Hizashi Manor, Chapters 3 & 4

Chapter 3: The Chase1

The first thing I notice is that I’m not in the forest anymore. Instead I’m standing on a plain dirt street, lined on both sides with neat rows of simple brown houses. The second thing is there is nothing but these houses on the street, and I mean NOTHING. No trees. No yards. No annoying, howling dogs. They’re secluded.2

And it’s scary.3

I look up. The night sky and bright moon are still shining down on me, which is something to appreciate. Light pink and gold are starting to mix in with the darkness on the horizon like cream tea. Dawn is not far off. I need to get home. 4

But if I’m not on the Hizashi trail, then where am I? Had I just gone behind the mansion like I’d intended? It didn’t look like it. I looked back for the mansion and the way I’d come, but they were both gone. Everywhere I looked there was nothing but houses bordering a street that seemed to go on forever both ways.5

I decide to just start running down the left side and maybe find another way home. It’s too bad looking down hadn’t occurred to me like looking up did, because I ran a few steps and then tripped over a stray piece of wood next to a house. As I fell I put my hands out to catch myself, and end up cutting my hand on the wood.6

It’s not a bad cut, but it still hurts like hell. I hiss in pain and squeeze my eyes shut as my hand instinctively folds into a fist. When I open it again, my hand is covered in bright red blood and throbbing viscously. Great, I think to myself. Now people are gonna think I’m cutting myself. Thanks a lot Ray, you’re brilliant. Now I really have to get home. Slower than before I get up and walk a ways down the street before I start running again, injured hand in my jacket. 7

I still have no idea where I am, and as I watch more and more small, hut like houses zoom past my vision it becomes further clear that I’m anywhere but home. It’s in the back of my mind to just walk up to a house and peek in the window, but I don’t have time for that because the sky is growing lighter with each passing minute. Wherever this place is, it’s clear I’m not supposed to be here. And I don’t even want to be here.8

Suddenly, I start to hear weird sounds behind me. First, a loud clacking, then noises that if I didn’t know better, I’d say were someone crying out. The last sound, and the most frightening, kept repeating in my mind long after they had quit.9

Footsteps.10

I stop in my tracks and spin around just in time to see a dark figure racing up the street after me. Someone’s following me.11

I can’t help it. The minute I see the figure and realize they’re after me, I run as hard and as fast as I can down the street. They stay hot on my heels, but I’m still faster. I finally reach the end of the street I’m on and round off onto the next one. Panicking, I look around for a place to hide. The small brown house next to me has a dark space between a wall and itself that’s just big enough to consume a person, so I dive into it as fast as I can. Not long after, I hear the footsteps of my pursuer, and as if by chance, they run right past the house I’m hiding by.12

You might think I’m lucky and that I escaped. Not exactly. When I thought the person chasing me was gone, I allowed myself a sigh of relief. Big mistake. The minute the sigh escapes my lips, the footsteps stop cold.13

Damn. They heard me, and before too long, a hand reaches into my dark hiding place. I try to dodge it, but despite my efforts it gets a firm (and painful) hold on me.14


Chapter 4: The Accusation15

The person drags me out of the hole and dumps me on the ground in front of them as if I’m nothing but a sack full of garbage. I would have have time to scream if it all hadn’t have happened so damn fast. I push myself up as quickly as I can manage and turn to glare defiantly at my attacker.16

It’s a young man, tall and slender with messy black hair almost as long as mine thrown all about him. He’s wearing a plain black uniform with white buttons, and has icy blue eyes that are staring down at me with cold, blind hatred. He’s sweating fiercely and panting hard. He looks desperate...and really pissed off.17

I open my mouth to say something, but I hardly have time to think before I’m off the ground and slammed against the wall I was just hiding behind, the young man’s hand around my throat. For having the figure of a woman this guy is really strong.18

“WHY?!” he screams into my face. “WHY DID YOU DO IT?!”19

Huh? I look at him, not bothering to hide my confusion. Do what? What did I do to him, I don’t even know him. But try telling him that. When he received no response he slammed me against the wall again.20

“ANSWER ME! TELL ME WHY!”21

“Tell you what?” I manage weakly. “I didn’t do...anything...”22

The man’s face twists in fury, and he lets go of my throat momentarily to slap me across the face. I fall to the ground at his feet, which earns me a kick in the stomach and in the legs. Then he snatches the collar of my jacket and pulls me to him until we’re face to face. I can feel his hot breath against my lips. 23

“You dare lie to me, murderer?!” the man hissed. “Blind lies will get you nowhere! I understand with perfect clarity why you do what you do, but I DEMAND to know: why HER?!”24

My confusion rises another ten levels, the pain in my body screaming for me. Murderer? This guy thinks I KILLED someone? I muster up all remaining courage I have so I can compose and speak full sentences. 25

“What are you talking about?” I ask him. “I don’t even know where I am.”26

This accomplishes nothing. The man just slaps me again, harder this time. Man, people sure are friendly here, I think silently. When I move to wipe the blood off my face, he grabs me by the hair and pulls me off the ground. 27

“You’re under arrest,” he snarls. He pulls out a pair of shiny silver handcuffs. As he fastens them, I look up feebly into his face. 28

“For what?” It’s barely above a whisper.29

Just for the question it seems, the man steps on one of my feet. I cry out in pain. He catches me as I fall forward, but jerks my head up by my hair again. He stares me in the face, his cold blue eyes meeting my teary amber.30

“For killing my wife.”