CHAPTER 6 — A Lullaby for Porcelain Dolls — Part 2
The first porcelain doll barely had time to raise its arms.
BAM!
Saito's fist connected with its face.
The doll's head snapped backward.
CRACK!
Its porcelain body shattered against the concrete floor, sending fragments scattering in every direction.
Another doll lunged at him from the left.
BAM!
Another attacked from behind.
BAM!
A third leaped down from above.
BAM!
Saito didn't even bother looking.
He simply punched.
Again.
And again.
And again.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Porcelain fragments exploded through the air like shattered glass.
Saito began whistling.
A cheerful little tune.
Completely out of place.
He slipped beneath a swinging blade, grabbed one of the dolls by its ankle, and yanked it out of the air.
The doll shrieked.
Saito spun once.
Twice.
Then—
WHOOSH!
He released it.
The porcelain body flew across the hall and smashed into three other dolls.
CRASH!
Saito casually dusted off his hands.
"Do yoooou waa—"
A doll charged at him.
BAM!
"—want to di—"
Another one.
BAM!
"—e?"
Another.
BAM!
Saito stared at the shattered pieces beneath his boots.
"Huh."
He tilted his head.
Then his grin returned.
"Okay."
A larger doll lunged at him.
Saito caught it by both legs.
For a moment, the creature hung upside down.
It stared at him.
Saito stared back.
Then his eyes gleamed.
"HEY! TAKE THIS, YOU UGLY PIECE OF SHIT—!"
He swung.
WHAM!
The doll smashed into another.
WHAM!
Then another.
WHAM!
Saito had effectively turned the porcelain creature into a baseball bat.
"HEEYAAA!"
WHAM!
"And his name is..."
He swung again.
"JOHN CENA!"
WHAM!
The final impact sent a dozen dolls flying across the chamber.
CRASH!
Silence.
Broken porcelain covered the floor.
The supposedly unbreakable dolls lay motionless among the debris.
Saito stood in the middle of the wreckage, breathing normally.
He looked around.
Then down at his knuckles.
"Well, that was fun while it lasted."
A tiny laugh escaped him.
He kicked a porcelain head aside.
"What a joke."
Now, only the heavy thudding of Saito's boots disturbed the silence of the desolate ruins.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
"Every time I come here, only the hallways change. The door never does."
Saito stopped before a massive door, standing motionless as he stared at it.
An inscription gleamed in gold across its surface.
CHAIRMAN
"Well, let's get this over with."
The door creaked open.
Inside, an ominous crimson glow bathed the room. Strange, demonic patterns covered the walls, casting shifting shades of red and black across the chamber.
The walls were covered in living flesh.
Almost alive.
Almost...
Moving.
But the strangest thing was at the centre of the room.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
A gigantic heart, ten times the size of a human body, hung suspended in the air. Thick blood vessels stretched from it to the fleshy walls, while torn strips of skin clung to its surface.
Blood dripped steadily from the grotesque mass.
Then—
"OH, MY! WE MEET AGAIN, LITTLE FRIEND!"
An unfamiliar voice thundered through the chamber.
"THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU, YOU WERE MUCH SMALLER!"
A man's face emerged from the fleshy walls.
He wore a hat, and his expression carried the familiarity of someone greeting an old acquaintance.
Richard Bradford.
The man who had built the industrial complex.
"I've grown since then," Saito replied.
"SO, WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE? BUSINESS OR PLEASURE?"
"What do you think, shithole?"
Saito's expression remained cold.
"OH! SUCH OBSCENE LANGUAGE! CHILDREN OF THIS ERA HAVE NO RESPECT FOR THEIR ELDERS!"
Richard sighed theatrically.
"WELL, IT DOESN'T MATTER. EVEN IF I OFFERED YOU POWER OR WEALTH, YOU WOULDN'T STOP. SO, GET ON WITH IT, KID."
A disappointed smile spread across his face.
"Good choice."
In a single, swift motion, Saito punched the enormous heart.
SPLAT!
Blood and chunks of flesh burst outward, splattering across his face and drenching his pristine white uniform in crimson.
For a moment, the chamber trembled.
Then the industrial complex began to dissolve.
Walls crumbled into thick smoke. The floor faded beneath Saito's boots, and the entire structure slowly vanished into a swirling mist.
"I WILL RETURN, KID! NEXT TIME... I'LL BRING MORE TOYS!"
Richard's voice echoed through the dissolving chamber.
Saito watched the last traces of the building disappear.
"AND I'LL BE WAITING, MORON."
He smiled, a cynical grin spreading across his bloodstained face.
*****
Aokawa City, Japan — 6:00 PM
Fei Fei walked along the road leading to her home.
"Haaaaah..."
She sighed.
"I should've known this was going to happen. I mean, it makes sense that she loves him, but..."
She lowered her head.
"...I shouldn't be disappointed over such a small thing!"
"Dear child."
A soft, feminine voice called out to her.
"Huh?"
Fei Fei turned around.
A beautiful woman stood a short distance away, dressed in an elegant black kimono adorned with red and pink blossoms. Her long, dark hair was held in place by an ornate kanzashi, and her gentle smile lent her an almost otherworldly grace,almost like a goddess.
"Thinking about someone you love?" the woman asked.
She's beautiful...
Fei Fei awkwardly laughed, touching the back of her head.
"Oh! Well, no, it's just—"
"If you're in love, you should tell them, you know."
"Oh, well, I..."
Fei Fei's smile faltered.
"I'm kind of a coward, you know."
She looked away, disappointed in herself.
The woman regarded her with a gentle smile.
"Sometimes, it's better to speak up late than never. After all, we never know when everything might come to an end, do we?"
For a brief moment, her expression grew distant.
Then she smiled again, as though nothing had happened.
"Oh! Speaking of which, I almost forgot why I came here."
She reached into her kimono and produced an old, torn photograph.
The image was badly damaged. It showed a house and a group of people, but their faces were too worn to recognise.
"Child, do you know where this place is?"
"Hmm..."
Fei Fei adjusted her round glasses and studied the photograph carefully.
"Oh! I know this place! It's near the next intersection."
"Thank you, child. You've been a great help."
The woman turned and began walking away, raising one hand in a gentle farewell.
"You're welcome, miss!"
Fei Fei waved back.
Then she paused.
Wait. I didn't ask her name!
"MA'AM! WHAT'S YOUR NAME?"
The woman stopped and looked over her shoulder.
"My name?"
She gave Fei Fei a faint smile.
"Mayako. Mayako Jin."
She turned away and continued down the road.
"Mayako..."
For an instant, Fei Fei froze.
A flash of her recurring nightmare crossed her mind.
The crimson eyes.
The terror.
The feeling that something was terribly wrong.
"Huh?!"
She shuddered.
"Why do I suddenly have the heebie-jeebies?"
She watched the woman disappear into the distance.
"Still..."
Fei Fei adjusted her glasses and smiled faintly.
"What a beautiful woman."
To be continued...