Time: 04:07:29 24 December 2021; Christmas Eve
I groggily started rubbing my eyes as I sat up in bed. I looked at the clock and was surprised to find out that it was after 4 in the morning. As I started to wake up, I felt a searing pain in my skull, with a singular thought etched into my brain.
FIND THE MONOLITH
My vision was blurry, and I started sweating profusely. My eyes would not focus on anything. My hands were shaking from the searing pain. It felt like someone had branded my skull. I crumpled to the floor, and slowly tried to crawl my way to the kitchen. I needed some type of painkiller badly. As I crawled into the kitchen in severe pain, I saw random, gibberish text.
What the hell does that even mean?
As the random text bounced around my vision like the DVD splash screen, I finally grabbed the bottle of painkillers. Which I promptly spilled all over the floor.
Fuck!
I dry swallowed some Acetaminophen and the pain somewhat subsided. At least my hands stopped shaking.
But what are these characters, floating around in the air?
The bright, red letters and numbers stain my eyes a crimson red. They cycle through some sort of code. Code.
Coordinates, maybe?
My suspicions were correct, and I grabbed a sticky note and wrote down the coordinates, extrapolating the excess information.
35.7101° N, 139.8107° E
I then pulled out my phone and dropped a pin on the specified location.
Directly at the Sky Tree? Weird…
I got dressed in my typical camo cargo pants and jacket, and packed a light daypack. I didn't know what this thing wanted me to do, so I packed my SERE (Survival Evasion Resistance Escape) Kit, and a 7" combat knife, sheathed to my backpack strap for quick access.
Alright, let's see what this vision is telling me to do…
I locked the door, possibly for the last time ever, and started heading towards the Tokyo Sky Tree.
Time: 05:44:02 24 December 2021; Christmas Eve
I looked down at the road from my apartment balcony, took a deep breath, and started my journey towards the Sky Tree.
I haven't gone that direction in ages, have I? Not since the good ol' days.
I climb down the stairs, hit shuffle on my playlist, and start running towards the subway station. In this sleepy suburb, almost nobody is up yet, let alone walking to the subway, so I don't have to worry about hitting that rush hour foot traffic. Also, it's the holidays, so I don't have to worry about commuter traffic either. Maybe if someone saw me, they'd think I am preparing a date for my girlfriend. But I don't have one. Sadly. I never did, even in high school. But that's fine, I had my own problems to deal with. I wouldn't want anyone having to suffer through my PTSD. Though, in retrospect, having someone that cared for me would have definitely helped. But what's done is done. And that's the past. I have something more important to figure out. Like why this message came through so clearly in my head. Almost like a loose bolt rattling around in my skull.
The cold air stings my ears as I run towards the station, and the crunching of the freshly fallen snow is drowned out by my noise canceling earbuds. The puffy white clouds coming from my mouth remind me of cotton candy. I used to eat that stuff up when I was a kid. Now, though? Way too sweet, in my opinion. But to each their own, I guess.
I fall into a rhythm. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Before I turn the corner, I glance back at my apartment. The place I called home for the past couple of years. I then refocus on what could be ahead of me, and I make my way to the subway station.
As I arrive at the station entrance, I take one long look at the cloudy sky. It's a happy, inviting cloudy. Not an angry, thunderous cloudy. I glance at my watch as I walk down the steps
05:51 AM.
Wow, hitting the subway before 6 am on Christmas Eve? That's gotta look a tad suspicious.
I walked down to the turnstyle, paid my fare, and made my way to the platform just in time to see the Southbound train arrive.
Just like clockwork.
I step into one of the cars, but then the red tinge in my vision and a searing pain return momentarily.
Shit. Can't that not hurt as much?
Once the pain cleared up, I checked how much time I had left before I had to transfer to the train line to the Tokyo Skytree.
Just five stops.
Once I got on the next train, I could relax for a little over an hour before I arrived. I was just watching a couple other people get on or off the train before I arrived at my stop. Just as I was getting up to get off, the searing pain and red tinge returned.
Really? Again?
Then, it dissipated as soon as it arrived. I made my way to the correct platform, and sat down on a bench as I waited for the train to arrive. I, again, check the time on my watch.
06:13 AM.
As I was checking the time, an old lady sat down next to me.
"Good morning, young man"
I looked up and replied, "Oh, good morning. It's a fine Christmas Eve today."
"Yes, yes it is. I don't know where you are going, but good luck on your journey. And let go of your past. You'll-"
And then the arriving train drowned out the rest of her sentence. I got up, smiled, and said "Thanks. You have a great rest of your day," then boarded the train. When I turned around as the train car doors closed, the old lady was nowhere to be seen. As the train started accelerating, I felt the searing pain again. And the red tinge turned a darker crimson this time.
That was extremely bizarre. How did she know I was doing something new? And what journey is she talking about? And where did she even go? There's no way she left the platform that quickly.
As I was pondering the strange encounter, I felt someone bump up against me. I turned around, and saw a seemingly distressed high-school aged girl. I leaned in closer and whispered "Is something wrong?" To which she replied with a gesture towards a creepy old man staring at her. He was also holding something in a brown paper bag. I leaned in again and whispered "It's all going to be okay. You don't have to worry about him anymore." I patted her shoulder and made my way towards the guy as the train started to decelerate. When the train finally stopped, I confronted the guy.
With a singular gaze in his eyes, my intuition told me that he was hiding something. His eyes darted around, and he had beads of sweat on his brow. That man had the look of someone suspicious. Someone nefarious. Someone who was about to pull the trigger.
With my experience in the military, I could tell when someone knew they were wrong versus someone who believed they were right and just until the very end.
Well, here goes nothing, I guess…
I sized the dude up, cracked my knuckles, and realized he was like seven inches shorter than me. I grabbed the paper bag out of his hand and unwrapped it. Confirming my suspicions, the contents included a DSLR camera and a few spare SD cards. He knew he was in trouble, so he tried to punch me and grab the camera back. I sidestepped him and quickly broke his arm.
"Don't worry" I broke out into a grin "The break is clean." In front of everyone, I then crushed the camera under my foot, and poured one of my drinks onto it, making sure it was unsalvageable. I took him by the collar and threw him off the train.
"Don't ever show your face here. Ever. And I'm not fucking asking," I yelled. It seemed that I was wearing a coat of bloodlust; my anger tangible in the air.
The dude seemed to get the message and booked it. He didn't get very far before the police nabbed him. Apparently, he was known for trying to get upskirt shots of women on the train. What a piece of shit.
"Thank you, mister!"
As I sat back down, the high school girl smiled and sat down next to me.
"Oh, it's not a problem. Are you okay though?" I replied. "That can be really traumatizing."
She looked at me with the widest, cutest smile I had ever seen and said "Well, now I am! All because of you!"
Taken aback by the forward answer, I broke eye contact and blushed a little. "Then, I suppose it's all good."
"What's your name, mister? My name is Sakuramata Mayumi. But just call me Mayumi."
I smiled and replied "It's nice to meet you, Mayumi. My name is…" I paused for a second.
Shit. What was my name? I can't remember it.
"...Yuuji."
"Yuuji? I like it! But where did you learn those moves? They were so cool. Like, straight out of a movie cool!"
"Oh, um, before I moved to Japan, I was in the United States Special Forces. I learned a lot of things there."
"Whoa! That's so cool? Can you speak English?"
"Yeah. Fluently. My parents were Japanese, but I was raised in the United States."
"Maybe you could tutor me? I am not so great at it after all…"
I was a little shocked at that request. "Me? Tutor? I've never thought of doing something like that. And I probably suck at teaching anyway."
"Who knows?" She replied "You seem like a great big brother."
Great. Not even in the friendzone. I'm in the brother-zone."
"Or maybe dad? Nah, maybe that one super cool uncle with no kids."
What the hell does that even mean?!?!
"Is that a compliment or an insult? I can't tell."
"No, No, it's a compliment! I swear!"
"Mmhmm. Anyway, where are you going so early on Christmas Eve?"
"Oh, I am going to meet my boyfriend!"
What? Is she trying to make me feel bad? First the uncle thing, and then this? I am almost 30 and I've never dated…
"Ah. Have fun! Make sure he treats you right. And have a good time too."
"Thank you," she replied. "What about you?"
"I am looking for something. By the Sky Tree"
"Like a restaurant?"
"Yeah… something like that."
"Well good luck! This is my stop. Oh and before you go, give me your cell phone."
"Uh sure…I guess?"
I handed her my cell phone and she typed something in. She gave it back to me, and said "I exchanged our numbers. For the tutoring thing!"
"Yeah…okay? I never agreed to that though."
She responded with a pouty face and then got off the train. As she got off, I smiled and waved. Then the train started moving again, and I looked down at my phone. And then the searing pain and crimson tinge was extremely vivid and piercing. It lasted a bit longer than usual, but eventually faded away. I rubbed my head, took a swig of water, and then looked at the time again.
07:21 AM
It's before 7:30 and it's already been such an eventful day. I even got up an hour later than normal.
I looked out the window, and saw the snow starting to fall again. It's so peaceful right now. I stood up and waited for the train to decelerate. I got off at my stop and made my way to the street, just by the Sky Tree. I started wandering around and meandering through the shops in the area. I had no idea what I was looking for, I just knew that it was in this general area. I sat down on a bench and just stared into the sky for a while. I let the snow drift onto my face. It was so soothing, and it almost felt nostalgic, for some reason. The clouds acted like a massive light diffuser for the sun. And the reflections of lights on the buildings nearby added a blade runner-esque feeling to the area. I just stared up at the clouds for a while until I smelled some good food.
I haven't eaten yet, have I?
I followed the wafting scent to a small hole-in-the-wall bakery. I popped in and heard a small bell ringing. The front seating area fits maybe only a couple of small tables. There was a counter filled to the brim with different baked goods. The wood flooring added a homely atmosphere to the small shop. It almost felt like a grandmother's kitchen. I rang the bell at the front, and a man came out from the back.
"What can I get for you today?" He energetically boomed.
"I think I'll have a currypan, and two nikuman."
"Good Choice! Coming right up!"
He grabbed the three items I ordered, and as I was grabbing my wallet to pay, I caught a glimpse of a plaque, awarded to Sakuramata.
No way…
But, right at the moment, I saw Mayumi burst through the door.
"Hi, dad! Oh, and Yuu-san! What are you doing here?"
As I was about to reply, I heard a slightly angry dad ask "How do you know my daughter, young man?"
I nervously smiled when Mayumi came to my rescue.
"He saved me from the perv on the train, dad!"
And the slightly angry dad turned into a happy, bear-hug dad.
"Oh. Thank you so much! You know what, that food is on the house today!"
I smiled, thanked him, and left the store without much issue afterwards.
Today has had some weird coincidences!
I sat back down on a bench overlooking the street and just watched the people go about their lives. I had nothing better to do as I munched away on the tasty food I had previously bought with my fists. Once I had finished, I got up and walked towards the Sky Tree to find a trash can. I threw away my trash and started exploring, this time closer to the Sky Tree.
After a while, I started to give up, feeling that this would be impossible. I had no idea what I was looking for. I didn't even know why I even decided to come all the way out here. As I was starting to give up, I looked back up at the sky. I took in a deep breath the fresh air, and closed my eyes.
I mean, it wasn't a complete waste of time.
And as I started to make my way back towards the train station, I heard the distinct chopping of air that military helicopters make.
No. No. I don't want another panic attack. At least not in public.
I ran towards the closest semi-private space and tried to catch my breath. I hopped a construction fence, and just hid there for a few minutes to pull myself together. But the memories started to flood back.
No. Don't ruin this beautiful day! Please, I beg of you.
I had no idea who I was begging to, but I just begged. As the attack started to subside, I got up, but I slipped. And I fell. I fell into some underground maintenance tunnel. With no real way of getting back up.
I hit a hard surface and I felt a sharp pain in my leg.
Crap. I may have sprained my ankle.
And then I tried to find a way out…