Chapter 2 – Apex Predator
West Timor – March 1942
Contrary to intelligence report, the enemy-held village was undefended and abandoned. Yet evidence of former presence of the Australian Army was overwhelming. Shells laid ready next to cannons. Cans of food were untouched in the kitchen. The combat vehicles were close to fully fuelled.
General Imamura was wary. What happened here? Where was the enemy? He kept his worries to himself as he did not want to demoralise his men. He also did not reveal the early discovery of the mutilated Australian bodies to them. Despite his orders to stay alert, his riflemen were looting the village of food.
Gesturing to his fellow assassins, Kawaguchi split his team up. They would search for clues across the village. They were to keep their weapons ready. The mysterious enemy was still out there.
After searching three huts, Kawaguchi approached a medical tent. The Japanese soldiers stationed outside the camp assured the approaching Assassin that the tent was empty, but he ignored them. They were just amateurs looking for a quick rest, rather than searching for an immediate threat. Kawaguchi would only trust his own senses.
Entering the tent, the stench of blood invaded his nostrils. Many Allied soldiers probably died on the treatment table. Yet there was a weird smell. Kawaguchi could pick out the scent of charred flesh that was once present here. Scanning around, he noted burnt and ripped articles of clothing. The medical supplies were scattered on the floor, as if treatment of wounds were done by a disorganised medical team.
He flung the doors of the medical cabinet open. A blonde woman fell out, screaming. The guarding Japanese soldiers rushed in with their Arisaka rifles ready. The dishevelled lady clutched a medical scalpel, and swung it wildly. With a swift flick of his hand, Kawaguchi disarmed and floored her. She did not stop screaming throughout.
The Japanese soldiers entered the camp, rushed towards her and shouted instructions in Japanese. This distressed her even more, and she struggled more vigourously against Kawaguchi's iron-like grip. Kawaguchi waved at the soldiers to lower their weapons.
"You will not be harmed," Kawaguchi assured her, surprising everyone that he spoke English. His captive calmed down.
"What will you do to me? It's still out there," the captive strained her crazed voice. Kawaguchi asked for clarity.
"We couldn't see it, but it's out there. It was picking us off," she stammered. The assassin corrected her, emphasising that she "did not" rather than "could not". She shook her head, stating that the mysterious monster was invisible.
A worried frown broke over Kawaguchi's face. He quickly instructed one of the soldiers to call General Imamura over.
"What do you mean it's invisible?" It was the general's turn to frown. "You mean it's well-camouflaged?"
The blonde woman shook her head. "We could barely see it; like when light was refracted as it moved."
As the official translator struggled with the word "refracted", the assassins were at work. Kawaguchi pointed at the victims in the medical tent as his subordinates chimed in.
Nakata was the first to give his opinion. The judging from the lack of cartridges, this mysterious monster did not use fire arms. The charred marks from the wreckage of the interior of the tent indicated the use of a modified flamethrower.
Fuga added next. He noted that some of the bodies were missing skulls, indicating that the assailant was probably a trophy hunter. As established earlier, the wounds indicated that the assailant used jagged blades.
Now it was Kawaguchi's time to speak. He pointed out those similar scorched marks that had pierced the canvas of the tent. Such a long-ranged flamethrower did not exist, at least to his knowledge. The spread of the charring was small, indicating that the flames had high precision.
Bullet holes seemed to pepper randomly around the tent. This hinted that the Allied soldiers did not (or could not) see their assailant and spread their shots in attempt to hit their enemy. This confirmed their captive's testimony.
A burst of laughter among the regular riflemen interrupted the serious discussion. Apparently, the soldiers scoffed at the notion of an invisible enemy. The captive continued weeping. It took a harsh reprimand from General Imamura to halt them. He signalled for Kawaguchi to come over.
"She is telling the truth," Kawaguchi began.
"I concur. There is an invisible enemy here, and it is neither from the Allied side nor ours," the general continued stoically. "How we find an invisible entity?"
"We don't. We set a trap."
Author's note:
Contrary to popular belief, the Imperial Japanese Army is not made up of incompetency. Their light infantry tactics was one of the best in the world at that time. In the next chapter we will see how they do against the new mysterious entity.