Chapter 3 - Kidou: Launch
1
They needed to find Naoki within the next hour to put a stop to his twisted plans for vengeance—Hiroshi knew with absolute certainty there would be no other way. Everyone else seemed to know it within their heart of hearts, too. Just by silently looking at each other, it was clear they were in agreement.
They all then hurried toward the entrance. The first order of business would be figuring out a way to get inside the school, but the front door was locked.
“With my strength, it’ll be easy to break through—”
“Hold on a second, please,” Hiroshi quickly stopped Takuro as he wound a fist back to smash through the sliding glass door. “If we force our way in, it will trigger a silent alarm and alert the security company. And if we told them there was some kind of monster in there, we’d simply be evacuated and forced to watch as police went in to clear the building... In other words, we’d be sitting idly, powerlessly by as the body count rose needlessly.”
“Then what do we do? Is there another way to—”
“The boys’ bathroom on the first floor,” Takeshi interjected.
“What?” Takuro asked, irritated at being cut off.
“The lock on the window in the boys’ bathroom is broken. We can crack that sucker wide open and slip right in anytime we want.”
“How do you know that?”
“Heh, that’s how I always sneak in when I forget something at school,” Takeshi responded, puffing out his chest with pride.
Apparently, he didn’t realize that wasn’t exactly something he should be bragging about.
“I’ll run around back, get in through the window, then unlock the front door from the inside. Just give me a second!”
He was off before he even finished talking. The bathroom window he’d mentioned was fairly high up and rather small. Hiroshi or Takuro might have been able to squeeze through after some struggling, but the small and nimble Takeshi was a much better choice for the job. The others just had to count on him for the time being.
A bitter northerly wind began to blow as they stood there waiting outside the front door to the school. It was spectacularly cold this morning, even for the season. Even with his coat on and his scarf tightly wrapped around his neck, Hiroshi could still feel the winter cold seeping into his bones. His fingers had already gone almost completely numb.
How is everyone else managing?
He glanced around, but none of them seemed to be bothered in the slightest. In fact, Hiroshi was the only one whose breath was condensing white. It was odd. Their appearances and personalities weren’t any different, so it was easy to forget, but this was a stark reminder for Hiroshi that his friends had changed. He was now the only one among them that wasn’t a monster inside. And when that realization settled upon his heart, he felt his chest tighten painfully.
Takeshi was gone less than a minute. Before the others knew it, he was waving to them from the other side of the glass door. He hurriedly unlocked it and beckoned them inside. Something suddenly zoomed by Hiroshi at an incredible speed. Takuro, who was in front of him, jerked back slightly. Hiroshi had assumed that Fwuffy had escaped Mika’s arms, but when he looked, she was still holding it. Hiroshi then glanced back to see a small, black avian circle Takeshi, wings outstretched, as it scanned its surroundings.
It appeared to be a swallow. Its white underbody and unsplit tail would indicate it was a common house martin, but it also looked small enough to be a house swift. Hiroshi wasn’t sure, but he could vaguely recall someone talking about a swallow’s nest in the eaves of the gym storehouse.
Swallows were ordinarily migratory birds, fleeing south of Japan in search of more temperate climates to call home for the winter. Thanks to global warming, however, Hiroshi had read that some of them were learning they could simply stay put for the season. The recent and extreme cold spell was likely making it much harder for those that had chosen to stay behind to find bugs to eat. Perhaps this particular specimen was making a brave attempt to find food in the school building, protected from the elements.
But either way, swallows were a rare sight in winter. Hiroshi took a step forward, hoping to get a closer look, but this seemed to put the bird on alert. It quickly flapped its wings and disappeared down the dark hallway. He watched it go, wondering if it would be able to find anything to eat. His thoughts were interrupted, however, when someone suddenly grabbed his right wrist.
“Hey, now’s not the time for birdwatching, man.”
He turned to find Takuro giving him a dirty look.
“Sorry. You’re right.”
He was, of course. Hiroshi apologized quickly. The swallow would simply have to wait. They had enough on their hands as it was, and they didn’t have much time. They’d somehow have to figure out a way to stop Naoki before their classmates began arriving at school.
“Mika, Anna, you two stay here,” Takuro said, his expression still steely.
“Huh? Why?” Mika pouted. “I want to go with you.”
Mika placed her hands on Takuro’s chest, but he coldly pushed her away.
“Idiot. What if one of our classmates shows up while we’re searching the school?”
Mika seemed to pick up on how serious he was straight away and offered no more resistance.
“So don’t let anyone in until we get back, and I mean anyone. Not our classmates, not any of the other students, and not even the teachers.”
“Not even the teachers?”
“That’s right. Naoki can’t control his monster form like we can yet. He’d probably eat anyone who happened to run into him.”
“But no one would ever believe us if we told them the truth about what’s going on. What are we supposed to do?”
“Don’t worry,” Anna cut in. “If we say we saw someone suspicious sneak into the building with a knife, it should keep people out. Even the teachers would believe something like that coming from me.”
“Of course, little miss perfect. The teachers are all fooled by your little act, aren’t they? Same as everyone else,” jeered Mika, her voice rife with malice.
“Well, you’re not wrong,” retorted a cool and composed Anna. “But you’re better at playing the damsel in distress, aren’t you?”
“What? You looking to get slapped again?”
“You can try it. Shall we pick up where we left off?”
The girls were heatedly locking horns on the surface, but secretly seemed to be enjoying their little spat. Hiroshi assumed it would probably be fine to leave them be.
“Then shall we go look for Naoki and Shun?” Hiroshi asked, turning to Takuro and Takeshi.
He then made his way over to his shoe locker and changed into his indoor shoes. He figured navigating the school would be a little easier if he were in shoes he was used to wearing around the building rather than his loafers. Takuro and Takeshi seemed to share the same idea, and went over to their own lockers to change footwear as well. Hiroshi then proceeded a few steps down the hallway before stopping and turning around.
“Anna, Mika,” he called to the girls. “Please leave the building now.”
“What? Why?” Anna questioned, cocking her head quizzically.
“The wind’s blowing outside, and it’s cold. Can’t we just wait here?” Mika begged.
But Hiroshi shook his head.
“Why not?” Mika inquired with a slightly sharper tone.
“Naoki called this place the Jailhouse.” Pushing up his glasses frames, Hiroshi concisely explained his worries. “Do you recall what happened when we entered the Jailhouse before? The front door locked behind us. We couldn’t open it, even with the key. Something similar may happen here.”
Someone gulped audibly. Takeshi was staring at Hiroshi, a look of fear plastered on his face.
“If we all get locked inside the building, our strategies will be limited. As long as we don’t know what Naoki is up to, it’s dangerous to put all our eggs in one basket, so to speak. So, as insurance, I would like you two to wait outside.”
“And if all the doors close and we can’t get inside after you, what then?” Mika asked worriedly.
“Then call the police,” Hiroshi replied without hesitation. “I highly doubt the monster is immune to bullets.”
“You’re gonna kill Naoki?” Takeshi asked incredulously. His eyes were wide in an expression of pure shock.
“That thing isn’t Naoki. It’s—”
It’s a monster with Naoki’s form and memories.
Hiroshi stopped himself before he could finish the sentence. Eight eyes—four pairs of unnaturally dilated pupils were staring straight at him. Right now, Anna, Mika, Takuro, and Takeshi were looking more like Naoki’s brethren than Hiroshi’s friends.
Of course, Hiroshi knew they wouldn’t betray him. But he still understood they would have mixed feelings about him talking about and treating Naoki like a monster.
“...All right,” Anna capitulated, seemingly able to read the silent Hiroshi’s mind. “If that will keep everyone alive, then it’s what we have to do.”
That’s what she said, but it sounded like she was trying to convince herself, too. She may not have totally accepted it, but she realized there was no time for discussion.
“Thank you.”
Trusting Anna, Hiroshi could only bow his head in thanks.
2
Leaving Anna and Mika outside, Hiroshi proceeded down the hallway with Takuro and Takeshi. Their destination was their classroom on the east end of the second floor.
The empty school was so eerily quiet that Hiroshi could swear he heard the sound of his own heart beating. He’d walked this hall a hundred times before, but now it felt like he’d wandered into an alternate dimension. This wasn’t necessarily wrong, either. He reflexively shivered a little at the thought of what lay ahead.
“Hey...”
As they were ascending the stairs, Takeshi—who was following Takuro but was ahead of Hiroshi—suddenly stopped.
“Is there some way to save our classmates beside killing Naoki?” he asked, turning to Hiroshi with imploring eyes.
“We can only hope he listens to reason...”
Hiroshi stopped himself there. Honestly, he doubted things would go that easily. It was painfully obvious that Naoki’s grudge had gone well past the point of reason.
“He was a good kid. He was always nice to everyone... If we can just talk it out, I’m sure we can come to some kind of understanding.”
“I’ll handle it,” Takuro said in a low, serious voice as he leaned over the second floor railing from above. He hadn’t stopped moving. “I’m the reason he’s doing all this, so I’m the one who has to settle things. You guys don’t have to worry.”
“Settle things, Takuro? What are you planning?” Takeshi asked, his expression stiff.
Takuro’s only reply was a small shake of his head.
“C’mon, let’s hurry. You guys waste too much time talking.”
He dodged the question entirely. Hiroshi imagined nothing would come from hounding him for an answer, either.
“Let’s go.”
He gave Takeshi a pat on the shoulder to urge him forward. Wearily, Takeshi began ascending the stairs again, and Hiroshi followed after him.
Their classroom was the closest one to the stairwell, and they peered in through the window when they reached it. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. They called for Shun, but no one answered.
Takuro then tried the door. It was unsurprisingly locked, but the door itself was unremarkable. One roundhouse kick from Takuro was all it took to send it flying off its hinges. Trampling over the door, they piled into the room. It appeared to be empty. They even checked under the teacher’s desk and in the supply closet, but there was no one there.
“Looks like we have the wrong place.” Takuro clicked his tongue. “Guess we have to search every damn inch of the school now.”
“Are you going to break down every door? I can’t say that’s the smartest plan, but perhaps it can’t be—” Hiroshi abruptly cut himself off.
Straining his ears, he could hear a door opening and closing elsewhere in the building.
“The first floor...” Takeshi whispered.
“Yeah, probably the teacher’s lounge...” Takuro nodded.
Hiroshi had heard the sound, but he couldn’t tell where it was coming from. Apparently the other two boys now had superhuman hearing in addition to everything else.
“It’s gotta be Naoki. Let’s move.” Takuro was out of the classroom before anyone could even object.
“W-Wait up!” Takeshi hurriedly scrambled after him.
Hiroshi followed suit, but something tugged on his memories as he stepped out into the hall. He stopped to look back into the classroom, and his thoughts drifted back to a few short weeks ago.
He’d just borrowed the latest insect encyclopedia from the library and was poring over it. Takuro and Takeshi were goofing off in the back of the classroom. Mika was watching the two of them, wondering if they’d ever grow up. Shun and Anna were sitting across from each other at his desk, chatting happily. None of them could have ever imagined the hell they were about to go through.
Can we... go back to those days?
There was no way of knowing.
3
Shun fell splayed out on the floor when Naoki shoved him by the chest. He hit his back hard, which knocked the wind out of him for a good moment.
“You’re so dramatic. I barely touched you.”
Naoki tilted his head back and laughed. He still couldn’t control his new body very well. Slowly approaching the coughing Shun, he pulled an aged power cord from his pocket.
“Sorry if this hurts,” he apologized as he began winding it around Shun’s hands and feet.
Shun could only helplessly watch as he was tied up. Resistance was futile, and he knew all too well what awaited him if he angered Naoki and summoned the monster within him. For now, his best plan was to be as obedient as possible and avoid doing anything to make Naoki mad while he waited for his chance to escape.
Naoki pulled the cord tight around his wrists. The pain triggered something instinctual in him, and despite trying to suppress the urge, his body reflexively bucked. His right leg landed square in Naoki’s gut, knocking him backward onto his butt. It seemed Shun had caught him quite off guard.
A small wooden box tumbled out of Naoki’s pocket. It was blue and covered in complex scribbles in odd characters on one side. Instinct told Shun that something terrible was sealed inside. He shuddered at the thought, but Naoki had no such reaction to it. He didn’t even seem to know what it was.
“What’s this? What’s it doing in my pocket?”
He scooped it up and tossed it unceremoniously into the corner of the room. The top was knocked loose when it landed, spilling the contents of the box all over the floor. Shun could hear it, but was too far away to tell what it actually was. Some of whatever it was rolled all the way into the hallway through the open door.
“Now, it’s about time we got this game started.”
Not paying any mind to the mess he’d just made, Naoki stood up and brushed the dirt off his uniform.
“Game? What are you planning on doing?”
“I’m going to turn this place into the Jailhouse,” Naoki replied instantly, a gloating look on his face as if pleased someone had asked.
“You can’t possibly do that...”
“Oh, believe me, I can. You shouldn’t underestimate me.” He licked his dry lips and cracked a creepy smile before continuing. “Have you ever wondered why the mansion in your escape game and the Jailhouse had exactly the same layout? How the monsters appeared in reality exactly as you envisioned them?”
“How would I know—”
“It’s because I showed you everything about the mansion and the monsters in your dreams, down to the very last detail,” Naoki said, leaning in over the supine Shun.
“...In my dreams?”
Shun was in shock. His brain was having trouble just processing the words that had come out of Naoki’s mouth.
“After being murdered by Takuro and becoming a spirit, I gained a strange power. I can now control the dreams of others.”
“No, it can’t be... That’s not possible...”
“Think back, Shun. The mansion and monsters in the game you first made were totally different from their current incarnations, right? You only changed them into what they are now after moving here. Why do you think that is?”
“I...”
The locked drawer that had been rattling in the back of Shun’s mind all this time suddenly flew open. Naoki was right. He had seen it all in a dream: Takuro and the gang, locked in the feared Jailhouse and getting picked off by a giant, blue monster one by one. Shun even remembered the sense of relief he’d felt seeing Takuro scream and die in agony in his dream. Programming was his only solace, and in an effort to vent some of the stress he was combating over being bullied on a daily basis, he’d named the characters in his game after Takuro and his friends.
“I didn’t expect your game and reality to sync up like that, honestly. But what serendipity! Just look at all the fun I’m having! Thank you. Really, this is all thanks to you.”
Naoki then kneeled down next to Shun.
“It was too easy to lure the idiots who bullied me to the Jailhouse with my power to control dreams.”
“Why... Why would you do that?”
“What are you talking about? It was all part of the script you wrote. You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy seeing everyone die. You did, didn’t you?”
“No... I...”
Shun was lost for words. Had he...? He’d lost count of how many times he’d wished Takuro was dead. Sometimes while watching him be torn apart in-game during alpha testing, he found himself hoping something similar would happen in real life. That much... That much was true. He understood Naoki’s pent-up frustrations all too well, and Naoki must have picked up on that.
“I knew you’d understand.”
Naoki leaned in more, bringing his face closer to Shun’s. He could smell his breath, sweet like custard.
“I could have lured Takuro’s gang to the Jailhouse all on my own, but I wanted to do it with you. That’s why I gave you some inspiration for the game. I wanted them to experience hell wrought by the hands of the two people they’d tormented.”
“Sorry,” Shun said, turning his face away from Naoki’s. “I might’ve helped you a month ago, but things are different now. After personally experiencing so many facets of death in the Jailhouse, Takuro and I have both changed. We’re friends now—”
“Ridiculous.”
Naoki abruptly stood up. Shun was worried he was angry, but there was a slight smile lingering on his lips.
“People don’t change so easily. You’ve been tricked, you poor, naive fool.”
Naoki looked down upon Shun with pity in his eyes.
“Well, no matter. Just promise you’ll let me know if you have a change of heart and feel like helping after all, okay? I’ll untie you as soon as you do.”
And with that, Naoki turned his back on Shun and began walking away.
“Where are you going?” Shun asked.
“The next room. Don’t worry. I’ll be right back,” Naoki said as he opened a door further into the room. “See you then.”
He waved his right hand before disappearing into the adjacent room. Now alone, Shun struggled for a bit to try and break free of his bindings, but the cord was too tough and tied too tightly. The more he moved, the more it dug into his skin. It got so that the slightest movement made his raw wrists feel like they were on fire.
It’s no use. I’m not getting out of these any time soon.
Giving up, Shun looked about the room.
Where am I, even?
Naoki had pulled his hood down over his eyes when he brought him here, so he couldn’t say for certain, but he was pretty sure they’d only gone down one flight of stairs. That should put them on the third floor, but he didn’t recognize this room. It was small, and it certainly wasn’t a classroom. That much was obvious from the lack of desks and chairs. The only notable furnishing in the room was a standing ashtray in the corner. Sniffing, Shun realized he could smell the lingering stench of tobacco.
Half of the eastern wing on the third floor was meeting rooms and supply rooms. The area was generally off-limits to students, and it seemed like this was some sort of smoking closet for the employees. Smoking was forbidden on campus, so this must be where the faculty would sneak off to when they were desperate for a smoke break.
Okay... Now what do I do?
Crawling like a caterpillar, Shun could slowly wiggle across the floor. The door seemed like a long way away, but it was wide open.
Could he escape that way? No, he’d be helpless once he got out into the hall. It would be next to impossible to get down the stairs with his hands and feet bound. Knowing that must have been why Naoki was brazen enough to leave the door open in the first place.
What about the window, then? Shun looked up through it. Pure blue sky spread out before his eyes. He couldn’t be sure of the time without a clock, but if it was that light out already, it must be about 6:30. It would only be another hour before kids started showing up at school. There might even be some teachers who would show up even sooner.
With Naoki out of the room, now was his chance. Shun knew it wouldn’t be safe to jump out of a third-floor window, but he could at least yell for help. Straining his ears, he desperately listened for sounds coming from the adjoining room and heard something like typing on a keyboard.
What is he doing?
Unease gripped at his chest, but as long as he could hear typing, that meant Naoki was busy. Shun scrunched himself up and wriggled his way across the floor, careful not to make a sound. It was difficult at first. He even went backward instead of forward by accident, but eventually got the hang of it. His elbows and knees began to sting after scraping along the floor, but he couldn’t let that stop him. Shun crawled for his life toward the window.
When he was only a few centimeters from it, the sharp trill of a bird came from the hall. He turned to see a swallow resting its wings at the door. It eyed a small, blue bug lying on the floor before gobbling it down. Was that what had rolled out of the box Naoki threw? The swallow suddenly stopped eating, as if disgusted by the food, and flew off.
Not good.
Wiping away the sweat dripping down his temple with his shoulder, Shun turned back to the window. Now wasn’t the time for birdwatching. He needed to be focused on what was outside. Sitting up and leaning his back against the wall, he slowly started to slide himself up into a standing position.
Just then, the typing in the adjoining room stopped. The next moment, the scenery before him changed. An iron wall suddenly sprung up and blocked out the morning light. Confused, Shun whipped around when he heard a door open. The lights in the room then came on. Shun had started to panic, thinking he’d been teleported somewhere again, but was surprised to see he was still in the room that stank of cigarettes.
“Welcome to the Jailhouse.”
Naoki, his hand on the light switch, was smiling.
“I installed your game on the school’s mainframe. Now all the exits have been locked and the windows are covered with metal plates. No one’s going to be escaping,” he said, waving a familiar CD-ROM. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I could turn the school into the Jailhouse at first, but it looks like everything worked out. Thankfully, fortune just keeps smiling on me.”
Linking his hands behind his back, Naoki spoke cheerfully, almost singsong-like.
“Now, are you ready to help me punish everyone?”
Shun adamantly shook his head.
“I see... That’s a shame, but oh well. You’ll still tell me if you change your mind, right? I’ll always be happy to have you on my side.” He bent down and patted Shun on the shoulder. “For now, think long and hard about it. I’m off to enjoy the first game.”
There, Naoki made to leave.
“Oh,” he said, stopping at the door. “I can’t have you running off on me, so I’m locking this.”
He then used a master key to lock the door behind him. Shun caught one last glimpse of the hallway, and what Naoki had said was true. The windows were all plated shut.
I’m completely trapped now...
Caught between shock and horror, Shun curled up on the spot. He could hear the trill of a bird in the distance. It was probably the swallow from earlier, but the cadence was different this time. Its cry sounded more like a deep, monstrous howl.