Chapter 5: A Long Walk
Maki ignored the childlike singing from beside her. Even worse than the girl's high-pitched voice, that reminded her too much of all the children she grew up with, were the lyrics. They were overly cheerful and spoke of a magical girl and her friends. It sounded like it came from a children's cartoon or anime series, and had no place on the grim city streets. Thankfully, it only took one sharp look for the smaller girl to be silenced.
Without the singing, there was only that suffocating silence that hung over the city, like heavy clouds rolling in for a storm. Maki was used to silence. It was a part of the job which she was so skilled at. Remaining completely silent while walking down already quiet streets at night time was something of a specialty for her. Which meant this shouldn't have felt much different from usual. And yet, it was. This silence was unnatural. It was the foreboding silence prey would be enveloped in before the predator struck. Maki didn't like being on the receiving end of that. It made her heart beat a little faster, and her limbs felt a little more alive than usual, like she would have to start running for her life at any second.
"Nyeh, Maki…" The taller girl tensed at the sound which pierced the silence like a knife. She was drawn back to reality for a moment. "How do you think Shuichi's doing?" She could detect hesitation in Himiko's voice. Like she was worried… How stupid! Being worried about someone you barely knew!
"Detective boy will be fine," Maki replied without much assurance. She didn't turn, just continued walking. They had been on their journey for fifteen minutes, but it already felt like an hour with such annoying company. According to Shuichi, only about half an hour remained until she would reach his house.
"Detective? Shuichi's a detective?" Himiko gasped. "Nyeh…That's pretty cool…" If Maki had turned, she would have seen a hint of wonder spark in Himiko's dull eyes.
"Cool?" Maki hissed. "Why is that? He might be a detective, but he doesn't know anything. He's just as clueless as everyone else. What use is a detective who can't solve a mystery?" Maki continued with spite. Detectives. All talk and no game. Himiko stopped replying.
Five minutes more, and they had reached the police station again. It stood the same way it had when they left. Maki didn't know what she had expected to see, but this wasn't it. Maybe a suppressed, childlike side of her mind thought the creature would have left a gaping hole or raging fires in its wake. But there was no sign any such thing had ever been there. Maki questioned if it even had, or if it was just a hallucination brought on by the uncertainty of their situation after all.
Maki embraced the silence and deepening shadows of twilight. She became one with them as she crept forward, making no more sound than the air itself. Her feet strategically avoided shards of glass and small pebbles as she glided past the front of the police station smoothly. If anyone had been watching, they would have only seen a shadow swiftly pass the building before disappearing into the darkness between buildings on the other side of the road.
Himiko, on the other hand, was like a bright ball of light in the shadows. She stuck out like a red blotch on an otherwise monochrome landscape. If anyone had been watching, it would be no secret now that the shadow was, in fact, a human, being followed by someone much less skilled in the art of stealth. Maki groaned internally as Himiko's oversized boot hit a rock, skidding it across the pavement with an obvious noise.
All it took was the faintest hint of movement on the other side of the street for Maki to roughly grab Himiko in her strong arms and drag her away. Maki didn't let her legs give up, even with the added ninety-or-so pounds of Himiko, and the sear of lactic acid. She sprinted like her life depended on it, which it might have, for all she knew. That was another specialty of hers. Running. If she had joined the track team at her high school, she would have broken their records, she was sure of it. It's not like any of the average girls she shared classes with would have even compared. They ran for what? Fun? Staying healthy? Maki ran for her survival. That's what gave her the edge she needed over everyone else.
Maki finally slowed once she was over a mile away. It had only been about five minutes. She caught her breath and released the other girl, who let out a giant puff of air as she limply fell to her knees. Her small fingers prodded her own ribcage, and winced once they touched a certain spot. Maki frowned. Perhaps she had held on a bit too tightly. But if she hadn't… there was no telling what would have happened to her. Not that she cared what happened to her immature sidekick.
"What was that for… Maki?" Himiko panted. She pushed herself up using her knees. "Did you see another monster?" Her already large eyes widened.
"No," Maki said. "Gut instinct." She spun on her heels and began walking in the direction they needed to again. Maki knew exactly where their destination was without even typing the address in on her phone's map. She probably knew the streets of Hope City more than anyone. After all, on her… missions… she couldn't carry a map or GPS, much less a phone. It was pure memorization and muscle memory.
Pine Drive, reached in another twenty minutes, was a small road overshadowed by the forest which it took its name from. The aged, gnarled pine trees formed a barrier against the backyards of the average brick and wood houses on one side. The other side of the road was barren and looked over the city, which was now a mere silhouette in the distant gray sky. The entire road smelled faintly of sap and the earthy forest scent.
Maki's eyes eventually found the number which matched the one repeating in her mind. 5373 Pine Drive. Maki stepped onto the front porch, which cracked audibly under her and Himiko's boots. Like no one had walked on it in weeks. She removed the small key from a hidden pocket on her skirt and twisted it in the knob until the door swung open with a creak.
The inside of the house was warm. Cozy, some would call it. It smelled like coffee, dust, and ancient books. Fitting for a detective. It was nearly silent, except for a faint buzzing from somewhere in another room. The sound was a welcome addition nonetheless. A chill snuck in through the open door before Maki slammed it shut, shutting out whatever lurked outside.
They were standing in a small living room. A worn, stained couch sat past a coffee table, covered in various newspapers and empty mugs. On the other side of the coffee table, in front of a large bay window with its burnt orange curtains drawn, was an old-fashioned television. Three doorways led off of the living room to other rooms, which Maki intended to inspect before settling in. She ignored the wooden shoe rack next to the door. There was no need for such formalities now. Not that she would have cared in a stranger's home, anyways.
"Nyeh...Maki! It's dark in here!" Himiko whined. Maki heard a thud as Himiko tripped over her own feet, nearly falling face-first onto the spongy carpet. "Is...is there a lightswitch?" She fumbled along the wall.
Maki's eyes, trained for darkness like this, spotted a lamp sitting on an end table next to the couch. She flicked its switch, bringing the lamp to life, and bathing the room in an orange glow. She could see Himiko cowering with one hand pressed against the slightly peeling wallpaper. A thank you was muttered before the childish girl plopped herself down on the couch. Her small body sunk into the cushions.
Maki drifted from room to room like a ghost. On the left, the kitchen was even smaller than the living room, with the most basic essentials and a tiny pantry off to the side. A simple circular table seemed shoved in as an afterthought, with three chairs surrounding it. Wide windows spanned across the entire back wall, and gave a pleasant view of the forest beyond the house's crumbling wooden fence.
Opposite the kitchen, on the right side of the living room, was a wide opening which contained the stairs and a small bathroom. A closet nearby also held old jackets and shoes. Maki wrinkled her nose at the smell of mothballs. The back door, equipped with a chain lock, led to the backyard.
The room which interested Maki the most, however, was behind a tightly shut door next to the couch. She placed her hand on the black doorknob. Locked, she frowned. She looked over her shoulder at Himiko. The other girl wouldn't give her any thought. Her attention was completely absorbed by the show on the TV, which she had apparently found the remote to. Flashing images of a game show were displayed on the flickering screen.
With one swift, practiced move, Maki pulled the silver hair clip, which she always wore, out of her brown locks, and flipped it to its true form, a lockpick, and twisted it in the keyhole until a satisfying click was heard. She pushed open the door as the hair clip returned to its position on the side of her head.
This room was the darkest of them all. Only a beam of warmth filtered through the crack of an opening Maki had left in the doorway. She didn't need light, though, to see what was inside the office-like room. Tall bookshelves lined as much of the walls as they could, and all of them were packed to the brim with thick books. Maki was able to pick out a few titles she faintly recalled from school or the library. One section was for mystery novels, another for biographies of famous criminals, one more for thesauruses and encyclopedias… Maki ran her slender fingers along their spines, feeling the coarse dips and rises under their tips. When she pulled away, a fine layer of dust had been removed, and now resided on her pale skin. She blew it away.
The only section not crowded with shelves was a medium-sized desk underneath a small, covered window. On top of it was placed a lamp, a bulky desktop computer, and a framed photo. Maki picked up the photo with a careful grasp. It was an intricately designed golden frame, with curving designs of what looked like feathers. The photo itself was of two people: a man and a young boy in front of some building in the city. The boy's hair was dark, especially when compared to his golden eyes. Definitely Shuichi. The man looked similar. His hair was a little more black than blue, and his eyes more hazel than gold, but there was no doubt that he was the uncle Shuichi spoke of. The uncle who was a detective… Detective Saihara… Maki's grip tightened as she remembered the name, sending a tiny crack through one corner of the photograph. She hastily tossed it back onto the desk. Detective Saihara, the man who had caused her so much trouble over the years, with his never ending determination and immense intelligence. He had the rare ability to be one step ahead of everyone, like every action was just a move on a chessboard, and he was a grandmaster.
The anger bubbling beneath Maki's skin dispersed with a knock on the front door. She quickly slipped out of the room and shut the door behind her. Hopefully Shuichi wouldn't try to enter or, at least, would forget it was locked. When she walked past the couch, Himiko looked at her with worry. "Is that Shuichi?" She asked.
"Hopefully," Maki replied curtly. Hopefully for them… Maki slipped her hand under her skirt's waistband, where the reassuring chill of metal met her fingertips. Her other hand turned the doorknob, then swung the door open to greet their visitor. The nervous-looking boy on the other side let out a strangled noise and jumped at the sudden movement. Maki quickly withdrew her hand, empty.
Shuichi was carrying three bags on each arm, laden with boxes and cans of various sizes. He swayed as he was thrown off balance from his previous shock, trying to keep the heavy bags from pulling him down entirely. Maki noticed the layer of sweat which had gathered on his forehead, and the way his breaths were a little too uneven for him to have had an easy walk back.
"I...I'm sorry…" Shuichi said between breaths as a seemingly displeased Maki stared him down from his own doorway. "It's almost eight… I tried making it back as soon as possible, but, uh…" Shuichi looked down at his hands abashedly. "The groceries were kind of heavy…"
Without another word, Maki grabbed the bags from Shuichi's arms and carried them into the house with ease. Shuichi's shoulders slumped from disappointment and shame as he followed the girl inside, shutting and dead-bolting the door behind him. Maki strode into the kitchen and set the groceries on the small table. That was what Shuichi called heavy? Maki stopped a laugh in her throat.
Together, the two unpacked Shuichi's haul. Maki narrowed her eyes at a package of cookies and a bag of chips. Shuichi danced around the question when she asked why he had taken them. Himiko soon poked her head into the kitchen, which meant the cookies were abruptly opened and two were in her mouth before Maki could say another thing. Other than that, Maki was at least a little happy to see bottled water, canned foods, and other items that would last a good amount of time. Not that she wanted to be stuck here for that long.
"Wow, it's already nine…" Shuichi said after everything had been put away in their rightful places. Maki looked up to the simple black and white clock over the sink. Darkness had completely fallen outside, and she didn't like that there were no blinds or curtains on the kitchen windows. She couldn't shake the feeling of being watched from somewhere out there.
"I'm tired…" Himiko yawned when the two returned to the living room. Her show had clearly ended, as a soap drama was now playing out on screen. Shuichi nodded, the familiar feeling of fatigue creeping through his body as well.
"Yeah, it's been a long day," Shuichi said. "I'll sleep in my own room. It's the smallest anyways. That leaves my uncle's bedroom and the guest bedroom. I guess it doesn't matter who sleeps where." He looked between the two girls.
"I'll take your uncle's room," Maki said a bit too quickly. Shuichi raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything else.
"The guest bedroom is the first on the right. The bathroom is right after it," Shuichi told Himiko. She nodded before slowly pushing herself out of the couch and trudging up the stairs. "My uncle's room is the only door on the left," he told Maki.
Before she could follow Himiko up the stairs, Shuichi called out for her to wait. "Um…" He started uncertainly. "If we were to find other people, what would we do?" His eyes fell on the girl, and noticed her inquisitive look.
Maki paused before answering. "We'd have to question them, first of all. But no matter what, we couldn't trust them. I don't even trust you two. It's dangerous to get too close to those you don't know. You never know what people are capable of." With that, Maki disappeared up the stairs.
After turning off the television and the lamp, Shuichi climbed the dark stairs. Maki's words resonated within him ominously. None of them could shake the feeling that the other two were hiding information. Either about themselves or how much they knew. How long would it be before they were betrayed? Shuichi could only wonder as he fell asleep in mere seconds.