Vol 8 Chapter 2.2 (2/2)

”Bad? What was?”

”The lights. We turned the lights on.”

”So what? When it's dark, we turn on the lights. Electric lamps might be a luxury in the West Block, but here in No. 6 they're commonplace.”

”Dumba.s.s, that's not what I'm talking about!” Inukas.h.i.+ said testily. ”What are we gonna do if someone saw that light?”

Even in the darkness, he could see Rikiga's features tense. Inukas.h.i.+'s eyes were naturally used to the dark. d.a.m.nit, we didn't even need these lights in the first place.

”It'll be alright,” Rikiga muttered. His voice was hoa.r.s.e and hard to hear, like he had forced it out of his throat. ”No need to get so jumpy. Stop acting like a lost rabbit. That light was on for maybe one, two minutes max. Who the h.e.l.l is going to care if the hygiene management room burns down? You said it yourself: this place is like Paradise. It doesn't even have surveillance cameras.”

”It has been, up until now.”

On one hand, Getsuyaku had been marked as a suspicious person, and had been shot and killed. On the other, Nezumi and s.h.i.+on had been able to infiltrate the Correctional Facility successfully. This connection had raised the question of whether the cleaning staff were on the same side as the intruders, or whether they had collaborated together.

If that was so, was not this room more of a dangerous territory than a Paradise? It was likely that surveillance had been tightened around the area. It was very likely.

The black dog suddenly got to its feet. It cast its eyes around with a low growl. Its gaze quickly trained on one point―the door. The door connecting to the Correctional Facility. The black dog continued growling at the metal door that only opened from the Facility side.

s.h.i.+t.

Inukas.h.i.+ s.n.a.t.c.hed a gun and hurled it at Rikiga. Rikiga barely caught the outdated carbine in his hands. His lips trembled.

”Inukas.h.i.+... what's going on? What's going to happen?”

”A visitor, old man. An unwanted one at that.”

Thud. This time, there was a sound behind them. The entrance. He could feel the moving presence of people through the worn grey door.

”A pincer attack. You must be kidding me.” s.h.i.+t, we've done it again. We've made another mistake. A life-threatening one. Inukas.h.i.+ chewed his lip. He knew it was useless. He could chew his lip to shreds and it would undo none of the mistakes they had made.

Inukas.h.i.+, get moving.

Nezumi's voice echoed in his ears.

A thousand regrets aren't going to open a path for you, but one act will. Move. Just move.

Why do I hear his voice? Even at a time like this―no, maybe it's because we're in this situation that I hear it.

Move. Search for the path to life.

Shut up, Nezumi. I've learned my own fair share of tricks to keep myself alive.

He grasped the bag.

”This way.”

He rammed his body into the door that led to the waste collection area. The door did not budge. An alarm went off. The metal door was opening up. He could see the tips of military boots.

”Inukas.h.i.+, this.” Rikiga touched the switch on the wall. The doors slid sideways.

”Alright!” Inukas.h.i.+ roared to cheer himself on. The dogs swarmed into the collection area behind Inukas.h.i.+ and Rikiga. Hamlet and Cravat wove swiftly between their legs.

”Ugh, it smells.” Rikiga broke into a coughing fit. He was right; there was an odour. The stench of rotting meat juices filled the air. It was no doubt the odour from the capsule that he had given Getsuyaku. The capsule had been sucked in through a vacuum and brought to the collection area along with other waste. If he had not been shot through the chest, Getsuyaku would probably be sorting through this pile of trash tomorrow. He would have been at his usual job.

”Makes me want to throw up,” Rikiga groaned softly. A light flared inside Inukas.h.i.+'s head. He swung around to see Security Bureau officials with guns in hand beyond the gla.s.s. They had stormed into the small room.

One, two, three, four... four people.

”Follow me, old man.”

There was a small power shovel in a corner of the collection depot, near the waste outlet. With this, Getsuyaku would deposit the waste onto the conveyor belt and take it to the incinerator. Inukas.h.i.+ hid himself behind the yellow-painted heavy machine.

The lights came on, illuminating everything with a glare.

Why do people from No. 6 hate darkness so much? Inukas.h.i.+ thought idly. Why do they hate what they can't see, places light can't reach, and the fact that darkness exists? Why do they try to illuminate it all?

Security Bureau officials opened the door and stepped in. Suddenly, they covered their noses and mouths with their hands and bent over double.

”What is this?”

”It stinks.”

All four of them retreated. All of their faces were contorted. One of them fell to his knees and vomited on the spot. Inukas.h.i.+ grinned in satisfaction, and still grinning, aimed his gun.

Hah, what kind of Security Bureau officials are these? They've got huge egos but no b.a.l.l.s to go along with them. I can't believe they're making such a fuss over a little smell. Hmph, so that makes them softies as well as crazies. Makes me laugh. You guys should all go home and suck on your mommy's nipple.

He pulled the trigger.

An impact slammed into him. He felt like he had been hit hard in the forehead. He tumbled backwards, and he felt a dull stinging from his neck up.

”Horrible. What kind of aim have you got?” Rikiga shouted.

”Cut me some slack, it's my first time. Why don't you try shooting, old man?”

”Never. I'm a pacifist through and through. I could never fire at other humans, even if they're Bureau officials.”

”I'd like to see you hit your target at least two, three times before you make a sick joke like that.”

The Security Bureau officials fled desperately from the stench. They would probably not set foot into this place again without gas masks.

How fragile they were.

They were not civilians; they were specially trained Security Bureau officials. Yet, they could not even endure a mild odour like this.

But at this point in time, Inukas.h.i.+ wanted to thank them rather than scorn them for their fragility. The officials had bought them some time. He was not foolish enough to be relieved, thinking that danger had pa.s.sed. But bought time was bought time. He could draw a breath.

But what'll I do with the time I bought?

After I catch my breath, what'll I do next?

He licked his bottom lip. His tongue ran across the dry membrane.

This room had only one entrance and exit: it was the door they had come running through. The Security Bureau officials―their enemy―were stationed outside. They were in a sealed room. There was no escape route. Soon, those crazy softies are going to attack us. When that happens―

The more he thought about it, the more hopeless the situation seemed to him. But Inukas.h.i.+ did not give up. We'll manage. There's no way we'll end like this. Isn't that right, Nezumi?

He didn't know whether he was believing in Nezumi or himself. But he knew that he believed. He believed―so he did not give up.

We'll manage. We'll make do. We won't be finished off like this.

”Inukas.h.i.+.” Rikiga grabbed his shoulder. ”What are they planning to do?”

”Huh?”

Inukas.h.i.+ glanced at the small room, and inhaled sharply. He stood rooted to the spot.

The Security Bureau officials were loading in an odd-looking device. It was about as big as the black dog growling fiercely at his feet. One end of it fanned out widely, and the other end narrowed to about a third of the width. Numerous spiralled tubes extended from it, but Inukas.h.i.+ could not see where they led. The body, as well as inside the mouth of the machine was a colour between grey and blue, and shone in the light. It reminded him of a highly- polished bra.s.s instrument.

”What's that? A huge trumpet?” Rikiga's face relaxed comically, but his voice was a mixture of tension and fear. ”They should have told me there was going to be a recital. I would have worn my dress coat.”

Inukas.h.i.+ was too on-edge to respond to Rikiga's joke. He couldn't swallow the breath caught in his throat. The thudding of his heart rang in his ears so loudly, he felt like his eardrums would burst.

Various scenes in the West Block came back to him vividly. It was right after the Hunt. His surroundings were an expanse of rubble.

The market, where throngs of people moved to and fro among the barracks, tents, and two-storey brick houses that lined the street, was razed completely. All had turned to debris.

This destruction did not come from blasting explosives. There had been no distinctive smell of gunpowder. He had also not seen any burns or singes. There had been no embers, nor rising smoke. No. 6 had not used firearms as it usually did for this Hunt. He even felt like No. 6 had used a giant hand to crush the whole market.

But what had No. 6 used instead of a giant hand?

”Acoustic shockwaves.”

Rikiga's ear twitched.”Wait, what did you just say?”

”No. 6 used acoustic shockwaves for the Hunt. Like spleen whales do, or sperm whales, or whatever they're called.”

”What are acoustic shockwaves? Where did the whales come from? Can you explain it in a way I can understand?”

”I can't. I'm just repeating what Nezumi's told me. Old man, you saw for yourself what happened to the marketplace.”

”Yeah―it was a clean sweep. The perfect model of a cleanup. And you're saying they used acoustic shockwaves for that?”

”Yeah.”

Rikiga's eyes opened wide. They bulged so much, Inukas.h.i.+ could count each capillary running along his eyeball.

”Inukas.h.i.+, so you're saying that weird trumpet―”

”It might be a smaller version of what they used in the West Block.”

Might be? Hey, Inukas.h.i.+, you can't fool yourself anymore. That has to be a miniature sound cannon. That's what No. 6 was developing.

”And―and they're going to fire that on us?” Rikiga bellowed.

”Don't ask me; ask them. They're the ones with the answers.”

Rikiga growled still. Through the darkness, Inukas.h.i.+ could see his face growing pale. Inukas.h.i.+ aimed his gun, and fired at the blue-grey weapon of destruction before him. This time, he did not stagger. With great effort, he held his ground and maintained his posture.

He could not discern where the bullet had hit. Perhaps it had not hit anything. Perhaps it had flown away into the distance like a whimsical crow.

”Couldn't you have attached an automatic target tracker?” he grumbled.

”Do you think the West Block would have such a luxury item?”

”Hah, I'm sure you pinched as many pennies as you could. Look what you've ended up with: something slightly better than a toy.”

”That's not the gun's fault. It's your aim.”

They peeked out from behind the power shovel at the small room. The Security Bureau officials were moving busily. They showed no signs of retaliation. They did not fire a single shot back.

They don't need to. They did not need to hit a wretched man right before delivering his execution. That was probably their concept.

How compa.s.sionate of them. Brings tears to my eyes.

”Inukas.h.i.+, hey, Inukas.h.i.+. What are we going to do? If we go on like this, we'll be―” Rikiga yelled and ducked down. He cradled his head and arranged himself in a defensive position. His whole body was shaking.

There's no way I'm gonna die here. I haven't been born into this world to die in a place like this.

Violent emotions churned in his chest. He had never thought about why he had come into this world. Not once. It had seemed so trivial, he had never felt the need to think about it. To Inukas.h.i.+, finding a reason for being born was nothing more than a foolish game. He had been born into this world, and that was why he was going to live in it. That was it. His life was no one's but his own.

I'm going to decide whether I throw this life away or protect it. It's no one else's business.

He fired wildly. Shooting skills? Go to h.e.l.l. The gla.s.s dividing the room and the collection area shattered with a mighty crash. The Bureau officials' panic was apparent.

The stench had become a torrent, tiding into the small room.

Move! Nezumi's hand thumped his back. Move, Inukas.h.i.+. Act in order to live!

Just what I was planning to do, Inukas.h.i.+ answered in his head.

He sprinted up.

The black dog bounded past him and gave a great leap. It soared through the broken window, making straight for the Bureau officials.

Notes

Read Chapter 3.

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