Lenalee Yamanaka and her Puppet companion, Sebastian The Silent.
Chapter 1: Rage Of The Silent[]
Lenalee Yamanaka was a strange girl. She was born with a disability called a speech disorder,causing her to suffer from muteness. She was completely unable to utter a single word.
I'm Mike Hatchet, an American exchange student who lives in a Tokyo foster home. I had been there since I was in Pre-K due to my parents mysterious departure. I had met Orsoka Himeji, a orphan who had no memory of meeting her parents at all. I couldn't really relate to her a lot since I've seen my parents, but I knew how she felt about having loved ones away from you. We became friends ever since. Orsoka and I had met Lenalee on July 15th, 2005. She was about 5 at that time. She looked terrified to be in our building. Her parents, from what I could tell, had probably been members of the Navy.That must have been a reason why they brought her here,I thought to myself. They looked pretty guilty, and by their expressions, it looked as if they were reconsidering the foster home.
To me it seemed Lenalee was struggling to get along with the other kids,which I understood her pain. Her inability made it difficult. Kids instantly began hassling her, believing that she thought she was too good to speak to them. As we all got a little older,they understood her disability,but took it more as a joke than a serious condition.
It's May 23, Lenalee's birthday was coming up soon. Me, Orsoka,and few other friends were planning a big party for her 15th.The foster home was okay with it,so on that day we left for the mall. When your 15 or over,you're allowed to venture around the city without a adult to chaperon you. We had just returned when I saw Lenalee in the playground. She looked like she was drawing, then I saw Kang Nara,one of her well-known tormentors,walk towards the picnic table where she was sitting. I was ready to run towards them myself until I saw him sit next to her and sparked up a normal conversation. He asked yes or no questions so it'd be easier for her to respond.He mentioned that since her birthday was coming up,and that he had made wanted to request a truce with her once in for all. She sat for a while,then nodded. They hugged on it, which for some reason bothered me a little. He saw her drawing and began talking about that.They seem to be hitting it off pretty well...I thought to myself while leaving. Couldn't help but wonder if Nara was up to something. It was obvious that he had been crushing on Lenalee for a while, but he had never expressed it in a manor that I had just witnessed.
June 4th. It was Lenalee's birthday. It was amazing we had used the home's dining room (HUGE by the way) and there's a big stage so we asked a few local bands to perform. Luckily, we even got her favorite band; Ling Tosite Sigure,to sing her a happy birthday song. We had put up a bunch of gothic decorations with spiders that had skull designs,and skulls with spider designs.To top it off Lenalee drew an enormous banner of the entire foster home and it's staff and residents. For manga art,it looked exactly like us,everyone was amazed.Then something well expected happen. Kang Nara was standing by the banner,he was shaking up a 2-liter soda. I had to say something,"Nara! What the hell are you doing?!", he looked at me grinning that sinister grin,"Chill, American-boy! I'm just messing--",he twisted the cap and the soda squirted everywhere behind him,drenching Lenalee's banner. Everyone stared on as the ink began dripping from the banner,you couldn't even tell what it was anymore. I looked over at Lenalee,she looked more broken than she had ever looked before.That's when I had enough,"What the fuck is wrong with you, Nara!!",I shouted across the room. Still grinning,all Nara said was,"Oops!".I ran over to that bastard and started pounding him like there was no tomorrow.
I was informed by the foster home's director that I had to apologize to Nara for making a scene at Lenalee's party,also for attacking him. No one has seen or heard from him since that day.It's been 2 weeks since that icident, which worried a lot of people. I viewed it as him not wanting to face Lenalee,Orsoka, or me about this whole thing. Angrily, I walked up to Kang's room door, I knocked...no answer...I knocked again..same result."Hey Kang!! I came to apologize for kicking your inconsiderate ass at Lenalee's party!! Open up bro,I want no more bad blood with you!!".No answer..."Are you fucking with me?!! Open up asshole!!".Nothing,I figured that since I was being overly aggressive with him.I exhaled,"Look,I'm sorry for snapping bro,I'm just sick of everyone treating Lenalee like a freak of nature.I know you've got a thing for her,so let's talk this out man,okay?".NOTHING.."*Fuck this!*" I muttered to myself,I kicked his door out of frustration...the door swung open...it was pitch black in there.As nosy as I was,I went on inside."Kang?" I called,no answer.I smelled something FOUL! by far the worst thing I ever smelled in my life. I bumped into something and got a full whiff of that smell..I went and reach for a lamp switch. As soon as the lights where on,I turned to see what I had bumped into and when I did,I gagged uncontrollably at the sight...It was Kang Nara...hung from the ceiling...by his INTESTINES!!! I began vomiting a few seconds after getting the full view of Kang. He looked as if he was tortured alive when being hung by his intestines. I then saw a message on the wall next to him, it read: 'Tormentor # 1: Terminated'.
Chapter 2: Suspicion & Deception[]
After that incident,I was the prime suspect in Kang Nara's murder.The cops found no source of my DNA in the carnage.So I was kept an eye on since then.
I was in my condo (Foster Home is that fucking big),I was sitting with Orsoka in the livingroom,Lenalee was in my room sleeping. I had told Orsoka everything,which she was less than happy to hear."But you'd never do something like that!! Killing just isn't you!! Other people in this place hated him just as much as you did. Maybe they're covering up for the real culprit,and decided to throw you under the bus!" I thought about it,"You have a point there,but that's awfully complicated to pull off.I personally think someone is trying to fuck with me.I'm gonna find out who it is and put them away!"I held Orsoka's face in my hands,"Are you with me,Orsoka?" She was blushing,"Sh-sh-sure,Mike..."We stared at eachother for a bit,then we heard a creek on the floor. Startled,we turned towards my room door,out came Lenalee,looking as if she just woke up.She walked across the living room towards some photos I had,then began glaring at one photo intently,I dunno why,but I just knew she was.."Lena,what's wrong?",I asked.She walked up to me and held up the picture she was holding,it was a photo of me,Orsoka,her,Kang, and Rika Suzuki,whom Lenalee pointed at. Now if you thought Kang was a dick,Rika was an even bigger one. She would pulverize Lenalee every chance she got and would never get in trouble cuz no one would notice,Lenalee couldn't scream for help. Years have past and Rika has long grown up from her old ways. Lenalee looked hurt,as her lingering pain was obvious to notice,even today. I gestured her to sit with me and Orsoka,she did so and we both held her tightly."We love you." I said,"we will never leave your side,"Added Orsoka.
5 days later,me and Orsoka set out all over the buildingto ask around. Everyone we asked kept pointing at me as the culprit,"You had the most hatred for Kang!" Or "You know you did it,Hatchet." That's all we got from them. We were still cruising around when we heard a scream down the hall. We ran in the sound's direction,it took us to Rika Suzuki's room. As we went in,there she was standing in her bedroom,eyeing her bathroom fearfully..."What is it?",I asked. She whirled around at the sound of my voice,"Agghh! How the fuck did you get there?" I glanced at Orsoka,"Um,what are you talking about?" Rika didn't look amused,"The fuck do you mean,'What are you talking about?' I should fucking shoot your dick off!!" (Never did lose her violent mindset,I guess.) "You were in that bathroom...I swear that was you...I didn't believe the rumors...but now that I look at it..." "That version of you had glowing red eyes.."That made my heart jump."Come with us,we'll figure this out,but right now,I don't think any of us are safe in here.""Sure,thing,sorry for snappin'."Rika said shyly.We turned to leave but then we heard a meaty sound hit the floor...me and Orsoka stopped in our tracks,turned where Rika should have been standing.There she was,ripped in pieces,guts all over the floor and the blood was spreading quickly.Next to her in blood,read;"#2 the Abuser: Terminated"Here we go again,I thought.Orsoka was throwing up at the sight of Rika.We have to do something,and quick.I had a gut feeling that the culprit was watching me and smiling...
Chapter 3: Misdirected[]
Orsoka and I painfully watched Rika's body,now ripped apart into nothing.Whatever it was that did this,had to still be here."Hello?",I managed to call out.No answer.Orsoka wasn't hip about sticking around,"Mike let's just get the fuck outta here!"She looked terrified, I exhaled, then we left the scene."Should we inform director Ryukaze about this?",I shook my head,"Knowing that creepy motherfucker,he may already know." There was also something he told me that shocked me...and when I think of this person's possible motives,sadly,it all made sense.
Lenalee was the suspected culprit in Ryukaze's eyes. I refused to believe it,but as much as I wanted to,reality kept striking. I could NEVER tell Orsoka this,she'd fall to pieces. We ran down the hall,the killer had moved, we saw a dark figure standing ahead of us. We stopped in our tracks... the figure stood tall,(7'4" I'd estimate) with a black cloak covering the face. "Who the hell are you?" I asked hesitantly.The figure stayed silent."Are you the culprit in killing these two foster kids?"The figure nodded and spoke up."NOT NECESSARILY... I COLLECT THEM. YOU SEE,PEOPLE CALL ME DEATH."His voice was agonizingly loud,creepy,and fucking disturbing. "The...Grim Reaper?",Orsoka asked. Death gave us a so-so gesture with his hand,"OR THAT WATERED-DOWN NICKNAME,YEAH.NOW IF YOU TWO'LL EXCUSE ME..." He began to float past us,but I stopped him,"Do you know who the murderer is?"Hr lifted his hood to reveal a bony smile,"THAT I DO,HATCHET.BUT THAT'S FOR YOU TO FIGURE OUT."He flew through me with no problem, I felt on the verge of death for a few seconds.
That's when my suspicion of Lenalee grew. My vision showed her walking down this hall with a knife in hand blood all over her top and skirt..."Mike,look!",Orsoka tapped me as I snapped outta my space out. Down the hall was Lenalee walking towards us...with a knife in hand...and BLOOD ALL OVER HER TOP AND SKIRT!!!" LENALEE!!!",I yelled out. She walked up to us with a puzzling look on her face. She then gestured us to follow her,hesitantly, we did so. She took us to the kitchen,so it was revealed to us that she was putting the finishing touches on a cake forsome upcoming bake sale."I still don't' know why she used a butcher knife on the strawberries though...",the Chef had explained . Feeling better,we left the kitchen to continue our task at hand. I still didn't trust Lenalee and I thought about it...there was someone who worked in the kitchen that gave her a hard time."Fuck,Orsoka,we're going--" There was a blood curdling scream the kitchen,we bolted back in,the chef and Lenalee were running to the back room.We followed them. The four of us came upon the body of Samantha Collins,Stuffed in the oven and a apple in her mouth. She never did like Lenalee,when she didn't eat her soy sauce pasta,(which Lenalee was allergic to) she would constantly inject her allergic reactions into her food. Collins was a touchy cook,and to be honest,I didn't Blame Lenalee if she did it. Lenalee was staring at me,as if she knew I suspected her. I felt like shit,if it wasn't her,then who?On the wall in blood read;"Terrible Chef:Terminated"
Chapter 4: Cracked Head[]
We all stood there.Me,Orsoka,Lenalee,the Head Chef,and the rest of the staff that opened the oven and found Samantha Collins there.
At this point,I had enough.This motherfucker was gonna pay for this.Killing these people were one thing,and then having people suspect me was another....but having me doubt my trust for a girl I love and care for...IS CROSSING THE FUCKING LINE! I was determined to find this monster more than ever. And now that I know Lenalee was in the clear,I felt comfortable around her again...but then...why are Lenalee's bullies the targets? "Guys,let's go,"I said to Lenalee and Orsoka,"We need to check on Anri Kusanagi."The three of us left the cooking staff to deal with Samantha's corpse,dick move I know,but I had to see if Lenalee was really innocent.
In Anri Kusanagi's room,she was utterly shocked by our visit..and due to the rumors about me,she was hesitant to even let us in."It's been a while since we chatted,guys,"She forced a friendly smile,I think she could feel Lenalee's pain from across the room,"What brings you here?" I got to the point,"We fear that you may be the killer's next victim."She gasped and backed away from us."Stay the fuck away from me!!"I held up my hands in protest,"No,no,no! We're not gonna touch you. We just wanted to stick around and see if the killer comes to your room."Anri began to calm herself."Alright,if you believe so,you guys can crash in my closet.""We appreciate this,Anri,we're gonna videotape everything,to see what goes down."I held up a camera.
This is perfect,I thought to myself,this way I'll know if Lenalee is truly not the culprit,and we'll see who it really is if anyone shows up,Now here's the reason why I picked Anri's room in the first place; Anri was the first person to befriend Lenalee besides me,Orsoka and a few others.But when Rika Suzuki one day pummeled Anri for "hanging around a doll" and that "She's getting too old to have toys for friends",Anri refused to leave Lenalee. But then Rika had grabbed a 2 by 4 and beat Lenalee senseless to the point where Anri couldn't stand seeing her suffer and gave in.This hurt Lenalee a lot...and honestly hasn't been the same since.
That was 6 years ago,and we haven't heard from Anri since.But I could tell that she still loved and cared for all of us the way she did then,and I swore to myself that I wasn't gonna let anything happen to her."Anri,we miss you a lot,and I just want you to know...that despite your decision to leave Lenalee,you're still a friend in our book.We know your decision was a selfless act to protect Lenalee,and tonight we'll return the favor."Tears fell down Anri's face as she listened to my words."Th-thank you...that means so much to me."She managed to say.I had my Beretta in my hand and a Machete strapped to my backThey all could tell,I wasn't fucking around. Later that night,Anri was sound asleep,me and the girls were camping in her closet,(Shut up,dirty thinkers!!),we left the door open a crack and waited.I told Orsoka to dimmer her flashlight,cuz that'd draw attention away from us if the killer were to emerge from the hall into this room.Hours have past and only me and Orsoka remained awake.I guess this would take my suspicion off some more if someone were to come in.
Then we heard a creek of the door,we silenced our breathing and focused our attention on the door...as it flew open some more,we saw a normal sized figure,had to stand at 5'0" at least,a pipsqueak,I thought to myself. It inched towards Anri's bed and stood over her.That's when Orsoka dimmered the light some more and flashed it on the figure...I saw a cracked head...it looked more plastic than anything else..and as she moved the light along the figure's face and we both noticed jagged yellow teeth spread across it's face in a wide grin.It's eyes looked worn out,as if it was seen a lot and all it wished for is sleep.If you asked me,it looked tortured...and after meeting the grim reaper..I didn't really think much of this.This thing was still pretty disturbing. It began to raise an arm.Orsoka spotlighted the thing's arm and revealed long worn claws that intertwined his fingers and lengthy vine-like material.Orsoka tossed me the flashlight and darted out towards the figure and kicked it across the room.I walked out the closet and flicked the lights on,Lenalee was right next to me and looked as if life had escaped her eyes,Orsoka got a decent look at the thing,she gasped and turned towards me and Lenalee."Guys,this thing looks too familiar.."I gave the thing a glance...and after a while we both looked at Lenalee,"Lenalee",I asked,"Isn't that Sebastian?"
No answer,as if she couldn't even hear me.We turned back towards the thing,it was gone.I looked so much like this life sized ventriloquist dummy I had bought Lenalee for Christmas around 7 years ago.She hated it cuz it would constantly speak to her..she would throw it around and slap it...then one day she wrote me a note saying;"Me and Sebastian had a fight and he decided to leave."I humored her,thinking she just threw it away,but now I wasn't so sure...
Chapter 5: Wooden Dreadful Memory[]
The Puppet was gone,Anri's lights were still on and everything,and without a trace...the fucker escaped. Anri was awake and her eyes went bloodshot,"Wh-wh-what in the h-hell was that?",she managed to cry out.I had to pinch myself a few times.That...clearly looked like Lenalee's old puppet,Sebastian.We all stood in silence for a while,guessing that,none of us knew how to react. We now knew who the culprit was...I guess? But the main question that must have gone through our heads was,'How the hell were we supposed to stop it?!' No one would believe that a puppet with a voice box came to life and is murdering kids in the foster home.I'd think that's a load of bull too.My guess was,since the Sebastian Puppet had failed to kill Anri,that it would return tomorrow night.
7 years ago...I was 10 years old.That year around Christmas time,I had bought Sebastian for Lenalee.Sebastian The Talking Butler Puppet Franchise was starting out,and within weeks it was already pretty damn popular.The puppet came with a voice box,it would react to any hearable sound, or you could just record your own voice.It'd mimic what you said or ask you questions and answer yours.Make any sudden movements,it would react.I felt that maybe Lenalee would need something to help her communicate better,so I did a few odd jobs,saved up some cash,and purchased it two days before Christmas.
On Christmas when Lenalee had received it,she seemed delighted by Sebastian,but showed some annoyance when she found out it speaks.Now even having Muteness,Lenalee would never make that much of a sound,weirdly,when doing just about anything...but for some strange reason,the puppet would speak to her...she never recorded her voice...(she couldn't),as usual Lenalee....NEVER...MADE...A SOUND...I swear to you.She never really touched Sebastian she had him sit on a bean bag since she got him.One day,I was walking in the wall when I heard Sebastian...was talking to Lenalee,but the voice sounded more,disturbed and worried. The puppet asked her how her day was...Lenalee of course,couldn't respond.Sebastian then questioned why didn't she respond,I giggled,thinking it was programmed to do so.But then it began mocking her saying,"Muteness must be a bitch,am I right? Oh wait,I'm sorry.I forgot.",Lenalee began crying, and that's when I ran in to hold her.I was 10,I didn't think it was possible for a puppet to have a mind of it's own,so I assumed it was some prank that Kang had pulled,I then later went to go deal with him.
Soon,Lenalee started showing more signs of being uncomfortable with Sebastian.First she would throw it across her room and began stomping on it.These days I would notice and watch without her knowing.A few days later,she gave me a note saying that she and Sebastian had a terrible fight with Sebastian,he had beat her up and left.I chuckled to my self and told her that she still had me and Orsoka.My smile faded when I looked down to see her dress covered in blood..and was holding her side.Naturally,I blamed Kang and Rika Suzuki...but now that I think about it...if I knew the things I knew now...I would have never bought that thing in the first place.
I was back in present day when we heard a scream from another room.We all headed towards to noise and it was in Keiko Tomodachi's room..there she was lying on the ground skewered with a pole,she looked like a human shish kabab...and standing there was Sebastian...In the light his look was much more clearer....he had a feature on his torso that I never noticed.It marked;"The Silent" in red crayon. His throat had looked like someone violently removed his voice-box.his hair and suit were ripped off obviously.Last but not least...his mouth was stitched shut.
We faced the puppet.Having a staring contest with the thing...That's when I looked at Lenalee...her eyes were lifeless again...and when she looked at Anri...without any warning,the puppet had darted for Anri...
TO BE CONTINUED PART 2 COMING SOON!
~Kido The Playground Slasher
Copyright 2014.Dark Star Press.All Rights Reserved.