House of Akiyama stood on the outskirts of the city, in a quiet district, where in the evenings it smelled of flowers and a light rustle of foliage was heard. Wooden, old, with a crooked roof and large windows, it looked like a house in which memories live. Inside it was cozy, the walls were decorated with old photographs, books stood on the shelves, and in the corner towered an old cabinet with carved doors.
Akiyama sat on the floor in the living room. In front of him stood a wooden checkers board, on which the pieces were arranged. Opposite him, sitting with legs crossed and propping up her chin with her hand, sat his older sister Hanna. She was twenty-four, she had already graduated from an elite academy and now worked in a large firm, but every evening she found time to play with her brother.
Hanna was beautiful, dark hair gathered in a low ponytail, smart eyes and a light smile. She looked at the board with a slight squint, as if calculating every move ten steps ahead.
- You are losing again, Akiyama, she said, making a move.
- I am simply giving you a head start, he replied, smirking.
- Of course, Hanna rolled her eyes. You are already losing the third game to me. And all with the same excuse.
- Okay, today you are simply better.
- I am always better.
They fell silent. It was quiet in the room, only the wind rustling outside the window could be heard.
- How is it at work? Hanna asked without raising her eyes from the board.
- As usual, Akiyama replied. Corpses, interrogations, papers.
- You are tired.
It was not a question, but a statement. Akiyama raised his head and looked at his sister.
- A little.
- You always say "a little." Even when in fact you are exhausted to the limit.
- I know.
- Akiyama, Hanna put aside the checker and looked at him seriously. You do not have to carry everything on yourself. We are family. I can help.
- You are already helping. Just sitting and playing checkers with me.
- This is not help. This is just time spent together.
- This is enough, said Akiyama. Really.
She smiled, but there was a slight sadness in her smile.
- You work too much, brother. Sometimes it seems to me that you forget what rest is.
- I remember. It is when you do not think about work.
- Exactly.
- Good. Tomorrow I will rest. Play checkers with you, drink tea, look at the clouds.
- You are lying, said Hanna.
- Yes, I am lying.
They both laughed.
Night fell on the city quietly, starless. Akiyama lay in his room on the old bed, staring at the ceiling. Thoughts did not give him peace. He thought about the case, about that girl, about the note, about the old man in the forest who saw nothing but knew everything. And he also thought about the killer of all these people. About the fact that he or she is somewhere there, preparing his plan. About the fact that she had already gathered everyone who was supposed to be on her side.
He turned on his side. Looked at the clock, half past one at night.
- Okay, he said quietly to himself.
He got up from the bed, pulled on old jeans and a T-shirt. He took a white plastic bucket from the kitchen that stood by the entrance and filled it with water from the tap. The water was cold, almost icy.
He went outside. The night smelled of earth and dampness. There was no moon, only rare stars dimly twinkled in the sky. He walked past the vegetable garden, where in the darkness beds with greenery could be guessed, and stopped at the wooden toilet that stood in the corner of the plot.
The smell was terrible. Neighbors complained, said: yes wash your this toilet for God's sake, and Akiyama said yes how will I wash the wooden one, there will be no sense from this. Even at night, when the air was humid and cool, it was still felt. Akiyama winced, opened the door and poured the water inside. Dark liquid spread across the floor, slightly washing away the dirt and smell. He poured out all the water, closed the door and stood a little, listening to the silence.
Somewhere in the distance a dog barked. Somewhere an owl screamed. Akiyama returned to the house, closed the door behind him and went to sleep. Sleep did not come immediately, but it came.
He slept soundly.
And at this time, in another place in the city, in a dirty room more like a basement, stood Shitori Hira. It was dark around her, only one lamp hung over the table, illuminating a pale light on the face of the girl lying in front of her. It was Kimura, Takumi's girlfriend. The one to whom he told everything he knew about the plan.
Shitori stood calmly. There was neither pity nor hesitation on her face. She looked at the body as one looks at a thing that is no longer needed. In her hand she held a scalpel that she had already put away in its case.
She brought the phone to her ear. Kaoru's voice sounded cold and even.
- Done?
- Yes. The last witness. She will not say another word.
- Good. Two left. Aya and Renji.
- I know, Shitori replied. We will come for them soon.
- In a week, said Kaoru. At the festival. By the end of the school year. There will be many people there. We will be able to approach unnoticed.
- Are you sure in your words?
- Yes. Renji will be there. I know. And Aya too. She will not leave him alone on such a day.
- Then I will prepare everything, said Shitori. Just be more careful. He should not suspect anything.
- He will not suspect. He is too busy with thoughts about Genzo.
Shitori fell silent.
- Kaoru, and if something goes wrong?
- It will not. I thought everything through. You just do your job.
- Good.
Kaoru ended the conversation. Shitori put away the phone and pulled out a large black bag. She unfolded it and began to wrap the body. The movements were fast and confident, she had done this more than once. The room around was dirty: old pipes, peeling paint on the walls, smell of dampness and chemicals. Tools, scalpels, scissors, needles lay on the table. In the corner stood a stove that she used to hide traces.
She dragged the body to the stove. Opened the door and threw the black bag inside. The fire caught immediately, dry, hot, greedily devouring everything that fell into its mouth.
Shitori looked at the flame, and there was not a shadow of doubt on her face. She was Kaoru's right hand. One of the best. Doctor, scientist, killer, all in one. She knew that Kaoru had created a cult. Ten thousand people across the country believed in her. They followed her because she promised them a home and money. They knew that cruelty and sadism united them. And they accepted it.
Shitori closed the stove door and wiped her hands on a rag. Then she took the phone again and wrote a message.
"Everything is clean. Waiting for further instructions."
She put the phone in her pocket and left the room, leaving behind the dying fire and the smell of death.
The next day Kaoru gathered everyone in an old abandoned building on the outskirts of the city. It was a place where they often met, dirty, damp, with peeling paint and broken windows. The sun hardly penetrated inside, only rare rays broke through the cracks in the boards.
In the center of the room stood an old wooden table. Seven people gathered around it.
Kaoru stood at the head of the table. Her face was calm, her eyes cold. She looked at each of them, and there was something in her gaze that made them silent.
Oota sat to her left, her white hair dimly gleamed in the semi-darkness. She looked at the table and was silent.
Mina stood by the wall, arms crossed over her chest. Her pink hair was gathered in a careless ponytail. She looked at Kaoru with a slight smirk.
Aki sat in the corner, squeezing an old camera in his hands. He was not shooting, just holding it as if it was his weapon.
Ken stood next to Ria. They looked at Kaoru, and there was something common in their gazes, expectation.
Kim sat on the windowsill, dangling his legs. He was smiling, but there was no warmth in his smile.
Yuna stood aside, her face was pale as always. She looked at the floor and was silent.
Kaoru began to speak.
- In a week the festival. End of the school year. Renji will be there. And Aya too. And all this stinking rabble.
Oota raised her head.
- Are you sure?
- Yes, Kaoru replied. He will not miss this event. He loves being the center of attention too much.
- And if he does not come? Ken asked.
- He will come. I know.
Mina smirked.
- You always say that. "I know." What if you are wrong?
- Do not be afraid, we will not be covered with a copper basin, Everything will be fine, Kaoru replied. You know this.
Aki spoke from the corner.
- What will we do with Aya? Should she die too?
- Yes, said Kaoru. She knows too much. And she is always next to him. We cannot leave her alive.
Ria stepped forward.
- And how will we do it? Festival, crowded place. There will be many witnesses there.
- That is the point, Kaoru replied. It is easier to disappear in a crowd. We will approach, do our thing and leave. No one will remember our faces.
- And if someone remembers? Kim asked from the windowsill.
- Then we will kill them too, Kaoru calmly replied. This is not a problem.
Yuna raised her gaze.
- Kaoru, and what will happen after? After we kill them?
Kaoru looked at her. Her eyes became a little softer.
- After that we will start a new life. Without them. Without the past. Only us.
- And the cult? Mina asked. What will happen to the cult?
- The cult will remain, said Kaoru. It is needed. It gives us strength. People follow us because we give them what they want. Violence. Justice. Revenge.
- Do they know what we are doing? Oota asked.
- They know enough, Kaoru replied. They do not need to know everything. They only need to believe.
Ken smirked.
- You speak like a real leader.
- No, I am not a leader, I am absolute, and I spit in God's face, said Kaoru. This is not a game.
Oota put her hands on the table.
- And if they betray us? These people. Ten thousand. What if one of them decides that this is too much?
- Then we will show them what too much is, Kaoru replied. We are not afraid to lose. We have only what we took ourselves.
Aki raised the camera and clicked the shutter.
- I will film everything, he said. As always.
- I know, Kaoru replied. That is why you are here.
Mina pushed off the wall.
- I want to know one thing. What will we get after all this?
Kaoru looked at her. Then shifted her gaze to everyone.
- You will get what you deserve. Home. Money. Power. And safety. In this world or in any other. We will create our own reality ourselves.
Kim jumped down from the windowsill.
- Sounds good.
- It is, said Kaoru.
She looked around at everyone.
- In a week everything will end. We will do it. We will win. And then we will be free.
Silence hung in the room.
Then Oota asked:
- And Genzo? What about him?
Kaoru hesitated.
- He will come, she said. He always comes. We will kill him too.
- He is strong, Ken noted.
- We are stronger, Kaoru replied. We, the team. We, the family.
She looked at each of them.
- We will do everything right. I promise.
Their confidence was unshakable.
And Kaoru knew that by this action she would start a chain of the most unpleasant events, she absolutely did not care about this whole cult, and about these charlatans, for her they were no more than an empty place, like mannequins.