I Am Become Death

by Rocco Ryg

  ***

  That night, Nagasado Nyoko cuddled her hysterical daughter. Michiko hadn’t stopped crying since the police drove her home. Nyoko couldn’t imagine losing a friend at such a young age. “It’s okay, honey. Just let it all out.”

  Michiko tried to form words through her sobs. “It’s my fault... I controlled him and... he killed her. It’s all my...”

  “Hush, now. It’s not your fault. You didn’t make anybody kill anybody. It’s okay.”

  She couldn’t feel secure even in her mother’s arms. Chikara’s true words stung to her core. She treated Kaijin like a slave, showed no concern for his feelings, led him to her bed and then cast him out of her life. She built him up and then tore him down, and this horrible treatment had driven him mad. She hated him for killing Yukiko and the others, she hated her father for giving her that ring and her cursed voice, she hated Chikara for just knowing of her shame and Renka for forgiving her, but most of all, she hated herself for existing.

  “I want to go to bed now.”

  Her mother got up to leave. “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”

  “Go away.”

  Nyoko left without another word. After sitting on her bed sobbing for what seemed like hours, Michiko reached into her work drawer and pulled out her red box cutter. Her hand trembled as she clicked the button and pushed the blade forward. She heard it would all be over quick if she cut across the wrists vertically. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her fingers lost all sensation as she tried to gather the courage to go through with it. Her chest felt like an empty hole and her legs turned to putty. He didn’t want the pain anymore. She had to make it go away.

  Before she could end her misery, her television turned itself on, showing nothing but static. She gasped in surprise, then grabbed the remote and turned it off. She focused back on her wrists, but the TV activated again. This time, the static cleared up to show an image of a kneeling man holding the world on his shoulders. A coiled snake lay in the center of the world, ready to strike whatever came close.

  “Good evening, Michiko.”

  She froze and stared wide-eyed at the TV. The unfamiliar voice spoke in a low, creepy tone that scared her even more than the blade in her hands.

  “Do you know who this is?” asked the unknown broadcaster. “It’s the guy who’s going to torture and murder your mother if you don’t drop that box cutter.”

  Michiko could only stare in shock. She looked around the room for anybody else, but saw nothing.

  “See, you’re very important to me... to all my plans... and if you’re not around, well... I’m going to be very angry, and I’ll have to take it out on poor little mommy. Who knows what I’ll do? Maybe I’ll tie her up and hold a blowtorch to her face. Yeah, I’ll just hold it there for a while and listen to her scream before I turn it on. Works every time. Or maybe I’ll do it with a chainsaw... not the little ones for branches... I’m talking the whole tree, here. I don’t know... it has a classic feel to it. Maybe I’ll pour acid on her face... drip by drip by drip... and hit her with a baseball bat… wood, not metal. I can’t think of anything worse than that, but if you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them.”

  The man on the TV chuckled to himself, enjoying the horrible thoughts of what he planned to do to her mother. Michiko dropped the box cutter and trembled in absolute terror.

  “Good girl. I knew you’d come to your senses. Now listen... I need you firm and healthy for what’s about to come, so get a good night’s sleep. Oh, and don’t worry about that little... problem of ours. I’ll take care of it. Good night. Oh, and remember… I’m always watching.”

  The TV turned itself off. Michiko watched the blank screen, waiting for the image to come back. When it didn’t, she fell asleep with the lights on.

  ***

  Kaijin woke from his short coma, his vision cloudy and his ears ringing. His head felt like a semi truck had smashed into it at full speed. He promised to pay Kaminari Chikara a visit later.

  When his senses came back, he realized he was in a hospital and someone had cuffed both hands to the stretcher. He figured a guard or two stood outside his room right now. Fools. Do they really think they can hold me? He ignited his arms and burned them as hot as they could get, melting the cuffs off. He thought about all the revenge he would soon take on his opponents and anybody else who threatened Michiko.

  Just then, the window shattered from the inside outward, letting the cool breeze inside the room. Staring bug-eyed at the unexplained phenomenon, Kaijin felt his body becoming lighter. He looked around and noticed that he floated over the bed. A powerful force then threw him from the stretcher and into the open window. He grabbed hold of the sill and held on as an increasing vacuum pulled him further away from his room. At last, the suction became too strong. Kaijin lost his grip and floated ten stories over the hospital parking lot. He had always been scared of heights, so he panicked and screamed to the empty cars.

  Hearing a faint laugh, he turned his head forward and saw a man in a black coat floating just meters away. The handsome man looked back at him and smiled like a cat playing with a doomed mouse. Kaijin knew he had finally come face to face with John Galt.

  “Sorry about this, Kaijin,” said the stranger, “but I can’t have you harming her.” He reached his fist forward and extended the thumb. “That privilege belongs to me.”

  Kaijin concentrated on the air surrounding his enemy to incinerate him quickly, but his hovering opponent moved faster. He jerked his extended hand into a thumbs-down and let Kaijin plummet to the ground. As he fell, Kaijin looked once more at the floating man and realized that all was lost. He smashed into a parked car and released a final explosion with his dying breath, creating a fireball so destructive it set off the nearby car alarms.

  The floating man flew away with a sinister grin on his lips. “This god… this one word:”

  “I.”

  CHAPTER 11

  CALM BEFORE THE STORM

  Renka woke up expecting to see Gen’s handsome face next to her, but saw his bandaged body cast instead. When she stretched herself out of her waking dream, she remembered that Gen had been sent to the emergency room and treated for his injuries. She and Chikara had spent the night looking after him so his family wouldn’t have to miss their jobs.

  Chikara still slept in the other hospital bed. Creeping carefully so as not to wake her, Renka leaned over Gen’s bed and snuck a look at him. The second-degree burns would take two to three weeks to heal, meaning he would have to skip school and the prom. Renka groaned when she heard. She wouldn’t have minded wheeling him to the prom on his gurney.

  Chikara flopped over and opened her eyes. “Renka? What time is it?”

  She looked at her cell phone. “It’s 9:30.”

  Chikara rolled off the bed and started her push-ups. “I really need a shower.”

  “I think we all do.” Renka peeked through the shutters, not wanting to wake Gen from his much-needed rest. “Chi... take a look at this.”

  Chikara looked through the blinds and saw the huge crowd that had gathered in the hospital lot. News vans covered the streets, and reporters from the major networks talked in front of cameras. The civilians watched the grisly scene and hoped for something phenomenal to happen. “Why are they here?” asked Renka.

  “All those people at the club saw Kaijin burning the place, so the media is here to report it. This is the absolute last thing we need.”

  “Do you think they know about us?”

  “They better not. We were so careful.”

  Renka noticed her best friend’s hand. “Chi, you’re wearing the ring.”

  Chikara looked at her hand with a sigh. “Yeah... I guess I can’t resist Mom’s plan any longer.”

  “How do you feel? Any changes?”

  “No. I don’t feel any different.”

  “About time.” Gen groaned through the irritation that stung his whole body.

  “Gen-kun! You’re awake!” Overwhelmed with happ
iness, Renka hugged him as tightly as she could. Gen shouted, “OWWWWWWW!”

  “Oh, geez, I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s fine. At least the nerves are still intact.” He wanted painkillers.

  Just then, a female nurse entered the room, leaving two cops in the hallway. “Good morning, girls. The police are here to question Mr. Kagekuro, so you need to exit the room.”

  “But Gen-kun needs to sleep so he can heal,” said Renka.

  “I’m sorry, but this is important,” said one of the intruding officers. “There’s been arson and murders all over town and now the suspect is dead. This boy has some questions to answer.”

  “Wait, what do you mean the suspect is dead?” asked Chikara.

  The other cop said, “Nokoribi Kaijin jumped out of his window last night and hit a car. You didn’t hear the explosion?”

  “He jumped and exploded on a car?”

  “Yes. You can wait in the lobby while we talk to your friend here.”

  Chikara had to be sneaky. “Gen, these fine police officers want to ask you about the fire at the club last night... where you bravely talked to the killer while everybody fled and helped take him into custody.”

  “Oh yeah, sure. I’ll tell you all about it. Can I have some painkillers first?”

  Confident that he would keep the intimate details secret, Chikara and Renka left. Renka beamed her feelings of admiration into him just before she walked out, and Gen replied with a wink.

  The girls headed to the parking lot on the opposite side of the hospital to investigate Kaijin’s demise. A crowd had gathered around the destroyed car, and the reporters stood as close as they could without showing too much of the gruesome scene. Renka held her mouth and looked away, but Chikara studied the charred body that could still be seen through the wreckage. This proved that his fireproof skin had returned to normal after death, so at least the coroner wouldn’t be making any unwanted inquiries.

  “This is horrible. Can we go?” Renka looked ready to vomit.

  “It’s too far away. He wouldn’t have fallen this far from ten stories up.” Chikara looked up to the shattered window. “We have to look in that room.”

  “But the police will be all over it.”

  “Not with you around.”

  After an elevator ride to the tenth floor, the duo made their way to the crime scene. Cops surrounded the floor and questioned the nurses and patients. Renka did as instructed and filled the police with a nauseating feeling of emptiness. One by one, the officers left the room and headed to the bathrooms, leaving the girls free to inspect the premises. Chikara closely observed the room, especially the window. “The gurney has scorch marks, but the window doesn’t look burned at all. It looks pushed outward.”

  “Yeah, because he jumped out of it, right?”

  “But why crash through when he could just incinerate the glass? He had no problem torching everything else in his way.” She looked out the broken window at the scene below. The car where he landed must have been ten meters away from the building. “Yes, the car is too far away. There’s no way he climbed out and dropped.”

  “Do you mean somebody pushed him?”

  “I don’t know what to think.”

  Just then, a cop returned from the bathroom feeling much better. “Hey, what are you doing there? This is a crime scene.”

  Renka filled his mind with pity so that he would understand Chikara’s excuse. “We’re sorry, sir, but Kaijin-kun was our friend and we wanted to see it. We’ll leave now.”

  “Alright, but stay out of trouble.” The two teens then left, both more confused than before. They headed back to Gen’s room to share their findings.

  ***

  Things returned to normal over the weekend. Though the media dedicated a huge chunk of their coverage to the strange events in the area, it wasn’t long before bigger, more reportable stories popped up in other cities. Chikara wasn’t focused on the news. She was more interested in what the ring would do to her. All day Saturday, she still felt the same. She woke up Sunday perfectly normal as well. She considered wearing both of the rings at once, but the grisly thought of her mother’s cancer-ridden body put an end to that thought.

  That Monday, Chikara and Renka returned to school expecting everyone to ask about the incident. As they approached the bushes outlining the walkway, five familiar young swordsmen leapt out from behind them, posing in their usual battle stance.

  Chikara groaned and routinely pulled her bokken. “Come on, guys, I’m really not in the mood today.”

  Kidou Hiroshi, the irritating captain of the Male Kendo Club, approached her. “Kaminari Chikara... I have decided to run for Prom King.”

  “Yeah, I heard.”

  “Every king needs his queen, so I propose a challenge. If I defeat you, you will be my date. If you win, I won’t bother you again.”

  Chikara lowered her weapon. “A battle... for prom?” She giggled, and then burst out laughing. “Why don’t you just ask me?”

  “Ask you?”

  “Yes, ask me to the prom like a gentleman. It will impress me a lot more than your mediocre fighting skills.”

  Hiroshi lowered his weapon and cleared his throat. His underlings in the Male Kendo Club did the same. Renka scanned Hiroshi’s thoughts and felt both the fear of rejection and the building courage to overcome it. The boy approached Chikara, kneeled on one knee and asked, “Kaminari Chikara... will you go to prom with me?”

  She laughed at his incompetence, finding it cute rather than annoying for the first time. “Yes, Kidou-kun, I will.”

  Renka felt Hiroshi’s explosion of excitement, but saw him keep a straight face. “Thank you. I’m sure we’ll have fun.”

  After they exchanged numbers, the surprised Renka asked, “Chi, why did you say yes? I thought you didn’t like him.”

  “He’s the first one with the balls to ask me. He may fall short of worthiness, but he’s closer to it than any other boy in this school.”

  “Ha! You’ll never find a man.”

  “Plus, his club has additional uses... more votes for you, and tickets for our club to the prom.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You have to be a senior or the date of a senior to go to the prom, right? The Male Kendo Club has just enough seniors so when paired with the Female Kendo Club...”

  “Then everyone can go. Chi, you’re a genius.”

  “What about you? With Gen in the hospital, are you taking something else?”

  “Don’t worry... I have a plan.”

  ***

  An aura of curiosity blanketed the school. Everybody talked about what had happened at the nightclub, or rather what they heard had happened. Some said that Kaijin attacked the place with a flamethrower, while others argued that he had lit himself aflame in a fit of insanity and ran into the club in a panic. Some claimed that Kagekuro Gen had heroically battled the pyromaniac, but received terrible burns in the process. Others brought up Chikara’s intervention, especially the Female Kendo Club, who congratulated their leader on her successful victory. Many more said that Michiko had driven Kaijin crazy. The students had many questions for those involved, but none of them wanted to discuss it.

  In their shared classroom, Chikara and Renka didn’t even look at Michiko and Chisato. Their combined sorrow depressed Renka so badly, she forced her empathy off and had to concentrate throughout the day to keep it that way. The two candidates didn’t even talk about the prom, much less bother to campaign, even with the election in two days.

  During the break, the girls met as usual on the roof. Having heard the stories of how she dragged the unconscious killer out of the nightclub, everybody looked at Chikara like a god. Yui asked, “Did you really defeat him, Chikara-sama?”

  “I heard you carried him over your back out of the burning building, and it looked like a movie,” said Hirono.

  Chikara wasn’t prepared for this boost in celebrity. “Guys, it was nothing. I ran in, hit him with my bokken and ran
out. Gen did most of the work.”

  Kayoko asked, “Can anybody defeat you, Chikara? It’s like you’re invincible.”

  Chikara remembered how Kaijin’s flames didn’t hurt her. “I guess I’m just tougher than average.”

  Takako asked, “But what about Nokoribi-san? Why did he kill himself afterwards? Was it because of Nagasado?”

  Renka felt Tomo’s growing sadness. She had a thing for Kaijin before this whole mess, and now she felt terrible about his mass murder and sudden demise. “Don’t worry, Tomo-chan. I’ve seen a lot of guys giving you the eye.”

  Tomo’s mood lightened. “Really?”

  Chikara didn’t like where this conversation headed. “Look, I know you guys are excited about this whole thing, but maybe you should be less curious. Right, Renka?” Renka understood the coded message and ended their curiosity.

  After turning their interest into apathy, Renka changed the subject. “So, are you guys ready to campaign for me tomorrow?”

  “We sure are,” said the confident Mayumi. “I’m gonna pass your picture around my entire class.

  Hirono sighed at the freshman’s plan. “Mayumi-chan, only the seniors can vote.”

  “Really? Awwwww.”

  Renka laughed. “Tell them anyway. Maybe they can influence some seniors.”

  “Will do.”

  “Why tomorrow?” asked Kayoko. “We still have half of today.”

  “They’re honoring the victims today. It wouldn’t be right.”

  That afternoon, the school held a memorial ceremony in the gymnasium. The entire student body gathered in the gym to honor and grieve for Takabe Ryouta, Sasaki Yukiko and Nokoribi Kaijin. The students walked past the collage of pictures donated by the families. The photographs of Yukiko usually showed her having fun with her friends and posing as a model, her desired career. Renka and Chikara remembered what she looked like after her burns, a horrible comparison to her seductive photo shoots.

  Ryouta pretended to ride motorcycles in his pictures. He drove through a forest’s dirt road on a four-wheeler, giving a thumbs-up when he finished. Kaijin’s only photo was from the year book. He looked sad and lonely, a bleak yet accurate portrayal of his life.