Zeke and Mochi realized at the same time that they had walked straight into a trap. The anomaly's plan had been to separate them from the very beginning.
"We have to go now!" Mochi shouted, her voice louder than she intended. Panic was starting to creep in, and only one thought hammered through her mind: if Miyu got hurt, if they were too late… she would never forgive herself.
"Calm down," Zeke tried to rein her in. "If we go on foot, we'll take too long."
Mochi's mind filled with dark thoughts, each one more suffocating than the last.
Zeke let go of Professor Shūen and held out his hand.
"Give me your car keys."
Shūen looked as if he were about to complain, but Zeke's cold expression made him think twice. Without a word, he reached into his pocket and handed them over.
"Let's go," Zeke said, snatching them and heading out of the classroom.
Mochi hurried after him. They sprinted full speed to the parking lot.
In one swift motion, Zeke vaulted onto the hood and slid across it like in an action movie. He pulled open the driver's door and dropped into the seat in a single fluid move. Mochi arrived just in time to yank open the passenger door and slam it shut as he was already starting the engine.
"Buckle up… or don't. It's more fun that way," he muttered, flooring the accelerator.
The car roared to life and shot forward, tires screeching in the middle of the night. Mochi barely had time to shut the door before the vehicle drifted hard around the first corner. The shriek of rubber and the stench of burning tires mixed with the growl of the engine.
Heart pounding in her throat, Mochi clutched the door handle and the edge of the seat. She never imagined Zeke would drive like this: every turn was a drift, every straightaway felt like a racetrack. The city lights streaked by in fleeting flashes through the window.
While he drove like it was an arcade game, Mochi kept redialing Miyu's number. Over and over. She didn't even hear a dial tone. Nothing but silence. Frustration squeezed her chest.
"Answer me, Miyu…" she whispered desperately, before hanging up again.
She set her phone down on her lap, glanced sideways at Zeke, and couldn't hold back the question eating her up inside.
"Zeke… what happens when an anomaly possesses someone? I mean… did we ever really meet the real Ami? Or was it all fake?"
"It felt real because it probably was."
"What do you mean?"
"When an anomaly possesses someone, it doesn't always erase the original. Sometimes it lets them live a normal life and only takes control when it needs to. Then it gives the body back, manipulating or erasing memories so the host doesn't suspect anything. So yeah… it's possible the Ami you met was the real Ami. She just never knew what was happening to her."
Mochi lowered her gaze. Remembering Ami's radiant joy during those few days made the weight of sadness press even harder on her now.
Zeke pressed his foot harder on the accelerator, and the car kept tearing through the dark streets at full speed.
* * *
Miyu slowly regained consciousness. Everything was black. Something covered her head, preventing her from seeing. But she felt the cold breeze on her skin: she was no longer indoors.
She tried to move and pain ran through her entire body. Her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were bound as well. She struggled desperately, until suddenly someone ripped the cloth that covered her eyes away.
In front of her stood Ami, holding a cloth bag in her hand. Undoubtedly, that had been what had covered her head.
—Did you sleep well, pretty? —she said in a mocking tone. In her voice that unsettling mixture still vibrated: her own and the anomaly's deeper, graver tone.
—What are you planning? Let me go! —Miyu shouted, pulling at the bindings.
Ami didn't answer; she only laughed cruelly.
It was then that Miyu realized where she was. Ami's building rooftop. But they weren't alone: four unknown people stood there, motionless, like statues. For a moment, Miyu thought to call for help, but Ami beat her to it.
—Don't bother asking them for anything —she whispered, walking toward them. Her hand gently stroked the cheek of one of the young men—. They are already completely under my control.
—Who are they? —Miyu asked in a trembling voice.
—Friends of Sam —Ami replied with a twisted smile—. Or at least they were. Though… calling them friends is too generous, considering none of them hesitated to sleep with me when I invited them. —A long, bitter laugh escaped her throat.
The words pierced Miyu's chest like thorns.
—And Sam? Were you ever really interested in him?
—Of course I was. Ami loved him deeply —she said, a warped gleam in her eyes—. That's why I made sure she stayed conscious every time I slept with another man. Her desperation, her suffering… they were an exquisite delicacy. And when I finished with him, I made her relive that memory over and over until she broke… —she licked her lips with delight—. That was a true feast.
—YOU'RE A MONSTER! —Miyu exploded in rage. Her eyes filled with burning tears—. You won't get away with this! My friends will come to save me!
Ami smiled with disturbing calm.
—I'm counting on that. That's why I'll make sure that when they arrive, all they can do is watch your pretty body burn.
She clapped once and gave the order with an elegant gesture:
—Begin.
The four young men obeyed immediately. They walked to the wall, where several jerrycans of gasoline rested. One by one, they began pouring the fuel over themselves.
The first lit a lighter and the flames engulfed him at once. His ripping scream cut through the air as his skin blackened. The second followed without hesitation, then the third… and then the fourth.
The searing heat spread across the rooftop. Miyu felt the air become unbreathable, smoke stinging her eyes, and the nauseating stench of burning flesh and hair filling her nostrils.
Ami picked up the last gasoline can and turned toward Miyu, that wide, crazed smile on her face.
—Now it's your turn.
* * *
Mochi and Zeke arrived at the apartment building where Ami lived: a ten-story block, old and worn by time.
—Ami lives on the seventh floor —said Zeke, hurrying toward the entrance.
Mochi followed close behind. The interior was dark, damp, and neglected, as if the place had been abandoned for years. It was no surprise: the building was scheduled to be demolished in a few months. Most of the apartments were already empty.
The elevators weren't working, so they threw themselves up the stairs.
When they reached the seventh floor, they found the apartment door shut. Mochi didn't hesitate: she leaned her weight on her back leg and delivered a brutal kick next to the lock.
A sharp crack echoed through the hallway.
The door gave way.
The wooden frame split around the lock, sending splinters flying everywhere. The door swung open, slamming against the wall with a dry, thunderous crash.
Inside the apartment reigned a suffocating darkness. Zeke didn't hesitate for a second to move forward.
—Cover me —he ordered firmly as he stepped inside.
But something in the air made Mochi freeze in place. With her sharp sense of smell she caught a sharp, almost imperceptible scent… and her eyes widened. Gas.
—Zeke, down! —she shouted, yanking him back with all her strength.
They both crashed heavily to the side of the entrance, just as an infernal roar erupted from within. A blazing flame burst out of the open doorway, flooding the hallway with a blinding orange glare.
The heat slammed into them, scorching. Mochi barely managed to flatten her ears against her head with both hands to protect herself from the deafening thunder of the explosion. The noise was so loud it vibrated in her bones, making her clench her teeth in desperation.
Zeke let out a muffled curse, shielding his face with his arm.
The hallway lights flickered frantically before going out for a moment, while the fire roared, devouring the inside of the apartment. Fragments of wood, embers, and sparks shot out, striking the walls and floor around them.
With her heart racing, Mochi breathed heavily. Her nose confirmed what she had already suspected: there was gas, a lot of gas, spread deliberately.
It was a trap.
—Shit… —Zeke coughed, half sitting up while shielding himself from the embers. The blast had left him temporarily deaf; he could only hear a sharp ringing drilling into his skull—. They tried to fry us like fish.
Mochi lifted her gaze toward the flaming doorway, ignoring Zeke's bad joke, her tail bristling completely and goosebumps running down her arms.
—This wasn't an accident… —Zeke growled, clenching his fists furiously—. They were waiting for us!
—Miyu! —Mochi leapt to her feet and ran toward the door. She tried to push her way in, but the scorching heat forced her to retreat. Among the charred remains of furniture, she managed to make out something, a detail near the entrance she hadn't noticed before…