Dawn of Terror
Chapter 21: Take-over
Kai lifted his head from the desk, the sound of drums growing in his head. "Headache," he growled, reaching for the pills in the desk drawer.
He paused. That noise wasn't in his head. It was real, the pounding of drums growing steadily closer. He stood up. "What the hell..."
Mariah barged into the room, the door swinging back and hitting the wall. "Master Kai! Its the army, the army's coming, whatever shall we do?!"
The woman hopped about the room furiously, rambling on and on excitedly. Kai grabbed her shoulders. "Mariah! Calm down! Now, what is going on?!"
The pink-haired neko-jin took a deep breath, then said, rather quickly, "It's the army, Sir. The army is marching through town."
Kai thought his heart stopped. "What?! The army- oh shit!"
He grabbed Mariah's hand, dragging her along behind him as he fled the room. In his other hand, he had the paper. He drug her to the back stairs, then shoved the paper in her face. "Read that! Read it!"
He shaking badly and he knew it. The army was coming and if what the paper said was true...This would be the end of it all. Mariah dropped the paper, looking up at her Master. "Is it true? They're going to kill us?"
Kai swallowed. "I don't know, Mariah. I don't know, but I don't want to find out. Go into the cellar and stay there. Hide."
He glanced around. "I...I'll go find R-..the others," he finished weakly.
Mariah didn't catch the blunder, too frightened by this sudden twist. She dashed, well hobbled-dashed, down the stairs. Kai passed her, dashing onto the main floor. "Li!" he shouted, wishing that the house had been very small.
Ths mansion would take a long time to search and there wasn't that much time left. The bluenette ran smack-dab into Tyson, who smiled up at him. "'ello, Hiwatari-sama. What's the rush?"
Kai couldn't find words to explain himself. "Army...neko-jins..."
"There's an army of neko-jins?" Tyson asked, looking quite confused.
Kai shook his head. "I'll explain later. Help me find Rei."
Tyson smiled. "Rei's out in the garden with Li and Kevin."
"The garden?! They're outside?!"
Panic filled Kai. Outside was probably the most dangerous place for the neko-jins...
Tyson frowned. "Hiwatari-sama, what's with the drums?"
Kai opened his eyes. "Drums? Drums...oh no..."
There was a loud drum roll and a yell from the garden. Kai felt his heart sink...
~*~*
Mariah huddled in the dank basement, wedged between old boxes and dusty burlap sacks filled with potatoes. She shivered, despite the humidity in the basement. Where was Kai and the others? She shuddered again.
Kai should have found them by now, no matter where they were. What had happened to them? She tried to suppress all the dark, brooding thoughts that came to mind. She sat on the cold, hard floor, waiting. As she waited, her ears twitched and she noticed something different. The drums had stopped.
She swallowed hard and looked towards the door. They were here.
~*~*
Li stood in front of the other two neko-jins, teeth bared, hissing at the army. Rei was holding Kevin back with one hand, the other on Li's shoulder.
Two of the soldiers had their guns trained on the neko-jins. A blonde man in armour stood to the side, looking over the situation. He was Enrique, new Emperor of the land.
Kevin clung to Rei's hand, terrified of the army. He'd been to the camps once and he didn't want to go back again. No, he didn't ever want to revisit the horrible place of death and terror. He shuddered.
Enrique smiled slightly. "Well, well. There's three right here, under our noses. You there!"
He glared at the right wing of the troops. "March inside and see who else you can find! Bring any neko-jins and any boys you find out here!"
The soldiers saluted and dashed inside. About two minutes later, Kai arrived in the garden from the back, eyes wide. He glared at Enrique. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Enrique smiled. "Ah, Master Hiwatari. So nice of you to join us."
Kai threw a hurried glance at the three neko-jins to make sure they hadn't been harmed. Rei looked back at him, eyes full of hope. Kai turned back to Enrique. "You don't have permission to be here," the bluenette growled.
Enrique laughed. "Hiwatari, I thought you had more sense than that."
His eyes narrowed. "I am the Emperor - I go where I please. You cannot stop me."
Kai glared back. "This is private property. I thought you had more respect for people's possessions."
Enrique just shook his head. "Ah. My grandfather would say that you are just like General Hiwatari,Kai."
Kai snorted. "I am much different than him."
Enrique smiled. "Hnn. Are you indeed? Tell me then, would you not like to hold the same rank as he? To prove you are capable of commanding men as he did?"
Kai glowered. "What are you getting at?"
Enrique smiled. "Why, just that. Wouldn't you like to be a general, Kai Hiwatari? I am offering you the position. Do you accept?"
Kai blinked in surprise. To command and army...That would put him equal with his Grandfather, earn him the respect the older man had when he'd been alive. Kai glanced back at the three neko-jins. Rei looked at him, terrified.
Kai glanced back at Enrique, who held out his hand. "Join our cause, Kai. You know just as well as I that you want to be feared like your grandfather."
Kai sighed and looked at the ground. He knew he wanted to be powerful...He had also promised himself he wouldn't join this crusade. "Kai..."
He looked up, at Rei. The neko-jin looked sadly at him. "You-"
A shot went off. Rei shut up quickly, cowering behind Li. Kai glared at Enrique. "I'll join you," he growled. "Just don't kill them."
Enrique raised an eyebrow. "That will be my decision, Hiwatari."
Kai gritted his teeth, then looked apologetically at Rei. The neko-jin took a deep breath and looked away. A tense moment passed, as Enrique considered what to do with the neko-jins. At that instant, the soldier's he'd sent inside returned, marching Mariah, Tyson and Tala with them.
Enrique's lip curled up into a sneer as his eyes fell upon the neko-jin. One of the soldiers looked at the Emperor. "Shoot her?" he asked, raising his rifle.
Enrique smirked. "No. Let's have Hiwatari shoot her."
The blonde plucked the rifle from the soldier's hands, throwing it to Kai. He smirked. "Go on, Hiwatari. Show us whose side you're really on."
Kai looked at the rifle, then at Mariah, who was on the ground, being held down by one of the soldiers. He grimaced and sighed. He lifted the rifle and took aim...
"Kai! Don't!"
Rei dashed across the courtyard, latching onto Kai's arm, sobbing. "Kai! Kai, don't! Don't shoot her! Kai!"
Kai threw Rei to the ground and re-aimed. He pulled the trigger. Rei sobbed helplessly. "Kai!"
Kai whirled on the raven-haired boy, eyes ablaze. "Shut up, or I'll shoot you too!"
Rei looked frightened, then stood up, resolve in his eyes. "You're not the Kai I know," he said through gritted teeth.
Enrique laughed. The soldiers looked at him in confusion and slight fear. Enrique smiled. "Come here, neko-jin. You've just earned yourself a spot amongst the living."
Rei looked at Enrique, terrified. The blonde beckoned to him. "Come here, neko-jin."
Rei looked at Kai, then slunk across the grounds to rest at Enrique's feet. Enrique patted him on the head. "Yes, you are quite a pretty one, aren't you? Too pretty for your own good."
He looked up at the soldiers. "I want this one shipped to Boris, alright? He'll make sure he's properly...trained."
Rei shuddered at the tone of voice. Enrique looked at the two remaining neko-jins. "Bring the green-haired one here. Kill the other."
Kevin looked up at Li, terrified. "Li-"
The older neko-jin shoved him away, across the yard to Rei. Rei grabbed Kevin's arms and held him down. "It's for your own good," he hissed.
Li stood proud and tall, waiting for his impending doom. The soldiers took aim. Rei covered Kevin's eyes and looked away, unable to watch the neko-jin who saved his life die. Bang! The gunshots rang out and Rei knew Li was dead, covered in bullet holes. He clamped his hand harder over Kevin's eyes, feeling the boy's tears against his hand. "Shh, Kevin, shh."
Enrique turned away from the carnage and glanced at the two remaining boys of the Hiwatari household. They were servants, that was certain. Enrique glared. "Let the blue-haired boy there be a soldier," he said, then turned his attention to the other.
Tala glared back at him and Enrique's eyes widened. "There! That's him!" he shouted and the guards looked at him, confused.
"He's the one who shot Johnny!" Enrique screeched. "Kill him! Kill him!"
The soldiers didn't move. Growling in frustration, Enrique grabbed a gun off them and shot off half a dozen rounds. Tala toppled to the ground, dead as a doornail. The soldiers stared in disgust at the mutilated corpse. Kai felt bile rise in his throat.
Enrique laughed and set down the gun. "There, you bastard!" he shouted at Tala. "That's for killing Johnny and Oliver!"
He laughed some more. The soldiers shifted warily. Enrique glared at them. "Well, what are you waiting for?! Get a move on! Let's go, move out! March!"
The soldiers hurriedly fell into formation, the drums starting up again. Rei and Kevin were tied to a line of neko-jins and pulled along behind an old wooden cart. The soldiers marched along in front of them. Somewhere, Tyson was amongst their ranks. The drums started up again, keeping a beat to the marching.
Enrique trailed behind the procession, Kai at his side. They moved on, away from the courtyard, away from the three dead members of the Hiwatari household.
~*~*
It was sundown when Grandpa deemed it safe to move. He crept out into the courtyard. He'd heard gunshots there earlier. Lying in the garden, blood spattered all about them, were Mariah, Li and Tala. Grandpa felt his heart sink. Tyson, Kai, Rei and Kevin were no where to be found.
He found himself a shovel and started to dig. He dug three holes, one for each of the corpses. He smiled sadly at them. "Well, at least ya'll git a nice funeral, now don't ya? Betcha some of dem other neko-jins are left t' dem flies."
He laid each of the corpses in a separate hole and filled them in, smoothing out the mound. He made a quick trip through the garden and made up three small flower bouquets, one for each grave. "Well, neko-jin," he said to the first mound, "I shore did't know ya long, but ya was a nice un. I can tell ya, de little un will miss you greatly, yes siree."
"And you, lil' lady," he said to the second. "You was a bit of a hot-head, but ya'll was only doing what you needed t' do. 'tis a shame dat ya had t' go dis way. De Master, now he'll surely miss yore good cooking, little missy. And dat der other neko-jin, he'll miss ya too. Ya'll was like a mother t' him."
He looked at the last mound. "I dun know 'bout you. You was a bad un, I could tell from de moment I looked at you. But, ya'll helped out da Master and I'm sure he'll remember ya fer it. I will."
He bowed his head in the last glimmer of sunlight and had a moment of silence. A car engined made him turn his head. An old car pulled into the driveway and parked. A blonde woman got out of the driver's side, her high heels clicking on the stonework of the courtyard. She saw him and dashed across the grounds. "You there! Can you tell me if-"
She paused beside him, looking down at the three mounds. "They've already been, haven't they?" she said, a bit of remorse in her voice.
"Yes, Ma'am. Dat army been and gone, long afore ya'll came here. Took the Master 'n' everyun else, 'cept fer dese three here."
The woman frowned. "They took my Max," she said softly.
Grandpa bowed his head. "I'm sorry t' hear, Ma'am. But, if I may ask ya'll, why'd dey kill him? He wasn't no neko-jin, was he?"
The blonde smiled slightly. "No, they didn't kill him, Sir. They enrolled him in the army. He's going to be doing the killing," she said sadly.
Grandpa looked back at the graves. "Dey took me grandson fer dat too. Wish I coulda stopped 'em, but what could I do?"
The woman looked at him and offered her hand. "I'm Judy," she said. "I was the one who sold Rei to Kai."
Grandpa shook her hand. "I be known as Grandpa. Jest call me dat, dun worry 'bout my name."
He looked skywards. "Dey all be gone now."
Judy sighed. "Yes. They are all gone now."
Grandpa sighed. "The house is empty now, 'till the Master git back from playin' war games. It sure will be odd. The house was always so loud, but now, it'll be very, very quiet."
Judy sighed. Grandpa looked at her. "Perhaps you'd stay here, Missus Judy? It'd be awful nice t' have somebody to talk t' 'bout here."
Judy smiled. "I think I might. I don't know if I could go home, not after they took Max. It'd be too quiet."
~*~*~*
Chapter 21: Take-over
Kai lifted his head from the desk, the sound of drums growing in his head. "Headache," he growled, reaching for the pills in the desk drawer.
He paused. That noise wasn't in his head. It was real, the pounding of drums growing steadily closer. He stood up. "What the hell..."
Mariah barged into the room, the door swinging back and hitting the wall. "Master Kai! Its the army, the army's coming, whatever shall we do?!"
The woman hopped about the room furiously, rambling on and on excitedly. Kai grabbed her shoulders. "Mariah! Calm down! Now, what is going on?!"
The pink-haired neko-jin took a deep breath, then said, rather quickly, "It's the army, Sir. The army is marching through town."
Kai thought his heart stopped. "What?! The army- oh shit!"
He grabbed Mariah's hand, dragging her along behind him as he fled the room. In his other hand, he had the paper. He drug her to the back stairs, then shoved the paper in her face. "Read that! Read it!"
He shaking badly and he knew it. The army was coming and if what the paper said was true...This would be the end of it all. Mariah dropped the paper, looking up at her Master. "Is it true? They're going to kill us?"
Kai swallowed. "I don't know, Mariah. I don't know, but I don't want to find out. Go into the cellar and stay there. Hide."
He glanced around. "I...I'll go find R-..the others," he finished weakly.
Mariah didn't catch the blunder, too frightened by this sudden twist. She dashed, well hobbled-dashed, down the stairs. Kai passed her, dashing onto the main floor. "Li!" he shouted, wishing that the house had been very small.
Ths mansion would take a long time to search and there wasn't that much time left. The bluenette ran smack-dab into Tyson, who smiled up at him. "'ello, Hiwatari-sama. What's the rush?"
Kai couldn't find words to explain himself. "Army...neko-jins..."
"There's an army of neko-jins?" Tyson asked, looking quite confused.
Kai shook his head. "I'll explain later. Help me find Rei."
Tyson smiled. "Rei's out in the garden with Li and Kevin."
"The garden?! They're outside?!"
Panic filled Kai. Outside was probably the most dangerous place for the neko-jins...
Tyson frowned. "Hiwatari-sama, what's with the drums?"
Kai opened his eyes. "Drums? Drums...oh no..."
There was a loud drum roll and a yell from the garden. Kai felt his heart sink...
~*~*
Mariah huddled in the dank basement, wedged between old boxes and dusty burlap sacks filled with potatoes. She shivered, despite the humidity in the basement. Where was Kai and the others? She shuddered again.
Kai should have found them by now, no matter where they were. What had happened to them? She tried to suppress all the dark, brooding thoughts that came to mind. She sat on the cold, hard floor, waiting. As she waited, her ears twitched and she noticed something different. The drums had stopped.
She swallowed hard and looked towards the door. They were here.
~*~*
Li stood in front of the other two neko-jins, teeth bared, hissing at the army. Rei was holding Kevin back with one hand, the other on Li's shoulder.
Two of the soldiers had their guns trained on the neko-jins. A blonde man in armour stood to the side, looking over the situation. He was Enrique, new Emperor of the land.
Kevin clung to Rei's hand, terrified of the army. He'd been to the camps once and he didn't want to go back again. No, he didn't ever want to revisit the horrible place of death and terror. He shuddered.
Enrique smiled slightly. "Well, well. There's three right here, under our noses. You there!"
He glared at the right wing of the troops. "March inside and see who else you can find! Bring any neko-jins and any boys you find out here!"
The soldiers saluted and dashed inside. About two minutes later, Kai arrived in the garden from the back, eyes wide. He glared at Enrique. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Enrique smiled. "Ah, Master Hiwatari. So nice of you to join us."
Kai threw a hurried glance at the three neko-jins to make sure they hadn't been harmed. Rei looked back at him, eyes full of hope. Kai turned back to Enrique. "You don't have permission to be here," the bluenette growled.
Enrique laughed. "Hiwatari, I thought you had more sense than that."
His eyes narrowed. "I am the Emperor - I go where I please. You cannot stop me."
Kai glared back. "This is private property. I thought you had more respect for people's possessions."
Enrique just shook his head. "Ah. My grandfather would say that you are just like General Hiwatari,Kai."
Kai snorted. "I am much different than him."
Enrique smiled. "Hnn. Are you indeed? Tell me then, would you not like to hold the same rank as he? To prove you are capable of commanding men as he did?"
Kai glowered. "What are you getting at?"
Enrique smiled. "Why, just that. Wouldn't you like to be a general, Kai Hiwatari? I am offering you the position. Do you accept?"
Kai blinked in surprise. To command and army...That would put him equal with his Grandfather, earn him the respect the older man had when he'd been alive. Kai glanced back at the three neko-jins. Rei looked at him, terrified.
Kai glanced back at Enrique, who held out his hand. "Join our cause, Kai. You know just as well as I that you want to be feared like your grandfather."
Kai sighed and looked at the ground. He knew he wanted to be powerful...He had also promised himself he wouldn't join this crusade. "Kai..."
He looked up, at Rei. The neko-jin looked sadly at him. "You-"
A shot went off. Rei shut up quickly, cowering behind Li. Kai glared at Enrique. "I'll join you," he growled. "Just don't kill them."
Enrique raised an eyebrow. "That will be my decision, Hiwatari."
Kai gritted his teeth, then looked apologetically at Rei. The neko-jin took a deep breath and looked away. A tense moment passed, as Enrique considered what to do with the neko-jins. At that instant, the soldier's he'd sent inside returned, marching Mariah, Tyson and Tala with them.
Enrique's lip curled up into a sneer as his eyes fell upon the neko-jin. One of the soldiers looked at the Emperor. "Shoot her?" he asked, raising his rifle.
Enrique smirked. "No. Let's have Hiwatari shoot her."
The blonde plucked the rifle from the soldier's hands, throwing it to Kai. He smirked. "Go on, Hiwatari. Show us whose side you're really on."
Kai looked at the rifle, then at Mariah, who was on the ground, being held down by one of the soldiers. He grimaced and sighed. He lifted the rifle and took aim...
"Kai! Don't!"
Rei dashed across the courtyard, latching onto Kai's arm, sobbing. "Kai! Kai, don't! Don't shoot her! Kai!"
Kai threw Rei to the ground and re-aimed. He pulled the trigger. Rei sobbed helplessly. "Kai!"
Kai whirled on the raven-haired boy, eyes ablaze. "Shut up, or I'll shoot you too!"
Rei looked frightened, then stood up, resolve in his eyes. "You're not the Kai I know," he said through gritted teeth.
Enrique laughed. The soldiers looked at him in confusion and slight fear. Enrique smiled. "Come here, neko-jin. You've just earned yourself a spot amongst the living."
Rei looked at Enrique, terrified. The blonde beckoned to him. "Come here, neko-jin."
Rei looked at Kai, then slunk across the grounds to rest at Enrique's feet. Enrique patted him on the head. "Yes, you are quite a pretty one, aren't you? Too pretty for your own good."
He looked up at the soldiers. "I want this one shipped to Boris, alright? He'll make sure he's properly...trained."
Rei shuddered at the tone of voice. Enrique looked at the two remaining neko-jins. "Bring the green-haired one here. Kill the other."
Kevin looked up at Li, terrified. "Li-"
The older neko-jin shoved him away, across the yard to Rei. Rei grabbed Kevin's arms and held him down. "It's for your own good," he hissed.
Li stood proud and tall, waiting for his impending doom. The soldiers took aim. Rei covered Kevin's eyes and looked away, unable to watch the neko-jin who saved his life die. Bang! The gunshots rang out and Rei knew Li was dead, covered in bullet holes. He clamped his hand harder over Kevin's eyes, feeling the boy's tears against his hand. "Shh, Kevin, shh."
Enrique turned away from the carnage and glanced at the two remaining boys of the Hiwatari household. They were servants, that was certain. Enrique glared. "Let the blue-haired boy there be a soldier," he said, then turned his attention to the other.
Tala glared back at him and Enrique's eyes widened. "There! That's him!" he shouted and the guards looked at him, confused.
"He's the one who shot Johnny!" Enrique screeched. "Kill him! Kill him!"
The soldiers didn't move. Growling in frustration, Enrique grabbed a gun off them and shot off half a dozen rounds. Tala toppled to the ground, dead as a doornail. The soldiers stared in disgust at the mutilated corpse. Kai felt bile rise in his throat.
Enrique laughed and set down the gun. "There, you bastard!" he shouted at Tala. "That's for killing Johnny and Oliver!"
He laughed some more. The soldiers shifted warily. Enrique glared at them. "Well, what are you waiting for?! Get a move on! Let's go, move out! March!"
The soldiers hurriedly fell into formation, the drums starting up again. Rei and Kevin were tied to a line of neko-jins and pulled along behind an old wooden cart. The soldiers marched along in front of them. Somewhere, Tyson was amongst their ranks. The drums started up again, keeping a beat to the marching.
Enrique trailed behind the procession, Kai at his side. They moved on, away from the courtyard, away from the three dead members of the Hiwatari household.
~*~*
It was sundown when Grandpa deemed it safe to move. He crept out into the courtyard. He'd heard gunshots there earlier. Lying in the garden, blood spattered all about them, were Mariah, Li and Tala. Grandpa felt his heart sink. Tyson, Kai, Rei and Kevin were no where to be found.
He found himself a shovel and started to dig. He dug three holes, one for each of the corpses. He smiled sadly at them. "Well, at least ya'll git a nice funeral, now don't ya? Betcha some of dem other neko-jins are left t' dem flies."
He laid each of the corpses in a separate hole and filled them in, smoothing out the mound. He made a quick trip through the garden and made up three small flower bouquets, one for each grave. "Well, neko-jin," he said to the first mound, "I shore did't know ya long, but ya was a nice un. I can tell ya, de little un will miss you greatly, yes siree."
"And you, lil' lady," he said to the second. "You was a bit of a hot-head, but ya'll was only doing what you needed t' do. 'tis a shame dat ya had t' go dis way. De Master, now he'll surely miss yore good cooking, little missy. And dat der other neko-jin, he'll miss ya too. Ya'll was like a mother t' him."
He looked at the last mound. "I dun know 'bout you. You was a bad un, I could tell from de moment I looked at you. But, ya'll helped out da Master and I'm sure he'll remember ya fer it. I will."
He bowed his head in the last glimmer of sunlight and had a moment of silence. A car engined made him turn his head. An old car pulled into the driveway and parked. A blonde woman got out of the driver's side, her high heels clicking on the stonework of the courtyard. She saw him and dashed across the grounds. "You there! Can you tell me if-"
She paused beside him, looking down at the three mounds. "They've already been, haven't they?" she said, a bit of remorse in her voice.
"Yes, Ma'am. Dat army been and gone, long afore ya'll came here. Took the Master 'n' everyun else, 'cept fer dese three here."
The woman frowned. "They took my Max," she said softly.
Grandpa bowed his head. "I'm sorry t' hear, Ma'am. But, if I may ask ya'll, why'd dey kill him? He wasn't no neko-jin, was he?"
The blonde smiled slightly. "No, they didn't kill him, Sir. They enrolled him in the army. He's going to be doing the killing," she said sadly.
Grandpa looked back at the graves. "Dey took me grandson fer dat too. Wish I coulda stopped 'em, but what could I do?"
The woman looked at him and offered her hand. "I'm Judy," she said. "I was the one who sold Rei to Kai."
Grandpa shook her hand. "I be known as Grandpa. Jest call me dat, dun worry 'bout my name."
He looked skywards. "Dey all be gone now."
Judy sighed. "Yes. They are all gone now."
Grandpa sighed. "The house is empty now, 'till the Master git back from playin' war games. It sure will be odd. The house was always so loud, but now, it'll be very, very quiet."
Judy sighed. Grandpa looked at her. "Perhaps you'd stay here, Missus Judy? It'd be awful nice t' have somebody to talk t' 'bout here."
Judy smiled. "I think I might. I don't know if I could go home, not after they took Max. It'd be too quiet."
~*~*~*