With Every Step

27. Hesitation

They were sleeping when everything went to hell.

Screams, cries, breaking glass, crumbling bricks—the cacophony of disaster made both of them bolt upright.

"What the..." Akira started as she opened the curtains and they both looked outside the window. Her voice caught in her throat.

Had they been transported into some nightmare world in their sleep?

Akira exchanged glances with Amon, who took his phone from the bedside stand. His face paled after just a minute and he showed her his screen. The internet was flooded with posts about the appearance of an enormous monster in Tokyo, which had apparently burst out of the ground and started indiscriminately attacking everything.

Beyond that, nobody knew anything. Theories were popping up, from the more likely (an experiment gone wrong) to the less (an alien attack to destroy Earth).

As Amon put down his phone, Akira walked over to the only entrance of their room to check the situation outside. The place was crowded with panicking people, the noise loud enough to drown out one's own thoughts. She immediately shut the door.

"We won't be able to leave, not with that kind of rush."

She looked into his eyes and knew he was thinking the same she was, that there was nothing to be done but wait. Akira wondered if it was because of shock that she felt so calm and accepting of the fact that her life might end any moment now.

A few hours passed by in tense silence, until Amon's phone started ringing.

"Who is it?" Akira asked.

"Nagachika."

She tried to hide her surprise. She knew from Amon that he was alive and she had realised he was the Scarecrow "ghoul", but why would he call now?

Amon accepted the call and switched on the speaker.

"Hey, Amon!" The greeting was unexpectedly cheerful. "You saw what's going on, right? I need your help with it. I can't speak for too long, sorry, but can you meet me near the graveyard? I'll explain everything then, trust me."

Akira didn't say a word, but Amon must have realised her uncertainty on seeing her face, because he replied with, "Can I think about it?"

"Sure!" The answer came after a few moments, then the call was cut.

"Akira? What do you think?" Amon faced her.

"Me?"

"What do you want to do? Whatever it is, that's fine by me."

"Even if... that's to leave?"

"Then we can leave now and never turn back."

The Amon from before wouldn't have hesitated before choosing to help. But now he was looking at her, ready to leave the decision to her, even if it was one he didn't agree with.

She looked outside again. As much as she didn't want to be involved with any of this, as much as she wished to leave this behind, Tokyo was where she was born and raised. Her home. Could she really stand by and watch it be destroyed?

The answer was obvious.

"Let's meet with him."