"Light and Radiance"

The diener was shivering. Thick red blood smeared the corpse and the neck of Genkei's shirt. The wife was holed out in the chest and her face was chewed off. He started a 110 call. Genkei shambled towards him. He fumbled his phone and dropped it. He turned around and ran past the doors.

However, he returned as he was lifted by the scruff of his scrubs. Botan carried him back into the room with one hand followed by Daichi and his entourage.

"Take him." Daichi gestured to a guy next to him.

Botan moved, he bent the diener over one of the trolleys and pressed his mouth shut. The other guy laid over the trolley next to him. He began twitching as a worm burrowed out from the back of his neck. Daichi picked it up and dropped it on the diener's forehead. It made its way down and crawled into his nose. Botan let go as he started convulsing.

Daichi walked up to Genkei who stared at him blankly and then kicked him in the shoulder. Genkei flew across the room and smashed into the lockers. The wall was dent where his back hit. He sat there still, not voicing his pain.

"Don't expose yourself again. I won't repeat myself."

"Sir, an emergency number was called." Botan said as he inspected a phone on the ground.

"No doubt it's the police."

The diener stood up from the ground.

"How many people work here?" Daichi asked the diener.

"5 including myself tonight. There are 3 others in different shifts."

"Take these guys with you and replace them all. We'll make this a feeding spot. Ikuyo, call up 3 others to come over here by tonight."

Ikuyo nodded as she called up three telepathically.

"Botan, infect the police officers and bring them to me. I'll be waiting in the morgue office."

Daichi walked down the corridor and into the office. A forensic pathologist was typing his autopsy report on the computer and looked up in stupefaction before bewilderment and then outrage.

"What the hell are you kids doing here!"

Students pinned him down to the table with uncanny strength. After a worm crawled into his ear. They took him away.

"Clear the room." Daichi ordered.

They left to guard the outside. Daichi sat on the comfortable leather chair and pondered.

One-fifth of the hospital staff were taken over. A quarter of them in high positions. They haven't got the director and all the board members because they did not stay late in the hospital.

With just around 400 parasites detected by Ikuyo in Midori-ku ward, there was hardly enough numbers. They had to focus on occupying strategic locations and high occupational positions.

After the wave controller sent a message to all parasites, he was waiting for the large-scale meeting tomorrow at Kirigaoka Junior High School to do a headcount of who would be available for other operations. After taking over the ward's main infrastructure, there would probably be approximately 300 workers to coordinate with.

"Sir." Ikuyo contacted him telepathically

"Go ahead."

"We don't have direct contact with the school Principal but one of us found his wife."

"Where?"

"At a bar."

"Tell the operative to infect her given the opportunity by tonight. Coordinate with other parasites if necessary, with the primary target being the Principal."

"Yes sir." She said as she cut off the mental connection.

…

Knock

Knock

"Come in."

Botan opened the door upon invitation.

"We have a problem." He said gravely.

***

Hayato Suteki worked as a water filter salesman in Door-to-door sales. He never earned enough money to buy a car, so he was walking home from the bus stop. He was worried about his son since last night when he got home late from drinking and talking to his dead wife's tombstone. He had received a text about is son's sudden school meeting in the afternoon and might be home late at night.

He wondered if that was the case or if his son was doing something bad. The anniversary of Hikari's death is still devastating to them. Her name meant "sunlight" and was similar to Hikaru's meaning which was "radiance".

Before when he didn't know if the child was going to be a boy or a girl, he chose a gender neutral name and since he liked calling her name out so much, he chose a similar name to always be reminded of her. Now it was a curse. He couldn't bear to look at his son who looked as beautiful as his mother. He didn't bear any resentment to Hikaru.

He had heard some people blamed their child for their mother's death. No. He wasn't that kind of person nor would he ever do that, but it was just difficult for him. He loved her so much.

He suddenly remembered seeing her corpse on that day. He had gone to meet up with his wife and son at Steak Ranch - a farmhouse-themed gourmet steak house. When he caught up, he was told that the mangled pile he saw was his wife. A jagged piece of a bone stuck out from her arm. Her guts were churned apart and there was blood eve-

"Blurgh!"

Hayato bent over a passing bin just in time. He cleaned up using some takeaway serviettes he pulled from his briefcase.

"Ohh Hikari, I'm so sorry. It's because I met you."

If only he had gone with her that day, this wouldn't have happened he thought. It was his fault. He felt sorry for Hikaru. He decided he was going to be a better father. He needed to talk to his son.

Hayato reached the doorstep and he was just about to put his keys in when it opened by itself. A boy- no, a girl had just opened his front door and looked at him in stupor.

She had short light brown hair and wore a tan-coloured headband. Hikaru appeared behind her shoulder.

Hayato's jaw dropped.

***

Two police officers were dispatched to a call within the hospital. They were led down the hallway by a fatigued and blank looking morgue attendant. They entered the morgue and saw a couple of bodies, one of them had a huge cavity on her chest and her face was ripped off.

A figure who looked like the perpetrator was sitting against the lockers. He started to stand up, his left arm was dislocated and hanged down as dead weight. This frightened the officers so much that they pointed their guns.

A huge shadow appeared behind them and toppled them to the floor. Both officers were pressed down with one hand on each back. The morgue assistant then pulled out two worms from his pocket and placed one on each. After convulsing, the two officers stood up.

One of them said, "One of us attacked the precinct."