Golden Scars

Chapter Fifteen: Found

Before us is a decrepit tunnel with slabs of concrete stacked on top of each other in a pathetic attempt at sealing the entrance. The driver left the five us at the edge of the forest with a map and a flare gun. We were told to only use the flare gun if our lives are in danger and when we finish our mission. However, none of us plan on alerting the higher ups' lapdogs until our personal mission is complete. I glance at Takara, her golden eyes are locked on the tunnel ahead.

"Are you ready?" I ask her; she shakes her head. "Do you want to go back?" She shakes her head even more fervently at that suggestion.

The wind tussles her long pitch as night hair before she finally walks toward the ever imposing tunnel ahead of us. Silently we follow after her as she starts to climb over the sloppy barricade. Once we all make it down on the other side we find ourselves inside a dark dank tunnel. Every sound we make seems to echo against the cold walls around us. Faint white light peaks over the poorly built barricade; our only guide to the other side of this pitch dark cramped passageway.

"Bah!!" The sudden shriek has us all jerking our attention behind us to the source of the sound; none other than Chiko. His cheeks burn bright red and he starts flustering, "Some water landed on my head...I wasn't expecting it."

Suguru stalks over to his future brother in law and smacks him across the head. "Let's keep moving."

We make it to the other side of the tunnel without further incident. The sudden sunlight stings our eyes as we venture out into normally forbidden land.

🌲🌲🌲☀️🌲🌲🌲

The sun gently filters through the canopy of green above us as we make the hike deep into the mountain pass. Contrary to popular belief, there is no Inunaki Village to find. Long ago the village was submerged under water after the construction of the Inunaki Dam. The original Inunaki Village merged with Yoshikawa Village and many other small communities to create Miyawaki City. When the tunnel was suddenly sealed, many residents tried to fill in the gaps as to why. Rumors started floating online from people claiming to be locals; stories of cannibalistic villagers murdering innocent unsuspecting couples spread like wildfire over Internet forums. While such stories are false, the Inunaki Tunnel and by proxy the mountain pass itself has been witness to very real and very violent crimes. Gruesome murders and whispers of the Yakuza using the mountain pass as a dumping ground fueled the lingering cursed spirits in that area. Normally, the higher ups would send sorcerers to cleanse the area once a year and nothing more. But for the sake of tormenting my family and killing my mother, they made an exception. My mother...I haven't seen her in seven years, just how much has she changed? Will I recognize my own mother standing before me? Did she change the way she looked to hide away better? Will she still hug me tightly against her and smell of cigarettes and jasmine? When I see her, will the core of us remain the same?

Quickly, I dodge an incoming bullet; everyone else around me reacts and jumps back. "Everyone, scatter! We don't know how many there are!" My brother shouts at us.

"Shit! The cannibal rumors were true! The fuck!?" Shoko shouts as we zigzag through the trees to lose our pursuer. Bullets continue to hit nearby trees, coming deathly close to striking a kill shot. Suddenly, I lose my footing and catch air plummeting down into a deep pit. At the bottom are familiar snakes...I know these snakes...I'd know these shikigami from anywhere.

"Takara?" A small wavering voice calls out to me from above. The face peering down at me is one I have both longed for and dreaded seeing; it's my mom.

"Mom..." the word slips out of my mouth carelessly. It's the first word I have spoken in seven years; the sound and feeling of uttering a single word is completely foreign to me now, but that word being the first thing I say in years somehow feels right.

"Hold on tight! I'll have the snakes lift you out!" She shouts back as she snaps out of her shock. The snakes all combine into one large snake that lifts me out of the pit and onto the ground in front of my mother. She stares at me in wonderment, "Is that really you? This isn't a trick?"

Tears sting at my eyes and without thinking, I throw my arms around her and hold onto her tightly. My sobs have me shaking in my mother's warm embrace. She's alive, she's ok!

"Hoshi, what do you want me to do with these brats?" A low rumbling voice asks. 

"Takara! There are no cannibals! Only DILFs! Run! This fucker is deranged!" Toru shouts.

The large man slams the bundle of teenagers onto the ground, "Shut it and be glad I'm not allowed to kill you...yet."

We part from one another to see a beast of a man with a mop of black hair and steel eyes carrying my companions in a large net. My mother notices Chiko and rushes over, "Well, you can fucking let them go Toji! That's my son you idiot!"

"Huh?" He cocks his head at the statement. 

"Get out of the way, you oaf!" My mom shoos the mountain of a man aside like one would shoo away a cat. To my amazement he complies. "Chiko! It's really you!" She hugs onto my brother; holding him just as she held me moments ago.

"M-mom?!" He holds onto our mother with equal intensity and affection.

"What are you even doing here? How did you even find me?" She pulls back glances back and forth between us.

"Well...mom..." Chiko averts eye contact; clearly struggling with informing our mother of the circumstances surrounding our reunion.

"I'll explain, you don't have to say anything kid." Toru ruffles my brother's raven black hair.

"And who are you?" My mom eyes the white haired boy incredulously.

"Mind taking us somewhere more private? We don't know who's watching, all I will say is that I'm a friend of your children and I mean you no harm."

My mom eyes the tall boy; suspicion glinting in her glacier blue eyes. Finally, she relaxes, "Fine, I'll hear what you all have to say. Follow us back to our camp."