by Isamu Fukui
“Ready for your turn, darkie?” Edward called, turning to face Gabriel, who was getting up with blood dripping down his face.
“What did you just say?” Gabriel demanded.
“Are you ready for your turn, darkie?” Edward repeated loudly.
Gabriel let out a snarl of rage and lunged forward, swinging a punch at Edward’s head. Edward ducked, but even as he did, Gabriel executed a forceful kick to his stomach that caused Edward’s green eyes to widen in surprise. Gabriel followed up with another punch, but Edward dodged to one side, seized Gabriel’s arm, and then hurled him over his head so that he went flying into the snack stand. Something crunched beneath him, and Gabriel tried to assure himself that it was only corn chips and not bone. Meanwhile, Edward dusted his hands off and walked forward.
“I got overconfident,” Edward said. “But that was still impressive; I didn’t expect you to manage to land a hit.”
“I’ll manage a lot more than that, you bastard,” Gabriel hissed, rising to his feet and wiping blood from his eyes.
“Oh, I doubt it.” Edward crouched down to pick up Alex’s gun from amidst the soda bottles. “You were lucky that you managed to do anything at all. It was fun though, while it lasted.”
“Cheating son of a—,” Gabriel roared as Edward raised the gun.
A single shot rang out through the pharmacy, and Gabriel dropped to the floor with a neat hole in the center of his forehead. Edward nodded in satisfaction, then tossed the gun aside. Strolling casually over toppled shelves towards the exit, Edward turned his head to admire the scene of total carnage. He let out a cold chuckle and then shouted out, addressing no one in particular:
“Cleanup in all aisles, please!”
* * *
“So, what brings you here today, Tack?” Umasi asked, sliding a cup of lemonade across the table. “Aside from your thirst, of course.”
“Nothing in particular,” Tack murmured. “Zyid was just giving me a lecture about school.”
“Ah yes, he does go on like that sometimes.” Umasi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Did what he said bother you?”
“I guess.” Tack shrugged. “Some of it’s true though.”
“Well, you certainly look like something’s on your mind, and I don’t think it’s Zyid’s speech,” Umasi said omnisciently, pouring himself a cup of lemonade.
Tack hesitated. He did actually feel like talking about it, and if there was anyone he could talk to, it was Umasi. After all, who else knew him better than he did himself?
“There’s this girl,” Tack said tentatively.
“Oh.” Umasi raised his eyebrows. “Attractive?”
“Yeah, very.” Tack nodded. “She’s … well, it’s Noni.”
Umasi seemed momentarily speechless, something that Tack had never witnessed before.
“Well, now that’s interesting,” Umasi murmured at last. “The two of you get along?”
“Yeah, we do,” Tack replied firmly.
“Do you love her?” Umasi asked, setting his cup down on the table.
The question broadsided Tack, who almost jumped out of his seat in surprise. After the initial shock wore off, Tack dropped his gaze, uncomfortable with the subject.
“I don’t know,” Tack said honestly.
“You loved your sister, isn’t that right?” Umasi asked.
Tack looked up sharply. Then he slouched in his seat, nodding.
Umasi stroked his chin. “Perhaps you are uncertain because you do not know what love means.”
“Yeah,” Tack murmured.
“Would you like my thoughts on the subject?” Umasi asked.
Tack was taken aback. Umasi never asked his permission to talk about anything, no matter what it was. Tack frowned, deciding that he had probably become too used to Umasi telling him anything he wanted. The topic didn’t seem as important as others they’d discussed, so Tack couldn’t imagine why Umasi had extended him the unusual courtesy.
“All right, why not?” Tack offered, glad the subject had shifted away from Noni, specifically.
“I believe that love is when you are willing to value someone’s or something’s existence above your own,” Umasi said simply. “Take Zyid for example. Zyid loves the Truancy very much.”
Tack frowned. It was difficult for him to imagine Zyid loving anything, and he could tell that it showed on his face. But Umasi, as always, ignored his expression.
“While Zyid is readily willing to kill for his cause, and for the Truancy, he is also willing to die for it. I think, in fact, he hopes that he will,” Umasi mused.
Tack had nothing to say to that. It was probably true, after all, though ever since he’d visited Suzie’s grave, Tack expected that Zyid wouldn’t die quite in the manner Umasi described.
“Back on topic, Tack,” Umasi said with a grin. “Do you love her?”
Tack shook his head helplessly. “Let me get back to you on that.”
“Oh, I don’t expect that you’ll figure it out all at once. It’s probably something you’ll discover gradually.”
“Thanks,” Tack said, not entirely sure what he was thankful for.
“Anytime.” Umasi picked up his book from its resting place on the sidewalk and began to read as Tack pushed his seat in and walked away down the empty street.
22
A STUDENT MILITIA
“Is there something wrong?” Tack asked tentatively.
Tack’s words shattered the fragile silence, and Zyid looked up at him sharply. The Truant leader had been poring over a map of the City while Tack stood motionless in a dim corner of the flower shop, which had become his routine these days. With little else to do, Tack had noticed that Zyid looked uncharacteristically troubled as he traced invisible routes on the map with his finger. Seemingly displeased at being disturbed, Zyid glared reproachfully at Tack. The anger passed almost instantly, however, and Zyid straightened up, looking and sounding impassive.
“Party One is long overdue,” Zyid explained. “Yesterday they were sent on a routine scouting mission in the living City, and were supposed to return by nightfall. As you may have noticed—” Zyid gestured towards the show window of the flower shop, through which brilliantly pale sunlight poured in—“it is now morning.”
Tack frowned. Party One was co-captained by Alex and Gabriel, both skilled, experienced, high-ranking Truancy lieutenants. Tack hadn’t known Alex very well personally, but Gabriel had been there ever since Tack joined the Truancy. Gabriel had struck Tack as the strong, unyielding type, though extremely fierce and dangerous when angered. He was the type to fight to the death.
To the death.
Tack’s frown deepened.
“Do you think they were killed?” Tack asked Zyid, who had resumed inspecting the map of the City.
“Yes, Takan,” Zyid said candidly. “That is my belief. I hope, however, to be proven wrong—it wouldn’t be the first time.”
Tack was surprised to find that news of Gabriel’s presumed death didn’t seem to bother him very much, especially since he’d counted Gabriel as one of his friends. Sure, Tack was disturbed that such an able Truant had been killed, but on a personal level he felt almost nothing. Perhaps he’d cried every last tear he had over Suzie’s grave—maybe those emotional scars ran so deep that he couldn’t feel for others anymore. It was a vaguely frightening thought, and one that Tack decided not to dwell on.
“How do you think it happened?” Tack asked, sure that Zyid must’ve come up with some sort of theory after all the time he’d spent thinking.
“It is possible that they were spotted, tailed, ambushed, and slaughtered,” Zyid said dispassionately. “If the Educators have picked up on the fact that parties consist of five Truants, and I now suspect that they have, then they’d have been on the lookout for Gabriel and Alex’s team. I shall have to vary the number of Truants per party from now on.”
“How could the Educators have known about the parties in the first place?” Tack asked blankly.
&
nbsp; “Perhaps through observation,” Zyid mused. “If one is methodical enough, he can discover much that is hidden about his opponent.”
Tack looked at Zyid curiously. The Truant leader was speaking as if discussing a formidable and respected adversary, something that Tack had never heard before. Suddenly, he remembered a rumor that he’d heard several days ago while eating a soggy tuna salad sandwich two doors down in the abandoned burger shop.
“They say that the Enforcers have a new Chief,” Tack said carefully.
“They do.” Zyid nodded. “And I suspect that I know who he is, or at least what his background is. Though, as before, I hope to be proven wrong.”
Remembering the sunglasses he’d found the night The Bar was destroyed, Tack recalled his own suspicions. So far he’d seen nothing conclusive that could confirm his fears about one of Umasi’s other disciples now working against the Truancy, but he had to admit that the war that had at first seemed to be going so well for the Truancy had recently and inexplicably turned against them.
The door to the flower shop swung open, and Zyid and Tack turned their heads around to see Noni standing in the doorway, her slim body casting a disproportionately huge shadow against the morning brightness. Tack could feel his heart start to beat faster, and consciously willed himself to remain impassive as Noni glanced at him before turning towards Zyid.
“There is something you should see, sir,” Noni said respectfully.
“Oh?” Zyid straightened up. “And what’s that?”
“The Mayor is holding a press conference in a few minutes,” Noni said. “The news said … it said it’s about a criminal organization threatening the City.”
Zyid stiffened, and Tack saw his dark eyes narrow very slightly. When Zyid spoke, his voice was carefully controlled, though Tack could sense his apprehension; Tack himself didn’t like the sound of what Noni had described.
“Well then, we’d better have a look,” Zyid said, striding towards the door immediately. “Come, Takan.”
Tack followed acquiescently, and as he reached the door, he turned for a second to see Noni staring at him. They locked gazes for a moment, and Tack could see fear flickering in her infinitely blue eyes.
And that, more than anything, scared him.
* * *
The room was utterly dark, save for the light that crept in from the slit under the door. They were in Zyid’s office, the one he kept his private television in. To Tack’s annoyance, Zyid had dismissed Noni and sent her off to squat before one of the public televisions. She’d taken the order stoically, though Tack knew that she’d be irked at sharing a television with the dozens, maybe hundreds of Truants that would be crowded around the other television sets, each of them just as eager for the news as Tack was.
Zyid strode over to the television. A moment later, something clicked and the television sprang to life, illuminating the room with its faint glow. After a second of fuzziness, the Mayor’s familiar face swam into focus, instantly capturing Tack’s attention like no teacher ever could.
“Dear citizens,” the Mayor was saying gravely as he stood at a podium on the steps of City Hall, “I come before you today to address a real and growing threat to our City. But before I do, I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the incident that occurred downtown yesterday and left nine dead.”
Tack felt Zyid stir next to him, and knew that they were thinking the same thing; Gabriel and Alex’s party had taken four Enforcers down with them. Tack was about to speak when Zyid held up a hand for silence as the Mayor continued his speech.
“I will be succinct; the deaths were the result of the actions of a youth-oriented criminal organization that calls itself the Truancy,” the Mayor declared. “It is our belief that the Truancy has been acting among us for quite some time, and is now preparing to initiate an all-out war against this City. Indeed, for the first time, circumstances allow me to reveal that many fatal incidents in the past that appeared to be accidents were actually cleverly disguised, cold-blooded murders and sabotages performed by the Truancy. A full list of these horrible crimes will soon be made available to the public.”
It was Tack’s turn to be disturbed. The Mayor seemed to describe both Suzie’s death and what Tack had been doing for the Truancy with brutal accuracy, though admittedly none of it had exactly been cleverly disguised. Tack had no time to feel guilty or vengeful, however, as the television was still blaring.
“The Truancy seems mostly to be comprised of expelled and rejected students that turned to crime after failing to live honest lives,” the Mayor continued. “I ask the City to remain vigilant and strong in the face of these despicable criminals. There may well be tough times ahead, as this Truancy has recruited enough misguided members to pose a very real threat to the entire City. And now, here to address that fact is a very courageous young man that we should all applaud for his initiative and loyalty.”
The Mayor stepped down from the podium, and Tack’s heart skipped a beat as a blond-haired boy with acid green eyes came into view. As the boy turned to look into the camera, Tack heard a sudden intake of breath next to him, and he suddenly knew that he was looking into the eyes of their mysterious adversary.
“My name is Edward,” the blond boy said. “I was once a student, just like many of you out there are. I once sat next to my classmates as a normal child. I was content to stay idly among them … until I heard of the Truancy.” Edward’s voice now turned harsh, and his emerald eyes flashed theatrically.
Tack knew it was acting, but it was good acting.
“When I heard of the horrors that this Truancy has been perpetrating against our City, I was so outraged that I knew that I had to do something. And so I decided to quit school.” Edward paused, allowing his words to sink in. “I decided to quit school,” Edward repeated, “and do everything I could to oppose these Truancy thugs. Soon afterwards, I approached the Mayor with an idea of mine.”
Edward grinned, and Tack felt the familiar sensation of dread fill his stomach.
“I proposed the creation of a Student Militia,” Edward said dramatically. “I believe that we, as the children of this City, have every bit as much right and obligation to defend it as any adult does! Why should we have to stand by and watch while brutes commit murder in the streets?” Edward’s voice was now raised, growing more excited with every syllable. “My fellow students, the Truancy threatens the entire City! Not just the adults, but us as well! If our lives are endangered, why shouldn’t we be allowed to fight back? And we can fight!”
Tack gritted his teeth, his fears confirmed. It didn’t make any sense that Edward could’ve heard about the Truancy before the press conference, unless he was working with the Educators all along.
“Fortunately,” Edward now continued, “the Mayor is a great and understanding leader. He greeted my proposal with enthusiasm, and has even agreed to make it an official program. What’s more, he has promised that every individual brave enough to enlist with the Student Militia will be granted instant graduation upon the defeat of the Truancy.” Tack could see something triumphant and malicious flickering in Edward’s venomous eyes.
“That’s right,” Edward said. “Instant graduation. Join us, and if we as students stand united with the Educators, together we can destroy this mutual threat.”
Zyid’s silhouette moved, and a moment later there was another click as the television died, and the room was plunged again into darkness. In the resulting silence, Tack realized that he was gaping in horror at what he’d just seen and heard. He slowly closed his mouth, and felt Zyid turn to face him in the darkness.
“I must address the Truancy,” Zyid said wearily. “There are dark times ahead.”
* * *
“That went well,” the Mayor observed as Edward stepped into his office and promptly made himself comfortable in the cushioned armchair.
“Yes, I do pride myself on my acting,” Edward said smoothly.
“I think you convinced a good many students wit
h it,” the Mayor complimented, setting his lighter down on his desk.
“And perhaps a few Truants along with them,” Edward added.
“Hopefully.” The Mayor nodded, toasting Edward before tilting his glass back and downing the whiskey in one gulp. “Speaking of which, good job with those five Truants yesterday.”
“It was rather fun, to be honest,” Edward said wolfishly. “I haven’t had a good fight since your son bested me.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” the Mayor said, flicking his lighter open. “By the way, you remember that Truant that was taken alive?”
“Ah, so he was just knocked out?” Edward said idly, inspecting his knuckles. “I thought he was dead.”
“Well, he is now,” the Mayor said, and Edward looked up at him in surprise. “He was sent to the hospital, where his wounds were treated. He was then moved into a cell, where he promptly hung himself the first chance he got.”
“Stubborn bastard.” Edward chuckled.
“Indeed.” The Mayor nodded. “Never even got the chance to interrogate him.”
“A waste,” Edward reflected. “But not much of a loss, really.”
“He won’t be missed,” the Mayor agreed. “Especially now that things are heating up.”
“We’ll have plenty of Truants to interrogate when they surrender in the face of my Student Militia,” Edward said dismissively.
“Ah yes, the Student Militia,” the Mayor said, his lighter snapping shut. “How soon do you really think we can expect to have a sizeable Militia prepared to fight against the Truants?”
“The size will be no problem,” Edward assured him. “With the promise of instant graduation? We’ll have hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteers by tomorrow, guaranteed. Preparation and training isn’t something I’ll agonize over either—the Student Militia’s main purpose is simply to demoralize the Truancy. I doubt very much that the majority of the Truancy would be willing to kill their peers.”