Disclaimer

Please read: I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the first, second, and third Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly and Fatal Frame III: The Tormented characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter Fourteen

A Solitude Solstice

"Here I may rest,

Here I shall have peace,

But my pieces rest far from here…"

"The doctor said you may never recover from this… I'm sorry. There's… so much I wanted to tell you." Is this… my sister speaking to me…? "You were so full of life! It doesn't feel right… sitting here, watching you… This isn't you." It's not me… "I wanted to tell you so many things, but I kept them. I was afraid they might hurt you… I…" Her voice cracks and she wheezes a bit. She's crying very hard, but trying to hold it all back so she can speak. "I know now that I'm going to have to live with my regrets; live knowing that you might never truly know who you are or where you belong… I guess… I guess we all thought that you wouldn't return; that you had already died. Maybe… … maybe you should have… I could burry you, but watching you now just breaks me apart…I want you to sleep… just sleep… Sleep peacefully…"

I am alone in the warehouse. I stand on my two feet. The air is damp like it has just rained or something. I can smell mildew and the sense of wet hair. Feeling my body shiver, I grab onto a lock of hair from my shoulder. It's soaked in blood, but I'm not bleeding. I drop it and can hear the faint whimpers of Kaname Shibata. They come from somewhere other than the warehouse, however, they don't sound far away. I glance back at the hole in the wall. It is boarded up with wood and nails. Bloody handprints decorate the barricade. As I stare at it I begin to believe I see a pair of eyes through some cracks. It's Kaname. I slowly bring up my camera and snap a picture. Kaname turns away and runs off, quietly whispering, "Alsuo…" The photograph shows a white, transparent image of Kaname standing on the other side of the hole. She's peeking through the cracks and looking at a small boy, Alsuo. It's called, "Escape?" Kaname must have had no idea what happens to her little brother. Did Alsuo return to his house to look for his father? Is that when Akao went mad?

On the floor is a very shallow puddle of water. A few of them are about the warehouse. Drops of water still currently fall into them. I look at the ceiling as I go to leave. There are holes, but it does not appear to be raining. As I reach the door I turn around one last time. I don't know why. Something inside of me just feels like taking one last look at this warehouse; like it's the last time I'll ever see it. The puddles on the floor have a red tint to them now. The only thing that comes to mind is the two words, "Red-Waters." It's the first real sign of the red-colored water here without one of those "visions." Did the Shibata house really start this? Could it be a couple of things were just happening at once, and I'm reliving them in this "Red Dream?" I barely open the warehouse door when a small piece of paper falls to the damp ground. It must have been slipped in-between the cracks of the double doors. The red-tint water starts to seep into it. I pick it up before any real damage is done to the note.

Alsuo's Note: To Kaname 1: "Mother's gone. Father won't talk to us anymore. The other people here try not to look at me. Tomoya won't even come out to play. Sometimes I feel like everyone wants me to go away, too… Go away with mother. Sometimes… I feel like that won't be so bad. I wonder if the ropes hurt. I wonder if… if they give you one moment to collect yourself and come to… Do you know you're going to die? Can you feel it? I wonder if the myths are true. I wonder if they do keep her in the lighthouse… Kaname, I want to see mother. One more time…"

What exactly are they keeping in the lighthouse? I have heard so many things about someone or something being kept there. I had an encounter there, but it wasn't what they are talking about. I just know it wasn't. It is not Nanako, Mika, Miaka, or Jun. There's someone else. She's different somehow. She's… real. I can't help but feel like I am closing in on something. Is it me? "Once you get your hands on you…" I still don't know what's going on. Is this a dream? Are the doctor and the woman the reality? Why am I dreaming this? Why me? If this is Faranika's 'Red Dream,' why am I in it? I'm not Brianna. I'm not. I want to see the lighthouse… one more time.

I start to head to the left out of the warehouse. The entire village is dripping and soaked with the water. It's not raining. There are two empty houses across from the warehouse. I'm ignoring them now, but one of the doors creaks open. I look over. I can see the fingers of someone. Alsuo, is it? It might be a little boy. I raise my camera lens, but I get a face full of a woman's red eye. "Let me sleep…" She growls. I panic, step back and barely keeping my ground. I hear the camera's click, but I don't remember pushing it with my finger or even seeing the flash. The door to the first empty house creaks open more. I look at my camera and see the film has caught something, but I can't quite figure it out. The film looks blurred. It isn't until I really glance at it that a figure takes shape. It's a woman covered in red, bloodied markings. She's apparently coming out of the empty house. What could be Alsuo is standing behind her and rubbing his eyes. He must have been crying. What does it mean?

Near the empty house's doorway is another small note written by Alsuo. It's addressed to his sister again. It's crinkled like he had been holding it tight in his palm. I open it up.

Alsuo's Note: To Kaname 2: "I'm sorry, sister. I went to see mother one last time. I did something wrong. I found something. It was wrong. I'm sorry. Sister, I'm sorry. Don't go looking for it; or me. I'm gone now. I'm gone now with mother. Father is coming, too. She says he will know. You will, too. You can come with us. Just not now, sister. Not now, she says. She says you have to leave. Leave before father. He's not well. I was wrong, sister. I'm gone now."

Alsuo must have done something terrible by mistake when he went to the lighthouse to try and see his mother. Did the red woman have something to do with it? Did she be let free instead of Alsuo's mother? I doubt she's his mother. I saw her running from the woman. Faranika must have used her. It did start at the Shibata house, didn't it? I'm just so tired. I feel worn out. How long must I dream? How long must I sleep? How long…? How long…? My voice fades into another. It's the woman from before.

"How long, doctor, will she need to stay here? When can I take her home?" The woman sniffles quickly. I hear rustling around. The doctor is shuffling is feet. He's probably thinking of an answer. "Doctor…? Doctor, please, tell me anything; anything that's the truth. I can handle it."

The doctor clears his throat. "I've called a professional. His name is Murdock Murrioko. He specializes in this… this thing." I know that name. What's going on? Dagan's father isn't dead, after all? Maybe this is a dream and not the reality. I… I can't tell anymore. Some fast, light footsteps hurry into the room. I hear the doctor catch his composure and I believe a coat or something is placed down somewhere. He's here!

"Mister Murrioko, he tells me you're a specialist." The woman's sniffles seem to have passed.

"Yes, ma'am." He speaks in the same tone as Dagan. His voice is higher pitched than I remembered from my… uh… encounters? Anyway, he's speaking very nicely and seems to have confidence. "I'm sorry about your sister." The woman eases the sudden tension with a sigh and a rustle in her purse. She's probably getting more tissues in preparation for what Murdock might have to say about me. "I've read all her files… more than once. It's just like the others."

"The… others…" The woman cries a bit. "So, there has been more just like my sister. Tell me, what has happened to them? Is there any hope at all?"

The doctor begs his pardon and quickly leaves the room. I had heard a previous beeping. He had a page to some other patient's room, I bet.

"There have been countless others, ma'am. They all have the same symptoms as your sister. They have been in comatose states for weeks, months even. One of them has been 'trapped' for over five years now. Are you familiar with the cases involving the Holy and the Snake?" The woman makes an unsettling noise. I am guessing she's shrugged. "There are many legends about it. I won't get into those, but what I will say is, there were cases where people found themselves in an endless dream where bit-by-bit they would follow their dead loved ones deeper into a manor until they could no longer return, and in the real world, there was nothing but soot left where they were." I know I heard about this. "It was believed because the dreamer was usually the sole survivor of some tragic accident. They became tortured at the fact they were the only ones to have lived. Almost, and literally in the terms, blaming themselves for living. The pain of losing someone eat away at them. Naturally, they would follow the dead." This has nothing to do with me. I'm not following anyone who is dead. I'm simply trying to find a way out.

The woman reaches and bumps into me, or at least what I'm on (a bed?). She must have retrieved something. "It's her diary. She wrote in it for a while. She kept a lot of notes about what she sees. The last page… It's what prompted me to bring her to the hospital in the first place. Since she wrote it, she hasn't woken up."

Murdock starts to read. As he reads "my apparent diary," which I don't recall keeping, I can see the red woman coming for me. My eyes are closed, I can see hints of black, but sometimes it flashes like a bad television reception back to the empty house. I can see Alsuo occasionally and he points behind me towards the doorway, where I don't see in my vision. In stead, I actually see me, looking back at… well, me. In the black moments (in between flashes) I see the read woman coming at me. As she gets closer here, me and my "out of body experience" reacts the same way. I can also hear the voice of the blurry-faced woman (who still sounds like a growling version of me) reading along with Murdock. I also get slight images of Alsuo opening the lighthouse door. He enters, but he leaves dragging a rope behind him. One end of the rope, his hands, the other end… a severed, bloodied head of a woman…

"His kiss is poison. I found myself no longer in love with him. I saw the look in his eyes. He wants to kill me. Why hasn't anyone come to save me? We've been out here in the forest for days. I'm so scared. He says I am crazy, but I know I can hear people talking. I… I don't believe in ghosts, not usually. They… say things… really weird stuff. He won't admit it, but I know he hears them. I can see his body tense when the man whispers, 'We need another one… Fresh meat… Look at this stranger… His heart is…already bloody…' I find myself forgetting why we even came out here. I think he tricked me into believing it's romantic. I forgot my family. I can't remember their names! What happened to me? I can FEEL everything changing. It's like thousands of parasites are pulling at my chest… He wants to kill me…I know it…The nights are getting longer as we keep traveling deeper into the forest. Why are we moving? Shouldn't we be heading back the way we came? He must want to lure me somewhere further away from humanity so no one will see; no one will find my decaying body. Oh, well… I have nothing left…Fire… the hands… They are all leading me to the place…The blood comes over the railing, over the bridge… The river is drowning him… He WANTED to kill me…He should have when he had the chance to…Villagers are—" I know what these are! They are what I thought was the ramblings of some strange woman. It was me after all. It… is me…

"His body washed on shore. The Master of the Village gave me a dirty look. 'He was your husband, after all.' He says to me. I told him not to rub it in. Bad mistake… He has the entire village whispering about me… I can hear them judging me… 'Murderer…' They say… Their words are feeble sheep… Sheep? They eat grass… If there's no grass… The river that runs red is being drained. It taints the village… they think… I look at it with a reminder of my glory…The statues around here… I am their only protector… That's why the whispers came to me! That is why he could not kill me… and I could kill him… and…" The red woman keeps coming for me. In my "out of body" vision I keep backing away. Alsuo rubs his eyes and cries. In some flashes I can see him cradling the severed head and rocking back and forth. I'm almost going to back right up against the one wall. I can't do that!

"My entire run-in with this village has only gotten worse. I can feel their hatred as they stare at me. I swear I didn't kill him! I was only protecting myself! It was his fault… all of this is his fault!" "The Master of the Village has been preoccupied with the other outsiders lately. I'm glad they are here. Finally, people of my species! I mean, I'm no peasant, and I surely don't like their ancient customs. I think I can leave now. I've befriended one the outsiders. It seems there is more to this place than I knew." "Someone's entered my dreams… They're not me! No… it's not me! It's not! IT'S NOT!" "I… I keep seeing the red… the red, the red, the red… The redness everywhere… creeping, seeping… relentless voices that never shut up… SHUT UP, SHUT UP! SHUT… UP!" "Why do they watch me like always? Like always, they watch me… taunts… twists and turns in a tunnel… God, why? I miss him… I miss him… I think I'll go find him now. He needs me." "I… … … … … … … … … …found him… …He isn't dead! He waited for me! I'm so happy… we can be together again! Wait… just another… just another bad day… just another dreamless night… awake… He's gone… SHUT UP!"

"I lost him, forgot where I put him, never did hide him, and never will find this grave again… No, no… That's not right! It's not right! Sometimes…I see the child laugh. Don't remind me. I keep forgetting yOUU… YoUUO…Dark, dark, dark into the light… I can see what it looks like. With this light, I can see what the night looks like. Poems… writing never ends… Gone… gone… I'm done…Stupid words She felt alone, and I took her with me. It's not me… I didn't find you. I lost him again. Along the trail… near the stones… Letters…SHUT UP! " I can hear the woman's wheezing. She's crying so heavily. I know my hands must be twitching. They have to notice me! I'm here! I know I'm screaming! I can hear it! Why won't they save me? Wake me up! Please, wake me up! It hurts… each step the woman takes hurts me… Her hands fit so neatly around my neck. In my vision, I stop being afraid. There is no Alsuo with the severed head, there is no village, there is no empty house; it's just me. My eyes close. I thought I had them open. She's killing me… She's killing me this time. She'll do it right. I know she will.

"I'm still trapped here… everything's dark… everything's dark… darker than the woods… darker than the waters… darker than the face that keeps me here… regardless of my cornfield, I am not here for the wooden tables… Second time this year… speaking with her like I know… like I was here…He keeps me… NOT TRUE, NOT TRUE, NOT TRUE, NOT TRUE, NOT TRUE, NOT TRUE… They drained that red water… the water that was keeping me here… no more faces… no more lights… the garden of my mind… blood… SHUT UP! … …He came back, you, know? He didn't take me, saying I was too weak, too tired. IT'S NOT TRUE! I'm alive… living in you, Brianna… THIS IS THE LAST TIME I EVER TAKE ADVICE FROM YOU! YOU CAN'T EVEN KILL RIGHT! KILL ME! KILL ME!" "Don't bother coming for me, sister. I'm gone now…" The red woman has finished her job. The air is completely out of me. My lungs burn and my heart aches, but my mind seems to be at peace. Finally, no more dreaming. "I'm gone…"

End

Chapter Fourteen

End

Fatal Frame: The Endless Defacement

Author's Note

If it seems it ended strangely, it did. Please, don't hate me. XD

I couldn't end this without the sequel/prequel.

It will explain more than I ever could here.

I realize I limited myself too much with this story,

A prequel is the best solution, and it WILL pick up where this left off.

I promise you will love it.

At least you know what the 'woman's recollections' were all about.

Well, sort of D

You'll know more in the sequel, I promise.