[SIDE B] DAY 1 – AOI HAMASAKI (THE BEGINNING)
Dear Diary:
Today is my fifteenth birthday! Hurray!
I have a boring life, and someone prefer to called that rational normal life. My life also got up and down just like others. By growing up in the countryside of Shadow City, my life is kind of dead ended. The city people usually called me as farm girl. Although, my parents are not in any farming business. However, people just call me like that. Probably, the city people are usually bias by judging how a person look like. For sure I am not as pretty as those city girls. I don’t wear makeup on my face, and I don’t have any fashionable clothing in my closet. But since I was little, I have a dream. My dream is to become famous. Unfortunately, I am not good at singing and dancing. But I believe one day I will become a famous celebrity within this city-state – Metropolitan.
Today, the weather is not good since the earlier morning. Dark cloud has gathered up in the sky. It seems there will be a thunderstorm upcoming up. Normally during the school break, the summer in the countryside is sunny, hot and dry.
I feel a little bit sour because today’s weather is not in my favorite. My birthday is just like that? So, normal? Nothing special happen? What will the city people do in their birthday? I heard the city people will have birthday parties with their friends. For myself, each year is the same. I just stay home and wait for my parents to come back from their work.
Please, don’t get me wrong. My parents are good and decent people. Although, their jobs occupied almost 90% of their time. But they really take a good care of me. Sometimes, I am pondering about what are they doing at work? It is because they spend a lot of time inside their offices. I only know both of my parents are working for the University of Metropolitan. However, I am not allowing to visit them due to their current research project. I don't really understand but my parents told me their research is very important to the country.
No matter what, today is my birthday. I want to go outside in this afternoon. I think I will go to Town of Kensington and have some window shopping at the mall.
Best Wishes,
Aoi Hamasaki.
Dear Diary:
Today is my fifteenth birthday! Hurray!
I have a boring life, and some prefer to call that rational normal life. My life also got up and down just like others. By growing up in the countryside of Shadow City, my life is kind of dead ended. The city people usually called me a farm girl. Although, my parents are not in any farming business. However, people just call me that. Probably, the city people are usually biased by judging how a person looks. For sure I am not as pretty as those city girls. I don’t wear makeup on my face, and I don’t have any fashionable clothing in my closet. But since I was little, I have had a dream. My dream is to become famous. Unfortunately, I am not good at singing and dancing. But I believe one day I will become a famous celebrity within this city-state – Metropolitan.
Today, the weather has not been good since the early morning. Dark clouds have gathered up in the sky. It seems there will be a thunderstorm coming up. Normally during the school break, the summer in the countryside is sunny, hot and dry.
I feel a little bit sour because today’s weather is not my favorite. Is my birthday just like that? So, normal? Nothing special happened? What will the city people do on their birthday? I heard the city people will have birthday parties with their friends. For myself, each year is the same. I just stay home and wait for my parents to come back from their work.
Please, don’t get me wrong. My parents are good and decent people. Although, their jobs occupied almost 90% of their time. But they really take good care of me. Sometimes, I am pondering about what they are doing at work. It is because they spend a lot of time inside their offices. I only know both of my parents are working for the University of Metropolitan. However, I am not allowed to visit them due to their current research project. I don't really understand but my parents told me their research is very important to the country.
No matter what, today is my birthday. I want to go outside this afternoon. I think I will go to the Town of Kensington and have some window shopping at the mall.
Best Wishes,
Aoi Hamasaki.
<<< === === >>>
I was riding my bicycle. Suddenly, heavy rain poured down from the sky. Luckily, there was an abandoned bus stop’s shelter about a few steps away. When I went near the shelter, I saw a man, who was sitting on the bench. By his outlook, he was in his forties and I could tell he was not from the neighborhood. He dressed up elegantly with a dark red tailored suit. Hence, I was kind of scared. It was because I never saw him in the neighborhood. But I entered the shelter, before my dress got soaked.
I parked my bicycle outside the shelter. Then, I sat down on the same bench with this strange man. Although, there was at least a foot away from both of us. But I was still worried about something bad which could have happened to me. I took a quick glance at this strange man. He was reading a map. Was he lost? I didn’t know, and maybe he was a tourist? For the worst case, he may be a ghost, which has haunted our countryside for generations. Suddenly, this strange man started talking to me.
“Hello, little girl.”
“Hi… sir…”
“Please don't be afraid. I’m a tourist and I’m lost. Could you tell me will this bus bring me to the Town of Kensington?”
“Sorry sir. This bus route had already been out of service since last winter.”
“Ah, damn. So, I’m totally lost now.”
“Sir, are you trying to go to the Town of Kensington?”
“Yes, little girl. Are you living around in this countryside?”
“Umm…”
“Don’t worry. I just want to ask, would you mind pointing me in the right direction please?”
This strange man gave me his map. So, I took a look, and tried to find the location for him. But this was not right. I meant this map was old, very old. It was an antique. Meanwhile, I felt a chill which came from my back to my brain. I was scared. A ghost? Or as in those horror movies, was he an evil twisted mind person who was seeking a young girl for the sacrifice.
That heavy rain never stopped. Suddenly, lightning had struck through the tree in front of the shelter. That tree busted into fire for a moment. But that heavy rain had extinguished that fire immediately. Meanwhile, I noticed back then. I was screaming and crying for help.
“Ah… Eh… Umm… Help!”
“Oh, are you afraid of…”
“No! No! No!”
“Okay, little girl. Please stay calm. Although, this weather is bad. But I think you want me to get up and stand outside, am I right?”
“Umm…”
“No problem at all. I won’t get wet. My clothing is waterproof. Haha… But would you mind helping me to find the way to the Town of Kensington please? Appreciate your help.”
This strange man stood up and walked away from the bench. He was standing outside the shelter as his promise. However, I was not able to locate the Town of Kensington from this map that he had given me a moment ago.
Half an hour had passed, and it was still raining heavily. I still could not find the location on his map. Then, this strange man turned around and said,
“Little girl, no luck at all?”
“Sorry sir, I don’t know how to read your map.”
“Oh, I know it is kind of old. But…”
“Sir, do I have to use your map?”
“Oh, about that part. You don’t have to. Here… You can use this.”
This strange man took out his smartphone and handed it over to me. I was surprised and angry. Since he got a smartphone, then he could just use the GPS function and find out where the Town of Kensington was.
“My apology, little girl. Actually, I’m a technophobe. I don’t like to use my smartphone. But my staff always force me to use it and send messages to them. I'm a very old school kind of guy.”
This strange man was very odd because his smartphone was turned off. And I needed to turn on his smartphone before using its GPS location function.
“Oh… Let me see… Here you are… And here is the Town of Kensington.”
“Little girl, can I ask you to do a favor for me? Since, I have no sense of direction. Could you bring me there please?”
I was pondering for a moment. I was worried a little bit earlier. However, if this strange man was telling the truth. Then, it was impossible for him to travel on his own and reach the Town of Kensington by nightfall. Although, I was also going into the town. But travelling with him was another story. However, if I just left him alone here. Probably, he was not able to go anywhere else.
“Sir, if the weather allows us, then I think you could travel with me.”
“Very good. I will pay you as my local guide once we reach the Town of Kensington.”
“Appreciated. But since I was planning to go into the town this afternoon, it is not necessary to do so.”
“I see. You are very honest and kind.”
“Unfortunately, the rain still hasn’t stopped. We might stay here for a while until it stops.”
“Oh, no need to worry. Let’s go.”
“Umm…”
“You see. My clothing is waterproof. We can travel in this weather.”
“Sorry sir. But I will get soaked by the rain.”
“Oh, my apology. But still don’t worry. You can just walk beside me and you will be fine. I guarantee not a single drop of rain could harm you.”
“Huh? Raindrops could harm me? Sir, your talks are funny.”
“I forgot to introduce myself. My friends usually call me - Mr. Hermit.”
“Mr. Hermit, and I’m Aoi.”
“Nice to meet you, Lady Aoi.”
“Hehe… Lady Aoi, it sounds pretty though.”
“Lady Aoi, shall we start going?”
“Sure, Mr. Hermit.”
Then both of us started walking towards the main road, which led to the Town of Kensington. Strangely, Mr. Hermit was right. My dress did not get wet by the raindrops. I felt like there was a force field around us, when we were walking side by side. Mr. Hermit did not say much on the journey. The surroundings were so quiet and kind of relaxing. At this moment, I felt like I was taking a walk with my dad.
After one hour and a half, we finally arrived at the first crossroad of the Town of Kensington.
<<< === === >>>
The rain stopped, and the sun came out.
There was a road block around several feet away, which was established by the Metropolitan Military Division. Those soldiers had noticed our presence. They stared at us for a while. Then, a soldier started questioning us.
“Any identification papers?”
“I got my citizen card.”
I handed over my citizen card. That soldier took a look, then gave it back to me. Later on, that soldier asked for Mr. Hermit’s.
“How about you?”
“Hello, I’m a tourist. I only have my passport.”
“Umm… Let's take a look first.”
Mr. Hermit handed over his passport. A moment later, that soldier replied.
“You two can pass through. As a reminder, currently this area is under the military’s protection. That means if you guys want to leave this town, you guys have to wait until the next morning to do so. By the way, if you guys see any suspicious person. Report to us immediately.”
That soldier handed over Mr. Hermit’s passport, and he was questioning Mr. Hermit one more time.
“Umm… Mr. Hermit, is this girl traveling with you?”
“Officer, she is my local guide.”
“I see, and what business brings you guys?”
“Site seeing.”
“Unfortunately, we are now in a state of emergency. Although, the situation isn’t out of control. But Mr. Hermit, you two should stay indoors after nightfall. It will be much safer for a stranger in town.”
“Officer, thank you for your concern.”
Then that soldier started asking me some questions.
“Little girl, what is your name?”
“Aoi… Aoi Hamasaki…”
“I see. Are you that man’s local guide?”
“Currently, yes. After Mr. Hermit is in town, I need to get back home.”
“I see. You better hurry. It is because this road block will close down at 18:00 sharp. You cannot leave town at night.”
“I understood.”
Mr. Hermit nodded and said.
“Officer, we will… Oh, it is almost 15:30.”
“Okay, you can go now.”
“Thanks Officer.”
Afterwards, Mr. Hermit and I had passed through the military’s road block. A moment later, we stopped at one of the local bus stops. Mr. Hermit was looking at the bus’s schedule, while I was trying to call my parents on my smartphone. Unfortunately, no one answered my call.
“Are they busy? Maybe I should call them later…”
“Lady Aoi, what did you say?”
“Oh, Mr. Hermit. I tried to call my parents but no one answered.”
“Don’t worry, the bus shall arrive soon. I think maybe it is time for you to head back home.”
“Oh, it is still early for me. I would like to visit the mall first. I would like to buy a gift.”
“A gift? For your parents?”
“Umm… Actually, today is my fifteenth birthday.”
“Haha… Now I see. Umm… Lady Aoi... Happy Birthday!”
“Thank you, Mr. Hermit.”
“Let me see. Once we are at the mall, I should also buy a birthday gift for you.”
“There is no need for that.”
“Please accept it, since you are helping me. Otherwise, I won’t be able to find this town.”
“Oh…”
“What do you like?”
I paused for a moment. I was pondering while I looked into the blue sky. Luckily, it was sunny. I saw a clear sky with no clouds at all. A minute later, there was a fireball in the sky.
“Huh? A shooting star?”
“Lady Aoi, where? Let's see.”
Mr. Hermit looked up and replied.
“This isn’t good.”
“A comet?”
“It’s an airplane.”
“Should we report it to the military?”
“Too late now. No point in doing so.”
Both of us kept staring at that fireball until it crashed into Mount Lestat. I halted for several minutes, and then I started to panic.
“Mr. Hermit, I should call the police, and rescue those people now.”
“Lady Aoi, you are very kind and heartwarming.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“But later on, would you be able to survive and fight for your life?”
“Mr. Hermit, I don’t understand what you are trying to say.”
“There were only two passengers on that airplane. For sure, they will survive when that airplane crash landed.”
“How did you know?”
“I only worry about what comes next?”
“Huh?”
“Lady Aoi, we shouldn’t wait for the bus. We should start get going now.”
“Oh, my bicycle only has one seat.”
“Forget the bicycle. We are in a hurry. Let’s go…”
“Ah… What are you doing?”
Suddenly, Mr. Hermit picked me up and carried me on his shoulders.
“Mr. Hermit, let me down. You pervert.”
“It only takes a few minutes. Let me bring you to a safe place first.”
Mr. Hermit started running towards the town center area.
“Let me down! You are hurting me.”
“Keep quiet now. Otherwise I will… Hehe…”
Although I was on Mr. Hermit’s shoulders, I could sense his hentai smile back here. Meanwhile, I saw there were lots of military armor vehicles which were going in the opposite direction. A moment later, I even saw several tanks come by us. And I also heard helicopters flying above us.
“What is going on?”
“Lady Aoi, this is very bad. It seems they have arrived.”
“Who are they?”
“Sigh…”
“Bad people?”
“That depends.”
Bang! Bang! Bang! Boom! Boom! Boom! Those were the sounds I could hear from behind us. All of a sudden, the Town of Kensington had become a battlefield. Sometimes, I even felt that there were several intensive machine guns firing and loud explosives around us.
All I saw were cars rolling over to each other. I did not know why. But people on the streets were running away from us. Suddenly, I saw a bus which was rolling over several times in front of us. Human bodies were ejected out from the bus’s windows. Some of them had flown through mid-air, and some of them had landed around us. Since, I was scared by those dying faces and bloody body parts. Then, I started to cry.
Mr. Hermit shouted at me immediately.
“Stop crying! Now close your eyes and cover your ears with your hands!”
So, I closed my eyes and covered my ears until Mr. Hermit finally stopped at Kensington's Mall. He put me down, and we entered the mall. Once we were inside the mall, the atmosphere was totally dead silent. As I remember in those apocalypse movies, which I had watched. This situation should be chaotic. People ran in panic and screamed at the same time. However, nothing happened in front of my eyes.
“Huh? So, quiet. Nobody here at all?”
“Lady Aoi, what do you expect?”
“Umm… Maybe a zombie?”
“Haha… You watched too many zombie movies. Haha…”
“Maybe there are other survivors in here too.”
“Chances are slim though.”
“So that means this place is safe now?”
“Depends. But at least you can survive here for weeks. There is a supermarket, and the opposite side is a department store. You can get what you need in those places.”
“Only me?”
“Yes, of course.”
“What about yourself?”
“Lady Aoi, I need to go. I have some unfinished business, which has to be handled on my own.”
“Oh.”
“Be a good girl. Stay here and wait for the rescuers to come.”
“Understood.”
"Be careful."
“I will.”
Mr. Hermit took out something from his jacket’s inter-pocket. It was a locket necklace.
“I almost forgot. Here… I gave this necklace to you. This is your birthday gift from me.”
“No need for that. It looks expensive to me.”
“Lady Aoi, this is only a souvenir from my company. You see this locket… It has my company’s logo on it…”
Mr. Hermit showed me that necklace closely.
“Ah… Umm…”
“Please accept it as a lucky charm.”
“Umm… Thank you Mr. Hermit.”
Afterwards, I received my birthday’s gift from Mr. Hermit. He walked towards the mall’s entrance, and then he turned around and said.
“Goodbye! Lady Aoi…”
I stood near the mall’s entrance for a few minutes. Afterwards, I tried to call my parents. But just like in the movie, the mobile network was down. So, I went into the supermarket and gathered some supplies. I hoped the information from those apocalypse movies were correct. Otherwise, I would have a tough time surviving here.
Inside the supermarket, I found an aisle which had all of the birthday accessories. I put fifteen candles onto a black forest cake and then lit them up. I closed my eyes and then made a wish.
My birthday wish was to survive here and wait for the rescuers.
<<< === === >>>
After Mr. Hermit left the mall. I went to a convenient store and picked up a flash light and a lighter. Several minutes later, I was heading back to the department store. I got myself a backpack from the sports section. Then, I picked up some underclothing and I also got a rain coat in case I needed to go outside from this mall. Afterwards, I went into the supermarket. I got several bottles of water, some dry food, and a box of chocolate bars.
When I walked out from the supermarket. I heard some noises, which were coming from the second floor of this mall. Although, I was not sure why Mr. Hermit said that there would be no survivors within this mall. But I believed there should be other survivors, which were hiding in here too. So, I decided to go to the second floor and have a look.
I took the escalator and went up to the second floor. When I reached the second floor, I saw two shadowy figures, which were sitting in the food court. My curiosity was pushing me to walk closer and closer towards them. When I took several steps, I noticed those two shadowy figures were having a meal. Although, I did not have a clear view of what they were having for their meal. But in those horror movies that I have watched. Definitely, it was the right time to start running or hiding.
Unfortunately, those two shadowy figures noticed my presence. They turned their heads around and were staring at me. At this point, my six-sense told me I better start running away from here. However, my legs got clamps. They could not move at all. I was standing in the middle of the food court and looking at the two shadowy figures, which had started walking towards me. When the two shadowy figures were getting closer, my sight was much clearer. Apparently, those two shadowy figures changed into two little kids. A boy and a girl. Their ages should be around six to seven years old.
The girl walked closer to me, while the boy was hiding behind her. The girl took a closer look at me and then she had a small talk with the boy. A moment later, she was talking to me.
“Aoi, are you hungry?”
My jaw dropped immediately since I was thinking something bad would happen to me.
“Huh? How did you know my name?”
The girl looked at the boy and replied.
“Our master told us before we got here.”
“Your master?”
“Our master is Number Zero!”
The boy suddenly interrupted the conversation.
“Sheesh! You talked too much. Number Four!”
“Number Three, stop interrupting me.”
“I did not!”
“Yes, you did!”
“No, I did not!”
They kept on arguing until I asked the girl a question.
“Why are you here?”
The girl looked angry at the boy and said,
“Number Three… Sheesh! Aoi is talking to me now.”
“Okay, Okay.”
Then the girl looked at me and smiled.
“Umm… We are here because of you”
“Because of me?”
“Yes, in a very short notice. You see… We just woke up an hour ago and then our master told us to get here as soon as possible. We didn’t even have time to change our clothing.”
The boy interrupted the conversation.
“Aoi, we are still in our pajamas and we were hungry.”
The girl stared angrily at the boy.
“And that’s why we were having our lunch a moment ago. By the way, are you hungry?”
“I got a funny feeling about this. These little kids were coming from the daycare center?!”
“Aoi, we are not from the daycare center. And we are not little kids.”
I was surprised by the girl’s answer. She had answered my thought. Then, I took a closer look at her and asked.
“Did you read my mind?”
“Sometimes, I could read human minds. But usually, I don’t. It is because our master doesn’t like me to do so. He said that is rude.”
“Oh, I see.”
The boy interrupted the conversation again.
“Let me introduce ourselves. My name is Number Three, and she is Number Four. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you two.”
The girl asked me again.
“Aoi, are you hungry?”
“Currently, not hungry.”
“I see. I see. Then, let’s go.”
“Huh? Where?”
“Outside.”
“I think we should stay here and wait for the rescuers to come.”
The girl tilted her head.
“We are your rescuers.”
“Huh?”
The boy interrupted the conversation once again.
“Aoi, you should listen to Number Four. We need to go now. Before they found out you were up here.”
“Aoi, Number Three is right. We have to leave this mall before nightfall. Otherwise, they will come up here and hunt you down.”
“What will happen after nightfall? And who are they? Zombie?”
The boy tilted his head and answered.
“Aoi, worse than a zombie. They are vampires.”
I was shocked. Vampire – a fictional character from the novel. Did they really exist in this world?
“But we cannot simply just go outside. We need to find a place which is safe. Am I right?”
The girl replied.
“Aoi, we have no idea at all. But our master said that you will know the answer?”
“Me? Umm…”
A moment later, we were running through the mall’s main floor and were heading towards its entrance. Meanwhile, the girl and the boy kept asking me the same question over and over.
“Aoi, where are we going?”
“Aoi, where are we going?”
Finally, we left the mall. I stopped at the mall’s parking lot and replied.
“We are going to meet my parents.”
Both of them tilted their heads a little bit and then looked at each other in confusion.
“My parents are working in an archaeology excavation site, which is just only several miles away from Kensington.”
Both of them looked at me with joy and then said.
“City of Light!”
