Vol 8 Chapter 3.1 (2/2)

s.h.i.+on stood up unsteadily.

”Nezumi, what are you talking about?”

”I never believed that Safu would be safe. The moment she was imprisoned, I knew the possibility of her escape was close to nil. s.h.i.+on― saving Safu never mattered to me. When I planted the bomb in the mother, I was only thinking of destroying it and getting out of there as soon as possible. That was it.”

The superfibre cloth slid from his neck and fell at his feet. Had he been bowing his head unwittingly? Nezumi stooped to pick the fabric up, and stared intently at the boy in front of him.

”I'm not asking you to forgive me. It's not something I can apologize for and be done with.”

”What are you talking about?” s.h.i.+on said loudly. ”I'm not getting a single word.”

Really? Can you really not understand?

You're a liar, s.h.i.+on. You do get it. You understand every single word. And you'll never forgive me. You'll lose faith in me and loathe me. Or would you―

Cheep!

Tsukiyo squeaked sharply. Nezumi felt his spine tense. He felt like transparent arrows were stabbing into him. It was murderous intent.

He turned around. A man stood there, aiming a gun at him. He was not a Security Bureau official. He was one of the soldiers who had been under Ras.h.i.+'s command.

Nezumi had noticed him too late.

”s.h.i.+on, duck!” He shoved s.h.i.+on as hard as he could. Immediately, the impact came. A beam of light seemed to pierce his entire body.

It scorched him.

He tried to scream.

Escape, s.h.i.+on. Hurry, he thought, but no voice came out. Somewhere― somewhere in his body, he was burning. It was hot.

”Nezumi!”

He could see s.h.i.+on, wide-eyed. He could see clearly the boy's screaming mouth, his extended hand, and the shape of his fingers. The image was so vivid, it seemed hardly real.

The vivid scene blurred, and darkness closed in.

All colour faded.

* * *

Raugh!

The black dog was thrown out across the floor. Its limbs convulsed as it foamed at the mouth. The Bureau official had propped himself up and was holding a small gun in his hand. The black dog eventually stopped moving. Despite its aggressive nature, it had loved to nap in the sun. It would often lie in the sunlight much like it was doing now, stretching its legs out. It had a temperamental disposition, but it was loyal to Inukas.h.i.+,

I'm sorry.

Inukas.h.i.+ cast a glance over the dog, and apologized inside his heart. I'm sorry for putting you through this. Forgive me.

He could see down the barrel of the gun. He could see the hollowed cheeks of the thin-faced man who held it. Inukas.h.i.+ did not flinch. He did not stop. A moment of hesitation, a moment of confusion could cost him his life. Once he started to move, he had to keep moving. With the enemy before him, he had no option to cower.

He aimed his gun and fired blindly in furious succession.

d.a.m.nit, d.a.m.nit, you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. You arrogant murderers. You're all cruel, dirty thieves. Give back everything you've stolen from us. You guys have trampled over everyone in the West Block for this whole time. You killed people indiscriminately. You cold-blooded murderers. Have some shame. That's right. You shameful, despicable people. d.a.m.nit.

He mentally hurled as many insults at them as he could. He could not voice his vilification. If only his wrath could turn into bullets and shatter that blue-grey weapon.

Can't you give us a miracle like that for once, G.o.d? You were quick to turn your back on the West Block, like a mother abandoning her infant on the barren plains. Doesn't your moral conscience bother you at all? So give me a miracle, at least, to make up for it. Hand over that miracle so we can survive.

His foot slipped. He lost his balance and landed on his bottom. Bullets bounced at his feet. If he had not fallen, he would have been shot cleanly through.

Phew, I still have some luck left.

”Don't move, filthy sewer rats.” Bureau officials pointed guns at them. Simultaneously, a nerve-racking ba.s.s rumbled.

”We'll exterminate you well. Be prepared.”

Sewer rats? Don't you dare put me on the same level as those lowly animals.

Inukas.h.i.+ tried to pull the trigger, but realized the gun was out of bullets. He glanced at the power shovel.

What the h.e.l.l are you doing behind there, old man? The baritone rumble was issuing from the somewhat comically wide mouth of the shockwave cannon. Preparations seemed to be set.

What? No way. Is this it? A frigid wind blew up at him. Is this the end? Am I gonna die here? That can't happen. You gotta be kidding me. Nezumi, this isn't what you promised. The whole show is gonna be ruined before the main actors even appear. What the h.e.l.l do I do now? Do something, do anything, Nezumi!

Suddenly, the lights went out. An alarm sounded.

”What? What is it?”

”I don't know. Something's happened inside.”

”Hey! Did you hear an explosion?”

”Huh? Oh, now that you mention it―”

Inukas.h.i.+ could feel strongly the agitation of the officials.

”I can't see! I can't see anything in here!”

Shrill screams, almost shrieks, echoed in the darkness. It's the same as with the smell. They're really, really weak. Inukas.h.i.+ smirked.

The people of No. 6 were so unbelievably, so laughably weak when even a small change occurred in their clean and comfortable environment. Perhaps soldiers would have had a little more resistance. But the Security Bureau officials were cowering, clearly exposing their fragility.

Look at what a loss you're all at. You build that murder weapon with a cool face, but you're afraid of the dark. Disgusting. Inukas.h.i.+ hurled abuse at them, still sitting on his bottom. He restrained himself from rus.h.i.+ng out.

”Not yet. Don't rush it,” he told himself.

The alarm grew louder. Its enormous volume rattled his eardrums.

Emergency alert. Emergency alert.

Level 5, Level 5.

Emergency evacuation. Emergency evacuation.

All personnel, evacuate immediately.

Level 5, Level 5.

”Level 5!? What is it, what's going on?”

”I don't know, but we should evacuate. We have to get out of here, or we'll be in danger.”

”Hey, there it is again. I heard it. Things are exploding everywhere. Get out!”

”I-I wish I could, but it's so dark... why aren't the backup lights coming on?”

”This is a trash depot. Do you think they have backup lights?”

Now! Inukas.h.i.+ leapt to his feet, using his whole body for leverage. I'm used to the dark. You'll see how different I am from all of you.

”b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!” He yelled as swung his gun around. It hit something. The dogs snarled and pounced. Inukas.h.i.+ started yanking out all the pipes and cables attached to the cannon.

b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. Making c.r.a.p like this. You guys made a monster that's good for nothing but killing people.

Level 5, Level 5.

Emergency evacuation. Emergency evacuation.

”Outside! Get outside! It's dangerous in here!”

”Yeah, get out! We have to evacuate!”

The Security Bureau officials fled through the door leading outside.

Inukas.h.i.+ stood, breathing heavily. Sweat poured off his whole body. But he was shaking. He could not stop. His teeth chattered. His heart was palpitating so badly, he had trouble catching his breath.

He fell to his knees as the strength left him. His dogs approached. One with a patched coat pushed its nose up against him. Inukas.h.i.+ latched on to its furry collar and buried his face in its soft fur. It smelled like dog. He had known this scent for as long as he could remember. It was the scent of his mother, his siblings, and his friends. It smelled more sweetly than any flower.

Tears spilled over. They streamed down one after another. We're saved. We've been saved. The dog licked away the tears on his cheeks. It's warm. Oh, it's so warm. I'm still alive.

”I owe it to you guys. Thank you. Thanks so much.”

”Inukas.h.i.+...” Rikiga came crawling out through the door of the waste collection area. ”Looks like they ran off.”

”Yeesh, old man,” he gave a purposely long sigh. ”What good are you gonna be now? Were you off shopping for today's dinner or something?”

He gently brushed his tears away so Rikiga wouldn't see them. Rikiga shrugged, and laughed softly in the dark.

”I told you, I'm a philanthropist. I'm also a born and bred gentleman. No one is more ill-suited for killing than me. Fortune could turn every which way, but I would never be able to go wild and let loose like you.”

”Well, you can turn right back around and never come back again. You're just a useless drunkard even when you're around, anyway. You'd only hold me up.”

”Nothing to be angry about,” Rikiga said lightly. ”Ah, but I have to say that was an impressive fight. I have a new regard for you now. If I were a girl, I'd have fallen for you right there. Bravo, bravo.”

Inukas.h.i.+ wrinkled his nose at Rikiga's applause.

”You falling for me, old man? What a horror story. You just gave me the gooseb.u.mps. I just came out of deadly territory, alright? I'd appreciate it if you could lay off that stuff, it's bad for my heart. The last thing I wanna do is keel over from fright here.”

Rikiga paid no attention to Inukas.h.i.+'s insults. He cupped his hand around his ear and listened intently. The alarm stopped as abruptly as it had started.

Inukas.h.i.+ also p.r.i.c.ked his ears.

He could hear something like the distant rumble of the sea, or distant thunder.

What is it? What is that sound?

”Something's exploding inside the Correctional Facility,” Rikiga said in a queerly languid voice. ”And that's not it... I can hear screaming in there, too. It's in there. Yeah, I can hear it.”

The door connecting the Correctional Facility to the waste processing area was still open, which was why they could hear what was going on inside. Two s.p.a.ces which had always been firmly divided were now connected.

”Hey, Inukas.h.i.+. Is this a precursor? Is this the beginning?” His voice quavered as it tapered off. Inukas.h.i.+ could not see his face, but he knew that Rikiga was probably flushed with excitement. He did not even need to look. My face is probably that colour, too, Inukas.h.i.+ thought. I'm excited. I'm restless.

It's beginning. It's finally beginning. It's actually beginning.

Nezumi, s.h.i.+on, you guys actually did it. I don't know what the h.e.l.l you did, but you did it. You set the alarms off throughout the Correctional Facility. Level 5. Is that the highest hazard level? If it was... hah, this is getting interesting. This is gonna be fun.

Those must be gun salutes in the distance.

Inukas.h.i.+ had been licking his lips unwittingly.

Nezumi, that fraudulent b.a.s.t.a.r.d wasn't just a talker. He did what he promised.

”You think the Correctional Facility's going to come tumbling down?” Rikiga murmured, his voice still trembling.

Suddenly, the lights flashed. They went out again, and the room sank into darkness. The door closed, opened, tried to close again, but stopped at about two-thirds of the way.

”What is it? Is it practicing a dance?” Rikiga cracked a lame joke. Inukas.h.i.+ didn't even feel like laughing.

”Go dance along with it, old man.” He was licking his lips again. This isn't a dance. These are its last spasms. Its last struggles before its life gives out. Just like that black dog, the Correctional Facility is writhing in pain at the brink of death.

Notes

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