Miss Suzuki didn't give us much time to breathe. She brought us a change of clothes – black suits that felt a bit too stiff for my liking. My side was still screaming with every movement.
We left the hospital in silence. I slumped into the backseat of Suzuki's car, Takeo taking the passenger side. He looked annoyed to be in a car, probably preferring to run or jump across rooftops.
We drove right past the hotel we'd just nearly died in.
"Wait." Takeo said, glancing out the window. "Why are we passing the first site? Aren't we starting there?"
"Me and Yoshiro already tore that place apart." Suzuki answered, her eyes fixed on the road. "No one went near the area where the talisman was found for weeks. It's a dead end."
I leaned my head against the glass. "It could be that they planted it weeks ago." I muttered. "Or they knew exactly where the blind spots were. Or more likely, they've already scrubbed the digital records."
Takeo turned in his seat, his brow furrowed."Even if they planted it weeks back, the only way for them to activate the barrier is if they're close."
"How close?"
Suzuki tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. "The caster would need to be within a ten meter radius to maintain a stable connection during the initial activation."
We pulled up to the second site – another high-end hotel, though this one looked even more fortress-like. There were several black SUVs parked haphazardly out front. And a translucent blue shimmer hung over the building.
"Why isn't this barrier down?" I asked, eyeing the ripples.
"This one was cast by one of our own." Suzuki replied. "Standard procedure to preserve the scene. We don't want any civilians walking into a nightmare."
As we stepped through the barrier, a woman in a black blazer approached us. She looked at Suzuki, then at Takeo and finally settled on me with a skeptical squint. "You the ones the headquarters sent? The specialists?"
"Something like that." I said, adjusting my jacket.
She led us inside, skipping the lobby and heading straight for a maintenance corridor behind the kitchens.
"This is where it was found." the Exorcist said. "It was hidden behind the insulation."
We spent the next hour in the security office, staring at monitors until my eyes felt like they were bleeding. We rewound the footage days, then weeks but there was nothing suspicious.
"Dammit." I whispered, leaning back in the swivel chair. "This is exactly what I didn't want. It's like we're chasing ghosts."
"We don't know that yet." Takeo said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
I felt the itch in my throat again. My hand went to my pocket and I pulled out a fresh pack of cigarettes. I tapped one out and sparked my lighter.
"Takeo's head snapped toward me. He looked at the pack, then at his own empty pockets. "You fuckin' thief. Those are mine."
I took a long drag and tossed the pack, along with the lighter at his chest. He caught them with a flick of his wrist.
"I borrowed them, Miyoshi." I said, walking toward the exit. "Theft implies I don't plan on giving them back but I just did. So, I'm just a guy sharing with a friend."
"We aren't friends." he muttered, but he lit one anyway.
I walked out of the room, Suzuki and Takeo trailing behind. We drove to the second site.
We repeated the process. The local Exorcist on site showed us the location of the talisman and this one found hidden behind a decorative fountain. We went to the footage room and once again, the cameras showed absolutely nothing.
The area around the fountain was a high-traffic zone, but no one had lingered long enough to plant a nail and no one had looked out of place.
I stood in the middle of the surveillance hub and started thinking. If I were the caster and I knew the interior was covered by cameras, what would I do?
"The fountain is near the west wall." I whispered. "The exterior wall."
I rushed out of the room without saying a word. Suzuki and Takeo exchanged a confused look and scrambled to follow me. I burst through the casino's side exit and stood on the sidewalk. I took a long drag of my cigarette, looking up at the building.
If the talisman was behind that fountain, and the wall was thin enough... a caster wouldn't need to be inside.
I looked around the street. My eyes landed on a small, cramped 24-hour convenience store directly across the narrow alley. High up on its corner was an old, yellowing security camera pointing directly at the spot where I was standing.
"There." I said, pointing.
We crossed the street and pushed through the store's door. The bell rang and a middle-aged man behind the counter jumped.
Suzuki stepped forward. "We need to see your footages."
The man stammered, looking terrified. I leaned over the counter, sliding bills across the the counter. "And a fresh pack of Golden Cigarettes." I added.
His hands shook as he grabbed the money and handed me the cigarettes. "Follow... follow me." he stuttered.
He led us into a cramped back office. And in the corner of the room, hunched over the main server was a figure. He was dressed in all-black and a dark ski mask obscuring their face.
He snapped his head toward us, eyes widening behind the mask. Without a second of hesitation, the figure lunged for the window.
"Hey!" Takeo yelled.
I didn't hesitate. I vaulted over the desk, ignoring the pain in my gut. I hit the pavement outside and saw the black blur disappearing around a corner.
I ran, my lungs burning and the Golden Cigarettes still gripped in my hand. The figure was faster than any normal human. He took a sharp turn into a crowded pedestrian mall, weaving through groups of tourists and late-night shoppers. "Out of the way!" I roared and crashed into a man carrying a tray of drinks, sending him sprawling but I didn't stop to apologize.
Why am I even chasing this guy?
He grabbed a trash can and kicked it behind them, sending it skidding into my path. I didn't slow down – I used the lid as a stepping stone, jumping over the mess and landing in a dead sprint.
The figure took a sudden turn into a service hallway behind a department store. He used a stack of crates to launch himselves upward, grabbing the edge of a fire escape and swinging onto the roof.
He looked back for a split second, probably thinking a guy in a suit wouldn't follow.
I proved him wrong. I leaped, my fingers catching the ladder. I hauled myself up, a guttural groan escaping my lips as my wound threatened to reopen. I scrambled onto the gravel-covered roof just as the figure started to sprint across the skyline
But he was slowing down, I could see the slight stagger in their stride. So I pushed myself, ignoring the blood soaking into my shirt. And channeled every bit of energy to launch myself forward.
I closed the distance in three massive strides and launched myself through the air, tackling the figure from behind and we were both sent skidding across the gravel. We tumbled, limbs tangling until we hit the raised edge of the roof.
The figure rolled and immediately threw a desperate punch. I caught his wrist, pinned it and delivered a headbutt.
The figure let out a sharp, high-pitched scream. He went limp for a second, the back of his head hitting the gravel. I reached down, my hands trembling and ripped the ski mask off.
I froze.
Under that mask was a girl. She couldn't have been more than nineteen. And she looked at me, stunned for a heartbeat.
Before I could speak, she bucked her hips and kicked me off her with a strength that shouldn't have been possible. I rolled away, gasping for air.
And she scrambled to the very edge of the roof, looking back at me one last time and there was no fear in her eyes.
"Wait!" I yelled, reaching out a hand.
She stepped backward, falling silently into the darkness below. I scrambled to the edge, looking down. The street was far below and the sound of the impact reached me a second later.
I sat back on the gravel, my breath coming in ragged gasps and I looked down at my hands.