2026-06-11: The Darkness That Lurks In Our Mind
- Log: The Darkness That Lurks In Our Mind
- Cast: Shinichi Nagisa, A Monster
- Where: University of Tokyo Hospital, Taito Ward
- OOC Date: June 11, 2026
- IC Date: November 22, 2012
- Summary: Working in a Hospital at night takes a lot of Courage. Unfortunately Shinichi Nagisa hasn't been grinding his Guts quite enough for what awaits him..."
SEVEN MONTHS AGO
The thud-thud of an enormous hospital bed against the glass doors of the ICU room alerted a young man that someone needed assistance, "Oh, Izawa-san. Let me help you with that." The young man said as he naturally took position at the head of the bed, helping it guide it through, while the woman in her thirties winded some equipment around the way.
"Thank you Shin-chan- but I can take it from here." He looked back at her, puzzling, given the pump laden with drips and other equipment being dragged along to keep the patient alive in the bed. "I couldn't let you do this alone." He remarks, "That's too much, to try and transport all this by yourself."
The nurse, Takako Izawa- shook her head, "No it's really fine- you shouldn't do this one, Shin-chan. Go check who's up next." He kept his hand on the bed, but stood off to the side, as he asked, "Is something going on?"
Izawa froze, then looked around and- then lowered her voice, "This one is a mental shutdown patient, from a Yakuza family, Shin-chan. You shouldn't get involved. None of the nurses like taking her up here- but someone has to and I drew the short straw today." She nervously added, "They often have one of their people here throughout the day. So you shouldn't go near her."
Shinichi gawked, then looked down at the middle-aged woman, eyes shut- with a tube down her throat, breathing at a steady rhythm. Still, she seemed meticulously groomed, almost to the point of obsession. Like they were all afraid of attracting ire if she wasn't always presentable.
"A mental shutdown... huh? I didn't realize we had those kinds of patients."
"Well, we usually don't. Most of the time they die before they ever get to us. Of those who do- usually the family decides to withdraw support right away and they just pass on. But, she's well-off, and they say there's a whole thing about Yakuza succession that they want to keep her alive..."
"Oh. So she's being kept alive just because-"
"... Yeah. That's why we're all so terrified. So, just- stay away from her, from this, alright?"
He looked down upon her insensate form, for a while, and eventually he decided, "No really, I don't mind." He smiled sheepishly at Izawa, "Someone has to right?"
It was only on the way back that he caught a glimpse of the name on the chart.
MIFUYU ITAMI
Despite the efforts to keep him away, he always forced his way into helping when it came to her. No one could ever figure out why.
If he were forced to interrogate it, it's not because he was being selfless- but because he just didn't value his life very much at all. This was his way of punishing himself.
-=-=-
FIVE MONTHS AGO
He'd helped late enough that he only had time to do his homework if he started it right off. The nurses had let him use the staff lounge for it. He began working through the practice math problems one by one by one-
-until-
Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick TOCK
Shinichi was jolted awake from his involuntary nap at 12:02 by the sound of an overhead alert.
"Code Yellow- ICU! Code Yellow-!"
Code Yellow, disaster? Emergency? He checked his name badge, then rubbed his eyes and got up.
He was the last person that was ever supposed to respond to these things, I mean. What could he do? He was just a volunteer. But he had an extra set of hands- and could follow instructions, so he made his way up to the ICU.
Only to find numerous personnel, nurses and others beside standing outside a room who belonged to a patient he knew.
"What's... going on?"
He asked, only to catch a glimpse of the inside. A torn out breathing tube. IVs dripped their contents on the floor and monitor alarming that someone was dying.
And an empty hospital bed.
"Where- how!?"
After an incredibly swift investigation the next day it was decided the Kikuchi-Kai must have absconded with her. There was just no other plausible explanation. All of the hospital staff just let out a collective sigh of relief that they no longer had to deal with her.
Eventually he was forced to accept that... but a nagging thought stuck with him, how that could be possible without anyone seeing it?
Either way, she has to be dead. Perhaps it was a mercy.
Perhaps.
-=-=-
NOW
"No- you know you're not supposed to be here this late Shin-chan. You've been dead on your feet all night- go home and get some real sleep, okay? You're going to miss the train."
"But-"
"Don't argue. You're a student! Enjoy youth while you're young. There will be plenty of time for work when you're actually paid for it."
"... Alright." He finally agreed, "Good night, Izawa-san."
Rubbing his eyes, he hoisted his bag and started down the halls towards the elevators. "Sleep's the last thing I need..."
Nightmares- nightmares of Yanagi, icy rictus fingers closing upon his neck. A whisper in his ear as he suffocated-
He never remembers what was said. Tapping the elevator key for down, he stood there and waited.
Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick TOCK
Heaven Give Me Say - Silent Hill OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLgRg7DNav0
The elevator ground to a stop so suddenly that he couldn't even perceive it doing so within the peculiar stasis of the Dark Hour.
Dazed- he looked around in confusion at the green atmosphere. The pale moonlight, the puddle of blood on the nearby floor as clarity began to dawn. "What's going on? Who didn't clean this up?" He hit the elevator button again, before muttering, "I don't get it- what's up with the sky? Maybe some storm...? Geez- we're long past typhoon season. If the generator isn't working- that's really bad."
However, instead of chaos from an electrical outage, there was an eerie silence and so he hit up a Janitor's closet to grab a mop. "Might as well- everyone's gonna be busy." The sink didn't work- "Huh the water's out too-? Well, the bucket still has some in it, I guess."
Taking it back, he heard a sound like the wind rattling spookily across the windows, rap-tap-tapping- but he was used to weird sounds in hospitals at night. They didn't faze him anymore.
At least until he got back and saw the emergency stairwell door open, slowly gliding shut- with a loud click as it slid back in place.
He gave it a strange look, but then began trying to sop up the mess, stroking it back and forth over the blood-soaked floor, without making any real progress.
"... Weird..."
"Didn't you know that you're the strangest thing here?" Came the unexpected whisper of a voice against his ear, as he gasped, and toppled over the bucket, soaking his leg. A woman- a familiar woman.
Strode over to him-
"You're- but you're-"
Her smile was just a little too wide, as she grasped him by the throat and lifted him off the floor, nails like claws flexing over his throat as she inspected him, as he gagged down muffled scream after scream from lack of air, thrashing defensively.
"Not yet- disappointing."
Clucking her tongue, she smiled wide at his look of absolute terror as he tried to ineffectually fend her off, "What's the matter, 'Shin-chan'? Weren't you always the one volunteering to spend time with me?"
As everything started to go dark, the last thing he heard- and would absolutely not remember were the words.
"Yanagi Nagisa- such an awful thing you've done to your adorable little brother."