Nathan Pedde - Tokyo Tempest

Mr. Sugihara turned and left the room.

Yuki turned to Mrs. Sugihara, “No. He can stay.”

“Excuse me.” Mrs. Sugihara, her voice rose up.

“You know nothing about us.” Yuki said, “He has been the one person that has been there for me no matter what. He has saved my life many times. He can stay and if he sees me naked, then so be it. These are not the times for modesty.”

Mrs. Sugihara glared at Yuki, “So be it.”

Yuki stripped down as Mrs. Sugihara examined her beaten body for injuries. Darren was done last. The old lady barely looked at him. It wasn’t until Yuki had pulled off the makeshift bandage that was wrapped around Darren’s head that she looked at him.

She stomped off out of the room after she finished.

Mr. Sugihara walked back into the room.

“I apologize for my wife.” Mr. Sugihara said, “Losing her son has been hard on her.”

“No excuse,” Yuki said.

“I know.” Mr. Sugihara said, “Stay for a few days. Let me make it up to you two.”

“No,” Yuki said.

Mr. Sagihara looked at her, shocked.

“You have nowhere to go, and the sun is rising.” Mr. Sugihara said, “Once you get out of this community, the lawlessness of the outside will get you. You have to stay until at least nightfall.”

“No,” Yuki said, “I know of a place not too far from here that we could probably hide out until dark.”

Darren and Yuki entered the garage. Hunched over an open child carrier, was Mr. Sugihara’s son. He rummaged through the supplies.

Darren had his handgun out a moment later.

“Get away from our stuff,” Darren said.

“Boy.” Mr. Sugihara said, “There better be a good reason for it.”

“Mother told me to.” He said, “They have lots of food in there. And there isn’t enough to go around. The army didn’t distribute any yesterday.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Mr. Sugihara said, “It all better be here.”

“It is.” The boy said as he ran away.

“I’ll help you pack.” Mr. Sugihara said.

“Leave us alone.” Yuki said, “You’re a nice man who thought to help us through a difficult time, but your family is crazy, and your son almost got killed.”

“You would have killed him?”

“You have no idea what is happening in Tokyo.” Darren said, “The entire population is stuck there, no help arrives, no food. They are killing each other for a snack bar.”

“What do you mean?” Mr. Sugihara asked.

“Here,” Darren said, “There are distributing supplies. Pulling people out of wrecks. Taking them to camps and helping people.”

“I know.” Mt Sugihara said, “It’s just a larger event than that tsunami years ago.”

“Yes.” Darren said, “But they aren’t doing that in Tokyo.”

“The army must be blockading Tokyo.”

“They built a wall around it and shoot people that try to leave.”

“No wonder they hunted you.” Mr. Sugihara said.

“Probably still hunting us,” Yuki said.

“Leave us alone. We’ll leave and be on our way.” Darren said.

“If you excuse me,” Mr. Sugihara said with a small bow, “I am going to yell at my wife and son. I apologize again for their behavior.”

Mr. Sugihara left the garage. Darren could hear the echoes of Mr. Sugihara’s raised voice from the house. He didn’t care. He packed the scattered supplies and put it all back in the child carriers. The handgun was still in it’s hiding place. Darren took off his sword and pistol. He put it in the child carrier.

With the supplies packed up, Darren, and Yuki left the garage.

Outside, the sun was above the horizon. It’s reddish glow started to take the chill away from the night. In the distance, clouds were rolling towards them. They were dark, gray and ugly looking.

“If you’re from around here. How long do we have until we get rained on?” Darren asked.

“Not sure.” Yuki said, “Maybe we won’t get rained on at all.

Yuki sported a dark black eye, and her nose was broken. They both were tender. Luckily Mrs. Sugihara had managed to straighten it. Yuki was still dressed in the blood-stained pants.

From seeing her without any clothes on, Darren knew that Yuki had a shoulder that had turned black and blue, as well as the upper part of one leg.

They found themselves in a set of townhouses. It was still very early in the morning, and there were only a couple people outside. A couple townhouses looked damaged by the earthquakes. Windows were broken, and a few had shingles missing from the roof. They rode around a corner, and three townhouses had collapsed. Rubble was heaped in a giant pile where the townhouses once stood.

Two army vehicles were parked next to the road. A dozen army soldiers stood around the trucks lazily.

They rode towards the groups of soldiers.

One man, held up a hand to them signaling them to stop.

“Let me do the talking,” Yuki said.

They slowed down to a stop in front of the soldier.

Now that they were close, Darren could see that the soldier had officer bars on his uniform.

“You two look beat up.” The officer said, “What happened to you?”

“Looters attacked us in the night,” Yuki said.

“Where are you taking those heavy looking little wagons there?” The officer said.

“We’re just trying to get home.” Yuki said, “I’m hoping that my dad is there waiting for me.”

“Where is home?”

“Sano,” Yuki said.

“You have a long way to go.” The officer said, “What’s in the carriers?”

“Supplies to last us until we get there.”

“That’s a lot of supplies.”

“No, it isn’t.” Yuki said, “It’s no more than what we’re supposed to stock up for the event of an emergency.”

“Is that so?”

“We just packed all the stuff from our house to take with us,” Yuki said.

“You must have a hard time keeping that stuff safe.” The officer said.

“Yes.” Yuki said, “The going is slow as lots of people think that I should pay exorbitant tolls and taxes. We keep having to avoid gangs of thugs and thieves.”

“Yes.” The officer said, “Why go home? You could stay with us. Ditch your friend there, and we’ll keep you safe.”

“I’m truly sorry, but I can’t.” Yuki said, “If my dad is alive, he’ll be there waiting for me.”

“Waiting for you? Why not come looking?”

“And start where? No communication and it’s hazardous out. Better to shelter in place.” Yuki said.

“All right.” The officer said, “Get going. I’m not supposed to let people wonder, but I like you.”

Darren followed Yuki out from the cluster of townhouses. They turned a corner and disappeared away from the Army officer.

They reached the top of a small hill, and sports fields appeared in front of them. A single burnt out vehicle sat where they left it. Darren couldn’t see the bodies of the three soldiers that were killed.

“They must have moved the bodies,” Darren said.

“Yes.” Yuki said, “Let’s get as far away from this place as we can.”

Darren and Yuki rode up the side of the embankment from the dike to the river. The embankment followed along the bank of the river. The other side of the barrier had clusters of houses and buildings of a city that Darren wasn’t familiar with.

The sun showed dimly through what looked like a red haze. Like there was something in the air changing the color of the light and dimming it somehow. Darren wished that he had studied more or that his phone had power and wifi so he could figure out what was going on. Darren wouldn’t admit it, but he missed the Internet.

As they rode, darker and darker clouds rolled in. Lightning flashed in the sky in the distance.