Koharu Kusumi
Rockfort Island Shore, Dock (Marina)
October 9, 12:03 AM
Koharu felt her gorge rise into her throat. She swallowed it down, looking away, but the grotesque image was already fixed in her mind- the eyeless face and peeling tissue, the carefully splayed fingers pinned into place…
Ohmigosh, is that some kind of sick joke?
Koharu felt dizzy, still out of breath from the nightmarish swim, the sloshing climb over the rocks, the horror of the sea monster. The dried sour smell of rot wasn’t helping.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke. Then Hitomi cupped one hand over the light and started talking, her voice low but amazingly even.
“ Listen. I want status, now, injuries then equipment. Take a deep breath everyone. Reina? “
Reina’s solemn voice rumbled through the shadows to Kusumi's left, accompanied by sounds of wet, fumbling movement. Ai and Sayumi were to her right, Hitomi still by the door.
“ I got fish slime on me, but I’m okay. I lost my bag with my junk, but Reina held on to the backpack food. And my lights' gone. So are the radios. “
“ Sayumi? “
Her voice was wavering, but quick. “ I’m fine- uh, my stuff’s here, and the flashlight… oh, and I found this. “
Sayumi holds a small, black ammo pack into the air.
Kusumi checked herself out as Sayumi spoke, unholstering her backpack on her right. There was an empty space on her left upper back, where her belongings should’ve been.
“ Kusumi? “
“ Uhm, my arms are kind of ouch, but it's not 'ouch-ouch'. My things are gone. And~ still have the weapons’. ”
Koharu pats the drenched bag as she lays it on the ground.
“ Ai? “
“ No light. My bag broke open though- lost everything but the med kit… “
Hitomi’s fingers shifted over the muted beam, allowing a shallow glow to spill the room. “ No one’s hurt and we’re still armed; things could be a lot worse. Kusumi, pass out the weapons and clips, please. The fence can’t be more than fifty meters south from here, and there are enough trees for cover, provided no one has seen us yet. We’re going back to the shoreline, look for Eri and Risa, and get the hell out of here ourselves. “
“ Get out… How? “ Ai asks as Koharu unzips the bag.
Hitomi pauses. “ Boat. Anything. “
" You mean we gotta' meet that huge-o monster again? " Reina scoffed to herself.
Sayumi accepted three loaded magazines and a semi-automatic from Koharu, nodding her thanks.
The semi trembles in her hand as she looks on, confused. “ This- This gun, the bullet stuff goes in here, right? And I pull this thing back, and press the trigger to shoot? “
Sayumi retracts her gaze to Hitomi, who nods, and grabs a rifle, handed to her by Koharu.
“ Just like how I explained it back on the plane, ladies. Nothings’ changed. Only, we might be using these damned things. “
Koharu watches as Sayumi clumsily slaps a clip into the semi, and it clicks in place. She looks closer at the gun, careful not to point it at anyone.
Koharu sighs as she passes out the drenched weapons to everyone.
The crash, the hijackers, Eri and Risa gone, that mean, dumb monster trying to eat us, Miki dead, now Mr. Death, waving, like some mean person put him there to say hello….
Koharu knew the situation could only get worse. She admired Morning Musume deeply, had always wanted to make the other members happy, make things right- but with their raft gone, and the initial plan looking for help, down in the dumps, getting off the island seemed like an impossibility.
" All done... " Kusumi declares, shaking the now-empty bag. She glances around, making sure she didn't miss anyone-
Ai, busy loading the ammo clips into her gun- Reina, having a hard time fitting her gun into her tight pocket- and Sayumi, still gazing closely at her gun.
Hitomi stepped closer to the decomposed figure, a look of disgust curling her features in the shadowy orange glow of the light. “ Ai, Sayumi, come take a look at this. Reina, take Sayumi’s flashlight, you and Kusumi see if you can find anything useful. “
Sayumi handed her flashlight to Reina, who nodded at Kusumi. The two Musumes’ walked to one end of the long workbench, the soft voices of the others carrying across the still air.
“ I can’t look at this… “ Sayumi said. “ Why did you want me to come here… “
Hitomi tosses Sayumi the light. “ To hold this. “
She begins to dig into the mans’ pockets, cringing her face as the corpse sways against the door, lifelessly.
“ Ough, gross… “ Sayumi choked.
Hitomi grabs hold of something, and slowly retracts her hand out.
A wallet.
Sayumi shines the light closer, as all three huddle over it. Hitomi frowns, opening it up, and catches glimpse of an I.D.
“ Kenshi... “ Hitomi slowly reads aloud. " Hirokane. Kenshi Hirokane. "
The sagging, seeping Mr. Death had an identity now, for what is was worth. “ Nice to put a face to the name, huh? “ Reina cracked, but not even she smiled.
As Hitomi closes the wallet, a piece of ripped paper falls out. Sayumi spots it from the corner of her eye, and picks it up- while Ai resumes to observe the corpse.
“ Oh hey, there’s something written on this. “ Sayumi stares, and reads it, softly.
“’ blue series/enter answer for key/letters and numbers reverse/time rainbow/don’t count/blue to access. ‘”
Sayumi’s voice trailed off as it neared the end.
“ What in the hell? “ Hitomi murmurs.
Silence, then Ai spoke, pointing at the corpse. “ See that? Sayumi, give me the light for a sec- “
Reina hooded their flashlight with one small hand, playing the beam across the dirty planks of the counter.
A broken coffee mug.
A pile of greasy nuts and bolts on top of a laminated chart.
An electric screwdriver, dusty and dented, a couple of bits on a stained rag.
Nothing, there’s nothing here. We should get out before someone mean comes looking… Koharu thought.
Reina opened a drawer and rummaged through it while Koharu tried to make out what was on an overhead shelf. Behind them, Ai spoke again.
“ Check out the smudge marks, here and here… I think he was still alive as he got nailed up… “
Reina had finished digging through the drawer and they moved on, shoes squelching against the wood floor.
A set of socket wrenches.
A cheap radio.
A crumpled paper bag next to a pencil nub.
Something snagged at Koharu's thoughts and she stopped, looking at the paper bag.
The pencil…
She picked up the crunched ball, smoothing out the wrinkles and turning it over. There were several lines written near the bottom, scrawled and jerky.
“ Hey, we found something, “ Reina called quietly, shining the light on the writing as the others hurried over. Koharu read it aloud, squinting at the faintly penciled words under the wobbling beam. There was no punctuation; she did her best to work out the pauses as she went.
“ ‘… September 25. Food was drugged, I’m sick- I hid Testudo for you. She is safe. But boats are sunk and Niita plans to let the…’ “
Kusumi frowned, unable to make out the word.
Del… deltas?
“ ‘Boats are sunk and she plans to let the Deltas out sometime in the beginning of October- dark now, they’ll come, I think she killed the rest- stop her- Destroy the lab- find Niita, kill her- I wish- ‘ “
There was nothing more.
“ That… guy, “ Ai said softly, glimpsing at the corpse. “ His last words… “
Kusumi froze. The desperate little note had an ominous ring to it, with or without the brutal murder to back it up.
What’s a Deltas? Who’s “Niita”?
“ Maybe we should look around a little more- “ Sayumi began hesitantly, but Hitomi was shaking her head.
“ I think it’s best if we leave this place for now. We’ll- “
She broke off as heavy, plodding footsteps sounded across the wood deck, just outside the door they’d come through. Everyone froze, listening. More than one set, and whoever they were, they were making no effort to hide their approach. They stopped at the door- and stayed there, no rattling knob, no crashing kick, no other sound. Waiting.
Hitomi gestured her finger against her lips, then up into the air, pointed to Ai and then to the other door, which hung with the grisly remains of Kenshi Hirokane. Kusumi realized Hitomi was sending a signal; the signal to move out, Ai first.
They edged toward the grinning corpse, Kusumi wincing at every shifting creak they created, breathing through her mouth to avoid inhaling the stench-
-and as Ai pushed the door open, the silence was shattered by the rattle of automatic fire, coming from in front of them, to the left- coming from the direction of their escape.
Topic: Eri Kamei vs. Morning Musume (Read 101915 times)