I Am Become Death

by Rocco Ryg

  The students sat on the bleachers and listened as the principal, teachers and grief councilors spoke at the podium. Ryouta’s brother Junichiro gave an emotional speech about his younger brother’s love for life and bright future, but he broke down and cried before he could describe all they used to do as kids. In front of everyone, he kneeled before his brother’s small memorial and said a prayer.

  As Yukiko’s parents took the stage and tried to keep from sobbing, Renka whispered to Chikara, “I don’t feel much sadness in this crowd. Some of the girls are kind of glum, but I mostly feel boredom.”

  “I’m not surprised. One was a preppy girl, one was a murderer and the other was a jerk.”

  “You’re sad, but not too much.”

  “I’m sad because I know what really happened and I saw Yukiko die. I didn’t like her, but she didn’t deserve that. Everyone else... they only care about their own lives. They’ll sympathize, but just continue as normal tomorrow.”

  The two became silent as Yukiko’s mother finally broke down and collapsed. The terrible grief became too much for Renka, so he turned off her empathy.

  Michiko and Chisato watched from the front row and started to sob as well. Chisato still couldn’t believe her best friend was gone, and at the fiery hands of another friend. Michiko felt a worse emotion. Her guilt over what she had made Kaijin do made her feel heavy and empty, like she had been tied to a boulder and sinking into the ocean. Fear accompanied the grief. Whoever called her and threatened her mother could have been watching at that very moment.

  When the ceremony ended, the administrators sent the students home early to reflect. After disregarding the sad event, they planned on finishing their homework, hanging with friends or preparing their attire for the upcoming prom.

  ***

  On Tuesday, Renka and Michiko continued their campaigns for Prom Queen. With the election the next day, time was running short.

  During their break, Michiko and Chisato sat at their table in the hall wishing Yukiko could be there with them. Chisato passed the students fruit punch while Michiko told them, “Vote for me. Vote for me. Vote for me.”

  Chisato could see the sadness in her face. “Do you still want to do this?”

  She said without looking, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “Are you going to the funeral?”

  She paused before answering, “Yeah.”

  “Michiko... I have something to admit. I’ve been keeping it secret because I’m scared but... I can’t hold it in anymore.”

  “What?”

  “The night of the fire... Yukiko told me that somebody paid her to make you get a passport and become the Prom Queen.”

  “Paid her? Who?”

  “She said it was a white girl with red hair. Then, Kaijin-kun appeared and accused her of working for... John Galt. Yeah, that was the name he used. John Galt.”

  “John Galt?” That must have been the man who spoke to her that night. “What does he want with me?”

  “What, you believe him? He was crazy. And fire burst out of his hands! I saw it!”

  “I know, Chisato. I’ll be back.” Michiko headed to the computer lab and researched John Galt. She could only find material related to Atlas Shrugged. The various covers of the book displayed the same picture of a man holding the world that her television showed her, only without the snake in the middle. She dropped her head onto the keyboard in despair. Another stalker. Who are you?

  ***

  After they matched the dates of the two kendo clubs, Chikara and Renka visited Gen in his hospital room. Renka brought flowers, but the nurses wouldn’t allow them inside due to the risk of germs. Gen’s body had been covered with fresh bandages and didn’t need a face cover anymore, a sure sign of improvement. “I missed you,” he said.

  “Gen-kun, I was here yesterday,” said Renka with a smile.

  “Still too long.”

  Chikara asked, “So how is the treatment going?”

  “I had my first skin grafts today. It hurt like hell. The doctors say my chest is permanently scarred and I probably shouldn’t take my shirt off at the beach anymore. I pee in a bedpan, the reporters didn’t leave me alone all weekend, and I’ll probably have to repeat this semester to graduate... but other than that, I’m doing great.”

  “You had skin grafts? Oh, I’m so sorry.” Renka rubbed his bandages, hoping her care would ease his pain.

  “Thank you. So, did you campaign today?”

  “Yes, our friends put up all these posters and we appealed to the cliques. I think we have a shot.”

  Gen could tell that she was very excited. “You’ll definitely win. I just wish I could be your king.”

  “You’ll always be my king.” Renka bent over and kissed his forehead.

  ***

  That night, Michiko did her homework in front of her blank television. Chisato’s revelation of her new stalker’s name made her fear him all over again. Even after she finished her studies, she watched the idle screen, hoping his deep, haunting voice would come back and explain what he wanted from her.

  After an hour of staring, she finally worked up the courage to speak. “Your name is John Galt, right?” No answer. “I know you can hear me. I want to know who you are and why you’re stalking me.” Again, the TV did not respond. She started to think she had gone crazy and imagined everything.

  Michiko opened her drawer and pulled out the box cutter again. She clicked out the blade and held it to her wrist. “I’ll do it this time, you bastard. I don’t care what you do to Mom. Now show yourself!”

  Her cell phone rang, startling her so badly she almost slipped and nipped her wrist. The screen displayed “UNKNOWN”, proving that her unseen opponent was smart enough to disguise the number. She answered the phone, put it to her ear and heard, “Silly girl. The TV can’t talk back.”

  The caller’s condescension made her skin crawl. “Are you John Galt?”

  “No, this is not John Galt speaking. I’m just an admirer of his. His message of liberty, individuality and self fulfillment changed my life for the better.”

  She noticed his unusual speaking pattern. He seemed to add too much stress to his syllables. “Why do you want me to be Prom Queen?”

  “Now where did you get that idea?”

  “You made my friend convince me to run for Prom Queen and get a passport. Why?”

  The enigmatic voice laughed. “You’re more resourceful than I gave you credit for. Your dearly departed friend chose to work for me of her own free will, and I did this because I knew you wanted it. That’s the kind of female you are... you need everyone to love and appreciate you because you don’t love yourself. How sad… the self is the only thing one should love. But I can give you what you want. Forget the school... imagine the whole country... or all of Asia... or the entire world loving you.”

  “What... what do you mean?”

  “I’m saying that if you join me, I’ll give you everything your heart desires. If you oppose me, I’ll destroy everything you love until you change your mind. Your mommy, your grandparents, your aunt Machi, Chisato... I’ll do to them what I did to your worthless boyfriend. It’s that simple. All you have to do is win the contest, and I’ll tell you everything.”

  “Please... what do you want from me?”

  “I just want to be free. Free from the arrogant fools who tell me how to live. Free of the unclean hands that take my property. Free of the botched and impotent creatures who think they should be my masters. The lazy, insignificant looters and moochers… parasites who feed off the talent of others and return nothing! I want to bring freedom... real freedom... to this world, and you are the key. Sweet dreams, Michiko.”

  Michiko heard John Galt hang up. She sat on her bed in disbelief before she grabbed her pillow and walked downstairs to sleep on the massage table. The threatening voice still haunted her. Every slight noise made her jump and look for what tried to get her.

  ***

  The next day, the seniors of Eisai Hig
h prepared to vote. Right after Ms. Minsei’s class, Michiko and Renka dashed to their booths for one last push on the electorate. Michiko, fearing John Galt’s punishment for her failure, hypnotized as many students as she could. Renka spread an aura of likeability over everyone around her, making them admire her to an almost unhealthy level.

  The voters who heard both messages struggled to make a decision. They felt like voting for Renka, but a strange urge told them to vote for Michiko. As Renka smiled and greeted all of her potential supporters, she remembered how Gen told her that she controlled the right lobe of the brain while Michiko controlled the left. She wondered which side would ultimately win.

  In the final class hour, the teachers handed out ballots to every senior and instructed them to fill in the ovals next to their names with pens. They were also told not to speak while voting, as not to influence anybody else’s decision. The two contests for Prom King and Prom Queen had two names each. Chikara studied her ballot and filled in the oval next to Kusaka Renka.

  The race for Prom King came down to Kidou Hiroshi, Chikara’s future date to the event, and someone she had never heard of. She figured he must have been some kind of protest candidate. Realizing that Hiroshi would probably win on name recognition alone, she planned to vote for the other guy, but her date’s promise to vote for Renka made her change her mind. She looked at Renka, who crossed her fingers with anticipation and wished she could fully read their minds to find out who would be wearing the crown.

  The students turned in their ballots and studied until school ended. The teachers then delivered the boxes to the principal’s office. The principal stacked the boxes in his room and locked up. His secretary asked, “Sir, aren’t we going to count the ballots?”

  The principal replied, “They told me to count the ballots on Friday.”

  “Who?”

  “The guys who gave us the donation. It was one of their rules.”

  “Who are these people again?”

  “I don’t know. They did everything over the phone. Look, we needed the money, and I’m not going to complain about some secrecy. See you tomorrow.” He left the building while he admitted to himself that he really did want to know who was financing this prom.

  ***

  That night, a perfect circle etched around the doorknob to the administrative office. The knob fell out of the door, allowing two figures to enter the room. After doing to same to the door leading to the principal’s office, they turned on the light and opened the ballot boxes.

  “Explain to me again why we’re doing this.”

  “Come on, man, we’ve been over this.”

  “No, really. You can fly in and take her whenever you choose. Why go through all this unnecessary trouble? A prom, rigging the votes, this whole show you’re planning… you’re introducing a lot of variables into a simple plan.”

  “It’s all theatrics, my friend. Just taking her would be no fun. I want to introduce myself to her in the loudest, most surprising way possible. I want to see the look on her face when she finally knows the full extent of my power.”

  “Murphy’s law. Anything that can go wrong, will.”

  “And if it does, you can brag all you want. Now, let’s get to work on these votes. Democracy… what a crock, huh?”

  The two intruders carefully separated the ballots into two stacks. The skeptical one then took a ballot from one stack and placed his finger on the marked ovals next to Kusaka Renka. He slid his finger down the thick paper, moving the ink from the circle into the oval for Nagasado Michiko. After changing a sufficient number of votes, the two put the ballots back in the boxes and turned off the lights. They replaced the doorknobs and reintegrated them back into the doors as if they had never been separated.

  CHAPTER 12

  PROM NIGHT

  On Thursday, the students awaited the end of the school year. Just a few hours more, and they would be mostly free for another month, except for the extra prep classes their parents would make them attend.

  Most teachers graded final papers and gave their usual lectures, but Ms. Minsei decided to change things for her last seminar. “Class, we’ve survived the year, and I’m glad to see you all off to your futures. For our last class, I’d like to discuss not Japan’s history, but its future. Where do you think our country is headed? Anyone?”

  Taichi raised his hand and answered, “We’ll all be cyborgs.”

  “Cyborgs?” asked the smiling teacher.

  “Yeah, like Ghost in the Shell.” The class erupted in laughter and groans.

  “Oh, Hibana-san, I’ll definitely miss you. Anybody else?”

  Renka raised her hand. “Didn’t China just surpass us as the second-best economy?”

  “Sadly, yes. You can thank America for shipping all of their manufacturing jobs there. How will this affect our economy?”

  Taichi offered his view. “My dad says rising unemployment, the national debt and the lack of a population increase will lead to a new depression. We’ll end up like Greece.”

  “A scary prediction, Hibana-san, but how can we turn our country around?”

  “Like I said... cyborgs.”

  After the class laughed, Minsei said, “Hibana is amusing, but he raises a good point. Technology has become our greatest resource. Without the technical ingenuity of the Japanese people, where would we be? Still, when does technological advance go too far? When do the Japanese and their machines become so intertwined, we mix together like in Ghost in the Shell?”

  “They’re already building robot women,” said Chikara with a scowl. “I guess the real women weren’t womanly enough for the otaku scientists, so they had to make androids.”

  The discussion continued for the rest of the hour. Minsei and her students brought up the economy, politics, cinema, anime, foreign relations and other cultural topics. Although a few students predicted a gloomy future for Japan, most remained optimistic that their country would always have their back. This was probably wishful thinking for the purpose of self-interest, they had to admit, but they held onto the hope that the job market would still want them when college had ended.

  Throughout the seminar, Renka felt the mood of the class passing through her mind. They switched from the joy of high school being over to the fear of their adult lives beginning at last. She shared their conflicting feelings of excitement and dread. One mind, however, projected only fear. Renka couldn’t understand what Michiko feared so much. She expected to feel more grief and sadness, but the girl mostly displayed a morbid sense of unknowing that left Renka deeply curious.

  Before the bell rung, Minsei said her final farewell. “This class is over. It has been an honor teaching you, and I thank you for being one of the best classes I’ve ever known.” Renka felt the teacher conceal her sadness for losing the class, as well as her pride for their transitions into adulthood. Minsei bowed and ended with, “Sayonara.” The class bowed and did the same.

  Once the after-school clubs ended, the underclass student body left the school and prepared to enjoy another summer. The seniors and their dates, however, couldn’t stop thinking about the next day. When they got home, they called their partners and made the arrangements. They just knew the prom would be the most fun they had ever experienced.

  ***

  After the short graduation ceremony the next day, Chikara drove her new car to the cemetery. She hadn’t been there since her mother’s funeral and never wanted to go back, but the need to revisit the painful site ate at her conscience until she couldn’t take anymore. She brought Renka along, even though the empath would be feeling her sadness throughout the entire visit. She didn’t want anybody else to see her in this moment of weakness.

  She stopped by the large, well-maintained gravestone and laid a bundle of lilies at its foot. Her mother always liked lilies. Renka stood far away from her, allowing Chikara to talk to Mrs. Kaminari in private. Instead, she watched a funeral taking place in another section of the cemetery.

  “Hi, Mom. It’s
me. I know you like lilies, so I got you some.” A sudden breeze blew through the cemetery, prompting Chikara to smile.

  “School’s over. Hard to believe it went by so fast. Kayoko won the election to be next year’s captain. She’ll do a good job. I’m really going to miss them.” Chikara imagined her mother watching this conversation however many years ago during one of her meditations. She wondered if her choice of words would change the past and thus the present.

  “It’s been a rough three weeks. I’ve been wearing the ring, but nothing’s happening. Why isn’t it working? All these powers and death... It’s been pretty quiet ever since Kaijin died, but... I feel a strange dread for the future, like this is the calm before the storm. I guess I got that from you, huh?”

  Renka swore she recognized some people at the funeral. She moved closer to get a better look.

  “Why didn’t you warn me about Kaijin? I could have taken that ring before he killed all those people. I could have saved Takabe, the firefighters... and poor Yukiko. I didn’t like her, but she didn’t deserve that. It was a test, wasn’t it? A preview of the rest of my life? You let them die so I could learn to fight your ‘supervillains’, didn’t you? I thought I knew you.”

  Renka got close enough to see the grieving family members. She finally understood when she saw the large printed pictures of the deceased. She walked back to Chikara and said, “They’re burying Yukiko.”

  Chikara looked over at the funeral and saw the grieving relatives. They wore black suits and dresses, and some wore Buddhist prayer beads. She saw Mrs. Sasaki holding a shiny green urn decorated with porcelain leaves and knew that it held Yukiko’s ashes. Usually, the urn was buried in the family crypt on a later date, but it seemed the Sasaki family buried their dead earlier.

  Chikara and Renka watched as the family lowered the urn into the hole. The mother never stopped crying and clutching her husband, who broke down and sobbed with her. The pure misery overwhelmed Renka. She turned her power off and tried to think of happier times. With all the strange events Maxwell Chillingworth’s rings had brought into their lives, the girls had forgotten about the true victims. The family had suffered a loss that would torment them for the rest of their lives.