Seizing the ragged shard of metal at my feet, I drive the broken handle into the beast’s blazing red eye. The fox screams, thrashing beneath the burning bodies of its victims. With a wheeze like deadly gas escaping, the terrible light in the kitsune’s one remaining eye fades and goes dark as a wave of gritty black stone ripples out across the beast’s hideous hide. Their vengeance completed, the three dead girls release their hold on the petrifying demon and slide off of it.
The floor beneath its stone carcass tears open, swallowing the kitsune like the infernal mouth of hell itself and I watch with grim satisfaction as it shatters on the hard ground below. Gritty black shards rain down in the room beneath me, littering the floor with jagged pieces of gravel. Briefly, I glimpse one of the grimy white balls from Miki’s headband go rolling off amidst the rubble. No trace of the giant fox remains, just a pile of broken stone.
The burning house shudders and I sway, feeling inky, silent darkness creeping back over me like a shroud. My head is pounding and I just want to go to sleep, but I need to get out of here. I’ve gone through too much to give in now. Staggering through the smoke and the flames, I find the ragged hole leading to the cool dark air outside. Leaning forward I see Matt staring up at me. I take one last step and the heat fades as blackness falls over me and I see nothing else.
Chapter 30
The glare of the rising sun stabs my eyes as the taxi hits another bump, forcing me out of the thin layer of rest clouding my foggy brain. I glance out the window past my sleeping cousin at the welcoming sight of early morning city streets. The few people I see rush about like everything in the world is still as it should be.
“We’re almost there,” Matt whispers, his arm still around me.
“Yeah.” Looking sheepishly at the small patch of drool on his shoulder, I stifle a yawn and try to pull my thoughts together.
After stopping the kitsune, I passed out before I was completely free of the house and Matt had to, and I quote, ‘pull off the most epic catch of all time that no one was even around to see’. Once he made sure that I was still breathing and not bleeding out—or really a giant fox pretending to be Rin—he woke both me and Haruka so we could start the long hike back. Before we left I made us stop and watch that awful place burn. Someone should go back and salt the earth just to be sure.
It took a lot of convincing before Haruka would believe she was safe, and even then she just kind of zombie walked beside us. I think she’s written the whole thing off as some awful dream. At least I hope that’s what she’s doing. We walked to the next house over, the one with the old woman and garden, to ask if we could borrow the phone since all of ours were destroyed by a giant fox. Haruka was the only one of us even halfway presentable, so she went to the door. It was the only time she really seemed to come alive since we left the house.
When the taxi finally showed up, he almost took off at the sight of us. If it wasn’t for Matt offering to pay double the fare, he probably would have. Matt and Haruka each have nasty purple bruises around their necks from their near hangings, with Matt looking like a badly beaten yakuza victim to boot. As for me, I look positively feral. Crusted in blood and grime, wearing Matt’s jacket over my bloody, tattered shirt with a no doubt crazed look plastered across my face. Decidedly not my best look.
All three of us dead tired and looking like extras from a really bad slasher movie, piled into the back of the taxi without another word. We elected to forgo the public transit section of the trip in favour of taking the cab all the way home. I can imagine trying to catch a train looking like this. I can also imagine the barrage of cops that would be called soon after. I think we’ll all be skipping school the next couple of days as is.
“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital? It got you pretty bad.” Matt looks at me with concern as the taxi pulls into our neighbourhood.
I shake my head. “What I need is long, hot shower. It’s not nearly as bad as it looks. I promise. Besides, I think I’ve had enough of hospitals for the month.”
“If you say so. Just be careful.”
“I will. You should do the same.”
The taxi pulls up in front of the house and I’m struck by how weird and unnatural everything seems. It’s all too peaceful. The entire street looks too normal after everything I’ve been through. I don’t know what I was expecting—distraught grandparents and a waiting cop car, maybe—but there’s no sign that anything is different at all. Maybe they’re all hiding.
Haruka shambles out of the cab looking shell-shocked and unfocused, she unlocks the front door and disappears inside without fanfare or hesitation. If Grandfather is lurking inside to yell at me, he’s not letting anything slip just yet. Oh well, we’ll burn that bridge when we get to it.
“So, what happens now?” I turn to Matt and ask the question I don’t know if I want an answer to.
“What do you mean?” He pauses leaning against the taxi’s automatic door.
“Well, we defeated the kitsune. That’s our story over, right? There’s nothing left to tell. That’s the end of the manga, right?”
“Who knows? Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll just have to wait and see.” Matt shrugs, looking down the quiet sunlit street. “I am going to keep an eye out for the next issue though. Just in case.”
I watch the taxi disappear down the street and suppress a shudder. This has to be the end of it. It’s over. I’m sure of it. There can’t possibly be anything else for the manga to focus on. My life is weird, but not THAT weird, right? Right?
* * *
I watch the swirl of blood and soot disappearing down the drain as I try to keep my brain from processing … whatever. If I don’t think about it, it’s not my problem. I just let the hot water fall across my slightly reddened skin as it washes away the final traces of last night. I’m lucky to be alive, let’s just leave it at that.
I thought I’d have to face the inquisition when I came into the house covered in blood after disappearing the whole night without warning, but when I finally did run into Grandfather he just kind of blinked like he had sand in his eyes and then continued as if everything was perfectly normal. No questions, no accusations, just Rin being Rin. Almost like he didn’t even notice we never came home last night. Freaky.
Haruka was already curled up in her bed by the time I got upstairs. I don’t know if she was asleep or simply hiding under the covers, but she didn’t answer when I tried speaking to her, so I didn’t push the issue. There will be plenty of time to sort out the damages later. I just grabbed a fresh set of clothes and, leaving her to deal with things in her own way, made a beeline for the bathroom. I hope she’ll be alright.
My school uniform is completely trashed. Caked in dirt and blood with the shirt torn to shreds, I doubt I’ll be wearing it back to school. I doubt I’ll be wearing it anywhere. The kitsune may be dead, but the sight of that sludgy non-human blood mixed with my own sends chills down my spine. As soon I’m done showering, I’m going to find an extra strength garbage bag and chuck the whole lot. Probably Matt’s jacket along with them. I’ll buy him a new one.
Turning the water off, I brace myself for what I’d already glimpsed beneath layers of dirt, soot, and dried blood. I was dragged through the wringer last night. From start to finish I took a serious beating. I came close to dying more than once, only staying alive through pure brutish stubbornness. That’s why the figure staring back at me from behind the steamy mirror fills me with fright.
I run my eyes over the flame-reddened skin, taking in details but refusing to see. I expected large purple and black bruises where Miki smashed me with the bat. I expected blistering burns and sores where the fire bit my flesh. I expected a nasty gaping wound where the kitsune tore open my chest. I expected to look battered and damaged. I did not expect this.
The girl standing across from me is flawless. She looks like a perfectly normal girl with a light sunburn. If I didn’t know better I’d swear it was someone else. There’s not a scratch on her. No signs that
she was fighting for her life mere hours before.
No, that’s not completely true. Running across her chest are a jagged series of faint white lines where a thick set of claws tore her flesh. I run my fingers along the four thin scars, the only evidence that last night actually happened. There’s no pain. I’m not even sore. I’m completely fine. And that gives me chills.
* * *
I bolt upright sweating. Images of fire and foxes and murder burn behind my eyelids. For half a second I’m convinced I’m still back in that room clutching a bloody baseball bat over the bodies of those I love. It’s only when I see the thin rays of sunlight pouring in through Haruka’s window that I finally let myself breathe again. It’s over. I’m out.
Untangling myself from my twisted sheets, I glance around the sunny room trying to anchor myself to reality. Haruka’s bed is empty and there’s no sign that anyone came to wake me. I don’t know what time it is. Hell, I’m not even sure what day it is. It feels like I’ve aged fifty years in the past two weeks. I seriously need a vacation.
“Rin,” a soft voice calls out behind me.
I turn to find a tiny girl in a worn kimono staring at me from the corner of the room. A look of intense concern plastered across her pale, exhausted face. This is the first time I’ve seen Misa since she pulled Matt and Haruka from the burning house. Fighting the kitsune on its home turf took a lot out of her. Frankly, I was starting to worry I’d never see her again.
“Rin. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.” She drops her gaze and stares at her hands like she’s never seen them before.
“It’s alright. It’s over now. You were there when it mattered. That’s what’s important.” I move towards her, not liking the way her small body is trembling. Like she is made of glass that’s about to break.
She looks like she’s on the verge of tears, so I do the only thing I can think of. Something I’ve never done before. Something I wasn’t even sure could be done. I reach out and pull my imaginary friend into my arms. I hug Misa to myself the way a big sister would cradle her frightened little sister. Like the big sister she’s always wanted me to be.
“You did good. If it wasn’t for you, none of us would have gotten out alive. Thank you, Misa.” I hold the tiny girl close to me until little by little she stops shaking. Until some of the colour starts coming back to her tiny face. Until I start to feel better as well.
From somewhere far away I hear a doorbell ring, signalling that the rest of the world is still out there waiting for us. Misa gives me her usual joyful smile and I return one of my own. It’s good to see her herself again. Carefully taking my arms from around her, I stand up. Time to face whatever comes next.
Moving down the stairs leaving Misa to rest, I make my way towards the kitchen to try and find some breakfast. Or is it lunch? Whatever. I could eat a whale right about now. I think today is going to be alright after all.
“Rin-san, please come here.” I hear a stern voice come drifting out of the study at the end of the hall.
Oh, super. It seems whatever black magic was keeping me above notice has finally worn off. Time for the lectures to start. Dragging my feet, I walk the length of the hallway to Grandfather’s study like I’m an inmate on death row. Can’t wait to hear what I’m being convicted of this time.
I expect to find him seated in his usual spot, face creased with disappointment, instead he’s standing at the window, looking out. He turns to me and I almost scream as the memory of the last time I was in this room comes crashing back. For a moment I’m positive I see that mask of rigid hatred etched upon his face and I stumble back a step. The illusion breaks and all I see is an old man smiling a warm but distant smile. Nothing more, nothing less.
“This just came for you,” Grandfather says holding out a large brown envelope.
“Who’s it from?”
“It was left on the doorstep.” He shakes his head. “It has your name on it.”
“Thank you.” I take the envelope from him and when it’s clear he’s not going to say anything else, I bow and make my way out of the room.
Out in the hallway, I look at the mysterious package someone wanted me to have. It’s just a simple brown envelope that you could get anywhere. The kind you buy when you need to send documents at the last minute. There’s no name or return address, only my name printed on the front in clear neat handwriting. No post stamp or anything. Someone made this delivery in person.
I tear off the end and pull out the thin stack of papers inside. Rough hand-drawn images of a familiar style greet me and a chill runs down my spine. Staring at the pages in front of me, I feel that strange sense of existential terror building within me. They’re unfinished and without text, but I know what they are. Pages from a manga.
Pages from the manga.
The crude storyboards show someone looking at the house from the outside before placing the envelope on the doorstep and ringing the bell. All it shows of my mysterious visitor is their outstretched hand, almost like it was drawn from their own perspective. Turning the pages, I see the short string of events leading up to now.
I choke as I look down at the image of a girl in a hallway looking down at images of a girl in a hallway looking down at images of a hallway. It spirals down to the infinite and I feel vertigo crash over me like a wave. Like the world is going to collapse in on itself sending me tumbling into that endless pencil drawn hallway. Hurriedly, I turn to the last page.
A single panel of the girl tipping up the envelope until a small white square comes tumbling out. Glancing back at the simple brown packet, I see the small bulge hiding in the bottom right corner. My heart stutters and I see the choice laid out for me. I can surrender to fate and see what it is or I can change the future right here and now. I don’t have to be a slave to the machinations of whoever writes the manga.
I control my destiny.
I don’t have to do it.
I won’t.
I tip out the envelope.
The small white square of folded paper falls to the floor with a soft clink. I pick up the piece of paper and unfold it. Inside is a small silver key and a drawing like the one I found at school. Exactly like the one I found at school. Even with another cryptic caption.
The drawing shows a man leaning over a large drawing desk. An artist pencil in hand, furiously drawing his manga inside a dimly lit studio. It doesn’t look so threatening at first glance, but slowly my eyes are drawn to the subtly shifting bends of shadow projected across the walls behind him. The seemingly unimportant lines and shapes play tricks on the eyes until I see that the shadow leading to the artist isn’t his own. That it isn’t even human. Towering over the man like some monstrous puppeteer is a skeletal conglomeration of jagged lines and menacing shadows in the shape of a man. Its bony wings spread wide as its gaunt hands drag the pencil across the page.
Captioned across the bottom in clear neat English is a single sentence that fills me with dread.
‘The show’s far from over.’
Japanese Glossary
AKB48 - A girl group named after Akihabara where they are located, their original roster consisted of 48 girls
Ara - Oh!
Arashi - A popular boy band in Japan consisting of 5 members
Arigatō - Thank you
Bucho - Club leader
Chan - An honorific used by close family members, close friends and lovers to address a female
Desu - It is, often said at the end of sentences
Doko ni aru - Where is it?
Dore - Which one?
Douzo - Please do
Ekiben - Boxed meals sold on trains and at train stations
Futon - Traditional Japanese bed that consists of a foldable mattress
Fusuma - Japanese-style sliding door
Gaijin - Foreigner
Genki - Enthusiastic, energetic, lively
Gomenne, Gomennasai - Sorry
Hai - Yes
Hanako-san - A Japanese urban legend of a young girl
that haunts school toilets
Hara peko peko - I’m very hungry (childish)
Haru-chan - A nickname for Haruka that her close friends call her
Hisashiburi - Long time no see, a greeting for people who have already met but haven’t seen each other for a while
Iie - No
Ittai nani kore - What the Hell?
Juku - An after school cram school where students prepare for university entrance exams
Kamen Rider - A live action superhero TV series popular in Japan
Kana - The Hiragana and Katakana syllabaries, used to write Japanese words and particles using characters that represent syllables
Kanji - The third part of the Japanese writing system, made up of a series of complex pictorial strokes adapted from Chinese characters
Kitsune - Fox. In the Japanese language there is no distinction between regular foxes and fox spirits. It is said that when a fox has lived for 50 years it gains another tail as well as the ability to change its shape. The older a fox is the more powerful it is and the more tails it will have.
Konnichiwa - hello or good afternoon
Kokkuri - the Japanese equivalent of the Ouija board
Kouhai - a junior to you at work or school
Kuchisake-onna - Slit-mouth woman. An urban legend in Japan about a woman with her mouth sliced from ear to ear who brandishes large scissors and preys on children
Manga - A Japanese graphic novel
Mangaka - Manga artist
Meshi - Food or meal (crude/childish)
Meishin - Superstitious
Moshi, moshi - Hello, a greeting used when answering the phone
Nakano - A suburb of Tokyo
Nanji desuka? - What time is it?