Another Ghost

Tokyo, 2031.

Rain was falling in a torrent, and with every drop a certain man was beaten down even further.

He stumbled through the streets, the static of rainfall drowning out what little he could still hear of the world around him.

Someone bumped into him hard, sending him tumbling face-first into a puddle. He slammed into the shallow water, ruining his clothes and hitting the pavement.

His clothes clung to him as he tried to get back on his feet, but he just couldn’t. His body gave in, and he fell onto his back. All he could do was stare up at the sky as the crushing despair overtook him.

He had worked hard.

He had tried his best.

And even put on the brightest smile.

But he had still been left penniless and homeless.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, although it felt so distant.

He remembered the poem he had read online.

“Neither living nor dead / Without great pleasure nor pain / No memories of the past nor dreams of the future / Walking through this world as ghosts / But every tortured soul / Can find revenge as a demon”

Once again, his phone vibrated, but this time it was impossible to ignore as it shook almost violently.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled it out. A notification covered the screen.

Would you like to install the Demon App?

In that moment, it was as if everything else went away. A smirk crossed his face as he pressed Yes.

***

Tokyo’s trains were infamous for being crammed, but they were actually less crowded these days. There weren’t nearly as many people going to work, after all. And while the trains and their passengers were never known to be particularly welcoming, the atmosphere was now almost abject. The lights in the car were dim and flickering, and as darkness and rain covered Tokyo, the passengers stared down at their shining phone screens, their appearances not as well-kempt as years past. Their clothes particularly were clearly being worn for as long as possible.

However, amongst all the passengers, there was one person who seemed unaffected by the miasma that had overtaken the world. He stood tall, holding onto the handrail as he stared out the window.

This young man, dressed in a pristine high school uniform with an especially handsome mug, was Naoki Nakajima.

However, there was much more to him than what could be seen.

With a thud, the entire train violently shook. This wasn’t just a bump, everyone jolted from the force, and even Naoki stumbled, nearly falling.

People looked around concerned, but after a few moments, the train started to speed up. Naoki looked out the window. It was clear they were going much faster than what was safe. He knew what was happening before he heard the all too familiar jingle coming from his pocket.

Immediately, he pulled out his phone.

CODE RED: Train 1310R has been hijacked by a terrorist. Calling all units in the area to respond immediately.

Naoki grunted and put it away as he started sprinting through the train, weaving past passengers and throwing open the car doors.

The train was getting even faster and people were starting to panic. At this rate, it would almost certainly crash into another train, that is if it didn’t derail first.

“Stay calm! Everything is under control!” Naoki called out. He knew hearing that from a random teenager wasn’t very reassuring, but he had to do whatever he could. Once he got to the front, he could take care of this.

As he threw open the last door and stepped into the first car, he saw the one who was responsible for this.

Inside the cab of the train, hunched over the control, was what looked to be a disheveled salary man.

Without waiting another second, Naoki pulled out his phone and opened an app on his phone.

“Michael!” he called out!

As the screen flickered, his phone became almost too hot to touch. However, nothing seemed to have happened. That was until he brought up the camera, revealing what looked to be an angel fully clad in armor beside him.

“You should have summoned me sooner,” the angel said, readying his blade.

“It’s fine.” Naoki said as he turned his camera on the cab, revealing that the terrorist wasn’t alone in there. Beside him staring right at him was what looked to be a massive bipedal beast with red skin, giant horns, and sharp, gnarled teeth.

Without warning, the beast punched through the window separating the cab from the rest of the train, sending glass shards flying.

Naoki covered his eyes instinctively, and in that moment, the beast lunged forward, but just before it could maul him, the angel appeared, blocking the attack.

“Michael!” Naoki called out!

But the angel, deadlocked with the beast, didn’t respond.

Naoki looked around quickly. It was cramped and there were still civilians. Michael could take down that demon easily, but not without collateral damage. They had to change the situation somehow, but trying to herd out the civilians would be too dangerous, and that still wouldn’t solve the problem of space.

But as Naoki looked around, he saw an option, albeit a crazy one.

He ran up to one of the train doors, and with a few solid kicks, he was able to knock it off, leaving a gaping hole in the train.

“Michael!” Naoki had put down his phone, so he couldn’t see him, but he knew that the fight was still raging.

But Naoki didn’t have time to confirm anything. He climbed out of the train and onto the side. There weren’t too many handholds on the outside of the train, but his training gave him the strength he needed, and in a few moments, he managed to fight through the wind and make it to the roof.

Once he was on top, he pulled out his phone. Michael was by his side, having followed him, yet the beast hadn’t given chase.

At least not yet.

Almost like a bomb had gone off, the train roof in front of them exploded, creating a massive hole that the salary man with the help of the beast jumped through.

For a few moments, each party only stared the other down.

It was Naoki who broke the silence. “Stand down now!”

“Stand down!?” the salary man spat. “Why!?”

“Why do you think!? Do you want to die!?”

The salary man bent over and grabbed his forehead. “Do you really think that matters now!?” His head shot up, his eyes filled with rage. “I’ve been dead for a long time already!”

With shocking speed, the man’s beast lunged forward, ready to pounce.

This was it. The only way to stop the train and save the people was to kill that demon, and thus the salary man too.

“Michael! Lux Ferre!” Naoki called out.

Michael brought up his hand, summoning a blinding light, almost like a miniature sun.

The salary man and the beast recoiled, covering their eyes, but this gave Michael the opening he needed to strike. With one swift slash, he severed the beast's neck, sending it off its feet, hurtling from the train where it disappeared into dust.

But as the beast was killed, the salary man was affected as well. It wasn’t instant, but he sputtered up blood as he tried to stay on his feet, but it only took a few moments, and after a few gargled words that Naoki didn’t catch, he fell off the train too.

Naoki looked down, his eyes following the corpse of the man. But he didn’t have time to spare, stopping this train was his primary goal.

He jumped down the hole the beast created, entering the cab of the train, and with a confident pull, he triggered the emergency brake, bringing the runaway train to a violent, screeching halt.

***

Watching the scene unfold from a faraway rooftop was a lone young man. His face was pretty, but his eyes were as cold as ice.

“Looks like the SSU managed to stop another Ghost.”

The young man stood up and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“Well, it hardly matters. They can struggle all they like, it’s impossible to win a war against the people when they’ve got nothing left to lose.” He turned on his phone’s camera. “Isn’t that right, Okiku?” As he set it to face himself, the ghostly visage of a woman appeared behind him.