of mere wind.
“Hey! I don’t know who you are, but you better come out now and stop pulling pranks! We are about to close this place!”
One of them shouted into the empty hallway with anger laced on her tone. She tried to think positively that it’s definitely someone pulling pranks on them. While the girls were fuming on their prankster culprits, the man turned his head towards the other man. “We should return this back.” He pointed at the bench. The other man nodded and the two then worked together to put the bench back at its original place.
“If you don’t want to get out then fine! But don’t complain to us when you got locked inside here.” The four turned their backs and was about to walk again until they heard a reply from behind them.
“It’s fine, no one will come anyway.”
They immediately turned around once again.
There they found a little girl with the complexion that screams wrong to them in every sense. Her hairs are long and unkept, her bangs covering some of her face. But they can still make out the fresh blood dripping from her head and her empty eye sockets. Her grin is so impossibly wide for a human being.
She wears a bloodied-white dress that covers up to her knees. She was standing, but they can see that her feet doesn’t exist on the ground.
“WAAAAAHHHHH!”
The scream sent all of them into a mini-heart attack. Yuki immediately hides behind Aguma, his whole-body trembling. Masamune, King, Yuu, and Tithi group hugged in fear. Then there is Kenta who is hugging Gingka who is hugging Benkei who is bear hugging Kyoya to the point that the latter suffocated.
“What the… Don’t scare us like that!”
“Hey Benkei, I think you’re choking Kyoya.”
“…I’m dying…”
“Wah! I’m sorry Kyoya!”
“Wait a minute—King, why are you screaming too?! Aren’t you the storyteller?!”
“Hehe, sorry I got scared too.”
Gingka lets go of his hug and sighed. “Seriously, why are we telling creepy stories of a building that we’re currently inside of?”
“Don’t ask me, you guys are the one who wanted to know!”
Yuki clears his throat. “To be fair, it’s only Yuu that’s asking you to tell the story.” He showed his head from behind Aguma’s large body. “Right, what are you doing behind me anyway?” With a flustered look, the little astronomer immediately went out of his hiding place and stood beside the larger man with a sheepish smile plastered on his face.
“Speaking of creepy story, it’s already 08.00 PM you know?” Chris pointed at the digital clock in the stadium. “Oh wow, is it already that late?” The blue headbanded blader sighed once more, then he walks towards the door leading outside the stadium.
“Well, that settles it. Let’s go back before the staffs kick us out.”
Without any argue, they went out of the stadium and walked down the corridor. Along the way, they talked about random things. The atmosphere was joyous with small banters here and there. It doesn’t take long for them to find the exit.
“Woah, look at that, it really has gotten dark.” Masamune commented when he looked outside the glass doors. He reached out to the doors and tried to open it.
It doesn’t open.
“Huh?”
He tried again, but the doors won’t budge.
“What’s wrong Masamune?” King asked from behind him. The Unicorno blader turned his head towards his best friend. “I don’t know, I think the door is stuck. I can’t open it.”
“Wait, let me help you.”
The two then worked together to open the doors. And they failed.
“Hey, something is wrong with the doors!” King exclaimed while trying to open the door once more. Aguma lets out a soft sigh and tapped the shoulders of his two blader friends. “Let me.”
Masamune and King immediately went out of his way. It’s a good thing that they have Aguma here. The guy can lift a helicopter no problem, things like doors will definitely be a piece of cake for—
“I can’t open it.”
—him.
What?
Did they just hear that right?
“What do you mean you can’t open it?” Dynamis asked in confusion.
“I mean exactly as I said, I can’t open it.” Aguma answered, his expression showed his own confusion.
“What? No way!” Masamune shouted.
“Why don’t you try to bash it open?” King asked.
“Are you kidding me?”
While they were arguing on how even Aguma can’t open a door or whether he should bash it open. Chris was turning his head everywhere as if trying to search for something. “What are you doing?” Kyoya asked after realizing the Orion blader’s strange behavior.
“It’s weird.”
Kyoya turned his eyes to where the blond is looking, but he didn’t see anything. “What is?”
“From the stadium to the exit is pretty far. But somehow, we still haven’t seen a single staff of WBBA on our way here.”
The arguing with Aguma had stopped, all attentions now directed at Chris’ words.
They haven’t seen anyone on their way here.
They can’t open the door.
They are trapped in here.
Uh-oh.
.
.
.
.
To Be Continued…