Erased - Book Version

Chapter 1

Time runs the same each day. Even if you think it runs slower or faster. In reality, it never stops,slows,or paces. Everyone's lives go on, even if something terrible happens. They don't know they think it's another amazing day. Except I tend to get involved in other peoples lives.

I'm sitting at my editors desk. He's telling me that. on my manga, I'm doing good work. That I need to dig deeper into myself though. That my reader won't see me.

Nothing complete, blank canvas, blank panels. The TV in the background, the words crossing my mind like every day. "If I had done this back then..." but they don't feel like regret. Just an excuse that comes to mind. I don't want, no I'm scared,  to dig deeper into myself.

The pizza place I work at, it's a job I do to make money while I make my manga. "I'm going out for a delivery" I say exiting the building, holding a pizza.

"Be careful" my co-worker says back to me. The girls voice is in following me. She says she's going out for a delvers too.

"Fujinuma, don't eat any pizza on the way, okay?" She asks me. I don't get it, is it a Gen Y joke? I tell her I wouldn't.

The street is busy today. Of course it's a weekday. I always tend to take in my surroundings. The electronic board with the weather and time, a kid waiting to cross the road, the restaurants, people passing on the sidewalk, a lady playing with her kids, some kids running together ont he sidewalk wearing construction hats, and...a blue butterfly.

That's not normal, it's glowing. A truck passes me. Boom! A flash of white. Im back, the same board, the same kid, same restaurants, it's the same. It happened again. Where, where is it? What seems out of place? A truck passes me. The truck! It's the truck that's out of place.

I swing around into the other lane. "Hey, you I'm the truck! Stop" I yell side by side with the truck. "Hey!" I yell again. He's asleep, the drivers asleep. The kid, he's crossing and this truck isn't going to stop. I shouldn't have gotten involved. I bang on the window. I grab the man's arm and swerve the truck. It doesn't hit the kid. I'm relieved but just for a second. A car it's coming towards me. I can't turn, I'm going to to get either way.

Black, nothing. Light, gray. What is this? It's my life, flashing before my eyes. We're all playing together, having fun, having no worries. Oh well, no one would care if I died anyway. Huh? Her coat, it's red. Nothing else is in color. Her had turns to me and as it does she says, "his eyes opened".

It's bright, I'm awake. "Good morning, Fujinuma! You were out for two days".  It's the girl again. She is everywhere I swear.

"Katagiri?" I ask.

"Do you know who you are and why you're here?"

"Satoru Fujinuma, 29 years old. I was chasing a truck and got into an accident."

"Good! The doctor said you hardly suffered any injuries. It's a miracle! Do you want me to call anyone? A friend or girlfriend?"

"No. There's nobody I want to bother telling."

"Snip-snip." She says as she makes a cutting motion with her fingers.

"What's that?" I ask. "A Gen Y joke?"

"It's like your covered with a thin membrane. You don't seem like the type who opens up to people." She says putting her hands  back down by her side. "You never laugh either. But I do kind of see you in a new light."

"How's that?" I question. "You saved a kids life, right? I was there. They say the truck driver died of a heart attack while driving. I'm surprised you noticed it."

"I'm just lucky." I say. She puts her elbows on the hospital bed. Her chin cupped in her hands. "After that, the truck crashed into a warehouse, so you and the driver were the only casualties." Casualties? She tells me not to worry about the bike and to rest while away from work. I thank her for all she's done.

"Katagiri, why do you work there?" I ask her.

"I didn't expect you to ask me a personal question."  She responds.

"Did I?"

"Yeah. No one's ever asked me that before." There's a small pause before she says. "I have a dream."

"I see" I respond, no emotion in my voice. "That's all your going to ask me?!" She asks shocked. She sits up straight. I had dream. Do dreams always work out? No. "Hey...when you tell other people about your dream, don't you think, "What if  the dream doesn't come true?". I ask

"No, I'm not embarrassed to talk about it because I think the more I talk about it. The better the chance it will come true." I feel, somehow, like I've heard that before. Deju vu is weird. You can never seem to remember where you've heard or seen something but you know you have.

Katagiri stand up out of her chair. She grabs her school bag and tells me that she won't tell me what her dream is. "It's not like we're close or anything." She says walking around my bed and out of the room.

———

I call the phenomenon "revival". Even though I know it's not beneficial for me, I always get involved. I usually go back between one and five minutes. Everything's the same and it's always right before something bad happens. I find myself searching for the thing that doesn't feel right.

As if I was ordered to prevent it from happening. As a result, I've kept trouble from happening again and again. Once in a while I get hurt from these incidents.

———

I walk up the steps and turn the doorknob to my apartment. I find my mom standing at the stovetop cooking. She welcomes me home. "I went to the hospital, but you were still sleeping, which was boring, so I came here. Is your head alright?" She says. "Fine" I respond walking into my room.

"I was shocked. I mean they said it was a head-on collision....I'm going to stay with you for a while". She says. I run out of my room to ask "why would you do that?"

"My adorable sons head hit a moving vehicle. The least I can do is watch over him." She tells me, I tell her I'm fine and have only on futon. She tells me there's a sleeping bag in the closet and that it works for her. We ramble back and forth about things for a little bit. Im her son, but even I can't tell she's 52 because the woman never changes.

"Satoru, can you get to Ueno without changing trains?" She asks. "No. Figures. You're here for sightseeing, aren't you?" I answer

"I have come all the way from Hokkaido, besides I'd get bored having to look at your face every day." She responds. She haven't even seen me for a full day yet. "Come in, let's eat."

———

"Sorry, I took your futon and tv." She says sitting on the futon staring at the tv, not even bothered looking at me when I open the door. I tell her not to worry about it. I don't mind it. I didn't want to tiptoe around her anyway when I get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

"Look you don't have to tiptoe if you use the bathroom in the middle of the night. I won't wake up" she says. Witch...

The tv plays in the background with the news on. It was reporting about that a girl from Saitama that went missing was found the next morning safe and sound. Mom speaks up. "Hey Saturo...Do you remember?" Remember, remember what.

"What?" I ask. "What happened in the neighborhood when you were in fifth grade. Your memories probably hazy." Silence... "we tried to get you kids to forget even a little bit of the incidents. Your life was in danger."

———

Fifth grade. When I was in fifth grade. An abduction... I remember now. Two of my classmates went missing.

———

When I was little, a local guy, Yuuki, often played with me. His name wasn't really Yuuki, but that's what I'd called him because he would always say "have courage." He was always optimistic and would be cheerful. He would stutter, but it never bothered me. He would ask me odd questions. I guess he was just a curious guy.

But 6 months after the disappearances, Jun Shiratori was arrested as a serial kidnapper and murderer. Jun was Yuuki.

{*~1468 words~*}