(Killua's P.O.V.)

It literally happened in a flash. One moment Yuki and Alluka were fine, and then the next they disappeared into thin air. How could this have happened while I was in the same room with them? The moment they were gone, time almost stopped for me.

"Yuki? Alluka!" Lizz exclaimed when she turned to see her friends suddenly gone.

"What happened?!" I rushed over to the scene where they were last seen. My heart was racing. Both of the girls in my life gone without a trace.

"I-I don't know. They were right here. Shiki, what did you do?"

"Why are you pointing fingers at me?" Shiki raised her hands defensively. "I didn't do anything."

Gon and I immediately inspected the spot. Gon checked the perimeter of the bookshelf while I stomped on the floor, which felt pretty solid.

"It was your idea to come up here," Lizz continued to accuse. "You must be playing a trick or something."

"Do you think I would let Alluka get involved in any of my pranks with Sazuka? Alluka's an angel. I would never try to scare her!"

"Guys, be quiet!" Gon shouted, silencing the whole room. "I feel a draft behind the bookshelf. There must be a secret passage. Start pulling books."

Gon might be on to something. Yuki and Alluka were tampering with the texts. They must have accidentally activated a hidden switch and got moved to the other side of the wall. This castle is old. I wouldn't be surprised that there would be secret tunnels for escape routes inside. Still, I couldn't hear Yuki or Alluka, let alone sense them. They must have walked away to find a way out or something. I hope they would be all right. As long as they stick together and stay in the castle, I would find them.

Everyone began to draw out books rapidly, tossing them out and dropping them to a floor. When I tugged on an untitled text, it halted midway as if it was stuck, and I heard a click and cranking sound. Everyone stopped and listened. Then without warning, the floor disappeared from our feet, and we all shrieked in surprise as we plummeted into a trap door of darkness.

***

(Shiki's P.O.V.)

"Aaahhh!" I shrieked as I did not expect to drop out of the blue like that. Out of instinct, I landed on my feet but lost balance due to imperfect timing and fell back from my heels. I coughed as dust powder dispersed everywhere. "What the heck was that?" I moaned. I dropped my phone on the way down to wherever I was. I probably fell only a level down to a dark, old room. I glided my hands across the filthy floor to look for my phone. "Are you guys okay?"

From right next to me, I could hear someone else coughing from the dust. "Killua, is that you?" As I moved my hands around, I touched someone else's. It definitely felt like a boy's hand, a little rough but warm. This was my chance to get close. I immediately clung onto Killua's arm, pressing myself against him. "Oh, Killua. Where are we? I'm so scared!"

"Um, actually..." the person who I was clinging to turned on their phone and shown the light close to his face. It was Gon, awkwardly smiling at me. "It's me."

"Oh, it's just you." I disappointedly dismissed his arm and stood up by myself. I winced a little from the pain on my ankle, but it was still manageable to deal with.

Gon turned to his side and picked something up. "Is this yours?" he asked as he handed me my phone.

"Thanks," I said as I accepted it. As soon as I got my phone, I used it to bring a little more light into our situation. We were in a narrow hallway with arched corridors. The walls were of stone, and we could barely hear the rain from outside. I looked up to see only the black ceiling, which meant the trap door closed in on us. "Where are we?"

"Hey, are you guys all right in there?" I heard Killua's concerned, muffled voice from the other side of the brick wall.

"Killua?" I responded. "Yeah, we're right here!" I placed my hands on the wall and leaned in closer to get better hearing.

"Is Gon with you?" I heard Lizz's voice.

"Present!" he replied. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

"What about Alluka, or Yuki? Are they with you too?"

"Afraid not," Gon replied.

"What's going on? Why are we separated?" I argued.

"The secret door must've divided into two different tunnels. They probably built it that way to throw off pursuers."

I pushed the wall a bit to to test its durability and stability. My guess was that it was thin and aged enough to break through. "Stand back, guys. I'm gonna kick the wall down."

I took a step back and was about to raise my leg when Gon placed his hand on my shoulder. "Wait. Don't do that."

I threw a look back at him. "Why not?"

"This place is a historical landmark. We'll get in trouble if we cause damage. Let's just find a way back to each other and then look for Alluka and Yuki."

I didn't like Gon telling me what to do, but he did sound reasonable. There was no use to wasting my energy on a crummy old building. While walking around, there might even be a good chance that one of us might bump into Alluka and Yuki. Hopefully they have not strayed far.

I sighed and nudged my shoulder out of Gon's grasp. "Okay." I turned back to the wall. "Did you guys hear that?"

"Yeah," Killua replied. "If you guys find Alluka or Yuki first, go straight to the lobby and we'll meet you there."

"Stay together, guys!" Lizz insisted.

"Duh, obviously," I retorted with an eye roll. Even though she couldn't see me, I'm sure she would tell by the tone of my voice.

"Okay. Be careful," Gon concluded as we started walking together down the only direction in the hallway. It was so dark ahead that it almost seemed like we were walking into an infinity hall.

"I really hope we get out of here soon."

***

(Killua's P.O.V.)

Using my phone's flashlight to guide our path, Lizz and I walked through a tunnel and found ourselves at a fork in a road. Three different pathways, all look similar, but lead to different directions. "Let's see... which one to take."

"Ooh, I got an idea!" Lizz proclaimed. She took off her backpack and pulled out a packaged cookie. When she ripped the wrapper open, the sight of those chocolate chips made me a little hungry. It has been hours since we last ate.

She began crushing the snack in her hands and sprinkled a bit of its crumbs on the floor. "We'll leave a trail so that we'll find our way back and won't get lost. Just like the story." She beamed a smile, thinking how clever she was.

"I guess that'll work," I shrugged. We advanced farther as Lizz littered behind bits and pieces on our trail, conserving as much of the cookie as she could. Eventually, we met a dead end.

"Time to head back," I said. When I flashed my light the other way, something got caught in my peripheral vision. In the middle of the floor was a something furry with a long tail and nose. It was a rat, bigger than average size, nibbling on the crumbs Lizz dropped.

Lizz let out a horrific shriek as she jumped back and hugged me tight. I was taken aback as well, but not by the rat. Her scream bounced back and forth around the walls. The black rat looked up at us with its blood red eyes, hissing as it showed its yellow buck teeth. It gathered the rest of its crumbs in its mouth and scattered away into the shadows.

In slight relief, Lizz let go of me and shivered in disgust. "Oh, my gosh. Why does this place have rats? They need to get this castle in check. Yuck!"

I fixed my jacket a little before walking back from where we came without the trail of crumbs this time. When we returned to the dividing hallway, there was no indication on which door we started at. "So much for not getting lost. We came from the left, right?"

"No, I think we turned left, so maybe we should go to the right."

"But that would take us back to where we started, so let's go straight."

"Ugh! This is so confusing!" Lizz ruffled her hair around in frustration. "I just hope the others are doing okay."

I gulped at the thought of Alluka being all alone in a dark abandoned place like this. I never feel at ease whenever I don't know where she is. I would never live with myself if anything bad were to happen to her. Thankfully, Yuki is with her, so hopefully they'll be all right. That is, if they're still together.

***

(Yuki's P.O.V.)

I took another walk around the perimeter of the chamber to make sure I did not miss anything. Three solid brick walls with no window, and one wall with rusty metal bars. They seemed to be loose, but Alluka and I were not strong enough to break them down. There was nothing in here but a moldy bench and a bowl collecting dust and spider webs.

I stood in the middle of the cell with my hands resting on my hips in defeat. "Well, Alluka, what luck that we got to be sent straight into the dungeon." It was the strangest thing. When I tried to pull out a large, hard cover book from the shelf, something clicked and the whole book case rotated, pushing us to a trapped door on the other side. I fell on something that was like a slide and we ended up here. I don't think whoever designed this intended the cell doors to be lock, by time rusted the door shut.

Alluka was squatting across the other side of the chamber, keeping our only light on. She was using her phone because we needed to conserve the battery of my phone first so that I would be able to call our teacher, if possible.

"Man, this totally sucks..." I was about to throw in the towel until a thought cam into my head. Alluka and I were not the only ones down here. We have Something on our side, and Something can do anything if I do what she wants. "Hey, I have an idea! We'll have Something to use her powers to bust us out of here." I turned and walked toward Alluka. "All right, Something. Ask me anything. Lay it on me."

Alluka faced the ground. "We can't do that, remember? Onii-chan ordered Something to never ask you requests again since the last time."

"Oh, yeah. That's right. Dang it, Killua. Talk about inconvenience."

"So are we really stuck down here?" Alluka asked nervously.

"Don't worry. I'm sure our friends will look for us, or maybe someone will come down here in the morning. As long as we remain calm, we're gonna be okay."

All of a sudden, a faint but clear, girly scream was heard from a distance. I jumped, startled at the noise. "What was that?" I turned to Alluka, but she behaved in a different way. She started breathing harder and louder. She crouched into a tighter ball formation, holding her stomach as if it was out of control.

"Hey, are you okay?" I rushed over to her side, rubbing against her back. She soon began hyperventilating, her eyes wide with anxiety. What was going on? Was she having a panic attack or something? I did not have the slightest clue on what to do. I was about to freak out myself until she started muttering something.

"Please... please! Don't take us back... We don't like it. Don't keep us here!"

I was almost confused on what she was talking about until I remembered something. Alluka told me that her family had her locked up underground for years. Could she have PTSD, or developed claustrophobia? Being in a tight, small room must be sending her back horrific flash backs. I turned in front of her and held her firmly by the the shoulders. "Alluka, look at me. Look at me and breathe slowly." I tried to inhale and exhale slowly so that she would imitate, but it was no use. She would not even look at me. I had to get her out of this room.

I ran back to the barred door again and shook it ferociously. It still would not budge. "Help! Some one help!" I cried, hoping someone could here me. Either way, I was not sure if help could make it in time. I started looking around for options. When I spotted the bench, I hatched an idea. I dashed over to it and gripped both sides. With all my might, I pried the legs off of the floor, thanks to the help of termites over the years. With the wooden bench facing the door like a spear, I charged straight at it. The first blow only pushed a couple bars out of place on the top, the bench nearly punching against my stomach. I stepped back and charged once more. The final clash knocked the rusty jail door down, producing a loud clattering sound of metal. I dropped the bench and returned to Alluka. I wrapped my arms around her shaken self and led her out of the cell, helping her to carefully step over the broken door.

Once we stepped out, I kneeled in front of her and cupped her cheeks with my hands, starting the safety procedure again. "Look at me, Alluka. Breathe slowly, like this." I deeply and slowly inhaled and exhaled again while focusing on Alluka's eyes. She looked scared, but her breathing soon synchronized with mine. "That's it," I breathed once more. "You'll be okay." Her eyes became more focused. She finally calmed down when she started breathing through her nose. "There we go. That's it," I cooed. "Feeling better?"

Alluka nodded. "Y-yeah." She stood up, taking a deep breath and stretched. "Awe, man. Umm... that was embarrassing. Thanks for getting us out of there."

She offered me a hand up, which I humbly accepted. "No sweat, but are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Let's get a move on. Everyone is probably worried about us."

"Yeah. Okay." I was still not fully convinced that she was telling the truth, but I was thankful that we got out of the jail cell and are now able to move. But I couldn't help but wonder if something like this ever happened before.

***

(Killua's P.O.V.)

The more we advanced, the more unfamiliar the setting became. I never knew that there was so much more to the castle that we haven't explored yet.

"This place is REALLY starting to give me the creeps," Lizz commented as she rubbed her arms uncomfortably."

"Alluka!" I called out, then waited for a reply.

"Yuki!" Lizz followed after. Just the same as the other trials, there was only silence. We still have not heard from either Gon or Shiki.

"This castle can't be that big. We're gonna have to run into someone eventually."

Since we all have been separated, Lizz has been the one using her phone as our light source. While walking, I noticed the light following has been slowly lagging behind. Lizz has been walking slower, and has gotten less verbal other than calling out the names of our friends.

"Hey, you're sort of walking slow. Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Lizz replied, but with a little solemn.

"Hey, don't worry. We'll find everyone," I reassured.

"No, it's not that. I was just thinking about something."

"About what?"

Lizz stopped walking, which gave me no choice but to stop and turn around. She looked at me seriously like I've never seen her before. "I never formally thanked you... for ending the war between the humans and Chimera ants."

"I did take a part in it, but I wasn't the one who really ended it."

"Still, I know it must have been hard for all of you. I just... even though I switched back on the human's side, I just wish I could've done something too, instead of running away. I..."

"Stop," I interrupted her in a stern voice. The memories of back then were flooding in. The deaths of our friends, the ruthless ants we've battled, and nearly losing Gon. I did not want Lizz to be associated in any of that. "You did the right thing by running back home, abandoning the fight. If, by any chance, we ran into each other, you and I probably wouldn't be talking like this now."

Lizz looked down. "Y-yeah... you're right." Her words did not match the shame in her eyes.

She still seemed to have not forgiven herself yet for the inhuman things she must have done back when she was a servant of the queen ant. It wasn't like she had any choice. She was just a kid. We both were. I deep sighed as I continued walking, even without Lizz lighting my path. "Hey, did you know that Gon was almost killed by a Chimera Ant?"

"R-really?" Lizz's voice seemed to have heightened. "Oh, well there's no surprise there."

"Yeah, but here's the twist. This particular ant, she was one of the king's royal guards. She held both humanoid and cat traits, including the cat ears and tail, kind of like you." Lizz fell silent. She shot this disturbed look at me, so I kept going. "Gon held a grudge against this particular ant for taking away someone very special to him. Never for as long as I've known him have I ever seen him so hateful toward someone, hateful enough to kill them without remorse."

"If you're trying to tell me something just skip to the point!" Lizz yelled.

I fully turned around. "Ever since Gon first met you, he has not looked at you that way even once."

Lizz's expression somewhat relaxed, but has also shifted to one that looked at me oddly confused. "What are you getting at?"

"Look, all I'm saying is that when Gon holds a grudge, he means business. But he's always happy when he's around you. You're nothing like the other ants we've met. In fact, some of our friends are Chimera Ants, as you have already witnessed. Gon has let go of the past, and so should you. If you feel like you don't belong with us, then don't think about it, 'cause... we're all friends." I felt a little embarrassed trying to say that last part.

Lizz stared at me for a moment. "Psh! What are you talking about?" She smiled as she waved her hand a little. "Of course I know that. I mean, what do you take me for? And why bring Gon into the conversation all of a sudden?"

"Because I know how you feel about him," I teased with a smirk. Her cheeks suddenly tinted pink as she averted her eyes away. "Ha! It's so obvious."

"Oh, shut up! I always knew that Yuki would like you way before you did. Hmph!" She looked away with attitude as we continued to walk. The silence was short lived when Lizz broke it. "Does Gon ever talk about me?"

I giggled and placed my index finger over my lips. "That's a secret."

***

(Yuki's P.O.V.)

Alluka and I stayed close together as we walked through the halls. So far we have not found the stairs that would lead us to the first floor. I tried again to call someone, but that attempt failed like the others before it. Never have I felt my phone being so useless.

Alluka and I stopped as we looked up to face a familiar brick wall. "Another dead end," I groaned. "Well, there's still a lot more ground to cover. There's bound to be an exit around here somewhere." Since Alluka has not spoken or even smiled since we've escaped the cell, I felt obligated to be the one to maintain a positive mood around here. This was my first time seeing Alluka so gloomy for an extended period of time. Was she feeling uncomfortable with the space in the hallways? I hope she wouldn't break down again.

"Man, this trip turned out to be a major let down," she complained.

"Hey, don't say that," I reassured, still trying to stay optimistic. "Sure, this evening could've gone a little better, but at least we had a lot of fun today, and there's still much to do tomorrow."

"Not that. I was hoping that it would just be the three of us girls. I love Onii-chan and Gon, but Onii-chan just... he worries about me all the time! He's constantly nagging me and around me. He never believes that I can do anything on my own. I told him not to come with me, but he came anyways."

"Okay. Maybe he's a bit... intense. Okay, overprotective, but he's just doing that because he's your older brother and he cares about you."

"I understand why he so protective. I just wish that he could trust me more. I'm not that little, feeble, sheltered child I used to be." She then turned to look at me with a serious expression. "Hey, if my brother asks, don't tell him I freaked out back there."

I didn't know how else to respond other than a "okay." A part of me did wanted to tell him so that he could tell me what I should do the next time something like this ever happens again. This explained why she seemed upset about Killua and Gon tagging along. She did not just want to hang out with only the girls, she wanted to feel independent from him for once. After that psychotic episode back there, she must feel really hard on herself, but who could blame her? Everyone has issues. She was lucky that I was there with her. Although, I wonder how she would handle worldly situations by herself. One things for sure, I'm glad that I have Alluka with me, because I would be freaking out myself if I was alone here.

I opened the next door we came across. After I opened it, I wiped the grease off my fingers as we entered through. Inside looked like an old cellar. There were barrels lined up and stacked all around the room. On one side of the room we're a few shelves with assorted wine bottles that have been sealed for years. Alluka slowly scanned the room with her light until the beam shook and she suddenly screamed.

[Press Play]

"Alluka, what is it?" I quickly responded. I looked around, but the room was too dark. Alluka came closer to me and clung onto my arm. With a shaky arm, she gradually lifted the beam from the floor to where she had it before. When the thing came into light view, I gasped and took two steps back. Lying at the corner of the cellar was a decaying human skeleton. The flesh rotted to the bones, almost none left. The old fashioned clothes which looked like a general's uniform were intact, but covered in a coat of spider webs. Upon closer inspection, there was a dark stain on the corpse's shirt that looked like dried up blood.

"Oh my..." I was almost feeling dizzy from the sight of that thing, and now noticing it's odor as well. I grabbed Alluka's wrist and was about to make a mad dash out of the room until Alluka halted me.

"Wait," she said. "What's that?"

I did not want to look again, but I dared myself to see what was so important that caught Alluka's attention. I looked toward where Alluka focused her light, and sitting on top of one of the barrels where the skeleton laid was an opened paper with inked writing.

"Yuki, you go get it," Alluka stiffly demanded.

"What?! Why me?"

"Because I got the light. You get it."

"In that case, why don't I hold the light and you... you know what? Whatever. Fine." I was too put up with the situation to argue. It was just a piece of paper. It wasn't like the skeleton would suddenly jump up and grab me, or at least I hope it wouldn't.

I edged closer and closer to the area until I was an arm's reach away. I leaned in and extended my arm out. Once the edge of the paper was between my forefingers, I quickly swiped the sheet away, dust and strings of silky web flying around. I settled the paper flat on another barrel so that we could read it without me touching it. The cursive handwriting was authentic, the paper aged into a more brown color.

"What does it say?" Alluka asked curiously.

The cursive was so legit that it was almost hard to read, especially with some of the ink faded, but I could make it out. I read the note aloud.

"My name is Hikory Jones and I am the master of this castle. My family and servants have been invaded by barbaric invaders, and they have already killed several members, including my uncle. When they infiltrated the fortress, I got separated from my wife and children. I took refuge down at the cellar. If anyone finds this note, then that would mean I have already taken my own life before the enemy could. To avenge my family, I shall place a curse on barbarians and anyone who trespasses my home. Please, leave us alone and let us be in peace."

I took a breather after reading that depressing final testimony. "Is this... for real?"

"The letter looks real." Alluka gave the corpse a stank face. "I don't want to touch it or test it out, but I'm pretty sure the body is real too."

"But don't you think the archeologists would have already found this... thing down here a long time ago?"

"Maybe we stumbled upon something no one has discovered for centuries. I mean, we did fall through a secret passage. There has been no signs of renovations."

"Hmm..." Now that she mentioned it, there were no pipes, electrical wires, trash, or anything that showed any human being has walked through here over the years years. "Hikory Jones... does that name ring a bell to you?"

"Yeah. He was actually part of the exhibit during our fie-"

Suddenly, we heard a crashing, thudding sound in the room. The barrels that were stacked on top of each other somehow collapsed, rolling down like an avalanche. When Alluka and I stepped out of harm's way, Alluka accidentally toppled back and pushed one of the wine shelves. It rocked until it fnally leaned back, hitting the other shelf, causing a domino effect. The hundreds of wine bottles fell and shattered, leaving piles of glass and an expanding puddle of wine.

"Alluka! Are you okay?" I watched my step and lended her a hand. The sparkling liquid reached my feet and the room intensified with the smell of grapes.

"Y-yeah." She grabbed my hand firmly and I used my weight to pull her up. As Alluka got up, I took a step back to pull her more, but something caught my ankle and I tripped backwards. I landed on something bulky, covered in fabric and filth. I stopped moving when I saw a hand a pair of leathery tethered boots. I cautiously turned my head, and there only half a foot was the face of a dead man.

"Kyaaaaa!" I shrieked as I pushed myself up and wiped every part of my body. I felt revoltingly violated. "Ew ew ew ew!" It was impossible for me to hold still, knowing that I was now covered in webs, dust, and probably decomposing tissue.

Before I knew it, Alluka took a hold of my wrist. "Let's get out of here!" she shouted as she pulled me away. With her leading the way with light, we carefully hopped over the fallen barrels and dashed out through the door. We did not stop running. We both wanted to get out of this place and resurface as soon as possible.

"I don't like this place!" I complained.

***

(Gon's P.O.V.)

Shiki and I finally managed to find the staircase to the first floor. We were back to the hallways with framed paintings, glass cases, and lined up soldier armors. Now that the setting looked familiar, it would be a lot easier to get around. "Do you think the others made it back yet?" I asked in concern.

"Well, Killua and Lizz might, but given Yuki's HQ and bravery level, I would say she's probably crouching in a corner somewhere waiting for us." Shiki responded, sounding doubtful.

"Nah, Yuki isn't like that. I'm sure she's with Alluka, both of them trying to find us. She would-" I stopped talking when I heard this loud crashing noise somewhere near us. It sounded like a repeating of multiple thuds, followed by a large mass of glass breaking. It sounded pretty distant, but not too far.

"Did you here that?" I asked Shiki, flashing our light around.

"Yeah, but it's gone now." We waited another minute to see if something else happened. Maybe another noise.

While Shiki was looking away from my direction, I had the sudden thought to scare her for fun. I know it did not seem like the time to do something so immature, but I want to do it just to see Shiki startled for once. After waiting another suspenseful second, I yelled, "Boo!" At the same time grabbing Shiki's shoulder.

I did not feel her flinch or heard any response of surprise. She simply turned to me with an annoyed look. "Really?"

"Oh, come on. Are you not even the slightest scared of this place?"

"Oh, please. I can tell that you're not afraid one bit. What makes you think I would be silly enough to be afraid of this place?"

I huffed. "I'm not afraid, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried about our friends."

"As if there's anything to worry about." Shiki turned a heel and began walking forward. "There's nothing here that scares me." As she passed another one of those empty suits of armors, her foot slightly kicked the base. The arm holding an axe squeaked and budged a little, but the weight of the axe cause the the entire arm to move. The weapon swung down and hit the floor, missing Shiki's back only by an inch. Shiki stiffened and shivered. "KYYAAAAAAAAA!" She screamed, then went on a full sprint.

"Shiki, wait!" I called out as I chased after her. "The axe just fell, that's all!" She was already too far away to hear me. I didn't want to lose her, so I ran faster.

***

(Killua's P.O.V.)

"Let's see..." As Lizz and I wondered down another unknown hallway, the first door we spotted was partially opened. When I pulled the rusty doorknob, it revealed a staircase going up.

"Oh, finally!" Lizz exasperated as she leaned on hand against the wall as if she was too tired to walk anymore. There was no room for rest, for we still had to find our friends.

"Hopefully the others came out through this way an-" My sentence was interrupted by this sudden clashing sound. It sounded like a bunch of stuff had fallen, followed by the sound of glass shattering, as if someone decided to go on a window breaking spree. The noise stopped and all was silent again.

"What was that?" Lizz asked, sounding a little nervous.

"It sounded like it came from one of these halls."

Right when we thought all has calmed down, a shrill scream of a girl pierces through the air. Lizz and I were both startled. It came from upstairs.

"That sounds like Shiki," I exclaimed. Lizz and I race up the spiral staircase and burst through the door waiting at the top, entering the museum part of the castle once again.

"Which way was it?" Lizz urgently asked as she turned her head from side to side.

"Um... this way!" I made my best guess and started running toward that direction, betting it all on luck. In my head, the only thing I was thinking was what could make Shiki act so afraid. She usually isn't afraid of anything.

As I was about to pass a corner, something from the other side came in so fast that it crashed hard against me. It caused the both of us to fall and hit the ground. It felt like someone's head smacked directly into my shoulders.

"Ow..." a girl moaned. I rolled over and held my sore shoulder, making noises of pain as well. I looked up to see Shiki sitting up, rubbing her head.

"Are you all right?" Lizz asked in concern as she caught up, seeing us on the floor.

"What the heck were you doing, baka?" I grunted.

Shiki gasped and looked toward my way. "Killua, I found you!" She scrambled to her feet and attempted to pounce me with a hug.

Before she could get the reunion she wanted, I casually raised my foot and began pushing her away against the shoulder. "I don't think so," I said as I kept her at bay from getting closer.

"Hey, guys!" We looked back at the hallway where Shiki entered to see Gon emerging from the darkness.

"Thank goodness you're safe," Lizz said in relief."

"But we still haven't found Yuki and Alluka," I added as I put my foot down when Shiki gave up.

At that moment, we all heard a tapping noise crystal clear, right within the area we all stood. We all directed our attentions toward one spot. A book case. As the knocking continued, I inspected the edges of the book shelf. Cold air was coming out of it. "Gon, help me with this. He stood by my side and we both start pushing one side of the case. The whole shelf began sliding, slowly revealing a dark opening. It was not as easy as I thought since the shelf got a little stuck to the floor over the years. As we pushed further, we heard the constant banging and voices from behind the book case.

(Yuki's P.O.V.)

When we reached another dead end, I noticed the quadratic, concave wall next to us. The wall was wooden while the rest of the tunnel was stone. That got me suspicious. I got close to it and carefully knocked. It sounded hallow. "Hey, I think this may also be another secret tunnel," I said to Alluka. "Help me push this."

With Alluka beside me, we pushed together, but to was too heavy. We tried looking for any ridges we could grip to slide the wall aside, but the surface was completely smoothed.

"Maybe it can only be opened from the other side," Alluka sadly suggested. This would mean that we would have to walk around the tunnels again to find another way out.

Before we completely gave up and left, I heard muffling voices from the other side. "Wait, did you hear that?" Alluka and I paused and waited as we stared at the wooden portion of the wall. I was almost started when the wall began moving by itself.

"It's them!" Alluka exclaimed. We started banging our palms against the board, calling out to them that we are hear. When light broke through the crack of an opening, Alluka and I pulled into the edge, helping them move this board that almost weighed a ton.

"Hang on," I heard Killua's voice. It was definitely them.

When Killua and Gon came into full body view, Alluka rushed out of the hole, hugging her brother before anything else. "Onii-chan!" She cried as her brother embraced her.

"You guys are okay!" Lizz smiled with joy as she shined the light on me. When I carefully walked out of the hole myself, Lizz and Gon welcomed me back with a group hug.

"Are you okay, Alluka?" Shiki asked with genuine concern as she placed a hand on Alluka's shoulder. "It must have been really scary for you down there."

"I..."

"Actually," I abruptly interrupted her. "Alluka acted really brave. When I fell on a corpse and was freaking out, Alluka was the one who pulled me out. You really saved my skin, there," I said confidently with my hand resting on her other shoulder. She beamed a smile at me, appreciating what I was doing for her.

"Really," Killua looked at Alluka both impressed and surprised. "Wait, did you say corpse?"

"Ewe!" Lizz spat as she started wiping her clothes in disgust.

"Yeah. In the downstairs cellar, there was a dead body left behind. It was the master of the castle, and he said that he left a curse hear."

"Oh, get over it!" Shiki grumbled in annoyance. She crossed her arms and continued. "It's all just in your head. There isn't anything scary around hear. There is no curse, and there are no ghosts!"

Suddenly, the sound of a pile of metal dropping strongly clanked behind us, followed by a low, ghastly moan. We turned around slowly in sync to see a set of armor rising from its feet. This armor was out of its display, moving on its own. When the helmet mask looked up, the eye holes started glowing green. My blood went cold when the pile of armor parts raised its battle axe with a furious roar.

We all screamed and scrambled away, making a run for it. "What the heck!?" Killua complained as he ran while holding Alluka's hand, who could barely keep up with his speed.

"I can't believe it! This place really IS freakin' haunted!" Shiki shrilled as she ran the fastest out of all of us.

We were all in the moment of panic. None of us suggested any other explanation to what we just saw. Our only instinct was to run away from the horrific danger. When we made a sharp turn around the corner, Shiki quickly opened one of the doors in the hallway and urged us to go in. None of us complained. We gathered inside and quietly shit the door. We were as silent as mice, listening for any sounds. Suddenly, we heard faint metal footsteps coming closer and closer. I was still breathing loud from running, so I covered my mouth and tried to breathe slowly through my nose. My major heart pounding was not helping at all. When they were close enough to be right next to us, a green line glowed under the door and passed us. Alluka held on to her mouth, trying to to scream or cry. The green glow fades, as well as the sounds of the footsteps. When the stomping disappeared, we all took a deep breath and relaxed our muscles.

"I wasn't the only one who saw that, right?" Gon asked, jokingly. Much of everyone raised their hands, giving Gon the assurance that he wasn't hallucinating. Either that, or our imagination was playing a trick on all of us.

"Killua, I'm scared," Shiki whimpered, going for the frightened maiden tactic. Killua paid no mind to her, which made her utterly disappointed.

"There was no way that could be real," Killua said skeptically.

"What are you talking about?" Lizz argued. "We all just saw it. A vengeful spirit was trying to kill us."

"Did you use Gyo?" Killua asked Lizz.

"Uhh, no."

"I didn't use it because I was surprised at the time and wasn't thinking. But now I want a second look at this 'ghost'." Killua started at the door.

"You wanna go after it?!" Shiki said in disbelief.

"Of course. I've never fought a ghost before. Gon, you with me?"

"Yeah, sure! I've never fought a ghost either," Gon replied with a suddenly new eager attitude. Lizz just stared at him in disbelief.

"Then I'll go too," Alluka joined in.

"If Alluka is going, then so am I," Shiki stepped in.

The next person who reluctantly joined was Lizz. "Well, I can't let you guys have all the fun without me."

All that was left was me. Their pressuring eyes gave me all the attention. I really did not want to pursue a ghost, now that I know they're probably real, but there's something about doing the things that you hate with your friends make you want to do them. I gave a reluctant sigh. "I'll go as long as I'm with you guys. Why not go on a ghost hunt?"

Everyone smiled at me when they heard me give the right response. Perhaps it wouldn't be the same without me. Before we left the room, we grabbed a few items that were available to use as weapons of defense. Gon and Killua didn't seem to need any. Shiki already had her own handy dandy dagger. Lizz picked up a golf club while Alluka grabbed an umbrella. There was not anything else durable and structured enough to be a decent weapon, so I picked up the heaviest book from the shelf.

We stepped out of the door and moved silently and cautiously in circle formation. Every side was covered with our backs against each other. No ghost could slip away from our peripheral vision. My knees were visibly shaking. I was almost as scared of the thought of shaking so much that I would drop my book, make a noise, and that it would all be over for us.

"Would you get a grip, Suzuka?" Shiki harshly whispered.

"You're one to talk," Gon retorted.

"What did you say?!"

"Hey, don't you bark a whisper on Gon," Lizz shot back.

"Would all of you just shut up? I'm trying to concentrate." Killua hushed us all. We remained silent after that, taking one step at a time.

It did no take long for us to hear fain laughter down a distant corridor. "This way," Killua lead, us following very closely. At the end of a two-way hallway, we could see the luminous green glowing from the other side of the corner. The laughter was getting louder as we approached, along with faint muttering. My guard lowered a bit as the voices became clear human talking. When all of our heads peaked around the corner, we saw two teenage boys, one trying to get out of the suit of armor we saw earlier. His friend was helping him pull glow sticks out of the armor.

"Boy, we sure got them!" One of teens laughed with a thick accent. They seem no older than us.

"I know, right? These are the best batch of tourists we had yet!"

We all pulled back behind the corner, looking amongst ourselves. "See? I told you there's no such thing as ghosts," Shiki whispered.

"It's just a couple of teens pulling a prank on us," Lizz added.

"Wait, you mean that dead body back there was a dummy and that note was a fake?" I inquired. Hopefully it was all planned by those mischievous pranksters.

"Who cares?" Shiki scoffed. "I say we go tell them off."

"Yeah, these guys are in trouble for breaking and entry in a closed museum."

"Hmm... we could do that, or..." I looked at Alluka as a grin widened on my face. "We could give them a taste of their own medicine."

***

After going over the plan one last time, everyone made a break for it to get into positions. Alluka and Killua ran the other directions while Shiki hid behind a long curtain by the stain glass window. Lizz, Gon and I snuck inside one of the rooms with the door cracked open.

We waited patiently until we heard the we heard the teenagers talking again, their voices and laughter growing louder.

"Did you see the face of that one chick?"

The other chuckled with him. "How could I possibly have missed it?"

Once they walked into our view, the chandelier lights started flickering. The two boys looked up. Looking at them standing next to each other now, I could see one was taller than the other one.

"Say, don't you find that a bit weird?" The shorter one asked.

His buddy smacked him on the head. "It's this bloody storm, you moron!"

The lights flickered faster and flashier uncontrollably unruly they finally abruptly stopped, leaving the hallway bleak. The two boys stepped closer to each other, waiting for the lights to do something again.

"Heh heh heh..." chuckled an ominous voice. The duo turned their head around. A bright flash of lighting made the figure at the end of the hallway visible. A feminine figure covered entirely of white sheets, almost making her look like a ghost.

"J-J-John! W-what is that?!" The shorted one quickly clung onto his friend's arm in fear, but the one supposedly named John pried his arm away.

"Don't be silly, you bimbo!" He then faced his attention toward Alluka with a furious expression. "Oi! Who are y and what are ya doin' here?" Alluka remained silent as she approached them, her footing so graceful, as if she wasn't even roughing the floor. "Why I oughtta..." John, still unconvinced that this might be a spiritual being before him, marched toward her with his buddy cowardly flowing behind him.

Lightning flashed again, this time closer. As soon as the gap between them got short enough, Alluka stopped, and the boy with more guts stood before her. "Do you really think we're that dumb?" At the moment he lifted the sheet covering her face, lightning struck again, providing crystal clear light to reveal Something's face. What they saw was a moon white face with no defining features but two black holes for eyes and a small lipless, subtle smile.

"Aye," Something spoke.

The two boys howled in fear as they stumbled backwards, nearly falling over each other as they got up. The sheet fell over her face again. When she menacingly raised both of her hands at them, all of the metal weapons on display within the hallway slipped out of place and began levitating. Something snapped her fingers and had all the blades pointing at the two intruders. The boys shrieked in fear as they stared at the threatening weapons immobilized. After what felt like more than a few seconds, the boys found the sense to run again. As soon as they disappeared from our sights, we heard the entrance doors slam open but not shut.

When all became quiet, I peaked out to confirm that they really did leave the area. "We did it!" I cheered. We all stepped out of our hiding places feeling accomplished, congratulating each other what a great job we did. Shiki pushed the curtains out of her way as she carefully placed the weapons back to their proper spots. Alluka laughed as she stripped the mattress sheets off.

"Great job, Alluka!" Gon complimented as he gave her a high five.

"Yeah," Shiki pitched in. "I don't know how you did it, but those guys looked terrified." She is still unaware about Something's presence. It was a good thing that she was behind the curtains so that she wouldn't be able to see everything.

"We pranked the pranksters!" Lizz chanted as she pumped her fists in the air in her gleeful dance.

Approaching us from the hallway the teens ran out was Killua, soaked from top to bottom. "I saw them run outside, so I assume it worked." He grinned.

"Oh, it did. Thanks for the lightning special affects. You did a great job," I said.

"Any time." After I rewarded him with a high-fived, Killua closed his eyes, threw his head back and let out a loud sneeze.

"Uh-oh. Looks like someone caught a cold," I joked.

Killua wiped his nose. "I don't get colds. I'm too cool for them." It was after he said that that he sneezed again. We all couldn't help but laugh at him.

Alluka patted Killua on the back as Gon took off his dry jacket and handed it to him. Killua deeply sniffled before speaking again. "Anyways, the rain finally stopped. Let's get out of here."

"Yeah, totally," Lizz agreed. We all felt the same way. We had enough of this crazy museum or haunted castle or whatever. We just wanted to go back to our hotel and call it a night.

We all walked out together, feeling that night breeze and smelling the grassy dew of a stormy aftermath. The night was calm now. Normally, it wouldn't be safe to walk outside in the middle of the night, but we walked through those doors hand in hand. As long as we're together, nothing could go wrong.

"Whew, glad to learn that this castle wasn't haunted after all," I breathed.

"Yeah," Lizz agreed. "We spent a long night in there and there weren't any-"

The doors behind us slammed shut, blowing a cold gust against our backs. All of my muscles stiffened as my heart skipped a beat. The friends holding my hands squeezed them as their palms suddenly got moist. We turned around to see no one behind us, and we all made a far enough distance that none of us could've done it.

"Nope nope nope," Lizz said as she faced forward and started walking again. We all followed, not thinking about even looking back. "Spoke too soon."