In loving memory of my cat, Sharpie.
May you stay beautiful in the heavens.
Note: All spoken Japanese will be automatically translated to English.
Chapter 1:
Kotoe held her hand to her face. Her vision quivered as she tried to focus on her fingers. Her hand was caked in a thick red goo. At only six years old, she couldn't recognize what this icky stuff was, but she could feel the pain throbbing on the back of her head.
The pain at the back of her head caused tears to stream down her face. She had been shoved against a wall by a tall man in the panic. Her head was the first body part to smack the wall. Kotoe was so dizzy. Where was her favorite bear?
Her mom knelt next to her. "Kotoe! Are you okay?"
Kotoe felt numb as her vision wobbled.
The citizens of Tokyo were packed in this tight subway. More panicked citizens came running down the stairs. They were plowing into each other, driven by their primal instinct to flee. An elderly gentleman fell and disappeared below the mob. The flood of people moved past a row of entrance gates, beeping from so much activity it was a continuous ring.
BOOM!
Lined cracks raced through the ceiling spreading like glass about to shatter. Dusty chalk sprinkled down from the ruptures. The thick pillars buckled. The bright fluorescent lights flickered. Screams echoed like a noisy concert venue. It was warm and felt stuffy. People were grabbing their throats and crying they couldn't breathe.
Her father turned, he realized in horror what was about to happen. "We have to get into a subway car! It is above us!"
It. It was what caused this horror in her city of Tokyo. The land of the rising sun was being tormented by a giant, horrific creature that had risen from the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
Kotoe and her parents were seated for dinner when their phones vibrated. A beep rang from their phones. Her mom made a quizzical look as she picked up and read from her phone. Kotoe hated the talking robot on her mom's phone but she loved the games on it, "Can I play games?"
"Not now." Her mom answered while she crouched down beside her, "I'm going to need you to be a big girl. Can you do that for me?"
Before Kotoe could answer, a distant thud could be heard. The building shook.
They peered out their apartment window to see a giant animal stomping toward them. It was a large creature as tall as the surrounding apartment buildings around it. Its skin was green and clumpy as if bombs had been dropped on it. On its back were glowing spines that followed its spine down to its tail. It snarled to reveal sharp white teeth. Its red eyes scared her. Everything about this thing scared her.
The creature was hulking toward their direction. It moved slowly but covered the ground with its long steps. Her father screamed that they had to go. Being on the 30th floor of a high-rise building would not be a safe idea. Her parents darted around the house grabbing snacks, medical supplies, and drinks. They shoved them into a bag. Kotoe gripped her favorite bear named Bear. That's all that mattered to her.
"We are going to head into the subway to get out of the city." Her father suggested.
"Are you sure leaving is the right thing to do?"
"Is anything the right thing to do? A giant is walking through the city!"
That was when the creature appeared, now it was deep in the city with half of Tokyo hunkered below it in the subway. Her Grandmother would tell her stories of hiding in the subway. Kotoe remembered her grandmother explaining that a war had happened.
"This isn't going to hold!" Someone yelled over the chaos. Kotoe saw some of the people run back up the stairs to the outside. The concrete walls braced at the impending weight that pressed down on it.
BOOOOOM!
The stomps shook the ceiling. Deep cracks spidered from the ceiling along the walls now. The stomps were like thunder. It was right over them. It released a roar that shook the room. Her mom was saying something, but Kotoe couldn't understand. She couldn't handle the noise. She raised her hands and covered her ears.
She wanted to go home. She wanted all this to stop. She wanted to find Bear. She couldn't fathom why her country was attacked.
Her mother knelt and mouthed something.
The pillars snapped from the pressure. The ceiling gave way to gravity. Slabs of concrete collapsed on the Tokyo residents caught in the subway. The lights went dark and the subway became a dark vacuum. A powdery substance whooshed into Kotoe's eyes. Her shoulder erupted in pain. She coughed as particles invaded her nose and mouth. Her chest hurt. She couldn't see, everything was black. She fell on her bottom.
When she opened her eyes, rubble enclosed her in the form of twisted wire, blocks of concrete, and mutilated bodies. Where was her father? Where was her mother? Her parents were just in front of her. Replaced by a pile of rubble.