They were lost in the maze of streets in the big city. Darren figured that after the second turn to go around a car crash, they got turned around. Without being able to see any street signs or any landmarks, even Yuki was lost.
Yuki traveled first, her figure a silhouette about five feet in front of him.
“Darren.” Yuki said, “You coming? I can barely see you.”
“I’m coming,” Darren said, “Wait up.”
“Again,” Yuki said.
Yuki stopped walking and waited for Darren.
“This is getting ridiculous.” Yuki said quietly, “Can’t we turn on a flashlight?”
“Then the whole neighborhood will know we’re here.” Darren said, “There’s a curfew on, remember.”
“Maybe the stars will come out.” Yuki said, “Or maybe it will rain.”
“Well,” Darren said, “Now that we’ve caught up again, let’s get a move on.”
Darren and Yuki started to push their bikes again. They were careful where they went, they avoided pieces of glass and other debris. Some of which Darren didn’t want to think about.
He grunted from the strain of pushing the bike. He figured that it would have been easier going if he could coast most of the way.
Just as Darren was going to call a break, the moon and the stars came out from behind the clouds. It looked like it was going to be a clear night for the rest of the night.
With the added light from the stars and the moon, the area lit up revealing the surrounding streets. Darren and Yuki were in the middle of what looked like a business district of some kind. Tall buildings with broken windows surrounded them. Parked cars were scattered across the street, but a distinct pathway wove its way through the mess. Garbage and junk lined the roads and in the corners around the cars. The parked cars were all missing different parts. Some were missing pieces of their bodywork like fenders. Some were missing tires, while others were missing seats.
Different tables or market stalls were set up along the sidewalks of the streets. Nothing was on the tables, but Darren assumed that the tables were to barter and trade for different items.
Out of the darkness walked a group of ten younger looking men and woman. Darren’s stomach dropped. They stood around on a street corner. They wore high school uniforms from different schools. Darren couldn’t tell the different colors of the uniforms, but they were of different styles.
The school-aged kids noticed the two of them in the middle of the road. They turned to face the two of them. Darren could see that they all carried weapons. A couple brandished different types of swords, while others carried bats and chains.
“Hey, you two.” One of the school-age kids yelled out, “Stop where you are. This is a toll.”
“Yeh.” Another one laughed, “A toll.”
Darren looked at Yuki.
“Time to leave,” Darren said.
Darren and Yuki jumped on their bikes, and the group of teenage thugs ran at them.
“Ride,” Darren yelled.
Darren rode forward, using his strong legs to propel himself forward ahead of Yuki.
A scream echoed from behind him.
Yuki was stopped. Two thugs had grabbed hold of her child carrier and were holding her back. A third charged at her with a sword held high. In the darkness, Darren didn’t recognize any of the people.
Darren screeched to a halt. He pulled out his handgun and aimed it at the charging thug. It was going to be a long shot. Darren steadied the gun with both hands. He squeezed the trigger. The gun bucked in his hand. He reorientated his aim and fired off a second shot.
The bullets flew through the air and missed the swordsman thug. The thug stopped and ducked to the ground.
A young looking teenage girl ran behind the swordsman. She held a tire iron in her hand. Blood spurted from her chest as the bullet slammed home. The girl dropped to the ground like a rock with a small little squeak of a screech.
The swordsman turned and ran toward the girl.
Darren could hear his yell and his sobs.
Darren’s hands shook as he aimed his gun at the two young thugs that held Yuki’s child carrier.
They let go the child carrier. Yuki rode away from the young thugs towards Darren.
Darren looked at the thugs.
“Attacking two travelers in the middle of the night.” Darren said to the thugs, “You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
The swordsman stood up and started to walk towards Darren. Anger filled his eyes. It was Michio, the color gang leader. Darren could see the anger in his eyes.
“Fight me you Gaijin Punk.” The young man said, “That was my little sister.”
Darren pointed the gun at the swordsman.
“I’m trying to pass through.” Darren said, “I’m sorry your sister died, but you shouldn’t have attacked us.”
Michio charged forward towards Darren.
Darren steadied his hand and aimed his gun at Michio’s sword hand.
With a squeeze of the trigger, the gun went off. The bullet screamed through the air to smash into Michio’s forearm. He dropped the sword and crumpled to the ground.
He wept on the asphalt.
“Just kill me,” Michio said.
“No.” Darren said, “I do not kill the unarmed. I aimed at you, and I missed. If I didn’t, you would have killed my friend with that sword. I am sorry that your sister was in the line of fire.”
“Kill me!” Michio said.
Yuki rode past Darren.
Darren took Michio’s sheath out of his belt and picked the sword off of the ground.
“Get that looked at,” Darren said.
Darren got on his bike.
“What’s your sister’s name again?” Darren asked.
“Emiko Asahara.”
“I’ll remember that. I’m sorry about your sister.” Daren said.
Darren put the sword through his belt and rode down the street to catch up with Yuki. The group of thugs hung back and watched Darren and Yuki ride off into the darkness of the night.
They rode in silence down the dark streets for a few minutes. Darren was lost in thought as they glided down the road. The light from the stars and the moon lit up the street more than before. Darren could see the rough outlines of objects as they passed them.
“Thank you,” Yuki said.
“Your welcome.” Darren said, “I’am just kicking myself for missing that guy.”
“You saved my life.” Yuki said, “If you didn’t shoot at him, then I would be dead right now.”
“I know,” Darren said.
That fact didn’t help his thoughts though.
Chapter 29
Darren followed Yuki down the road in a half daze. He remembered the girl he had killed back in the street. He remembered the girl’s shocked look on her face, the way she crumpled to the ground. Then he remembered the motorbiking color gang member and the two Kanata Club boys. A couple tears ran down his face.
He followed Yuki as she bounced off the road and onto a footpath. The path ran along the rows of houses. Darren followed behind Yuki as they meandered through the streets.
Yuki came to a halt, and Darren slid to a complete stop behind her. Stretched out in front of them, was a wall made out of stacked cars. The wall was three vehicles high, and it stretched as far as Darren could see. Stretched across the street was a cargo truck. The side of it had dusty, faded advertising of some soda company.
“JDF Roadblock.” Yuki said, “Get back.”
Yuki and Darren hid in an alley. The darkness of the alley hid them from sight.
Darren studied the roadblock, there were no lights on the other side. No floodlights shining across the area in front of it. No Guards standing out in front. There were no signs of people behind it. Darren knew that something was off.
“Is that roadblock full of soldiers?” Yuki said, “Or not?”