5. Haru.
Sakuto national hospital was the biggest healthcare facility in the entire city. It was also the name of the hospital Haru had given the taxi driver whose vehicle he was now stepping out of. He flicked open his umbrella once outside the cab and held it over his head. Then he reached back into the vehicle and grabbed the bouquet of fresh tied up roses.
"All right." he said to the driver, speaking a bit loud so his voice could carry over the sound of the rain. "I've got the flowers. You can go now. Thanks." He pushed the door shut then step back as the man proceeded to pull out of parking and drove off into the night.
Haru clutched the roses tightly to his chest then turned to stare at the massive building with over 500 rooms with illuminated windows, his eyes instinctively settling on the 10th floor. For almost 9 years he had constantly visited room 409 without fail. Sometimes once a week, sometimes twice, and sometimes more. And he wasn't looking to break that tradition anytime soon, as doing that would mean that he was abandoning her. And unlike his father, he was never going to do that.
Moving into the hospital, Haru made his way over to the receptionist where he gave his name and stated his Business.
"Haru Okazaki." he said. "Visiting Deborah Okazaki."
"All right one moment." the lady on the opposite side of the counter said to him, confirming his identity. After which, she then picked out a key from a drawer and said, "okay would you please follow me this way sir."
When they finally got to room 409, the lady unlocked the door and held it open for Haru to walk in. Then, still clutching the door handle, the receptionist asked.
"Will you be leaving early today sir or will you be staying for your normal hours?"
"Normal hours." Haru replied, turning to face her. "If it's no trouble please."
"Absolutely no trouble." the lady said. "I'll let her doctors know that you are around in case you want to speak with them."
"Thank you." Haru responded, nodding his head in appreciation.
"Oh, don’t thank me." the lady said smiling, her eyes closed. "It's my job after all."
A minute later Haru was standing alone in his mother's hospital room after the receptionist lady had closed the door and left. The place was dimly lit and quiet, with the only sound being that of the gentle humming of the AC unit and the near silent wheezing of a life support machine. Deeper within the room was a section that was closed off with blue screen curtains, which was where the silent beeping of the life support machine was coming from. It was also where his mother lay unconscious, stuck in a coma for almost a decade.
Still carrying the bag of fresh roses, Haru propped his umbrella by the door and moved towards the curtains. He swept the curtains aside and saw his mother in the same state she had always been for the past 9 years. Asleep. Her face was to the ceiling, her nose and mouth were covered with a transparent blue mask that helped her breathe. Her body from the lower part of her chest down to her legs were wrapped in a blanket, but both her arms were outside and stretched out by her side.
She was dressed in a hospital gown.
There was a drip system that was connected to the back of one of her hands, and Haru hoped that the colorless liquid would soon be swapped out for a fresh bag as the one he was looking at was half empty.
"Hey ma." Haru said, reaching out his free hand to hold his mother by the Palm. "I brought you flowers." His voice was calm and relaxed, unlike the Haru most people knew at school. He briefly let go of her hand in order to set the bag of fresh roses on the floor, so he could begin swapping out the dried ones sitting in a pot on the coffee table beside the bed with the ones he had bought. And as soon as he was done with that, he pulled up a chair that was sitting in the corner and sat beside his mother.
Haru didn't really say much to his mother after that. He just sat there keeping her company, and occasionally giving her hand a little squeeze so that she'd know he was there. His mind however, was a different story. He thought about what his mother must be feeling in that moment, he thought about how his father had essentially moved on from his mother and was no longer visiting. Then he eventually thought on why his mother was stuck in a coma in the first place, and he immediately got riled up just thinking about it.
"He did this." Haru would always tell himself, just as he did in that very moment. "It was him, that freak. He is the reason you are in this bed right now." He would continue to talk not really focusing on anything or anyone until inevitably, he mentally gets transported to the day it happened. To the day his former best friend slaughtered an entire neighborhood and almost killed his mother.
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The day always started out the same way in his head. With him and Hiroshi standing in the kitchen and staring at the large circular shaped birthday cake their parent had gotten them. It was decorated with so many designs and the mix of pink and sky blue made it look quite nice. It also had the frosting in a similar shade, and at the center of the cake was written, "Haru and Hiroshi." With a giant number 10 written at the bottom of the names.
"Woooow!" Hiroshi had exclaimed. "It looks so good. I got to have a taste." But before Hiroshi could dash over to grab a spoon, Haru had quickly grabbed him by his shirt's collar keeping him stationary.
"Hold on Hiroshi." Haru had said to his best friend who was desperately still trying to run free of his grasp to grab a spoon. "We just have to wait a couple more minutes then we can eat alright? So just relax, okay?" Hiroshi struggled some more but eventually complied and calm down.
"So, what are you going to wish for when they add the candles?" Hiroshi had asked Haru after a little while had gone by with them doing nothing but standing around and looking at the cake.
"That's a good question." Haru had said, crossing his arms and stroking his chin. "Well, I am going to wish that my parents finally get me that new game I have been asking for. It comes with twin controller so we will be able to play together right off the bat!" Haru smiled, closing his eyes at the thought. "How about you? “Haru ask Hiroshi. "What is your wish going to be about?"
Haru had not immediately gotten an answer like he expected. Instead, he opened his eyes in confusion, and found a shoulder slumped Hiroshi standing beside him with his head lowered. He was about to ask him what the problem was when Hiroshi finally spoke up.
"My wish," Hiroshi had said, his voice almost a whisper. "Will be for all my nightmares to go away."
"What? Nightmares? “Haru had asked, a bit taken aback. "What kind of birthday wish is that? What nightmares are you even talking about?"
"All of them." Hiroshi had simply replied. "All of them. “He repeated, still standing in that slumped posture of his.
Haru had no real clue on how to respond to what his friend had said, so he turned his attention away from the conversation and stared into the living room where most of their neighbors, friends, and family had gathered to celebrate them.
"I think we should head back. “Haru then suggested to Hiroshi. "They are waiting for us." With that, Haru turned to head out of the kitchen but Hiroshi did not follow.
Haru then stopped and turn back. "Hiroshi? you coming?" he asked, waiting on his friend.
But Hiroshi did not reply. He remained standing. Unmoving. Shoulder still slumped; head still faced down staring at the cake.
"Hiroshi, are you okay?” Cautiously, Haru walked towards him and placed a hand on Hiroshi's shoulder. "Hey, don’t you hear me talking to you? why are you acting weird?" But Hiroshi still did not reply.
Starting to get worried about his friend, Haru then spun Hiroshi around so he was now facing him. And what Haru saw soon after, almost stopped his heart.
Hiroshi's eyes were black.
Completely black.
Not only that, but they appeared to be much wider as well.
Hiroshi wasn't blinking, he didn't appear to be breathing, and his lips were moving rapidly in some form of quiet whisper.
Haru in that moment, could not understand what he was looking at. He only knew he had to quickly get out of there and go get help for his friend. But before he could do so, Hiroshi suddenly stood up right causing Haru to quickly let go of his shoulder and step back in shock. Then, slowly, Hiroshi reached a hand out and picked up the knife that was resting on the table beside the cake.
Now clutching the knife in his right hand, Hiroshi continued staring at Haru with those deep black eyes, never blinking, never speaking. Then, out of nowhere, Hiroshi stopped whispering and said the word, "自由” (Jiyu.) Before instantly vanishing into thin air.
But he did not really vanish.
Hiroshi was just somehow able to move so fast that Haru was unable to keep track of him with his eyes. The only reason Haru even knew Hiroshi had passed by him was the gust of wind that he felt as Hiroshi dashed by him and shot straight into the living room. What came next were the sounds of bodies dropping to the floor as Haru quickly rushed over to the living room where it was now silent for some reason. And as soon as he got there, his eyes went wide at the scene.
There was blood everywhere. On the floor. On the couch. On the walls. Everywhere. Bodies also littered the scene. The neighbors and their kids. Hiroshi's parents. Hiroshi's sister. And Haru's mother. They had all been stabbed, sliced opened, and slaughtered. The only person who was left alive was Hiroshi himself, who was standing on the opposite side of the living room. His head was lowered, the front part of his shirt soaked in blood, and the knife he was holding was now soaked and dripping a deep crimson.
Haru was speechless after that. The only thing he could do was scream, scream, and scream until eventually someone outside heard him, and the entire front part of the house was blocked off by police cruisers and emergency vehicles. Hiroshi was cuffed and taken away in the back of one of the police cruisers, and all of the bodies were gathered up and placed in the back of the available ambulances. They were all pronounced dead-on arrival, all of them except for one. Haru's mother.
Haru was still seated by his mother's bedside when One of her doctors opened the door and walked in. She was a middle-aged woman with short brown hair, dressed in a white coat with a pair of blue jeans underneath. Haru immediately got to his feet and went to meet up with her halfway across the room. And after exchanging pleasantries, the doctor then proceeded to give Haru the sit-rep on his mother's health.
"Deborah is doing just fine here with us. Sakuto is providing her with the best treatment available 24/7. You don't need to worry about a single thing. She is in the best hands. However, as you are aware, Deborah's condition is not something she can easily recover from. If it was, it would have happened by now and not take this long. As you know, most of the injuries to her body and major arteries have all healed. But the damage to her brain is extremely severe. Honestly, it's a miracle she's alive let alone surviving for this long. Most people with her case don't usually make it as far as she has. She's a fighter. But as for whether or not she is going to wake up anytime soon, unfortunately, I don't think that will ever be a possibility. Like I said, the damage to her brain is extremely severe. She lost a lot of blood on the day of the incident, that alone caused irreparable damage to essential brain tissue. She may never wake up. However, that doesn't mean we should lose hope. Miracles do happen after all. And it may be the reason She stayed alive for all these years is because she is waiting for just that. Her miracle."
Haru took in all of what the doctor had said, feeling a little empty at the end of her report. It wasn't that he no longer kept up hope, it was just that he had been doing so for more than 9 years and the reality of his mother truly never waking up again was starting to dawn on him. He continued to spend time with his mother even after the doctor had left. He mostly sat by her still occasionally squeezing her hand as she slept while also spending time working on his school work and assignments. He didn't leave the hospital until 5 hours later. And when he finally got home, all he could think about, all he could allow his mind to ponder, all he wanted to dream about as he laid in bed prepared to sleep, were the multiple different ways he was going to force Hiroshi to pay for his crimes. For what he did to his mother. Because if the court wasn't going to do it, and neither will the police, then he was going to take matters into his own hands. A monster like Hiroshi shouldn't be left roaming the streets of society after all. Someone had to put him down.