The morning light fell upon our faces as we arrived in the town of Natsukashii. I pulled out a map I stole off a corpse and inspected it for a name.
Mountains boxed us in. The land was the warden, and we were its prisoners. I found the name of the land; it only took a magnifying glass. It wasn’t even in Sisyphu. It wasn’t part of any known country. Hell, the name was barely on the map.
“Christ, we finally made it to this town.”
“We still have to hide the bike, V.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m just happy getting off this damn bike.”
I flicked the butt, adjusted my hat and aligned my sunglasses.
“Got any better ideas since last time?” Miyamoto asked.
“I just have Jack and shit, and Jack left town.” I've been wanting to say that for so goddamn long. Thanks, Ash.
“Why do we need to hide that you lost your eye in the first place?”
“I don’t like people worrying about my health.”
“You're an enigma.”
I checked my guns; there was still enough ammo to kill an army. I was disappointed that I still haven’t used this fucking shotgun.
Well, whatcha gonna do?
We found an old shed that seemed untouched for a decade or two. Rust was eating away at the shed walls like maggots to a decaying body. Dust covered the glass panel, making it impossible for the light to permeate the room.
”So where are the kids?”
“You could fire your pistol in the air.”
“And what killed some kid walking down the street?
You're mad.
Let's just walk till we find them.”
As we walked through the streets, I stared at the identical houses. I felt like I was in some suburb back on Earth.
Miyamoto crossed his arms and put them in his kimono.
I took a swig from my flask.
We knew Celeste was able to hold her own, so we weren’t worried.
“...I don’t even like children.
How did we get two of them?”
“Life is a beautiful mystery.”
“Oh, shut up.”
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We chuckled a bit.
To fill the emptiness.
After a half-hour walk through these copy-and-paste blocks, we reached the outskirts. About eighteen point five miles out, we found there was a whole-ass city in front of us.
“It’s time to start walking.”
“Ugggh.”
“It’s just like the good old days, V.”
“I’m going to be able to break a man’s skull with a single kick from all this damn walking.”
There were some wheat fields that ran beside us. I found the placement of this farming to be rather odd. Why have farmland between a city and a suburb? I guess the mountains that surround this land forced everything closer than it should be. But it should be rural, suburban, then urban it all very strange.
As if this land wasn’t already giving me the heebie jeebies. The wheat fields kept reminding me about Children of the Corn, adding up to a greater possibility of being shanked by grain.
“Why did we leave the bikes so far behind us?”
“We’re doing reconnaissance; a bike would make it pretty easy to see us.”
“I’m not too sure about that,” I replied to Miyamoto, pointing to a huge TV screen on one of the buildings.
“And that is… what exactly, V?”
Every step we took, the city warped into something stranger, like an illusion of my past. Remind me of walking through Philly and New York.
But it seems that I somehow ended up in 1980s Tokyo.
Is this Tartarus?
What god keeps screwing with me?
Why can't I die?
Why is this my life?
Glass panes engulf the buildings, launching the morning light into my face. Like a bullet ripping through a man's head. It seems like the universe was trying to burn out my only good eye.
Screens painted the sides of the buildings; people were pouring cola down their throats while Michael J. Fox was driving through time. AC clung to the wall of the houses. The whistling ACs broke the silence of the streets like a prisoner with a harmonica. Even fucking drugstores lined every corner. Why was this city so normal?
Isn’t this a fantasy world filled with medieval towns, swords, and dragons?
What time period are we going for now?
“Miyamoto, you don’t find any of this odd.”
“V, I spend enough time with you that I’ve thrown away everything that was taught as fact.”
“Rad.”
“Your hair has grown white.”
“...Well, I haven’t seen myself for a few months; I wouldn’t know. Why are you bringing it up now?”
“Just some small talk. You're starting to look like an old man, V.”
We were still humans who lived normal lives at times.
Have I forgotten something so simple?
My nerves burned.
Hell had opened up—and it did it through my left fucking eye.
I had to wonder if all this was some cosmic punishment. The only painkiller was the booze in my flask; I started to drown in the bourbon.
Death was less painful than this.
I wiped the sweat off my brow.
Something was off.
Was it my eye… or was it the town?
Then came a rustling from an alleyway. It wasn’t some rat or mouse; it was much bigger. The sun was blinding my eye, but I reached for one of my four guns.
I pressed myself against one of the walls.
Miyamoto was just looking at me.
Thinking I was losing it.
I dashed into the alley.
Trash surrounded me.
Then came a rustle.
I jabbed the bag—it quivered.
A sniffle came out.
A small child sat in the fetal position, crying without a sound.
“Violet.”
She was covered in trash, shaking.
Dried blood caked some of her face.
The pain in my missing eye grew greater; phantom pain is a bitch.
“What are you doing here?
Where is Celeste?
Are you okay?”
Questions shot around my head.
A rage started to rage within me.
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
Goddamn it!
God fucking damn it!
I’d be bashing my fists against the wall if the kid weren’t here. I didn’t want to scare her more than she already seemed.
What a fucking mess.
We were gone for one night, and we missed one of our own.
Even if she's strong, she's still a kid.
We should have been here.
I was a fool to ever think I could lead people.
An actual piece of shit would do a better job.
Miyamoto ran over.
“What the hell happened?”
“Celeste MIA.”
“We have half of the full set,” Miyamoto said.
“One half—all I need to bring hell down on this fucker. It's time to go full Old Testament.”
