Hospital (8): The Lower Half's Sensation
The lower half of the ghost thrashed around with its ankles bound. Without an upper body, it somehow radiated an eerie vitality. From this angle, it almost looked like a severed lizard's tail still twitching.
Anyway.
The floor beneath the lower half was soaked in some unknown liquid. All of it had come from the creature itself.
…How the hell was it producing fluid with no torso?
Squelch, squelch.
Whoosh—spuuuurt!
“Ah, crap…!”
Twitch, twitch.
While absentmindedly fiddling with the lower half and pondering its mysteries, I accidentally made it climax again. The bound legs trembled violently, the hole pulsing open and shut as it squeezed its thighs together and apart over and over.
No matter how many times I saw it, the sight was bizarre.
“Hmm…”
The lower half could feel sensations. Stroke, stroke.Twitch, twitch. That was why it reacted to being touched.
‘It seems to feel pain too…’
Press…
Thrash, thrash!
I grabbed a syringe from nearby and pressed it into the thigh. The needle didn’t pierce, but the legs kicked wildly as if in pain.
‘But if that’s the case… does the upper half share the same sensations?’
Sensation was ultimately processed by the brain. How could a lower half without a brain feel anything? Of course, it was a ghost, so weirdness was expected…
Theoretically, if the lower half could feel, then the upper half should too.
‘So every time it squirted, that bitch upstairs was orgasming right along with it…?’
And then a brilliant idea struck me.
“If I just wrap a bandage around the cut surface, this becomes a living onahole…!”
Assuming sex was even possible, of course.
“Ugh… this goddamn ghost-story academy…”
How many years would it take humanity’s science to reach this level? A perfectly separated female lower body that reacted exactly like a real human.
There would obviously be demand and supply.
This world had achieved that kind of future tech through the supernatural power of ghosts… only for me to be unable to use it and forced to let it rot.
I resented this world in so many ways.
‘Still, just in case… I should secretly take it with me once tonight’s over.’
While I was staring at the thrashing lower half, I heard it.
──Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!!
“……!”
From far down the dark corridor came a familiar sound. It was her. The upper-half ghost had reached the fourth floor.
‘Shit…!!’
I snatched up the lower half and sprinted for the reception desk, ducking behind it. With the upper half’s speed, I would’ve been spotted before I could reach another room.
“……”
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!!
The thunderous footsteps—no, hand-steps—raced closer.
‘Here it comes…’
The ghost tore down the fourth-floor hallway and burst into the central lobby where I hid.
And then—
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—
Screeeech!!
Crash!
“……”
It slipped and fell.
‘What the…?’
The spot where it fell was right in the middle of the lobby. This thing had never tripped on its own before…
‘Ah…! The liquid!’
I remembered—the lobby floor was drenched in the lower half’s fluids. It must have stepped in the puddle and slipped. Hospital floors were notoriously slick when wet.
“Ugh, nnngh…”
The upper-half ghost, now awkwardly plastered against the wall, groaned as it struggled upright.
‘I need to run…’
This place was dangerous. Hiding behind the desk meant I could be discovered at any moment. Judging by how long it took to get here from the third floor, it was probably searching every room thoroughly.
‘If I keep hiding, it’ll find me eventually…’
I had to watch for an opening and escape. …But would that even work? At that insane speed, it would check every room in seconds and spot me the moment I tried for the stairs.
‘What do I do…’
While I was racking my brain in the tense silence, the upper-half ghost spoke.
“My… legs… my legs…”
At the same time, the lower half in my arms twitched.
‘Ah…!’
A perfect idea flashed through my mind. Theoretically, the lower half and upper-half ghost were still connected. So…!
──Squelch-squelch-squelch-squelch-squelch!!
“Nngh, ooh…!! Again…!!”
Twitch, twitch, twitch!
The lower half convulsed, and from across the lobby the upper-half ghost cried out.
“Ah, haah, ngh, hngh, ooh! No…! Hnnngh…!”
──Squelch-squelch-squelch-squelch-squelch!!
Twitch-twitch-twitch!!
It wouldn’t take much longer. My hands remembered the rhythm. Whether I had talent or not, I could finish it off with my fingers faster than ever.
‘Go—!!’
“───Nngiiiiiiiiiiih!!”
Whoosh—spuuuurt!!
Twitch, twitch, twitch!!
The upper-half ghost’s vulgar moans echoed through the quiet lobby.
‘Got it…!!’
After the previous climaxes, the lower half had gone limp, twitching weakly before stopping altogether. The upper half should be in the same state…!
“……”
I carefully slipped out from behind the desk and peered across the lobby. In the darkness on the far side, the upper-half ghost lay sprawled, eyes rolled back, body twitching faintly.
‘Now’s my chance…!’
A tiny window. I crept out of the lobby as silently as possible, staying low and melting into the shadows. Luckily, it didn’t notice.
Once I’d put enough distance between us, I straightened up and sprinted at full speed.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!!
And then—
“My legs are over thereeeee!!”
“Shit, fuck—!!”
From far behind, the upper-half ghost’s scream rang out. It must have heard my footsteps. But I’d already gained plenty of ground.
‘Lana should’ve found the rulebook by now…!!’
I’d bought as much time as I could. Whether she found it or not, it was time to regroup. Could I shake this thing and meet up with her? I wasn’t sure. But if I didn’t find Lana, check the rulebook, and figure out how to deal with this ghost, I had no other options. Otherwise I’d just be stuck in an endless game of hide-and-seek.
Whoosh!
Thud!
“Nngh…!”
I leapt down the stairs in one bound. The impact on my ankles was brutal, but nothing twisted or broke. I flew down the remaining steps in seconds.
“Hah, hah!!”
“Stop right thereeeee!!”
The upper-half ghost was still terrifyingly fast. It had already closed to within ten meters.
“How about this!!”
But this time I had an advantage—the lower half in my hands.
Squelch, squelch, squelch!
“Nngh, ooh…!!”
While sprinting, I mercilessly shoved my fingers into its hole. The ghost chasing me slowed, but didn’t stop.
‘I can’t use proper technique while running!!’
Still, it was the only way to slow it down. I kept pumping my fingers even as I ran for my life.
‘Damn it…!!’
My own stamina was reaching its limit. My legs were somehow fine, but my breathing had been painful for a while. I’d been sprinting nonstop for too long.
“Lanaaaaa!!”
Reaching the first-floor lobby, I shouted her name. I planned to meet up, hole up somewhere, and check the rulebook while we caught our breath.
“Ares—!!”
“Lana!!”
Luckily, I spotted her in the distance near the first-floor lobby, waving one hand while clutching a sheet of paper.
‘She found it…!’
She’d gotten the rulebook. Now we just had to hide in any room, barricade the door, and read it. There had to be a hint on how to deal with this ghost…!
Right then—
“My legs…!! Give them baaaaack!!”
Thud-thud-thud!!
Whoosh!!
The ghost, which had been flailing and slowing down, suddenly accelerated explosively and leapt.
“Huh?!”
“Got you!!!”
The upper-half ghost slammed onto my shoulder and clung to me.
“Let go, you crazy bitch!!”
“Give me my legs baaaaack!! Aaaagh!”
Crunch.
It opened its mouth and bit into the back of my neck.
“Kuaaaaaaaaagh!!!”
“Ares—!!”
We were so close. I’d been caught and was having my neck torn open. We were almost done…
Yet—
“Kgh, ugh…! Wh-what…?!”
“Ugh, grrr…”
Chew, chew.
The ghost gnawed at my neck but couldn’t tear off any flesh. The pain felt exactly like being bitten, but…
‘I’m still alive!!’
There was still a chance.
“Get off me, damn it—!!”
I threw myself backward with all the momentum I had left. My back hit the floor, crushing the upper-half ghost between me and the ground.
“Ugh, uuuuugh!!”
But it refused to let go of my neck or release its grip.
“You fucking bitch!! Let go!!”
“Ugh, grk! My legs…!! Give them baaaaack!!”
“Kuaaaaaagh!!”
The lower half was the key item to dealing with this ghost. I couldn’t let it be taken.
“Ares!!”
Lana was sprinting toward me, trying to help.
And then—
──Flash!
“Nngh…!!”
A scene flashed through my mind. Déjà vu. I’d experienced something similar before.
‘Back then, how did I…!’
The answer came instantly.
“Ah…!!”
I shouted at the approaching Lana.
“Lana—!!”
I lifted the lower half I’d been cradling and spread its legs wide.
“───Shove it iiiiiiiiin!!!”
“H-huh?! O-okay!!”
Lana, still running at full speed, drove the staff she was holding straight into the hole.
Thrust.
“Nngraaaaaaaaagh!!!”
“It’s a talisman staff, you crazy bitch!!”
I grabbed the staff Lana had inserted and twisted it violently.
“Aaaaaaaaagh!!!”
The ghost finally released my shoulder, foaming at the mouth with its eyes rolled back as it collapsed. We’d succeeded in a long-term stun that even repeated orgasms hadn’t achieved.
But we didn’t have much time.
“Lana! Open that window!”
“Window?! Got it!”
I told Lana to open the window. It was the only place nearby where we could tie the ghost down.
While she did that, I stripped the hospital gown off the half-conscious upper-half ghost.
Whoosh.
‘No bra…?’
I hadn’t noticed while it was clinging to me, but the ghost wasn’t wearing underwear. Once the gown came off, it was completely naked.
“Ares… why the clothes…?”
“It’s the only thing we have to tie it with right now!”
“……”
Lana’s gaze was sharp. But it was true. If I went looking for something else to use as rope and the ghost woke up, we’d be in trouble.
“Help me with the other side.”
“Okay…!”
Together, Lana and I tied the upper-half ghost to the window frame with its own hospital gown. The result was a surreal scene: a woman with no lower body, completely naked, bound to the window.
“So what do we do now?”
After tying up the upper-half ghost, Lana and I hurried toward the funeral home building. It was connected via an external passage on the first floor.
“I already read it. There are two methods.”
“…Two?”
“Yeah. One is to hide and survive the night. If we hide in the body storage at the funeral home, we’ll be safe.”
So that’s why she’d suggested going straight to the funeral home. She’d been planning to hide from the start.
“Huh? Then what’s the other method? There’s something besides hiding?”
“……There is, but…”
Lana glanced at the lower half I was still carrying.
“It says if we check the leg’s location and report the exact spot, that works too.”
“……”
“If it’s wandering outside, we can trap it in a specific room and report it.”
“……”
“The warning says never to carry it while running away.”
“……Hmm.”
At her words, I looked down at the lower half in my arms.
…Right. The moment I ran off with it, the second option had vanished. But it couldn’t be helped. At the time, my only thought had been to take the key item and escape.
“Still, it’s good there’s another way. And now that it’s tied up, I feel a bit safer.”
“Yeah… but Ares.”
“Hm?”
Lana narrowed her eyes at me.
“Do you really need to keep carrying that leg around?”
“……”
Twitch, twitch.
“No, I mean… it’s easier to tell if it wakes up when I have it.”
“We’re just going to hide now, so it’s over anyway.”
“……”
She was right, technically. We didn’t need the lower half anymore. But…
‘Even if I can’t use it, just in case…’
This mysterious thing that even cutting-edge science might never achieve. Was it right to just throw it away? If I kept it and studied it slowly…
“Were you planning to do something with it…?”
“H-huh? Of course not! What could I possibly do with something this grotesque and disgusting?!”
“……Like covering the cut surface and using it for lewd stuff.”
“Hahaha! Lana, your imagination really goes to weird places! I’d have to be insane to—!”
“……”
“……”
“……”
Lana stared at me in silence. I had no choice but to set the lower half down.
Bye-bye, lewd lower half!
Whoosh!
Thud.
Once I untied it and tossed it aside, the legs twitched, stood up, and ran off somewhere.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Now lighter, we headed for the body storage room.
“……We’re hiding here?”
“Yeah, drawer 31. It’s not completely sealed, so we can still breathe inside.”
A short while later, inside the body storage. Lana pulled out drawer 31 and explained.
Just in case it could trap us or we couldn’t breathe, I went in first to test it.
Result: drawer 31 could be opened from inside by pushing with your feet, and breathing was fine. The only downside was the slight chill from the surrounding drawers, but it was enough to last the night.
However…
“What about the other drawers…?”
“They’re normal body drawers. You’ll die if you go in.”
“……So we’re both getting in this one?”
“Yeah, I guess?”
Lana smiled playfully at my question. She’d clearly guessed what I was worried about.
‘No way… spending the whole night in here together…’
And then—
Flash.
“……”
Another scene surfaced in my mind. Déjà vu. I felt like I’d experienced something similar before. But it wasn’t an illusion. It was a real memory from my lost past.
“Come on, what are you doing? Since you’re the guy, you go on the bottom. Get in.”
“Huh…?!”
Lana grabbed me and forcibly shoved me into the drawer. Since there was really only one answer anyway, I let her push me down inside.
“Pardon me, then.”
“……”
Lana squeezed in on top of me. Thankfully, there was enough space for two people.
“Nngh…”
“Am I heavy…?”
“No…”
“Then I’m closing it…?”
Lana lay on top of me and reached up to push the ceiling. The drawer slid smoothly inward.
“……”
“……”
Now we were alone together in the darkness inside the body drawer.
Thump, thump, thump.
Maybe because I couldn’t see, my senses sharpened.
“……”
“……”
I could hear Lana’s breathing. Feel her warm body heat. The soft sensation of her skin…
Slide…
She shifted slightly, resting against my shoulder.
‘The hospital gown is so thin…’
I was still wearing the thin hospital gown, so I could feel every contour of Lana’s body pressed against mine.
“……”
“…Are you uncomfortable?”
“N-no, not at all…”
Lana shifted again, apparently uncomfortable.
“Ugh…!”
“Ah, sorry…”
Her soft breasts pressed and squished gently against my chest. I could also feel her smooth thigh between my legs.
“……”
“……”
Flash.
Flash, flash.
And then—
Images flashed through my mind like sparks.
“……”
“……”
Tonight, I’d experienced this strange spark several times. Fragments of experiences from my lost memories were surfacing like photographs.
“……”
“……”
When I kicked the ghost in the face. When I tormented the lower half. When I tried to shake off the ghost clinging to me. And now—
“……”
“Ares…”
Lana’s voice came softly in the darkness as we held each other in the cramped space.
I answered.
“……No.”
“……”
Lana’s body trembled against mine. Without sight, I could feel it even more clearly. At my answer—that no memories had returned—she shook like she was scared.
“…Still… I feel like I figured out at least one thing.”
“……What?”
Instead, I gave a different answer. My memories hadn’t returned, but I’d realized something else.
“───Ellie isn’t my girlfriend, is she?”
“……”
From the scattered memory fragments, I couldn’t recover everything, but at least I could guess which of the things I’d been told since losing my memories were lies. Ellie had been lying to me.
“Why… do you think that…?”
Lana asked how I’d come to that conclusion. I thought for a moment, then answered honestly.
“If Ellie confessed… I feel like I wouldn’t have accepted.”
“……”
Then—
“Pfft.”
Lana laughed.
“Really? You wouldn’t accept her confession? Then what if I confessed?”
“Wha— w-wait…! Don’t move…!”
“Why not~? You like it. Here, I’ll hug you.”
“No, don’t hug me…!”
“You don’t have a girlfriend anymore~, so it’s fine to hug, right?”
In a good mood, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into a tight embrace. Her soft body pressed fully against mine. I could hear her heartbeat. Hear her happy laughter. Feel her warmth.
“Ah, it got bigger.”
“Don’t say that…!!”
“…Are you excited?”
“It’s a physiological reaction…!”
“Hnnngh…”
“D-don’t rub it!! U-ugh…!”
The night deepened inside the drawer.
…Of course, nothing happened.
Just staying still was already a monumental task.