When Leah finally got the all clear on her credit cards, ID and papers, she was beyond relieved. She decided to use her day to do some much needed shopping. She needed some shampoo, conditioner, soap, clothes and many more things like bedding, a table and maybe even a book or two...or five. She liked literature. Her father in her past life hadn't liked the idea of her learning to read. He thought it made her unapproachable. He was right sadly. Leah called a friend and was walking with her down the street. Her Japanese wasn't very good. Last time she was in Japan, she was smuggling out Christians in the Edo era.

"So? What do you need?" Satako asked in English. God bless her for it.

"I need shampoo and conditioner. How do you say that?"

"Shampoo and conditioner but in an accent."

"That's good. Two less words to learn."

"We also need to restock you refrigerator. I saw it. Empty. What do you eat?"

Leah shrugged, lying as easily as she breathed. "I'm eating mostly fruit and vegetables. Sometimes I buy eggs and maybe some chicken. Nothing fancy."

"So boring! I'll have to invite you over to have a hearty Japanese meal."

"Sounds great," Leah laughed but inside she tensed. She needed to change the subject before Satako tried to schedule something that involved consuming food. "Where are we going?"

"Uhm...we could go to Haido Shopping Center and do our shopping there."

"It's open this late?"

"Twenty-four hours."

"How do you say twenty-four hours?"

"Nijūyon jikan."

"Got it."

Upon entering the center, Leah and Satako went to the elevators. They deserved a break after walking several miles from where she parked her new bike and where Satako parked her tiny smart car. The elevator opened its doors and the patrons inside left. Both went in and so did a few other people. Various floor buttons were pushed upon entering. Leah only needed to get to the second floor. The floor was wide with a supermarket dominating most of the space and smaller stores around the area. Leah followed Satako to the supermarket, passing by a few stores.

"And today's been a pretty goo-...Mei? Something wrong? A candy store?"

Leah went in the store to see various sweets displayed. Ila, Raj, Avanti and Jaya would love some of this made-from-scratch candy. After all, she hadn't visited or spoken to them in a month. She wasn't supposed to have any outside contact with any previous relations, but she didn't care. She was their Naanii. Being there for her grandchildren was more important than hiding from a disgruntled Alpha.

"Uhm, the supermarket has a snacks aisle."

"Are these traditional Japanese candies?" Leah pointed out a section where they had all the traditional candies. She took a closer look.

"Ah, I remember eating this one all the time!" Satako picked up dried squid in vinegar.

Leah made a face.

"I like tangy and sour stuff. I wonder if it's still the same."

Leah shrugged and grabbed a pack for each child then looked at the other snacks. Leah picked up a thin plastic package. "Neri ame? What's that?"

"It's liquid candy you mix with the chopsticks. It tastes pretty good actually. Uhm, I think you have enough now. You have so much candy."

"Ah. Sorry. Grand...I mean, godchildren. I'm always sending them things."

They moved over to the checkout area, and Leah put the candy on the counter. When she handed him her credit card, he looked puzzled. Of course he did. She was a Jew with a Chinese name. He asked for her license, and she showed it to him as proof that, yes, that was her name. As they walked out, Leah began popping in and out of various stores to get what she needed. When they went to the food section, Satako took over.

"So," she asked. "What's with the name? I mean, Mei Xiang is a Chinese name and you're..."

"Israeli. Yeah, I was adopted when I was four," she lied as easily as she breathed. She didn't enjoy it, but it had to be done to protect Leah and everyone around her. "My parents were killed."

"In the Palestinian conflict?"

"Plane crash."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was a long time ago. I love my adoptive parents. They're why I got to live in the United States for so many years."

The dank stench of stale cigarettes and smog filled his nostrils. The fluorescent, blinking lights of the Ikebukuro businesses cast strange shadows on the streets as cars and zombies passed by. Adam really hated Japan. Really, he hated anywhere there was a shit ton of zombies. That's probably why Leah chose to hide here in the first place. She was smart. Adam watched a couple walk by holding hands and giggling like the zombies they were. There was one good thing about Japan. Well, maybe two. One: there was a taboo concerning public displays of affection. No having to see reminders that he was...was alone. Adam pushed past that thought. Everything dies. He would make that fact very concrete soon. Two: a Jewish Nistarim stuck out like a bloody sore thumb in a country full of Japanese zombies.

He strolled down the street, but then he stopped. The khopesh. It was humming like a swarm of angry hornets in his jacket sleeve. It made his arm itch. There was something nearby. Something Holy. Now, this something could be almost anything. It could be a missionary being protected by God's grace, an angel, a prophet or maybe...Leah. Adam started looking around. The humming was getting weaker as he walked down the street, so he made a beeline across the street and started heading uptown. He stayed close to the buildings where the shadows were darkest. Even with the glasses, the lights were fucking killing him.

That's when he saw it. Saw her. There was a tall and busty Nistarim with long, coarse black hair up in a bun. She was wearing thick hipster glasses and had on jeans and some tshirt with a band name on it. He watched her pulling out a black Kawasaki Ninja 14R motorbike. He clutched the khopesh, and then he felt it. The rage. He felt like his heart was being kick started again, and his body felt like it was dripping with adrenaline and testosterone. Like a fucking zombie caveman. He wanted to gut that bitch like the pig she was. He started jogging forward, watching her even through the crowd. His nose was locked onto her scent. She wasn't getting away from him. She would pay for what she did to him...to Eve.

As soon as she was speeding down the road, Adam became a blur. He kept up with her until she got on a busy highway. Then he jumped on a catering company van. He rode it until they got to a stop. That's when she spotted him. Her eyes widened, and she locked her joints. Good. The bitch was scared of him. She needed to be…no, she deserved to be. He let the black khopesh slide out of his sleeve, and her complexion went white. The big God-green eyes were horrified. Adam actually grinned for the first time in a very long time. It felt awkward but right...like the first time he slept with his wife, Eve. He killed both his loves. Both were named Eve. He was twisted that way.

When the light turned, Leah shot forward like a bat out of hell. Adam chuckled and readied himself to pounce in a cat-like stance. There was a bridge up ahead, and he intended to put it to good use. It would be better than anyone could fathom. As soon as the truck gained on her on the bridge, Adam jumped. He grabbed her upon impact, rebelling in the crunching sound her pretty ribs made. She gasped, and Adam heard cars swearing and tires screeching while horns blared. When he saw the water coming he snapped Leah's neck so she wouldn't be able to struggle against him long enough that he could get her to his hideout.

He heard her yelp when the bones snapped, and then she went limp in his arms. As they fell, Adam looked at Leah as he tucked her head into his arm. Her eyes were half-lidded, but he could easily tell she wasn't there. Those God-green eyes sent a shock through his spine even today after having seen it so many times. It was like his curse…his punishment, never ended.

Upon impact, Adam felt himself beginning to sink into the icy saltwater. He waited until he hit the bottom and started swimming. He wrapped Leah's arms around his neck and made his way towards the harbor where he kept himself holed up. Upon reaching the dock, he tossed Leah up onto the dock. She hit the wood with a dull thud and rolled onto her side slightly. Her eyelids were fluttering. Shit. She was coming to. Adam hauled himself up onto the dock and hefted Leah over his shoulder with a grunt.

Adam made sure no one was around when he boarded the yacht of one of his victims. That was where everything would go down. There, he would torture and drain Leah, and then he'd cut her into little bits and watch the sharks devour her. It would be a gorgeous death. One worthy of a fucking novel. A story of poetic justice and revenge for the love and life that Leah took from him.

Without Eve, he was nothing. Leah would be nothing too.