Dark Side of Wonderland

Widow

Halo Twenty-Nine: Widow:

The following is a record of what happened during a six-day lock down of Ikebukuro.

December 18th, 2015.

The taxi carrying Mikado and Kiyomi pulled up just outside the city. Kitano gave the driver precise instructions.

"Oh, hey, before you go," the therapist told him. "You are going to have to be careful getting back to Ikebukuro."

"Why is that?" the driver asked. Kitano showed him his phone. The driver had a puzzled look on his face.

"Why is it on lockdown?" he asked.

"I don't know. I am trying to find out from my people," Kitano said. "Just be careful."

"No problem," the driver said.

Mikado and Kiyomi sat in the back silent. They had no idea what was waiting for them. Nor they know what to say. The tadpole looked out the window. He had the feeling that something wasn't right. This might have happened before. Meanwhile, Kiyomi just looked off in the distance. She looked like she was about to fall asleep. It wouldn't be long before they were back in Ikebukuro.

Three days. That's how long they have been out of touch. So much can happen in that amount of time. They were about to see what in a few minutes.

The taxi pulled to a stop at the entry to the city. Kiyomi lifted her head.

"Why did we stop?" she asked. Mikado put his finger to his lips. The idol quickly closed her mouth and took a listen. The driver was talking to a police officer.

"Good morning, officer. Is something the matter?" he asked. The cop looked inside the taxi.

"Please state your business," he said.

"I was told to bring my passengers home," the driver said as he motions his head toward the back. The cop looked inside. Mikado and Kiyomi didn't dare move. The cop used his flashlight on them.

"You are aware the city is on a lockdown, right?" he asked.

"May I ask why?" the driver asked. The cop paused to think about that. The passengers waited with bated breath. It was just as Kitano suspected back at the Chou Mori ruins.

"Am I allowed in or do I have to turn back?" the driver asked. The cop looked over the license and handed it back.

"You are cleared to go," he said.

"Thank you, sir," the older man said. Then he drove into Ikebukuro. Kiyomi turned and looked at the cop as the cab pulled away.

"What was that about?" she asked. Mikado and the driver didn't have an answer.

Meanwhile in the city, Noriko looked out the window in the early hours of the morning. She couldn't sleep for reasons she couldn't explain. The girl took a look out the window. In the dim morning light, something caught her eye. A man stood in the doorway dressed in a dusty black suit and tie. At first, Noriko tried to understand what she was seeing. Wasn't the building next door supposed to be vacant? What was anybody doing over there?

I shouldn't be looking. Noriko started to back away from the blinds. That's when she spotted the man staring at her. Her heart jumped in her chest as she covered her mouth. The man was looking up at her. It was then she noticed that he had no face. Noriko backed away from the window and leaned against the wall. What the hell was that? The girl started warring in her head. Maybe she imagined it? That couldn't be real, right?

Noriko really didn't want to look. But she just had to know. The girl drew in a deep breath.

Three... Two.... One!