Nathan Pedde - Tokyo Tempest

Once they got there, Darren found himself in a small park. The park was filled with people. Most were scared, and everyone looked like they were in varying levels of readiness. Some were still in their pajamas. Many kids were laying on the ground next to their parents. The kids were fast asleep with blankets and stuffies curled up next to them.

Yuki found a spot on the lower part of the hill under a pine tree.

“That was tiring.” Yuki said, “We should rest here for a few hours.”

Darren leaned against the tree. Yuki and Sakiko both leaned against Darren.

“I know why Yuki is leaning against you.” Sakiko said to Darren, “I’m just here to steal your body heat. Don’t get any ideas.”

Darren shrugged his shoulders and rested his head against the tree.

Darren closed his eyes and not five minutes had passed when loud metallic crashing echoed in the distance. Darren was awake and on his feet the next moment.

In the darkness, Darren could hear the sound of rushing water and loud metallic crashing. Darren saw a large body of water crash its way up the hill.

Down the hill, Darren saw the line of cars being pushed against each other by the force of a wave. People were bowled down under the wave as they ran up the hill towards safety.

“Oh lord,” Darren said.

A moment after the wave crested, it receded down the hill towards the sea.

Darren collapsed back where he was sitting before.

Yuki looked at Darren and then at Sakiko.

“You two were right.” Yuki said, “We wouldn’t have made it to the storage locker.”

“You were right to get us moving.” Darren said, “Those shelters lower down would not have kept us all safe.”

Yuki looked at Darren.

“I don’t want to think anymore.” Yuki said, “What do we do?”

“Its still early in the morning.” Darren said, “Its a few hours until it gets light out. Let’s sleep here and then we can move out once it gets light out.”

Yuki nodded and fell asleep next to Darren.

“What are we going to do about shoes for me?” Sakiko asked, “My feet are killing me.”

“We’ll find you some shoes in the morning,” Darren said.

“You better,” Sakiko said as she fell asleep.

Darren slept fitfully, he wasn’t sure what time it was, but something woke him up. He opened his eyes to see a Japanese man slowly opening his backpack.

“Hey,” Darren said grabbing at the strap.

The man yanked at the bag, but Darren had managed to get the bag into his grip.

Darren kicked at the man, but he dodged out of the way. That movement made the assailant lose grip of the bag and fall backward. He ran away in the predawn glow.

“And stay away, you thief!” Darren yelled at him in Japanese.

Yuki was awake and standing next to him.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

“Yes.” Darren said, “Where’s your bag?”

Yuki looked around the base of the tree.

“Shit,” Yuki said, "Where is my bag?"

“I have it.” Sakiko said, “I used it as a pillow.”

Darren took a sigh of relief. The sun was starting to rise over the hills, and it was getting bight in the east. Not a cloud was in the sky.

“It is what? Five in the morning?” Darren asked.

“Yes.” Yuki said looking at her phone, “My phone is almost dead. I’ll have to use it sparingly.”

Darren looked around at the crowd of people sleeping silently. The thief was nowhere to be seen.

“Stupid bastard taking advantage of people like this,” Yuki said.

“What are we gonna do about Sakiko and her shoes?” Darren asked Yuki.

“Trade someone?” Yuki said.

Darren looked at the crowd of people again.

“I have an idea.” Darren said, “Let’s go now and get an early start.”

Yuki nodded.

Sakiko still laid on her back.

“I guess this place is too exposed to sleep too soundly,” Sakiko said.

Sakiko groaned and pried herself off the ground. Yuki threw the bag over her shoulders, and they left the park quietly.

When they were close to the edge of the park, they saw a police officer near the entrance. The thief that had tried to rob them earlier was laying on the ground in the fetal position. Darren saw that blood poured out of his nose.

“Hey, you three?” The police officer called out, “Where are you going?”

Darren looked at the man. He was an older gentleman with greying hair under his standard-issue police uniform.

“We need to find his brother,” Yuki said.

“Lots of people are going to be missing after today.” The police officer said, “And I understand you wanting… Hey,” The police officer turned to Sakiko, “Where are your shoes?”

Sakiko blushed.

“These two pulled me out of the rubble from my house, and my shoes got left behind,” Sakiko said.

“All right.” The police officer said, he walked up to a pile of random supplies and routed around for a few minutes.

He pulled out a pair of sneakers and a rolled up pair of socks. He tossed them to Sakiko.

“Put these on.” The police officer said, “Then I need you three to do me a favor.”

“Favor?” Yuki said.

“Yes.” He said, “My name is Lt. Harrito. I need you three to take a message to this sectors Emergency Command H.Q. I need you to tell Captain Yusako that we have lots of people that need evacuation. Can you do it? Cause I can’t, not with these thieves lurking around. Will you tell him that?”

“I see.” Yuki said as she pointed at the thief, “He tried to get into our bag before my friend gave him a kick.”

“Will you help?” Lt. Harrito said.

“Okay.” Yuki said, “Where do we have to go?”

Lt. Harrito gave them directions on a piece of paper, as well as a written note, addressed to the Captain.

“That’ll take us hours to get there,” Yuki said.

“Commandeer a bike each,” Lt. Harrito, he wrote a note from his notepad, “Give this to the owner of it. He can give it to the Head Quarters and will be compensated for his loss. Now go.”

Darren, Yuki, and Sakiko left the park and started to walk down the hill.

“Are we going to do that?” Sakiko asked.

“Commandeer a bike? Or give that message to the Captain?” Yuki asked.

“Yes.” Darren said, “We are going to do both.”

“What about getting to the storage unit?” Yuki asked.

“Is it on the way?” Darren asked.

“Kinda,” Yuki said.

“Then we are still making progress.” Sakiko said, “Think of all of the people that we are helping on the way.”

“It does help ease the guilt of all the people that we didn’t help,” Yuki said.

They walked in silence for a couple more minutes. Darren saw a door open at one of the house’s garage. Inside the home were a half dozen bikes of different sizes. There was bikes for little kids to bikes for adults.

“What are you doing?” Yuki asked.

Darren walked up to the house and slowly opened the door. A chain ran through the bike tires, but the lock was broken.

“Commandeering some bikes for us,” Darren said.

Darren took the note from Yuki and stuck it to the wall with a nearby pin.

They each grabbed a bike and left the house.

“This way the owner can claim multiple bikes and get compensated for their loss,” Darren said.

“You’re insane,” Yuki said with a smile.

Darren, Yuki, and Sakiko flew down the hill. They rode down, not the same way that they had struggled up, but the opposite side of the hill.

Houses lined the sides of the hill. They looked to be townhouses, all stacked close to each other.

The road was clogged with cars, but the waves hadn’t reached this side of the hill. Not this part of the hill at least.

In the pre-dawn hours, Darren saw that the tsunami had moved around the hill to the other side. The hill formed a small valley between two of the high parts of Tokyo.