The Road to Darkness

Case 11: Sowing Sharrow, Reaping Resentment

Nakamura found himself being carried by a firefighter in the forest that was now hundreds of times worse than before. The man noticed Nakamura wake up and said something, but Nakamura didn't hear him. The firefighter placed Nakamura in the back of an ambulance as his hearing came back. 

"Do you understand how dangerous that was?" the man shouted.

Nakamura remembered what had happened moments before he blacked out: he dove into the flames after Russel, each flame burning hotter than the last - the smoke filling his insides quicker than he imagined. He continued his search in the now ash-filled spot, and he grew dizzy and nauseous. He made his way out of the flames and fell outside of them as the spreading grew in intensity.

"Hey, can you hear me?" the firefighter yelled.

"He's in shock, now come on! The flames aren't going down," another firefighter said, taking him away. I tried to call out, but all my throat emitted was a cough and a searing pain. The paramedics gave me a gas mask and laid me against the wall of the ambulance as I was told to take deep breaths. After a few minutes of breathing, the two cops helped me to the car that arrived to take me back home. They talked with the paramedics who seemed strongly against it but decided to let me go.

"You sure gave us a scare," one cop said, helping me into the car.

"Yeah, when we didn't hear a response, we headed to your car's location, saw the flaming car below, and went to investigate. After finding nothing, we headed to get back up and see if you reported in, but by the time we came back, the whole forest was a sea of flames. We called in for firefighters. They reported back to us that they found you," the other said as we took off.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Well, the chief wanted to talk to you ASAP, but you can do that tomorrow. We're taking you home for now," he said.

'My first day trying to prove I can take Yato's place, and all this happened. I couldn't even save a single person! I'm no Yato.' A tear drops from the corner of his eye. 'I'll never be like him,' he thought.

"Hey, are you okay?" the cop asked - but that's when I remembered one last thing. I didn't black out from the smoke. Someone came out from the bushes and hit me over the head!

"Guys, take me to the station I need to talk with-!" Without warning a car slammed into them at full speed making the car spin and flip out, the car was now crushed in all the way on the right, killing the cops on impact. Already at his limit, the hit made Nakamura blackout once again and the next time he woke up, he won't be safe.

"Huh? So you're not the milkman?" the old lady asked.

"No worries, lady Ushio, I got your milk right here," I said handing her a bottle of milk I brought.

"Lady Ushio? Is that me?" She asked opening the milk.

"Yes, that's you....and I'm your son," I whispered.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing, Lady Ushio, so what are we watching?" I asked.

"Oh, yea I'm watching... I'm watching- hmm seems I forgot," she said. I smiled.

"It's fine, I think I'll take my break and talk with you if you don't mind."

"Oh, not at all, what would you like to talk about?"

"Did you ever have a family?" She looked at me blankly before thinking about the question.

"well, I must've had a father and mother.... and maybe a brother as well...."