2-4 Tracked Us Down

Date: August 22

Place: Kyoto, Japan

[Cedrick]

    As everyone was asleep, I followed Rei to the dining area where she put her phone in the middle of the table, just staring at it.

    I asked her out of curiosity why she has her phone even if she told us that she left it at her apartment.

    It seems like the truth was she has her wallet and phone in her bag when she fell on the pool and didn't felt the urge to tell us, afraid that we'll get worried.

    So that's why she was she was finding something on the rice grains earlier toー

    Waitー

    Isn't it a waterproof phone? It's the latest model!

"I received a warning, I thought it was just a prank or something but now that I think about it, how did he even know my number?" she mumbled.

"GPS?" I just blurted out what came first to mind.

    She didn't look my way and pulled out a broken chair then sat on it.

"It can't be, it's been ages since I last saw them. And he can't be alive, I've seen him die in front of my eyes to protect me, " she replied like it didn't even bother to mourn for her dead relative.

"Surprised?" a voice came from nowhere.

    We tried to find where it was coming from but failed to do so. Until the voice spoke again.

"A girl who was manipulated by her ownー" the voice was interrupted by Rei's rage, clenched fist on the table.

"How?" she said.

    Her voice was hard as a stone and her eyes were shifted on the table. It was then I knew that the sound was coming from her phone.

"That's not the important thing right now" as it said.

    Rei was speechless and waited for it to speak again. I couldn't quite understand the situation so I just sat at the nearby chair and tried not to be a nuisance.

"A group of my choice will be there for a few minutes. Just wait there patiently andー"

"I don't need your help!" shouting, standing up from where she was sitting.

    It laughed like Rei was telling him a joke.

"My beloved Rei, do you think I'm here to help? How cuteー"

    Shivers come down from my spine the time she looked at me, gritting her teeth and running towards the garage where Haru and our car is at. From there I knew that she wants us to be out of here before they come.

    I hurried my way to the bedroom and knocked on the door that's in front of me.

"Wake up! We have to get out of here!"

[Yui]

    At first, we're all yawning as we heard Ced shouting behind the door.

    Then a loud little explosion arose. Kazuma and Misaki jolted up and opened the door.

    There, Cedrick was standing with fear written all over his face. We all ran outside and saw Rei with Haru at a nearby tree.

"What was that?" someone asked.

"I'll explain later, but first we have to run, " Rei explained.

    When I see a proper image of the explosion, it came from the garage, our car.

    I don't see fire, just dust carried away by the wind in the midnight sky.

    When I look back to the old house, I see light, tiny dots of light. One, two, threeーtoo many to count.

    I didn't quite mind it and just kept running. Until I screamed my lungs out as I was certain that someone was pulling me back.

    It's not those zombie-like creatures. I'm sure that it's just a normal person by his movements. I tried my best to break through, punched his side allowing me to have the chance to scream Rei's name for just a second leading for someone to knocked me out unconscious.

[Rei]

"Rei!"

    I hear someone shouted near us.

    It's dark and I barely see the faces of who I'm with, just their silhouettes, stopping as they hear the same thing I heard. I realized that the one who screamed was one of us, as I count our numbers and guessed who it could be.

    Yui.

    I told them to go find a vehicle that we can ride, there is a near highway that I think is full of cars and trucks right now. I told them to not be scared of those things back at the waterpark because it's night, as long as they keep quiet and use the dark to their advantage they'll be safe. But some of them volunteered to come with me which I rejected.

    They finally decided to hunt me down. Right now, our enemies aren't those zombie-like things but my past.

    People from my past.

    One, two, three, fourーeach soldier holds a gun and surrounds the possible entrance of the house. I'm lucky that I didn't get caught while wandering around the perimeter.

    Darkness can blind people, except for me. But thanks to them holding a flashlight, I could see where they are more easily.

    What a bunch of amateurs.

    While I was planning on how to get inside, I saw a soldier who went near the bushes to check something out and got pulled by someone.

    Someone is there. And I'm sure it's not one of the people who's after me.

    I focused on that direction, wanting to know what happened. But a few minutes and someone emerged through that bush.

    It was a different person. A smaller and skinnier one. He held his flashlight and let a big sigh before he shouts.

"Over there! I saw them!"

    Two soldiers who were guarding the entrances went in the direction that the mysterious guy pointed to. Then to my surprise, that guy went near my hiding place and dropped something on purpose.

    As soon as the soldier saw me picked up the knife he dropped, I saw him grin and went to the others to chat with them.

    I don't know if he's one of my enemies or an ally but this is my chance. That 'someone' just opened a big hole and I can't let it go to waste.

    To the dining area I went where I saw a glimpse of Yui tied up in a chair, unconscious.

    More soldiers were guarding her. They instantly shoot in my direction when they saw me.

    I took cover at the walls I just passed by earlier. The sounds attracted the other soldiers patrolling outside, cornering me from my front and back.

    The guy who gave me a knife was also there pointing a gun at me like they all are.

    That was fast. I admit that moving without a plan is naive of me.

    I didn't resist, put my knife down, and held the back of my head with both my hands.

"Just give up" I hear a voice and saw a soldier was holding my phone.

"What do you want?" I replied with no hint of interest.

"Your memoriesーyou remember everything, right?" he asked as another soldier stepped up and held a little black box.

"I want you to forget everything again," he was too excited to let me speak.

    No.

    I don't want to.

    No.

    No.

    But before those words could come out, he used Yui's safety against me. I paused for a few seconds and reached the syringe.

    I saw the guy who helped me earlier signals something with his hands. Somehow that sign felt familiar.

'Operation peek a boo' is what his signal says.

    He looked similar to someone I know from my past and that sign proved it because I made them.

"Can I say my last words?" I asked the person on the phone while waving the syringe like a magic wand.

"Why not," he replied.

"Peek a boo"

    After I chant those words, I grabbed the neck of a soldier whom I can reach and deeply stabbed the syringe at him, screaming endlessly until I stole the handgun in his pockets and shot him at the back of his head.

    Another soldier points his gun at me, but before I shoot him, he drops to the ground, lifeless.

    I looked around me and found all the soldiers lying on the ground, except the one who helped me.

"I'm glad you didn't forget our signals" grinning as he taps my shoulders.

"Like I will" I shot him with a serious look.

"Times running out, my beloved subjects" my phone began a one-minute countdown after his last message.

    57...

    He moved quickly, went to Yui and tried to untie her.

    49...

    I grabbed every weapon I can carry including the knife which I wrapped with a cloth I saw lying on the ground and helped slash the rope at Yui's hands and legs.

    34...

    The soldier helped me carry her as we limp our way out of the house.

    5...

[Cedrick]

    A huge explosion can be seen from where we stand.

    The dark and chilly night now fades, replaced by a rising sun, the color of blazing fire, and its heat.

    The house was burning after the detonation. We hurriedly went nearby the perimeter after we finished adjusting the car.

    Some of us rushed out of the vehicle when we saw Rei and a soldier helping Yui walk, by lending their shoulders to her.

"Pretty sure it's not a good time to take an interview, right Rei?" he says trying to lighten the mood.

    Rei lets out a little giggle which I think I rarely hear, especially at a time like this.

The car that we've got is an interviewer's mobile. But we removed all the equipment inside it earlier so the backspace is wide. Just enough for all of us to fit in.

The soldier collapsed, resulting in all of them to stumble and fall.

Rei immediately stood up, trying to move forward hauling all of them.       

"Kazuma, take care of Yui," she said when we came closer as she focused her attention on the direction of the soldier.

"Ciel, are you alright?" I hear Rei asked.

    The boy didn't say anything back but cough blood instead.

[Rei]

"When did this happen?" my voice shakes as I noticed a gunshot at Ciel's side, my hands dripping the redness of his blood as I helped him seat.

"Take this with you, " he said weakly and reaches something in his pocket.

"How?" I asked in confusion when he handed me somethings that might help us in the future.

    Not weapons, but a USB Drive that has my father's name written on it.

'Roland'

    And other things secured in a black plastic.

"Remember, everyone's on your side. And when you see them, greet them with a smile, " he says smiling, trying to show me how it's done. He couldn't support his weight anymore and gave in to my arms, breathing unevenly.

"We made a promise. You'll never put your life in the line for me ever again. How could you break that, " I gritted my teeth as I was trying to control the overflow of emotions that floods my thoughts.

"That was an old promise, " chuckling like it was funny.

"I'm sorry, " he said again when he noticed my eyes sparkling , holding my tears back.

    He beat me first when tears started to roll down his cheeks which my fingers caught. He smiled at me and leaned close to my face. His dying mouth gently kissed my forehead and gave me a genuine smile before sleeping for eternity.

    We didn't have time to bury him as I hear screams from a faraway wilderness.

"Thank you, " I whispered returning his soft kiss on his forehead before I stood up and marched my way to the others waiting for me.

"Your death won't be in vain, I promise"

[Cedrick]

    Rei and I barely got any sleep, and the others probably got a couple of minutes to rest. All of us were tired and decided to stop the car in the woods to take a short nap.

    Rei decided to move tomorrow night and regain our energy until our bars are full before moving. We helped Yui and Rei treat their wounds as we ate some chips and several bottles of sodas that we found on this car, sharing them with everyone.

    When we woke up in the middle of the afternoon Rei decided to hand out weapons that she got on the soldiers that kidnapped Yui.

    Five handguns with a few bullets in it, a knife, and some small bombs.

    She handed each and everyone a handgun. I have four bullets, Yui and Misaki have three, Haru and Kazuma have five while Rei wanted to have the knife and all of the three bombs.

    We did tell her we don't know how to use a gun and probably we can't shoot living things either and lectured us.

"Think of it as a game. You're the player who only has only one life left. Now, what would you do to live? Humans are selfish creatures who'll do everything they could to live. It's a natural instinct, " she smirks, swinging the knife at an old tree, scratching it deeply without any flaws.

"Whether they need to lie, hurt others, or kill for their safety. So I'm sure the time will come when you'll desperately want to save your skin. And when that moment comes I'm sure you'll think of something and get out of your sticky situation, " she grins looking at us.

She demonstrated to us how to use a gun properly, how to hold it, and how to aim.

~~

I woke up at a bumpy ride and the sunlight, beaming in my eyes.

Rei was soundly sleeping on my shoulders with a jacket to keep us warm. Then I see the others holding their laugh in. I glared at them, and Rei groans.

    I pretended to be asleep again as she woke up, hearing the others burst into laughter I pretended that I just woke up made by their loud chattering and looked at them with confusion where I met Rei's eyes staring at mine.

"What a good actor"

"So cute"

"I'm dying from laughter"

    I heard them commented.

"Thanks for the pillow and the jacket, " Rei said sitting up straight, brushing her hair with her hands.

"You're welcome, " I automatically replied.

"Where are we now?" she asked.

"Were nearing there" Haru replied looking at us from the rear mirror.

    She nodded and wiped the blood off of the thing the soldier handed to her. Everyone's happiness was soon crumpled with fear replacing it.

"What is that?" Yui asked rubbing her eyes and yawns.

"Something that will save us when we go to Kyoto" Rei replied.

    It's morning, nothing is in sight, just the sun shining and some falling leaves. We encountered a few more bumpy roads until the gas has dried out. We carried all the remaining stuff that we have and decided to walk the few kilometers that lies ahead of us.

    The first time we encountered one of those things, Rei forbids any of us to use our guns which might attract unnecessary distractions and a waste of bullets. Instead, she used her knives and knocked down the creature just by blinding it and damaging its legs.

    The next thing we knew is that we stopped at a nearby forest and gathered a few thick branches that Rei sharpened with her knife which she handed out to everyone. Soon we fought those creatures and helped each other as much as we can.

    It's amusing to see Rei move flawlessly like she's used to this kind of thing. She did say that she regained her memories, perhaps this really is her true self, or is she just struggling to live in her past that led her to learn self-defense for this kind of situations?

    The more I think about it the more I get terrified at her.