Chapter 9 - Gishinanki: Unending Nightmare

1

Could this be my fault?

That was all Shun could think as he put his hands over his burning cheeks. Everything that had happened to them so far was eerily similar to the events of his computer game.

I’m... an idiot.

He wanted to curse himself to death for not realizing that before Hiroshi pointed it out.

But maybe there was nothing I could have done about it.

Whenever Shun saw Takuro, it flipped a switch in his brain. It put him in survival mode. He relied on instinct without thinking, but that was exactly what had brought tragedy on them all. If he’d realized sooner that what was happening at the mansion paralleled his game, he could have stopped them all before going inside.

No, there was no way. Shun shook his head.

Even if he’d had some semblance of cognizance left, it would have been impossible for him to predict the disaster awaiting them before they entered. The mansion in his game was modeled after the Jailhouse, so it was only natural that they looked similar. It was perhaps just a coincidence that the interior and the arrangement of the manor were similar too.

In total, the game had four characters. The player could input their own name for the main character, but the three NPCs were named Takuro, Mika, and Takeshi after his classmates. But in reality, six of them had come to mansion, including himself and Anna. That was another reason Shun hadn’t realized the connection sooner.

But why had he turned people he was so afraid of that he said his prayers every time they crossed paths into video game characters in the first place? Even he didn’t know. Was it a tiny bit of revenge for all the bullying? Mika and Takeshi hung out with Takuro a lot, so it was easy to lump them in with Takuro. And Takuro...

“Did you make this? You little turd!”

Shun recalled how he’d responded to the game.

“New kid. I see what you really think of me now.”

The first one to die in his game was Takuro, who had his head chewed off by the creepy monster. It was no wonder he had smashed Shun’s laptop.

But it’s not my fault...

That’s what Shun told himself now. Even if he’d noticed the similarities upon entering the mansion, there was no way he could have known a blue monster would attack them.

So... it’s not my fault Takeshi died.

He had to make himself believe that. It might break him otherwise.

I only killed Takeshi and Takuro in my game. And besides... the first one to be killed in my game was Takuro, not Takeshi. Not everything mirrors the game, so there’s no reason for me to feel responsible, right?

Pressing his hand to his chest, Shun tried to calm his racing heart.

Nothing that’s happened in this mansion has anything to do with the game I made. I didn’t kill Takeshi. It wasn’t me. It wasn’t me.

The blue monster that attacked everyone was just unconsciously inspired by sightings of blue rats and things around the Jailhouse. Takeshi had hidden himself in a wardrobe just like he did in the game, but that was easy to predict based on how much of a coward he was. It wasn’t odd in the slightest that that was what he’d actually done.

As he thought things through, Shun’s pulse finally began to slow. The Shun who had tried to escape reality by convincing himself that this was all a dream was gone now. Now he looked around, instead trying to calmly analyze the situation for what it was.

What in the world is going on here?

He turned his gaze to the severed head on the floor. It was hard to look directly at it, but he had to make sure it was really Takeshi.

“This must be one of Takuro’s pranks,” Shun said to Hiroshi, who was squatted down and studying Takeshi’s head. “After you left the swamp today, Takuro showed up. He played a little of my game. I... don’t think he liked me using his name without permission. That’s why he’s dressing up as the monster from my game and trying to scare us.”

Hiroshi didn’t respond. He just continued to seriously study what was once Takeshi. Still, Shun continued to speak. It was unlike him, but if he didn’t keep talking, he felt like his heart would give out at any moment.

“He must have decided to scare me after spotting me in the yard and thought up this plan. After locking the front door so I couldn’t escape, he dressed up as the blue giant and has just been enjoying scaring me this whole time.”

In truth, Shun had only seen a silhouette through clouded glass and caught a glimpse of something from behind. It could have easily been Takuro in a costume. If nothing else, it was suspicious that they hadn’t run into him once since they parted ways in the entrance hall. The mansion was big, but it was inconceivable that Takuro hadn’t heard Takeshi’s anguished cries.

He must be hiding somewhere, watching me cower in fear. With that nasty grin plastered on his face, no doubt.

Were Takeshi and Mika in on it as well? No, they didn’t seem to be acting. Most likely they’d just gotten mixed up in Takuro’s plans for Shun and become victims themselves. Shun recalled how Mika had run out into the hall with her hands clasped over her mouth. He felt responsible.

“So... that severed head, the leg-like chunk of flesh, and even that arm we found earlier are just fakes, even though they look real. Maybe there’s meat or something inside them to attract the rats.”

He’d know once he touched it. Shun squatted down next to Hiroshi and reached out for the severed head. It was gross, but he wasn’t scared. After all, it was merely an elaborate fake. It would just be like touching the anatomical model in the science prep room. Shun ran his fingertips along the severed head’s cheek. As he did, he let out a scream like a hiccup.

The skin was soft. It was cold, but it wasn’t rubber or plastic. Summoning his courage, he pressed harder against it until he felt a cheekbone. It wasn’t fake after all.

Shun whipped his arm back, recoiling violently. He jumped back, his back slamming into the wall so hard that it knocked the wind out of him for a moment. Hiroshi looked at him with surprise.

His back still pressed flat against the wall, Shun gave the severed head another look. Dark roots could be seen at the ends of the bleached-blond hairs. Traces of acne dotted the forehead, and peach fuzz sprouted under the nose. It was too real. There was no way it could be a fake.

“Hey... What’s going on?” he asked, his voice shaky.

But Hiroshi just continued to look at him, not saying a thing. They locked eyes in bewildered silence as the seconds ticked by. Eventually, Takeshi’s severed head moved even though no one had touched it.

“What?”

It quivered slightly, as if alive.

The impossible just keeps happening. If this isn’t a nightmare, then what on earth is it? Hiroshi... You know, don’t you? Why is a corpse moving? Is this a phenomenon explainable by science?

Surely Hiroshi would have answers. Shun wanted to ask him all kinds of questions, but he was no longer capable of forming words. The only thing that passed his lips was the faint sound of air escaping his lungs.

Takeshi’s right eye, which was only slightly open, suddenly shifted. Incredulous, Shun jumped to his feet when the eye popped out of its socket. All kinds of fluids began pouring out of the now-open orifice. A blue rat, which had somehow snuck inside, then peered out from the eye socket. It looked at Shun and screeched unpleasantly. Something the color of whitebait was dangling from its mouth. Its cheeks appeared to be stuffed with whatever it was. Narrowing its eyes as if smiling happily, the rat began chewing the sticky substance with nasty, wet smacking sounds.

Is that... Takeshi’s...?

The contents of Shun’s stomach rushed up his esophagus and nearly burst from his mouth.

I can’t do this. I can’t take it.

Shun stood up and fled from the room, running into the hall.

2

Dashing into the room still open at the end of the west hall, Shun leaned over the sink. In a cold sweat, he retched again and again. Then he heard something.

Lifting his head, he glanced at the secondary door in the room. If this bathroom was like the one on the first floor, the toilet would be on the other side. It appeared to be locked from the inside though, as a red sign saying “occupied” was visible below the doorknob. Straining his ears, Shun could hear the faint sounds of a girl sobbing coming from within.

“...Are you okay?” he asked as he knocked on the door.

“Who’s there?” The voice, though a little ragged from crying so much, was definitely Mika’s.

“It’s me... Shun,” he answered and knocked again.

“Stop it!” she shouted, overwhelmed and hysterical. “Leave me alone! Stop bothering me!”

“But...”

But he couldn’t just leave her. Takeshi was dead. Murdered, even. That much was clear. They had to get out of the mansion quickly or there might be another victim.

“I want to be alone! I like being by myself! Please go away!”

Something soft hit the door, perhaps a roll of toilet paper, and fell to the floor. Despite his reservations, there was really nothing Shun could do if Mika was this insistent. Prodding her in the wrong way could end up disastrous. He decided to keep Takeshi’s death a secret for the moment.

Really, Shun was a little jealous of Mika for immediately running to the bathroom. She hadn’t seen what the rats were eating or what had become of Takeshi. That ghastly scene was burned into Shun’s mind, never to fade or disappear. The hellish image reappeared every time he closed his eyes. He’d see Takeshi’s corpse now every night when he went to bed. He’d have to be careful not to fall asleep in class. That is... if he returned to his normal life. He would have to escape first.

Giving up on changing Mika’s mind, Shun left the washroom. As he walked down the hall, the metallic scent of blood grew stronger again. Wanting to avoid the sight of Takeshi’s severed head, he turned and headed slowly down the stairs. The entrance hall was silent, much like how he’d left it. He tried the door, but it was still locked.

“Anna,” he called out.

But there was no answer. Anna was still unaccounted for, just like Takuro. Shun checked the first floor bathroom again, but there were no clues as to Anna’s whereabouts.

It can’t be.

Stopping in the middle of the hall, Shun looked up. Sweat dripped down his temple and he felt sick. Hurriedly suppressing the memory of Takeshi’s remains trying to resurface, he calmed his rapid breathing.

Could Anna have met the same fate? I’ve looked all over and can’t find her. The possibility’s not zero... Calm down, calm down, calm down.

Grabbing his chest, he repeated those words to himself.

Once he regained some of his composure, he cleared his mind. Who exactly killed Takeshi? Blue-skinned monsters didn’t actually exist. It was only an imaginary creature from his game. The giant Shun had seen was Takuro in disguise, most likely.

That moved the suspicion onto Takuro. Was he the one that killed Takeshi? It wasn’t unthinkable. He didn’t exactly place a high value on human life. After all, he’d almost killed Shun just the other day. He’d ordered him to jump from the school’s third floor, and he’d obeyed. If he’d landed the wrong way, he could have died. But Takuro just would have laughed. Shun didn’t hesitate to think he could chop up a body without batting an eye.

But then what was his motive? Pure curiosity? Had he taken Takeshi’s head in one of his sick “experiments”? If that were the case though, wouldn’t he have used Shun as a test subject instead of Takeshi? He had to consider another motive.

“Oh...” Shun gasped as he remembered something.

“I’m sorry, Naoki. Forgive me... Forgive me... I told him to stop. But... But Takuro...”

And it wasn’t just Takeshi’s words. There was also what Mika had coldly said to the half-crazed, sniveling Takeshi curled up in the wardrobe.

“Are you sure about this? Say any more and Takuro might kill you.”

Naoki was possessed by something from the Jailhouse. It was the curse that made him run out into the road. Those were the rumors surrounding his death at school. They had all come from Takeshi’s claim that he saw Naoki dashing out of the Jailhouse right before the accident, but Takeshi was a liar. None of the rumors were true. Naoki had jumped in front of the truck because that’s what Takuro told him to do.

Takuro, thinking of it as just another experiment, had given the order callously and without hesitation. But things had turned out much worse than he’d imagined. The accident caused the deaths of seven people. No one could know he’d been involved. That’s why he forced Takeshi to spread false rumors, and as a result, no one ever suspected his involvement.

Still, Takeshi was a bigmouth and that made him a liability for Takuro. Takeshi could have said anything. He ran off at the mouth so much it wasn’t hard to imagine him saying, “All that stuff I said about Naoki was a lie. Takuro made me do it.” There was no guarantee he wouldn’t let the truth slip just like that. In fact, Takeshi had even blabbed while they were in the entrance hall until Takuro silenced him with a glare. Shun recalled those eyes, filled with malice. “I can’t let Takeshi live. Maybe I should kill him right now.” It wouldn’t surprise him at all if that’s what Takuro had really been thinking.

Here in the Jailhouse, Takuro could use the spirit haunting the place as cover for Takeshi’s murder. Shun and the others would all be witnesses. They would say they’d been attacked by a monster. They’d seen it for themselves. The cops wouldn’t know what to think. It would sound like they were all crazy, which would work out quite well for Takuro. Even better if they actually believed there was a real monster involved.

One unbelievable thing had happened after another since coming to the mansion, but considering the possibility that it was all Takuro’s doing, it all sort of started to make sense. Shun was now convinced that was what was going on.

Which means...

“Anna’s in danger,” Shun whispered.

Anna knew that Takuro was involved in the accident last year. It was his fault her parents were dead, so she couldn’t just sit by and do nothing when she saw him up to no good again. What if she had confronted him? This was Takuro, after all. He’d try to silence her just like he had with Takeshi.

Where is Anna? I have to find her quickly.

Shun grabbed the knob to the closest door and pulled with all his might. But it did nothing. It seemed to be locked and wouldn’t open.

When Shun looked up, he saw a panel engraved with the symbol “α” affixed to the door. It was the Greek letter alpha. Each door had a panel with a different letter from the Greek alphabet on it. The one he’d first thought was “p” earlier was actually “ρ,” the Greek letter rho. The sign on the room upstairs where Takeshi’s head lay had a character on it that looked something like a wooden sandal. It was “π,” or pi. Looking to the next door over, Shun saw the Greek letter “θ,” or theta. Just like in his game.

It felt so strange that he’d forgotten about it. A thin fog still hung over his mind. Had something happened to him? Had he hit his head or something? He began to worry that there were other things he was failing to remember.

Most of the doors were locked with no way to open them. The rooms that weren’t locked didn’t seem to have anyone in them. After investigating all the doors in one hall, Shun decided to check the next.

Turning left in front of the suit of armor in the entrance hall, he reached a door to a room he hadn’t been in before. It was a large, wide room lined with twenty tatami mats. In the middle of the room lay the hand truck Takuro had brought, toppled over on its side. The cardboard boxes, however, were nowhere in sight.

Further into the Japanese-style room was a sliding door with a painting of a crane on it, and Shun had a sinking feeling about what lay beyond. In his game, this sliding door hid a staircase that led to the basement. Recalling Mika complaining about Takuro stepping on the tatami mats with his shoes on, Shun hesitantly proceeded forward. Cutting straight across the room, he opened the sliding door.

“No way...” he said breathlessly.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was dark and dingy on the other side. The ceiling, the walls, the floor... Everything was made of bare concrete. The room seemed chilly just looking at it. And in the middle of it all was indeed a square opening with a staircase leading underground.

3

“Who’s there?” Takuro’s voice echoed from below.

He must have noticed someone was upstairs because of the light shining in from the Japanese-style room. The stairs were dark, however, so there was no way for Shun to see Takuro from where he was standing.

“Ah... Ah...”

The second he heard Takuro’s voice, Shun was unable to speak. That was normal, but it was even more pronounced now that he knew Takuro had murdered Takeshi in such a gory fashion. Turning on his heels, Shun made a break for it.

“Hey, wait!”

Shun heard the sound of someone climbing the stairs behind him. If Takuro caught him, he’d end up like Takeshi too. The image of Takeshi’s remains, including his right eye rolling across the floor, resurfaced in his mind.

No. I don’t want to end up like that.

Fleeing the room at top speed, Shun streaked down the hall and up the stairs. He wasn’t athletic at all. Years of sitting in front of a computer had caused his stamina to wither away. His legs moved awkwardly beneath him and his heart felt as if it were going to jump out of his chest, but he couldn’t stop.

Mika was leaning against a boarded-up window on the second floor. Seeing Shun scramble up the stairs white as a sheet, her eyes went wide. Her normally perfect complexion was now ashen. Her eyelids were dark and puffy, and her hair that she took such pride in was now a chaotic mess.

Passing in front of her, Shun dashed into the room with Takeshi’s head. He’d rather not have to see the grisly sight again, but it was preferable to becoming Takuro’s next victim. Entering the room, Shun saw Hiroshi still squatting in much the same way as before. Did he not care about the smell? Or the fact that there was a severed head? Either way, he was intensely studying what used to be Takeshi.

Averting his eyes so that he wouldn’t actually have to see anything himself, Shun moved around to the other side of Hiroshi. Mika was standing just beyond the open door. Even Takuro wouldn’t attack with so many witnesses.

“What’s that smell?” Takuro asked from the hallway. “Hey. Did you open up the Japanese-style room earlier?”

He seemed to be talking to Mika.

“Huh? What’re you talking about? I was in the bathroom this whole time,” she answered, sounding annoyed.

“Really? If you’re lying, I’ll find out soon enough.”

“What’re making that scary face for? Did something bad happen down there?”

Takuro’s voice faltered for a second. His silence spoke volumes. What had he been doing in the basement? If Anna was there...

“Then did someone come through here just now?”

Shun gasped. This was bad. Prepared to be ratted out, he grimaced.

“No, no one,” Mika said bluntly in an odd display of tact.

“You swear?”

“Why would I lie at a time like this?”

Mika was snappy, but her answer seemed to satisfy Takuro. He didn’t inquire further about who had been in the Japanese-style room.

“So what’re you doing here, Mika?”

“I considered hiding in the bathroom forever, but I was too nervous on my own so I came back out. Then... Takeshi’s...” She said no more and simply pointed into the room.

“Takeshi?”

A few footsteps could be heard, and then Takuro’s head appeared in the doorway. Shun ducked behind Hiroshi’s back. It wasn’t enough to hide him, but he couldn’t help it. His body reacted on instinct.

“Whoa. What the hell is this?” Takuro asked, pinching his nose to try and block out the foul smell.

“It’s Takeshi’s head. A rat took his eye, though,” Hiroshi answered like it was no big deal.

“...Is he dead?”

“I do believe it would be quite difficult to survive in his current condition.”

“Where’s his body?”

“I don’t know. We found what appeared to be his left leg from the knee down, but there’s no sign of the rest of him. Not in this room, at least.”

“H-Hold on a second. What’s going on here? I don’t understand. Explain from the beginning.”

Takuro looked rattled, which confused Shun somewhat. He cocked his head to the side quizzically as he observed him. He’d killed Takeshi, hadn’t he? So was this all an act? If it was, he was a remarkable actor.

“Unfortunately, we hardly know anything either. We can’t really explain it,” Hiroshi replied plainly.

“First of all, where have you been this whole time?” Mika asked heatedly. “You brought us all here! Where were you while we were all getting the crap scared out of us?”

Shun cheered and applauded for Mika internally. She’d asked exactly what he wanted to know too.

“I was... moving the package,” Takuro said almost sheepishly.

“The package?”

“The cardboard boxes on the hand truck. You all disappeared on me, so I had to move them into the basement alone.”

Shun didn’t miss the fact that Takuro looked away when he answered. He was hiding something. Whatever it was, it was in the basement.

“More importantly, what happened to Takeshi? Why’s it just his head? Where’d the rest of him go?” Takuro asked no one in particular with spit flying as he scratched his head.

It was an odd sight since he was usually so picky about his appearance—especially his hair. Was it a sign of how flustered he was?

“The rats carried his left leg away.”

Unlike Takuro, however, Hiroshi was still completely calm.

“Rats? Are they big enough to carry away a leg?”

“Size is relative to species. Beavers are also included in the order Rodentia, you see. Limiting ourselves to the most narrow view of rodents, however, these were bigger than Mongolian gerbils but smaller than black rats. I’d guess they were, on average, about twelve centimeters in length. Well, I suppose you wouldn’t include the tail in this situation, so—”

“Anyway, there were a lot of them,” Mika said, cutting Hiroshi off. She was sure they’d all be getting a lecture on rats otherwise. “According to Hiroshi, there were over a hundred. With that many, they could probably carry anything.”

Mika’s expression grew pale as she spoke, as if imagining such a sight. She uncomfortably rubbed her throat.

“Are you saying Takeshi was attacked by rats, and that’s why he’s in little pieces now?”

“No, that’s incorrect.” Pointing to the severed part of Takeshi’s neck, Hiroshi continued, “If that were the case, there would be dozens of fine teeth marks along the wound. But I haven’t found a trace of a single one.”

“Then how did Takeshi end up like this?”

“I was puzzled as well, so I inspected the remains quite thoroughly.”

“I thought you didn’t care about people.”

“I simply don’t care much for living humans. Once they’re dead, however, they’re not much different from other animals.” The corners of Hiroshi’s lips curled slightly. “After inspecting Takeshi’s head, I discovered that all the skin and muscle around his neck was twisted in the same direction. It’s as if some powerful force yanked his head off.”

“Someone yanked his head off? What the hell?” Takuro snorted. “You saying some monstrously strong guy lives here?”

“That’s right. There’s a blue-skinned giant!” Mika shouted hoarsely.

“Huh? What’re you babbling about? You hallucinating or something?”

“You didn’t see it? Of course not. That’s why you’re still so calm. But whether you saw it or not, this mansion really is haunted!”

“Haunted? By the spirit of that wheelchair girl? Even if you’re for real, that’s not scary at all. I’ll take care of—”

“No! That’s not it! Naoki’s here! He killed Takeshi!”

The moment Mika mentioned their classmate who’d been hit by a truck and killed, Takuro’s expression changed.

“Naoki’s behind all of this. He’s getting his revenge. Takuro, we have to hurry and get out of here or you’ll be killed too.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. What could he possibly have against me?”

“Don’t play dumb! Do you think I don’t know anything? Takeshi’s such a blabbermouth, there’s no way he kept a secret like that to himself!”

“Hey, shut up, Mika.” Takuro reached out, put his hand on Mika’s shoulder, and forced her against the wall out in the hallway. “If you say any more...”

“I’m saying it because I’m worried about you! Please believe me. This was all Naoki, and he’ll kill you next. You have to get out of here.”

“So it’s Naoki’s ghost or something, huh? Well, that’s interesting. If he’s here, I’ll handle him. A loser like him could never get the better of me.”

“No, you don’t stand a chance. Please apologize to him.”

“Why should I apologize to that dweeb?”

“You told him to jump out into traffic, didn’t you? You said he should run in front of that truck to test his bravery, and if all went well, you wouldn’t bully him anymore. That’s why he—”

A dull thud echoed down the hallway. Mika crumpled to the floor. Her cheek swelled and reddened as a trail of blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. Takuro looked down at her, his fist still curled tightly. His face, full of anger, seemed to chill the air. Even Hiroshi, who had been intently studying Takeshi’s remains, sensed something was off and raised his head to look and see what was going on. Shun held his breath as he watched, waiting to see what would happen next.

“...You’re the worst,” Mika muttered. She slowly stood up, not bothering to wipe the blood dripping down her chin. “Maybe it was actually you who killed Takeshi because you were scared he’d let the cat out of the bag about Naoki.”

“Shut up. If you keep pressing your luck, you’ll be next.”

Takuro nearly growled at Mika. His voice was low and rough like a yawn from the depths of hell. Shun gasped. But Mika didn’t back down.

“Look, your real colors are shining through. Takuro, there’s definitely something wrong with you. You hurt people and call it ‘experimenting.’ Naoki and the new kid are people too, you know. Just like you and me. Don’t you understand that they aren’t bugs?”

Shun was shocked to suddenly hear her talking about him.

“You wouldn’t hesitate to twist off someone’s head since that’s how you treat people. Like they’re not even human.”

“If you don’t shut your mouth right now...”

Takuro’s voice quivered with rage. Shun couldn’t see his face because his back was turned toward the door, but there was no doubt he was staring Mika down with the deadly glare of a raging demon.

“What? You’ll kill me?” Mika said mockingly. “Sorry, but I’m not going to be killed by you or Naoki. I’m getting out of this place if it’s the last thing I do. And once I’m out, I’m going straight to the police and telling them everything. You better prepare yourself.”

And with that, she turned her back to Takuro.

“Hey, wait,” he called, taking a step forward and trying to grab her shoulder.

“Don’t touch me!” Mika said loudly, nearly screaming.

Even Takuro was taken aback. He paused for a second, and Mika used that opportunity to dash down the hall away from him.

“I said wait!”

Takuro quickly gave chase. Soon, Shun could no longer hear their footsteps.

This is bad. Mika’s going to be killed.

He started to panic.

“What should we do?”

Shun looked to Hiroshi for answers, but his attention had already shifted back to the remains on the floor. His face was screwed up in a perplexed expression.

“Hey, Hiroshi, did you hear me?”

He didn’t answer. It seemed whenever he started focusing, he stopped paying attention to his surroundings.

“His upper temple... The right side of his skull is cracked slightly. It’s close to the corpus callosum. Simply bumping one’s head wouldn’t cause this much damage.” Peering into the gaping eye socket, Hiroshi muttered, “It looks as if some long object was pressed against here, but without considerable strength, this wouldn’t be...”

Holding Takeshi’s head with both hands, Hiroshi continued to talk to himself. For the first time, Shun felt scared of him. No normal person could do something like that. No one would want to. But Hiroshi... The look in his eyes as he gazed at what Takeshi had become was no different from the intense interest he showed when studying the blue grasshopper or the rats.

“I have absolutely no interest in the ecology of humans.”

Shun recalled what Hiroshi had said.

“I simply don’t care much for living humans. Once they’re dead, however, they’re not much different from other animals.”

Suddenly, a chill ran up his spine.

“You wouldn’t hesitate to twist off someone’s head since that’s how you treat people. Like they’re not even human.”

That was what Mika had said about Takuro, but didn’t it also apply to Hiroshi?

“I... have to go.”

Shun stood up and, careful not to make a sound, quickly exited the room. Stopping in front of the door, he turned back toward Hiroshi. He hadn’t moved. His eyes were still fixed on the severed head.