Cries of Summer: The Evil That Men Do
Outskirts of Hinamizawa, Saturday, June 18th, 1983. 9:30 pm.
Detectives Katsuya Kumagai and Satoshi Komiyama were ordered back to the Okinomiya Police Department to gather additional resources.
Namely, enough personnel to launch a manhunt for at least two serial killers in the area!
The seasoned detectives still felt nauseous after witnessing the sheer brutality that been enacted on those poor souls!
Well, except for two of them.
Teppei Hojo was an abusive bastard of an uncle, and Rina Mamiya was a heartless con-woman, so the detectives felt no sympathy for their passing.
"Those two were going to kick the bucket one way or another. I'm surprised the Sonozakis didn't whack them sooner."
Kumagai spoke as he navigated the nighttime country roads.
"You think they ordered the hit on the wedding?"
"No, you gotta be pretty powerful to mess with the Ushiromiyas. Compared to them, the Sonozakis are only a step up from those biker punks in Okinomiya. Whoever did it must be either well-connected or insane!"
Komiyama suddenly gulped!
"Speaking of insane…"
Kumagai screeched to a halt as they stumbled upon the shot-up ruins of a police car!
The detectives cautiously approached the scene with guns drawn!
Kumagai checked the patrol cruiser with two dead policemen lying inside.
"It's Suzuki and Kawamura. The carjacker's gone."
"Sir!Volkswagen van, just like the one at the crime scene!"
Komiyama whispered as he pointed further up the road!
Kumagai rushed to his partner's aid!
The sleuths moved closer to the familiar vehicle and saw a sight they hoped they'd never see again!
Behind the van laid a pair of grey-clad construction workers, utterly dismembered!
"Auauau…"
Someone whimpered from within the van!
Kumagai carefully opened the door with his revolver drawn!
He paused when he saw the heartbreaking sight!
In the van sat a young girl in a priestess outfit, with what appeared to be toy horns on her head.
Her outfit was splattered with blood, and she was visibly shaken by whatever she saw!
"Don't worry, you're safe now!"
Kumagai wrapped her in his suit jacket and carried her out of the van.
"Komiyama, you and I are going to bring her to the clinic and warn everyone there!"
"What about reinforcements?!"
"It can wait! She takes priority!"
The detectives raced back to their car with the girl in tow.
Unknown to them, a masked figure slipped out of his hiding place from beneath the van and drove after them, keeping his lights off!
Another masked figure saw the vehicle depart and decided to follow!
Behind him, he left four more corpses in his wake…
Irie Clinic, around the same time…
"What do you mean the entire Hibari unit has been wiped out?!"
"All remaining Hibari squad members have been eliminated by the hostiles. Excluding the now-deceased Roy Burns, we believe there might be at least two more of them. Major, I highly suggest we call in the Ban-"
The Major grabbed Okonogi by the collar and reprimanded him.
"I told you to wait until the festival! But no, you just had to send squad after squad into the meat grinder!"
"We were investigating a leak! Someone tipped off those United Red Army 'poachers' on Friday morning! What is there to hunt in that godforsaken swamp?!"
"You should have thought of that first! Now the FBI and CIA are breathing down our necks after their man wound up dead! If every three-letter organization in the world won't devour us first, Nomura and her goons will!"
Okonogi quieted down and conceded.
"Fine. We'll stick to the shadows, let the police and the Sonozakis do whatever they want, and supposing the festival carries on as usual, we'll use you as bait to trap them. Don't blame me if your head ends up on a pike!"
The Major huffed.
"If my head does end up on a pike, Captain, I'm certain your demise will be far more painful!"
Above ground, in Rena's room, Dr. Loomis related his melancholy tale to his new companions.
"The man with the blue mechanic's overalls and the Captain Kirk mask you saw earlier today was once my patient, Rena. His name was Michael Myers. Twenty years ago, on Halloween night, he stabbed his own sister, Judith Myers, to death. He was only six years old at the time."
Shocked gasps could be heard from the Game Club and their friends.
"Six?! What kind of six-year-old does that?!"
Keiichi shouted in indignation.
"What happened to his parents?"
Rena asked.
"They surrendered him to the Sanitarium where I worked. Years later, they died in a car accident. The police think it might have been a suicide. After what happened, I don't blame them."
Loomis continued.
"I tried to cure him for the next eight years. Eventually, I realized that what I was dealing with was pure and simple evil. He no longer had a conscience, nor feelings, only an animalistic instinct to kill. No, even animals kill to survive. Michael killed simply because he could."
"When you said you faced the Devil himself, you meant-"
"Yes, Shion. Five years ago, he broke out of the Sanitarium and fled back to his old home. He killed four other people in the process, three of them only slightly older than most of you here. He was about to take his fifth victim when I intervened and shot him six times."
"But how can he still be alive after that?!"
"Like I said, Battler. Whatever Michael is, he abandoned his humanity long ago."
"How did he get to Japan?"
Mion asked.
Loomis looked around to see if Beatrice or Agent Fraser were still lingering around.
"The American agent I argued with earlier, he sent Michael here after I left."
"Are you kidding me?! Why the hell would they do that?!"
"I volunteered to help them arrest Roy on the condition that Michael be sent to a more secure facility. However, it appears the KGB has taken an interest in your village, and he made an 'off-the-books detour.'"
Loomis said with obvious disgust and shame at having accepted such a shady deal.
"Hang on. You mean to tell us that the American government sent a highly dangerous serial killer on an assassination mission? And what would the Soviet Union want with Hinamizawa anyway?"
Battler questioned Loomis.
"Actually, there is a good reason."
Kasai suddenly spoke up.
"Before his death, Mifune smuggled arms from Southeast Asia. Most of his weapons were seized from stockpiles belonging to Communist rebels in the Philippines, which were then resold to his middlemen in Indonesia."
"And Granny allowed this?!"
Shion angrily shouted.
"Our family encouraged him to legitimize because we feared such dealings might land us in more danger than we already had from these mysterious deaths and disappearances. He stormed out of the last meeting, ranting about how we were shortsighted fools."
"And now he's dead, and we all have to pay for it."
Oishi announced as he entered the room.
"Detective."
"Dr. Loomis. I can see you decided to jump right into the wolves' den."
Shion and Mion growled at the jibe, but Loomis stopped them from going any further.
"I know you have your grudge against the Sonozakis, Detective. But believe me when I say that right now, the survival of everyone in this village will depend on our mutual cooperation."
"I've faced my fair share of madmen with knives, Doctor. Your ghost stories don't scare me."
"Michael Myers is no mere madman! He is a resourceful and cunning predator! If you don't tread carefully, you'll end up his prey!"
Oishi smirked.
"And you're calling me out for harboring a grudge?"
"Oishi-san!"
Akasaka burst into the room.
"Someone shot up Suzuki and Kawamura's car! They're both dead!"
"What?! Where's the suspect?!"
"He escaped. Kumagai and Komiyama called it in. They also found-"
Right on cue, Kumagai and Komiyama burst through the doors, wheeling the girl they found on a gurney!
Rika's eyes widened as she recognized who the bloodied girl was!
"HANYUUUU!"
Okinomiya, Sunday, June 19th, 1983, 9:00 AM…
After a night at a safe house and a change into civilian clothes, Amakusa introduced his new Russian friends to Angel Mort!
"Just so you know, it's known for its… peculiar taste."
"Good coffee's supposed to have a peculiar taste."
"I'm not talking about the coffee…"
The group entered and were greeted by the waitresses, who wore revealing uniforms.
"Welcome!"
"[Are you sure this is a cafe and not a brothel?]"
Ivan whispered to Boris in Russian.
Boris cleared his throat to shut up Ivan.
He scanned the room and saw two Western gentlemen sitting in the corner.
"We'll sit with them."
Amakusa translated for the staff, who graciously showed the four men to the booth.
After placing their orders and a round of coffee and tea, one of the other men spoke up.
"Hell of a place to have a meeting."
"It was the kid's suggestion, Russell. Honestly, I can't blame him."
Amakusa stared indignantly at Boris for a second.
"Ryu, this is our American friend, Russell, and our British friend, Christopher."
Amakusa looked confused.
"Aren't you enemies?"
He whispered in English.
"Not when we have a mutual goal."
Boris answered.
"And especially when it concerns a former enemy."
Russell chimed.
"You mean the former enemy you hired."
Vadim snarked.
"Gentlemen, I think we can agree that we're all guilty on that count."
Christopher calmly sipped his tea after defusing any further arguments.
Russell glanced at Amakusa.
"This the asset?"
"The last one. The other two disappeared. Any idea why?"
"That would be our asset. We had to get your attention somehow."
Amakusa tried to stifle his rage against the American agent.
"So you're the reason why half the local Militsiya were on our trail. A simple coded message would've sufficed."
"And then his friends would've shot you on sight, 'Robert.' We had to distract them. I'd say a madman in a mask is good enough."
"Why did you invite the doctor?"
"To get Mr. Bond over here on board."
"Dr. Samuel Loomis holds dual Anglo-American citizenship. He has a bit of a…"
Christopher struggled to find the right word to describe Loomis's latest obsession.
"…checkered past when it comes to knife-wielding maniacs."
"More like a checkered present."
Ivan snarked in English, for once.
Boris once again cleared his throat.
"Anyways, now that we've all gathered here, what do you have to tell us? Give us a reason why we're not trying to splash hot coffee into each other's faces right now!"
Russell sighed.
"That quaint little village you Reds just visited? Tokyo's latest science project. Imagine a localized virus that drives its host into a murderous rage at the slightest hint of stress. Now imagine if you could synthesize that into a liquid and mass-produce it."
Amakusa attempted to reach for a butter knife before Boris snatched it from his grasp!
"You mean to tell us that those deaths and disappearances around Hinamizawa were not the work of organized crime exaggerated by local superstition?"
"No, there is a Yakuza family in the village, but they pale in comparison to the monsters that actually run the place. These cretins should have died 38 years ago, but Uncle Sam and Uncle Joe needed the wonder weapons. By the way, nice job picking up the wrong pup."
Amakusa barely had a moment to react before Boris held the knife at his throat!
"Oh, I knew he wasn't our man. I just appreciated the balls he had to actually lie to our faces."
Amakusa looked at the man holding him at knife-point!
"You knew?!"
"I'd be back in Moscow if I weren't. You boys have very poor encryption. I suppose you got it from him."
Russell smirked at the jab.
"Before you kill me, I should tell you about the gas."
The other four agents slowly lowered their beverages, trying not to raise alarm.
"You mean the VX gas your fascist bosses are going to use to cover up their crimes? Our assets already informed us of that!"
Amakusa grinned.
"They told us it was VX, but who knows? It could be your 'wonder weapon.'"
"They wouldn't… Would they?!"
Ivan spoke in a shocked tone.
"You're talking to the country that crashes its burning planes into their enemies."
Russell irreverently stated.
"I know where it's located. Yagouchi, it's a quarry surrounded by an old farming project in the woods near Hinamizawa."
Boris lowered the knife.
A waitress was approaching with their breakfast orders, not to mention a steady stream of customers at the front door.
"You're lucky those girls are here."
Boris whispered under his breath.
"Good morning, gentlemen. Here are your pastries."
The waitress delivered a strawberry cheesecake slice for Russell, a raspberry Danish for Christopher, a Zeppola for Ivan, an apple strudel for Vadim, and a chocolate-coated Zefir for Boris.
Amakusa settled for a simple croissant.
"Didn't expect you comrades to have decadent tastes."
Russell joked.
"Acting has its advantages, my capitalist friend."
Boris replied.
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what is your name?"
Christopher suddenly spoke in fluent Japanese.
The black-haired waitress smiled at him and replied,
"Lucy. It's short for Lucifer."
Mildly surprised, Christopher smiled back.
"That's funny, my friends call me Dracula."
He bit into his raspberry Danish, causing some red filling to dribble from his mouth.
The waitress giggled and left the table.
Christopher eyed the waitress as she walked around the cafe.
"Lucy. What a lovely name."
Russell snickered.
"Dracula? I know you look like Christopher Lee and all, but really?! Pathetic!"
"[You assume he ever had a chance in the first place.]"
Ivan spoke in Russian once more, but Boris let it slide since the entire group found it funny.
Amakusa laughed alongside the group, as if they didn't try to kill him earlier.
Unknown to the group, Lucy left the cafe and spoke to a familiar figure.
"They are meeting as you anticipated, Master Beatrice."
"Good. Keep an eye on them for now, Lucifer. I shall summon you when preparations at the village are complete. In the meantime, try to keep a low profile. If you encounter their agents, dispose of them as efficiently as possible."
Lucy frowned slightly.
As she walked, she approached a man on a bench who had been taking pictures of the cafe with a small camera, while pretending to read a news magazine.
She remembered the man from yesterday morning when that old doctor visited and spoke to her coworker.
A few seconds later, some customers in the cafe could see a brief flash of purple light.
Lucy walked away briskly with a smile on her lips.
THUD!
"AAAAAAAAH!"
Minutes later, a pedestrian screamed upon discovering the bisected corpse that now sat on the bench!
The commotion spread back to Angel Mort, which was forced to evacuate its premises!
The intelligence agents, who had luckily finished their pastries, blended in with the crowd.
But even hardened spies such as them were aghast at the cameraman's state.
Resisting the urge to vomit, Boris voiced his suspicions.
"Another one of your assets, Russell?"
"No. They prefer to work at night. Must be someone else's."
Russell grunted in annoyance and parted ways with the other agents.
A while later, he reached a payphone.
"White Mask might be compromised. Joe Steel and John Bull have eyes on the package."
"Do whatever it takes to get it, even if you have to 'save' the village."
Russell smirked as the superior hanged up.
He chuckled as his ploy to draw in the KGB and MI6 was a complete success!
"Destroy the village to save it."
He lit another cigarette, fondly remembering his service during the Vietnam War.
Back then, he was Master Sergeant Sam Harper, or "Uncle Sam," as some of the privates nicknamed him.
He made a mental note to shoot whoever thought "Gordon Russell" was a good alias.
At the time, he was tasked with "saving" villages from Communist guerillas, though they were hardly intact once the fighting had ended.
Then the friendly-fire incident happened.
"Ah, the evil that men do."
He exhaled a puff of smoke, which complemented his demonic grin.
To be continued…