Summertime of the Dead

by Gregory Hughes

  ‘Where?’

  ‘I don’t know. Why don’t you take her on a river cruise? She’d like that.’

  ‘Why don’t I just take her somewhere so she can’t find her way back?’

  Yoshe gave me a cold look. ‘Your grandmother said you’d be like this and so she told me to give you a message: go out without her, and you’ll be sleeping in the park with the peasants.’

  The Lump appeared in the doorway. She looked a little embarrassed and so she checked her cell to hide it.

  ‘Come on then!’ I said, and stormed off.

  ‘Have a nice time,’ said Yoshe. And the Lump ran after me.

  I was angry at Yoshe then, and I was never angry with her. It was the Lump’s fault.

  ‘Twins,’ said the Lump as we passed their apartment.

  I turned on her. I was just about to shout, but she looked sorry and so I didn’t. I just headed up the hill to the shrine. That little fat lump wasn’t getting the better of me. I’d leave her with Natsuko.

  Then I heard her mumbling behind me. That was another annoying thing about the Lump. She couldn’t put two words together but she mumbled like a maniac.

  I turned quickly. ‘What are you saying?’

  The Lump looked up at me. ‘Nothing.’

  ‘I know you’re talking about me! You’d better pack it in!’

  But she didn’t pack it in. All the way up to the shrine I could hear her talking to herself. She only stopped when we came to the temple and running up the steps she rang the bell. Then she clapped three times to summon the gods and bowed. I ignored her, and heading around the side of the temple I knocked on the nuns’ house. But then I realized I hadn’t seen Natsuko since I was sick. And now I felt awkward about asking her to look after the Lump. But it didn’t matter anyway because no one was home.

  The Lump was walking along the garden paths with her hands behind her back. She stopped every now and then to give a statue or a plant a good inspection. She always inspected things with her hands behind her back; she was strange like that. But then she spotted dozens of stone dogs at the side of the temple and ran towards them. They weren’t the lion dogs that you see outside most temples. They were more fox-like and they each had a red cotton handkerchief wrapped around their neck. The Lump looked at them in absolute wonder. ‘Beautiful!’ she said as I came towards her. She always thought everything was beautiful. She was a real dummy.

  ‘Listen,’ I said.

  She cringed as she looked up at me as though bracing herself for bad news.

  ‘I’m going to leave you here for five minutes.’

  ‘Leave me?’

  ‘Just for five minutes. I’ll be back soon.’ I went to leave but the Lump followed. ‘No, you stay here.’

  ‘Hungry,’ said the Lump.

  ‘That’s why I’m leaving. I’m going to get you something to eat.’

  She seemed happy with this and wandered off to explore the grounds. I walked until I was out of sight and then I ran. I ran all the way back to the house and crept into the garden. I looked through the kitchen window, to make sure Yoshe had gone, and then I got on the bike and rode to Akasaka. I figured it would take me fifteen minutes to ride there, fifteen to find their apartment, and fifteen to ride back. The most the Lump would be left alone was an hour or so, and she’d seemed happy enough when I left her. But even if she wasn’t, it didn’t matter. This came first.

  I rode through the Minato area and into Akasaka and then I rode around the stone wall that encircles Akasaka Palace. The palace is where heads of state stay when they visit Japan. But the royal family used to live here at one time and so the grounds are pretty big, and so are the walls that run around them. And the whole area’s covered in office blocks and apartment blocks and I couldn’t see a blue glass building to save my life.

  I stopped and asked a cop did he know where the Garden City office block was, but he didn’t and so I rode on. I guess I shouldn’t have asked a cop for a location where I was going to kill someone, but it was too late now. I saw a traffic warden giving someone a ticket. I was just about to ask him when I saw this tall blue office block. It was a Sony Building, and just behind it was the Garden City skyscraper. Kako hadn’t lied.

  I parked the bike in front of the building and looked around. Kako said that the girls lived right next door, but there were three or four apartment blocks close by. It could have been any one of them. I walked across a wide walkway, which turned into a pedestrian bridge, and headed into a small concrete jungle. The Park Court Tower was definitely the closest and so I reckoned that was the one. But he’d also said that the girls had the penthouse, which was bad because the tower was at least thirty storeys high. There was a residents’ board outside the entrance, and so I started to scan the names. But then I heard a voice behind me.

  ‘Can someone get me a drink?’

  I turned to see another apartment block, no more than six floors high. At the top was a penthouse with small trees and a rooftop garden. And leaning on the rail was Riko Tanaka! I jumped behind a concrete post as quick as I could and peered around the side of it. She had a patch over her blind eye and she was dressed in black. Maybe it was to show respect for her cousin Kako. She must have known by now that he was dead.

  She stood there smoking a cigarette and admiring the sky, and then she looked down in my direction. It was like she was looking straight at me. I pulled my head in and waited a few seconds before looking out again. A man in a white vest handed her a drink and then they leaned on the rail and talked. He had a shaven head and his arms were covered in yakuza tattoos. I hated those tattoos, but not as much as I hated Riko. ‘I’ll throw you off that rooftop! You see if I don’t!’ But now that I knew where the girls lived I had to get back to the Lump. I could just see her wandering back to the house and Grandmother answering the door. Then there’d be hell to pay. But I couldn’t take the chance of Riko seeing me, which she would if I walked back across the bridge while she was there. And so I had to wait.

  At least half an hour went by before they made their way inside. ‘Louise, I’m going!’ shouted Riko. As soon as the coast was clear I ran across the bridge and bolted back to the bike. I put on my helmet, kick-started the engine and rode out on to the main road. It was a real piece of luck Riko coming out on the rooftop like that. Otherwise it might have taken me months to find them. But now I had to get back to the shrine. I rode at full throttle and whizzed between the traffic as quick as I could, but then I got held up by the lights. It’s always the way when you’re in a rush! A Mercedes jeep pulled up alongside me, and turning, I came face to face with Riko. And for some reason I couldn’t look away.

  She couldn’t recognize me because I was wearing my helmet. But she didn’t look happy. She said something to her broken-nosed bodyguard, who sat in the front seat, and then he turned around and gave me a look. I moved up to the front of the traffic and looked back at them in my mirror. ‘Now’s not the time. But soon!’

  When the lights changed I turned on to the dual carriageway and followed it around to Omotesando. The lights stayed in my favour all the way to the park, and cutting across the tracks I headed up the hill to the shrine. As soon as I reached the top I parked and ran into the grounds. But I couldn’t see the Lump anywhere. She must have gone home!

  ‘Yukio.’

  I turned to see Natsuko. She looked a little pained as she came towards me, as though remembering all the times I’d been there with the twins. And I felt a little sad myself when I saw her. She went to speak, but then something down the path caught her eye. ‘Is that someone asleep?’

  I was relieved when I saw the Lump. ‘My cousin.’

  Natsuko looked surprised. ‘Oh yes, I remember her.’

  We walked along the cool path, in the shade of the trees, and headed towards the Lump. But we were both straining for something to say.

  ‘So how are you?’ asked Natsuko.

  ‘Getting better,’ I said. ‘And stronger.’

  ‘You’ve al
ways been strong, Yukio. That’s why people look up to you.’

  I felt a surge of pride and my back straightened. ‘And how are you?’

  ‘It hurts me when I think of them, but I am weak. And I feel as though my faith is being tested. I mean, we talk about rebirth as though it’s something to rejoice. But why would I rejoice at the twins’ death?’ She turned to me. ‘Have you any idea why they did it?’

  I felt like telling her who was responsible and how they were going to pay. And I felt like telling her how I’d killed Kako. But I didn’t. Natsuko hated violence, even if it was justified.

  ‘No,’ I said. ‘I have no idea.’

  We came to the Lump, who was asleep on a bench. She had used her rolled-up coat for a pillow and she slept with her arms around a glass jar filled with wild flowers. I couldn’t believe how shabbily she dressed. The soles of her sneakers were worn away and her faded T-shirt was ten times too small for her. It even had holes in it. I felt embarrassed that she was my cousin, but she didn’t care. She was so dead to the world that a greenfinch perched on her shoulder.

  Natsuko smiled when she saw her. ‘She sleeps so peacefully. Sign of a clear conscience.’

  The Lump’s eyes opened and the bird flew away. She looked a little startled, and sitting up she put on her coat. Then she played with her palm-tree. ‘Hungry,’ she said.

  ‘Oh, she’s adorable!’ said Natsuko.

  The Lump liked this, and picking up the jar with the flowers she handed it to Natsuko.

  ‘I made,’ said the Lump. ‘For you.’

  ‘What a beautiful flower arrangement! Do you like ikebana?’

  The Lump just sat there looking happy.

  ‘She doesn’t speak much,’ I said. ‘She’s a little backward.’

  The smile left the Lump’s face and her head dropped in shame. Natsuko looked surprised, like she couldn’t believe what I’d said. But I didn’t think the Lump would understand, I really didn’t.

  ‘Nonsense, Yukio,’ said Natsuko, kneeling in front of her. ‘Appreciating beauty is the beginning of wisdom. And anyone who can create such a beautiful flower arrangement must be very wise.’

  The Lump was happy then and the joy returned to her face.

  ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ asked Natsuko.

  ‘A nun,’ said the Lump.

  Natsuko laughed. She had a nice laugh. ‘I’m sure you’ll make a wonderful nun.’

  ‘Eight Fold Path,’ said the Lump. And then she frowned like she was trying to remember. ‘Do no harm!’ she said.

  Natsuko seemed touched by this. ‘Do no harm,’ she said in a soft voice. ‘You see, Yukio, she is wise.’

  But the Lump wasn’t wise. She didn’t even know what she was talking about. The Eight Fold Path was a set of eight Buddhist recommendations on how to live your life. There was something in there about harmlessness. But there was nothing that said ‘do no harm’. And the Lump was looking so pleased with herself.

  ‘Natsuko.’ We turned to see the older nun by the temple.

  ‘Coming,’ said Natsuko. ‘I have to help prepare the food for the homeless. But we’re going to the temple next week to do the last of the repairs. The head priest here has been so kind, but I’m sure he’ll be glad to see the back of us. You can come and help if you like. It has a great view of Fuji.’

  ‘I will,’ I said.

  ‘When it’s repaired the first mass I say will be for the twins.’

  ‘Twins,’ said the Lump in a serious way.

  ‘Yes, the twins,’ said Natsuko. She smiled, but her eyes became teary. ‘I’ll see you soon.’

  Me and the Lump bowed to Natsuko as she walked away. And then I turned on her.

  ‘Since when have you wanted to be a nun?’

  ‘Always,’ said the Lump.

  ‘Always? You’re only nine, you know!’

  But the Lump turned stubborn. ‘Always!’ she said.

  I just walked away. She didn’t know what she was talking about.

  The Lump followed on behind. ‘Hungry,’ she said.

  The street was dark and quiet. But it was hot and there was no breeze, and the black hat I was wearing was making it hotter. And so I thought about the ancient samurai and what they had had to endure. And then I thought about Bokuden and his ‘decisive first strike’, which was important in battle when fighting more than one man. You aimed for the armpit, neck or wrist of the first opponent, slashing an artery or breaking a joint. You might not kill him immediately, but you finished him, meaning you could move on to the next man. I thought about this technique as I stood outside the Tanakas’ apartment block. Because tonight I think I was going to need it.

  But what was driving me crazy was waiting for them to come out. Once they did I could kill them at the entrance and run to the bike. But if they didn’t come out I’d have to go up there. And they were up there, or someone was. I’d walked around the back earlier and taken a look. But who it was and how many I did not know.

  But even if they did come out it could still be a problem, especially if they got picked up. To the left of the entrance, below the building, was a small underground car park. I’d watched a man in a Mini drive in there earlier. The steel mesh gate raised and he drove down a short slope and parked in front of a wall. If the Tanakas’ driver drove in there to pick them up, I could do nothing. It’s not that I couldn’t get under the gate before it closed – I could, but it’d be a real risk. The place was well lit and there was nowhere to hide. The only other thing I could do was follow one of the tenants inside. But that didn’t seem such a bright idea, considering I was dressed like a cat burglar and carrying a samurai sword.

  I saw an old woman out with a dog. She was on the other side of the street but she homed in on me like I was the only person on the planet. I’d put the sword at the side of a tree, so she couldn’t see it. But it was like she knew I was up to no good. And if that wasn’t bad enough, her dog started to bark. Loud biting barks that echoed all over the place. I didn’t know what to do. I was on the verge of screaming at it to shut up. ‘What’s his name?’ I said. The barking stopped. The woman gave me a dirty look and pulled him away by the lead. Some people have got nothing better to do.

  I saw the Mercedes jeep coming down the street. It was the driver and the bodyguard. I grabbed the sword from behind the tree and got ready. The driver stopped in front of the gate and the gate raised. The jeep rolled down into the car park. Just before the gate closed I ran across the street and slid underneath. I crouched low as the driver and the bodyguard got out of the jeep. If they looked back at the gate they’d see me, but they didn’t. They went to the elevator and stood with their backs to me.

  I pulled the sword from the mounting and moved quickly. But the broken-nosed bodyguard heard me coming and turned around. I thrust the sword through his chest before he could react. He clutched the blade with both hands, but I ripped it away and turned on the driver. He pulled out a pair of nunchakus and swung them frantically. He was so frightened he couldn’t see he was out of range. I stood back, and lining him up I sprang forward. The blade struck his elbow and a bone came through his suit. He turned to run but he tripped on the bodyguard, who’d fallen behind him. Again I sprang forward and hacked deep into the side of his neck. His head hit the ground and blood gushed out of him.

  I dragged his bleeding body behind the jeep and then went back for the bodyguard. He looked up at me with wild eyes and tried to speak, but he was too far gone. I heard the elevator chime. I left him next to the driver and ran for it, almost slipping on the trail of blood that had oozed like slime. I pressed the top button. The doors closed and the elevator rose. My heart was banging and sweat was running down my face, but I ignored it. I sucked up deep breaths and readied myself for battle. When the doors opened I stepped out ready to strike, but there was no one there. At the end of the hall there was a door slightly open and music was coming from inside. I used my shoulder to push back the door and then I entered the apartment. I wa
lked down a long white corridor, heading towards the music. Coming to a living room, I peered around the corner. I saw a guy stripped to his waist. He was stocky and bald and his bare muscular back was covered in tattoos. He was fixing drinks on a trolley.

  ‘Will you two hurry up?’ he shouted.

  I checked to make sure he was alone. Then moving quickly into the room I ran at him. He saw me in a mirror and reached for a bottle. But I brought down the sword on the back of his head and it cracked like an egg. He crashed to the floor with the trolley and the music fell silent. He must have knocked the plug from the stereo.

  I heard one of the girls say, ‘What the hell was that?’

  High heels came down the corridor. I stood in front of the door and held the sword level, in the chudan stance. The heels got louder and then Louise appeared, but she turned so fast! I slashed at her and severed a triangle of hair. Then I chased her down the corridor. And as she ran she sprayed a line of red blood along the white wall. I must have caught a vein in her neck. She took a right and ran into a larger living room. And then, almost calmly, she sat in a chair. Her face drained of colour as the blood squirted out of her. She was dying and she knew it and so she gave me the finger. But then her body began to twitch and her hand fell into her lap. When the blood stopped squirting she froze like a statue.

  I stood still and listened. The apartment was silent. I was just about to leave when I saw Miko’s Prada bag on a table. ‘That was Miko’s birthday present!’ I screamed. ‘And she was such a decent person!’ Without thinking I snatched the steel-tipped claw off her pinky and put it in my pocket. And then, as I left, I switched off the light and looked back. Louise sat by a wide window with Tokyo’s bright lights blazing away behind her. Another image I’d never get out of my head.

  As I walked back down the corridor I heard a low buzzing sound. It was the intercom. I didn’t know whether it had only just gone or had been going for a while. I was thinking of staying and catching Riko. But when I heard a car horn sound in the street all my senses told me to get out of there. I ran out of the apartment. The light above the elevator showed it was rising! I saw a door saying ‘fire escape’, and pushing it open I ran down the concrete steps. I passed the ground floor just as the door opened. I heard men’s voices and then I heard them clambering up the steps, but I didn’t stop. I opened the basement door, and running through the car park I picked up the mounting. I ran to the gate and looked for a switch to open it. But there wasn’t one. I was trapped! Then through the mesh I saw car headlights. The gate rose. Three cars, full of yakuza, cruised in. They must have been having a wake for Kako. I was dying to run but I walked up the slope as calmly as I could. Some of them saw me but they didn’t seemed concerned. But I saw a man looking at me from the back of a Lexus. I swear it was Uncle Benni.