Chapter 25
5. The Lonely God
The sound of a giant snake slithering echoed all around.
There was no way to tell where it was.
"We got away, but we still have to break through that thing..."
"Isn't there some good way to do it...?"
Miyaki and I looked at each other and shook our heads.
A wooden bucket with a rope cut halfway through was lying at our feet. Looking directly above, I saw a wire mesh on the ceiling, with dirt packed into the gaps.
They must have sealed up an old well.
"That god looks like a snake, doesn't it? Snake gods are usually associated with water and worship..."
Why would that monster choose to live in a dried-up well instead of a swamp?
"Maybe because it's not a god. It's something far worse. See, spring water on the surface is considered sacred, but underground wells are believed to collect filth."
Miyaki spat.
A chill membrane like frozen ice formed on the ceiling above, and trembling droplets of condensation hung there.
"Miyaki might be right."
A god made of filth might despise the water considered sacred in this land.
"No, it's just a hunch."
"Not really. We never saw that god while the sound of water was present. And that noh mask-like face of the god—I thought it looked familiar, and it turns out it's not just a metaphor. There's actually a noh performance that uses a mask like that."
Protruding cheekbones. Hollow eyes and a mouth loosely open as if gasping for air. Hair soaked and clinging to the forehead.
"It's called a 'Kawazu'—a mask that represents a drowned corpse."
"That's grotesque..."
I don't have the refined taste to enjoy noh or kyogen. It's just a memory from when I helped Misaki write a report on traditional performing arts back in school.
"So the god of fear is afraid of water..."
I traced the ceiling with my flashlight. Where were the dripping droplets coming from? Faint cracks ran through the dark, stained earth. As I followed them, the cracks grew deeper and wider.
I lowered the light and illuminated below. The materials making up the crumbling confinement room looked like they could be removed with one hand.
I set the girl down and entrusted her to Miyaki, then grabbed the wooden frame of the cage. A single piece of wood about waist-high came off easily, just as I expected.
"Let's go."
When I shined the light on the ceiling again, a droplet as black as ink in the darkness fell.
The underground prison, with its endless earthen walls, was monotonous enough to drive someone mad. Without the girl guiding us, I wouldn't have known if we were retracing our steps. I couldn't believe such a child had endured all this without losing her mind.
The girl held tightly to Miyaki's hand. Her age-appropriate childish gesture made me feel gloomy.
"How much time has passed, I wonder?"
I pointed the flashlight at my wristwatch. It had been two and a half hours since we were thrown in.
"If we hadn't moved from there, would someone have come for us?"
"Who knows."
"I'm not regretting it! That god might've done something to us, and we wouldn't have found this girl either."
Miyaki glanced at the girl, then hastily corrected herself.
"Soon, there'll be stairs over there, and they'll come down from there."
The ceiling the girl pointed to had a particularly large crack. When I poked the brittle earth with the end of the wood, fragments crumbled and fell. Water dripped down along the wood and coiled around my wrist like a snake.
Zuzuzuzuzuzu.
A roar echoed, like gauze being forcibly pulled out from deep inside my ear.
Darkness swirled at the end of the path we had come from.
A long, folded belly twisted like an accordion, and at its center appeared the mask of a drowned corpse.
"Miyaki, take the girl and go ahead!"
I swung the wood hard at the ceiling. The splintered tip scraped the dirt, releasing a pathetic puff of dust.
The vortex crept closer, dragging itself forward. Beneath the snake's belly came the rustling sound of countless insects crawling out.
I struck the ceiling again. A large chunk of dirt fell, and the dripping water dampened the dust.
The sound of wings brushing and wet footsteps echoed.
The snake slowly approached, spinning its overlapping, deformed belly like a grotesque flower.
I repeatedly struck the ceiling with the wood. It bent and looked ready to snap. Sweat from my growing panic made my grip slip.
The noh mask face smiled.
Miyaki, who should have gone ahead, was beside me.
"What are you doing!?"
Miyaki didn't answer and stared straight at the god of Kodoku. The giant snake's belly stopped moving.
I didn't understand what was happening, but I had no choice.
I raised the wood and swung it down. The tip shattered into splinters, and an enormous amount of water gushed out from the broken ceiling.
The god's form vanished beneath the muddy water.
"Let's run for it!"
Without looking back, I pushed Miyaki's shoulder.
Guided by the light, we found an old wooden staircase, where the girl holding the flashlight waited at the top. I grabbed her arm and dashed across the collapsing boards.
There was a double door buried in the earthen wall.
Just as I tried to break it open with my shoulder, it opened on its own, letting in cold air and moonlight.
A swamp reflecting the night sky and reeds outlining it came into view. There was no time to feel relief at the long-lost fresh air.
A figure stood in the grass, clearly illuminated by the starlight.
Probably the one who opened the door. The slender face and pale skin glowing in the night marked them as a villager.
As I released the girl's hand, I also snatched up the flashlight and raised it.
Just as I was about to swing down the battery-packed end, a familiar voice called out.
"So you're not just breaking protocol, but the law too?"
I stopped my arm just in time and turned the light toward the voice. Rokuhara raised his hand, annoyed, to block the beam.
"Rokuhara-san!?"
"Rokuhara-san?"
The girl clung to Miyaki, repeating my words.
"It's okay. I'm not going to chase you around anymore."
"There's a version of Rokuhara that chases people around?"
My brother-in-law didn't flinch at all, even seeing us jump out covered in mud.
"Why are you here...?"
Instead of answering, a high-pitched siren wailed, and red lights from patrol cars swept across the dark wetlands.
Police officers rushed out from several swiftly arriving patrol cars.
"Did you call them, Rokuhara-san?"
"More or less. When you came and stole the sealed letter from me, I got suspicious. As I looked into it, shady rumors and missing persons cases started popping up. And then,"
Rokuhara pointed behind him.
"The sender of that letter reported it."
A thin child peeked out from between the tall reeds. Their tearful eyes were fixed on something behind us.
"Hijiri-chan."
A paramedic, who had arrived with the patrol cars, caught the girl as she staggered forward.
"Leave the rest to them and get in already."
Miyaki and I were led to a white van parked at the edge of the swamp. I felt bad getting in while still covered in dirt, but I had no choice and climbed into the passenger seat.
"I'll hear the full story later."
Rokuhara said, looking forward as he fastened his seatbelt.
"Dragging subordinates into your personal matters, seriously..."
Miyaki gave an awkward smile from the back seat.
The scratchy radio and gentle warmth of the heater finally brought my frayed nerves back to normal.
"Rokuhara-san, this village..."
"It's a terrible place, isn't it?"
Red lights sped by, and several patrol cars were seen heading toward the houses, trampling the reeds.
"Is this okay? It's still your hometown, right?"
"Like I care."
His tear-marked profile smiled faintly with just his lips.
"They should hate themselves for raising a heartless monster who could destroy his own hometown without a second thought."
I sighed. How much of the truth should I reveal?
The villagers and the god of Kodoku were awful, but maybe they were right to fear someone who didn't fear the god.
I looked out the window.
A girl was being loaded into the ambulance on a clean stretcher. Inside the brightly lit vehicle, her younger brother sat with his knees folded.
Sei must have noticed my gaze, as he kept nodding repeatedly. No—it looked like he was bowing his head.
The girl also looked toward me and Miyaki. Inside the ambulance, gleaming white against the night, she held up an adorably age-appropriate peace sign.