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Chapter 17
Something Wicked
“Looks used,” said a man with a shaved head as he inspected a cybernetic arm augmentation. He pointed to a dent in the upper bicep. “See that? It’s worn, man. You’re not gonna get much for this. Where did you get it anyway?”
Cortez leaned against the remnants of a brick wall, the ghost of a building that once stood tall. “Guy owed me money. I didn’t ask him where he got it. Figured it would be worth more than what he owed. I’m not looking for a fortune, man, just a gun. Freelance, you know?”
“A gun?” the man mused, stroking his chin. “Yeah, I’ve got a gun I might be willing to trade for this. Okay, here’s the deal: I’ve got a compact piece. It’s seen some action, might even be wanted. It still has a serial number, but no chip. So it’ll work.”
Taking a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, Cortez said, “Let’s see it.” He pulled out a single stick with his lips.
The man got up from a rusty barrel he had been sitting on. Popping the lid off, he retrieved a compact-looking rifle. “What do you think?” He tossed the gun to Cortez, who examined it closely, peering down its sights. “You like?”
Cortez flipped the weapon a few times, testing its weight. “You give me four clips, and it’s a deal.”
“Four clips, fine, but only two loaded,” the man replied, peering over his sunglasses. Cortez lit his cigarette with a lighter and took a solid inhale. His gaze drifted to the ground, where he noticed the rocks vibrating. The man with the sunglasses jumped back, hiding behind his rusty barrel. “Holy shit, look at that!”
Cortez looked over his shoulder toward a convoy of black cargo trucks barreling down a ruined, time-scarred road. “Shit, those look like government trucks. What the hell are they doing over here?” Cortez exclaimed, stepping away from the wall. “Hey, give me my clips, so I can get lost.”
“Yeah, I’m not sticking around either,” the man said, rummaging through the barrel. The trucks screeched to a halt about fifty yards from Cortez in a circular clearing, generally considered the center of the ruined neighborhood. As the back doors of the trucks opened, Cortez watched armored soldiers emerge, guns drawn. “Bishop caps,” he whispered.
The man pulled the clips from the barrel. “Here, take your shit. I’m outta here.” He dropped five clips at Cortez’s feet. Cortez let out a puff of air as he picked them up. “Bonus.”
As the strange man fled, Cortez focused on the soldiers. One of the armored figures approached a local man, likely a grifter, and aimed his rifle at the man’s chest. The man froze, terror in his eyes.
“Is this a raid?” Cortez asked himself. A gunshot answered him. The high-powered rifle tore through the man. “Damn!” Cortez hissed, moving away from the soldiers and seeking cover. The locals scattered like roaches caught in the light, screams and cries filling the air as the soldiers gunned them down.
Cortez, staying low, navigated through the crumbling buildings until he reached the relative safety of an alley. He glanced back at the soldiers prowling the streets, setting down black boxes. “What the hell are they doing?” Spotting a fire escape on the other side of the alley, he thought, “There we go. A little higher up, and I might be able to get a better view.”
A broken window halfway up the fire escape allowed access to the abandoned building. Cortez entered with his new gun strapped to his side, stepping into a hollowed-out shell of what it once was. The halls were strewn with empty cans and trash, remnants of drug addicts and homeless people who had taken refuge there. They were all cut from the same cloth, Cortez mused. With his gun at the ready, he made his way to the end of the hall, where a large window offered a better view of the devastated part of town.
Dust swirled as men in hazard suits, equipped with blowers, cleared the streets. As the dirt was removed from the center, a large symbol emerged. Cortez also observed two black cruisers approaching, stopping at an angle a short distance away. The doors opened, and people in formal attire stepped out. “What is this?” he murmured.
Anxiety churned in Cortez’s gut as he watched the unfolding scene. It was clear that the soldiers and the formally dressed individuals were there for a reason, and it couldn’t be good. As he tried to make sense of the situation, he noticed one of the figures speaking into a communication device. Moments later, a loud explosion echoed through the ruins.
Cortez’s heart raced as he realized the black boxes were explosive devices, designed to level the already devastated neighborhood. Panic set in, and he knew he had to move quickly. The people of this forsaken place had already suffered enough, and he refused to stand by and let it happen.
“You don’t say. Quite interesting,” Shiori remarked, his voice laced with intrigue as he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. He leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming rhythmically on the armrest. The room was dimly lit, the faint glow of a single lamp casting long shadows on the walls.
“We can’t allow that, now, can we?” he continued, a sly smile playing at the corners of his lips. Shiori felt a rush of adrenaline surge through his veins, his pulse quickening in anticipation. He reveled in moments like these—when information was power and the stakes were high.
Apricot’s teeth sank deeply into the bun of a Bingo Burger, the messy bite dripping down her cheeks. Bonni sat next to her, dipping her chicken nugget into the mayo teriyaki sauce as she always did. “I’m glad we could get together,” Machi grinned, the relief in her voice palpable. “Exams have been stressful. I really needed a day to just take a break.”
“It’s been too long,” Solenne agreed, placing the straw of her soft drink in her mouth. As she sipped her cool soda, she let out a satisfied sigh. “Ah, got to love Coke on a hot summer day.”
Bonni moaned in childish frustration as her face darkened. “I really wish I could. Too many sugars for me.”
“Drink diet,” Machi suggested.
“And get cancer!” Bonni yelled, gesturing with her hands.
Machi took a bite from her burger, rolling her eyes. “I agree, it is nice,” Apricot said, her voice warm with emotion. “I have been so busy with work and school, I have hardly any time to relax anymore.”
“It’s part of growing up,” Bonni said wistfully. “When we were all students in primary school, it was like we had all the time in the world. We just didn’t know it then.”
Solenne nodded quietly. Machi nearly spat out her food at Bonni’s remark, but swallowed it right away. “That is pretty deep coming from you.”
“I know you think I’m dumb, Machi, but I can be smart sometimes too. I possess the heart of a dreamer and a deep thinker,” Bonni grinned. “I don’t want to be one of those dumb celebrities with all their opinions. I’d rather just share brilliant philosophical statements with the world.”
Machi snickered, “And there is the Bonni I know.”
The retort must have struck deep, as Bonni scowled. “What do you mean by that?”
Apricot smiled as she watched the two tangle with each other, her gaze glinting at Solenne who shared the same look. Her mind was preoccupied with her troubles, weighed down by the dangers and secrets she and Solenne faced. Their last meeting had not gone well, and Apricot was certain Solenne harbored misgivings about her. Despite this, she never divulged her suspicions.
Looking toward the road, Apricot caught sight of a white car, interrupting her thoughts. As she watched the car pull into a space across the street, she thought, “That can’t be. What would he be doing on this side of town? There’s no way that it’s Shiori.”
As the door swung open and those familiar dress clothes emerged from the car, Machi whispered, “Do you see that? Holy shit, I think that’s Shiori Kinjo.”
With wide eyes, Bonni swiveled her head around and stared at him with a look of admiration as he slid his fingers back through his blond hair. “I think so,” Bonni whispered back to the group. “Look at Shiori’s dress.” His cornflower blue and white suit was definitely not cheap, and as always, he dressed in the most expensive clothing possible. As vehicles left the road, the noble and cocky Shiori made his way toward them. Although her heart nearly fluttered, Apricot quickly grew resentful of that stride. The group was smitten with him, but to her, he was just Shiori.
“He’s coming over here!” Bonni gasped.
A pair of tea-colored sunglasses were lowered by Solenne. “I wouldn’t expect a noble to eat at Bingo Burgers,” she chuckled, clearly not starstruck like the other girls. Then again, she had eyes only for Arjun.
Shiori approached the group, his trademark smile on his face. “Miss Apricot, what a strange coincidence to meet you here. I was thinking about you just now.” All the other girls looked at Apricot, mouths agape, as he said this.
Apricot, flushed with embarrassment, murmured, “Hello, Shiori.” She replied sheepishly. “I, uh, why are you here? This doesn’t seem like the kind of place you would eat.”
“Well, of course,” Shiori chuckled. “The simple hotdog is sometimes a delicacy when you eat filet mignon every night.” He glanced at the girls staring at him. Placing his hand on Bonni’s shoulder, he asked, “Can you make a little bit of room for me?” Bonni quickly stepped over as Shiori sat down next to the girls. “Apricot, please introduce me to your friends.”
Apricot shrugged her shoulders. “This is Bonni Willox,” she pointed to Bonni. “That’s Machi and Officer Solenne.”
“Officer Solenne?” Solenne laughed. “Is that how you see me?” she asked, rolling her eyes.
“Ah, great, a member of the regular police, I suppose. According to your fairness, I wouldn’t expect you to be placed with the brutes in the SDP,” Shiori commented. Solenne blushed slightly, and even she couldn’t resist Shiori’s charm, causing Apricot to shake her head.
“Yes, that would be correct. Although I hope to work for the SDP as a dispatcher,” Solenne added.
“So, what do you girls do when you’re not gracing this place with your beauty?” Shiori asked with a grin. Apricot rolled her eyes, thinking that only a noble like Shiori could get away with being so corny. If it wasn’t for his good looks and pedigree, her friends would be laughing.
“I work in a café, but I have aspirations to be an actor,” Bonni said.
“An actor? Well, I look forward to seeing you on the silver screen,” Shiori replied.
His gaze directed itself to Machi, “And you, my dear?”
“I’m an engineer,” Machi chirped, hiding behind her hands. Her index finger pressed her fogging glasses up to her face. “Well, a student engineer.”
“Wow, smart girl. You all seem like a wonderful group of ladies,” Shiori praised.
“You never told us you knew Prince Kinjo, Apricot,” Solenne said, squinting her eyes behind her glasses.
“I, I, uh,” Apricot stammered, trying to think of an explanation that might be acceptable to her friends.
Shiori intervened. “I know I’m a little to blame for that. You see, I hired Apricot some time ago.” Apricot felt a lump in her throat grow.
“He won’t tell them everything, will he?” she screamed internally.
“My assistant, Apricot, has been with me for several months now. Her reporting skills have surprised me. In order to start a special venture, I needed some fresh blood. I asked her to help with the design of my new publication. It was a little secret. If you’d be so kind as not to tell anyone, I’d truly appreciate it.”
“Of course! Of course!” Bonni grabbed Shiori’s arm and hugged it tightly. “We would never dream of it.” Shiori tilted his head for a moment, and Machi sheepishly nodded “Speaking of which, a situation has come up, and I need your assistance, Miss Apricot,” Shiori said.
Apricot scowled. “I suppose you want me to come with you now?”
Shiori nodded. “Mmm, it was a pleasure meeting all of you. Sorry to have to leave so quickly, but it is a pressing matter that I must attend to. We’ll have to do this again.”
Machi shook her head. “No, it’s okay.” Her voice sounded much more feminine than usual.
Apricot glanced back at the group as she got up to leave. Solenne’s piercing gaze suggested that Shiori might come to regret this chance meeting. Even if she hadn’t already established Solenne’s inquisitive nature, it was evident now. While Shiori ushered Apricot into the passenger seat, she glanced back at the girls, longing to return, knowing full well that Shiori picking her up was bad news.
From behind, a male voice said, “Hey, sweet cheeks.” Apricot glanced back to see Cortez, kicking back with his foot on her seat.
Shiori groaned. “Like a dog,” he muttered, smacking Cortez in the leg. “Down! I don’t suppose you have the money to reupholster my leather.” Cortez rolled his eyes and put his feet back on the floor. He spread his legs, taking up most of the back seat.
“What’s going on?” Apricot asked, feeling her nerves rise.
“Fill her in, please,” Shiori instructed Cortez, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.
Apricot’s heart raced, sensing the tension in Shiori. He rarely exhibited tension, and if he did, he didn’t show it. He was driving and not letting the AI do it for him, which suggested that something was wrong.
Cortez exhaled sharply, and her gaze fell back on him. “Over in my part of town, something big is happening. Apparently, some people are preparing for a huge burning ritual. There’s no doubt it’s the Okabe family because they got private soldiers and were dressed like ol’ suity boys. The problem is that the spot they chose is ‘underground,’ the haunt of my old gangs. It’s a junkyard. Ruined buildings everywhere. This is part of the ruined city. We never paid much attention to it, but there’s a huge circle that we always joked was a witch’s porthole. I guess it’s not a joke anymore.” Cortez leaned back in his seat and looked out the window.
Apricot shook her head. “So what are we going to do?”
“Stop it,” Shiori said firmly.
“How?”
“I don’t know… interrupt the ritual,” Shiori growled.
“Won’t that make us fugitives?” Apricot gasped.
“What else are we supposed to do? I got eyes on Lady Kyo right now… she’s not in attendance from what I can tell. That disturbs me even more,” Shiori said as he pushed hard on the pedal.
“Shiori, you’re speeding,” Apricot softly said, touching his arm.
“I’m pretty sure Shiori knows more than he’s telling us, Apricot,” Cortez grunted. Apricot glanced back at Cortez, who was holding a compact submachine gun. As they rushed towards the ruined city, she sat quietly, her heart pounding and her mind racing, unsure of what would come next.
The ruins of the old city were illuminated by hundreds of lanterns, casting a warm orange glow around the large circle where several people chanted. The man holding an old weathered book at the center of the circle wore a white dress shirt with suspenders and black slacks. “We will avenge our fallen fathers. If Lady Kyo thinks we will hand her the keys to the new world, she is starkly mistaken,” he declared. The dust still resting on the ground swirled in ghostly winds, and flames of green danced in the supernatural storm, whipping the clothing of the ritualists.
“So you have heard me!” the man exclaimed, as Shiori and Apricot stood on the edge of a collapsed building. While they climbed up the fallen wall, Cortez popped his head out of a window.
“Awaken!” the man with the book called out, raising his white-gloved hand dramatically. Apricot could discern a star embroidered on the back of the man’s hand. As he pointed his middle and index fingers towards the sky, a bolt of lightning struck the middle of the stone circle. The winds intensified, and the ritualists struggled to remain steadfast against their force. A man stumbled, his black slacks catching fire immediately. His horrified screams pierced the air as the flames engulfed him. Then, like a grape, he splattered on the ground, his remains colliding with another person who exploded without a word.
Shiori watched Cortez as he observed the site below. Cortez tugged at the black leather strap of his gun. “I guess you’re not going to do anything,” he said.
Shiori slapped the gun down from Cortez’s hand. “We’re too late. There’s no stopping it now.”
“To hell with that! I’m going to shoot them!” Cortez gritted his teeth, trying to pull the gun from Shiori’s grip. But before he could aim, Apricot yanked him backward. “Shit!” he shouted.
This commotion caught the attention of a ritualist, whose clothes ignited and flesh turned to a shadow in the blaze. In addition to the ritualist’s shadows, others also formed around the ring of fire, encircling the flames. “He’s right; we can’t take the risk,” Apricot whispered, her heart pounding in her chest. The shadows took on various forms, their black silhouettes becoming more pronounced as the event continued. Their voices grew deeper, stronger, and more powerful as they chanted with the others. “What is happening?” Apricot whispered.
Gritting his teeth, Shiori stared at the unfolding event. “I’m not sure, but it seems to be a seal.” The fires grew hotter, pushing the ritualists away with their growing force. Even the caller leading the ritual was pushed back by the escalating power. “Ahhhh!” he writhed, his cheeks bleeding and blood streaming down his face in sloppy rivulets.
Ghostly spirits swirled about in a smog-like haze, and blue waves of light rose from the circle. Floating around the fires, their faces twisted and turned into skeletal shapes. The ring’s center rippled as if made of disturbed waters. Rising from the inky blackness was a massive, intertwined mass of decomposing bodies. They appeared saturated in a blood-red gel. The sight made Apricot’s stomach churn, and she detected the stench of rotten rice.
All but one of the ritualists collapsed at the sight, their entrails flapping in the wind like tassels. The remaining caller raised his hand to stop an even stronger blast of wind. “Why don’t you submit to me?!” he screamed.
“We are the dead of this city. It is the blood in your veins which buries us here. We were the sacrifice that brought your family power. Now you are trying to exploit us again. Let us slumber below the city. Let us rest,” a chorus of a thousand voices—men, women, and children—cried out.
“I offer you revenge. I’ll release you. Use that opportunity to destroy the Okabe family! Ruin this wretched city! Kill Lady Kyo! Do not deny me!” the man yelled. “My vengeance is yours to have! Avenge my father, Lord Heigia, and I give you this! A time to feast upon those who have soiled you, who have brought this upon you.”
“It was you who brought us all here, on a leash,” the mass of corpses replied. “Let us slumber! In peace!” The flames intensified, and the faces of the dead flickered away just as quickly as they had appeared.
Apricot’s heart ached from the terror, and she placed her hand on her chest to feel it pound. “How interesting,” she whispered, glancing at Shiori. His eyes were full of wonder, his jaw squared with determination. He seemed more curious than upset about the situation.
Cortez must have noticed it too, as he replied, “What the hell is interesting about this! Let’s stop it before it’s too late.”
“You don’t even understand,” Shiori whispered. “You have no clue what has just occurred.”
“No, so fill me in?” Cortez growled.
All the while, the man pleaded with the abomination. “Those are the spirits who were sacrificed to create this city.”
Apricot was reminded of Chino’s story. “Are these really the people who died in the Crisis?”
Shiori softly replied, “Mhmmm.” She hadn’t meant to speak and didn’t even realize she had.
“Who is that?” Cortez asked, pointing ahead. Apricot saw a cloaked figure running down the road to the other side of the circle. Shiori stood up to get a better view. It was clear the man performing the ritual noticed the stranger as well, his eyes widening in shock.
“Violator!” the ritualist roared. Outside the circle, the figure slammed their hand into the ground. Embers of light rippled around the ring before Shiori and the ritualist screamed, “NO!” There was a blinding light emanating from the center of the ring as Shiori grabbed Apricot and Cortez, pulling them flat against the building floor.
Everything rumbled with a loud boom. Apricot’s ears rang as though she had just heard a bomb go off, the vibrations shaking her to the core. Shiori pulled Apricot off the ground, shouting something muffled as the light faded. Cortez appeared dazed, like a zombie.
With his rod stabbed into the brick, Shiori raised it in the air, the rings rattling with a strange force. Stabilizing himself, he held Apricot’s arm. “Get up! Get up! We’ve got to run!” he roared, pulling her away from the ground. “Get up!”
Flames of purple engulfed Apricot’s vision. The radiance consumed her entire body, and she felt Shiori take a step back. Nodding her head to him, she stumbled forward. Turning away, he ran down the side of the building, with Apricot close behind. She looked back to see Cortez staring at the beam of light shining from the circle above. “Cortez!” she screamed, but her voice didn’t carry over the rumbling and paranormal screams.
Running up the side of the building, Apricot grabbed onto Cortez’s arm. “Leave him!” Shiori shouted. But Apricot yanked on his arm, pulling Cortez along with her. As soon as he came to his senses, Cortez started running down the building, closely following Apricot.
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