That Thing
A little boy was sleeping soundly on his bed, totally oblivious to the heavy rain outside. The tiny raindrops splattered against the windows, threatening to break them with each try. The wind howled, showing its killing intent.
It was raining heavily in Tokyo. People had vacated the streets as they chose to seek the shelter of the towering buildings. The remaining with their ever-dependable umbrellas was scurrying across the streets, probably trying to rush home after ending work. The streets were terribly flooded and cars were unable to move in these thick layers of water.
"We are reporting on the horrible weather that is plaguing Tokyo right now. The rain isn't going to stop. And there's a possibility of a hurricane coming straight at us now. We advise everyone to stay in their houses till further notice. We will keep everyone updated on the weather every hour," the radio echoed in fluent Japanese within the brightly-lit room.
A brunette in her 40s, wearing a simple pink dress with ruffles, was trying to call someone. But it always failed to get through. The unsympathetic rain and wind probably damaged the telephone network, with the extent of the damage unknown. The news on the radio didn't help but instead, created an atmosphere of anxiety. She was probably trying to call someone close, judging from her facial expression. It wasn't difficult to guess. She was terribly worried.
"Jirou, wake up…" she spoke softly, nudging the boy.
But there was no response.
"Jirou, this is Kaa-san. You have to get up now," she said.
She couldn't help but smile at her boy as she noticed him hug the pillow tightly while sleeping innocently. In fact, he will always be her little baby in her eyes.
The street lamp outside the window was overwhelmingly bright with its luminance transposing onto the 'family portrait' in the boy's cosy little room. The portrait could be seen clearly, with three people in it. The brunette and her child were in it and there was a tall and handsome guy, probably the husband. They definitely looked fitting as a very close family.
The brunette sensed that something was wrong with her child. He didn't respond to her voice for the past ten seconds. She knew that even if her child was deeply in his sleep, his body will at least move in subtle movements with response to her voice before waking up. But he wasn't.
She knew something was amiss. Instinctively, the brunette touched the boy's forehead with her palm. His forehead was hot. "You're sick, my dear child…" she said quietly to herself. Being terribly sick, Jirou couldn't say anything or open his eyes as he laid on his bed in a fetal position.
Jirou's mother went to get her coat, took her mobile phone and grabbed her child. She ensured that all the power supply was shut down before leaving the house. With the car being unavailable, the only way to the nearest hospital was by foot as public transport had been stopped for the moment due to the torrential rain. With only her coat for warmth, she hugged Jirou tightly and set foot to the nearest hospital.
It was difficult to walk properly in the streets as her vision was continually being impaired by the pouring rain. Still, with all her strength, she vowed to get treatment for her beloved child quickly. There were little or no people in the streets now. They probably followed the advice given to them over the radio. With her oval sapphire eyes, she managed to catch a glimpse of the hospital ahead as she trudged the flooded streets. The brunette was wearily since carrying a 10 years old child was no easy feat. But her motherly love for her child lent additional strength to her legs.
"Jirou, you're going to be fine," she whispered to her child.
"Kaa-san, am I very heavy?" Jirou peered at the little raindrops that were trickling his face, as he forced open his eyes.
"Silly boy, you're not," she assured her child, as she advanced towards the hospital.
"Have I been sleeping all this while? Sorry Kaa-san that you've to carry such a big boy like me…" Jirou asked.
"Yeah, you've been sleeping. You're like the sleeping beauty in the fairytale," she replied as she finally reached the hospital.
Glancing back, she looked at the streets. The whole place was flooded and looked like 'mustard', as the brightly-lit lamps shone at the waters. It was a night when no one should stay out in the streets.
Her mobile phone rang.
"Moshi moshi," she answered the phone.
"Kaa-san, this is Tou-san here," a male voice replied her.
"Oh darling, where are you? I'm worried sick about you," she exclaimed at her husband who was on the opposite line.
"I can't talk much. I'm trapped here," Her husband told her.
"But why? What's happening over there?" she spoke with utmost concern, with tears swelling in her eyes.
"It's coming! That thing…"Her husband sounded frightened.
"What thing?" She asked.
There was no reply. The phone call ended abruptly.
"Was that Tou-san?" Jirou asked curiously, still feeling feverish.
"Yeah, it's your beloved Tou-san," she replied.
"Is he alright? I want to see him," Jirou told his mother.
The brunette couldn't answer that simple question. She didn't know the answer. She hoped that her husband would be alright but that phone conversation a while ago threatened to destroy that hope. With eyes closed, she prayed.
Elsewhere in Tokyo.
"Run… run for your lives! The thing's here!" one of them exclaimed loudly.
Hordes of people were running for their lives. Those once neatly arranged shops along the streets had crumbled into bits. Even those tall skyscrapers were not spared. They fell victim to the 'thing'. Chanel and Prada paper bags were all over the streets. People were running aimlessly, with the intent of escaping only. Everyone was looking about in confusion while buildings collapsed one after another.
Chasing those people was that 'thing'. It had no purpose but to destroy everything within its sight. Nothing was to be spared. It moved with haste and generated an atmosphere of chaos.
That menacing hurricane.
It had already started its move towards Tokyo.