Transport

I woke up to a cage of steel.

Besides me several prisoners bumped along as the cage sped along to who knows where. The smell of the prisoners suffocated me, a smell reminiscent of the worst parts of Tokyo.

With a groggy head I tried to think back. Was that a dream? No, it had to be! There was portals, and magic beyond any of Akane’s fantasy novels, not to mention whoever pulled me along. It was ridiculous.

But still, nothing changed the fact of how real everything felt. There was no mistaking it. I went through that portal! I was in that cell! No dream was that realistic after all.

Then there was the matter of him. The nameless man… whatever he was. A vague line of his popped into view. What was it, something about a child? One of the… Children of God, whatever that meant. I’d have to ask Rei and Akane, assuming I ever had the chance.

Just then the reality of my situation hit me. Such a conversation was a fantastical dream now, considering where my destination lies. No one escaped a rehabilitation center and lived to tell the tale.

Or did they? I had to look at this from another angle. Fides was the source after all, and a bogus one at that. My image of them had shattered, shards of glass now, ground up into a billion pieces. Who said they were telling the truth!

Everything was crafted, Nari proved that much. Why would Fides want to let the people know escape was an option? What reason did they have to tell the truth? One more lie within the sea they've told wouldn't make a difference.

That was my goal, my motivation! As long as the possibility of escape existed I couldn't give up!

Nari and Kono were somewhere, suffering the same as me, or worse. And because it was my fault, I had to pay my dues. Not to mention my friends outside. Who knew what Akane and Rei would do. Knowing those two, probability something rash.

I glanced around the prison truck. Amidst the bobbing heads sat five other prisoners, sleeping without a care in the world. Little light flowed in from the grates. If not for the overhead lights, seeing would have been an impossible task.

There wasn't exactly much substance to the truck's interior, with metal walls void of decorations. If I wanted to escape this was my chance! Between a maximum security prison and a moving truck, it was clear which one had the better odds.

“Makoto!” The sharp voice made me jump. From where… I glanced around, only to see more of the same. Was I just hallucinating?

“Dude, can you hear me?” There it was again! That was no hallucination. If anything the voice felt as if it came from within my ear.

“Who is this?” I muttered under my breath.

“Rei you fucking idiot!”

“Rei!” My voice escaped from my lips. I glanced around towards the other prisoners, praying I didn't wake any of them up. Luckily fate was on my side. “How the heck?”

“Lots and lots of planning. Couldn’t get as invoiced as I would have liked, but placing a little earpeace in while you were out was a breeze.”

“But why? What's going on?” It took all I had to wrap my head around this. Rei had broken into the system, something unthinkable for your average person, and placed this within my ear without anyone noticing.

“You hit your head bro? We're breaking you out of the rattilly truck.”

“Bre-!”

“Quiet! You say that and all this goes down the drain. Those guards driving this thing arn’t that dumb.”

I shut my mouth. He was right, one wrong move and I was screwed. This was still Fides after all. They didn't get to their current size by lazing around. If whatever Rei was concocting was going to come to fruition, then everything had to go perfectly.

“Anyway Makoto, you remember that serial killer making the rounds?”

“How could I not?” Heck, the last two times we talked they were all that came up.

“Good. They’ll be making a visit in a few.”

“Say what now?” I could barely contain my voice from the shock. Here? That ruthless killer that even Fides couldn't catch would be attacking my truck? Not to mention, if Fides couldn't find them, then how did Rei.

“Once I figured out how they chose their targets, it was a simple matter to manipulate a few things. Just had to err, convince the normal truck driver to call in sick, then get the target on board.”

“Ok, let's say she shows up and takes out the driver. What then?”

“You'll know when it's the right time. Cant have anything leaking if something goes wrong.”

“Well that's reassuring.” Despite everything, I chucked. This was peak Rei after all.

“I’ll let you go for now. Watch for signs of the serial killer. I’ll contact again after they make their move.” Just like that, the earpiece went quiet.

I couldn't help myself as I looked left and right every few seconds. Who knew when the serial killer would be making their appearance. Heck, maybe they wouldn't even show up. Not even Rei actually knew who they were, adding a layer of unpredictability. Even with all the manipulation in the world things could go wrong. Something out of either of their control could put a stop to all of this.

Those thoughts kept floating around as the nerves built up in my mind. If anything, the stress now was larger than anything Fides could have done. There was a sense of Finality and predictability there, everything they’d do to me was laid out. This was random, chaotic.

The truck jostled around as we ran over a bump, throwing me up towards the ceiling. Thank god for seatbelts.

Muttering voices came from the front seat. The metal wall made the words themselves indistinguishable, but the tone was clear. They were nervous.

A slow pitter patter caught my ears, and the smell of rain filled the truck. A dark and stormy night was upon us. It felt somewhat fitting, like something out of an allegorical novel. When a twist of fate came upon the protagonist, causing his life to get flipped upside down.

“BAM”

Glass shattered from the driver's seat as the truck swerved towards the right. I held on for dear life! It bounced and rumbled before slamming to a halt! The rear of the truck lifted off like a rocket before falling back towards the cold hard ground.

I slowly rubbed my temple as the dust settled. “Makoto! Now's your chance!”

Rei’s words shocked me back to reality. I ripped my now tattered seatbelt off and glanced towards the open exit. Thunder boomed as the empty street was lit up with a flash.

Outside, signs of life were nonexistent. Only a lonely road filled with raindrops awaited.

“Makoto. Run along the street in the opposite direction the truck was heading. Far as I can tell, the thunderstorm should delay anyone checking the crash out for a few hours.”

I brushed the dust off my clothes and started along the path. “For how long?”

“You’ll know when it's time. Ill contact you when your close.” Off again. Damn I wish Rei was a bit more forthcoming.

I glanced back. A figure dressed in a flowing red dress was staring intently at the crashed truck. She bent down, swirling something on her fingers; something red.

Next, she started writing, and the pieces all fit together. This was the serial killer! The figure dressed in red was the culprit all along. Yet, there was something familiar about her.

“Makoto! Get a move on!”

“Right.” I turned away and walked along the dark road. That was a puzzle for another time.