The Winners Take It All | Chishiya [English]

The dark city

It started with the strange fireworks.

I was on my way home when I noticed the play of colors in the sky. Rockets rose into the sky and exploded, leaving their signature behind. It was strange. Fireworks at sunset? But I didn't think anything of it. Who knows what the person was thinking, these days you could trust anyone to do anything. Fireworks, even if you couldn't see them, were apparently not entirely unusual. That's why I didn't think anything of it when I dug for my keys and unlocked the door to my apartment building, which was the apartment I had rented here in Tokyo. I was proud that I had made it this far. My private realm was small, but nice.

The heavy front door slammed shut behind me and I jumped briefly because I had been a little frightened by the noise. But as quickly as the shock had come, it was gone too. Instead, I tried to finally get hold of the light switch for the stairwell. It was already pretty dark here, so I had trouble finally locating it. Annoyed, I moved along the wall until I finally felt the smooth switch. When I pressed it... nothing happened.

The light stayed off and I stood in the pitch-black stairwell. The switch was probably broken again, my neighbor Tenjiro-san mentioned something like that recently. Hadn't the property manager been here yet to look at the problem? I fished into my pocket and pulled out my phone to use my flashlight. But my screen remained black. The battery was empty. I cursed again. I would probably have to climb the stairs in the dark. I knew myself – this darkness would be a cause to trip. I didn't want to fall again – it's a hazard every time it happens.

I carefully stepped onto the first step, then the next, repeating the process until I reached the first floor. I also pressed the light switch there, but it still remained dark.

I only noticed it when I tried to turn on the lights in my apartment. It didn't work here either and I had an uneasy feeling that was growing in my guts.

Only then did I realize that it was also far too quiet. Normally you could still hear the honking of angry drivers and the gentle hum of engines from all forms of transport! But a look out of the window told me that nothing was moving outside. The sun was still setting, but instead of rush hour traffic, there was a yawning emptiness on the streets. A few cars could be seen, but they didn't move.

At that moment I had decided that something was wrong. Tokyo was never quiet; it was simply not possible for it to become so empty from one moment to the next!

I took off my backpack and dashed through the apartment. My destination was the small utility room where the fuses for my power supply were located. I flipped all the switches, but nothing happened. I didn't expect much, but I still felt the disappointment, which became noticeable quite quickly. And with that came fear.

What should I do now?

Where had all the people gone, why was the electricity no longer working?

Was it all just a bad joke?

Maybe there was some kind of safety drill today that I wasn't aware of?!

I had to do something; I knew that. I couldn't sit still; it would drive me crazy. Instead, I grabbed my other jacket, which I tied around my waist, and a flashlight that my grandmother had once given me. A quick functional check confirmed that it was still working. Then I took my keys, left the apartment, and felt my way down the stairs, this time with a little light from the flashlight. My next destination was the police station, which was not far from where I lived. I was sure to find the information I needed there to finally relax my nerves.

I carefully opened the large front door, although this time I was careful not to bang it too hard. As the lock clicked, I turned my gaze to the street - but what I saw made my blood run cold.

The view from down here shocked me even more. Only now could I really see what had changed. It wasn't just the missing cars and people, but also numerous other things that immediately caught my eye. Broken glass, garbage and pollution, shops that were practically empty... It didn't seem as if everything had been evacuated recently.

I clung to my flashlight a little more and set off. The lack of background noise sent goosebumps across my skin, and I felt uncomfortable just hearing myself. So it happened that I quickly imagined that someone was walking behind me, as I heard more footsteps even though it was still deserted. I kept turning around, only to see nothing. The darker it got, the worse it had been. And when I turned around again, I saw it:

Game: This way!

A huge screen that had been off until just a moment ago had come to life. I felt the goosebumps spreading again.

It was getting stranger and stranger.

The internal discussion started immediately. A part of me wanted me to follow the sign. Who knows, maybe I was just dreaming? The "game" could free me from a deep sleep!

But what if it was a trap? It didn't sound very promising if I was honest... it sounded like a bad joke.

But curiosity finally got the better of me. Maybe if I followed this sign, I would find the answers to my questions. As strange as it might be, I somehow felt that this screen and the situation Tokyo was in were connected.

And so, I let myself be led into the deepest, forgotten alleys of the capital of Japan.