Hiroshima, Dark Secrets

by E. Mendell

  ~ Five ~

  The train screeched loudly as it slowed to a stop in the station. Hiro was still in the doorway, but Soul jerked awake and looked around. There was straw in her hair and she brushed it away while getting up. She went to Hiro’s side, looking around his shoulder to the station. Thick clouds of smoke filled the air while the train came to a stop. Soul looked around for the sidewalk, but their door was facing the other trains that were lined up on the long rows of tracks. There were at least ten more trains in the station, and a lot of tracks that were still empty. Soul had never seen the train yard before, but it looked oddly beautiful and intimidating. The towering trains were ominous. Three tracks away, one started its engine and whistled.

  Soul clapped her hands over her ears, wincing. Hiro didn’t react. Soul hadn’t noticed it yet, but Hiro was on edge.

  His golden eyes examined the area before he jumped out of the train and turned to Soul. “Here,” he said, holding out his hands to her. “It’s a bit of a drop.”

  Soul looked down nervously. It was pretty steep. She reached out, taking Hiro’s hands and stepping out to jump.

  Out of nowhere something slammed into Hiro and sent him tumbling head over heels. Soul fell out of the train with a startled shout. She hit the ground on her side, smashing into the large chunks of white gravel. She let out a yelp of pain and lifted her head to look for Hiro. He was lying farther away on his back, but he wasn’t alone. Someone stood over him. It wasn’t Red Assassin. Soul attempted to move to help Hiro, but her body was in too much pain. She could only whimper and shift a little, trying to get up, but it as futile.

  Hiro could hear her and his heart was racing in fear for her. She had fallen and it was his fault for not seeing the enemy in time.

  “Shifting shadows are the only clue you get, Hiroshima,” said the man who stood over him with his heavy black boot pressed into Hiro’s chest. “They might be hard to see, but you’ve never ignored them before. How interesting.”

  Hiro scowled at the man above him. His jaw was made of metal and he had steel goggles over his eyes that were blackened. A black hood covered his head and down his arms were silver spikes sticking out of black skin. The hood was attached to a wrap around the man’s neck that led to a torn up scarf that hung behind him, rippling in the wind. Where he stood shadows snaked around his feet that had steel encasing his boots and spikes shooting out the back of his legs. With all the spikes and long steel claws over his hands the man looked like some kind of demonic lizard.

  “Shadow Eater,” said Hiro. A drizzle of blood seeped from his lip when he spoke. “I was expecting Red Assassin.”

  Shadow Eater chuckled and slammed his foot into the human flesh of Hiro’s chest. Hiro wheezed out in pain and Shadow Eater smirked. “Red Assassin is recovering from falling off the train,” he said. His voice was like a snake’s hiss.

  “Are you two working together?” Hiro asked with a smirk of dark glee. “Perfect.” He flung his foot into the air, kicking Shadow Eater in the side and then rolled away in the split second he had earned himself.

  Shadow Eater stepped back, rubbing his side and watching Hiro who got up and faced him. “Huh,” said Shadow Eater slowly. “Don’t you normally wear something to hide your bandages?”

  Hiro didn’t reply. He realized at once that Shadow Eater didn’t know his duffle bag was missing. “It was irritating my bruises to wear a jacket,” he lied.

  Shadow Eater smirked. “Well, that aside,” he said, stepping forward. Hiro slid a step back, his hands up at the ready. “Want to fight, Crystal Crier?”

  Hiro narrowed his eyes. “You came for a fight?” He asked carefully.

  “Yes,” replied Shadow Eater with a scoff. “What else have I to do?”

  “Bring me to the scientists,” replied Hiro chillingly.

  “That’s no fun,” replied Shadow Eater. He jerked his leg up and a knife shot out of his knee into the air. In one motion he caught it and slung it at Hiro who brought his hands up just in time. A loud clack filled the air and the knife recoiled off Hiro’s hands and clattered away.

  Shadow Eater grinned and watched as Hiro lowered his hands. They were already coated in black titanium and edged in silver. The sharp metal plates shot up his arms to his shoulders and the metal visor shut over his eyes. A burst of white light made Shadow Eater blink and squint, but he saw through the light to Hiro as his skin turned black up to his neck and the armor covered him.

  “No running this time,” said Shadow Eater with a smirk as the light faded.

  The Crystal Crier faced him, his visor over his eyes and a black mask over his mouth and nose. He nodded once and jerked his arm forward with his palm open. A knife slid out of his palm and he took the handle. With his other hand he lifted over his opposite thigh. A steel handle slid out of his armor and he seized it, drawing the blade out of his leg.

  “I’m glad you haven’t forgotten much,” said Shadow Eater. He mimicked Crystal Crier’s motion and drew a sword also. “Don’t cry if I dent your armor so much you can’t get it off.”

  Crystal Crier didn’t respond. He stepped forward, but then became a digitalized blur that vanished, reappearing behind Shadow Eater. Crystal Crier’s knife shot forward, but it hit air where Shadow Eater had been a second before. He ducked at the right moment, avoiding the sword that shot over his head. Crystal Crier whipped his foot around to take down Shadow Eater, but his opponent jumped his foot and dove over him. He turned, his sword catching Hiro’s. Their blades whipped back and forth until Hiro spun in and slammed his knife into Shadow Eater’s shoulder.

  There was no reaction, nor any scream of pain. Shadow Eater slashed at Hiro’s head, but there was nothing. Hiro appeared behind him and slammed another knife into the small of Shadow Eater’s back.

  Shadow Eater hit the ground, a metal screech coming from his back as he began to twitch and spasm.

  Crystal Crier raced away, sliding to a stop beside Soul. His visor slid back and he looked down at Soul with concern in his golden eyes. “Soul,” he said, his clear, crisp voice muffled from the mask he wore. He set his armored hand under Soul’s head, brushing her hair away to see her face.

  Her eyes were shut and she had a tiny puddle of blood under her head. Carefully, Hiro placed his fingers to her neck and wrist, waiting for a pulse. He jerked back and terror seizing him. Slowly he took his hands away. “Soul,” he whispered hoarsely. He didn’t want to believe it. Nor did he have time to. Unexpectedly he was seized and thrown across the train yard, slamming into another train. A huge dent was left in the side and Hiro fell to the ground. He shook his head and looked up at Shadow Eater who ran at him like a bull.

  Scowling, Hiro’s visor snapped shut and he leaped to his feet. He shot forward at full speed and rammed into Shadow Eater who flew backwards, stumbling to catch his balance. He looked up, but Crystal Crier was already there and punched him in the chest with all his might.

  Shadow Eater was sent flying again and he crashed through the side of the train. He blinked, his hood and goggles falling off as he looked up. Crystal Crier leapt into the dark train and slammed his feet hard onto Shadow Eater’s chest. The force was so great they fell through the floor and hit the tracks. Shadow Eater flung a knife from his hand at Crystal Crier, but it was knocked away like a fly.

  Crystal Crier dropped his knee into Shadow Eater’s abdomen and punched him in the face again and again. Shadow Eater caught his fist and flung Crystal Crier off him. He rolled onto his knees, but then Crystal Crier rammed him again and grabbed his head. They grappled, rolling off the tracks and punching each other as they fought.

  Unexpectedly Shadow Eater got his feet under Crystal Crier and kicked him into the air. As Crystal Crier rocketed upwards he flung his arms out, whipping out two knives. He then spun in the air and hurtled them at Shadow Eater who brought up his hands from his kneeling position and caught them both. He lowered his arms, breathing hard and watched as Crystal Crier hit the ground.

  As he straighte
ned up, Crystal Crier’s visor slid open, revealing burning golden eyes that were filled with tears sliding down his face. He glared at Shadow Eater whose blond hair swayed in the breeze. Enimito’s blue eyes were hollow of emotion and his metal jaw reached to his ears and plated over half his forehead. The reason he always wore a hood was to hide how bright his appearance was. It went against his Massacre Title in every way.

  “You’re angry,” said Enimito, getting to his feet and coughing. He took the knife out of his shoulder and his back, cringing and then tossed them aside. “You aren’t-”

  “Supposed to gain emotions,” said Hiro. “I am aware of that.”

  Enimito laughed and glanced over his shoulder to where Soul was lying. “She isn’t dead,” he said, looking back at Hiro. “I’m guessing you never checked her for a pulse before now, right?”

  Hiro narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “No,” he said.

  “Then how were you able to stop her heart attacks in the past?” Shadow Eater asked. As he spoke a dim blue glow made his armor and scarf fade to be replaced by his plain black clothing and hooded sweater.

  Hiro stood still. “I looked up how to stop it,” he answered slowly. “Then I did what I was told and when her spasms stopped and she fell asleep I figured she was okay.”

  Enimito smirked and pulled his hood over his head. “You should be more careful who you befriend when you have enemies closing in on you,” said Enimito cleverly. He passed a hand over his mouth, coughing up blood and laughing quietly. “I suggest you be more cautious from now on, Hiroshima,” he said, giving Hiro a clever look. “I’ll see you again soon.”

  Hiro just watched as Enimito turned and walked away, leaving the train yard and vanishing into a cloud of smoke from a train passing by. As soon as he was gone Hiro went back to Soul and looked down at her. She lay crumpled on the ground like a dead person, but the longer Hiro watched he began to realize something.

  She was breathing and her body showed no bruises. Hiro frowned and then sank to one knee. He scooped her into his arms and stood up while looking at her. She moved, turning her head and resting it on his shoulder. Hiro shut his eyes. Her mystery was even greater than he had thought. She was a girl with no pulse and a strange memory of him killing her parents. Not only that but she believed she was eighteen when she looked younger and reasoned like a grown up. Hiro didn’t know what to think of her.

  He shook his head and moved away, going to find the train they had been in. He kept Soul with him, but his mind was ill at ease about the new discovery.