Mika

      “HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! This is…! My precious son! No!”            “Mother! Father! I’m scared!”            “Don’t worry dear… We will get out of here. I promise.”            Even if I said that…            “M-My dear brother…”            Just what is happening? We just bought this mansion recently, and these strange events occurred. I heard reports about one of our maids being absent without official leave, several of our guards are missing, and were later found in the basement, the place where we hid the kidnapped humans ready to be auctioned to the market! Moreover, ALL of my precious “goods” are no longer here! They were killed as well! Damn it! I’m losing profit here!            There’s also that disturbing note I saw on the dinner table, along with a headless corpse of my son sitting on the chair. It just rolled with a splurt of blood coming from his neck. The lights went off, and the backup lighting system seems to be malfunctioning; it’s not operating as one would expect. Our guards came running to our aid with their flashlights and guns.            A person capable of infiltrating a location with a high level of security… Victims have no other choice but to fight their way through and die in the process…our own home is now laid with traps…            s**t…shit! Is it her? It’s her, I’m sure of it!            The lights returned to normal. But along with that is a voice of a young woman echoing in the hall we’re in.            “Welcome to the game! I’m your host, the Domino Girl! Isn’t that a cute name, fitting for a cute girl like me?”            Did she just use our intercom?            “Who’s there! Show yourself, coward!”            “That’s rude. I’m coming, don’t worry.”                        Footsteps are heard, and a woman appeared right in front of us as the doors opened. She’s wearing identical to our maid’s uniform.                        Is she the maid who’s been absent for a long time!?            “So you’re the culprit!”            “Ah, yes supposed I am. Anyway,” she did a bow while putting on a service smile. “Congratulations! You’ve won a fabulous prize, playing with me! The real prize? I'll spare your life!”            “You think killing my son is a game!? Now, die! Shoot her!”            My troops did as I say, but she’s just standing there, tilting her head and resting it on her cheek.            “Oh, that was fierce. It’s a coincidence that that gun of yours is similar to that grumpy woman. Haha. Ruger SR1911, right?”            Huh? How did she survive a rain of bullets!? Is she immortal!?            “My, that face of yours…it’s so hilarious! Did you see a ghost or something? I made sure that the ammunitions here are blank. So there’s no need to fret about it. My bad. Haha.”            “Men, what are you standing there? Get her!”            “Ah, that won’t do.”            She closed the door almost immediately. My men rammed the door and forced it to open. She disappeared, however.            She used the intercom once more. All we heard is her laugh.            “You think this is a laughable matter!? I’ll kill you whatever means necessary! I’ll catch you soon enough, and make you suffer the consequences!”            “Geez, that’s scary. Anyway, if you can reach the entrance of your home, you’ll win the game’s prize! Isn’t that great?”            “Stop with this act! I’ll kill you…and once I know about your real identity, I’ll kill your parents as well!”            “Oh~ You spoke like a real murderer! Priceless! Ah, you ARE a murderer, so yeah…!” the girl maniacally laughed like there’s no tomorrow. “I don’t have any relatives left in this world though, since I killed them. So, how are you going to have your revenge story?”            “Why you…! Curse you!”            “My, my…don’t be like that. Your daughter already bombarded me with curse words before, after all.”            “What?”            “December 13, 2017. Isn’t that day memorable to you, oh dear Annie?”            Our daughter fell on her knees, shivering.            Just what did you do to her, my daughter?            “Welp, let the game begin!”            The lights went out again, forcing us to use our flashlights. That girl…            “I’ll look for great gameplay! Bye-bye~”            “T-That scoundrel…!”            I’ll find that girl at all costs!            “We will split into three groups to cover more area. Search for her whereabouts! I want to see her, dead or alive!”            “Yes, sir!”            We have a decent plan, however…as soon as one of my men steps his foot on the door, he dropped dead, with a kitchen knife stuck on the left side of his neck.            “Oopsies.”            We heard her chuckle and went away, running.            “Get her! She’s only one, and you guys are a hundred! You’ll be rewarded handsomely if you catch her!”            I kept on acting high and mighty, but my legs are shaking…            “Continue your search! Use your knives or whatever lethal object you can use!”            An hour later…our house is now full of screams, and the dead bodies of my subordinates.            Is she some kind of a superwoman? All of my men are physically fit and learned a lot about unarmed combat. So how the heck did she…!?                        “GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”                        The screaming continues.            My wife is now panicking more than ever, and my daughter keeps on mumbling, “I’m sorry” a lot.            We need to escape!            “We’ll go to the exit. Let’s leave them behind. We have no chance of escaping if they’ll wipe out.”            “O-okay.”            “Kyahhhhhhhhhhh!”            “Annie! Gah!”            My daughter fell to the ground, grunting in pain.            So that’s how it is. The reason why she can topple down my henchmen. She’s using a taser!            “Whew…that’s nice. I’m not used to chasing a lot of people. So, for that…I’ll go one on one! Oh, your wife is dead. I accidentally stabbed her in the neck. Fufu.”            I could barely move, but I saw that one of her legs got a knife stabbed on it.            s**t…shit! *** “Isn’t this odd? The place is not lit at all. Let’s do some search.” Holding an arrest warrant, I was about to press the doorbell when I immediately remembered that there’s no electricity here, and one of my subordinates reported to me about a dead body lying just a couple of meters away from the gates. We approached the corpse and found out that it was stabbed with lots of knives. There’s also a handwritten note that says, “I’m still cleaning. Please don’t enter the premises. <3” This way of writing…! “Sir?” “Search the area and be careful. She’s still in here.” “W-who?” “Search for an individual named Mika!”            “Yes, sir!”            Moments passed, and there’s still no signs of her getting caught.            “Negative, sir! She’s not on the balcony!”            “Damn it! You there, are you all right?”            “S-sorry, sir. I got caught in one of the traps.”            I looked at his legs and there’s some blood dripping from the right leg. It seems that there’s some wire he came into contact with, but it snaps after cutting him.            The place is overflowing with those. Even I got a cut on my arm. I think this huge dining hall is the only place that’s free of traps. I do smell gasoline here though.            We are the police, the protectors of peace. We wore our uniforms with pride. We apprehended lots of fools who dared disrupt the peace we longed to preserve.            But why? Just why can’t we catch a single person?            “Oya? Are you guys trying to catch me? I thought you’re ignoring me.”                        This voice… It must be hers!            “Where are you!”            “S-sir! There she is!”                        The candles on the table lit out of the blue. A young, slender lady appeared from the shadows, wearing a black domino mask, a white long-sleeved collared shirt with buttons attached up to the second button, and a gray skirt. Her black hair was messy, and her eyes were clouded with only one thing; to kill anyone she desires.            “Surround her!”            “Oh, am I that fearsome?” she grinned as she threw the decapitated head to one of my troops. “Sorry, but I’ll pass.”                        She threw one of the candles on the floor and the place got burned. We managed to escape, leaving her behind.            I remembered the first time I met her.            She’s just there sitting like it’s just a normal day, drinking some red wine. She’s acting out of the norm, no matter how I see it; her clothes that were stained with blood and she’s sitting on a corpse. On her other hand is a person’s head, decapitated from another person’s body.            She’s the walking nightmare of the whole country, perhaps even infamously known in the world as the “Psycho”. Even celebrities and rich people alike are shaken by her existence, and they avoid becoming her target at all costs. Her real reasons why she’s assassinating people in such horrific fashion, like making their homes a living hell. She uses a peculiar killing method that nobody could fathom why she’d do it, something that deprives anyone of their sanity—if they ever survive, that is. She’s someone who took great pleasure seeing her victims die as they venture into her devilish tactics, something that’s straight from a horror movie.            The house suddenly lits up, and we raised our firearms, getting ready to pull the trigger.            “Are you surprised? Sorry for startling you all.”            “Indeed you are. What compelled you to kill one of our government officials?”            “Nothing. I deemed him and his stupid family worthy of being killed by my hands, that is all.”            That lousy proclamation of hers shivers my spine. Even my troops are shaking from fear. From her doll-like appearance, no one would believe that this girl had once made five hundred civilians die with her hands.            “Why are you doing this? I’m about to arrest him! If only you could just—”            “Sorry, but that recommendation of yours is not acceptable.” Based on the tone of her voice, I could imagine she gestured an “X” sign with her index fingers, winking. “Also…what? I have no recollection of the so-called peace and justice, so to speak. Let me clarify that. I’m one of those people who are unfortunate to live in shame.”            “That’s…”            That’s true. In this world, the prison is full of individuals, but not criminals. Justice is a farce for some, as it was known that money could tamper with it. But that was the case before. Everyone could now depend on justice.            “That’s impossible!”            “She can kill people with that reason? That’s not real!”            “So it seems. And yet, here I am, capable of killing a family even under heavy security. Oh yeah, you can check one of their closets. There are pieces of evidence of their disruptive behavior. Then tell me once again if I’m in the wrong. Oh yeah, please watch out for my hidden traps. One of your lively underlings might die if they’re not careful. You have lots of time before the flammable pieces of evidence will burn to nothingness.”            “…I’ll take note of that.”            “Great! Well then, I think it’s time to say goodbye?”            “No. You’re coming with us. You should be somewhere around here, right? You’re still using that intercom. We will arrest you for—"            “If you can, that is. Well, I’ll see you next time, mister officer. You’re a good man at best; it’s a shame I can’t include you in my lovely game.”            “Wait!”            “Ciao, till we meet again.”            The intercom is now silent, signifying that the notorious mass murderer is no longer with us.            “Chase her! Beware of traps along the way! She might be a murderer, but she’s honest! Proceed with caution!”            “Yes, sir!”            I heavily sighed.            s**t. That girl…just what happened to her past and it made her into a devil? ***            “Fufu. One target, check! Now, let’s see who’s on our list…eenie meanie miney mo~ Oh! Lucky me! This guy’s a huge celeb in the world of business now! I can’t wait to see this guy suffer! Isn’t that right…Louise?”            I’m looking at the list of people who were present that day.            That fateful day…the day when my only friend died in front of my eyes.            I’m here to give them an exhilarating event! I know that Louise would agree with this! No doubt about it!            Making their own house a place of their suffering…ain’t that great? *** What I want is…            “Haha! What a pitiful creature! You deserve to eat dog food!”            “W-why…why are you doing this?”            “No reason. I just want to see your pitiful face.”            …to have some friends. Why rob me out of that? Just what did I do to you? Just because I’m poor? Is that what it is? Or is it because of my plain face?            “Please…I’m begging…please stop.”            “Oh? Why would we stop? Did you hear that guys? She’s begging now! Haha!”            “That’s crazy. Haha! Oh yeah, Louise would you like to kick her?”            “Why would I do that to my friend!? Please, mother…stop this madness!”            “That’s not a great answer! Want to see an example? This is how you do it!” “Guh!” The gorgeous lady-like person, at least on the surface, kicked my face with all her might. The force is enough for me to crash at a nearby puddle. “Mika!”            It’s raining, and I was brought to a nearby abandoned building by these people, whom I thought are the epitome of kindness. It turns out that they just want to get my guard down. It’s only Louise that’s the sole person embedded with kindness in their family.            Just why are they doing this?            My friendly relationship with Louise all started one morning…            I was in the class, dazing at the sun, leisurely watching the bird that happen to perch on a nearby tree outside. Its navy blue feathers are soothing to my eyes. It’s still early, but I could see a lot of students walking in the corridor, laughing and talking at each other without a care in the world. I envy them.            I know that because of my looks, I am evaded by those people who prejudiced anyone except those who have decent faces. It’s understandable though. My skin is so pale that I might get mistaken for a person with anemia; my hair is not well-groomed; I don’t even have the time to comb it. In short, I’m a plain individual; nothing worth to be mentioned.            “Hello!”            “AHHH!”            “Hey, Mika, are you all right?”            “Hic! Ah! S-sorry for the mesh…”            “Fufu. Don’t worry about it.”            I stumbled down from my chair and even bit my tongue as I speak. It’s so embarrassing!            “Can we talk after class this coming afternoon?”            “Y-yes!”            “Really? That’s nice, I’m looking forward to it.” she smiled as she left.            The gorgeous woman who came and spoke to me is Louise Pallete, a daughter of one of the most prestigious families in the whole country!            W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-what would it be…? I wonder what she wanted to talk about.            “Okay, class starts now. Everyone to your seats.”                        We did exactly what our instructor said. The class started normally, ended normally, we took our lunch break normally, class resumed normally, and ended once again. The students took their sweet time establishing friendly relations with everyone. As for me, I’m busy cleaning the room. I have my colleagues for this but they left without any intention of helping me.            “Sheesh, those guys are so… I’ll just ignore them for now. What matters most is that I’ll finish this task as soon as possible. I want to go home.”            “Mika?”            “HIIIIIIIIIIIIII! Y-you startled me…”            “Sorry about that, Mika. I’ve been waiting at the school gates but then you didn’t appear. I thought that you left home already.”            “Ah, no…sorry if I didn’t tell you beforehand.”            How could I let a school idol wait for me!?            “Don’t worry about it. I’ll help you out.”            “I-Is it all right to ask for your help?”            “Don’t worry, don’t worry…I’ll lend you a hand.”            “Eh…!? Will that be okay? Y-you might get hurt by the dust…”            “Eh? All I’m going to do is to help clean the room though? Aren’t you exaggerating? Haha, you have that weird humor. I love it.”            “W-well…thank you for accompanying me here…”            She then pondered for a moment before she spoke.            “I’m pretty sure that you love to cook. In our home economics, you fantastically made a dish. It’s delicious as well!”            I then told her about my family. I told her that my mother loves to cook, and my father loves to go hunting for wild animals. It’s a given that I would develop the same hobbies as my parents. I’m physically fit as well, as my father would often make me accompany him in his wild hunt.            “Oh, so that’s how it is. No wonder you can also do physical exams so well.”            “U-unfortunately… That’s all I know.”            “No, I wouldn’t call that as unfortunate. I know! You know that our family has lots of businesses, right? I could just recommend you and you might get a business for yourself!”            “Eh? What kind of business?” “Something that’s not shady is a new business opportunity, you know?”            “E-eh…I lack the confidence…”            “Nonsense! You…you’re the only one that doesn’t look at me with malicious intent. Don’t you remember? Back when we’re still first years?”            She then began telling me about what had happened in the past. I did help her remove all of those love letters that were filling her locker. It must be tough being a rich lady.            “That’s just…I saw you’re in trouble, so…”            “There’s more to it. You don’t have the same eyes as those people who’ll conspire to usurp our wealth.”            I guess rich people have their problems.            “So…uh, can we become friends?”            “Am… Am I worthy to become one? I’m way too plain when compared to you, and you’re treated like a goddess here and all.”            “What are you saying? You’re more than worthy! About your appearance…it’s just you didn’t groom yourself! Let this friend of yours fix it right up!”            And just like that, I made a friend.            It would be nice if this would never end.            But that’s my wishful thinking.            “She’s not one of those people who crave power and wealth! Mother, please listen to me!”            “I DEMAND YOU TO STAY SILENT!”            “Kya!”            “Louise! Are you okay!?”            “Oh?... A mere plebian getting concerned with my daughter? Get out of here, you gold digger!”                        Another kick came into contact with my abdomen, making me throw up.            “M-Mother, why are you doing this?”            “I do not need a daughter whose personality was molded with kindness. We must be stern at all times! I thought I send you to a good school, but…this! THIS GIRL! THIS GIRL RUINED IT!”            I’m receiving lots of kicks from her mother. It’s not just her too. Some students, both male, and female are also kicking me with huge grins on their faces. They’re my classmates, the same people who brought me and Louise in here.            So, the whole reason why Louise and I received this kind of treatment is that I’m a poor individual? And that Louise became a compassionate person? That’s ridiculous.            “I have enough! It’s time for you to say goodbye!”            Louise’s mother then reveals a pistol and was about to pull the trigger. She’s serious about killing me…            “Mother, please stop!”            A gunshot is heard as I closed my eyes. I felt something hit my left shoulder, and I was groveling on the ground due to the intense pain. I’m inches away from the deep slope.            “Mika! M-Mika! Please run away…!”            “I-I can’t… I can’t move, and I don’t want to leave you here even if I could.”            “Mika…sorry for dragging you into this… I want you to live. Sorry about this.”                        She then pushed me to the slope.            Louise! ***            Geez, that dream again… I woke up and stretched my arms. I then prepared a loaf of bread and warm milk. I glanced at my phone. My wallpaper is Louise and I smiling while doing some peace signs. “Well…I’m going to kill another person today, Louise. I’ll give them the taste of being cornered and kill them with glee.” I heard a couple of knocks on the door. “Enter.” “Sheesh. It’s in the news today. You killed a lot again this time.” “It’s all thanks to your help though. Without your valuable information, I can’t just enter there easily.” I made a new friend Louise. I promise that this time, this new friend of mine won’t suffer the same thing we had. I’ll keep on killing those stupid people, and show them that no one should’ve dared to ruin our lives. “So, did you find the next person on my list?” “That I did. She’s a cosplayer and would participate in the next cosplay convention this night. Here’s her address.” I smiled at him and happily gets the note when he retracted it. I looked at him, confused as to why he did it. “You killed seven out of the fifty people on your list. What’s your next move?” “I’m going to proceed with your list, that’s a given.” “Sometimes, I wondered how I befriended one heck of a lady. Your pretty shrewd.” “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Now then, let the next game begin.