She was genuinely taken aback by the gap between their ages. It made her wonder how he held such a high position at his young age. As the conversation turned personal, Sachiko mentioned, “Oh, I have a friend who’s also your age! Her name is Yamada Sato.”
After a brief moment, “Hiroshi” nodded, his face expressionless. He then curtly asked, “Are you done speaking now?”
His voice carried a hint of boredom, as if he was not fully invested in the conversation.
Sachiko caught on to the lack of interest in his tone. Feeling a bit awkward, she hesitated before nodding lightly.
“Umm... yeah, I guess so...” she said quietly, her voice somewhat hesitant.
———————————————
Kazu, driving the truck, mentally instructed his Neurochip to make a call to Hiroshi because they were about to enter dangerous territory. However, to his surprise, the connection didn’t go through. The truck moved toward the outskirts of the city, closing in on the infamous slum of Tokyo. Around 10 kilometers away. The sprawling mass of misery known as the slum stretched as far as could be seen, housing a staggering population estimated at around 800,000.
The community was a melting pot of marginalized individuals – those lacking education, those struggling to find employment, former criminals, and gang members. Over time, it had grown so large and dense it was effectively like its own city. Kazu attempted to reach Hiroshi for the second time, but there remained no response.
Kazu, increasingly confused by Hiroshi’s lack of response, turned his head slightly and called out, “Hiroshi-san?”
He repeated, “Hiroshi-san? Are you awake? Hello?”
From the back of the truck, “Hiroshi” as if suddenly snapping out of some distant thought, replied, “Yeah? What did you need?”
“Why weren’t you picking up my calls?” A brief pause followed, and it seemed like an eternity before Hiroshi finally responded. “Hiroshi” hesitated briefly before responding.
“Apologies,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion. “I must have been too lost in thought to notice your calls.”
The other members in the truck remained oblivious to what was happening. Kazu, however, furrowed his brow slightly, a hint of unease crossing his expression. The brief pause from Hiroshi was unlike his usual behaviour, making Kazu a bit suspicious.
Kazu expressed a bit of wariness but played it off.
“It’s fine,” he spoke, attempting to downplay his suspicions. He added, “I was just going to say that we’re nearing the slums now, so the road might have some potholes or bumps.”
He didn’t comment any further. The response from Hiroshi was a simple and calm, “I see.”
Kazu couldn’t shake off the nagging feeling that Hiroshi’s behavior had taken an odd turn since their shared fainting episode.
“Why is he acting so strange?” Kazu pondered to himself. “Ever since we all woke up, he’s been acting weird. He was the first to wake up, too...”
Kazu let out a soft sigh, if there were any cams in the truck or in their suits he could have checked them but sadly there were none. They didn’t have any cameras installed because it was unnecessary and potentially incriminating. The team didn’t record their illegal activities, so there were no cameras in their suits either. This left Kazu in the dark, without any means to verify his suspicions.
Kazu turned his head slightly towards the back, he was taking a gamble, hoping to extract a clue to ease his suspicions. He addressed “Hiroshi,” trying to sound casual.
“I’ve sent you a message, Hiroshi-san. Could you please read it aloud?”
Kazu waited for “Hiroshi’s” response, holding his breath. He had fabricated the idea of sending a message, a quick test to gauge his reaction. If “Hiroshi” reacted as if he had received a non-existent message, it would be a clear indication that something was off.
There was nothing but silence in the truck for a minute, when suddenly “Hiroshi” spoke up.
“I’ve received your message,” he said, his voice carrying a hint of detachment. “Please allow me a moment to read it.”
Kazu’s heart skipped a beat.
He felt a knot form in his stomach.
It was clear now, the person in the back of the truck was not the real Hiroshi.
Kazu discreetly pressed a button on the truck’s console, engaging its automatic driving mode. Meanwhile, he reached into his left side pocket and retrieved his handgun. Kazu was holding a sleek, black handgun, a model known as the “Silent Assassin.” It had been Manufactured by the prestigious “TecCorp” in the year 2098, it featured a lightweight yet durable frame, a Smart AI guidance system which allow the person firing to lock onto a target, and an advanced firing capability with a total capacity to hold 16 rounds. The handgun was part of the “V30K Series,”
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The man beside him, now alerted by Hiroshi’s gesture, was on the verge of asking a question when “Hiroshi” quickly hushed him with a finger to his lips.
Kazu, still facing forward, subtly motioned to the man beside him with his handgun, signaling for him to draw his own weapon. Since most of their heavier weaponry was securely stashed away in the back of the truck, all they could use right now were handguns.
Kazu then sent a message to the rest of his group, “Be on your guard. Watch ‘Hiroshi’ closely. Stay ready to draw your firearms at a moment’s notice. Something’s off.”
After an agonizing 10 seconds of silence, “Hiroshi” spoke up once more. He calmly recited the contents of the non-existent message, word for word.
“Hiroshi-san, after this mission is done, treat me and my team to some good steak, would you please?”
“That is what your message said..right?”
Kazu couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the bizarre attempt at deception. He swiftly raised his handgun and shouted to his team members, his voice sharp and authoritative.
“Aim your weapons at ‘Hiroshi’!”
———————————————
In the back of the truck, everyone swiftly responded to Kazu’s command, raising their rifles and pointing them at “Hiroshi.”Sachiko, still somewhat confused, joined in by pointing her handgun at “Hiroshi.” She didn’t know what was going on, but she knew that something was not right.
“Hiroshi” remained unnervingly motionless, his face devoid of the slightest shift. No blink of the eye, no twitch of a muscle. The only visible sign of his presence was the cold, unblinking stare that he directed at the group.
Kazu, positioned in the front seat, used the small opening between the front and back of the truck to aim his gun at the back of “Hiroshi’s” head. With a steely voice, he delivered a clear threat.
“Don’t move an inch, or I will shoot.”
Kazu pressed on, his handgun still aimed at “Hiroshi’s” head. His demand was clear:
“Who the hell are you, huh? And where is the real Hiroshi?”
A minute ticked by in silence. Kazu, growing impatient and increasingly wary, pressed his gun firmly against the being’s head.
“Speak up within the next ten seconds, or you’re dead. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, te-“
As Kazu was counting off, reaching the final number, “Hiroshi” finally relented.
“Yes... I’ve been caught. I am not Hiroshi..” It admitted in an oddly calm, detached voice.
Kazu’s grip on his gun tightened, his eyes narrowing. “Who are you?” he demanded.
The being calmly responded to Kazu’s question, seemingly unperturbed by the gun pressed against its head.
“My name...is not important,” it said in a flat, emotionless tone. “I am merely...a replacement vessel for him...My creator...sent me here to watch over you humans,” it said with a sense of regret. “To observe and report. But...now I have failed. I must eliminate witnesses of my failure. I must eliminate all of you.”
Kazu’s heart was racing at a million beats per second. The entity mentioned a “creator,” was it even human? “Robot? Cyborg? Advanced human-like android?” he muttered internally. “What kind of insane creation is this thing?”
Kazu, put his finger on the trigger of his gun and firmly declared, “you are not going to be laying even a single finger on any of my teammates. Tell me where the real hiroshi is.”
He pressed the gun harder against the entity’s head, his tone brooking no argument.
“No need to be concerned about him. He is safe, much to my dismay.”
Suddenly, “Hiroshi” suddenly stood up, unsettling tremors coursing through its body. Everyone reacted instinctively, their fingers tightening on the triggers, ready to fire at any moment.
The sound of cracking bones echoed through the truck. The once-solid form of Hiroshi melted before their eyes, liquefying into a grotesque, inky pool on the floor. Sachiko, horrified by the disgusting sight, let out a scream that echoed through the truck.
It was a sight no human was ever meant to witness.
This was nothing natural.
Something like this wasn’t supposed to exist.
Kazu, witnessing the unthinkable transformation through the narrow opening, slammed on the brakes with such force that the truck came to a grinding halt. The man who had been sitting alongside him sprang from the front seat too, sprinting to the back,
As they entered the back, the two men were greeted by a sight that was beyond stomach-churning.
The remnants of the once-human-like entity, now reduced to a puddle of bones, blood,and some sort of gooey fleshy substance spread across the floor of the vehicle.
Kazu, his face pale with shock, muttered under his breath, “What the actual... fuck”
No one in the group knew what had just happened.
Sachiko, overcome with fear, rushed out of the truck, seeking the safety of solid ground. She stood beside Kazu. “What... what just happened?”
Kazu swiftly gave the order for everyone to grab their guns and exit the truck.
As they stepped outside, the biting cold hit them with an intensity that seemed to chill them to the bone. The temperature had dropped dramatically within moments, the temperature dropping to below zero. Kazu did not know what he should do now. If his opponent was a human it would be fine but that thing clearly wasn’t a human when suddenly something caught his attention, the grotesque mass of blood, flesh, and bones began to move.
The once-puddling mass of blood, flesh, and bones began to undulate and shift, reforming into a grotesque, abominable humanoid form and then it transformed into what only could only be described as a nightmare.
Kazu’s hand trembled uncontrollably as he tried to steady his aim, his gun trained on the nightmarish creature standing before them. However, despite his efforts, his body refused to cooperate, his arm trembling with fear and preventing him from pulling the trigger.
In the face of the unfathomable horror that stood before him, Kazu, historically a man of little faith, found himself desperately praying to any deity that would listen. In this moment of sheer terror, even a self-proclaimed atheist finds belief.
“Please... help us,” he whispered, his voice devoid of its usual confidence as he stared in horror at the nightmare standing in front of him.
Kazu’s eyes darted around. He wasn’t alone; all members of the group were locked in an immobile trance, their bodies rejecting any attempt to flee or protect themselves.
It was completely silent. No birds, no bugs, not even crickets. Except for the sounds of them breathing and the sound of the snowfall, there was no sound.
It was sickening.
Inky darkness consumed all, wrapping the group in an eerie silence. The only source of light originated from the truck, casting a dim illumination that failed to break through utter blackness beyond their immediate vicinity. From a distance, faint lights from the sprawling slum flickered like dying stars.
The monster turned its head towards them, “KHEEEEEEEHHH”
It let out a bone-chilling roar, a horrendous sound that mimicked the cries of dying pigs and the screech of chalk against a blackboard. The piercing sound echoed through the air. The piercing sound was almost indescribably painful, kazu’s left and right ear even started to bleed a little.
The Doppelganger advanced with surprising swiftness, Its feet, like talons with three long toes pointing backwards, left imprints on the ground that seemed to burn into the memory.
In no time at all, the demon was standing directly in front of Kazu, Kazu could feel its fetid breath, the putrid smell assaulting his senses.
Kazu was petrified with fear, his body trembling uncontrollably. The scent of ammonia filled the air, and he felt a warmth spreading across his lower half. Kazu, in a moment of dread, glanced down, realizing to his horror that he had lost control of his bladder, a stain spreading uncomfortably on his trousers.
The creature, moved closer to Kazu, its long, bony fingers delicately touching his face. In a swift, almost loving gesture. One of its long fingers grazed his cheek. The touch was a mere graze, yet it sliced through skin like a razor, leaving behind an agonizingly deep gash. Warm blood gushed from the wound, trickling down his face. It wasn’t attacking yet. Not yet. It seemed as if the monster was toying with its prey, not taking their lives seriously.
Just then, Kazu heard the sound of a gunshot, and he turned his head towards the source. one of his team-mates. Kaito, a young man known for his reckless behavior, had always been a bit hot-headed. In this moment of panic, he lost control, firing his gun into the air in a desperate attempt to stave off the monster. The sudden noise had startled everyone, and it seemed to catch the attention of the Doppelganger. The creature swiveled its head towards the source of the gunshot, locking its eyes on kaito.
Kaito’s impulsive actions drew the creature’s attention, In a flash, the Doppelganger surged towards Kaito, moving at a blinding speed. Kazu, too slow to process what happened, witnessed the violent spectacle. In an instant, the Doppelganger moved so swiftly it was almost imperceptible. Before Kazu could comprehend, Kaito was flung into the air like a rag doll, careening a few meters before plummeting back to the ground.
However, his descent was abruptly stopped when he landed upon the extended bony fingers of the monster. The impact was horrific. A grotesque sound filled the air, the sound of something being stabbed through flesh and bone.
Kazu couldn’t bear to look.
There were no screams or cries of pain, only silence.
It was suffocating, broken only by a horrifying crunch echoing through the darkness.
Kaito didn’t show any signs of pain or suffering, offering no screams or tears in response to the grievous harm he had just endured
No.
Kaito, in the span of a few seconds, was no longer among them.
The true nightmare had only just begun.