11-04-2024, 01:41 AM
Restlessness tugged at Kiyohito’s mind while his body was all but dead to the world.
He was walking through an apartment building. The halls were strangely endless, and while familiar, he couldn’t quite remember if he’d been here before.
Yet some subconscious purpose kept his stride going forward. He couldn’t be late. He would shame his family greatly with such a disrespectful gesture. Yet as he climbed a set of metal stairs in a hollow stairwell, he wasn’t sure where he was meant to go. Only that he had to be there.
He picked a floor at random, emerging into a hallway that seemed exactly the same as the one below.
Suddenly, a gunshot rang from a nearby apartment. The door was open, and he rushed in, worried that it was his fault. Death was following him, pushing him into an abyss of guilt.
He found two strangers standing in a nursery. Kiyohito’s heart nearly stopped, his usually pensive gaze now wide with surprise. The mother held a gun. The other man, large and muscular, stood over her with authority. He spoke in English despite his distinctly Japanese appearance, and an explanatory scene formed in his imagination.
He rushed to the woman’s side, placing his body in front of her, holding her back with an arm.
“Leave her alone!” his orders cut like a sword slicing the air.
He was walking through an apartment building. The halls were strangely endless, and while familiar, he couldn’t quite remember if he’d been here before.
Yet some subconscious purpose kept his stride going forward. He couldn’t be late. He would shame his family greatly with such a disrespectful gesture. Yet as he climbed a set of metal stairs in a hollow stairwell, he wasn’t sure where he was meant to go. Only that he had to be there.
He picked a floor at random, emerging into a hallway that seemed exactly the same as the one below.
Suddenly, a gunshot rang from a nearby apartment. The door was open, and he rushed in, worried that it was his fault. Death was following him, pushing him into an abyss of guilt.
He found two strangers standing in a nursery. Kiyohito’s heart nearly stopped, his usually pensive gaze now wide with surprise. The mother held a gun. The other man, large and muscular, stood over her with authority. He spoke in English despite his distinctly Japanese appearance, and an explanatory scene formed in his imagination.
He rushed to the woman’s side, placing his body in front of her, holding her back with an arm.
“Leave her alone!” his orders cut like a sword slicing the air.