Megumi Eto (Female Student No. 3) sat in the dark, hugging her knees while her small body shook violently. She was inside a house slightly removed from the island's most populated area on the eastern shore. The lights might have worked, but Megumi didn't dare try them. The moonlight coming through the window didn't reach under the worn out kitchen table she was hiding under. It was almost pitch black, so she couldn't check her watch, but two hours had probably passed since she sat down here. It was probably almost 4 a.m. Was it one hour since she heard that distant, faint sound that sounded like firecrackers? No, Megumi didn't even want to think about what that really was. She raised her face and saw, silhouetted against the moonlight, the cupboard and kettle right above the sink. She was aware the government probably relocated the island's residents to some temporary housing units, but the remaining traces of someone's life in this house was unnatural and creepy. It reminded her of the ghost story she'd heard as a child, about the ship Marie Celeste whose entire crew suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving behind their meals and possessions in mid-use. She became even more terrified.
Immediately after her departure she had no idea where she was headed. Next thing she knew she was in the middle of this residential area. The first thought that occurred to her was that there weren't too many students out yet. She was the sixth to leave the school. Five were already out…but only five. There were fifty or sixty houses in this area, so the chances of encountering one of them were close to nil. And as long as she locked the door and kept the place to herself… then she would be safe at least until she had to move. The collar that would explode if she remained in one of the forbidden zones was oppressive, but there was nothing she could do about it. Sakamochi had warned that, "If you try to pry it loose, it will explode." In any case, the important thing was to make sure she could hear Sakamochi's announcement of the time and location of each forbidden zone.
So Megumi had tried to enter a house, but the first one was locked. So was the second one. She went to the backyard of the third one and broke the sash window with a rock she found on the ground. It made such a huge sound, she ducked under the veranda. No one seemed to be in the area, though. She entered. There was no use locking the sash now. She had to laboriously close the storm door. Once it was shut, the inside turned pitch black, and she felt as if she'd wandered into a haunted house. She managed to pull out her flashlight though and searched the house. She took two fishing poles and used them to jam the storm door shut.
And now she was under the kitchen table. Killing each other was out of the question. But what if… just what if this area (checking the map, she found the whole area was almost completely inside sector H=8) never turned into a forbidden zone, then she might end up surviving.
But…Megumi continued shaking as she continued to think. That was terrible. Of course…according to the rules of the game, everyone was your enemy so you couldn't trust anyone. That's why she was shaking right now…but, but even if the game ended and she turned out to be the sole survivor, then that would also mean everyone else had died: her friends (like Mizuho Inada and Kaori Minami), as well as Shuya Nanahara, who made her heart flutter every time she thought of him. Megumi pulled her knees in and thought of Shuya in the dark. What she really loved about him was his voice. That slight rasp that was neither too high nor too low. He apparently loved censored music called
"rock," so he always looked really unhappy in music class when they had to sing songs praising the government and the Dictator, but he sang incredibly. The sound from his guitar when he played improvised passages was superb. Its unfamiliar rhythm made you want to dance. And yet there was also something graceful about the sound, not unlike the sound of bells chiming in a beautiful church. And then there was his longish permed hair (Shuya once said, "I'm imitating Bruce Springsteen," but Megumi had no idea what he was talking about), not to mention his slightly drowsy looking, kind eyes with double eyelids. Also he moved so gracefully since he'd been a star Little League player ever since elementary school.
Her shaking subsided a little when she thought of Shuya's face and voice. Oh, if only Shuya Nanahara were with me right now, it would be so wonderful…
So then…so then why didn't she ever tell Shuya how she felt about him? By love letter? Or by sending someone to bring him, so she could confess to him directly? Or by phone? Now she'd never get the chance.
That's when it occurred to her.
The phone.
That's right. Sakamochi said we wouldn't be able to use phones in the houses. But…
Megumi grabbed her nylon bag, which was lying next to her supplied day pack. She pulled open the zipper and shoved aside her clothes and personal effects.
She touched a hard square object and grabbed it.
It was a cell phone. Her mother bought it for her for this trip in case something (well, this wasn't just something) happened during her trip. It was true she'd been envious of the other one or two classmates who owned one, and there was something thrilling about the feeling of having your own private link, but Megumi also thought her parents were being overprotective, and that her mother was neurotic. She wondered, "Why would a junior high school kid need this?" when she put the shiny phone into her bag. She'd completely forgotten about it until this very moment.
Megumi flipped open the phone with her trembling hands.
The phone automatically switched from receive mode to send mode and the small LCD panel and dial buttons lit up with a green glow. Her knees under her skirt and bags were now visible. But more importantly, there, without a doubt, was the antenna and air wave symbols lighting up on the display panel, indicating it was ready for a phone call!
"Oh…God…"
Megumi frantically pressed the dial buttons, the numbers for her home in Shiroiwa-cho. 0, 8, 7, 9, 2…
After a moment of silence, the phone on the other end began to ring in her ear, and her chest filled with hope.
One, two, three rings. Please answer it. Dad, Mom. I might be calling at an unreasonable hour, but you must be aware your daughter is in an emergency situation. Hurry…
The ringing was interrupted by a voice answering, "Hello."
"Oh Dad!" In her cramped position Megumi closed her eyes. She thought she would go crazy from relief. I'm going to be saved. Saved! "Dad, it's me! Megumi! Oh Dad! Please help me! Please, save me from here!" She shouted into the phone in a frenzy, but she came to herself because there was no response. Something…was wrong. What…why won't Dad…no, this was…
Finally, the voice at the other end spoke, "I'm not your dad, Megumi. This is Sakamochi. I told you the phones wouldn't work, Megumi."
Megumi shrieked and tossed the phone to the floor. Then she hurriedly slammed the "End" button. Her heart thumped frantically. Once again Megumi was overcome with despair. Oh, no…so it failed…so I am going to die here… I'm going to die___
But then Megumi's heart leaped.
…it was a shattering sound.
The sound of broken glass.
Megumi turned towards the origin of the sound. It came from the sitting room which she had checked to make sure it was locked. Someone was coming. Someone. Why, though? Of all the houses here, why this one?
Megumi panicked and closed the cell phone panel, which had been still glowing green. She put it in her pocket, took the weapon from her day pack, and pulled the double-bladed diver's knife from its plastic sheath. She gripped it tightly. She had to escape as quickly as possible. But her body was frozen and she couldn't move. Megumi slowed her breathing. Please, please, please God, make sure they can't hear my pounding heart.
She heard the sound of a window opening, then closing, then the sound of careful, quiet footsteps. They seemed to be moving around the house, but then they headed directly towards the kitchen and Megumi. Megumi's heart pounded even louder.
A thin ray of light shot through the kitchen. The ray glided over the kettle and cupboard above the sink. Someone sighed with relief and said to herself, "Good, there's no one here." The footsteps entered the kitchen. As soon as Megumi heard the voice, though, Megumi was aghast. Any minuscule hope that she could work something out in case the intruder turned out to be a friend had been completely shattered. Because…it was the voice of her, Mitsuko Souma (Female Student No. 11), the meanest girl in the entire school. Even though she had the cutest, most angelic face, a single glance from her was enough to intimidate any teacher.
Mitsuko Souma was more frightening to Megumi than any of the ill-reputed boys, Kazuo Kiriyama and Shogo Kawada. It might have been because, like Megumi, Mitsuko Souma was a girl, and also, yes of course, because Megumi herself had been harassed by Hirono Shimizu, who was in Mitsuko's gang, when they first became classmates in second-year. If they were in the same hall, Hirono would trip her or slash her skirt with a razor. Lately, maybe because she'd simply lost interest in Megumi, Hirono had stopped harassing her. (She was still disappointed though when she learned that her third-year class was to be the same as her second-year class.) Mitsuko herself didn't pick on Megumi, but Mitsuko was someone even Hirono couldn't defy.
That's right…Mitsuko Souma would relish killing someone like her.
Megumi's body began trembling again. Oh…please no, don't shake…if she hears me…Megumi wrapped her body tightly with her arms to keep her arms from shaking.
From beneath the table Megumi could see Mitsuko's hand holding a flashlight and the belt of her skirt glowing behind it. She heard the sound of Mitsuko rifling through the drawers of the sink. Please hurry…hurry up and get out of here. If you could at least just get out of this room…that's right, then I could go to the bathroom. I could lock it from inside and escape through the window. Please hurry…
BRRRRIING. The electronic signal rang, and Megumi felt her heart leap out of her mouth. Mitsuko Souma also seemed to quiver, slightly. The beam from her flashlight suddenly disappeared along with the belt. She seemed to be approaching the corner of the room.
Megumi realized the sound was coming from her pocket.
She frantically pulled out the cellular. Her mind went blank and she automatically flipped it open and randomly pressed the buttons.
A voice leaked out, "Hey, it's Sakamochi again. I just wanted to remind you, Megumi, to turn off your cell phone. Otherwise, if I call you like this, everyone will know where you are, right? So…" Megumi's fingers found the "End" button, cutting off Sakamochi's voice. The suffocating silence continued for a while. Then she heard Mitsuko's voice, "Megumi?" She asked,
"Megumi? Is that you?"
Mitsuko seemed to be in the corner of the dark kitchen. Megumi carefully placed her cell phone on the floor. The only thing in her hands now was her knife. Her hands were shaking even more, and the knife felt like a fish wiggling loose, but she gripped it as tight as she could. Mitsuko was taller than Megumi, but she couldn't have been much stronger. Mitsuko's weapon—could it possibly be a gun?—no, then Mitsuko would have aimed it over here and fired. If Mitsuko didn't have a gun—then Megumi might have a chance. That's right, she had to kill. If she didn't kill, Mitsuko would surely kill her.
She had to kill.
There was a clicking sound, and once again the flashlight beam appeared. It lit up the bottom of the table, and Megumi squinted for an instant. Now was the time—all she had to do was get up, run toward the source of the light with her knife out.
But Megumi's intentions were about to be abruptly undermined by an unexpected turn of events. The flashlight beam fell on a lower spot, and Mitsuko Souma sank down on the floor into the light, staring at Megumi. Tears were streaming down Mitsuko's cheeks.
"I'm so glad…" her trembling lips finally parted, and she managed to say in a feeble voice,
"I'm…I'm…I'm so scared...."
Mitsuko's voice was half shrieking. She thrust both of her hands forward as if seeking Megumi's protection. Her hands were empty.
Then she continued, "I can trust you, right? I can trust you. You wouldn't think of killing me, would you?
You'll stay with me, won't you?"
Megumi was stunned. This was Mitsuko Souma crying. She's asking for my help…
Oh…as the shaking in her body subsided, Megumi felt an indescribable emotion well up inside her. That's right. So that's how it was. It didn't matter how bad her reputation was, Mitsuko Souma was just another third-year junior high school student like her. Even Mitsuko Souma couldn't take part in something as horrible as killing other classmates. She was just lonely and scared out of her wits. And…oh, how terrible, I'd actually considered it. I thought of killing her. I'm so…I'm so horrible.
Megumi burst into tears, overwhelmed by self-loathing along with the security that she now felt she was no longer alone, she was with someone.
The knife slipped through Megumi's hands. She crawled on the floor, emerged from under the table, and held Mitsuko's offered hands. As if a dam inside her were bursting, she blurted out, "Mitsuko! Mitsuko!" She knew she was shaking this time from a different kind of emotion. It didn't matter. She was…she was…
"It's all right. I'll stay with you. We'll stay together."
"Uh-huh." Mitsuko scrunched up her tear-stained face and squeezed Megumi's hands in return, nodding and repeating, "Uh-huh, uh-huh."
Megumi held Mitsuko like this on the kitchen floor. She felt the warmth of Mitsuko's body and she felt all the more guilty as her arms felt Mitsuko's body trembling helplessly.
I-I was really thinking of doing something horrible…so horrible…I was actually trying to kill this girl…
"Hey…" Megumi began to blurt out, "I-I…"
"Hm?" Mitsuko lifted her teary eyes up to Megumi.
Megumi pursed her lips tightly to stifle a shriek and shook her head. "I-I'm so ashamed of myself. For a moment, I was trying to kill you. I thought of killing you. Because I was…1 was so scared." Mitsuko's eyes widened when she heard this—but she didn't get upset. All she did was slightly nod her face which had been scrunched up from crying hysterically. Then she offered a warm smile. "That's okay. Really. Don't get too upset. It's only to be expected. In this awful situation. Really, don't get upset. Okay? Just stay with me, please?"
After Mitsuko said this, she gently held Megumi's face with her left hand and pressed her left cheek against Megumi's cheek. Megumi could feel Mitsuko's tears.
Oh. Megumi thought, I was so wrong about her. It turned out Mitsuko Souma was an incredibly kind girl. She managed to forgive someone who tried to kill her with such a kind response, "It's okay." Didn't our teacher, Mr. Hayashida, who's already been killed, warn us how wrong it is to judge people just by their reputations?
With these thoughts, Megumi felt something well up inside her again. She held Mitsuko's body even more tightly. That was all she could do for now. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I am such a horrible person, I am really—
The slashing sound Megumi heard sounded like a lemon being cut.
It was a nice sound. The knife must have been really sharp and the lemon fresh, the way they are on television cooking shows, as in, "Today, we'll be cooking lemon salmon." It took her a few seconds to realize what had occurred.
Megumi saw Mitsuko's right hand. On the left side under her chin. Her hand held a gently curved, banana-shaped blade that reflected dully against the flashlight beam. It was a sickle—the kind used to harvest rice. And now its tip was stuck in Megumi's throat.....
Her left hand clutching the back of Megumi's head, Mitsuko dug the sickle in further. It made another crunching noise.
Megumi's throat began to burn, but it didn't last very long. She couldn't say a word and lost consciousness as her chest warmed over with blood. She expired, unable to form any idea of what it meant exactly to have a blade stuck in her throat. Betrayed in the arms of Mitsuko, she died without any thoughts concerning Shuya Nanahara or her family.
Mitsuko let go of Megumi, who collapsed onto the floor right beside her. Mitsuko quickly turned off her flashlight and stood up. She wiped away the annoying tears (which she could produce any time. It was in fact one of her special talents). Holding the sickle in her right hand up to the moonlight, she whipped the blood off onto the floor. The blood drops made a splattering sound against the floor.
Not bad for starters, Mitsuko thought. She was hoping for a knife that was easier to use, but it turned out a sickle wasn't so bad. She hadn't been careful enough though in entering a house that might already be occupied. From now on I'll have to be more careful....
Looking down at Megumi's corpse, she spoke slowly and quietly, "I'm sorry. I was also trying to kill you."
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