Kuchisake Onna

Year:  2617

I shouldn't have been surprised in the world we live in. It shouldn't have scared me so much, either. Wraiths hang out above my house and spend their nights on the street. The dead wander around, interacting with the living. The thing is, I'd never seen a ghost hurt someone before. Long ago, our ancestors made a pact with these creatures. If we don't try to harm them, they won't try to harm us. It has been that way for six hundred years.

But someone must have done something to really piss her off because I was attacked. My little sister was, too... and my best friends Sammie and Kyrie... but the point here is that we were attacked by one of the creatures that we've been friendly with since before I was born. Someone broke our pact, and I'm scared about what will happen next.

I guess you guys probably want to know what happened, so I should probably stop rambling and just tell the damn story.

It all started about a week ago... last Friday. It was just a normal day... well, as normal as it can be here in Begnaud Falls, what with ghosts and wraiths hanging around all day and night and all that... Anyway, it was a normal day. I woke up at my usual time and  got ready for school. Then, I walked down the hall to Lena's room.

"Eileen!" I called, knocking on her door. "Get up! Breakfast will be ready soon," I added, the smell of bacon having drifted up into my nasal cavity. "Smells like bacon!" The door swung open, and I looked down at her. "Morning!" She wasn't a morning person, but I was.

"Don't call me 'Eileen'," she growled, moving from her door to get dressed. "You know I hate it."

"I don't see why. I think it's pretty. Much better than 'Lena'," I said matter-of-factly. She rolled her eyes and pulled on a purple T-shirt and her favourite purple plaid skirt. She slipped on her lavender heels and pulled back her strawberry-blonde hair. I looked from her girly outfit to my slightly less girly one. My shirt was black and advertised my favourite band. I was wearing a skirt, but it, too, was black, and chains draped from belt loop to belt loop and from pocket to pocket. My black combat boots were scuffed, and my short, pink hair was spiked.

"Do you always have to dress like a freak?" Lena asked, putting a piece of gum in her mouth. I shrugged.

"You don't have to like it. Now hurry up with your silly makeup and get down to breakfast. We're leaving in twenty minutes." I went back to my room and took out my purple nose stud to replace it with a small, silver hoop. "Perfect." I went downstairs and grabbed one of my Vamprotein bars from the pantry, making Mum roll her eyes.

"I know you like to dress like a vampire, but you don't have to eat those."

"I eat them because they're delicious. Raspberry, apple-cinnamon, peanut butter... you'll never see a blood flavoured one... and, if you DO, please don't buy them for me." I grabbed my purse from the counter and stuffed four more bars into it. "What?" I asked when Mum raised an eyebrow at me. "I get hungry!" She chuckled and sat a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast on the table for Lena, who came walking into the kitchen at the same time.

"Eat up, Sweetie," Mum told her. Lena rolled her eyes, like any normal sixteen year old girl would, and ate her breakfast, not touching her bacon. I slung my purse over my shoulder, and Lena grabbed her school books off the counter. "Bye, girls! Have a good day!" I waved at her before following Lena out to my pretty, red car. I pressed my finger against the scanner under the door handle, and the door lifted for me to get in. I reached over and unlocked Lena's door from the inside before buckling up and pressing my thumb against the ignition scanner.

Way back when, people thought we would be able to teleport by now. They thought we'd have flying cars and that we'd be able to just beam all of the known information right into our heads. None of that is possible right now, and I doubt it will be in the future. I guess I can skip telling you all about my day at school because it's not really relevant... except that we got a REALLY HOT new girl... I think she's European... Anyway, after school, Lena, Kyrie, and Sam piled into my car, and I tried to start it.

The damned thing wouldn't start! IF my stupid f*****g piece of s**t car would have started, none of this would have ever happened! We got out, and I was actually childish enough to kick my car. "Want me to call Mum for you, Lena?" I asked. She shook her head and took off her heels.

"I can walk." I smiled at her.

"Okay, but don't say I didn't offer." Sam and I linked arms and started walking, leading my small group down the street toward my house. Here in Begnaud Falls, we do everything at night... I think I should have mentioned that before... oh, well... The point is, we were walking home. The large, full moon hung in the sky, lighting our way. We passed a small group of wraiths that were circling a broken lamp post.

"Wraiths," Sam said quietly. We moved around the post to avoid angering the wraiths... because they have virtually nothing to do with the pact. If they get angry, they WILL attack. I've seen it happen too many times, their shadowy, black bodies wrapping around  their prey and deafening screams literally making my ears bleed. I shuddered after we'd passed them, and Lena let out a relieved sigh.

"They're so unpredictable," she whispered, wiping her sweaty palms on her skirt. I nodded. "They give me the creeps," she added after making sure none were around to hear her.

"Who does?" I looked over to the girl who'd asked the question. She was a ghost. "I'm sorry to have intruded, but I'm lost, and I thought that would be a good way to get your attention." I smiled at her and offered her my hand.

"I'm Misty, but everyone calls me Haven." She smiled and shook my hand.

"I'm Elizabeth. Can you tell me where I am?" she asked.

"You're in Begnaud Falls," Lena said, shaking her hand. "I'm Lena."

"Where is Begnaud Falls?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's where the dead come to keep living. Sam." Sam shook her hand, smiling.

"I actually think your parents live close to me. They moved in about a week ago. Kristen and Stephen Lucas?" Kyrie asked.

"How did you know?"

"They showed me a picture and asked me to keep an eye out for you. I'm Kyrie, by the way. Kyrie Magnum."

"You're more than welcome to walk with us," I told her. She smiled and nodded.

"Thank you." We walked on, engaging in random chit-chat until Kyrie signaled us to stop.

"They live here," she said, gesturing to the large, white, mansion-esque house.

"Of course they do. Always had to go overboard when they were alive; why should it be any different now?" She laughed and thanked us again. The door squeaked open, and a tall, thin woman stood in the doorway.

"Kyrie? Is that you?" she called.

"Yes, Ma'am! And I brought you a present!"

"Oh, Stephen! Kyrie's here!" We heard a shuffling from inside the house, and a short, fat man appeared beside Kristen.

"Oh, is she?! How delightful!" His rough voice sounded strange when he was excited. Our small group walked up to the front door, and Stephen and Kristen would have stopped breathing if they were alive. They threw their arms around Elizabeth, letting happy tears leak from their eyes.

"Thank you so much for bringing her home to us," Kristen said, hugging Kyrie.

"It was really no trouble... though, it probably wouldn't have happened if she hadn't approached us because she was lost," Kyrie told her.

"I was going to ask the other lady, but she was really scary," Elizabeth whispered.

"What other lady?" I asked. Elizabeth shrugged.

"By the telephone pole around the corner."

"Around the corner?"

"Mhm. When I got here at first, that's where I was." Kristen nodded, her soft grey bun bobbing slightly on top of her head.

"I've seen a woman down there... she just got here a few days ago, I think. She hangs out on the sidewalks. IT's really creepy. You kids be careful, okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Kyrie said.

"We will," Lena chirped.

"You kids stop by and have dinner with us tomorrow, if you're not busy," Stephen said after hugging each one of us.

"We'll certainly try," I said. They each hugged us again, and we started off toward home.

"I walk through here every day, and I've never seen a girl hanging out under the telephone poles," Kyrie whispered.

"Guess tonight is your lucky night," Sam replied, pointing to a tall, black figure by the telephone pole on the right side of the street. As we moved closer, we saw that she had black hair down to her waist, and she was wearing a long, brown trench coat.

"There's nothing scarier than bad fashion," Lena joked. Sam snickered, and I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe it's the wrong one," Sam said. We continued walking but stopped when we were almost to her.

"Why hasn't she moved?" Lena asked, grabbing onto my arm.

"I don't know," I told her. I took a step closer, and the girl turned around. She looked like she had been extremely beautiful, but I couldn't tell because a white surgical mask covered the lower half of her face. "Hello."

"Am I beautiful?" she asked. I raised a confused eyebrow and stared at her.

"Huh?"

"Am I beautiful?" she asked again.

"Uh... yeah... sure..." I said, still extremely confused. She didn't say anything else at first. She just looked at us.

"Am I beautiful?" she finally asked again.

"Yes," Sam and Kyrie both said, a bit reluctantly.

"Gorgeous!" Lena told her. The woman reached up, placing her hand over her mask and ripping it off with one fast, fluid motion. Sam gasped, I bit my bottom lip, and Lena screamed. Kyrie tried to run away, but the woman disappeared and reappeared in front of her. Her mouth was slit from ear to ear.

"How about now?" she asked. Kyrie leaned over and began vomiting up the contents of her stomach. "How about now?" The woman continued to ask this question over and over.

"No!"Lena finally screamed, between gasps for air and sobs. "You're disgusting!" The woman cocked her head to the side, and her face twisted in a sick version of a smile. In half of a second, she was right in front of Lena. In the next half second, Lena's top half was sliding onto the ground.

"Lena!" I screamed, moving toward her. Sam pulled me back, and my body shook with sobs. "How could you do that?!"

"Get her out of here, Sam!" Kyrie yelled. The woman turned to look at her. "I still think you're beautiful,"she said, gulping. The woman grabbed her, and Sam ran, pulling me along behind her.

"We need a shortcut!" Sam yelled.

"The old school," I choked out, not really caring that the old school was the worst place to go at night. Sam turned us in that direction and continued to run. Kyrie's screams trailed after us, and I started to cry harder.

Sam dragged me through the abandoned school building, trying not to anger the large swarms of wraiths in every room that I didn't even notice. She screamed as one wrapped itself around her leg, but she kept running.

We didn't stop running until we got  to my house. The wraith detached itself when it felt the protective circle Mum had cast around the house. Sam slammed the door behind us, effectively drowning out Kyrie's screams.

"We have to go back for her!" I yelled.

"Haven! It's pointless! That freak will kill us!"

"I don't care! I don't care!" I fell to the floor, crying uncontrollably, and Mum burst into the kitchen.

"What's going on? Where's Eileen?" she asked.

"Mrs. Silver," Sam started, "I think you should sit down."

"She killed her, Mum! She killed her!" I screamed before submitting to a new wave of sobs. "She cut her right in f*****g half!"

"What is she talking about?" Mum asked, sinking down into a chair.

"Haven's car broke down, so we decided to walk home. On our way here, some ghost b***h killed your daughter!" Sam finally broke down. "And she has Kyrie!" Just then, Kyrie burst through the door, her mouth slit ear to ear, just like the ghost's, and bleeding profusely.

"Help," she choked, "please."

"Oh, f**k!" Sam shouted.

"Call 911!" Mum yelled, snapping into paramedic mode. I suppose she was as numb as Sam was at that point. Sam grabbed her phone and dialed. Me? I sat there crying... because all of this was my fault. I should have called Mum to pick us up, but I didn't. I should have done something to try to save Lena, but I didn't, and now Lena is dead. My baby sister is dead, and it's all my fault!

When the paramedics arrived, the police arrived with them. Sam told them everything, and I was taken to the hospital with Kyrie and treated for shock. When I got home, the first thing I did was look her up. The police had told me that they'd done extensive research on her to find out who she was and where she came from, but I wanted to do my own.

I found a website called Slit-Mouthed Girl, and the picture on the site confirmed I'd found a site about her. Apparently, this woman, Kuchisake Onna, was the wife of a samurai. When he suspected her of cheating, he slit her mouth so that no one would ever think she was beautiful. Stories of sighting surfaced in the 1970's. It was kind of sad, but at the time, and even now, I didn't feel bad. I'll never feel bad for her.

Everywhere I've looked, it says that she can't be killed, but, the second I find out where she's disappeared to, I will find a way to stop her from hurting anyone else... even if it kills me.

Reviews

[Kent Clark]

I like this piece. Thank you for submitting it to the contest and good luck ;)