The drunken thug charged forward.
Darren swung the broom down towards the charging thug. The broom hit the thug in the face. The straw end broke off and flew off into a bush. The force of the blow staggered the thug. Darren followed the first strike with a fast backhand blow on the other side of the head. The thug stood still, and his eyes were unfocused. Darren swung the broom handle up into a high guard again. With a swift blow that caused the air to sing, the handle bounced off of the thugs head with a crack.
The thug dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. The other two thugs, who stood by watching, fled in opposite directions.
“You two okay?” Darren asked.
“Yeh.” Yuki said, “Are you?”
“Yeh. Let’s get out of this park.” Darren said.
“You can fight?” Sakiko said.
“Only a little.”
Chapter 9
Darren, Yuki, and Sakiko left the unconscious Thug lying on the pathway in the park. Darren followed Yuki and Sakiko up the hill. The hill was steep, and it was next to impossible to jog up it. It took everything Darren had to walk up the hill.
Darren looked around and saw that other groups of people were crowding up the hill as well. Some drove up the hill, and others rode their bikes, while most walked. Men, women, and children all walked up the hill to the summit.
About halfway up the hill, the traffic on the road stopped to a standstill. The cars were parked in the middle of the street. Panicked looking people were abandoning their vehicles in the middle of the road to finish the trek up the hill.
Once they got there, Darren found himself in a small park. The park was filled with people. Most were scared, and everyone looked like they were in varying levels of readiness. Some were still in their pajamas. Many kids were laying on the ground next to their parents. The kids were fast asleep with blankets and stuffies curled up next to them.
Yuki found a spot on the lower part of the hill under a pine tree.
“That was tiring.” Yuki said, “We should rest here for a few hours.”
Darren leaned against the tree. Yuki and Sakiko both leaned against Darren.
“I know why Yuki is leaning against you.” Sakiko said to Darren, “I’m just here to steal your body heat. Don’t get any ideas.”
Darren shrugged his shoulders and rested his head against the tree.
Darren closed his eyes and not five minutes had passed when loud metallic crashing echoed in the distance. Darren was awake and on his feet the next moment.
In the darkness, Darren could hear the sound of rushing water and loud metallic crashing. Darren saw a large body of water crash its way up the hill.
Down the hill, Darren saw the line of cars being pushed against each other by the force of a wave. People were bowled down under the wave as they ran up the hill towards safety.
“Oh lord,” Darren said.
A moment after the wave crested, it receded down the hill towards the sea.
Darren collapsed back where he was sitting before.
Yuki looked at Darren and then at Sakiko.
“You two were right.” Yuki said, “We wouldn’t have made it to the storage locker.”
“You were right to get us moving.” Darren said, “Those shelters lower down would not have kept us all safe.”
Yuki looked at Darren.
“I don’t want to think anymore.” Yuki said, “What do we do?”
“Its still early in the morning.” Darren said, “Its a few hours until it gets light out. Let’s sleep here and then we can move out once it gets light out.”
Yuki nodded and fell asleep next to Darren.
“What are we going to do about shoes for me?” Sakiko asked, “My feet are killing me.”
“We’ll find you some shoes in the morning,” Darren said.
“You better,” Sakiko said as she fell asleep.
Darren slept fitfully, he wasn’t sure what time it was, but something woke him up. He opened his eyes to see a Japanese man slowly opening his backpack.
“Hey,” Darren said grabbing at the strap.
The man yanked at the bag, but Darren had managed to get the bag into his grip.
Darren kicked at the man, but he dodged out of the way. That movement made the assailant lose grip of the bag and fall backward. He ran away in the predawn glow.
“And stay away, you thief!” Darren yelled at him in Japanese.
Yuki was awake and standing next to him.
“Are you okay?” She asked.
“Yes.” Darren said, “Where’s your bag?”
Yuki looked around the base of the tree.
“Shit,” Yuki said, "Where is my bag?"
“I have it.” Sakiko said, “I used it as a pillow.”
Darren took a sigh of relief. The sun was starting to rise over the hills, and it was getting bight in the east. Not a cloud was in the sky.
“It is what? Five in the morning?” Darren asked.
“Yes.” Yuki said looking at her phone, “My phone is almost dead. I’ll have to use it sparingly.”
Darren looked around at the crowd of people sleeping silently. The thief was nowhere to be seen.
“Stupid bastard taking advantage of people like this,” Yuki said.
“What are we gonna do about Sakiko and her shoes?” Darren asked Yuki.
“Trade someone?” Yuki said.
Darren looked at the crowd of people again.
“I have an idea.” Darren said, “Let’s go now and get an early start.”
Yuki nodded.
Sakiko still laid on her back.
“I guess this place is too exposed to sleep too soundly,” Sakiko said.
Sakiko groaned and pried herself off the ground. Yuki threw the bag over her shoulders, and they left the park quietly.
When they were close to the edge of the park, they saw a police officer near the entrance. The thief that had tried to rob them earlier was laying on the ground in the fetal position. Darren saw that blood poured out of his nose.
“Hey, you three?” The police officer called out, “Where are you going?”
Darren looked at the man. He was an older gentleman with greying hair under his standard-issue police uniform.
“We need to find his brother,” Yuki said.
“Lots of people are going to be missing after today.” The police officer said, “And I understand you wanting… Hey,” The police officer turned to Sakiko, “Where are your shoes?”
Sakiko blushed.
“These two pulled me out of the rubble from my house, and my shoes got left behind,” Sakiko said.
“All right.” The police officer said, he walked up to a pile of random supplies and routed around for a few minutes.
He pulled out a pair of sneakers and a rolled up pair of socks. He tossed them to Sakiko.
“Put these on.” The police officer said, “Then I need you three to do me a favor.”
“Favor?” Yuki said.
“Yes.” He said, “My name is Lt. Harrito. I need you three to take a message to this sectors Emergency Command H.Q. I need you to tell Captain Yusako that we have lots of people that need evacuation. Can you do it? Cause I can’t, not with these thieves lurking around. Will you tell him that?”
“I see.” Yuki said as she pointed at the thief, “He tried to get into our bag before my friend gave him a kick.”
“Will you help?” Lt. Harrito said.
“Okay.” Yuki said, “Where do we have to go?”
Lt. Harrito gave them directions on a piece of paper, as well as a written note, addressed to the Captain.
“That’ll take us hours to get there,” Yuki said.
“Commandeer a bike each,” Lt. Harrito, he wrote a note from his notepad, “Give this to the owner of it. He can give it to the Head Quarters and will be compensated for his loss. Now go.”
Darren, Yuki, and Sakiko left the park and started to walk down the hill.