Take Me With You

by Ash Masters

He didn’t know what he was thinking.

  ‘I’m telling you, we can do it!’ Kioshi cried.

  ‘IDIOT!’ Makado howled, bringing a heavy fist down on Kioshi’s skull which dropped him to the dirt of the school grounds.

  The ground trembled under Kioshi as his vision steadied and was so close to his face that everything was blurred. The previous night he had had greater trouble getting to sleep, thinking of what the next step would be to realizing his ambitious – to create a better world not just for him but for everyone. His father had asked him what was stopping him. The answer just punched him on his right temple.

  ‘Look at what you did! You just didn’t know when to shut up and now Mr Tetsuo is dead! Things were fine before you opened that big mouth of yours!’

  Kioshi spat out blood onto the dirt.

  ‘It’s not all his fault!’ Argued Miyako. ‘We all participated in that discussion!’

  ‘It is!’ Retorted Aika, standing by Makado’s side. ‘Once a Ghost becomes involved, everything goes to hell!’

  Kioshi clumsily stood, still dazed, checking his lip that was beginning to swell. ‘I know that this is scary and that this may feel beyond us but I believe that we have the power to make a change! We can fight this everyone! If we just... If we just...’ He shook his head. ‘We just have to be strong and be determined! If our desire is strong enough we–’

  ‘What was that you were saying yesterday?’ Seito interrupted. ‘Stuff like: We should fight for our future, I won’t accept the world as it is... It’s talk like that that probably got Mr Tetsuo killed.’

  The group nodded and murmured in agreement.

  ‘Maybe... Maybe you did take it too far.’ Hido shrugged, unable to meet Kioshi’s eyes now. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘Hido! Not you too!’

  ‘I’m sorry, Miyako.’ Hido’s face softened. ‘If us making a fuss is going to get even more people killed then... I don’t want to fight.’

  ‘No way... Kouji, you can’t believe this too can you? You were just as determined as I was.’ Kioshi pleaded with his eyes, hands outstretched. But Kouji merely shrugged guiltily, unable to meets his eyes like Hido. ‘K-Kouji...’

  ‘Don’t you get it yet!?’ Makado exclaimed again. ‘You’re a loser! And on top of that you’re a Ghost! No-one cares about your opinions! No-one cares about how you feel! There’s a reason why people avoid you – you’re a bad omen – a disease! And if you’re the kind of person who makes people feel worse, then you’ll be alone forever! Just stop trying – you just make everything worse! Idiot!’ His fist met Kioshi’s nose and mouth, throwing him onto the ground again where this time he stayed.

  Alone... Forever... It’s just as I thought... I will never belong... Why do I try? Again and again I’m hurt by these people even though I know what they’re like and yet again and again I try to reach out. The anger and frustration that he only felt when he was secluded with his thoughts were bubbling to the surface as his resolve became unsteady. Why is it only me that cares? Why is it only me that considers other people? Their interests, how they feel? ‘It’s because of you...’ His fingers dragged themselves hard along the dirt slowly as he brought his arms together to lift himself.

  ‘It’s because of me that what?’ Makado challenged, readying his fists for another strike.

  Kioshi’s thoughts became unstable, all rationality and reasoning leaving him to be replaced by his hatred of people and society. ‘It’s because of people like you that Seiya killed herself!’ Kioshi dashed, striking Makado on the nose. Makado was thrown off his feet onto his back and the sound of air leaving his lungs smacked Kioshi’s eardrums.

  What am I doing wrong? Father, mother, show me... I can’t fight if I’m all alone. Seiya, you must have fought too. People don’t just decide to kill themselves – it’s not a sudden decision. She was a Ghost and she must have fought for her place in society. Like my parents but she must have lost. Am I fighting the same futile fight?

  Makado picked himself up and in a rage charged at Kioshi, delivering a punch with all his weight behind him, blind-siding Kioshi whose mind wasn’t focused on reality. Kioshi hit his head hard but an instinct activated, fighting to pick him up, failing in its attempt. Life and death, what does it all mean? Seiya killed herself but in the end it was as if she never existed. But, that can’t be true can it? Because I’m thinking of her right now. Perhaps... Perhaps death was her way of fighting?

  What am I doing with myself?

  Kioshi felt his mind futilely fighting to stay conscious. What am I doing wrong?

  What am I doing wrong? Izumi thought. Her eyes were staring blankly ahead but now chose to look everywhere else, not knowing what to do with themselves. Usually they could focus but, today was different. What has changed? Of course... Izumi had had a worse night sleep than usual and her usual night sleep was terrible in itself.

  The bus rocked gently as it went over a speed bump and the jolt was enough to bring her back to full-consciousness. With her two index fingers she rubbed the inside corners of her eyes, removing tiny pieces of debris then massaged her forehead before resting the side of her head on her fist as her elbow balanced on the window-ledge.

  The world passed her by as a blur.

  Yesterday’s score was worse than last week’s What will Junichi say when he hears that I’m still failing? What will mother and father think when I tell them?

  ‘Things can only continue to go downhill.’ A voice in her head claimed.

  No... Izumi continued tiredly. Things can go uphill. Isn’t the expression something like; when you hit rock-bottom, all you can go is up?

  ‘The difference is Izumi, that you’re not quite at the bottom, yet.’

  Izumi’s expression softened. ‘That’s right...’ Frowning quickly, she shook her head. ‘No, I can’t think that.’

  At her stop, Izumi got off the bus, strolling the sunny streets of Shibuya with her hand clutching the thin strap of her handbag, purple dress swaying from the gentle wind and large breasts bouncing with every step. Her black hair tied in a bun on top of her head held strong with no sign of coming apart and revealed just how worn her face was; no make-up in the world could make her look less fatigued.

  ‘I guess it’s not all bad, it could be worse. I can always improve – there’s still time.’ Izumi frowned, almost like she didn’t believe herself. ‘I just need to figure out what’s keeping me up. It’s not... that...’

  ‘It has nothing to do with the aching of your joints and the soreness of your breasts.’ She thought sarcastically.

  Sure my breasts are blossoming... very quickly but, growing pains shouldn’t be enough to–

  ‘Are you blind, Izumi? Something is clearly wrong with your body. Or do you want to pretend that–’

  Izumi stopped in her tracks, coincidentally at the end of the road. I said that I wasn’t going to think about that, my body. I have more important things to dwell on – like – You nearly got me – I , nearly got me...

  ‘Fine, ignore that what’s going on with your body and ignore what’s keeping you up. Do you want to ignore the fact that you’re talking to yourself?’

  She gasped, covering her mouth, realizing that she was right.

  ‘Continue living in oblivion, moron.’

  Just as Izumi was about to retort, her world went black.

  What felt like seconds later, Izumi slowly returned to consciousness though she knew she was lying down. He head was throbbing as if someone had struck her hard and reaching for her crown her hand returned to her slathered with blood. Izumi’s thoughts came to her slower than she liked. ‘Skull fracture... concussion...’ It was then that she noticed the ringing in her ears. ‘Dizziness may also be due to–’

  ‘LOOK OUT!’ A woman screamed.

  Forcing herself to be alert sent waves of pain flooding through her skull but, Izumi was able to see a ball of fire tear across the sky, colliding into a building to her left and spit debris onto the ro
ad.

  ‘An explosion...’ Izumi mumbled, getting onto her feet lethargically. ‘I was probably struck in the head by...’

  Izumi too easily lost her concentration when she spotted the red Toyota in front of her with an unconscious family trapped inside, knocked out by the hard ramming of the car behind them – empty, the passengers ditching their vehicle as soon as they were able to. A strong feeling to help the family took over her entire body – a feeling so warm and pure, stronger than any feeling she knew.

  ‘Hey!’ Izumi cried, banging on the windows. ‘Hey! Wake up!’ She then looked around. ‘Hey you!’ She caught a man by his sleeve, ‘Help me out here, these people can’t get out!’

  The man shook his head fearfully before darting away.

  ‘Bastard!’ Izumi winced at the pain her screaming caused. She shook it off – something that she regretted however, quickly returned to the group made up of parents in their early-thirties with a young boy and a new born girl in the back seat. ‘WAKE UUUUUP!’ Trying the handle, the doors were locked. Now she didn’t know what to do; no matter how much she yelled and banged on the glass the parents wouldn’t wake up but her raucous was enough to wake the baby girl up who contributed to the public’s cries.

  ‘WATCH OUT!’ Someone cried within the now thinned crowd. Izumi watched as another ball of fire zipped across the sky, meeting the face of the bank behind her and exploding, launching more chunks of stone onto the streets. Izumi swiftly rolled underneath the car just in time to see feet disappear under stone and felt the car wail as it crumpled under the force of the debris.

  The child’s crying stopped in an instant.

  Breathless from shock, Izumi could barely get words out of her mouth but an agonized scream escaped with ease. ‘NOOOOO!’ She cried, not caring about the splitting feeling in her head. I don’t understand! Why are people dying!?’ Anger began to fill her, anger towards herself for not being able to save the family and anger towards those who saw her struggle but wouldn’t lend a hand. What kind of people wouldn’t help? There were kids in there! And a baby girl! And they’re all dead! ‘All dead!’ A fist slammed the ground. ‘Selfish BASTARDS!’

  Izumi then heard delighted laughter and forced herself to keep quiet. Just as she had thought, the voices became louder, two young men approaching her hiding spot until she could hear see their shadows from under the car.

  ‘This is a hostile takeover folks!’ A man declared. ‘Grab your crap and get the hell out of here! Shibuya is under new management!’ He punched the hood of the Toyota with such super-human force that the car tipped on its nose and the rear wheels left the ground.

  ‘We’ve cleared the block, if they’re not hiding then they’re dead.’ A younger man said.

  ‘Good. Akira will be pleased. What’s next?’

  ‘What else? We start the hunt; tear this place down and kill everyone Human we see. We’ll know who they are when they don’t put up a fight.’

  ‘How will he able able to control the Keys? Is he that powerful?’

  ‘He’s that powerful.’

  ‘Damn...’

  ‘You’re telling me. It’s a good thing we volunteered then.’

  ‘You can say that again.’

  What? Izumi pondered. Akira? Keys? When she moved her leg, she accidentally knocked loose concrete that rolled out and hit the pavement noisily.

  ‘What was that?’

  ‘I don’t know, but it sounded close.’

  ‘Someone is still here. Check under the cars.’

  Shit. Izumi was both powerless and trapped. The way she rolled from was blocked off by debris and though she was small, she wasn’t small enough to squeeze through the available gap. Searching around, she discovered that the other side was blocked off too by a car that had completely collapsed from the weight of debris. That could have happened to this car... Izumi couldn’t help but think.

  ‘See what you’ve gotten us into!? There’s no way we can escape!’

  Zip-it! There’s always a way!

  Her only escape was behind her where the crashed cars made a wonky tunnel that she could crawl through. Escape would mean risking more noise but that’s a risk she would have to take; if she stayed she would be spotted and killed because she was definitely Human.

  Before Izumi could move however, the sun came out above her and so she rolled onto her side, using her hand as a visor to peer at the sky. Standing over her was the man in his early twenties holding the red Toyota along with the debris and the dead family inside above his head with ease.

  On her feet now, Izumi attempted to run away from but ran into the younger man in his late-teens who grabbed her by the shoulders, passing her back to the other man; thick with muscles, who tossed the car a short distance, crashing onto an abandoned car with a heavy, metallic thud.

  ‘Look at what we have here. Thought you could run away?’

  ‘Oh-ho-ho! We’ve found a prize! Check out her ass! It’s huge!’ The boy exclaimed excitedly.

  ‘I’m too busy checking out the front.’ The man smirked, eyeing Izumi’s large breasts with greed.

  ‘Go to hell!’

  ‘The pig male preying on a helpless girl; isn’t that a bit cliché?’ Izumi backed away, scowling irritably.

  ‘Hey look, this girl’s got an attitude.’ The boy chuckled. ‘I’ll tell you what, play along and we’ll consider not killing you.’

  Izumi didn’t know what what else to do but keep quiet.

  ‘It’s true isn’t it? You’re not a Key. Why else haven’t you fought back?’

  ‘Looks like you’re at our mercy, so play nice. It would be a shame to kill a sexy thing like yourself.’

  ‘Typical, the world goes to hell and the assholes are the ones left behind.’ Her anger boiling over, angrily she faced the boy.

  ‘Ooh feisty!’ The boy laughed patronising.

  ‘It was part of my charm. My boyfriend loves it when I’m snippy and sarcastic. I’m sure the girls love the kid trying to play grown up! Moron!’

  ‘Keep talking why don’t you – see where that gets you. Will it kill you to show something real!?’

  Arrogantly, the boy backhanded Izumi who then retaliated with a head-butt to his nose. The man pulled her back, laughing at his companion who was holding his bleeding nose as he did so.

  With a bloody smile the boy raised a hand, snapping his fingers which caused the bottom of Izumi’s dress to catch alight. She tried her best not to satisfy the two men however, when the flame bit into her thigh she went against herself and shrugged off the shoulders of her dress, sliding it off so that her voluptuous figure was in full view for the world to see; short and thick physique; breasts bulging out of the top of her black bra; smooth, slightly tanned skin and wide hips. Both the teen and the man laughed, kindling Izumi’s anger which was hotter than any flame. ‘Bastards...’ She stomped out the flames on her dress.

  ‘I will kill you!’

  Quiet! You’re just my subconscious! You don’t have any baring on my life and you certainly don’t dictate my actions!

  ‘Fine, be a coward. I will watch as these to men have their way with you. You think Junichi is going to come and save you? We’re dead. You can snip at them all you want with sarcasm but, I promise you on thing, you will not be the same after today.’

  Shut up... Just... Shut up... Izumi’s head fell to hide the tears forming in her closed eyes. A tightness overcame her body, a feeling that arose out of nowhere and left her feeling breathless and fatigued. Her breathing was audible, causing the two men to get the wrong idea of what she was feeling. However, Izumi was too dazed to notice the world around her, instead focusing on the thoughts running around in her mind.

  ‘You remember this feeling, don’t you?’

  Izumi looked up, the world’s colour had changed, becoming greyscale and the two men were nowhere to be seen. ‘This feeling?’

  ‘Think hard, what should you be feeling?’

&nbs
p; Nervousness filled Izumi, feeling unsure of herself and frightened at what her mind was trying to unearth. Looking down at her half-naked body she brushed her fingers delicately against her thighs. ‘Fear. But... I don’t.’

  ‘What do you feel?’

  Izumi’s gaze was fixed on her paused hand and seemingly oblivious to the question, she took a while to respond. ‘Helplessness.’

  ‘And so you should.’

  Her heart began to race.

  Izumi’s mind was talking to her; she didn’t have to pay attention to the world to know what it was planning. Frightened, she looked up to see a girl staring back at her; lean with wild, black hair covering half of her face, her school uniform covered in blood and a thick, black line running horizontally across her throat.

  ‘Here you are again.’ The girl spoke.

  Too stunned to talk, the only thing Izumi could do was stare at the ghost with her lips partially parted. With effort she managed to utter a single word, ‘Miko.’

  ‘That’s who she was, now she’s just another corpse.’ Miko replied.

  ‘She was my friend.’ Izumi argued.

  ‘And yet you didn’t see.’

  ‘Didn’t see what?’

  ‘Don’t give me that bullshit!’ Miko retorted, making Izumi flinch. ‘You didn’t see! You didn’t see that she was dying! She was dying inside, Izumi! And you didn’t see! You were too focused on trivialities to see how much she was suffering!’

  ‘Stop it!’ Protested Izumi, covering her ears.

  ‘You can’t stop the guilt from eating you alive.’ Miko continued venomously, her voice penetrating Izumi’s hands. ‘It doesn’t matter if you want to change! To train yourself to save lives because when it mattered you weren’t there. You weren’t made of the right stuff!’

  ‘I said shut up!’

  ‘When you saw the blade against her throat you were helpless then – just like you are now! A scared, pathetic, little girl that killed your best friend! What would it take for you to see her suffering!?’

  ‘YOU DIDN’T TELL ME!’ Izumi screamed, staring the illusion boldly. ‘How was I supposed to know if you didn’t tell me!’

  ‘If you invested more time in your friendships then you would have seen it! Instead you were too focused on your own misery! Why do you think you can’t sleep!? She expected you to accommodate her in your life. To make her feel valued, reciprocate her feelings and idea of friendship! But you failed and she slit her throat.’

  ‘I tried!’ By now Izumi was crying. ‘I swear I tried! We all hurt! How was I supposed to see!?’ She collapsed onto her knees. ‘I don’t know how to feel! How to care! I feel numb all the time and Junichi! I just don’t know! I don’t know how to be alive – I don’t know how to...’

  ‘Is this still about you, Izumi? Tell me something, when her blood sprayed over your perky body, did you feel alive then? Or did stop being selfish and finally understand her feelings?’

  It was then that Izumi realized that she too was in her school uniform – the traditional sailor suit and was cover by a spray of blood. Her hands rose in front of her face. ‘That’s not fair... I try... Around people I try...’

  ‘You mimic feelings and emotions but you yourself don’t feel. If you don’t feel then how can you recognise a cry for help. You’re a terrible human being.’

  ‘I... I...’

  ‘Look at you now, still a scared, pathetic, little girl. Stay helpless forever.’

  ‘Izumi.’

  Suddenly Izumi awoke, sitting on her knees, hands raised to her face with drying tears stinging her face. Crouching in front of her was a boy she recognised; her boyfriend, ‘Junichi...’ She breathed.

  ‘It’s over now, no need to be scared. Yamato needs our help though.

  Still shaking, Izumi turned to her right to find her friend Yamato on the ground with what was left of her dress shrouding his head. ‘What happened to him?’ She stood.

  ‘We surprised the two bastards, took them head on. I managed to intimidate the big guy with my father’s pistol while Yamato fought the Key who could use fire.’

  Izumi figured out the rest. ‘The boy he... burned, Yamato’s face?’

  Solemnly, Junichi nodded.

  ‘We have to take him to Eiko.’

  ‘Eiko, do you think she’ll be able to fix him?’

  Izumi bit her lip as she pondered the question. ‘I believe in her.’

  ‘That’s good enough for me.’

  ‘It’s too late, Izumi. There is no making up for what you did. No number of good deeds can erase the bitch that you are.’

  ‘Shut up.’ Izumi snapped.

  ‘Hell will come for you. Eventually. You deserve all your misfortune. Look around you; the world is burning. You will lose all that you love...’

  ‘What was that?’ Asked Junichi who was trying to pick his unconscious friend up by slinging an arm over his shoulder.

  ‘N-Nothing...’ She sighed, fighting hard to conceal the worry in her eyes. No... You’re wrong...

  ‘This is terrible...’ Izumi commented.

  ‘It must be like this all over Shibuya now I think... It was like this on my street too. The chaos must be spreading to the other wards of Tokyo as well...’

  ‘You must have been in a hurry. That explains your appearance.’ Izumi joked, referring to her boyfriend’s informal appearance. ‘What about your parents?’

  ‘They’ll be safe, I hope. My father can take care of things.’

  ‘I guess he can...’ Izumi looked away. Mother... Father... She gently massaged her forehead. The stress of their predicament wasn’t doing her any good as she felt a brutal headache forming and her body heat up.

  ‘Are things alright... With us?’ Junichi asked out of nowhere.

  The question caught Izumi off guard. ‘Why would you ask that?’

  It was clear with Junichu’s demeanour; his tense body, and screwed expression as he looked away that he was shy about continuing. ‘I can feel you growing distant. I guess I’m scared.’ He turned face his partner. ‘I don’t want to lose you.’

  Izumi’s mouth opened and closed a few times. ‘I...’ She sighed, ‘I don’t know... I don’t know what to feel. I think–’ Izumi halted abruptly, forcing the three of them back. The hastiness caused Yamato to groan. ‘Sorry Yamato. Junichi, look.’

  Junichi’s head peered around the corner to confirm a group of people in the middle of an intersecting street having a conversation.

  ‘Junichi.’ Izumi called in a hushed voice, tugging at his arm. After spending a little longer eyeing the eight people he turned back to look at Izumi appeared more worried than she had done moments ago. ‘They’re Keys – I know they are. That’s what those two guy were talking about. Some guy called Akira has control of them. They... They said that they were hunting Humans – us!’

  ‘So what is this? Some sort of purge?’ Junichi now joined Izumi in looking worried.

  ‘I don’t want to think that. But if it is then we’re in danger. We’re not prepared for this and when it comes down to it... I don’t know how to handle myself. I don’t want to die Junichi.’ Izumi confided in a harsh whisper, staring deep into Junichi’s eyes.

  ‘We can’t afford to think like that. But I’ll fight until my last breath.’ Junichi smiled reassuringly. ‘I won’t let any harm come to you. I promise. But first, let’s get Yamato to Eiko then we can figure out the details.’

  Izumi nodded.

  The two lowered, forcing a barely conscious Yamato to crouch too then hurriedly scuttled off the corner and across the road, Junichi staring ahead but Izumi looking at the group. There were eight of them; four men and four women of mixed ages but still a threat if what Izumi heard were true and all of them possessed some sort of ability. Two men and two women were on one side of the car, a woman standing on the roof looking the other way, a man and a woman leaning on the boot chatting, and then one more more barely visible at the front.


  ‘We’ll have to use the cars for cover.’ Izumi suggested.

  ‘With Yamato though it will be tough.’

  The train of cars walled off the road where the Keys were grouped so Izumi thought that they would have no problem passing them. However, despite looking in the other direction, the woman on the roof of the car twitched as soon as the three were in line with their road intersecting them perpendicularly. ‘Someone is here.’

  The three froze and Izumi eyed the woman anxiously through wall of windows made by a row of cars.

  ‘How could she have known we were here!?’ Junichi whispered.

  ‘I-I don’t know! It must be her ability!’

  ‘Damn it!’ Junichi peered through the car windows down the street to look at the woman who had now moved stepped off the car and was searching around. ‘Screw it! Let’s keep moving.’

  ‘I don’t want to risk moving just in case she doesn’t know where we are.’ Izumi looked through the windows again.

  Ironically, the woman’s head flew in the three’s direction, Junichi falling back in surprise. She called to one of the men then pointed in the direction of Izumi, Junichi and Yamato, Junichi and Izumi nodding in unison before sprinting away with haste.

  Making his way down the road, the man threw his arm upwards, creating an large shockwave that swept every car ahead of him into the air, plummet with the ferocity of missiles to lodge themselves into buildings, crashing sickeningly on the pavement and on top of other cars.

  The three were unaffected by the attack though if they had lingered for a moment longer to survey the group they would have been crushed by a bus that had flattened the car they were using for cover. As they progressed further down the road they were cut off when a different woman slid to a stop in front of them, startling and leaving them speechless as they couldn’t figure out how she got so far ahead of them. Her body was slightly hunched over and she looked up at them through lazy eyes, her mind clearly not her own.

  Junichi considered whipping out his pistol but found that he didn’t have to when a car thrown into the air by her companion landed exactly where she had been standing. Izumi screamed in horror.

  ‘There’s no time to think about it Izumi! C’mon!’ He dragged Izumi and Yamato ahead, not knowing that the woman was unharmed and passed through wreckage like a ghost. As Junichi dashed forward he stopped when a man landed on the trunk of the car beside him, pouncing to pin Junichi down on the side of another car and deal continuous jabs into his left set of ribs. Junichi gritted his teeth through the pain then kneed the man hard in the stomach, grabbing the back of his shirt when he doubled over, spun around to then throw him head-first through the one of the windows of the car.

  With barely any time to recover, Junchi yelled, ‘GET DOWN!’, flinging himself at Izumi and Yamato, knocking them down the ground in time as a truck tumbled over their heads.

  ‘We have no way to fight them off! Izumi screamed over the sound of crushing metal.

  Using Izumi’s words as a prompt, Junichi withdrew his weapon.

  ‘No!’ Izumi placed her hands on barrel of the highly polished pistol, bring the gun down. ‘We are not killing anyone else!’

  ‘You’d rather them kill us!’

  ‘No! But!–’ Izumi grew silent and resentful, ignoring the danger she was in.

  ‘I understand. You want to be a nurse.’

  The last of the cars settled into place and the world grew quiet. Junichi smiled at Izumi. ‘You want to preserve life and not take it, right? And besides,’ He looked ahead, ‘They’re not in control of their actions are they?’

  ‘You do understand.’ Izumi smiled warmly, gently squeezing Junichi’s hand.

  ‘Of course I do, Izumi. You’re my girlfriend.’ He looked up to find the seven remaining Keys advancing at a hurried pace.

  Izumi was oblivious to the world, ignoring the threatening advances of the of the seven Keys who would no doubt overpower them with ease and serve them the same fate as the many corpses that littered the streets. The woman who had the ability to pass through solid objects wrapped an arm around Izumi’s neck, dragging her onto her feet and away from Junichi. She outstretched a hand to touch Junichi before she was taken away but was denied as a man grabbed Junichi roughly, bringing him onto his feet and slamming him onto the hood of a taxi.

  ‘You’re nothing but a scared, pathetic, little girl.’ Izumi thought.

  I know...

  ‘Izumi...’ Junichi breathed. What were you going to say?’ Junichi was then pushed forward while he turned to stare at his entranced girlfriend. ‘Izumi? Izumi!’

  ‘I think... I think...’

  The world changed in the blink of an eye and now she was staring at the night sky with an arm outstretched, cupping the faint moon’s faint shape.

  Spread out in a park, Kioshi was surrounded by a flock of dead-eyed children who collectively formed a circle in his vision. They all were wrapped in scarves that shielded their mouths as well as their necks and their stares were just as blank as Kioshi’s, lacking any curiosity as to why he was sprawled on the grass.

  Somehow Kioshi knew the truth of what he saw.

  Mother...

 

 

  DESIRE