Chapter 18
The minutes until nine slowly expired, that was the only thing Rena could think about. She did not dare to check the right time on her watch, all she knew: it was past nine o'clock. How many minutes have passed? One? Ten? Eleven? More? Who knew, the main thing that after nine zone F5 has became danger zone. Dan stuck in the ruinous building there and Rena could not save her love. She was sure Dan had faith in her.
Living with such a guilt seemed uncomprehending, Rena did not remember whether she ever felt that big physical or spiritual pain. Although in her earlier childhood happened some things, which she thought the worst of her life. Well, you can always go deeper, my boy. You can always go. Rena suddenly realized, that no physical pain could match the slightest form of a psychical worry.
The girl fell into the ground helplessly and started to cry bitterly than ever. That happened right in zone I6, when she was on her knees in front of the old villa. Nichie, her companion stood next to her and was trying to give comfort. Looked like it did not work, Rena shouted at Nichie quite coarsely.
"Leave me alone! You can't imagine how is it like!"
Oh yes, never try to calm somebody down, this is a golden rule.
"This can't be true... Nichie, say, it isn't true!"
Rena's thoughts were in great chaos. It was simply unbelievable, how could the Empire let that happen! It was all the Shogunate's fault, the Emperor and his high command just let them go into a class trip, right into the enemy!
'God, give me a switch for a nuclear rocket and I swear I lead it into Yoshiro's palace! I hate this Empire! No matter how hard they trying to propagate free will, never was a thing like that.'
Every decision the Shogunate made was a holy writ - shut up if you disagree or you have ticket to the afterlife.
'It's fascism, no more and no less.'
In that never returning second Rena swore to Dan and their love, that she's going to take revenge! The soviets and even the member of the Shogunate will regret their actions. Rena battered the ground with clenched teeth. She was completely confused, had no idea what to do now. Dan did not want her to give up, he wanted to hold on to the bitter end. Why did she feel like all the remaining strength faded away and continue fighting against the common enemy was pointless? Dan was the person, who kept her in countenance all along. And? What now?
"Rena. Do you feel better now?" the girl heard Nichie's sheepish question. No wonder, sith Rena gave him some 'good' tongue-lashing.
"Nichie, look... I'm sorry." Rena said slowly and stood up, while drying the eyes from tears. Nichie stepped up to her.
"No prob, really." she answered and tried to act like nothing has happened. To be honest, she was a bit mortified.
"I feel so miserable because of my loss. Dan." Rena almost cried herself and immediately turned aside from the other, so Nichie could not see her weeping. Second try of comfort came as an answer on the part of Nichie.
"I know... And now we have to admit, that a few are playing. It's so important what I want to say, so listen to me! I just had a look around and..."
She pointed at the former hideout with her chin.
"You know, Kirika and her gang were here."
"Were?"
"Well, it seems they are gone. I knocked at the door but no answer. I think something happened, something bad. We should move along, quickly!"
"You mean, they had been under attack? But... You said this villa is a fort itself!"
"What if they had arguments or one of them betrayed the others? We can never know, it's impossible to go in. The entrance door is barricaded, the other way in is through the balcony. Last time I was here, one of them always sat and watched up there." she pointed at that direction "I'm sure they would have noticed our presence."
"Okay, let's go." Rena hesitated but agreed. She had no mood for doing anything, did not care if she would have stayed there and wait until a classmate arrives and sends her after Dan.
"Do you have any weapon?" the blonde girl shrugged the shoulders and asked if it would be a side issue. Her friend nodded, but looked like if she could not decide that her stuff was really a weapon or not. It took some time until it turned up: a small, plastic flacon - something, what fit to a pocket or the palm - maybe a deodorant?
"Pepper spray." Nichie introduced the self-defense tool and made a mouth.
"Well..." Rena was examining the spray for long. "Better than nothing."
"Baisotei took the other, when our way got separated. It was kind of a knife, a bit better than this." the owner of the pepper spray was miscontended and felt urge to throw it away. Anyway, she was good at throwball.
"Knife is good for nothing against guns, just like this pepper spray. Believe me, Baisotei's knife not a big deal."
They made their way in an average pace toward the aim: F6, the location of the rallying point. Just as Rena wanted. She could not think, why exactly there, she followed the insight by the returning. During the way Rena was so obsessed to interrogate the other about her experiences: who has she met so far (living or dead), why has she left Baku Baisotei etc. - in virtue of those questions Rena wanted to know, which of them was trustworthy. No matter how much Nichie was trying to interrupt, Rena did not let her speak. Letting know that Anri Souma is a murderer was quite important, this secret needed to be shared.
Nichie was there in zone C4, when her friend (was Souma still that?) cold-bloodedly killed two other classmates - on purpose, that was easy to see. Anri believed that Nichie missed their meeting, but she had not seen for sure. Nichie arrived in place actually earlier than Souma and why she was a smart one, thought a good idea to make sure of Anri's reliability. Then so many things happened (with an Etsumi Inukai and Yurisa Akera less) and one thing was obvious for Nichie - Souma is in the game. Unfortunately she was the only witness and the other problem: what if the others will not believe her? Well, at least Nichie might dispends the seeds of suspicion and they will be careful in the case of meeting Souma.
Half of the distance was left trough I6 and F6.
Rena led the way, Nichie tried to keep pace. The previous one was still interrogating, the story has just coming to the part, why Nichie left her partner.
"Somebody attacked us... a boy. It was nighttime and his uniform seemed totally black." Nichie brought up the memories of that adventure. "He had gun and shot at us. Whereto I knew where I was, I found myself running intensely in the deep. I heard Baku's voice that he tried to call my name or said a zone, where we could gather again... It's a pity I couldn't hear his words exactly."
"It doesn't matter, right? Almost an hour later we got the solo-message." Nichie ended the monologue. So many things they were talking about, that she somehow forgot telling the fact: Anri Souma is a danger for everyone.
Rena did not fully understand Nichie's actions.
"Maybe Baku can be trusted. Why haven't you tried to find him?"
"Look, we were partners at that time. How do you know, he would be still friendly after the solo?"
All of a sudden a rustling noise could be heard and before they could have a look around, Rena found herself upside down. She had no time even for speaking. She saw the world in a reversed angle as Nichie, too - looked like the girl would have stood in a brown sky and the ground would be blue and cloudy. Some strong pressure on the ankle was like snake would have been there and as blood ran into the head, Rena lifted up her head with difficulty.
"Oh, my God!" Nichie shouted and stood like a statue. She got scared enough to use the pepper spray in any minute, although did not truly believed it would work.
"Whoa, what happened?" Rena asked, while blenched with terror.
No matter how hard she tried to figure out, what was the thing it kept her in the air (probably a rope), she simply could not see it - Rena was swinging back and forth. The other girl stared at the rope trap which was hanged to a tree next to them. How many times were these primitive traps represented on TV shows! They have been sold down the river, and what's more: they did not even see that until Rena walked into it. After that Nichie started to examine the soil - the ground was covered by moss and leaf-litter everywhere - how could they notice the rope at all? And what if there are more in the near?
"You're trapped!" she said silently "I have to be careful where to step!"
"You don't say!" Rena became angry, because Nichie was still in one place. "What are you waiting for?! Help me!"
"I'm going!"
The distance between the two girls was only two meters. Nichie set out to free Rena, maybe too hasty by the pressure of her - and that caused Nichie's inattention.
Swoosh!
In the next minute the Shiomi girl was hanging on the close-by tree .
"Here you are! I'm here! Do you think it's better now?" she groaned and crossed the arms. She did not get any answer, just a killer look.
"We have to do something, not just weeping and feel sorry for ourselves!" finally Rena started to speak, then added in mind: I am not going to give up! Never! Nor Dan would not want that, no matter how impossible the situation is!
She looked at Nichie, who threw her arms about to set herself free - the pepper spray was still in her hand - only a third person could see, that her situation would have been even worse with that action. The girl was just whirling and the rope coiled up under the swings. Rena tried to think cool and not to panic (although she was near to do that), felt like counterweighting herself in a thin tie over the rift. If she could just reach the tier on the rope.
'Funny that I would have a good use of those gymnastic exercises now, which I always missed out on PE lessons. I would not have any problem to use my abdominal muscle then.'
She tried and tried for nothing, got exactly that result. The muscle in the stomach started to hurt. So, it would have been better to run those circles each day, right kids? Nobody died of that so far, but by such a killing game: except one person everyone is going to!
"Hey, Shiomi!" Rena stopped at her doings, then ceaselessly looked towards a tree in the near.
"What?" the called one stopped throwing the arms about and a single glance to Rena's face proved enough to know what to do next. Following her example, Nichie looked also into the direction of that tree, that was the minute her heart started to beat like hell.
Another person was sitting on the branch of that tree, in a shaded part. Presumedly had been there before the girls arrived and just waited for a prey to come. The creator of the trap, who else? Half of the hunter's face was shown behind the leaves and as unfolded, unnecessary to stay there any further. The stranger jumped across its own tree to the other, so arrived on Rena's one - grabbed the rope and slid down easily like an ape.
Clear landing. Both girls immediately recognized the short, slim boy, who was currently standing with his chin on the chest - Fukashi Murata (boys #7). The faces shown ambivalent reactions, they could not decide, this was the thing, they were expecting to. Fukashi was not famous for generosity, but as a silent, abstinent fellow, was he truly able to do such absurdness?
"Murata, is it your work? Let me go, now! How dare you..." Rena, the speaking one became speechless right away, when she caught sight of a long, metallic object shining in the sunshine. The katana sword.
"Wha... what's your plan with that?"
Murata did not answer. He spot the girls with his look and got going toward them with the eyes unmoving. Something was in his iris, something strange and crazy, like in the case of a madman. The first station: Nichie Shiomi. Not only her, Rena also waited in great fear. Until he lifted the sword up and struck down - squarely to Nichie, not the rope.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Nichie's long scream echoed far in the forest. Rena found herself screaming with her. She closed the eyes and did not dare to open again.
'Oh, God, what kind of sight am I going to get?'
The next surprise came at that moment. The girl remained unharmed, only the pepper spray 'died' - if we can say that - it was cut into half by the katana. No sound escorted its falling to the ground, just the content, the pepper essence swirled in the air like a dust storm, making the eyes swimming with painful tears. That was the girls' minor problem - this little katana show would be impressive if the target was maybe an apple or something - another question, how on earth could Fukashi use this weapon in such a professional way. It was a known thing even among Japanese people, a blade can be dangerous only if it is wielded by adept hands.
Finally Murata sounded.
"Growok has no friend, everybody is his enemy! He has to ruin everyone!"
His second attack was as fast and accurate like the previous. But this time he picked another target. Rena screamed together with Nichie again, soon the black haired towered above the other, her voice sounded like thousands of sound systems. Some noise could be heard again and again, for example when a tailor cuts the textile; just like Nichie's death-scream - poor girl yelled, who would have burned alive - well, this massacre was just as bad. Now the strikes were less precise, looked like the attacker wanted to kill his victim in the most painful way.
Rena kept the eyes closed, but from the sudden came silence knew, Nichie was dead.
'No, I'm next! I wanted for a quick death, why is it happening only with me?'
She would have given her full wardrobe for a quick headshot. She waited for the redemptive end in the midst of such dilemma. But nothing happened. Fukashi's steps shortly faded and like another person would have been here, too. A fourth one. Rena became too curious, so opened the eyes. The first thing she saw was Nichie Shiomi's massacred body, the disfigured remain of a once always smiling, happy soul. Unintentedly a picture of a festive ham came into Rena's mind, this made her feel sick in the stomach.
'I'm never going to eat ham anymore...'
The raw smell of blood and the upcoming flies enlarged the disgust of the sight. She covered the mouth with her hands, but too late: what needed to come out, came out straight away. Vomiting in an upside down position was quite an awful experience. After all of these another shocking scene went on in front of her eyes.
Rena witnessed a melee fight between Fukashi and the philanderer of the class (he kept a girlfriend in school and one in his hometown), Gouki Hayata (boys #4). The girl was so busy with her own disgust, that she totally missed the moment these two were set to each other. The two boys fought persistently - seemed like Murata's katana got a true enemy in Gouki's big, metal workers hammer. Comparing to the fact, that they both were townies, had good sense of using these tools.
Murata was more intent, aimed at Hayata's chest. But he evaded the strike and prepared for a counter attack. Fukashi made a spin with the katana and its blade met the stock of the workers hammer instead of the owner's body. Hayata was up to push the hammer into Murata's direction - if he manage to do that, the other's own blade going to cut into him. Even Fukashi's short height, settling him seemed to be a hard work (not to forget, Growok was here, the fantasy hero). Each of the fighting boys wanted to push their weapons into the other, but in an unexpected moment Murata hitched the sword away so Hayata toppled over by the affection of a sudden coming verve. Fukashi used out this small mistake and seeing Gouki Hayata's bare back, struck down to the black uniform with the speed of lightning.
Everything happened in seconds. Bad news for Fukashi, but the katana bedded itself in the soil, not into the point, he wished for. He became angry, while having a look around after the classmate. Gouki stood circa two meters far and was just struggling to his feet. He did not want to be a policemen for nothing, dodging out of the way with a somersault was easy.
That's it. Fukashi lost his mind irrecoverably, there was no more hope for him. He charged against the opponent with the katana in the air, Hayata remained in one place and panted. He might had a plan or something, because at the latest moment, in the time the blade would have reached him, the boy made another somersault. This time the katana was bedded into a massive stump, in the very near of that tree, in which Rena and Nichie were hanging. Nobody cared about them anymore, so when Fukashi cut the two ropes off (with the movement he pulled the katana out of the stump) was totally accidental.
Rena fell down to the ground with a squeaky sound, Nichie's remains with a dim whoop. The living one was finally free, first she ran away far from the dead, then from the fighting boys. She would like to run over hedge and ditch, until the noises of the duel could be heard. The girl was so tormented, that after a few steps she fell over herself and some seconds later found the boys in her next.
Murata punched the hammer out of Hayata's hands, which took wing and got lost in the high grass. Hayata became defenseless over against the tigerish eyed Growok, for a short moment he had no idea what to do. That caused some empty time and they were just staring one another - Murata with pokerface. It was unknown, what was in his mind. At the time he decided to act, to put the enemy out of his pain - Fukashi's body shattered. Only a bit. His eyes became rounded, a last moan was left by his guts.
Growok, the fantasy hero has come to an end. Hayata did not know the reason, but was shocked from the sight (not, because Fukashi Murata had substantially so many acnes) and surprised at the appearing Rena behind the dead one's back - who was lying now on the ground. She seemed as pale as the previous one and her whole uniform swam in a bath of perspiration. She held the workers hammer in her hands, all the arms and legs were shivering under its weight.
An unexpected movement, and the girl dropped down the object. Uninterrupted silence... then... Hayata made a appreciative whistle.
"Wow, Rena you saved me! I never believed that!"
"Yeah, everyone thinks I'm a weakling." Rena answered and sat down immediately in that place she was standing at that moment. Then she hugged her updrawn knees and tried to calm herself down.
"Don't get me wrong, I did not want to hurt you!"Gouki apologized "I said, because I always thought that you don't like me."
"This not involves, that I want to see you dead! This whole kidnapping is a pile of shit! The others are that dumb to bite the soviets' mumbo-jumbo?!"
"Don't worry, I'm on the same opinion: I don't wanna fight! You should know, that I did this in the sake of need." aka fighting with Fukashi. Gouki breathed a sigh and his eyes stopped on the boy mentioned above. He did not go near Rena.
"Sorry to say that, but after all this, we cannot know, how's friend and how's foe. I don't know for example if you can be trusted or not. No offense... You know, I've already said... I think you don't really like me, so..."
"Enough!" Rena started from her sitting position and came up to Gouki in great speed. She seemed quite threatening.
"I've said I don't intend to kill you, do you understand me?! I'm not like those cold-blooded bastards, who murder their mate just to live any longer! I know, that I won't last too long with this stance and I'm not doing it for sanctimoniousness! But I'M-NOT-GOING TO get my hands dirty with my friend's blood! Only because of survival! I don't care when I will die then, too! I don't want to be the ONLY survivor!"
Her pale, freckled face was fired in red now, the eyes suffused with tears. Rena started to cry. She turned away from the boy, but could not hold down the voice of grief. She was thinking about Dan, about the past. A few days ago they were all friends, a class or a second family. Now they act like most hatred enemies. Why things can't be as in former times were?
She felt a never-ceasing helplessness in her heart and lack of a happy, careless life haunted her like a nightmare.
"But you..." Gouki wanted to say something "you... just killed Fukashi!"
The nape of the boy before mentioned was red from blood. Now Rena understood, how Gouki meant his words.
"He still lives." she answered "only lost consciousness. Come on, I'm not that strong!"
Gouki went to Murata cautiously (might feared from the classmate to come into himself again) and checked his pulse.
"Wow, he lives! I wouldn't have thought!"
Rena told the truth. Meanwhile Gouki went into the high grass and searched after the workers hammer. As he found it, Rena thought, she will be the next victim. She did not do anything to save her live though - the surprise was bigger while seeing, Gouki left her and stopped by Fukashi. The workers hammer was lifted up into the air, the owner was about to smash the senseless boy's head.
"Pardon me, Rena but I'm not you. I'll neutralize Fukashi, hope you don't mind. I agree with almost everything you said before, except one thing: I'm not going to my own destruction, because the guys were killed by another person!" he explained.
That was enough for Rena to run to Gouki and pinned the arms to his sides. She gave him a praying look, remains of some teardrops could be seen in the corner of her eyes. Gouki looked back at the girl with his own navy blue eyes, needed some minutes until he could decide.
He lowered the hammer.
"I don't think I would have been able to do that. I'm different." different than Murata.
Gouki turned unto Nichie's horrific body. Rena shot only a glance at the mutilated girl, all the horrible memories from those minutes returned as her need for vomiting. She quickly covered her lips and took aim at the border of the glade - the line of the thick bushes - not to cast the gorge in the presence of Gouki (even if sometimes Gouki was listed to the side of girls by the boy classmates, just for fun). After vomiting a little, the sickish feeling smoothened, Rena felt better soon. Or it was only because of another thing. Suddenly she squalled.
"I can't believe this, another one!"
"What?" Gouki hastily went to the girl. Then everything made sense.
The so called 'another one' was a boy in black uniform, his face almost bedded itself to the leaf-litter. He was laying within centimeters from Rena's spue.
"OMG, I almost vomit him!" she covered the lips again "do you think he's still living?"
"Easy to find out." Gouki bent down to the classmate, then turned him over.
It was Riki Ryusaki (boys #15). No sign of violation or something, looked like he would sleep peacefully.
"He's alive too." Gouki repeated the pulse checking method. That set Rena thinking.
"No injuries. What's with him, then? What if he wanted to be suffocated?" suddenly, with the sparks of realization Rena stood fast.
"You did this! You tried to suffocate Riki, but heard us with Nichie so attacked Fukashi! Then wanted to kill me, too but things turned out differently as you planned!" she pointed at Gouki accusingly.
"You can't be serious!" he asked back in total maziness "Riki didn't die, his heart is beating! I'm not the one who did this to him anyway, I haven't had the remotest conception that he was here! Last time I have seen him was in that base or what! Why can't you trust me just a little, huh?!"
To trust...
To trust...
To trust...
Just a little...
These words echoed in Rena's mind. After that Dan's words, his boyfriend often said:
'I'm glad that I have such a lovely, kindhearted girl. Your kind is rare and irreplaceable.'
Rena was ashamed by this thought, tears stood in her eyes for the umpteenth time.
'What's wrong with me? Everybody had my trust with no strings attached, seriously! Why do I cast suspicion on Gouki? Maybe... I'm afraid... As the others and they're all so doubtful. I think I'm starting to lose my mind. No, I don't want to be mad! Help, let me go home, please! Dan, take me home! Get the car or else I'm going to call a taxi!'
She found herself shaken by Gouki, her head hurt as hell.
"Rena, Rena! What happened? Come on, we have to go! Hurry, someone's coming!" the boy tried to call her back to reality.
Good news, Rena responded to the outside world, bad news: not really. She could hear the rustling leaves of the bush-line somewhere in the near but did not comprehended clearly. She understood only that much, that Gouki wanted to help her in the middle of an upcoming danger. This was heartwarming.
"Imagine, Gouki! I have not a single doubt, that you are a true person. You acted completely different in school. Why?" she was babbling everything came to her mind, but that was not a solution for their problem.
That someone (or more) was still closing in. Gouki had no patience to wait any longer. He had no other choice: he must leave. The hammer. And Murata's katana. These weapons were too far from his position, there was not enough time to collect them and take Rena on his back at the same time.
A single life was worth more. Was not a question: he took the girl on his back and told her to hold on. They left the glade in this hurry and disappeared out of the comers' sight in time.
Darkness faded away around Riki Ryusaki. Not entirely, but he could open his eyes in part so the vivid world opened in front of him. The azure blue sky with snow white clouds trough the strainer of the leaves, which were dancing by the music of the wind. Like birds would have singed, too. But why are his senses so tender? And why does he feel cold except some fingers on the right hand?
With hard work Riki managed to make them move. Something warm and soft thing was there.
Okay, better to look at that thing.
He tried to turn the head into that direction, but the task was more difficult than at another time. Like he had been needled to the ground. Getting up to his feet was not an option. Suddenly cutting pain punched the right side of his body, then all the colors, lights and noises in the world ran into one another. Darkness came again.
[Number of students: 20]
Nichie Shiomi eliminated
