Transform Me (A "Shatter Me" Trilogy Fanfiction)

TEN: BLAST FROM THE PAST

10: Blast from the Past            

I’ve been in the training room for the past hour.

             It’s the second largest room in Souseiki Dousa—although ‘room’ is a bit of an understatement.  The training room contains more compartments, each with a specific purpose.  One chamber contains about a hundred pieces of gym equipment, another is for target practice, and there’s one for hand-to-hand combat, and so on.  Right now, I’m inside the simulation chamber, which is basically an empty room that’s mostly gray. 

 After keying some codes into the system, I connect the wires to my temples.  Within seconds, the room bleeds from gray into a different, but painfully familiar, scenario.  I’ve probably been through this exact simulation at least a dozen times in the past few years, but no matter how many times I put myself through this, the fear and agonizing pain never dulls or goes away.  They’re still as poignant as the day I actually experienced this all those years ago when I was still nine years old.

The scene before me is chaos.  Red, black, orange; heat, tension, fear. 

Buildings and houses are in ruins, and people are scurrying to and fro to find shelter.  Amidst all the bedlam, I see my oto-san and oka-san, and nine-year-old me and Jun.  They’re huddled behind an overturned car that recently exploded, drawing close to its heat; although they’re shivering more from the fear of what’s about to happen than from the frigid night air. 

I’m watching them from a nearby post, hidden in the shadows.  Nine-year-old me and Jun are crying, and oka-san is trying her best to assure us that everything will be alright, even though it is clear she does not believe in her own words.  My parents reach out to us and take us lovingly in their arms.  In that moment, we’re all aware that this is may very well be the last time that we’ll be able to embrace each other like this.

I’ve wasted too much time watching them, and I know this is my cue to intervene.  With quiet footfalls, I approach them.  They look at me in surprise and alarm; oto-san shields little me and Jun with outstretched arms, demanding to know who I am and how I found them.  Oka-san is looking at me strangely with a mix of mistrust and curiosity, like she vaguely recognizes me.  But then she focuses on my eyes, which look just like hers, and her suspicion seems to vanish. 

I tell them my identity does not matter, and my voice is urgent when I say that there’s not much time left and they have to follow me.  They hesitate, but eventually follow me anyway.  And then we’re running.  As we dart through the night, with me leading them and navigating the dimly-lit streets, I keep one eye on my wristwatch and try to suppress the familiar sense of panic pulsating in my chest.  The clock is ticking, and we’re running out of time.

But I know where I’m going.  I know where to take them so that they’ll all survive what’s about to happen.  I lead them to an old, abandoned structure that used to be a meat shop years ago.  Taking the steps two at a time, I lead them to the basement where the chest freezers are.  They’re the old kinds of freezers: bulky, unsightly, but well-insulated.  However, there are only three freezers, and all of which look old, rusty and broken—but it’s the best I can do.

I tell younger me and Jun to climb into the biggest and widest chest freezer, and they’re both as confused and scared as I am.  However, they don’t argue, and I quickly shut the lid over them.  I tell my oka-san and oto-san to take cover inside the two remaining freezers and instruct them never to open the lid until it’s over.  Oka-san glances at oto-san, then she looks at me worriedly and asks, “Tokoronde anata wa?” 

What about you?

"Watashi wa daijōbuda," I promise her. I'll be okay.