Hiroshi stepped out of the house into the snowy landscape, the cold air biting at his exposed face.
He looked behind him. The mercenaries he had hired, once hardened killers, now followed him like mindless automatons, their free will suppressed like mindless zombies, responding the commands of that chilling monster. To Hiroshi’s right, Hiroshi’s uncanny look-alike, the doppelganger, moved silently, its eyes fixed on him. Ensuring that he didn’t even consider escape.
Hiroshi, followed closely by the entranced mercenaries, arrived at the truck shortly after. The only sounds being the crunching of snow underfoot. The night was dark and foggy, the snow and smog blending together, cloaking the environment in a thick veil. It was dark, and the only lights there were the headlights of the vehicle which provided some meager illumination on the old, deserted road.
As Hiroshi reached the truck, he muttered a silent curse under his breath directed at Sachiko.
“Damn that bitch, if only she hadn’t pushed Kazu to investigate that house, I wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Hiroshi reached the truck and issued instructions to the team.
“Kazu, take the driver’s seat. Sachiko, sit beside him.”
He directed the rest of the men, “The rest of you get into the back of the truck.”
They responded to his commands like mindless drones, each taking their assigned seats without a hint of resistance or question. Hiroshi then glanced at the doppelganger, his own face staring back at him, a unsettling sight. He felt afraid, hesitant to speak to a being that was a near perfect copy of himself and also a literal monster from hell.
“You...” Hiroshi began, his voice slightly shaky. “You’re supposed to get into the truck next, right?”
The doppelganger, maintaining its unnervingly quiet demeanor, produced a low, chilling noise in response to Hiroshi’s statement. A chilling noise that sent shivers down Hiroshi’s spine.
It moved stiffly, mechanically, like a puppet on a string, lacking the natural fluidity of movement and stepped into and inside the truck.
Hiroshi shut the gate of the truck, and stood before the closed doors. A part of him longed to bolt away, but he knew the futility of that desire. Miles of isolation stretched in all directions, devoid of any human presence. Making escape on foot impossible. He thought about calling for backup but they would take too long to arrive not to mention that guns would be useless against the monster so Armed soldiers wouldn’t be any match for it.
Letting out a sigh of resignation, Hiroshi walked back into the house.
______________________________________
Hayate was still sitting on his bed when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Instead of a knock, Hiroshi simply stepped into the room, The door of his room had been knocked down so there was no need to him to knock. Hiroshi remained silent, awkwardly stand.
Hayate looked up and gestured for Hiroshi to enter the room. “Come in,” he said.
Hiroshi walked into the room, his demeanor uneasy as he glanced at Hayate who was sitting on the bed. Hiroshi informed him, “They are all now in the vehicle.”
He glanced around the room, A moment of hesitation followed, and Hiroshi fidgeted slightly before asking Hayate. “I ... I was wondering how I am supposed to get back?”
Hayate responded to Hiroshi, “Don’t worry. I’ll ask you a few more questions, and after that, I’ll drop you off in Neo-Tokyo.”
Hiroshi nodded and then asked something else, “Um...,” Hiroshi began, hesitating for a moment before asking, “How should I address you? You never gave me a name or anything to call you by.”
Hiroshi then added, “Since I’ll be working under you now, I was wondering what should I call you?”
Hayate paused, thinking about his options. He couldn’t use his former human name, Hayate Sato.
He needed a title or pseudonym. “Ah, this is tougher than I thought...” Hayate said to himself in his mind, scratching his chin.
Hayate scrunched his face, he considered borrowing usernames from his friends in Hollow.
“Hmm, ‘CypherLord’? Nah, it doesn’t quite fit. ‘DarkMysteriousAssassinMaster’? Too long and cliché. ‘The Silent Killer’? Sounds like a cheesy name on a B-grade action movie. ‘ShadowLord’? Sounds edgy.”
Hayate was getting frustrated. If Hiroshi wasn’t there watching, Hayate would likely have been tugging at his own hair in despair. Turning to Hiroshi, Hayate forced a smile and said, “Give me... a moment.” Which to Hiroshi seemed creepy but he couldn’t object nonetheless so he too forced a smile and nodded. Then finally Hayate got an idea.
“Lucifer.”
It sounded appropriate, considering his current appearance. He wasn’t in his human body anymore.
Although he admitted it sounded a bit edgy, he decided to go ahead with it.
He then looked up at Hiroshi and announced, “You can call me Lucifer.”
Hiroshi’s eyes widened in surprise as Hayate introduced himself as Lucifer.
“Lucifer, as in, the fallen angel from Christianity? No, it can’t be...” he thought.
Hiroshi then nodded again. “Alright... Sir...”
There was a brief pause as Hiroshi stumbled for a moment, still adjusting to the name, to refer to this monster as Lucifer was bizzare.
“Sir... Lucifer,” Hiroshi repeated, the name rolling off his tongue awkwardly yet obediently.
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“Alright,” Hayate said, his eyes on Hiroshi. “Now, we shall begin with the questioning.”
______________________________________
Inside the truck, Kazu’s eyes slowly opened, and he found himself regaining awareness. He rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He looked around, realizing that Sachiko was slumped over in the passenger seat, seemingly fast asleep.
The engine was idling, indicating that the vehicle was switched on.
“Huh...?” Kazu muttered, his voice hoarse and groggy. “How did... I fall asleep? I don’t remember...”
Kazu, still disoriented, turned around and reached for a small window that provided a glimpse into the back of the truck. He opened it and peered through it. He saw the rest of his team, excluding Hiroshi, all seemingly asleep.
Concerned and wanting to rouse them, Kazu shouted loudly, “Hey! Wake up, all of you!”
“Hiroshi” looked into the window from behind, causing Kazu to jump in surprise.
“Jesus, man, you scared me,” Kazu muttered, regaining his composure. “You—you’re awake too, hey?” he asked. “How the hell did we all suddenly faint? I just woke up a few seconds ago.”
“Hiroshi” responded, his expression unreadable. “Yeah, something weird happened. We all suddenly passed out, including me. Just woke up a moment ago.”
Kazu glanced at the time displayed on the car’s board, they were running late by 10 minutes. He turned his attention to the back of the truck and called out to “Hiroshi.”
“Hey, wake the others up in the back, Hiroshi-san.” Kazu asked. “I’ll take care of Sachiko.
Kazu then looked over at Sachiko, asleep in the passenger seat. He gently shook her shoulder, attempting to wake her up. “Sachiko, wake up.”
Sachiko groggily opened her eyes, blinking a few times as she adjusted to her surroundings. She then sat up straight, her vision clearing.
“Huh... what happened?” she mumbled. Kazu looked at Sachiko, concern on his face. “Do you remember anything? Anything at all?”
Sachiko shook her head, her brow furrowing, “No... I don’t remember anything. It’s all a blank.”
Kazu nodded, a subtle sigh escaping his lips. He asked in a gentle voice, “How are you feeling? Are you alright?”
Sachiko replied, her voice slightly weary, “I’m feeling a little dizzy... Can I go to the back of the truck and lie down for a bit?”
“Sure, go ahead. Take it easy and rest for a while back there.”
Sachiko stepped out of the passenger seat and into the cold night air. She shivered slightly as the chill air hit her skin.
She mumbled to herself, “It’s so cold...”
She quickly walked over to the back of the truck, The door’s of the truck was opened as the team members were slowly roused from their unconscious state by “Hiroshi,” who had woken them up. Sachiko stepped into the back of the truck, one of the men who had been woken up stood up and moved towards the front of the vehicle to occupy the passenger seat. In his place, Sachiko took a seat where he had been sitting.
One of the men closed the heavy doors, shutting out the cold night air.
Sachiko settled in beside “Hiroshi”, her eyes discreetly studied him. “So this is the Megacorp employee who hired us, huh? He does look the part...” she thought to herself.
Sachiko abruptly averted her gaze as “Hiroshi” suddenly turned his attention towards her. His face remained expressionless, giving nothing away. He asked in a soft, almost gentle tone, “Were you staring at me?”
Sachiko shook her head, denying “Hiroshi’s” assumption. “No, no, I wasn’t...I’m sorry.”
“Hiroshi” acknowledged her apology with a brief nod and a simple, “It’s fine.”
He then resumed his staring, his gaze fixed on the door of the truck, as if contemplating something in silence.
But then “Hiroshi’s” eyes suddenly focused on her once more, he didn’t blink. Not even once.
“Do you remember anything before losing consciousness?”
“Ah, I... I don’t remember,” Sachiko responded. She furrowed her brows, wracking her brain for any recollection, but the events prior to her loss of consciousness remained a blank.
Kazu’s voice called out from the front of the truck, interrupting “Hiroshi” as he was about to speak.
“Everyone in the back, are you all okay? I’m going to start driving again!”
The men exchanged nods and murmured confirmations of their well-being. With everyone’s assurance reached, Kazu received the signal to proceed. He gripped the steering wheel and started driving again. Leaning her head against her shoulder, Sachiko found the position somewhat uncomfortable. But she dismissed the discomfort, thinking it was manageable for the moment.
Feeling a bit off, she closed her eyes momentarily, allowing herself to rest for a moment.
Her head felt strangely heavy, and she wasn’t sure why.. but she quickly dismissed the notion. If there was something amiss with her body, she would have noticed it, right?
Even though her eyes were closed, she couldn’t seem to fall asleep. She opened her eyes, sitting up straight once more.
The stagnant air in the back of the truck felt stifling. Sachiko, now fully alert and feeling a bit bored, decided to initiate some conversation to pass the time with “Hiroshi.”
She turned her head slightly, looking in his direction, and began the small talk.
“So, Hiroshi...san.. I don’t think I’ve mentioned my name yet,” Sachiko said. She extended her hand as an offer of a handshake. “My name is Sachiko. What’s yours?”
“Hiroshi” turned mechanically toward Sachiko, his movements somewhat stiff and unnatural. He looked at her, his gaze moving up and down slowly before he extended his hand to shake hers.
Sachiko hesitantly shook his hand. The moment their hands met, “Hiroshi’s” grip was shockingly firm, almost uncomfortably so, squeezing tightly and sending a jolt of pain through Sachiko’s hand.
She instinctively retracted it, and a startled squeak escaped her lips. For a moment, her mind played tricks on her, and she thought she saw a fleeting, almost mischievous smile on “Hiroshi’s” face and an almost inaudible giggle reaching her ears. “Hiroshi” leaned in closer, seizing her hand gently. He held it in his hands and With a fake-innocent tone and smile, he apologized, “Forgive me, I seemed to have used a bit too much strength.”
She forced a smile, attempting to ignore the discomfort that lingered in her hand, and responded, her voice slightly shaky, “It’s... It’s okay.”
“Hiroshi” spoke again, his head cocked slightly, asking about her name. “Your name, Sachiko, it means ‘child of bliss’ or ‘child of joy,’ right? Quite an old-fashioned name...”
Sachiko replied, her voice steady but internally unnerved, “Yes, that’s correct. It’s an old-fashioned name.” Sachiko, feeling uneasy with “Hiroshi’s” prolonged grip on her hand, meekly requested, “Uhm, could you please let go of my hand now?”
“Hiroshi,” seemingly in a strange trance, glanced downward at his hands which were holding hers, momentarily appearing lost in thought. After a moment, he lifted his eyes to meet hers and said in a subdued tone, “Forgive me again. I got carried away. I didn’t mean to hold on for so long.” Slowly, he released his grasp, removing his hands from hers. The moment when their hands separated felt almost like a relief to Sachiko.
After the awkward moment passed, a few seconds of tense silence, Sachiko decided to initiate another attempt at small talk. “So,” she began, her fingers fidgeting slightly in her lap, “I was just wondering... have you ever eaten real beef? You know, beef from a cow? Not the lab-grown stuff. I had it once, at a party but even that was lab-grown.”
Lab-grown meat was readily available, but natural beef was rare and expensive due to the rarity of farmland. Beef was quite expensive even lab grown one so even that was reserved for special occasions. One time, Kazu had insisted on a celebration after their latest successful mission, treating the team to dinner at a fancy restaurant. It was there that Sachiko had her first taste of genuine, lab-grown beef. She was curious If Hiroshi had tasted the real, genuine thing. Beef was a rarity nowadays, and she thought that perhaps a megacorp employee could afford the luxury.
“Hiroshi”, his tone calm and almost nonchalant, replied, “Yes, I have. My family and me included are quite wealthy, so i’ve had the opportunity to eat beef quite a few times. One of my favourite dishes is actually a well-made steak.”
"Hiroshi’s" casual admission of enjoying steak, a luxury for many, sparked a bit of envy within her. Yet, she hid it with a polite, “A well-made steak, huh? Must be nice,”
Sachiko followed up by asking, “How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I’m 25,” he replied. “How about you?”
Sachiko then shared her age in return, saying, “I’m 19 years old.”