Hole

"Let’s go, Yoshi!”
"Mhm!”

Under the glowing moonlight of dawn, a teenage boy and a young girl ran desperately, following the trail of a truck on the snow in the forest.

"Ahh!”

The girl tripped and a golden dragon-shaped pendant slipped from her hand.

"Mai! You ok?”

He turned back to her and she nodded slightly. He picked up the pendant and handed it back to her.

"I think we can rest here for awhile…”

He suggested but she shook her head, using his shoulder for support as she stood.

"No… No time!”

They ran again, their breath turning to vapor as they gasped, stomachs growling, yet they kept going. Not long after, a message was broadcast across the city’s drug dealer network.

"PUSHERS! TWO KIDS ESCAPED! A BOY IN A BROWN COAT AND OUR ALPHA’S DAUGHTER! KILL THE BOY AND BRING BACK THE GIRL UNHARMED!!! REWARD: FREE SUPPLY FOR A WEEK! ANY FLAVOUR!!!”

One man was feeding a stray kitten when he received the message. He quickly searched for a nearby payphone , insert coins and dialed 555.

"NSP, may I know who is calling?”
"This is Itsuka from Specia, badge 11920, show me Code 2 for tortilla perimeter!”
"Let’s do the clearance question first!”

After passing clearance and reporting the situation, the National Security Protocol held a brief emergency meeting with its high ranking member.

" We should shut down the whole city and deploy all available assets!”
"Negative! Our economy is struggling! That will waste resources and lagged the cash flow! Just send the PD!”
"PD involvement will alert the enemies thus potentially blown this operation! Let the intelligence clean this mess!”

After heated arguments, they issued a Transit Suspension Order, freezing transportation service temporarily to restrict the movement without shutting down the entire area.

"Let’s rest for now, Mai!”

After leaving the forest, they took shelter under a construction site as sunlight blanketed the land and snowflakes began to fall again. Exhausted, Mai fell asleep.

"I should get us something to eat…”

Yoshi glanced at her then slowly walked away

"I’ll be back, Mai!”

Unfortunately, after a while running, he was found and getting chased by a pick up truck.

"Oii kiddo! Where’s the girl?!”
"She’s dead! I killed her!”

Yoshi shouted while running then bumped to Itsuka.

"Crap… They already got eyes on him…”

Itsuka held Yoshi’s hand as they parked the truck.

"Ahh nice work! But since we found him, guess no reward for you!”

They shoved Yoshi into the truck while Itsuka watched helplessly.

"Wait! What you guys gonna do to him?”

Itsuka asked and the driver frowned.

"Why you care?”
"I mean, wouldn’t it be better to… You know, play with him for a while?”
"Huh?”

Both the driver and the man stared at him in disgust.

"No no no not that! I mean, force him to… I don’t know, stealing or something? That way, you guys can get some ‘candy’ rather than ‘silence’ him for nothing, right?”
"Hmm…”

The driver smiles and the guy nodded.

"You smart!”
"What can I say, Im a pusher! Hah! Im sorry kid, this is the best I can do…”

They drove, taking Yoshi away with them. Itsuka turned to his back, clenched his fist inside his coat and kicked the snow on the ground.

"...and that’s what happened, officer!”

Yoshi lay on the bed, speaking to Kitai, who stood beside him, listening.

"A hidden underground basement?”

Kitai asked and Yoshi nodded.

"This is a big discovery… I’ll report thi-”
"No sir!”

Yoshi weakly grabbed Kitai’s arm, shaking his head.

"Please don’t! There’s a rat within the police but I donno who!”

Kitai glanced at Amri, who stood by the window with arms crossed and sunglasses hanging from his shirt collar.

"Listen, kid… Im here to help, but I cant help if yo-”
"Its better to leave them, sir! They are dangerous, barbaric and inhumane! Although he has many loyal members, some of them were forced to keep their families safe! That’s how I ended up like this…”

Amri lowered his head, gripping his left arm.

"This is why I prefer to stay like this… When the time comes, at least I have nothing to lose…”

He walked to Kitai and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Ughh! Oi!”
"Let’s go, buddy…”
"Hell no- arkk-”

Amri tightened the grip and Kitai pulled away.

"WHAT YO-”
"You cant help him… Especially in this condition, Officer Kitai…”

Amri shook his head.

"I DON’T CARE!”

Kitai yelled and its echoed through the facility.

"What about your wife? Your daughter? Yuki, the child your wife babysitting?!”
"THEN WHAT SHOULD I DO?! EATING DONUT AND PRETEND NOTHING HAPPEN?!”

Kitai was far too loud that the staff has to intervene, asking him to leave the building.

"F*CK! F*CK! F*CK! F*CK! F*CK!!!”

Amarok snapped, kicking the table, the machines and the neatly packed, various colored crystal meth. One of his men braced himself and approached.

"Amarok, we need to get ou-”
"DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!!”

He smashed the man’s face and drew his handgun.

"ONE MORE WORD! Heh…”

He lowered the gun and his tone.

"Stand your ground and prepare for war! Its time for the pack to wake from hibernation! YOU! Roar for me!”
"Awuuuuuu!”

On the road, Kitai quietly ate a donut while Amri talked with his wife and kids on the phone.

"Luna, Yuki, uncle Amri kidnapped my hubby!”
"Hi uncle!”
"Uncle, return back my otto san!”

Amri laughed while driving then Kitai hung up the call.

"Hey! Why ya end it?”
"You talking to my wife! Find your own!”

Kitai stared at his phone wallpaper, a picture of him and his family including Yuki.

"Sighed… So, what now?”

Kitai placed his phone down and grabbed the last donut from the box.

"We need one last ingredients…”

Amri put on his sunglasses.

"You mean intel?”
"Yeah… We need to find the ‘hole’ and confirming the kid’s story!”

Amri shifted the gear into sport mode, accelerating down the highway.

"Oi oi, you just passed the speed limit! Also, its December, remember?!”
"No worries! I am both a midman and a madman! We in need…”

Amri adjusted his glasses.

"...for speed!”

Kitai grabbed the handles below the car’s roof.

"Certainly you not a Batman so slow down and obey the speed limit! AMRIII!!!”

They got pulled over by the same cop but this time its for speeding.

"Know how fast you were going, Kitai’s friend?”
"Officer, it feels illegal to drive this VW cutey beast under 110km/h on the highway!”

Amri replied and the traffic officer clicking his pen.

"Sir, driving above the speed limit is illegal no matter what beast you riding!”
"That’s what I been telling him, Bob!”

After several hours on the road, they arrived at a construction site near the forest in the late afternoon. Kitai walked around but found no one.

"Clear! At first, I thought Amarok was a wolf enraged because we destroyed their home to build ours… Didn’t know it was actually darker than that…”
"I like ya thought process but…”

Amri took a box from the passengers seat and placed it on the ground.

"...I like it more if you help me right here!”
"Is that the new tech thing you bought just now? What’s that actually?”
"Its called a drone! Ya not following technological advancement, old man?”

Amri aggressively tore open the packaging and tossed it aside.

"Im gonna fine you for littering later!”
"Yeah yeah, have fun finding me! Now ya just wanna watch or ya wanna help?”

Kitai picked up the manual while Amri scratched his head.

"I think we need an expert…”

He called his daughter, Luna and she guided them on assembling and flying the drone.

"Make sure you don’t fly too far or it will dc!”
"Thank you my beauty moonlight, love you!”
"Love you too, otto san!”

He ended the call and raised an eyebrow at Amri. Amri shook his head and launched the drone. The drone synced to his phone, displaying the feed.

"The funny thing bout criminals is that, they always leave their trail behind!”
"No sheet sherlock!”

Amri tracked and followed the marks on the snow and they found a pick up truck.

"Wai-… Tha-… I think I recognized tha-”

Suddenly, the drone feed cut out with the sound of gunfire. They glanced at each other before rushed back into the car and drove away.

End of Chapter 4…

Extra 04:
Kitai’s lay on his bed at night, hold his shoulder, lost in thought.

"There’s impostor among us… but who?”
"Anata! Dinner’s ready!”

His wife called from down stair but he didn’t realized until his daughter began counting.

"733!”

He blinked and immediately sat up.

"Hey! That doesn’t count!”
"Otto san late!”
"Uncle Kitai, Una is eating your donut!”

His eyes widened and he sprinted down stair.

"NOOO! NOT MY DONUT! LUUUNAAAAA!!!”