Thriller
9:35 PM
October 29th, 2030
Reception Area
Franziska looked both ways before marching towards the reception desk. The door slammed shut behind her, making her stomach churn. Both women looked around, dodging cobwebs. The only light in the room came from a dim candle.
"Look!" Maya cried out, grabbing Franziska's hand. She leaned over the desk. "There are bones on the floor."
Franziska glanced at the skull and saw spiders swarming around it. She twirled her head and noticed a bell. "There's a bell here."
"Why don't we ring it?" Maya pushed herself up and held out her hand to press the bell.
"Don't be foolish!" Franziska demanded, clutching Maya's wrist. "Naomi Nakashima is unpredictable. That's why we need to stay close and stay safe."
"Is she a killer or something?" Maya asked curiously.
Franziska shrugged. "I don't know. Hopefully, there are no victims, but I doubt it."
"Then shouldn't you have the police with you?"
"I can handle this on my own!" Franziska snapped, straightening her collar. "I am Franziska Von Karma, after all."
"Of course you are," Maya said, before knocking the bell onto the floor. It made a ping noise that echoed through the whole hall. Suddenly, all the lights turned on. Maya and Franziska rubbed their shoulders together as their heads spun around.
The skeleton on the floor rose to his feet and maniacally laughed. Franziska hugged herself as Maya crouched over and gasped in horror. Eerie music began to play as the lights went out again, and the chandelier above them suddenly began to fall.
"LOOK OUT!" Maya yelled as she pushed Franziska onto the staircase.
"Fool!" Franziska muttered. "Why did you press that bell?"
"I didn't mean to," Maya panted. "It was an accident."
Maya was interrupted by the sound of wolves howling. Both women gasped as they found themselves surrounded by a group of zombies. She clenched Franziska's hand so tight that it hurt. "I know this song. It's Thriller by Michael Jackson."
"Th-Thriller?"
"I love this song!" Maya cried out. Just as the zombies were about to grab Maya's hair, she bounced off the floor and started dancing. The zombies ignored Maya and they all aimed for Franziska.
"My life can't end like this!" Franziska screamed as she curled into a ball. She stayed like that for a moment before raising her head. The zombies were walking away as Maya lifted her up from the floor and used karate moves that she learned from Steel Samurai on the zombies.
"Maya Fey," Franziska said, relieved.
"It's close to midnight," Maya sang happily, waving her arm around the room. "Something evil's lurking in the dark."
"Why are you singing?" Franziska demanded.
Maya grabbed her waist and twirled her around, knocking three zombies out. "Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart." Maya held onto Franziska's hand as she knocked out any zombies that came their way. "You try to scream." Just as Franziska was about to scream, Maya covered her mouth. "But terror takes the sound before you make it. You start to freeze, as horror looks you right between your eyes. You're paralyzed."
"What the hell are you doing?" Franziska asked as she tried to get the zombies off her clothes.
"Cause this is thriller!" Maya yelled, continuing to sing. "Thriller night!" The zombies flew away from Franziska as Maya sang. "And no one's gonna save you from the beast about to strike. You know its thriller, thriller night. You're fighting for your life, inside of killer, thriller, tonight."
"Why won't you answer me?" Franziska sighed as she ran up to the stairs to the closest door she could see.
"You have to sing and dance," Maya begged Franziska. "It's the only way to stop them."
"I'm going for that door!" Franziska decided. "Naomi! Show yourself!" The door slammed as soon as Franziska finished climbing the staircase. A horde of blue bats with purple wings came charging to her. One even tried biting her earrings off. The pitch of her voice became higher than ever before. "Get off me you fools!"
Maya jived on the stairs and knocked hard on the door. "You hear the door slam, and realize there's nowhere left to run." The bats ran away as Maya placed her hand on Maya's neck. "You feel the cold hand,
and wonder if you ever see the sun." Maya then covered Franziska's eyes with her hands. "You close your eyes, and hope that this is just imagination, girl." Maya giggled and started dancing with Franziska. Their hips moved in tome with each other. "But all the while, you hear a creature creeping up behind. You're out of time!"
Franziska had to admit, Maya had a lovely singing voice. But Franziska refused to sing. She didn't want to throw away her dignity with a foolish boogie woogie.
"Cause this is thriller, thriller night!" Franziska could tell that Maya was putting her whole heart and soul into her singing. "There ain't no second chance to against the thing with the forty eyes, girl." The mirror on the wall suddenly began to glow with forty red eyes glaring at both women. "Thriller, thriller night. You're fighting for your life, inside of killer, thriller, tonight!"
The zombies jumped back on their feet and started to coo in the background of the song. "Night creatures calling, the dead start to walk in their masquerade." Maya and Franziska ran over to the other door and they were unable to open it. "There's no escaping the jaws of the alien this time." The window behind them shattered as a plant with it's mouth open wide, flashed his teeth and tried to eat both women. "This is the end of your life!"
"What kind of foolish place is this?" Franziska asked.
The only answer she got, was Maya's melody. "They're out to get you." Maya danced around Franziska as the zombies mimicked Maya's rhythm. "There's demons closing in on every sight." Maya swirled over and got her hands onto Franziska. "They will possess you,unless you change that number on your dial."
Franziska blushed hard. "No time to mess about! We really need to find this woman!"
"Now is the time!" Maya curled up over to Franziska rubbed her head against Franziska's shoulder. "For you and I to cuddle close together." Despite Maya's best efforts, the zombies continued to approach them with their hands out ready to strangle them. Franziska was still perplexed at the fact that Maya was grinning. "All through the night, Ill save you from the terror on the screen. I'll make you see."
Franziska closed her eyes and decided to join in with the final chorus. "That this is thriller, thriller night."
"That's it!" Maya cried out. "Keep singing."
"Cause I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare try!" Franziska could finally understand why Maya was enjoying herself as both started singing and dancing. "Thriller, thriller night. So let me hold you tight and share a killer, thriller, killer, thriller, here tonight. "
After repeating the chorus for one final time, the zombies vanished. Maya rocked her shoulders as she twirled around Franziska.
"I think we beat them," Maya told Franziska.
"I wouldn't be so sure."
"Look!" Maya cried out as she pointed to one of the doors that had closed on them in the second verse. "There's some text on the door. Maybe it will open for us."
Before Franziska could even begin to speak, Maya grabbed her hand and dragged her to the other side of the door. A long poem glowing in red text appeared before them on the door. "What's this?" Franziska stammered.
"I know this!" Maya responded. "This is Vincent Price's part in thriller. You know? The spooky rap!"
The two ladies were interrupted by a dark, deep and sophisticated voice that bellowed over the hall. It was the voice of a woman.
"Darkness falls across the land. The midnight hour is close at hand. Creatures crawl in search of blood, to terrorize yours neighbourhood."
"That voice!" Franziska said. "Naomi Nakashima! Is that you?"
"And whosoever shall be found, without the soul for getting down, must stand and face the hounds of hell and rot inside a corpse's shell!"
The ground began to rumble as the door in front of them shook as the knob went round and round. "Naomi!" Maya cried out. "Are you behind the door. Don't worry, you're not in trouble."
"The foulest stench is in the air. The funk of forty thousand years, and grisly ghouls from every tomb. Are closing in to seal your doom And though you fight to stay alive, your body starts to shiver. For no mere mortal can resist...The evil of the thriller."
The door burst open and without a second thought, Franziska and Maya jumped through the door. The lady laughed mechanically as the door closed and the song had finished placing.
9:42 PM
October 29th, 2030
The Bedroom
Franziska grasped the whip tightly in her hand as she surveyed the room, her eyes darting back and forth, searching for any clues that might lead her to Naomi Nakashima. The room was quiet, except for the sound of their breathing and the creaking of the old wooden floorboards under their feet. The walls were adorned with pictures of old Japanese paintings, and a small vase of flowers sat on a side table next to the bed.
"This must be Naomi Nakashima's bedroom," Franziska muttered to herself, her eyes scanning the room for any sign of the missing woman.
Maya stood beside her, admiring the large bed in the room. "I'm starting to like this place," she said, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.
Franziska's head whipped around to face Maya, her voice filled with anger. "What is this?" she screamed, waving the whip in the air. "Is this some sort of joke to you?"
Maya stepped back, holding up her hands in surrender. "Calm down, Franziska," she said, her voice low and soothing. "It's not a joke. I just thought this room was nice."
Franziska took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Naomi Nakashima is mentally ill," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "We need to find her before she hurts herself or someone else."
Maya nodded in agreement, and the two of them began to search the room in earnest. They checked the closets, the drawers, and under the bed, but found nothing that would give them a clue as to where Naomi might be.
As they were about to leave the room, Franziska's phone rang. She answered it quickly, her eyes narrowing as she listened to the voice on the other end. "What do you mean, she's not here?" she snapped. "Where could she have gone?"
Maya watched as Franziska's face grew more and more frustrated with each passing second. Finally, she hung up the phone with a sigh. "The authorities have no idea where she could be," she said. "They're searching the surrounding area, but they haven't found anything yet."
Maya put a comforting hand on Franziska's shoulder. "We'll find her," she said. "We just have to keep looking."
Franziska nodded, her jaw clenched. "Let's go," she said, turning to leave the room. "We'll have to search the rest of the house."
As they walked down the hallway, Maya couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The house was old and creaky, and it felt like it was hiding secrets around every corner. She shivered, pulling her jacket tighter around her.
"We need to get out of here," she said to Franziska. "I don't like this place."
Franziska nodded in agreement. "We'll find Naomi Nakashima, and then we'll leave," she said. "Just stay close to me."
Maya nodded, and the two of them continued their search. They checked every room in the house but found nothing. Finally, as they were about to give up hope, they heard a noise coming from upstairs.
They exchanged a look, and then raced up the stairs, their hearts pounding in their chests. As they reached the top of the stairs, they saw a figure disappearing into a room at the end of the hallway.
"That's her!" Franziska shouted, her whip cracking in the air. "Let's go!"
They ran down the hallway, bursting into the room just in time to see Naomi Nakashima jumping out of the window, and disappearing into the night.
Franziska cursed under her breath, her face contorting in anger as she surveyed the empty room. It was clear that they had been fooled, but by whom and for what purpose? She could feel the rage bubbling up inside her, and her hand reflexively tightened around her whip.
"This must be Naomi Nakashima's bedroom," she stated, gritting her teeth as she tried to control her emotions.
Maya, meanwhile, seemed completely unfazed by the situation. She walked over to the large bed and ran her hand over the soft blankets, her eyes lighting up with amusement. "You know," she said, a grin spreading across her face. "I'm starting to like this place."
Franziska rounded on her, her whip lashing out dangerously close to Maya's face. "WHAT IS THIS?" she screamed. "IS THIS SOME SORT OF JOKE TO YOU?"
Maya raised her hands in a placating gesture, taking a step back. "Calm down," she said in a soothing voice. "They would have eaten you alive if I hadn't done that."
Franziska could feel her face flushing with anger and embarrassment. She was supposed to be a skilled detective, yet she had fallen for such a simple trap. "Is this some prank that you and some foolish fools created?" she demanded, feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion wash over her.
Maya shook her head. "No, it's not a prank," she said firmly. "But you need to understand that we're dealing with a very dangerous situation here. Naomi Nakashima is mentally unstable, and she could harm someone if we don't find her soon."
Franziska slumped onto the bed, feeling completely overwhelmed by the situation. "Well, what do we do now?" she asked, running a hand through her short aqua hair.
Maya joined her on the bed, stretching her arms out behind her. "I wonder what Nick and the rest of the gang would do in a place like this?" she mused.
Franziska snorted in disbelief. "Phoenix Wright would be crying like a baby, and Miles Edgeworth wouldn't step one foot into this place," she said, her tone bitter. "And as for Dick Gumshoe..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "He'd probably beg Edgeworth to come with him."
Maya laughed, a sound that grated on Franziska's nerves. "Well, it's a good thing we don't need them," she said cheerfully. "We can handle this on our own."
Franziska wasn't so sure about that, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she focused on the task at hand. "We need to find Naomi Nakashima and get out of here," she said firmly. "I'll call the authorities and have them take her back to the institute she came from."
"Do you think we'll find her alive?" Maya asked, her voice softening.
Franziska didn't know what to say. The situation was far more dangerous than she had anticipated, and they were running out of time. "Who knows," she said finally. "But we can't give up now. It's getting late, we should rest for now and continue our investigation in daylight."
"Good idea," Maya agreed, already curling up under the covers. "Goodnight, Franziska."
"Goodnight, Maya Fey," Franziska said, already drifting off to sleep.