The sun was already high in the sky, and the morning dew had long vanished. The city was alive with noise that drifted into the small studio apartment: footsteps on hard sidewalks, cars honking in the midday traffic, the occasional siren racing to an emergency.
Kano Shiro, a fourth-generation Japanese-American, was just stirring in bed. Tonight started his four-night shift at the Los Ojos Police Department. As he sat up, he stole a glance at the young woman sleeping next to him. They had only met the night before at a local bar, and he couldn't even remember her name. Pale skin, brown hair, wrapped in his blanket… she stirred as she began to wake.
Kano got up, not even trying to be subtle, and pulled on the pants from the night before. He walked to the kitchen, brewed his usual cheap coffee, checked his phone for messages, and ordered a ride-share for his guest, who was slowly waking.
As she sat up and looked around the unfamiliar apartment, the smell of coffee drew her gaze to Kano, who was reading the morning news on his phone.
"That smells good," she said with a smile.
Kano poured her a cup and brought it over. "I won't lie, I can't remember your name. Care to remind me?" he asked with a nervous laugh.
"Claire," she said, amused. "I was just going to ask yours."
"Kano" he replied with a soft laugh, taking a sip of his coffee.
Claire climbed into the car and rolled down the window. "Call me!" she said, waving, then she was gone.
Kano walked into LOPD, he wore the usual casual t-shirt and jeans, Officers typically changed into their uniforms at the station so they wouldn't be targeted at home. After getting changed, Kano headed into roll call and took his usual seat. Through the window, the sun was already setting on the horizon, an orange glow shining behind tall buildings. Night-shift was always the more interesting shift, nothing good ever happens when the sun goes down.
The Duty Sergeant gave out the assignments for the night, Kano would be working traffic in the downtown area. It wasn't the weekend yet but bars and clubs would be open and people would be lining the streets. Alcohol and hormones would fuel many conflicts and other disasters, as always.
Tonight, Kano would have a partner, Officer Jonathon Green. They had worked together many times before, especially on night shifts.
"Ready to head out, John?" Kano said, playfully punching his partner in the shoulder.
"Let's get after it!" Green laughed. "I hear Chief Marshall will be riding around tonight, making sure we're doing what we're supposed to be doing."
Kano laughed. The thought of Chief Grace Marshall chewing him out again created an annoying scene in his head. "I guess that means no naps tonight. I even brought my fuzzy blanket!"
"Sorry to ruin your night, Officer Shiro..." Chief Marshall said, and Kano jumped at the sound of her voice.
"We were only kidding, ma'am, you know us! We always get the job done!" Kano said, trying to avoid the Chief's wrath.
"Yeah, we write the best reports too!" Green added with a wide grin.
"I swear to God, if either of you puts in another report that says, and I quote, 'suspect resisted so I hit him with my baton so he would calm the fuck down...' I will have you cleaning squads until you retire or quit!" Chief Marshall said, looking directly at Green. "Shiro, keep your partner in line!"
"It was only one time!" Green said. "Besides, I was honest about why I hit him!"
"I'll do my best to make sure reports are professional, ma'am," Kano said, laughing as he elbowed Green. "And if Green gets out of line, I'll just whack him with my baton so he'll 'calm the fuck down' but I'll leave that part out of the report."
Chief Marshall rolled her eyes and laughed "Get to work you two." She said as she walked away.
Kano and Green got into their marked police cruiser, commonly called a Squad, and left the station's secure parking lot. They stopped at the nearest convenience store for cheap coffee before heading to their designated area.
It was a normal night, as normal as policing could be, writing a few traffic tickets. As the night dragged on, Kano sat in the passenger seat running radar on passing vehicles while Green wrote a report on their last stop. A speeding car went by, registering 73 miles per hour in a posted 25. Kano tapped Green, and they sped off after the car. With lights on and sirens blaring, the pair quickly caught up to the vehicle, which was already pulling over. Kano stepped out of the passenger seat.
"Hey, John, be ready in case this guy takes off," Kano said, walking up to the passenger window.
He tapped the window, and the driver rolled it down. "You already know why I'm pulling you over, right?" Kano said, clearly annoyed by the driver's recklessness.
"Yes, sir. I'm in a bit of a hurry," the driver, a young man in his early twenties, replied nervously.
"I'm Officer Shiro with the Los Ojos PD. Let me get your license, registration, and proof of insurance," Kano said in the stern tone he used on duty.
The man said, "It's my mom's car. I'll have to look for my registration and insurance, but here's my license," handing Kano his driver's license.
"Find your insurance and registration. I'll be right back," Kano said.
Just as Kano stepped to the back of the young man's car, a soft white glow began to emit from beneath his feet. He looked down to see an increasingly bright light growing under him. He tried to run, but he couldn't move. Kano glanced at his partner, who was running the license plate on the Squad's computer. Before Kano could say anything, everything around him changed.
Kano was standing in a forest. The sun was high in the sky. Birds chirped all around, insects buzzed and sang their songs among the trees. The air smelled fresh, like the city's smog didn't exist here.
"Where the hell am I?" Kano muttered under his breath. He didn't even notice he had dropped the driver's license he had been holding. "Did I die? Am I dead? What the hell is going on?"
He looked around, taking in his surroundings. Trees of all kinds stretched as far as the eye could see, but not very far, because the brush was thick. He could hear water nearby.
Back at the traffic stop, Green looked up to see that Kano wasn't by the car anymore. He got out of the Squad and approached the driver's side window.
"Where's my partner?" Green asked, his voice serious.
"I don't know, sir. He took my license and said for me to wait here," the driver replied.
Green looked around the immediate area and didn't see Kano. He decided to call it in; he needed backup.
"Get out of the car. You're being detained until I find my partner," Green said as he pulled the scared young man out of the driver's seat.
Kano didn't know what to make of his situation. He was in a forest, he was naked, and he was internally freaking out. The only thing he could do was head toward the sound of rushing water. From there, he figured he could move downstream until he found civilization. The thought of a predator finding him first made him a little paranoid.
"I hope there aren't mountain lions in these woods..." Kano muttered as he pushed through the brush.
After what felt like an eternity, just as the sun was beginning to set, Kano noticed smoke rising into the sky. He followed the trail with his eyes until it led to a small cottage at the bottom of a hill, a thin plume curling from its chimney. A dirt path wound down toward it.
"Well, they're about to have a wild night..." Kano sighed, stepping out of the forest and onto the trail.
The cottage was built of white stone with a wooden roof, a chimney jutting from the top. The smell of warm, delicious food grew stronger as Kano approached the wooden door. From inside came the muffled sound of voices, and yellow light spilled from the windows.
Kano glanced around for anything he could use to cover his bare body, but found nothing. With a resigned sigh, he covered himself with his hands as best he could and knocked on the door.