As a terrorist drives a truck on his way to a headquarters somewhere in New York, he notices something suspicious in a small alley he passes.
"Did I just see someone run through?"
He stops the truck, grabs his rifle, and cautiously steps out, making his way toward the alley.
"Is anyone there?"
In response, only the eerie silence of the dark alley greets him. He decides to push forward, venturing deeper into the shadows until visibility becomes a challenge. Turning left into another alley within the first, he spots a shadow moving swiftly.
"HEY, STOP!!"
He begins to chase the shadow, but it moves too fast for him to catch up. The darkness thickens, and the surrounding buildings block out the sunlight, leaving him unable to see anything clearly. Realizing he can't catch up, the terrorist fires a warning shot.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"
At the sound of the gunshot, the shadow stops, turns around, and the terrorist finally sees the face of the figure.
"I'm just a kid." The shadow turns out to be a teenager, around 17, looking like a high school student.
"Why are you running?"
"I'm just... scared. I can't find my friends, and there are people with guns on the streets. Are you one of them?"
"Come here, kiddo, and put your hands in the air!"
The teenager walks toward him slowly, tears in his eyes.
"That's right, just like tha—"
BAM!!!
The terrorist collapses, dropping his rifle as he falls to the ground, slowly losing consciousness. Someone had struck him in the head with a gun so hard that he immediately dropped to his knees. In a brief moment, he catches a glimpse of the high schooler stopping, glancing at him with a look of relief or joy. That is the last thing he sees before everything goes black.
...
...
...
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Trust me. This will work. If it doesn't, we can still capture another one."
"What the..."
He slowly regains consciousness, feeling the cold against his bare skin. Before he can fully process what's happening, he realizes he's tied to a chair, wearing nothing but his boxers. The chill and the tightness of the ropes make him feel trapped.
"Hello there!"
"Where am I?"
The first thing his eyes focus on is the glaring light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The room has no windows, with a single staircase leading up. It's dirty and has the feel of a basement. In front of him, three adults stand, menacingly watching him.
"Oh, so you can speak English, though not fluently."
"Who the hell are you?"
"Me? Just a regular guy. You can call me Neil, by the way."
The man, Neil, grabs a chair and sits across from him.
"Let's keep this simple. You tell us where the machine is, how to deactivate it, and maybe—just maybe—we'll let you walk out of here in one piece after we're done."
"What machine? And why should I tell you?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about—the machine that's causing that thing in the sky. Oh, and while we're at it, where's your headquarters?"
"You really think you can kidnap me, strip me, tie me up, and I'll just spill everything?"
"Yes, I do. Because you definitely don't want to find out what happens if you don't."
"Hah! Go ahead, try me."
"You're going to regret this."
Neil rises from the chair and leans toward Nick, whispering, "Well, I gave him a chance. Time to take some... professional measures."
"What do you mean?"
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Neil grins darkly. "Oh, this is going to be absolutely dreadful."
While Neil continues his "interrogation," the students wait anxiously on the ground floor. They're horrified, imagining the terrible things that might be happening to cause the terrorist to scream so loudly. Then, an unexpected sound drifts up from the basement:
"Wait... is he laughing?"
"HAHAHAHA! STOP! PLEASE! HAHAHAHA!"
"Tickle, tickle, tickle!"
"What the hell?" Mike blurts out.
"I was expecting something brutal," he adds, shaking his head. "But this...?"
Down in the basement, Neil holds a feather, mercilessly tickling the terrorist's stomach, armpits, and feet. It turns out the man is surprisingly susceptible to tickling.
"Come on, guys! There are kids here!"
"STOP! HAHAHA! PLEASE, STOP!"
Neil pauses for a moment. "Well, that should be enough. Are you ready to talk now?"
"NEVER!"
"Alright."
"No, no, please! Stop!"
"NONONONOOOOO! HAHAHAHA!"
After another failed attempt at negotiation, Neil resumes the relentless tickling. For 30 straight minutes, he keeps at it, leaving the terrorist utterly exhausted. Yet, despite the torment, the man stays stubbornly silent.
"Damn, this guy's like an iron man."
"Is that all you've got? I've been tickled for so long, I don't feel anything anymore!"
"Hmmm, maybe we need a different approach. Nick, do you have a bucket or barrel?"
"Of course I do. I'm a bartender! But why?"
"Do you know about Chinese water torture?"
"...Ahh... I'll get a bucket."
...
A little while later, Neil returns with a bucket that's clearly leaking water. Neil drags the still-bound terrorist to the ground, forcing him to lie flat. He then secures the leaky bucket on a frame above the man's head, letting the water slowly drip onto his forehead.
"What... what is this?" The terrorist asks, a mix of confusion and unease in his voice.
"Oh, don't worry about it." Neil replies casually. "It's just water." He leans in close to Mike and Nick, lowering his voice to a whisper. "For the next 12 hours, no one talks to him. Leave him here, alone in the dark. Let the water do its work. Now, let's get some rest."
With that, Neil straightens up, and the three of them—Neil, Mike, and Nick—start walking back upstairs. They switch off the lights, leaving the terrorist alone in the dark, where the water will deliver its slow torment.
...
...
...
Chad climbs the steps to the bar's roof. A few minutes ago, he'd asked Nick about Selena, whom he hadn't seen in a while. Nick told him to check the roof. Following Nick's instructions, Chad unlocks the door and pushes it open, stepping out onto the roof. The first thing he notices is Selena sitting alone on the concrete floor, her eyes fixed intently on the sky.
"... Hi!"
"Hey!"
He sits down beside her.
"What are you doing out here?"
"Well, Mister Nick said I could go to the roof, so here I am."
"I know, but why?"
"I don't know... it just feels good."
"OK..."
After that, neither of them says a word. Chad wonders what she's staring at, though he, too, keeps his eyes on the sky. Both of them are captivated by the moon, enormous, bright, and mesmerizing.
He takes a quick glance at the moon and is struck by its terrifying beauty, especially in a New York City shrouded in darkness, caused by the terrorists. For a moment, he forgets about the girl sitting next to him, so captivated by the moonlight. Then:
"Hey!"
"Hah???"
"I used to hear a story."
"What story?"
"It was about a princess who came from the moon. Want to hear it?"
"Sure, why not?"
Selena turns her gaze back to the moon, and her lips begin to move slowly.
"... Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was an old but kind woodcutter who worked in the forest every day. One day, he found a tiny baby, the size of a finger, inside a bamboo tree. The old man took the baby home and named her Kaguya. When he brought her home, his wife fed her milk, and she grew really fast.
Kaguya made friends with the poor kids in the neighborhood. Every day, they ran along the mountainside, picked flowers, sang with the birds, chased frogs, and stole melons."
Selena continues her story with excitement, and Chad can't take his eyes off her.
"Later, Kaguya seemed to have magical powers, and she brought the family good luck, including a lot of money. As she grew into a beautiful woman, five princes, and even the Emperor, came to ask for her hand in marriage. But Kaguya turned them all down. She started spending a lot of time staring at the moon, looking sad.
The family then realized Kaguya wasn't from this world and that she had to go back someday. She wrote goodbye letters to her friends and family and left with the people who came to take her back to the moon. The Emperor, heartbroken, went up the mountain to burn a letter for his lost love."
"That's... a good story. Seriously, where did you read about it? I'd love to read the whole thing!"
"My sister told me about it. It was a fairy tale, I suppose. Ever since then, I've developed a habit of looking at the moon, just observing and contemplating it. Soon, the moon became my companion during moments of loneliness, sadness, and even happiness. It never turned away, it was always facing me. I also hoped that someday I might meet Kaguya. Then I learned that NASA landed Apollo on the moon's surface and found nothing but dust and rocks. That's when I realized, the moon was just a bunch of rocks pulled together by gravity. Kaguya was a fictional character, and I had been talking to myself all along."
"... Oh... sorry to hear that. I didn't expect you to say that..."
"No, it's fine. I wanted to tell you. It's the reason I came up here, to gaze at the moon, for the sake of sightseeing, my old habit, and just to relax a little."
"Yeah, me too..."
...
...
"Hey."
"?"
After a while of awkward silence, Selena breaks it, and her words puzzle Chad.
"Promise me."
"... Promise what?"
"That you would never betray me, like the moon did. That you'll always be by my side and promise that I can trust you."
Chad is confused by what she says, not fully understanding some parts. What does she mean by "always be on my side" and "I can trust you"? But he accepts it anyway, like a real SIMP.
"Of course! I'll always be here if you need me, and I would never betray you, not at all!"
"Good. After this, I'd love to show you my hometown. Where I came from."
"New Jersey?"
"Do I look like I'm from New Jersey?"
"You look pretty American to me."
"Heh heh."
"Hahaha."
The two of them laugh together, and it's the first time they've had fun after spending the entire day fleeing from terrorists. Before today, Chad and Selena rarely spoke to each other, keeping their interactions at the level of classmates. Even though they both wanted to get closer, they always felt uneasy talking for long periods.
But today, they've opened up to each other, enjoying a great conversation about the moon and other topics like real friends. Selena smiles as if she's accomplished something, and Chad feels like he's made some progress.
"Aishiteru."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Anyway, we better head back."
Chad follows Selena as she walks back up the stairs toward the bar, reflecting on what she said and thinking, What a strange girl.