Nathan Pedde - Tokyo Tempest

The businessman ran towards Darren’s bike. Darren pulled out his handgun and aimed it just at the business man’s head.

The businessman pulled at the broom handle in an attempt to remove the handle from the spokes of the bike tire.

Darren squeezed the trigger, and his gun went off.

The gunshot echoed in the silence of the night. The business man’s throat exploded as the bullet hit. Blood and bits of bone spattered amongst the alleyway. Pieces dribbled on Darren.

The businessman unnaturally crumpled to the ground. His hands clutched at his throat as he thrashed wildly on the ground. Darren could see the fear in the man’s eyes as his life bleed out onto the street.

Darren walked to the man while still holding his handgun. He aimed it at the man, not trusting the sight before him. But it was apparent that the businessman was going to be dead soon.

“You son-of-a-bitch.” A loud, angry Japanese voice echoed from behind Darren.

Darren turned around to see three middle-aged business men holding makeshift clubs.

“Go away and leave us alone,” Darren said.

Blood dripped down Darren’s face and onto his Jacket.

Darren aimed his gun at the three businessmen.

“It’s a crazy Gaijin.” One said.

“Stupid cowboy American.” Another said.

“Kio is dead,” the third said, “Let’s get out of here.”

The three businessmen disappeared into the darkness. Darren holstered his gun.

Darren picked up his fedora and put it on his head. He walked over to his bike.

To Darren, the bike looked in decent repair. A single spoke had broken loose. The bike had toppled to its side. The child carrier was still attached to the bike.

Darren picked the bike up and up-righted it.

With a quick pull, Darren pulled the broom handle out of the bike spokes. He was on the bike a moment later and quickly caught up with Yuki.

“You’re bleeding,” Yuki said.

“It’s a head wound.” Darren said, “They bleed a lot.”

“Let me get the first aid kit, we need to look at that,” Yuki said.

“Not here.” Darren said, “This place isn’t safe, and people might be heading towards that gunshot.”

“Like who?” Yuki said.

“The police or army if they are still functional.” Darren said, “Or worse.”

Yuki nodded. She ripped a large piece off the bottom of her blouse. She wrapped it around Darren’s head.

“I know a place we can stop for a rest.” Yuki said, “We can clean that out when we get there.”

Darren and Yuki rode their bikes through the remaining part of the alley, and they were out onto a street. The tall buildings quickly disappeared, and they rode down residential streets with small houses decorated by small yards. After a few turns, they approached a small park.

The park had been turned into a makeshift refugee camp. The camp had spilled over the sides of the park and into the streets. There were signs that the park was once forested, but now all of the trees had been cut down. Darren could barely see the playground equipment through all of the makeshift structures.

Around the camp was armed men in army uniforms standing by a roadblock. One of the men turned to face them as they approached.

“Not that way,” Yuki said.

Yuki turned down a smaller side street away from the camp.

Darren heard the echo of engines spring to life behind them.

“Crap,” Yuki said.

“Get us out of here,” Darren said.

“Where. Where. Where.” Yuki said.

“Someplace that an army vehicle can’t go,” Darren said.

Yuki turned down a footpath and raced away between some buildings.

They turned another corner and into a large field. The field was a grassy sports field. In the distance was a baseball diamond.

Darren heard the army truck rumble in the distance behind them.

“Do you think we’ve lost them?” Yuki asked.

“No.” Darren said, “We need to hide.”

Off to the right, was a small drainage ditch.

“This way,” Darren yelled.

The drainage ditch was three feet deep and was empty of water.

Darren screeched to a full stop and dismounted his bike. He laid his bike down on its side and Yuki did the same.

Darren could see the bright searchlight from the army truck as it rumbled down a road in the distance.

“Don’t look at the light.” Darren said, “Save your night vision.”

Darren put his hat over his head and closed his eyes.

The truck rumbled past, and then it stopped. It idled but sat in one space in the middle of the road.

“What’s going on?” Yuki asked.

Yuki lifted her head up a bit.

“Stay down,” Darren said.

“Either they know where we are and we’re caught,” Yuki said.

“Or they’re relaying that they lost us back to their base,” Darren said.

“Did you see that camp?” Yuki asked.

“Not really.” Darren said, “I saw that there was a lot of things there, but that’s it.”

“It was full of refugees. ” Yuki said, “It was spilling out of that tiny park. That place is going to be a muddy, mess of waste and squalor. I don’t want to be there.”

“Shh,” Darren said.

In the distance, the metallic creak of a truck door opened and shut.

Darren peeked his head up above the crest of the ditch. About two hundred and fifty feet away was the parked army truck. Two soldiers in full combat gear walked around the truck. A third sat behind the wheel. The soldiers carried scary looking military rifles.

Darren could see that they were talking to each other, but they were too far away for him to read their lips.

Darren saw one of the two soldiers pointing towards the small ditch where they were hiding.

Darren ducked back down into the ditch.

A moment later, the light from a flashlight illuminated the crest of the ditch.

“Crap.” Darren said, “They’re coming this way.”

“Shh.” Yuki said, “Maybe they won’t get this far.”

Darren hid in the ditch and waited. They heard the crunch of the footsteps of the two soldiers as they approached the ditch.

“Hey, look at who we have here.” The first Japanese soldier said to the other.

“A Gaijin and his friend.” The second one said.

Darren held his hands up. Yuki did the same.

“Get up.” The first soldier said.

Darren stood up, the soldier hit him in the head with the butt of his rifle. Darren collapsed to the ground in a heap, and everything went temporarily blank.

Darren wasn’t sure how long he was unconscious for. He opened his eyes to find that he was still in the ditch. Yuki wasn’t with him.

A scream echoed from where Darren remembered the army truck being. Darren crawled up to the top of the ditch.

The three soldiers lounged around the truck. Two of the soldiers stood around the armored vehicle and were drinking bottles of beer and smoking cigarettes. Darren saw the soldier’s rifles and helmets sitting on the hood of the truck. Darren saw that Yuki was pressed against the side of the truck, her pants were by her feet.

The third had Yuki held down and was fumbling with the buckle of his pants.

Darren listened to the soldier’s laughter echo in the night. It was the laugh that guys make when doing something they think they can get away with. There was a mocking edginess to it that dug beneath Darren’s skin.

The samurai sword, the hunting rifle, and his handgun were still where he had left them. Darren took his gun from the holster and checked it over. It was still good. With only ten rounds spent from its fifteen shot magazine, it left Darren with five rounds. Darren pulled out the magazine and replaced it with a full one. He cocked the gun and loaded a round.