《Kumotawa Confluence [Japan, Action, Urban Fantasy]》


 Chapter 1 The Arrival – Mid-November

    A lonely flashlight beam pierced the foggy night. It played slowly around the deserted grounds of a small, rural Shinto shrine on a forested hilltop. A middle-aged, unassuming Japanese man wearing a woollen overcoat waited behind the shrine¡¯s hall, the honden. More yellowed leaves fell from the tree canopy to join the litter already on the flagstones. The man shuffled his feet around occasionally to ward off the chill in the air. After waiting for hours, he wondered if anyone would arrive.


    The man startled when a flutter of wings passed overhead, and a branch above him rustled with the weight of something landing on it. He pointed his flashlight up to see a large crow of darkest black on a spindly branch. The bird¡¯s three beady eyes reflected light back from his beam.


    ¡°They follow!¡± The bird squawked. ¡°Prepare for them!¡±


    The crow speaking did not surprise the man. He used messenger birds like it to correspond to his masters in the other world, and it now acted as a guide.


    Footsteps crunching through fallen leaves drew the man¡¯s eyes back towards the woods behind the shrine. His flashlight beam revealed two tall forms emerging from the fog. One of the men was taller than the other, and both were pale and bald with unusually narrow faces. They looked remarkably similar in their lean appearance and confident gazes. Even their clothing matched as both wore black leather coats that reached to their knees, and each held a staff with a glowing, silver knob on the end.


    The middle-aged man recognized them as the sorcerers he was waiting for. It had been a long time since one of their people had come to Earth. He slowly raised his left hand to make the curved three-finger gesture representing their multi-headed serpent god. The two pale men responded with identical gestures.


    The taller man stepped forward. He spoke in a harsh, guttural tongue that the magic amulet he wore translated into Japanese. ¡°I am Adept Talliz, and this is Adept Krezzul, my second.¡±


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    The Japanese man bowed. ¡°I am Yuto Honda, masters. I am honoured by your presence. Decades have passed since I have met an emissary, much less two emissaries.¡±


    ¡°Your loyalty bears fruit after these many years. You are to be rewarded if your reports are accurate. You have regrown the organization, recovering from the last emissary¡¯s debacle. The fool set us back, trying to kill the emperor.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, masters. I barely survived myself and worked hard to grow our strength. The imperials think they have eradicated us to our benefit.¡±


    Krezzul spoke in an admonishing tone. ¡°That remains to be seen. We will determine the true state of affairs.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I have nothing to hide.¡± Yuto then hesitantly asked, ¡°¡­Is it true? We are to finally fulfill Orochi¡¯s divine will?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It will be time to strike when the Grand Confluence occurs.¡± Talliz¡¯s eyes blazed with fervour. ¡°We will ensure Amaterasu¡¯s minions will not interfere this time. I trust that the situation has not changed since our departure?¡±


    ¡°We are diligently watching the Sword Princess and Kumotawa Shrine, emissary. The princess is still at the palace in Kyoto, and the shrine¡¯s security remains light. No one suspects anything out of the ordinary.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± Talliz nodded. ¡°Now, take us to a place where we can rest. It was an arduous journey through many worlds to arrive here. It took far too long because the path through Mount Kumotawa is closed to us.¡±


    ¡°Transportation and accommodations have been prepared, and I can make any other arrangements that you require,¡± the middle-aged man replied.


    Talliz barely nodded an acknowledgement. He then looked behind him into the fog and waved his hand. ¡°Come to us now.¡±


    A hunched humanoid with a dark, rubbery hide and very long arms stalked out of the fog. Its exact form and details were blurry. The flashlight¡¯s beam seemed to be absorbed or bent around it, but its long, dagger-like claws clearly glinted in the light.


    Yuto shuddered at the sight. He had only heard of these summoned beasts before.


    ¡°Your conveyance is large enough for my night stalker?¡±


    ¡°My cargo van will be large enough.¡±


    ¡°Good. After resting, we need to review all our preparations. I will eventually need to see the shrine and observe the princess for myself.¡±


    ¡°It will be done,¡± the Yuto replied. ¡°I live to serve great Orochi.¡±

 Chapter 2 Confluence Cat – Mid-December

    The front of the convenience store was all glass with sliding double doors by the front counter on the left side of the store. Fluorescent lighting brightly illuminated the store¡¯s mainly white interior, accented with bright red and blue details. Stretched along the front windows were a long magazine rack, a dining counter, and an ATM and photocopier. The store was well stocked with drinks, food, snacks, and all the goods a household or tourist would need.


    Yuriko stood behind the front counter, wearing a red and white, short-sleeve uniform shirt. A pinned name badge reads ¡°Morimoto¡± with ¡°Manager¡± underneath. In her late forties, she had wide-set eyes, a flat nose, and appeared younger than she was. The well-toned muscles on her arms showed the rigorous physical training she kept to.


    Yuriko pulled the chicken karaage bento from the microwave and put it into a plastic bag. She handed it over to a young man, the second last customer in the store, along with another bag full of cold beer and snacks. He was part of a small army of seasonal workers from October through December who picked mikan, Japanese thin-skinned oranges, from the many orchards in the area. Many pickers were regulars at the konbini in the morning for breakfast and for dinner in the evening on their way to and from work.


    ¡°Thank you very much. Please visit us again.¡±


    ¡°See you tomorrow,¡± the man cheerfully responded.


    The store¡¯s automatic doors chimed open as he exited into the golden light of the setting sun. Climbing into his Toyota truck, he then drove south towards Odewara town, away from the store¡¯s crossroads location.


    Yuriko turned her attention to the last customer, who placed a grilled salmon and simmered vegetable bento on the counter. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to let him go first, Harumi.¡±


    Harumi Suzuki was a wiry woman quite fit for her 70 years of age. She gave a slight wave of her hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine. He looked like he was in a hurry. By the way, I like what you have done with your hair.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I wanted it to look less plain.¡± Yuriko had her stylist put a slight wave and curl into her black hair that ended mid-neck.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Harumi¡¯s eyes had a playful sparkle in them. ¡°It does look good, but it¡¯s going to take more than nice hair to make you into a starlet!¡± Harumi chuckled at her little joke.


    Yuriko smiled, too. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be that glamorous. I¡¯m not much into makeup after my years in the army. Miki did say I should try to look more feminine, though.¡±


    ¡°How was her visit on the weekend?¡±


    ¡°It was a good visit, and she is doing well in university, but things are still a little distant between us.¡° Yuriko rang through Harumi¡¯s purchase.


    ¡°These things take time, dear. You two were apart for many years while you served.¡±


    ¡°I know. Our relationship is better.¡± Yuriko appreciated Harumi¡¯s concern because Harumi was one of her first local friends. ¡°A dinner bento today for you? Do you want it heated?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll heat it at home. The daycare needed help today. I do love the children, but they do wear me out. No cooking for myself tonight.¡±


    ¡°You ran out of energy? I can only hope to be as energetic as you! Did you visit the shrine today, too?¡± Yuriko knew she walked up to Kumotawa Shrine on the mountain behind the store every morning. Harumi would visit the konbini for a chat before or after her walk. If Harumi missed a few days, Yuriko would phone to check on her.


    ¡°You flatter me. It would have been good to go, but it was just too busy.¡±


    Yuriko handed over Harumi¡¯s purchase. ¡°Well, there¡¯s always tomorrow. Enjoy your dinner.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m going to enjoy my dinner in front of a Rin Rin Mystery special tonight.¡° Harumi headed to the door with a wave. ¡°You have a good evening, Yuriko.¡±


    ¡°You too, Harumi.¡± Yuriko had to squint into the evening sun to watch her leave.


    Yuriko tidied up the around the store, and time quickly passed. The sun had just dipped below the train station roof across the road. It was a simple station, just a sheltered platform with a small office. Pink airglow provided plenty of light, and she noticed a few faint wisps of mist in the parking lot between the street and the store.


    Travis Sanger, her partner, came out from the back of the store. He walked by to look out at the parking lot. He had a head of closely cropped blonde hair and a towering, muscled physique that barely fit in his store uniform. His height was just over two metres, and his build made him quite a bit larger than the locals. ¡°The fog is early,¡° he commented in his Japanese, which had a southern drawl to it. It looks like the forecast nailed it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope for a quiet night,¡± Yuriko replied. Travis was almost twenty years younger than her, in his late twenties, but he was great in a pinch and a genius with technology. They had served several combat tours together as part of the Joint Special Operations Force Command or JSOF, which included American and Japanese soldiers. They treated each other like family, and she trusted him with her life.


    ¡°Crossing my fingers.¡± Travis headed back to restock some shelves.


    They were both working tonight because the Imperial Management Agency had predicted the fog would set in. It was a thick fog that formed out of nowhere to completely blanket the forested slopes and base of the mountain. Yuriko figured everything on the mountain below Kumotawa Shrine, some 408 steps up the mountain, was already engulfed in fog for the night. Eventually, only the top of the 380-metre-high summit would peek out of the fog.


    Kumotawa Shrine commemorated Princess Chikako and her samurai vanquishing an oni army here five hundred years ago. According to legend, hundreds of samurai and ogres clashed here. An older shrine burned down during the battle, and Chikako rebuilt it and designated it an imperial shrine. It was dedicated first to Amenominakanushi, the primal Shinto god of creation, then to Inari, the god of harvests, and finally, Hanuman, the war god.


    On sunny days, the store was busy with tourists passing through. The mountain was beautiful, and people climbed up the steps from the large vermillion torii gate behind the store. The steps passed through an ancient pine forest and under many torii gates before they ended at the big gate in front of the shrine grounds. After praying at the shrine, many visited the teahouse there, then hiked from the shrine to the peak of the mountain for a great view out to the Seto Inland Sea.


    On foggy days like today, the locals avoided the mountain because legend said yokai would appear. Contemporary sightings of monsters, strange tracks in the dirt, and people disappearing on the mountain kept the legends alive. A warning sign about poor visibility and bears was even posted at the mountain''s base, and the shrine closed early, which was unusual for any shrine.


    Yuriko was glad visitors and hikers on the mountain had already left for the day, and business at the store was non-existent. She watched a black-and-white police car pull into the parking lot from behind the till.


    Sergeant Goro Noguchi step stepped out of the car, adjusted his cap, and walked to a thick cement post at the crossroads. He unlocked the control box on it and lowered the attached yellow and black striped bar across the access road that ran up the mountain past the shrine. Yellow blinkers on the bar begin flashing. Locking up, he turned to walk towards the store. Goro was a few years older than Yuriko and was in pretty good shape but had a slight paunch under his blue uniform jacket.


    The store¡¯s glass doors opened with a musical chime to let Goro in.


    Yuriko called out the customary greeting to any customer entering the store. ¡°Welcome to our store!¡± With a smile, she added, ¡°Good evening, Goro.¡±


    ¡°Good evening, Yuriko,¡± he replied. ¡°Glad I came a little early to close the road. The fog will be thick tonight if it is already forming.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a big Confluence tonight,¡± Yuriko nodded. ¡°I¡¯m hoping nothing will happen.¡±


    ¡°I second that. But, something feels different tonight...¡° Goro reflected for a moment. ¡°It was like this nine years ago when a pair of teens went up the mountain on a dare from their friends. The bloodhounds only found a ripped, bloody jacket and strange clawed tracks that vanished.¡±


    Yuriko frowned, nodding in agreement. ¡°This fog unnerves me too. If it makes you feel any better, I¡¯ll keep an extra eye out for any trouble.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good at this job,¡± Goro replied. ¡°But I¡¯ll drive by a few more times just to make me feel better.¡±


    ¡°It never hurts to have extra eyes looking.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡± Travis piped in from the middle of the store. His head appeared well above the shelves of the candy aisle since he stood much taller than them. ¡°Good to see you, Goro!¡±


    ¡°Good evening, Travis,¡± Goro said jovially. ¡°No snacking on the job!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on a protein diet, ¡° Travis replied. ¡°Cutting out the carbs and sweets for a bit. I¡¯ve got to make sure my build matches that tough cop physique of yours.¡±


    ¡°You could lift two of me.¡± Goro chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I do too much driving on this country beat. You two train constantly. I¡¯m pretty sure I couldn¡¯t keep up.¡±


    ¡°If you ever want to, I¡¯ll whip you into shape.¡±


    ¡°Maybe before my next physical.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe Yuriko could do it?¡± Travis winked at her.


    Goro reddened a little in the face.


    ¡°Travis!¡± Yuriko sternly spoke. Her face also flushed a bit. ¡°Maybe you should clean the toilet now.¡±


    ¡°Dang! I¡¯ll get back to ordering these chocolate bars. Who knew there is so much matcha chocolate in this place.¡±


    Yuriko sighed a little. Travis knew she had gone on a few dates with Goro last year. Goro was a good man but seemed shy around her, so she didn¡¯t push the relationship.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± She knew Goro still liked her, but they were just friends. ¡°Travis gets carried away.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. He was joking.¡±


    Goro went over to the coffee machine that ground beans for a freshly brewed cup. While waiting, he looked out the front window and came back to pay for the coffee. Yuriko rang it through and handed him his change.


    Yuriko had to adjust to Goro buying food at the store while on duty. Police in Japan don¡¯t usually eat or drink on duty, but here, in the American zone, things were different. This area in the south of Honshu, the largest Japanese island, had a mix of Japanese and American rules, and most American expats in the country lived around Hiroshima. The area was a special cooperative zone set up after World War II, part of a deal that spared Hiroshima from atomic attack. When the first atomic bomb demonstration over Tokyo Bay failed to dissuade the army faction from fighting to the death, the emperor, his ninjas, and the naval faction under Admiral Yamamoto led a decisive coup that ousted them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± Goro called over his shoulder as he exited the store.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll know if anything comes up.¡±


    ¡°Take care.¡± He headed to his patrol car. Yuriko watched him drive out of the parking lot and down the road. The fog was already shin-high. Shadows stretched way out, and some areas were already in the twilight as the sun sank closer to the horizon.


    Yuriko turned on the parking lot lights and the big red and white SuperQuickly sign above the front of the store. SuperQuickly was not Japan''s biggest chain of convenience stores, but it was still well known. The place lit up the dark country night like an urban oasis of comfort and convenience. More than one customer had told her they were glad to see the store at night, especially if they had been spooked by something. A konbini was a place that was always open and trusted by the Japanese, making it an excellent cover operation for the IMA to gather information about unusual events.


    Unusual events on the mountain were often real, including the legend about Chikako and other stories about yokai. Mount Kumotawa existed on a weakness in space-time. About once a month, the weakness could become so severe that the boundary between this world and other parallel worlds broke down. The phenomenon was called the Confluence. This was when crossover could happen for yokai, strange beasts not of this world. Some people who had vanished from our world had probably wandered into another world, never to return. Nothing strange happened during most Confluences, but someone needed to keep an eye on it. Before the konbini was here, this location was an inn at the crossroads, and its managers had been imperial agents for centuries.


    Yuriko and Travis took advantage of the continued lull in customers to organize and restock the shelves. She worked the fridges while Travis continued with the aisles. A half-hour passed. When Yuriko looked up again, it was a solid white mist outside. It would have been entirely dark except for the diffuse glow from the store¡¯s lighting.


    Travis walked over to the front windows again. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re socked in. Visibility is probably about four metres. This Confluence is a big one.¡±


    Yuriko joined Travis and thought she saw movement near the ground in front of the main doors. Looking more carefully, she made out the hazy form of a cat. Two glowing yellow eyes reflected light cast out through the store''s windows. The cat stared at her for a few moments, then walked forward. The automatic doors chimed and opened to let the cat in.


    The cat trotted in and sat in an Egyptian cat statue pose. It was a large grey cat with white paws. Meowing loudly at Yuriko, it gestured with its right paw towards the outside. The first time she saw this, she thought it was an accident. When the cat repeated its actions for the third time, it dawned on her it was trying to communicate.


    ¡°No way,¡± Yuriko said, her eyebrows raising. It seemed impossible, but the cat was making eye contact and definitely trying to get her attention.


    ¡°Hello, kitty,¡± Yuriko said to the cat in a calm voice. Where did you come from?¡± She had always had a soft spot for cats. When she was a child, she had lost her beloved calico cat in a car accident. ¡°I¡¯ll come over to you.¡±


    The cat just sat and watched her approach. It looked healthy, had no collar, and was totally unafraid. Yuriko crouched down. The cat did a long, drawn-out meow while pointing its paw outside again. It was strange behaviour for a cat.


    Yuriko wondered why it was pointing. ¡°Do you want me to go outside?¡± It was not like the cat could understand her.


    The cat nodded and gave a ¡°mrrrp¡± of acknowledgment.


    Yuriko concluded this was not a normal cat. She would have been more alarmed, but she felt a sense of familiarity from looking into its golden eyes.


    Yuriko spoke in a calm voice. ¡°Travis. I think we have a situation. This cat is a yokai.¡± The cat did not seem dangerous, but she was glad for the compact 9mm pistol holstered at the small of her back.


    Travis had stayed back to let Yuriko deal with the cat. ¡°Gotcha, Boss. I¡¯ll call it in.¡± He pulled out his phone while he moved towards the office at the back of the store.


    Seeing Yuriko understood, the cat walked towards the front doors. Its tail was straight up with a slight curl at the end and swayed gently from side to side. For a moment, the tail blurred a bit, and Yuriko thought she saw two tails as a nekomata would have. When Yuriko blinked, there was only one tail again. Nekomata were demon cats from old folktales, but in this part of the country, cats were lucky, and she didn¡¯t sense anything malign about the cat. The cat looked back at her, pointed its paw towards the outside, and meowed more insistently.


    Yuriko was not sure what to do next. Going into the fog was not her first choice. Walking around the forested mountainside during a Confluence could walk you into another world or an encounter with something dangerous. Distortions in space-time gave people strange crawling sensations on their skin, distorted vision, light-headedness, mild vertigo, and a general feeling of unease. It was like a list of bad side effects from some medication. Radio communications and GPS broke down near a boundary, too, a sign to backtrack out.


    ¡°What¡¯s out there, kitty?¡±


    ¡°Mrrrp.¡±


    She needed more information. ¡°Is it important?¡±


    ¡°Mrrrrp!¡±


    ¡°Does someone need help?¡±


    ¡°Mrrrrp!!¡±


    ¡°Is there danger?¡±


    ¡°Mrrrrp!!!¡±


    She got the message. ¡°Travis! I¡¯m going to have to go outside. The cat says someone is in trouble.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Travis yelled from the back of the store.


    Yuriko turned her head to shout clearly to the back. ¡°You heard me. The cat wants me to follow it. I think someone¡¯s hurt out there. Bring my gear.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a good idea, Boss. Strange enough to follow a cat, but I¡¯m your only backup, and I have to man the fort.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Yuriko cursed a little inside¡ªthis was definitely not routine observation, and she was breaking protocol. ¡°Call Goro back. HQ will send help, but it¡¯ll be an hour before a response team arrives.¡±


    She faced the cat again. ¡°I need a few things, and then I¡¯ll come with you.¡±


    The cat trilled in assent and sat in the Egyptian cat pose again. She had doubts about this helpful cat or nekomata, but even so, it seemed benevolent.


    Travis arrived at the front after grabbing their gear from the office. His assault rifle was slung over one shoulder, and his tactical vest hung on the other. In his hands were Yuriko¡¯s assault rifle, Kevlar helmet, and tactical vest.


    Yuriko put on the vest and tightened the side straps to secure it. The vest was fairly heavy as it was weighed down with rifle magazines, grenades, other gear, and front and rear ballistic plates. She was sure she looked odd having a tactical vest over a store uniform, but she didn¡¯t care. She pulled the magazine out of the rifle, checked the rounds, and slapped it back in to ensure it was seated. Chambering a round, she slung the rifle over her shoulder. The helmet was next, and she plugged its headset cable into the radio on the vest. ¡°Radio check 1 2 3. Radio check 1 2 3.¡±


    ¡°Coming in loud and clear,¡± Travis replied over the radio. He checked a hand-held tracking unit with a map display of the mountain. ¡°You¡¯re on the grid. GPS is working.¡±


    Yuriko checked the small helmet-mounted screen just above her left eye to verify she was on the map, too. She tapped the thermal camera on the side of her helmet to switch the display to a green-and-white thermal view.


    ¡°Ready to go.¡± Yuriko was slightly nervous but focused on the mission ahead. She had been in the fog before, but not alone. Her ability to put her nerves aside on a mission helped. It was a trait that had served her well in the army many times.


    She took a step towards the cat. ¡°Let¡¯s go, kitty.¡±


    The doors chimed open. Cooler air and wisps of fog entered as the cat walked out. Outside, it stopped and looked back at her. She turned on her helmet light, carrying her rifle at the ready position, and walked into the pine-scented fog. Seeing she was following, the cat began a fast trot towards the mountain access road.


    ¡°Boldness and honour, Boss,¡± Travis called out their special forces¡¯ motto over the radio.


    ¡°Boldness and honour,¡± Yuriko replied.


    The cat was a vague shadow in the beam of her helmet light. Yuriko followed about three metres behind, passing the torii gate that led up to the shrine, and soon found her feet on the mountain access road. She saw the cat¡¯s head alertly scanning from side to side. It held its tail cautiously down so she knew something was up.


    The cat was silent as it walked through the stillness of the forest. Yuriko¡¯s heavy work shoes made a slight scuffling noise on the gravelled road surface. Her breathing stayed regular and sounded loud to her ears. She scanned from side to side but only saw the vague outlines of trees and the road''s edge. After many minutes of walking, the cat slowed down. Yuriko checked her position on the helmet display. They had gone up the windy road for about half a kilometre. Looking ahead, a dim red light flashed distantly through the mist.


    ¡°Is that what you want me to see?¡± She asked the cat.


    The cat meowed and headed up the road toward the light slowly and cautiously.


    Yuriko followed its lead, dropping into a slight crouch. She switched to thermal to look around better but still only saw trees and brush. The source of the flashing light became clearer, and she realized it was the back LED light of a bicycle. The bike had hit a tree at a bend in the road. Its front tire was bent, and the rider lay prone near the bicycle.


    The cat walked up to the rider and nudged him in the face to no response. It looked at Yuriko and meowed to urge her forward. Yuriko cautiously advanced. The rider was a man in black cycling shorts, a shredded blue top, and an askew helmet on his head. His back was a bloody mess. Something with four large claws had left wide gashes across his back. He was breathing, and she knelt to find a good pulse from the side of his neck.


    ¡°Travis. I have a man down. It looks like he was cycling down the mountain and got caught in the fog. Something clawed him, and he hit a tree while trying to escape. He¡¯s lost a lot of blood. I¡¯ll patch him up, but he needs an ambulance.¡±


    ¡°Roger. Watch your six.¡±


    Putting her rifle down, Yuriko cut off the shredded shirt with her combat knife. She opened a pouch on the side of her vest and pulled out some large wound dressings and a can of spray foam bandage. The spray quickly bound to the blood and foamed up to stop the bleeding. She put the dressings on top and taped them down.


    Yuriko heard the cat hiss and saw it facing up the road. The cat¡¯s ears were flattened, and its fur stood straight up. She shouldered her rifle and scanned the road. She couldn''t see anything, even on the thermal, which tripled visibility in the fog.


    ¡°Cat thinks there is something in the fog,¡± she whispered into the radio.


    ¡°Maybe you should retreat. Goro¡¯s ETA is six minutes.¡±


    She made up her mind to fight. ¡°I¡¯m going to hunt this thing. I can¡¯t carry the cyclist and defend us.¡±


    ¡°Good luck,¡± Travis tensely replied.


    Yuriko popped the bottom of a flare stick to activate it and tossed it onto the middle of the road. It burned with a bright reddish light. She put her back to a nearby tree to cover her back and shouldered her rifle. From there, she could cover the road and cyclist. The cat moved off into the trees. Yuriko¡¯s world became the bubble of reddish-pink fog around the sizzling flare, devoid of other sound and wind. The scramble of clawed feet well up the road broke the silence. She killed her helmet light and gently exhaled to reduce tension. There was still nothing to shoot at. Without the glow from the flare, it would have been pitch black except for the flashing LED from the bike.


    Stay calm, don¡¯t focus on one spot, Yuriko thought. Her ability to stay cool under pressure had developed after her first real combat years ago. The thermal couldn¡¯t see anything but the same trees and bushes. She focused on her hearing for the slightest sound.


    Minutes passed. Yuriko¡¯s breathing stayed light and regular, and her heart seemed to beat too loudly. Her finger was ready on the trigger. The tree trunk provided reassuring pressure to her back, and she peered behind to ensure it was clear.


    That¡¯s when it came for her from the side. A bright green splash on the thermal burst out of the brush eight metres away. The beast made a great bound into the air with long, knife-like claws out front. Large fangs in its long jaws would finish anything the claws sliced. Its wolf-like head with curved horns and a scaled ruff was furry, but it had the body form of a lizard.


    Yuriko snapped a poorly aimed burst at it while rolling away from her tree. A couple of the rounds struck, and a howl sounded as it crashed into the tree where she had been. The trunk cracked under the heavy impact of the three-metre-long beast.


    Yuriko completed her roll in a kneeling position to fire again. The tiny green image blurred with her adrenaline-fueled reactions as the thermal wasn¡¯t designed for close-in fighting. Still, she centred her rifle on the bright green and emptied the magazine into it on full auto. Continuous muzzle flashes from her rifle illuminated the fog and beast. A great howl of anguish rose as the rounds smashed into the wolf creature¡¯s head and chest. Not the best kill shots, but some of them went deep. The bloodied beast staggered towards her. Yuriko ejected the magazine from her rifle and pulled another from her vest. She slapped the magazine home and pulled the charging handle back to load the first round.


    Yuriko put another long burst into it even as it swiped weakly at her. Its slitted eyes closed, and the last snarl faded from its vicious jaws. She flipped her helmet light back on and put another shot into it as she approached to make sure it was dead. The brownish wolf-lizard resembled a hybrid out of mythology.


    The cat yowled a warning. It jumped out of the brush onto the back of a second wolf-lizard, which was about to pounce on Yuriko from the side. The cat leapt clear after momentarily distracting the beast.


    Yuriko pivoted and fired a short burst at its head. The steel core bullets struck hard, but she saw a couple glance off the sloped skull. The beast snarled and leapt at her. Yuriko fired another burst that struck its chest and body in the air as she dodged to the side. A talon raked the shoulder of her vest as the creature passed by. The beast staggered on landing. Off-balance, too, Yuriko twisted to bring her rifle around even as it pounced again. Yuriko acted on training and instinct at this point. Fear did not register. She held her ground and fired a long burst at the creature as it leapt. The shots struck home, and the beast knocked her flying on impact.


    Yuriko went down hard and lost her grip on her rifle. A little dazed, she saw the gun near her and grabbed it. She staggered upright while aiming it. The second wolf-lizard lay unmoving on its side. She shot another burst into it, and the rifle ran dry. Muscle memory mechanically ejected the magazine and grabbed a fresh one as she scanned around. Yuriko could only hear her ragged breathing, even as silence descended again on the forest. Her heart jumped when she felt something against her leg before she realized it was the cat purring and rubbing against her.


    ¡°Whew!¡± Yuriko said. ¡°I think you saved my life back there.¡±


    The cat happily received a pet on the head and rubbed against her hand as if they were good friends. Yuriko quickly scanned the area again. The cat¡¯s relaxed behaviour reassured her it was safe. She wondered why this mysterious cat had shown up at this moment, then went on to more immediate matters.


    Yuriko looked over the wolf lizards again. She was sure she had seen them in old paintings from the feudal era. They were referred to as okaminakuma, an uncommon monster in this area. This was the second monster encounter she had during her two years here. Before that, there had been nothing since the Takamatsu Incident nine years earlier. Something felt different now. During the feudal era, there were regular sightings and samurai battles with yokai, something that had not happened since.


    Tomorrow, she would go to the shrine, toss some coins into the offertory box, and give prayers to the gods for making it through with just bruises. But first, she needed to call Travis to update him on the situation.

 Chapter 3 Mountain Premonition – Mid-January

    Anyone from the small town of Odewara easily recognized the blue blazer with white trim and a grey pleated skirt as the local high school uniform. Ayako Hayami, the girl wearing it, had graceful yet high cheekbones, a long black ponytail, and was tall for a Japanese girl. She was not your typical student, as she was firing an M4 carbine from the shoulder. A townsperson would be worried if they didn¡¯t know her, but the red armband on her right arm would have reassured them immediately. The letters GGA in English were printed on it, indicating she belonged to the Gun Girls Auxiliary.


    GGAs existed in many high schools across Japan. They were a cross between a high school club and a local defence militia. The clubs had evolved from traditional women¡¯s defence cooperatives, which acted when the men were away. In the Odewara area, women had defended their families from bandits, and in local legends, they even defeated demons that had come down from Mount Kumotawa.


    Two paint rounds in quick succession struck the kill zone in the centre of the human-shaped target. Ayako immediately scanned for the next threat and advanced down the makeshift funhouse range. Their outdoor shooting range had been converted into a pseudo street with wooden stand-ups representing the walls of a half dozen houses. Popup targets were installed in most of the facades, but you never knew which ones were active. This drill was for the senior students to practice shooting on the move, but most of the dozen or so members of the GGA were out to watch.


    She reached the house she had just cleared, and another popup appeared in a window before her. Aiming through her red dot sight, she fired two more shots into another kill zone and advanced on the last house. The last target appeared on her left, and she snapped off two more kill shots.


    Yuriko Morimoto clicked the stopwatch and blew her whistle to indicate the drill was over. She was the current combat coach for the GGA, while a teacher served as the club advisor. She even looked like her role dressed in an olive t-shirt, tan pants, and military boots. This job helped her to blend in with the community by supplementing her cover as the SuperQuickly manager.


    Ayako flipped her rifle safety on. Pointing the barrel at an angle to the ground away from everyone, she removed the magazine, stored it in a magazine pouch on the web gear she wore over her uniform, and cleared her weapon. ¡°Weapon¡¯s safe,¡± she announced. Letting her assault rifle hang from its sling in front of her, she took off her shooting glasses, then walked back to the firing line where everyone waited.


    ¡°Great form, Ayako, ¡° Yuriko said. ¡°Your time improved by a quarter second!¡±


    Her friends and club members cheered and shouted, ¡°Good job! Great going, Captain!¡±


    ¡°You are checking your targets and stepping naturally on the advance, ¡° Yuriko continued. ¡°You might be focusing too much on the targets in front of you, so keep your situational awareness up for the sides. Tunnel vision kills.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sensei,¡± Ayako replied. She knew she had done well on the drill and bowed to Yuriko. ¡°Thank you for your coaching.¡±


    ¡°You know you don¡¯t have to be so formal. Just a thank you will do.¡±


    ¡°We are lucky we have you for a coach. We did well at the last regional tournament only because of you.¡± A number of the students nodded and spoke in agreement.


    Yuriko turned to face all of her students who clustered around them. ¡°I may be the coach who trained you, but remember, I can only bring out what you want to give. You all did well at regionals because of your skill and dedication. I have trained soldiers before as a job, but teaching you girls has been a privilege I have enjoyed. Your ancestors would be proud of how you are carrying on their tradition. As women, we shoulder burdens that men do not, even if times are changing, so always do your best!¡±


    The girls cheered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take the regional championship this year and go to the nationals!¡± Yuriko added.


    The girls cheered again.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it for the day. Recheck your weapons, make sure they are safe, and let¡¯s clean up.¡±


    The girls assembled into teams by school grade, slinging rifles over their shoulders, and began to clear the range. A storage shed was off to the side where they stored the wall stand-ups and other range equipment. The stand-ups on wheels were fairly easy to move, so the girls unlocked them and rolled them into the shed. It was easy unless you got one with wobbly wheels.


    ¡°Stuff¡¯s getting old,¡± Chiyo complained. She was having problems pushing one of the stand-ups.


    ¡°Let me help you with that,¡± Ayako told her friend. ¡°We should get these fixed soon.¡± They had known each other since kindergarten, and Chiyo was like a sister to her. Chiyo was quite a bit shorter than her, wore her hair long and straight, and had balanced facial features with a delicate touch.


    Ayako and Chiyo managed to wrestle the stand-up to the shed.


    ¡°You are on patrol duty tomorrow?¡± Chiyo asked.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going with Sarah and Karen. Those two are inseparable. When Karen heard you couldn¡¯t go tomorrow, she volunteered to buddy up, and Sarah followed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t go with you, but I¡¯m glad you¡¯re going with them. I like them a lot.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. You have to help your father with the purification ceremony tomorrow at the shrine. Besides, I¡¯ll drop by to watch with the girls.¡±


    Chiyo smiled. ¡°I would like that.¡±


    *****


    Yuriko and Ito, the club¡¯s teacher advisor, walked back to the nearby high school. They trusted the Grade 12 girls to tidy up and supervise the underclassmen. Ayako, the club captain, ensured the shed was locked up and would turn the key into the teachers¡¯ office. The National GGA issued each girl a semi-automatic rifle, and they were expected to take care of it, store it in the club room on club days and secure it at home when it wasn¡¯t in use. The girls had to follow strict rules regarding their weapons. They had to wear their school uniforms and armbands to identify themselves clearly when carrying them, and the guns were unloaded during transport. Loaded weapons were only allowed when they were on duty or practiced. Not everyone could join the GGA, but if they qualified, they were fulfilling tradition and responsibility. Having your weapon taken away was serious and dishonoured your family.


    ¡°I know the club really appreciates your hard work.¡± Ito adjusted his glasses. ¡°I must confess I was a little worried when you started.¡± He hesitated a second. ¡°You looked so tough from your credentials, but it turned out you have a good way with people. I¡ªI mean that in the best way possible. You won the girls over by how you acted and your shooting demonstration on your first meeting¡ª¡±


    Yuriko fixed Ito with a stern glare to communicate her displeasure.


    ¡°Uh-Uhhh,¡± Ito stuttered before he saw the big grin on Yuriko¡¯s face.


    ¡°Glad I didn¡¯t use my drill instructor look back then. I wasn¡¯t sure I would be able to teach the girls either.¡±


    Ito let out a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯m glad. And I think I need to learn that look for problem students.¡±


    ¡°You look too happy,¡± Yuriko joked, ¡°I don¡¯t think you have an angry face.¡±


    ¡°I would need to work on it,¡± Ito chuckled. ¡°Also¡­ If it isn¡¯t too much, the girls asked me to ask you if they could hold a party for you.¡±


    ¡°That is quite sweet,¡± Yuriko replied. ¡°Tell them I would be honoured. But please keep it simple.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    *****


    The GGA patrol team met in the SuperQuickly at the foot of Kumotawa mountain the next day. Kumotawa Shrine had requested weekend patrols for as long as anyone could remember, and it was a standing duty for the club. The weekends were also when the shrine and the trail to the viewpoint at the peak were busiest. Yuriko worked most Saturday day shifts, so the girls always stopped by to chat. When they entered the store, Yuriko waved to them as she rang through a customer¡¯s purchase. The girls went straight to the snack aisles.


    Sarah Benton put the shopping basket on the checkout counter, brushing back a strand of her brunette hair with her free hand at the same time. Yuriko checked through a pile of snacks, which included some real food like grilled salmon onigiri.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of snacks, Sarah,¡± Ayako observed. All she had bought was one of the store¡¯s fresh ham sandwiches in cellophane wrap, jellybeans, and a bottle of cold tea.


    ¡°She always buys this much when she goes on patrol,¡± Yuriko said. ¡°She just likes being prepared. I like those new grilled salmon rice balls, too.¡±


    Karen walked up behind her shorter friend Sarah and hugged her arm. ¡°There¡¯s always extra for friends, too.¡± Her face had a smile on it, often reserved for teasing, instead of her usual firm, set look that made her look determined. Karen was a blonde with short hair and had a slender build and height like Ayako.


    ¡°Karen! Ayako!¡± Sarah protested as she ignored her friend¡¯s hug. ¡°I just get hungry with the hike and all the fresh air.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re teasing,¡± Yuriko smiled. ¡°Now, you girls should get going. You¡¯re already late starting. It¡¯s going to be a warm day today. Stay hydrated and stay safe.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Ayako replied. ¡°Let¡¯s go, girls.¡±


    The three girls exited and walked over to the vermilion torii gate behind the store. Gates like this marked the entrances to sacred Shinto shrines, with this one leading to a pathway with 408 steps to Kumotawa Shrine. The pathway continued past the shrine for another equally long hike up switchbacks to the 380-metre peak of the mountain. They packed their purchases into hip packs on their web gear, which they wore over their school uniforms, then inserted magazines into their assault rifles without chambering rounds.


    Slinging her rifle, Sarah grumbled just a little. ¡°I like the hike, but lugging this rifle and gear up the mountain is a bit of a drag.¡±


    ¡°You say that every time,¡± Karen said. ¡°It must be for luck.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to join the army after you graduate,¡± Sarah replied. ¡°This is like practice for you.¡±


    Karen smiled mischievously. ¡°Ayako¡¯s going to be a police officer. It¡¯s good for her, too.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to be a pastry chef or baker,¡± Sarah retorted. ¡°The only gun I¡¯m going to be using after this is an icing gun.¡±


    ¡°You do make great bentos, too,¡± Ayako said light-heartedly. ¡°But you¡¯re the best marksman out of all of us, so your talents are wasted in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t complain when you eat my cookies.¡±


    ¡°Mmmm. Cookies. I guess you¡¯re multi-talented,¡± Ayako teased. ¡°Let¡¯s get going, girls. We want to get to the shrine in time to see Chiyo dance.¡±


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    Karen nudged her friend as they left the store. ¡°Thanks for coming. I know you joined the GGA because I did.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± Sarah replied, ¡°lugging a rifle up a mountain still isn¡¯t my favourite thing.¡±


    They set out a little earlier than mid-morning. If they maintained a good walking pace, it would take about one and a half hours to summit, but it always took longer as they talked to people or offered assistance. Their first aid kits had all seen use. On a typical day, they went up the pine-covered mountain once in the morning and once in the afternoon.


    The patrol passed a few slower people and some early risers already returning from the shrine. They greeted everyone politely. Tourists were sometimes surprised by the sight of girls with guns, but the locals gave them friendly greetings. Ayako even stopped for a brief chat with an elderly lady she liked who walked up to the shrine every morning for her health. They kept an eye out for anything out of the ordinary and even joked about yokai. People still saw strange things, though, and people had vanished without a trace, like a pair of high school kids nine years ago. Just last month, a tourist bicycling on the mountain road had been mauled by a bear, but rumours said it wasn¡¯t a bear attack. The mountain was still pretty safe overall, especially on the well-used path to the shrine, but locals avoided the mountain when it was foggy. When the fog came, the road up to the shrine and the path to the shrine would even be closed by the police.


    The patrol made good time and reached the main gate to the shrine in fifty minutes. They passed under the big red torii with its gold imperial crests on the top corners, avoiding the middle of the stone path where the gods walked. The three stopped to purify themselves by ladling water over their hands from a cleansing fountain before continuing.


    Karen tilted her head. ¡°I hear music. I¡¯ve never seen Chiyo perform the purification dance, so I hope we catch it in time.¡±


    Off to the side of the main shrine building was a covered wooden platform that was raised above the ground. A small crowd stood in front of it. On the stage, a trio of musicians played traditional instruments, and two miko dressed in white robes and long red skirts were in the middle of a dance. Each shrine maiden wore a golden headband, had on white makeup, had their hair tied back, and held a short bell-tree wand in their left hand. The two dancers moved to the slightly shrill music in slow, graceful motions around the stage, and the ends of the movements were punctuated with a shake of the bells. The dance was an offering to the two important kami of the shrine to pray for protection from evil. The gods were Inari for farming and Amenominakanushi for the creation of the world.


    ¡°There¡¯s Chiyo,¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°She¡¯s a really good dancer,¡± Karen added.


    Ayako said, ¡°I never get tired of watching her dance.¡± She saw her best friend was focused on giving a flawless performance. Chiyo had practiced dancing since she was six, and her family both lived and presided over the shrine, a centuries-long family heritage. Ayako¡¯s eyes met Chiyo¡¯s at one point, and she saw a glimmer of a frown cross her friend¡¯s face. I wonder what is wrong, Ayako thought.


    Soon, the dance was over, and the two girls exited the stage to let Chiyo¡¯s father, the head priest, finish the purification ceremony. The ceremonies were held after every major fog event on the mountain, which seemed to occur about once a month.


    The girls met Chiyo backstage, where she ran over to Ayako.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you dropped by,¡± Chiyo blurted out, ¡°there¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s worrying you.¡± Ayako knew her friend well. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I had one of my premonitions last night.¡±


    ¡°About us?¡± Ayako knew the women in her friend¡¯s family had dreams that sometimes foretold the future. It was a gift and a curse somehow related to the mountain.


    ¡°Just you. I think the other girls were there too, but I¡¯m not sure.¡± Chiyo started speaking faster. ¡°I didn¡¯t call this morning as the dreams are not always true, but when I saw you, I had to tell you. There was something frightening in the forest. You were shouting and shooting at something coming at you through the trees!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Chiyo!¡± Ayako held her friend. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Remember the time you thought I would crash on my bike coming here? Nothing happened. I was really careful.¡±


    ¡°But that car almost ran you off the road!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Bad example. I guess it was kind of close, but I was okay.¡±


    ¡°This time is different. It felt different,¡± Chiyo clutched at her friend. ¡°You should just go back down the mountain to be safe!¡±


    Ayako was unnerved by her friend¡¯s intensity. She took Chiyo¡¯s dreams seriously but thought of them more as warnings. Behind her, Karen and Sarah looked at each other, confused by what they were hearing.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Ayako said as calmly as possible. ¡°Your mother told you the premonitions are strange. They are more about possibilities than anything else.¡±


    ¡°So you aren¡¯t going back down?¡±


    ¡°No. You know I need to meet it my way. You can¡¯t hide from these things. Besides, I didn¡¯t stay home the other time either.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡± Chiyo looked into her friend¡¯s eyes and saw she meant what she said. Taking a deep breath, she said. ¡°You¡¯re too stubborn. Fine! Then I¡¯m coming with you. Mom says I have to face them too.¡±


    Ayako¡¯s stomach was a little twisty, but she just smiled at her friend. ¡°Get changed then. We¡¯ll wait.¡±


    Karen and Sarah just looked at each other. Karen said, ¡°Not routine at all.¡±


    Sarah had a bit of a nervous tone to her voice. ¡°Nope. I guess we¡¯re continuing¡­¡±


    Ayako looked back at the other two girls. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine. She¡¯s been like this since we were kids. I¡¯ll explain while we wait.¡±


    *****


    Chiyo joined them ten minutes later. She had scrubbed off her makeup and changed into her uniform and gear. Her hair was a little mussed, but Ayako fixed it. More people were visiting the shrine now, and the teahouse outside the main gate was busy when they walked past.


    The girls picked up the pace to head to the peak, a little nervous and more alert than normal after the drama at the shrine. It was a beautiful sunny day with fresh mountain air, the gentlest of breezes, and a comfortable temperature.


    ¡°Great day for a firefight,¡± Karen sarcastically said.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s going to happen,¡± Ayako said in a flat tone.


    Their spirits improved bit by bit as they hiked. They kept pace with a younger couple ahead of them, passed an elderly couple, and met a couple of trail runners coming back down from the peak. There were some quick greetings; they passed some minor monuments, the large oak with the rope sash around it, and they made the peak in less than half an hour. The view up here was a great vista down to the sea in the west, with low hills covered in citrus orchards in between. High peaks with thick pine forests were to the east and south. To the north, parts of Odewara town were in the distance where the forest thinned out. Mount Kumotawa was an outlier to a thickly forested and wild north-south mountain range east of it.


    The girls chose a picnic table to sit at on the flagstone terrace at the top.


    ¡°Did you have time to get any food?¡± Ayako asked Chiyo.


    ¡°Just a couple of yokan and some water.¡±


    ¡°I had an energy bar on my way up. I can split my sandwich, ¡° Ayako offered. ¡°Those red bean jelly bars aren¡¯t going to be enough.¡±


    Sarah had just laid out her supplies from the konbini and sighed wistfully at the sacrifice she would make. ¡°You can have an onigiri and some of my chips and chocolate, too.¡±


    Karen joined in. ¡°I packed a bento. You can have some of that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really nice of you all,¡± Chiyo said earnestly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to be such a burden. I wanted to make sure Ayako was safe.¡±


    Karen said, ¡°We¡¯re all friends. Don¡¯t apologize.¡± She looked around the table, and Ayako and Sarah both said, ¡°Friends help each other.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ayako added, ¡°let¡¯s eat. I am a little hungry from all that walking.¡±


    The four enjoyed their food and talked a little about everything. The warmth of the sun and being well-fed relaxed them all. They even teased Karen about a boy in class 4 who had asked her out and talked about the last episode of Ninja Force 5, an action drama they all watched.


    Soon enough, it was time to hit the trail, and they started back down the mountain. It hadn¡¯t been more than ten minutes when they heard a man scream some distance away. A woman¡¯s scream came a moment later, followed by a frantic shout for help. The cries had come from off-trail in the forest. The girls unslung their rifles and chambered rounds.


    Ayako managed to coolly issue orders to her friends, and she was glad about Yuriko¡¯s mentoring of her leadership skills. ¡°Karen. Sarah. Right flank, five-metre spread. Sarah, call 119. Let them know where we are and what happened. Chiyo left flank with me. Everyone keep scanning around.¡±


    ¡°Roger,¡± the girls replied. The girls spread out into a rough line and began walking through the trees with their rifles ready, their GGA drills kicking in. Sarah dialled the emergency number on her cellphone and gave the operator GPS coordinates before hanging up.


    ¡°Stay calm,¡± Ayako called out, ¡°Remember your drills and check your targets.¡± Inside, her heart raced, but she tried to keep calm. The other girls probably feel the same way, she thought.


    A thrashing noise came out of the brush ahead of them, and a middle-aged woman in a red jacket burst out. Rifles partially came up, but no one fired, to Ayako¡¯s relief. The woman had a panicked look on her face and yelled out when she saw the girls. ¡°Help me! It''s right behind me!¡±


    She was out of breath and slowed as she neared Ayako. ¡°You need to kill it! It attacked my husband, then came after me.¡±


    More thrashing sounds came from where the woman emerged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fire until I say so,¡± Ayako ordered. She moved clear of the woman and sighted down her rifle. She wondered if it was a bear.


    The brush shook violently. A large, bulbous bug head emerged. It had several sets of sharp mandibles in front of insectoid eyes. The insect¡¯s centipede-like body reared up several metres to get a good look at all of the girls. It resembled a giant mukade taller than two men and five metres long. The red and yellow spotted head and its segmented black chitin with dozens of spindly legs were a horror. It gave a chittering cry, and its mandibles clicked together with sharp cracking sounds.


    The girls stood firm, staring at the beast with wide eyes. Ayako snapped out of her surprise first. ¡°Fire!¡± she shouted.


    Four rifles went off almost simultaneously in a loud crackling roar. Rapid rifle fire followed as each girl put out bullets as fast as they could pull the triggers on their weapons.


    The initial volley hit on target. Bullets seemed to glance off of its shiny black chitin with sparks, but bright green ichor sprouted out of at least one hit. The beast gave off a loud squeal of pain as more bullets struck it. Again, some of the rounds glanced off, but others punched through its iron-like armour. The mukade thrashed around, both wounded and angry. It lowered its sinuous body back down to the ground and came straight at Ayako.


    Ayako realized the bullets were not stopping it. The creature was like the invincible demon centipede the samurai had fought in The Tale of Tawara Toda. This is bad, was her next thought when she saw it coming for her.


    ¡°Aim for the head,¡± she cried out, knowing it would be much harder to hit.


    It moved faster than a man could run. Its long body was low to the ground as it swayed a bit from side to side, its dozens of legs propelling it forward in a speedy and automatic rhythm.


    Time seemed to slow for Ayako as the mukade closed the distance. Her vision focused on the giant mandibles and the venom glistening on pointy injection fangs. She barely heard the other girls shouting and shooting as she concentrated on her shooting. Gun blasts sounded loudly next to her. Bullets drew more green blood. The creature¡¯s head filled her vision as she fired shot after shot into it. One of the bulbous eyes burst in a gush of fluid, and a chunk of its carapace was shattered off, but it still came for her. I¡¯m going to die, she briefly thought but stood firm.


    It was three metres away from her when another chunk of its head blew off in a gush of fluid. The mukade plowed into the earth and stopped its advance. Its body still quivered, and its legs jerked around randomly, but it seemed to be dead.


    Ayako put another shot into it as her rifle clicked dry. Several shots sounded off right next to her. She exhaled heavily and took a deep breath. Turning her head, she saw Chiyo standing at her side. Her friend had stood right by her to the end to make sure she was safe.


    ¡°Thank you, Chiyo,¡± she told her friend.


    Chiyo had tears in the corner of her eyes as she hugged her best friend tightly. ¡°I told you the premonition was different,¡± she gently scolded.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. Thanks to you. We¡¯re all okay now.¡± She hugged her back. Her body trembled a bit from the adrenaline and excitement she had just experienced, but her friend¡¯s hug was reassuring. ¡°I really need to be more cautious when you warn me.¡±


    ¡°That was a close one,¡± Karen called out as she and Sarah approached. ¡°Good shooting at the end, though.¡±


    ¡°Too close,¡± Ayako replied. Her belated notice of Chiyo joining her made her recall Yuriko¡¯s warning about tunnel vision. Slightly chastened, she resolved to do better while reloading her rifle.


    The mukade had stopped moving, looking very dead. All of the girls stayed a safe distance away, not daring to approach.


    Karen snapped some cell phone pictures of it. ¡°What the hell is this thing? Jurassic centipede?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty gross, is what it is.¡± Sarah¡¯s face wrinkled in disgust.


    The woman came up and started calling for her husband. She ran back the way she came, and the girls followed her. They quickly found her husband lying across a log, looking deathly pale. A bit of foam was in the corners of his mouth, his eyes were dilated, and his breathing was shallow. Two deep puncture wounds across his chest were bleeding all over his clothes.


    ¡°It looks like he¡¯s been poisoned,¡± Ayako said while suppressing a shudder, realizing it might have been her, too. She was still pumped full of adrenaline.


    ¡°Can you help him,¡± the woman asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if the insect anti-venom we carry will help,¡± Ayako replied. ¡°It¡¯s like no bug I¡¯ve ever seen. What do you think, Chiyo? You¡¯re the medic.¡±


    Chiyo thought for a moment. ¡°I think we¡¯re losing him. We should try,¡± she said firmly. He might have a reaction, but doing nothing is worse.¡± She opened the medical kit in her web gear and pulled out an autoinjector. She pushed it against his arm and gave him the full dose.


    They would have to wait to see if it would help. They called 119 again for an ambulance that would come up the mountain road and reported the giant mukade.


    Sarah and Karen went back to the trail to meet the paramedics as guides.


    To their relief, the man¡¯s condition seemed to stabilize, with deeper breathing, but he was out cold.


    Ayako¡¯s cell phone rang. She pulled out her phone to see Yuriko¡¯s name on the display.


    ¡°Hello?¡± she said into the phone.


    ¡°Are you and the girls okay?¡± Yuriko worriedly asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re all good,¡± Ayako answered. ¡°I¡¯m much calmer now. Your training helped.¡±


    Yuriko sounded relieved. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡±


    Ayako had a sudden realization. ¡°How did you know we were fighting?¡±


    There was a pause on the line before Yuriko spoke again. ¡°Listen carefully. I¡¯m informed about the 119 calls on the mountain. That mukade is not of this world. Don¡¯t tell anyone about it. I¡¯m coming up to brief all of you.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Ayako was puzzled.


    ¡°There are secrets about this mountain. Chiyo will eventually learn about this from her family. But you all need to know more now. Everything is going to be okay, though, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Ayako realized she really trusted Yuriko since she felt more curiosity than anxiety about what she had been through.

 Chapter 4 Forest Light – Mid-February

    If I had only caught the earlier train, Miki thought to herself. It was dark outside, but she would not have been able to see much through the rain-streaked window anyway. A dim reflection in the window showed her in profile, with her long black hair and a flat chin¡ªpeople said she had her mother¡¯s chin. The sun had just set, but the storm had turned twilight immediately into night.


    Her travel during a major storm was because she had slept in and missed her original bullet train from Tokyo to Hiroshima. That caused her to miss the regional train connection from Hiroshima to Odawara town. The rain had started in Hiroshima while she shopped at the station mall and waited for the next train. It was not supposed to let up until late in the evening. At least she had picked up a box of fancy red bean mochi, a favourite of her mother¡¯s, from an outlet of a famous bakery at the mall.


    Miki¡¯s head no longer hurt, and her hangover from the goukon the previous night had abated a few hours earlier. A couple of her friends from Tokyo University had convinced her to go at the last minute. The dating party would be fun, they said, and she did have fun, but she had received way too much attention from a smug guy who could not figure out she was not interested in his monologues.


    Miki saw only a couple of other people on the local train she had transferred to at Odewara Station. She decided earlier to surprise her mother at work instead of taking a bus and walking four blocks in the pouring rain to her mother¡¯s apartment. The convenience store her mother managed was next to the train station at the foot of Mount Kumotawa.


    Why did her mother have to live way out in the countryside, she wondered. Miki couldn¡¯t figure out why Mom had retired from the military to run a konbini, of all things. From her observations, mother seemed happy with her choice, even though she was a decorated master sergeant who had served in the elite Joint Special Operations Force (JSOF), a multi-national force of Americans and Japanese. Mother said the slower country life was a nice break from rigorous military life. Miki liked Odewara town, too. It felt like she was on holiday visiting a quaint tourist town. Many bicyclists started the picturesque Shimano Kaido route here to pedal across many islands on the Inland Sea, all connected by massive bridges.


    Her mother missed most of her childhood as she was often on foreign assignments, so her grandparents raised her. Yuriko visited her often, but it was awkward as relations between Yuriko and her parents were strained. She had joined the self-defence force at eighteen to escape a marriage matchup. Miki knew she couldn¡¯t have done that and admired her mother for it. Still, everyone had worked hard to come closer together over time. They now enjoyed visiting each other after she began attending university.


    A musical chime sounded. ¡°Next stop, Kumotawa Station. Next stop, Kumotawa Station,¡± the train driver announced over the speakers. Miki snapped out of her thoughts. She hastily put her smartphone away in her oversized purse and pulled her carry-on from the overhead storage. She extended the handle to roll it and walked over to the doors as the train slowed to a halt. She stepped out onto the train station platform by herself.


    A gust of wind blew a spray of cold rain onto her windbreaker and dampened her face even though she was under the train platform¡¯s roof. It was a simple station, just two roofed platforms serving each direction for the trains and a small unmanned office. Miki walked down the platform towards the station exit.


    Looking off to the side of the platform, she could see the bright lights of the SuperQuickly store shining through the damp darkness, especially the bright red and white SQ road sign. She braced herself for the dash over when she noticed a big grey cat with white paws waiting by the exit. The cat was just sitting there, staying dry under the eaves. It looked up at her, stood up, and gave a ¡°mreowww¡± of greeting.


    ¡°Are you, Ghost?¡± Miki asked the cat. ¡°Mother said there was a big grey cat at the store who comes and goes at will. She is very fond of you, you know. She said you remind her a little of a cat she once owned.¡± She thought it was odd that the cat had an English name, but it was better than calling the cat Yurei, which was Japanese for ghost.


    ¡°Mrrrrp!¡± The cat¡¯s tail was straight up in the air with a slight curl at the end. Strangely enough, she thought she saw two tails for an instant. When she blinked, there was only one tail again. A two-tailed cat was a nekomata, or demon cat, but this cat brushed against her in a friendly way.


    Miki bent down to pet the cat on the head and stroke its back. The cat seemed to enjoy it and continued twining around her legs. ¡°You are a good cat. It¡¯s been fun, but I have to go to the konbini now,¡± she said. I¡¯m going to surprise my mother.¡± Pulling out a collapsible umbrella from her purse, she popped it open and steadied it against the wind.


    Ghost trilled and looked at the konbini. ¡°You want to come with me?¡± Yuriko had told her the cat was very expressive. ¡°My umbrella can cover both of us, so let¡¯s go.¡±


    Both of them walked into the rain. They stopped at the intersection where the main road from Odewara town paralleled the station and konbini, and the road down from Mount Kumotawa to the coast met. Miki checked for traffic before crossing and noticed the cat doing the same. Her umbrella kept them both fairly dry, but the occasional gust of wind came down the mountain to spray them with rain. Miki¡¯s shoes and the cat were getting wetter than they should.


    They crossed over into the big empty parking lot in front and to the side of the konbini. The lot served both the store and the trailhead for the main path up to Kumotawa Shrine. Miki kept a steady pace with her luggage in tow and the cat at her side. Halfway across the parking lot, another gust of wind came down the mountain and spattered her with sideways rain. Her umbrella was held, but she thought she heard a distant crying in the wind. She stopped to look for the source of sound.


    It was pitch black in the countryside around her. The only bright splashes on the canvas of night were the lights from the station, the intersection, the konbini, and the lit torii gate behind the store. The vermillion torii was made up of two large round posts with several crossbeams at the top, their ends angled out like the bow of a boat. It was lit by a single floodlight and marked the beginning of the path up the mountain to the shrine.


    The rain obscured the distant torii. When Miki looked at it, she thought she heard the distant crying of a child again. It was hard to make out through the wind and rain. Who would be out in this weather, she thought, someone caught in the rain coming down the mountain? She almost put it up to her imagination when she heard it again. This time, she thought she saw a faint bluish light on the trail behind the torii. It bobbed and flickered like a flame, then went out.


    ¡°I wonder if someone needs help there,¡± she said to the cat, even as a subtle shiver ran down her back. Why am I talking to the cat, she wondered. She knew about the legends of Mount Kumotawa, but dismissing them as superstition was difficult when she was alone in the stormy darkness. Taking a deep breath, she decided to walk closer to the gate just to get a better look before going to the store.


    She began walking towards the gate. After a dozen paces, the cat raced out in front and turned to face her. The cat was hard to see in the low light, but she heard it growl and hiss at her. Its fur bristled out, and it hissed at her again, clearly showing its fangs. Its tail swished violently back and forth, and for a moment, she thought there were two tails again.


    Startled, Miki took a step back. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Ghost?¡± She tried to sidestep around the cat.


    Ghost shifted to stay between her and the gate and hissed again, even swiping at the air with its claws out, something that was uncharacteristic for a cat.


    Nervous now, Miki stepped back and slowly angled towards the convenience store while keeping a wary eye on the cat. Ghost was now soaking wet and no longer hissing but followed her at a distance. She felt so relieved when she finally entered the light being cast out through the big glass windows of the store. The doors chimed, sliding open for her.


    ¡°Welcome to our store!¡± Yuriko looked up from the front counter, where she was reviewing an inventory listing when the door chime announced someone had walked into the store. She was surprised to see her daughter walk in. ¡°Miki!¡±


    ¡°Mother! I¡¯m so glad to see you.¡± Miki let her umbrella drop to her side and looked over her shoulder to see the doors close behind her.


    Yuriko, in her red and white paneled konbini uniform and black pants, came out from behind the counter. Her daughter sounded nervous or distressed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re supposed to be at the apartment.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that grey cat you told me about! It hissed at me, and I thought it was going to attack me.¡±


    ¡°You mean Ghost?¡± Yuriko firmly hugged her daughter, not caring she was a little damp. They were about the same height, and she looked over her daughter¡¯s shoulder to keep an eye out the door. ¡°Everything will be okay now.¡±


    Yuriko felt her daughter relax in her arms. ¡°Ghost was so friendly at first, but halfway across the parking lot, he started acting strange when I was heading for the torii.¡±


    ¡°Why were you heading to the torii? It¡¯s pouring out there.¡±


    ¡°I thought I heard a crying child. It was really faint.¡±


    ¡°Really? Did you see anything?¡±


    ¡°There was a bluish light that vanished. It was kind of spooky out there with the storm. I thought about onibi for a moment and then realized it must be a flashlight. Someone might be in trouble. We need to check.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Yuriko was sensing trouble. Onibi were a Japanese version of a will-o-wisp, supposedly the spirits of dead people or animals. ¡°I¡¯m sure it was nothing,¡± she said calmly. ¡°It¡¯s likely some kids pranking.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been here all day. Some teens did head up the mountain in the afternoon. I¡¯m surprised anyone is still out there with the rain, though. No one is going up or down.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you get a coffee or tea and sit down in the dining area? You look like you could use a warm-up. You can tell me more in a minute.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mom.¡±


    The doors chimed open again, and a waterlogged Ghost walked in, his fur hanging down and dripping on the floor. Once he was inside, he shook off a big spray of water all around.


    ¡°It¡¯s the cat!¡± Miki backed up a step.


    ¡°Ghost!¡± Yuriko was half glad to see the cat and half angry at him for scaring her daughter.


    ¡°Mrreowww¡­¡± Ghost called plaintively.


    ¡°All innocent now, I see. You scared my daughter. That wasn¡¯t very nice, but I¡¯m sure you were trying to protect her.¡±


    ¡°Mrrrp.¡± Ghost raised a front paw and began licking it.


    ¡°You should say sorry to her. Please apologize.¡±


    Ghost stared at Yuriko for a moment, then looked over at Miki. The cat began purring loudly as he approached her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miki,¡± Yuriko reassured. ¡°I think he is saying sorry.¡±


    Miki wavered but stayed still. The cat looked up at her and began to rub its face against her leg.


    ¡°You can be friends again now.¡±


    Miki gave Ghost a quick pat on the head, and the cat head-butted her leg in return. ¡°Is the cat really listening to you?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes he does,¡± Yuriko said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what got into Ghost, but he is a good cat. I¡¯m sure he was trying to get you to come in here. I¡¯ll call the police about the light. I know the officer on patrol right now, and he could take a quick look around.¡±


    ¡°Yes. They could make sure everything is okay.¡±


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that. Ghost, you come here. I¡¯ll dry you off first. You¡¯re going to drip water all over the store.¡± She grabbed a fresh towel from behind the counter and started to rub the cat dry. Ghost even rolled over and held his paws up in the air to let her dry his tummy and cocked his head to give her a look that said, ¡®What are you waiting for?¡¯ The pose reminded Yuriko of Tama, her long-dead calico cat. She was strangely familiar with this cat, who shared many mannerisms with Tama. When she was sure her daughter couldn¡¯t hear her, she whispered, ¡°Thank you for keeping my daughter safe, Ghost.¡±


    *****


    Goro¡¯s patrol car pulled into the parking lot with just the lights flashing. He put on a bright yellow raincoat that wasn¡¯t buttoned up and dashed into the konbini through the pouring rain.


    ¡°Good evening, Goro,¡± Yuriko said as she met him at the front. She walked him over to her daughter, who was having a cup of freshly brewed coffee while seated at the dining counter against the front window. She was talking with the other employee who was on tonight.


    ¡°This is Sergeant Noguchi-san, Miki. He is a good friend of mine.¡± She waved towards her daughter. ¡°This is my daughter Miki, and the other girl is Ayako Hayami, my new part-timer. Ayako is a senior at the local high school and a member of the Gun Girls Auxiliary there.¡±


    ¡°Good evening, Noguchi-san.¡± Miki and Ayako spoke out at the same time, giving slight bows.


    ¡°It is good to meet both of you,¡± Goro said. ¡°Miki, you certainly do resemble your mother. She has told me a lot about you. Getting into Tokyo University isn¡¯t an easy task. And Ayako, it is good to meet you in person. Yuriko told me you want to join the National Police. I can give you some tips later when we have more time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Noguchi-san,¡± they both replied.


    ¡°Please, just call me Goro.¡± He pulled out his notepad and looked at Miki. ¡°I understand you saw and heard something strange. I¡¯m going to have a look, but I need to take a quick statement, so let''s start at the beginning.¡±


    Goro began taking notes and asking follow-up questions. Miki was telling the story pretty much like Yuriko had already heard. Yuriko listened in for a few minutes, excused herself, and went into the back office to pack supplies.


    Yuriko emerged from the office wearing a hooded yellow raincoat. A large medical bag was slung over her shoulder, and she held a large baton flashlight. Goro turned around when he noticed Miki''s surprised expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re coming with me?¡± Goro asked. ¡°You think that is necessary?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Why are you going with Goro?¡± Miki asked, her eyebrows pinched together with worry. ¡°You¡¯re not in the army anymore, Mom. Isn¡¯t this a matter for the police?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing, but two sets of eyes are better than one,¡± Yuriko replied. ¡°Besides, if someone does need help, I¡¯ve got more medical training than Goro.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s helped the police here before,¡± Goro added, ¡°Your mother is very capable.¡±


    Ayako tried to reassure Miki, too. ¡°He¡¯s right. She¡¯s our combat coach at the GGA and taught us first aid, too.¡±


    There was a slight tremor in Miki¡¯s voice. ¡°I should have known old habits are hard to break for you.¡±


    Yuriko hugged Miki. ¡°I know. I know. You¡¯re worried about my safety, and I don¡¯t blame you. But I¡¯m not in the army anymore. I¡¯ll always be here for my precious daughter now. If someone is pranking out there, they¡¯ll be sorry¡ªespecially for picking on you. And if someone needs help, I¡¯ll help them. I¡¯ll be back before you know it. There¡¯s probably nothing to find.¡±


    Miki kept her face emotionless and quietly nodded. ¡°Be careful, mom. Come back soon.¡±


    ¡°I will. Daichi, the night manager, will be in soon, and then we can go grab dinner at the Chinese diner we like.¡±


    Yuriko faced Ayako. ¡°The store is in your capable hands. Please keep Miki company.¡±


    Ayako took the hint. ¡°I want to ask her all about Tokyo U. I¡¯ve never met anyone who went there and want to know what it is like.¡±


    Yuriko looked down at Ghost. ¡°This is all your furry fault, so come on with us.¡±


    ¡°Mrrreow!¡±


    ¡°That sounded like a protest. You probably don¡¯t want to get wet, so I¡¯ll bring an umbrella, and you can ride on my shoulder.¡±


    This time, Ghost assented. ¡°Mrreow.¡±


    Yuriko and Goro walked side by side through the steady rain. Visibility was poor with the darkness and the rain, even with both of them carrying powerful flashlights.


    ¡°Your daughter is very concerned for you,¡± Goro casually commented.


    ¡°I know. It is my fault for not being around for her when she was younger¡ªmy military career.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You are a strong woman, and military life can be difficult. It could not be helped.¡±


    ¡°I tried hard, but I could have done better,¡± Yuriko replied. ¡°We get along well now, but this certainly wasn¡¯t needed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you did your best, which is why she is concerned for you. I¡¯ve never had children, but I read people fairly well.¡± Goro changed the subject. ¡°Ghost looks very happy on your shoulder.¡±


    ¡°It''s the driest place around, but he is a little heavy.¡± Ghost was crouched down on her shoulder, his claws dug into the thick woven strap of the medical bag, staying nice and dry under the umbrella. Every so often, his whiskers would rub against Yuriko¡¯s cheek as he rubbed against the side of her face.


    ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll find a yokai?¡± Goro asked.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be asking you that? You¡¯re the veteran of this place.¡±


    ¡°I guess. Everything seems different this year. There are too many yokai. This would be four in three months, counting Ghost. The Takamatsu Incident was the last bad one before all this nine years ago. I investigate yokai sightings every year, but I¡¯ve only found one in the last two years since you¡¯ve been here. You and the GGA girls have had some bad encounters. I think you all have bad luck.¡±


    ¡°Or you¡¯ve had good luck! We¡¯ve been lucky no one has died so far,¡± Yuriko added. ¡°But, you¡¯re right, something¡¯s different now. I¡¯m betting there is a yokai here based on how Ghost behaved.¡±


    ¡°Your daughter¡¯s description of a flickering blue light makes it sound like an onibi.¡±


    Onibi had been reported on the mountain before, but it was usually after a Confluence when their world converged with another world temporarily. The convergence would shroud Mount Kumotawa in thick fog, and creatures could accidentally wander between worlds. The last Confluence had happened over a week ago, though.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yuriko replied. ¡°At least they¡¯re usually harmless, just luring you somewhere or scaring you. But I don¡¯t know about the crying. It could be a konaki-jiji.¡±


    ¡°The old man who preys on isolated travellers by pretending to be a baby?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one, but I think it has to be a folktale.¡±


    ¡°Could be something else then.¡± Goro joked to cover his nerves. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to get spirited away.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, I got your back.¡±


    ¡°Having you around reassures me a lot,¡± Goro sincerely replied.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the two to reach the torii gate, a hundred metres behind the konbini. They stood in the pool of light from the floodlight on a nearby pole that illuminated the gate. Yuriko and Goro shone their flashlights up the stone-paved trail which led up the mountain and its forested slopes. They didn¡¯t see anything or hear anything other than wind and rain. Goro called into the police station on his radio to indicate he was investigating a disturbance on the trail.


    ¡°We¡¯re far enough away from the store now,¡± Yuriko said. ¡°Sorry, Ghost, but you¡¯re going to have to come down.¡± The cat jumped off and moved up the path a little ahead of them. Yuriko folded up the umbrella to free up her hands.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather be overprepared, so I brought a few extra things from the armoury.¡± She opened up the medical bag and pulled out a compact pump shotgun with front and rear pistol grips. She flicked the mounted flashlight on and quickly rechecked the gun to make sure the chamber was empty. There were three shells in the magazine and four more strapped to the side in elastic loops.


    ¡°The shotgun is loaded with incendiary shotshells, so it¡¯ll look like it¡¯s shooting flames. Fire is effective against an onibi. I also have a flash-bang and a frag in my pocket, too.¡±


    ¡°Good thinking.¡± Goro nodded.


    ¡°Do you hear that?¡± Yuriko spoke up. Ghost had definitely heard it and was alertly looking up the trail.


    The faint crying of a child was coming from somewhere further up the trail. ¡°It¡¯s definitely crying,¡± Goro confirmed. ¡°Think it is a real child?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d bet it isn¡¯t, but there¡¯s only one way to find out.¡±


    ¡°I can lead,¡± Goro said a little too eagerly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it as a pair,¡± Yuriko could tell Goro was acting brave. ¡°You take the right; I¡¯ll cover the left.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do that.¡±


    Yuriko was glad to have the Ghost ahead of them with his sharper senses. The paving stones along the trail were slippery in places as the rocks had been worn smooth by the countless footsteps of worshippers going up to the shrine. Once they moved into the forest, it was pitch black, with a low pattering drone from rain striking the pines and running off the branches. They steadily walked up, both with guns ready now. The crying could be heard sporadically but still distant.


    It was quite hard to see anything distant in the rain.


    After five or six minutes, Yuriko noticed Goro seemed to swing his flashlight around more than he should on his side of the path. It was as if he was seeing something at the edges of his flashlight beam. She kept hers focused on the path and only periodically scanned it around.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stress yourself out scanning around,¡± she said.


    ¡°How do you stay so calm?¡± Goro asked while keeping his light pointed ahead. ¡°I¡¯ve worked with you a few times now, and you¡¯re never nervous.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I¡¯m just able to focus on the mission more. After being in combat a few times, I think my brain figured it was the best way to stay alive.¡± Yuriko glanced over at him. ¡°You¡¯re nervous?¡±


    ¡°More edgy.¡± Goro played down his nervousness. He didn¡¯t want to seem weak in front of Yuriko, especially as she was so strong. ¡°I can¡¯t see anything in this rain.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. It means you¡¯re alert. I can¡¯t see well either, but just look for movement.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    They were at least another hundred metres into the forest when they heard the crying again, closer now, but it was off to the side of the path.


    ¡°Figures.¡± Yuriko was glad she wore boots. She motioned for Goro to move off the path, and they entered the trees.


    A short distance later, they could see a blue glow through the trees. The spherical light wavered in intensity and floated in the air at about the height of a human head.


    ¡°Onibi?¡± Goro whispered.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Yuriko answered. The crying sobs of a small child could now be clearly heard from around the source of the light. ¡°But I don¡¯t like this. The crying doesn¡¯t fit the description.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a real child. I have a bad feeling about this.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± The cat had stopped moving forward and went into a crouching posture like she was ready to fight or pounce. Yuriko thought for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s approach this directly. Advance a bit, announce you¡¯re the police, and I¡¯ll cover.¡±


    Goro hesitated before replying. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like this plan.¡±


    ¡°Can you think of a better one? We could flank it from two sides, too, but that¡¯s harder to coordinate in these conditions. If it were really bad, Ghost would have run by now.¡±


    Goro was still reluctant. ¡°I guess that makes sense¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°You are the better shot.¡± He gripped his pistol a little tighter.


    Yuriko racked a shell into the shotgun¡¯s chamber and fed a spare round into the gun. She shifted position to the side, held the shotgun in front, and nodded for Goro to advance.


    A long moment passed before Goro took a step forward. It was obvious he was the bait in his bright yellow raincoat. Goro slowly walked closer to the light, stopping around six or seven metres away. He shone his flashlight around and shouted. ¡°This is the police! Do you require help!¡±


    The light went out, and the crying abruptly stopped.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Goro exclaimed. He backed up and frantically looked around with the flashlight.


    There was a swishing sound in the trees above their heads. Ghost jumped backwards with a yowling cry.


    ¡°Duck!¡± Yuriko shouted out. ¡°It¡¯s in the trees.¡± She couldn¡¯t find a target.


    A ropey tentacle just missed Goro¡¯s head with a swoosh. Off balance, he fell over onto his back, coating himself with mud, twigs, and pine needles. Pointing his gun and flashlight straight up, he looked into the canopy. The branches were thrashing violently, and his light came to rest on a mass of branches and twisting tentacles.


    The glowing orb came back on, but this time, they could see it was dangling at the end of a long appendage that extended from a vaguely squid-like creature with two long tentacles and a number of smaller ones. It was a mottled reddish brown, had two slitted eyes, and a large circular mouth full of rows and rows of pointy teeth. The creature was hanging from the larger branches of a pine tree with its many snaky limbs. The mouth gaped open wide, and it emitted a loud, strangely exaggerated crying noise.


    The two long tentacles swung towards Goro again. He screamed and fired rapidly as his legs tried to backpedal him away.


    Yuriko yelled, ¡°Get back!¡± The shotgun fired at the same time. It was like a long jet of flame blasted out of the shotgun in a blinding flash that lit the area momentarily. Incendiary steel shot struck the creature in its centre of mass. The body of the creature seemed to burn with flame, and gouts of bluish blood sprayed out. The creature screamed and thrashed even harder, its appendages flailing wildly. Yuriko racked the shotgun and fired again, lighting the scene with another jet of flame. This time, she hit it in the mouth and set it ablaze. Before the flames could die out, she fired again and again, running the shotgun dry. The creature was thrashing less; its limbs moved sluggishly now or were limp.


    Goro had emptied his pistol and was back on his feet. He fumbled for a spare magazine as he backed away. The creature fell out of the tree with a gushy splat on the ground and was still. Its body smouldered with glowing burns in a few places. Yuriko kept her shotgun¡¯s light on it while she fed new shells into her gun. She shot it once more just to be sure it was dead.


    ¡°W-what is that?¡± Goro stuttered out. ¡°It just missed me.¡±


    ¡°Looks kind of like an ugly tree squid.¡± Yuriko didn¡¯t get too close. ¡°Smells like a squid too.¡±


    Ghost was certainly braver and was sniffing near the corpse. ¡°Don¡¯t get too close, Ghost.¡± The cat finished a brief inspection and walked away.


    ¡°It cries like a child and hides in the trees.¡± Goro was overcoming his shock. ¡°It¡¯s like it preys on humans.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely an ambush predator¡ªnot an onibi¡ªbut I wonder what kind of world it came from.¡±


    ¡°This one probably came through the last Confluence. I hope there aren¡¯t more around.¡±


    Yuriko quickly swept the trees around them with her light. ¡°There probably aren¡¯t more. Ghost would have sensed it, but yeah, it¡¯s a nasty creature.¡± She looked Goro over. ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t touch me. I think I¡¯m okay.¡± He patted his sides briefly.


    ¡°Good.¡± Yuriko gave a brief laugh. ¡°You¡¯re a mess though.¡±


    Goro looked over himself. His yellow raincoat was covered in pine needles, leaves, and mud. ¡°Yeah. Maybe you should be the bait next time,¡± he glumly chuckled.


    ¡±I am sorry about that. Things didn¡¯t turn out quite the way I planned. But seriously, you did well. You must have hit it a good dozen times.¡±


    A big smile appeared on Goro¡¯s face from Yuriko¡¯s praise. ¡°Thanks, it means a lot to me.¡±


    ¡°Welcome to the yokai hunting club,¡± Yuriko joked, noticing the effect of her honest praise. She knew her toughness and superior combat skills intimidated him, even if she thought they shouldn¡¯t. Despite dating, they probably stayed just friends because of this.


    Yuriko popped some red flares to light the area and left them at either end of the monster¡¯s corpse. ¡°I¡¯ll tag the coordinates and call this in. Central is going to have to send out a cleanup team.¡± She had another thought. ¡°Damn. How am I going to explain this to Miki? Dinner is going to be a little late.¡±


    Goro put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Yuriko, I¡¯ll take care of this incident. You need to spend time with your daughter. Don¡¯t let this mountain ruin what you¡¯ve rebuilt with her.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Goro.¡± Yuriko embraced him. ¡°You¡¯re a good friend. I owe you one.¡±


    Goro reacted awkwardly to Yuriko¡¯s hug, his hands raised at his side. Yuriko smiled when he firmly hugged her back. She thought it didn¡¯t hurt to encourage the man a bit as he looked very happy at the moment.


    ¡°Not necessary,¡± Goro said. ¡°Let¡¯s tell your daughter there were pranksters that ran away and that I have to follow up.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan. And thank you again.¡±

 Mount Kumotawa Map and Images

    An anime version of Yuriko and Ghost.  Yuriko looks way younger than she should, but it give the general idea.


    The konbini at the base of Mount Kumotawa.


    Another version of the konbini.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    The map of Mount Kumotawa. Drawing maps is always kind of fun. The konbini is at the base of the mountain, while the shrine is halfway up. Kumo means cloud in Japanese and tawa means tower or fortress, so the mountain is a fog shrouded tower as it is a bit of a stand-alone mountain.


    Kumotawa Shrine Honden (the main hall)