There is an influx of students from the assembly hall making their way home. The shop keeps swear it’s a mob until a student explains the situation. Realizations setting in the keeps offer the students handouts, oranges, apples, peaches. It’s not enough for the weight they all hold, the weight of their fellow classmates missing announced from the principal.

  The large group of grieving students made them slow, trying to see if they can help. Takei led that charge, the others followed. She knew well that there wasn’t anything much, though being filled in on the way made her want to attempt as a vender approached.

  “They gave me an orange? Is this supposed to be some kind of pity?” Usagi sighs appreciating the effort, overcome with guilt.

  “Can I have your pity orange? I’m really nervous right now so I need something to munch on.” Keiko sunders, Usagi hands it to her.

  “Sure, knock yourself out.” Passing her mind is the possibility of Shoji’s fate. The way she got sucked into this mess was a very reason of their protection, and she was aware of what may have happened.

  “Can’t you control your hunger?”

  “You’re one to talk Ishimoto!” Okazaki wasn’t going to let that slide. Ishimoto rolls his eyes in a proper way only he and his parents managed.

  “I suggest we stop lingering here, let the other students take their own problems and handle them.” Ishimoto hated to say that, but their focus needed to remain on Shoji first.

  His home was normal. No signs of foul play, damaged windows, broken doors, all was in place and where it should be.

  “Well, we can rule out someone breaking in and stealing him from his bed. I think we all know how possible that would be with him.” Ishimoto chimes, hand to the door. “One thing we can be certain, is that the door is unlocked. Let’s head in.”

  “Hold it.” Usagi grips his wrist. They meet their eyes.

  “Any reason?”

  “Let me go first, okay?” Her fear is overwritten in the scrunched lowering of her eye. Ishimoto never saw her like this, none of them have. That gave him reason to release the knob. She instead twisted, not releasing for a moment, and flung it open stepping ahead.

  An island of nothingness. Nobody on the couch, kitchen, bathroom, or staircase. Everything is untouched, his shoes sat on the corner of the entrance, his parents’ shoes were gone showing their absence.

  “Look, his shoes are here.” Keiko rung her finger in her shoe prepping their removal. Okazaki wasted no time for respect, stepping in with his own. “Okazaki!”

  “We don’t have time for formalities Keiko, let’s get up to Shoji’s room.”

  “Y- Ugh, okay.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll pin the blame on myself if his parents say anything.” Usagi reassures taking the staircase to his room. There was something amiss, the bars to the stairs themselves held moisture, feeling like a slipping slide and it made her heart sink. Her body found itself rushing to his room everyone surprised.

  “Woah! Usagi!” Takei stunned slips herself into the same pace.

  The door hits the wall and Shoji’s room is empty. The bed is damp. Her body juts and she unravels the blankets even seeing the evidence of his absence, she wanted hope.

  “That man, that dreadful man… I will…” Her voice stands still, frozen. She wanted to say she would make him pay in pain, though she can’t. The memory of Mr. Music an hour ago, he took nothing from both their efforts. She cannot do anything of worth in her mind.

  “He’s not here?” Okazaki joins her side seeing the bed. He bites at his teeth and sees the blanketed anguish in her.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “You know something, don’t you? Usagi? Usagi?” he repeats her face flushed of emotion.

  “USAGI LISTEN TO ME!?” he stepped closer to her.

  “IT’S MY FAULT!” She stammers. “I was working with the Remnants, none of you were supposed to get involved, they weren’t supposed to take him!” The girl never cries, she didn’t here either, but she felt the struggle, her tear ducts yanking at her and piling every sorrow solely in her own fault. Takei sees and comes up to both of them, her hand placing on each of their shoulders.

  “Sit, both of you.” She says, the frailness of her light purple eyes makes them comply. “We can’t fight now, we have to take this seriously. I don’t know what’s going on, so please, explain to us Usagi.” She drones her gaze to Keiko. “And Keiko, would you mind getting them a glass of water?”

  “Water? Oh, um, okay Takei.” She goes to retrieve. Takei had a natural knowing of her friends. Keiko was nervous, afraid, which meant she would mask the seriousness with humor and she felt this was not the time for it, needing to know about Shoji’s whereabouts.

  “Okazaki. Please refrain from judging. Now. Tell us, Usagi.” Ishimoto listening leaned against the wall, he wasn’t going to interrupt in anyway calculating the possibilities of Shoji in danger.

  “That damn, Mr. Pond. A remnant, he took him…”

  “Mr. Pond?” Ishimoto had his eyes widen. “The same Mr. Pond who used to work for Mr. Ravage?”

  “Yes, him. He, he…” She plants her face in her hands. “I’m an idiot, I never should have gone down that street. He shook me down, he threatened to kill me and, this.” She takes out a coin purse, inside is the same picture of them Takei held on her wall. “He saw this, he could tell we were friends and my student ID. He knew where we all were, so he forced me to work for them or else he would…” her throat parched. “He would…”

  “He would off us.” Okazaki finishes, dread filling his gut. “God I’m sorry Usagi, I had no idea…”

  “I hate him…” Her face dots down, her silky wheat hair gliding into a truffle. “I will, I mean I want to…”

  “You want your get back, I get it. And you know what, if they got Shoji, we’re going to get him back.” Okazaki stands tall. “You’re gonna have to tell us if you know where he is, so we can save him.”

  “Are you suggesting we go into a slaughter, Okazaki?” Ishimoto interrupts.

  “I’m suggesting we get our friend back, egghead.”

  “I know. But even if we knew, if he was anywhere near the Remnants we might as well be mice running into a nuclear reactor.”

  “He’s being held at Town Hall, with the other students.” Usagi manages to say.

  “Huh? You seem certain of that.”

  “It’s because I am. Working for them meant I got intel others don’t get, their followers are loud mouth idiots.” The followers of the Remnants are a cult. A group of people who attempted to influence others into their cause and beliefs. “Mr. Seeker especially, you probably never heard of him but he’s their high priest.”

  “I see. No. I haven’t heard of him. So town hall? Well, that’s certainly a place to go.” Ishimoto fails to understand the motive behind capturing students and placing them into town hall. Any other act of the Remnants wasn’t based around this. “Is there a reason?”

  “An example. Those Remnants want to make a statement to the world, and Shoji, he just got caught up in it, no doubt from him knowing he was home somehow, I don’t know how though.” She admits. “I just know they said an example, not what that example is but knowing them it’s not good and we have to do something.” It washes over her and she gets up trying to leave immediately.

  “Usagi, calm.” Ishimoto stands between the doorway. “We need a plan.”

  “I agree.” Takei pushes herself from the bed, her brain set fire. Ishimoto admired her ladle of sense, her grades stuck second best, her smarts only a slither behind his own.

  “I think we should gather ourselves, group up and think about it. If we act too soon, we may get him hurt.”

  “We only have until tonight. They planned for tomorrow’s date.” The priest Mr. Seeker made it blatant; September 8th, 28th 2018, it couldn’t be more spelt out to the followers to turn on their televisions to view the great event.

  It throws a wrench in the problem, making silence befall the group. Their minds racing with possibilities that will go awry. Takei bellows a breath.

  “We will succeed.” Failure can ensue, but her optimistic view vanquishes the thought.

  “A wild creature blocks the door. Poke, Poke.” A finger presses into Ishimoto’s back.

  “H-hey! Don’t do that! That feels weird!” He remarks as her finger noticeably sunk into his skin making him jerk away from the doorframe.

  “I had too, the dragon blocked the den so I used my magic poke-finger spell to make it move. It worked!” she smiles holding the glass of water Takei asked for.

  “Keiko,” Takei smiles and gathers the glass. “Thanks, I was thirsty.’ She drinks.

  “Wait what!? Wasn’t that for them! I- I am so confused now…” She boggles.

  “Don’t worry about it Keiko.” Usagi pats her shoulder making way out the door. “Okazaki, Ishimoto. We need to think up a plan. Takei, Keiko. I suggest you two get supplies when we text you.”

  “Sure.” Takei replies, Keiko simply going along. “We will wait for you.”

  The group disperses leaving the three friends to come up with an idea.

  “This is a tall ask even for us, Usagi.” Said Ishimoto.

  “I know. But damnit if I’ll let him hurt Shoji.”

  “We won’t allow that. So get to thinking egghead.” Okazaki pulls ahead of them leading way to his house.

  “Fine, but you two better help me. I don’t fancy doing all the work.” He chuckles.