Hide and Seek
Pebbles flew in their wake as Keishin and Hana sprinted across the rock garden. They had not thought of any plan beyond fleeing from the creatures that looked like children, and every stride they took thrust them deeper into the unknown. They ran toward the fake sun because, in a garden beneath the earth, it was the only thing that felt familiar. Hana dropped to her knees, gasping for air.
Keishin clutched his burning sides. “You need to get up. Just a little farther, okay?”
Hana pushed herself to her feet. She ran and stumbled.
Keishin rushed to her side. “Are you all right?”
“I just need to catch my breath.” Sweat beaded on her brow.
Keishin scanned the area. “We can’t stay out here in the open. We can rest over there,” he said, pointing to a grouping of rocks arranged to look like a mountain range.
Hana nodded and stood up.
“Hold on tight,” Keishin said.
“To what?”
Keishin scooped her up in his arms. “Me.”
—
Hana leaned against the rocks, breathing hard. “I thought I knew what to expect when Yasuhiro told us about the children.”
“Monsters,” Keishin said, staring at the cuts they had left on his arms. “They were monsters, Hana.”
“Monsters,” Hana said as though she had eaten something foul.
“No matter what they looked like, they weren’t children. You felt their touch. They were…hollow. Dead.”
“I know,” Hana said. “But I don’t think they meant us any harm.”
“That giant bump on your head might disagree with you.”
“That was an accident.”
“Clawing at us and dragging us into that tunnel wasn’t.”
“If they are monsters it is because my family failed in our duty.”
Keishin shook his head. “I’m not going to pretend that I know what these creatures are, why they exist, and why they do what they do. I just know that if we’re going to find your parents, we need to stay as far away from them as possible.”
Hana nodded. “We should wait here until—”
Footsteps crunched over pebbles.
Keishin clamped his hand over Hana’s mouth.
The footsteps grew closer.
Keishin’s muscles tensed, waiting for instructions: Fight or flee.
The footsteps stopped, scampered in the opposite direction, and grew faint.
“They’re gone.” Keishin exhaled, relaxing his shoulders. “You should try to get some rest. You’ll need to keep up your strength for tonight. This garden is huge. We have a lot of ground to cover.” Keishin fought a yawn. Whatever adrenaline had fueled his sprint was nearly exhausted, and what little remained he used to keep his eyes open. “I’ll keep watch.”
“I think you need sleep more than I do,” Hana said. “Go ahead. Rest. I couldn’t close my eyes even if I wanted to.”
