Battle Royale

There was a crevice in the rock waist deep, less than a meter wide. Covered with dirt and leaves, it continued southward. Shuya didn't know about its existence, but Shogo probably chose their position with this place in mind. It was a naturally formed trench. Shogo urged them on. Shuya and Noriko jumped down. Shogo rattled off his Uzi and followed them. A different rattling followed from behind. A thin tree with roots along the edge of the crevice exploded with a pop right by Shuya's head.

"Run!" Shogo shouted, and they ran down the crevice. Shuya almost tripped over a dry branch lying on the ground, but he managed to regain his footing and followed after Noriko. Behind them, the two guns exchanged shots.

Suddenly Noriko stopped as if she were hit by something. She moaned and crouched over. Shuya, who was turned towards Shogo, quickly ran to Noriko. Did she trip over something?

No. She looked up at Shuya. A cut ran under her left eye and blood gushed down her cheek. Maybe her right hand was cut too then. It was also bloody. The Browning that had been in her hand was on the ground by her feet.

Shuya put his right hand on her shoulder, looked up, and found...a thin, twisted wire stretched out across the crevice, neck-high. It didn't matter where Kazuo had found it (he'd probably unfastened the wire used to secure some object). Kazuo had already anticipated their escape by this route. At Shuya's height the wire would have cut right into his neck. At least this didn't happen to Noriko—but she could have lost her sight.

Shuya was furious. I don't know what Kazuo's about. Shogo had said, "He just chooses as he goes." I don't know if he's abnormal or normal, or a kind of genius or madman, but hurting Noriko, that was just unforgivable. I'm going to kill that motherfucker!

He tucked his CZ75 in front to help Noriko up, picked up the Browning, and then held Noriko's shoulder with the gun in his hand. Noriko staggered but managed to get up.

Shogo caught up as he fired away. He glanced back at the two of them and then—maybe he caught a glance of the wire—clenched his teeth. As he turned around again, Shuya saw beyond him Kazuo Kiriyama in his school coat jump into the crevice.

Shogo yelled, "Duck!" as he fired away. Holding his machine gun, Kazuo quickly ducked behind a curve in the crevice. Shogo's shots tore at the rock along the curve. Dust flew up.

"Run!" Shogo repeated. Shuya held Noriko up and proceeded to run under the wire. He slowed down though, in case of any more wire traps.

Shuya was frustrated. If he could only use both of his arms he could pummel Kazuo with bullets while he held Noriko.

Shogo continued firing away as he stuck close to them from behind. Kazuo also returned gunfire as he approached them.

The crevice that continued for fifty or sixty meters came to an end. Shuya leaped up to the ground before Noriko. He took Noriko's uninjured left hand and pulled her up. Noriko bravely stiffened her face to conceal her pain, but the left half of her face was now covered with blood.

"Don't stop!" Shogo yelled over the gunfire. Shuya pulled Noriko's hand and dashed into the bushes ahead.

Once they came out of the bushes, they found themselves in the front yard of a residential house built against the side of the mountain. It was an old single-story building. There was a white light truck right next to an entrance road in front of the house. For some reason there was a washer and refrigerator, both on their sides, loaded in the light truck. Were they being dumped?

"Get behind the truck!" Shogo's shouted again. Shuya and Noriko stepped onto the rain-drenched soil. Holding each other's hands, they made their way behind the truck.

By the time Shogo followed and slid in, Shuya had Noriko sit down, the Browning in his hand. He caught a glimpse of a figure moving in the shrubs. He shot several times at it. He felt a searing pain through his left shoulder, from the bullet lodged inside it. The pain sizzled, but he had to ignore it.

Shogo reloaded a magazine into his Uzi and handed it over to Shuya. He said, "Shoot away. Hold him back."

Shuya put his Browning down by his feet, took the Uzi, and fired away at the area where Kazuo appeared again.

Kazuo didn't shoot back. As Shuya peeked above the pickup truck rack, Noriko planted herself right next to him. In her hands was the Browning he had put down.

"Are you all right, Noriko?" he asked as he checked for Kazuo's movements in the shrubs.

"I'm okay," Noriko replied.

Shuya glanced beyond Noriko over at Shogo. Shogo opened the door, dove into the driver's seat, and started working on something.

With the sudden revving sound, the truck Shuya and Noriko were leaning against began to vibrate. The revving became a low hum as the water drops on the truck body began trickling with the soft vibration.

Shogo poked his head out. "Come on! We're getting out of here! Noriko, hurry!"

Shogo offered her his hand and helped her into the truck. "Shuya! The front passenger's seat!"