Battle Royale

But...Megumi continued shaking as she continued to think. That was terrible. Of course... according to the rules of the game, everyone was your enemy so you couldn't trust anyone. That's why she was shaking right now...but, but even if the game ended and she turned out to be the sole survivor, then that would also mean everyone else had died: her friends (like Mizuho Inada and Kaori Minami), as well as Shuya Nanahara, who made her heart flutter every time she thought of him.

Megumi pulled her knees in and thought of Shuya in the dark. What she really loved about him was his voice. That slight rasp that was neither too high nor too low. He apparently loved censored music called "rock," so he always looked really unhappy in music class when they had to sing songs praising the government and the Dictator, but he sang incredibly. The sound from his guitar when he played improvised passages was superb. Its unfamiliar rhythm made you want to dance. And yet there was also something graceful about the sound, not unlike the sound of bells chiming in a beautiful church. And then there was his longish permed hair (Shuya once said, "I'm imitating Bruce Springsteen," but Megumi had no idea what he was talking about), not to mention his slightly drowsy looking, kind eyes with double eyelids. Also he moved so gracefully since he'd been a star Little League player ever since elementary school.

Her shaking subsided a little when she thought of Shuya's face and voice. Oh, if only Shuya Nanahara were with me right now, it would be so wonderful....

So then...so then why didn't she ever tell Shuya how she felt about him? By love letter? Or by sending someone to bring him, so she could confess to him directly? Or by phone? Now she'd never get the chance.

That's when it occurred to her.

The phone.

That's right. Sakamochi said we wouldn't be able to use phones in the houses. But...

Megumi grabbed her nylon bag, which was lying next to her supplied day pack. She pulled open the zipper and shoved aside her clothes and personal effects.

She touched a hard square object and grabbed it.

It was a cell phone. Her mother bought it for her for this trip in case something (well, this wasn't just something) happened during her trip. It was true she'd been envious of the other one or two classmates who owned one, and there was something thrilling about the feeling of having your own private link, but Megumi also thought her parents were being overprotective, and that her mother was neurotic. She wondered, "Why would a junior high school kid need this?" when she put the shiny phone into her bag. She'd completely forgotten about it until this very moment.

Megumi flipped open the phone with her trembling hands.

The phone automatically switched from receive mode to send mode and the small LCD panel and dial buttons lit up with a green glow. Her knees under her skirt and bags were now visible. But more importantly, there, without a doubt, was the antenna and air wave symbols lighting up on the display panel, indicating it was ready for a phone call!

"Oh...God..."

Megumi frantically pressed the dial buttons, the numbers for her home in Shiroiwa-cho. 0, 8, 7, 9, 2...

After a moment of silence, the phone on the other end began to ring in her ear, and her chest filled with hope.

One, two, three rings. Please answer it. Dad, Mom. I might be calling at an unreasonable hour, but you must be aware your daughter is in an emergency situation. Hurry...

The ringing was interrupted by a voice answering, "Hello."

"Oh Dad!" In her cramped position Megumi closed her eyes. She thought she would go crazy from relief. I'm going to be saved. Saved! "Dad, it's me! Megumi! Oh Dad! Please help me! Please, save me from here!" She shouted into the phone in a frenzy, but she came to herself because there was no response. Something...was wrong. What...why won't Dad...no, this was...

Finally, the voice at the other end spoke, "I'm not your dad, Megumi. This is Sakamochi. I told you the phones wouldn't work, Megumi."

Megumi shrieked and tossed the phone to the floor. Then she hurriedly slammed the "End" button.

Her heart thumped frantically. Once again Megumi was overcome with despair. Oh, no...so it failed...so I am going to die here...I'm going to die....

But then Megumi's heart leaped.

...it was a shattering sound.

The sound of broken glass.

Megumi turned towards the origin of the sound. It came from the sitting room which she had checked to make sure it was locked. Someone was coming. Someone. Why, though? Of all the houses here, why this one?

Megumi panicked and closed the cell phone panel, which had been still glowing green. She put it in her pocket, took the weapon from her day pack, and pulled the double-bladed diver's knife from its plastic sheath. She gripped it tightly. She had to escape as quickly as possible.

But her body was frozen and she couldn't move. Megumi slowed her breathing. Please, please, please God, make sure they can't hear my pounding heart.