Chapter 8: Genocide
Spring was reaching its end, bringing forth longer days full of heat and humidity. Kichirou and his two companions were packing their belongings, getting ready to leave. They told Obasan that they had finished their research and needed to go back to their hometown in order to review what they had learned. The three metal beasts, or trucks as Kichirou had taught me, came to life once more as the three strangers boarded them. My people stood and waved them off, not knowing what horrors lay ahead for allowing such men into our world.
It was nearing the middle of summer once more and my people continued on with their lives as if nothing had happened. We hunted and fished, sang Shizen's songs, and lived on, just as we had before. I had forgotten my worries about my last meeting with Nature, thinking that She had forgiven my folly over time. I figured that, now that those strangers had gone, She would not be angry any longer. It seemed that this thought held some truth, as I was able to hear Her happy melodies through the summer breeze. All was well, or so I thought…
On the evening before the first full moon of summer, which would mark my tenth year of life, we heard loud crashes, like thunder, heading towards our camp. The sounds reminded me of the three trucks that Kichirou and his friends had arrived in, but they seemed much heavier and in larger numbers. My people began to panic, for even though we had seen them once already, this time they were coming at us faster and more dangerously close than they did before. When finally the source of the noise had approached, I could tell that this time, they did not come in peace. Instead of three trucks, there were seven giant tanks, mounted with large cannons.
There was no time to think anymore as the people inside started to pour out of them and begin to torch my clan's campsite with large sticks that could breathe fire, followed by many others who started to massacre my friends and family with machine guns. All we could do was run. We left our camp in a hurry, desperately trying to get away. We made it to the river, only to find that the Mizu Clan's riverside dwellings had also been destroyed. They too had tried to flee, but none had managed to stay alive. Horror struck, my clansmen continued to run, watching as our precious forest burned down and dissolved in that horrible blaze.
Many women and children, as well as the elderly, were left behind or shot by the monsters chasing us. My mother, Obasan, and I tried our best to keep up with the rest of our clan, making sure we did not lag behind. More gunshots cut through the air as I saw more bullets whizz by, barely missing my right shoulder, but hitting my mother in the back. I tried to stop to help her up, but Obasan pulled me by my hand, forcing me to leave her be. One after another, the bodies of my people fell to the ground, creating crimson pools of blood as we sprinted on. The monsters were closing in on us fast, it almost seemed a hopeless cause, but still we pushed on. At one point, I lost my footing, tripping on a fallen branch, but Obasan scooped me up and carried me on her back; for an old woman, she was very strong and fast.
I could feel the heat of the fires around me, hear the screams of my people, see the monsters coming ever closer to us. Another barrage of bullets came in a thunderous wave, passing through my shoulder and hitting Obasan in her hand that was holding my leg. She released her grip in reflex as both of us fell to the ground. Then another bullet hit her in the leg. I tried with all my might to help Obasan to her feet, but she refused, "Leave me be Munsuta! Run now, run as fast as you can. Please!"
One of the men wielding the fire sticks had gotten very close, burning everything in his wake. I forced myself to run away, leaving Obasan to turn to ash, like the rest of my home. I felt an immense surge of pain as another blaze of fire burst forth and scorched my back. It was the most agonizing pain I had ever felt, but still I ran. When I reached the edge of the forest, I caught sight of a stone water well. I hid inside of it, hoping and praying to Shizen that those men would not find me. I cowered in fear and pain, listening in horror to the echoes of my peoples dying screams, waiting until the sunrise of the next morning before I climbed out. I looked back towards my home, hoping that it had all been a nightmare… But only death and destruction befell my eyes.
The forest, my people, my family, my friends, everything had been obliterated… And it was all my fault. I was the one who did not heed Her warnings, I was the one who showed Her to Kichirou. I was to blame for the genocide of my people, and also the one would live on with the burden of guilt for being their sole survivor.