by Z. V. Hunter
But I was running out of time.
A little girl's life depended on me. When I squeezed my eyes shut, I saw the faces of the others who'd gone missing before. This one had a chance those other girls might never get.
Even if it meant breaking a promise, I had to act.
21
I WASN'T STUPID enough to poke my nose into a dangerous tunnel completely unarmed. Or at night. I made sure to take several of the iron short swords that Aki gave me, and the other weapons she offered. Unfortunately, none of them would replace my shuriken, but I could get more of those on my own.
I also made sure to get there in the mid-afternoon, so I had a good three hours to get to the tunnel and back to civilization. And, hopefully, not get sucked inside.
I got off at Yazaike Station and walked through the twisting neighborhoods that lined the edge of Neo-Tokyo. A group of elementary school kids were on their way home. Any one of them might be the next missing girl. They whispered amongst themselves and glanced at me the way kids usually do.
I kept an eye on them. Made sure none of them headed in my direction.
Tucked behind a park, the tunnel in question was at the edge of the ward. An air of abandonment and disuse hung around it. The swing set and slide rusted between the overgrown trees. A flock of crows cawed and took off from the ground as I approached, their black wings beat in the cool air. They perched in the trees around me and watched with their dark marble-like eyes that missed nothing.
Over the day, the warmth of the stone had steadily increased and the glow had grown brighter. Still not enough for him to communicate, apparently. I assumed that he was recharging in there somewhere. That light must've used up a lot of spiritual energy. Maybe that's why he hadn't used it before. Still, I had too many questions. And if he ever spoke to me again, I hoped I got the chance to ask them.
I wandered to the park, my hands shoved into my pockets, and took in the bright spring day. Puffy white clouds flitted through the air and a cold breeze blew my hair back from my shoulders. I still hadn't gotten my trusty trench coat cleaned, so I wore the red wool one. It didn't have nearly as many pockets, but it still had enough to conceal my various weapons and Spirit Seals. Along with the new swords, Aki's Shrine Maidens insisted I take several Spirit Vessels as well.
None of them asked who I was, but they all treated me with respect laced with a touch of fear. Aki must've told them I was some sort of powerful Exorcist.
I smiled at the thought.
No kids played in the park, and as I stepped foot inside I realized why. A pulsing darkness emanated from the place, and my entire being recoiled from it. At least, the part of my being that wanted to recoil from that sort of thing. If I opened myself up to it, I'd drown in that power. Sense where it came from and draw on it. But I didn't want to do that.
I skirted the park instead of tromping through it like I'd originally planned and followed the map Ken gave me.
The train tracks started at the edge of the park and ended in the tunnel. The faint reek of rotting meat filled the air.
I wiped my sweaty palms on my thighs and stared at those tracks. I'd seen them before in Miki's pictures, and they were startlingly accurate. She'd been here. Knew enough about the terrain to draw those pictures, either from a photograph or her own memory.
A no trespassing sign surrounded it as did a fence that was at least twice my height. Barbed wire lined the top. Well, I could get over that, no problem, but could an eleven-year-old kid?
Sure, but how many would?
And if the girls didn't go inside willingly, did someone take them there? Or was this tunnel another false lead?
The coiling fear in my gut told me otherwise. Those girls had been here. I didn't need solid evidence to back up that hunch. I wasn't a police officer anymore. I was a private detective.
Each step felt like moving up a mountain covered in sludge. It was worse than holding Kuro's Calamity Weapon. Worse than the house with the slug who wanted to eat us. And yes, worse than that Calamity that possessed the bartender. Worse than the forest where I found Lux.
The trees hung thick and untrimmed around the tracks and entangled the fence, thick with rust. The only thing that didn't have a bit of rust on it was a shiny new aluminum lock where the fence opened into a gate. Not suspicious at all.
Bushes crowded it, and as I walked on I found a spot where the trees had won their battle and the metal had splintered open. A full-size man couldn't fit through but a child could.
I crouched and touched the metal.
Fear clung to it.
Fear and hunger.
I wouldn't be able to sense that unless whoever felt those emotions was already dead. A ghost. And close enough that I could feel them, even in the daytime.
Then I saw the dark gaping maw of the tunnel itself.
It pulsed with darkness like that thing I'd seen in my last dip in the purification pool. Every heartbeat in my chest seemed to radiate with that exact same power.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Bile rose in my gut.
The air rippled with energy—intent—and it came from that place.
The veil here was so thin, hardly substantial at all. Every once in a while, I saw a glimpse into the Spirit World. The trees twisted and dripped with moss. The metal rusted to nothing.
In Miki's drawings, there hadn't been a fence or any ‘No Trespassing’ signs, but they were here. The hole was here, which accounted for how the girls got in, but why did she draw it without the fence around it?
Had she seen into the Spirit World?
Every fiber of my being told me to flee. Yet I couldn't tear my eyes from the blackness.
Fear choked me, and Lux's Spirit Stone pulsed faster, frantic, in time with my heart.
What kind of Calamity was this? I'd run into plenty in my time, but nothing this powerful. Not in the human world.
With shaking hands, I took out my phone and snapped a handful of pictures. Pressing the button took nearly all the energy I had. And yet, I couldn't bring myself to leave. This is what those girls experienced.
Slowly, I slipped through the hole in the fence, and my feet crunched on the gravel and weeds. I wasn't going to get too close.
Just a little nearer.
To understand this thing better.
The back of my mind screamed to turn around.
Leave.
Listen to reason for once.
Remember what Aki said? She doesn't want to get that call. And yet. . .
If that new missing girl was here—if there was some evidence this is where she'd gone, Ken would have a reason to show up. The police could do something.
And if that girl died, it'd be on my conscience.
I couldn't have that.
Despite my best instincts, I crept forward. My eyes scanned the tracks and the fence for any sign a child might have left. A lost jacket. A toy that fell out of a pocket. Hell, I'd even settle for an eraser—one of those cute ones the kids loved to collect.
I didn't find anything.
The nagging hunger worsened. Instead of draining me, it nudged me to open up. Force all that raw power inside.
I shook my head.
I was not going to do that.
I'd almost talked myself into turning around and leaving when I heard a footstep crunch on the gravel. The sound came from inside the tunnel.
I stood still, my sword held ready and my breath caught in my throat. Calamities usually didn't have footsteps unless they wanted to. This sounded like a human.
While I might be well-versed in fighting spiritual enemies, I could still use some help with human ones. Sure, I could throw a punch or kick with the best of them, but I can't protect myself from a gunshot or a knife wound.
I have stitches to prove the latter.
Another step.
And another.
Whoever approached walked quickly and without preamble.
Maybe they didn't feel what I
felt. That meant they were either exceptionally strong or exceptionally numbed to any sort of power. The first one didn't bode well. I wasn't too keen on meeting someone like that.
A tall spindly shadow loomed at the entrance.
A Shade—one I'd seen a few days before.
I spun, ready to climb back up and shimmy through the hole.
Then I spotted a sign on the fence. The back of that no trespassing sign. I didn't expect to see that name painted on the rusting edge.
Not here.
My heart stood still, and I sucked in a sharp breath. Needles pierced my lungs.
Abe Industries.
Like Kuro Abe.
It could be a coincidence.
More than one family had that name in Neo-Tokyo. And yet what Aki told me earlier rang in my ears.
His family-owned trains. He'd be able to help. I knew I couldn't trust him.
I grimaced and grabbed the edge of the fence when something wrapped around me and squeezed. It looked like nothing more than paper. The more I wriggled, the tighter it held.
It spun around my waist and down my thighs, pinned my arms to my sides and, as I opened my mouth to scream, it clamped over my lips and cut off any sound.
Where the hell was Lux when I needed him?
My iron sword clattered onto the track.
I only had one option left: become a Calamity or die.
In another moment, I would've uncorked and pulled the power inside me, but I never got the chance.
"Sleep."
The word rang in my ears and pulled in my eyelids. A blow to the side of my neck finished the job.
22
I DREAMT I flew above a mountain covered in a thick forest. I soared over the clouds and peeked at the world rushing below me. My heart soared and the great feathered wings on my back flapped. Then a piece of paper as thin and sinuous as a snake wrapped around my legs and wound up my body.
Trapped my wings.
A surge of panic rose in my chest, and I fell.
Just as I was about to crash into the trees, darkness claimed me and I woke with a start.
My head throbbed, and I snapped my eyes open, expecting to see nothing but blackness and feel that terrible dread that filled my chest and stomach right before I fell into this mess.
I didn't expect a brightly lit room or the comfort of a smooth leather couch under my body. Or the pillow carefully placed beneath my head.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Kuro hissed, and I got the idea whoever he was talking to didn't know I was awake.
It was a man, several years older than Kuro himself, though there was a family resemblance. This man was more standardly handsome and not as fit as Kuro. His hair was trimmed short and neat in a cut that reminded me of Ken's, and he wore a perfectly tailored gray suit.
I took a slow breath and wiggled my toes and my fingers.
They moved.
I wasn't bound.
Then I remembered. Abe. That tunnel belonged to Kuro's family.
Whoever caught me—
"I didn't bring her. She was trespassing and got captured. It had nothing to do with me. You're lucky I called you before I called the police," the man said and gripped Kuro's shoulders. He glared impressively, and Kuro bristled and jutted out his chin.
Okay. Enough of this. I rubbed my head and sat up slowly. "What the hell?"
They both started, though their expressions couldn't have been more different. Kuro's eyes widened, and he let out a breath before his signature smirk took center stage. The other man, the one whose name I didn't know, smiled peacefully, and his eyes crinkled.
"See? She's fine. I'm terribly sorry about this. One of our associates found you trespassing. It's customary that they take you to the police first, but I recognized you, Ms. Murakami. Or is it something else now? Ms. Nox?"
I swung my feet over the edge of the couch and sat up. My head spun, but I shook it off. Couldn't look weak in front of them. Not after what I'd learned. "Oh? I don't recognize you."
Kuro snorted.
The man's smile didn't falter. Not by an inch. "Well, it has been a while. And you never did spend as much time around me as you did my younger brother here. I'm Taro. I remember your mother well. You too, though it was a long time ago. Once you got lost on our estate, and we found you in one of the back storehouses eating chocolate bars."
It was one of those times when something you swore you didn't remember came front and center into your brain. Yes, we'd gone to their estate to perform some kind of private ritual. Apparently, they needed a Priestess—my mother was never forthcoming about things like that when I was young. Even when I was older she hadn't told me much. I guess it was something I should have learned when I took over the Shrine.
I wondered if Aki knew it now.
Like a typical little kid who wasn't allowed inside for the ritual itself, I got bored and wandered away.
Vaguely, I remember Kuro begged me to come see the koi pond with him, and I'd refused. Partly because I thought he might push me in. I also thought I might push him in, and my mother told me to be on my best behavior.
Then I saw a Calamity, and followed it.
It was a Kitsune—a fox with three tails, denoting it had lived for three centuries so far and was wiser than a typical fox, yet still mischievous. It told me about the chocolate in the storehouse, though it didn't seem malicious. It wanted to play a trick on Kuro's family since they were Conjurors.
I blinked. Then again, I probably wouldn't have gotten in trouble if Taro had been the only one to find me there. I remember him crouched at the entrance to the store house. He must've been a teenager at the time, and he laughed when he saw the chocolate smeared on my face. Then Kuro found us and the story got out.
"Yeah. He's the one who told on me," I grumbled and glared at Kuro.
My heart hammered.
They owned the train tunnel that Calamity lived in. The thing that was most likely sucking in those missing girls lingered there, and Kuro acted like he wasn't involved.
I didn't believe that for a second.
"I was eleven! And what does that have to do with anything?" Kuro asked.
His brother laughed. It was a deep rich sound, though not as warm as Kuro's laugh.
I felt the power rippling off them both. It sent a shiver up my spine, and I clamped it down. "So, who's the one who knocked me out?"
Kuro's scowl turned into a frown. "What were you doing there anyway? That place is abandoned and dangerous."
But he didn't mention the other thing that set off warning bells in my head.
In fact, neither of them did.
As Conjurors, they had to know about the Calamity inside. Even without a Calamity Circle, that power gave it away. Anyone with a hint of magic should feel it.
I shrugged. "Can't a girl go for a walk in the park?"
Taro's gentle smile sharpened at the edges, and he lowered himself into a chair across from the couch. "Is that all you were doing? Like I said, I knew your mother. Our family likes to keep tabs on our acquaintances."
I was surprised he didn't say 'enemies,' all things considered.
"And?" I said and tried to keep my face open. I didn't cross my arms because that looked too defensive. Too guilty.
Taro shot a look at Kuro, who scowled back at him. "I know about your little adventure the other night. Kuro tagging along trying to play real Exorcist. Now tell me: did he save your life or did you save his?"
Kuro gritted his teeth.
I shrugged. "Maybe we saved each other's lives. I might've rescued him from a Calamity, but he kept me from breaking my neck. Guess we're even."
And to think the ceiling didn't fall in around my ears when I admitted that.
Taro laughed again. "Like my brother said, that place isn't safe. A lot of bad things happen there. We have it heavily warded and protected to keep trespassers out. I'm afraid you got caught up in that. If I hadn't known who we were dealing with, you'd have ended up in a police
station with handcuffs on."
"Yeah. I guess I should thank you," I said and narrowed my eyes. Trespassing was against the law. I knew that. But the threat set my teeth on edge. "Well, why is it so dangerous? Are the beams unsteady or something?"
Taro leaned forward, and Kuro crossed his arms and balanced on the edge of the couch, like he didn't want to sit too close to me in the presence of his family.
Big change from the other night when he flirted with me nonstop.
"Why so curious? I'll tell you, if you tell me why you were there," Taro said.
I smoothed my expression into blandness. I learned that from Ken. "I heard reports of a Calamity in that park and went to check it out. I felt a presence coming from the tunnel so I followed it. What's inside?"
Taro regarded me was solemn eyes, and Kuro clamped his mouth shut. Taro's eyes weren't nearly as sharp or as bright, and I wondered if he wore contacts to dull the color. That didn't seem like something his family would do since they were so proud of their magic.
"Do you know the story, Kuro?" Taro asked and pierced Kuro with his gaze.
"Of course I do." Kuro fiddled with the buttons on his shirt and wouldn't meet my eyes. "The tunnel was never officially opened because there were so many accidents involved in its construction. It was built before the turn-of-the-century. Almost eighty years before the War, right?"
Taro nodded, and Kuro continued.
"Back then blasting through mountains was more dangerous. A dynamite explosion went off early and killed twenty men."
Taro hummed. "More like twenty-six. While they laid the tracks, people started whispering about the place having a curse. Workers terrified to go into the tunnel alone: even though it'd been completely hollowed out and made ready, everyone was leery of connecting it to the greater line because of what might happen if they sent a train through. Especially because of the disappearances."
Taro locked his gaze on me, and I perked up at the word 'disappearances.'
Couldn't help it. Those girls. They went into that tunnel and disappeared. It all made sense.
I licked my lips. "Is that it? A bunch of accidents and disappearances, so they never opened the tunnel?"