The cab rolled to a stop on the dusty streets, rotting leaves brushing against the tires as the wind pushed them down the gravel. A man stepped from the back of the cab, his arms wrapped tightly around his waist as he shivered from head to toe. He was a tall and slender man with dark eyes and short black hair tied back into short ponytail. He reached deep into his pocket, pulling out several dollars and handing it to the man in the front of the cab. As he moved around the back of the compact car, he pushed against the trunk watching as it clicked open. Clenching his grey suitcase, he drew it swiftly onto the sidewalk as his other hand slammed the trunk shut. Giving the driver a polite nod, he strode onto the sidewalk with the suitcase dragging at his side.
His eyes traveled over the buildings around him, none of them being more than a few stories high, a considerable difference from the towering skyscrapers of Tokyo. The cool breeze moved up through his sweater, sending shivers up his spine. He hurried quickly to the glass doors of the building in front of him. As he stepped over the threshold into the warm lobby of the large three story inn, his nostrils filled with the smell of bubbling coffee.
Moving slowly to the counter, he smiled appreciatively at the old woman sitting behind the desk, a black coffee maker sitting beside her right hand. He slid up to the counter, the wheels of his suitcase creaking loudly as he moved toward her.
The woman looked up at him slowly, her eyes glittering in the light of the old chandelier above her head.
"I have reservations". He said smoothly as she nodded glancing down at the book on the counter in front of her. "Under Miroku". He said as she found the name smiling brightly back at him.
Spinning in her chair, she clenched a key from a cabinet behind the desk as she spoke softly. "In town for buisness"?
"Yes." Miroku said eyeing the bubbling coffee in the glass container beside him.
"You can have some if you like". The woman said following his eyes as he nodded quickly. Placing the key on the counter, she watched Miroku eagerly pour himself a cup of coffee in a small paper cup.
"There's breakfast served every morning in the dining hall, and it starts at seven o'clock". The woman said as Miroku blew on the coffee quickly before raising it to his lips.
"Thank you very much". Miroku said, his hand closed around the key as he stepped away from the counter. Turning to the staircase in the left side of the lobby, Miroku wheeled his suitcase slowly behind him. As he climbed up the stairs to the second floor, his eyes moved over the many doors lining the halls. Glancing down at the key in his palm, his eyes moved up and down the signs hanging above each of the doors. Finding the room 15B, he slid the end of the key into the hole listening to the sound of the tumblers inside.
Pushing hard on the door, his eyes moved over the dimly lit room; the small bed, the flowers on the nightstand, the desk and the bathroom behind the door. Leaning his suitcase against the wall, he curled the key in his hand as his eyes moved over the lime green wallpaper. Walking slowly over to the bed, he dropped the keys on the nightstand as his eyes turned to the small balcony on the opposite end glass doors.
On the opposite end of the glass, the street lamps were starting to illuminate in the quiet streets. The whistling of the wind and crackling of leaves was the only sound he could pick up for miles. It was official, he was definitely not in Tokyo anymore.
His skin pricked as the cool breeze blew in through the window, sending the lace curtains floating silently into the air. He walked over to the window, his hand closing on the latch as he pulled the glass slowly shut. Turning on his heel, he walked back to his suitcase, grabbing the handle and throwing it gracefully onto his bed. As he pulled clothes and his laptop from the deepness of the suitcase, an eerie chill passed over him. Eyes darting around, he froze as the light on the desk flickered slightly.
Turning to make sure the door was locked, he slid into the bathroom, flicking on the light from over his shoulder. He pulled off his trench coat, letting it fall to the floor as his hands closed on the hem of his sweater. As he undressed in the small bathroom, his eyes checked over his shoulder cautiously every few moments. Turning on the faucet, he walked slowly back into the room, staring at the coffee cup on its side on the surface of the desk.
"What the"? He muttered, eyes flashing to the locked window and then back to the overturned cup.
Shaking his head, he walked back into the bathroom, sliding off his trousers as he climbed into the warm water. As he sunk lower into the tub, his eyes shut as the soapy water moved over his skin. He opened his eyes slowly, staring at his scarred knees as his hands laid on the rim of the tub.
After cleaning himself off with the small shell shaped soap, Miroku wrapped a towel around his waist as he walked back into the room. Pulling on a pair of pants, he sat down at the desk drumming his fingers on the wooden surface. Taking the small, red notebook from his suitcase, he leaned back on the chair staring blankly at the ceiling. As his mind drifted from thought to thought, he began to think of why it is he came to this small town.
He was given this assignment because it seemed the most strange; over a period of three months, there had been over twenty murders all of which were stranger than the last. Most of the slayings occured at night which would make one believe thieves were involved, but all the victims still had their wallets and other personal items with them after their deaths. There was also the lack of blood that could not be explained. All of the victims were killed in brutal ways, whether it be their throats slit or stabbed or such else, but no blood was ever found around their bodies. It was very strange indeed and maybe that was what prompted him to accept.
As he bit down on the end of his pen, his ears trained to listen to the voices coming from the other room. Feeling his eyes begin to burn with fatigue, Miroku shut off the lamp as he glided into the small double bed. Laying down on the soft pillow, his eyes shut heavily as the noises of the outside world faded into the back of his mind.