Tale of the Dead Town (7 page)

“I suppose it would be best if we didn’t inform anyone that one vampire’s been destroyed?”
said the mayor.

Both D and Dr. Tsurugi nodded.

“This may sound a bit odd,” the physician began, “but you’ll have to keep Laura from
leaving the house. We want folks in town to believe this incident hasn’t been resolved—because,
in fact, it hasn’t been. Mr. D and I can handle the search.”

D donned an unusual expression. The man in the white lab coat seemed intent on running
the show. The problem was, he really didn’t look like the pushy type. It was almost
as if D’s presence brought it out in him.

“Actually,” the mayor began, craning his neck uncomfortably, “that’s a job for the
law enforcement bureau. I’ll have to let them know about this.”

“As they haven’t been able to accomplish anything to date,” D replied, “I don’t imagine
they’ll be of much more use in the future. Leave everything to me. And talk some sense
into the good doctor, too.”

“Understood. Dr. Tsurugi, I’d like you to remain silent regarding this incident, and
keep out of the investigation. Those are my orders as mayor.”

“But—” Dr. Tsurugi began indignantly before restraining himself. “Very well, sir.
As disappointing as it may be, I’ll refrain from joining Mr. D in his work. And now,
if you’ll excuse me.” Bidding them adieu in a loud voice, the young physician squared
his sturdy shoulders and disappeared into the darkness outside.

“Another one?” the mayor mumbled, sounding very weary.

“Another one—and we have to wait until he claims another victim,” D muttered. “The
doctor must’ve seen the vampire’s face. He didn’t say anything in particular about
it, though.”

“You mean as to whether or not it was someone from town?”

Ignoring the question, D said, “When’s the last time you had a death or a missing
person?”

Squinting, the mayor replied, “Last death would be two years ago, missing person would
go three or four months back. Exact cause isn’t known, but most likely they got drunk
and fell off the town. I’ll make you a list of names and addresses.”

D nodded.

-

II

-

The next morning, there was a rap at the door of D’s assigned lodgings that created
quite a racket.

“It’s open,” a low voice responded, but whoever knocked made no attempt to open to
the door. “What is it?” the Hunter asked.

“Um, it’s the mayor and Dr. Tsurugi. They want you to come right away. Someone’s sick.
Come to the A Block of the industrial sector.” After these fear-filled words, there
was the sound of furtive footsteps fading away.

Rising from his simple bed of hay without a word, D made his necessary preparations.
Of course, those preparations consisted simply of strapping his longsword to his back.

-

The sun was already high. People on the street watched in terror as D walked by, his
stride smooth as the wind. The industrial sector was on the edge of town. It consisted
of three colossal blocks of buildings in a row. Aside from the actual energy used
to keep the town in flight, everything they needed for their day-to-day existence
was produced in the industrial blocks. It was the town’s lifeline, so to speak.

Without needing to see the A Block markings on the doors, D was guided there by the
otherworldly atmosphere. A few people were standing at the entrance to a semi-cylindrical
dome. The mayor and doctor were among them. And, of course, the sheriff, with the
silver rocket-launcher tucked under his arm. Some men, perhaps deputies, were pushing
back a wall of people to keep them from getting any closer. As D approached, the mass
of humanity parted smoothly, making a path for him. Gazes brimming with fatigue, astonishment,
and hatred greeted the Hunter.

At the mayor’s feet lay a man. A white waterproof sheet shrouded him. Keeping his
silence, D went down on one knee and lifted the sheet. Under it was a middle-aged
man, around forty years old. Eyes thrown wide open and lips zipped tight, his features
were a detailed testament to a moment so horrifying he couldn’t even scream.

“What’s the story?” D asked quietly.

“Like you need me to tell you,” the sheriff replied snidely. “There ain’t a damn drop
of blood left in his body. One of your pals must’ve sucked him dry.”

“That doesn’t seem to be what happened,” D said, turning to Dr. Tsurugi.

The physician nodded. “Indeed, all the blood’s missing from this body. However, there
are no signs of a bite.”

“Check ’im good enough and you’ll find a bite, all right,” said the sheriff. “At any
rate, we’ve got another victim now. If you keep relying on some clown we don’t know
from a hole in the ground, we’re gonna have a few more on our hands, too. Mayor, I
think it’s high time you let my office handle this. You leave it to us. Inside of
seventy-two hours we’ll smoke that freak out and get rid of anyone who’s been bitten.”

Mayor Ming’s face was warped with anguish.

“Though the symptoms are the same,” D said, “this isn’t the work of the Nobility,
or even of one of their victims. You won’t find a mark on him. My guess is . . . ”

Dr. Tsurugi was already nodding in agreement. “This could very well be some new kind
of illness.”

“What?! Now I know you two bastards have gotta be in cahoots!” the sheriff bellowed.

“I’d like another three days,” said D. “If I haven’t found your foe by then, I’ll
leave town.”

“You’ve gotta be out of your fucking—”

“Good enough,” said the mayor, cutting off the sheriff. “For the next three days,
the search for the vampire is entirely in the hands of Mr. D. Sheriff, you’re not
to interfere with him in any way at all.”

Though his whole face flushed vermilion, the sheriff held his tongue.

“A wise course of action,” Dr. Tsurugi said, his back to the gigantic lawman.

“You little bastard . . . ” the sheriff growled, latching onto the physician’s shoulder
with his meaty fingers. And then something wrapped around the lawman’s wrist. The
mayor’s arm.

“Sheriff,” the mayor said to the face of naked ferocity that greeted him. Just one
word. The vermilion hue of excitement faded from the sheriff’s face in a matter of
seconds.

“Okay. You’re the mayor. What you say, goes. But he only gets three days. And during
that time, he ain’t gonna get a bit of help from us. He’ll have to do all the questioning
and all the investigating all by his lonesome. And I’ll tell you one thing—this here
town’s pretty damn big.” And then he left, with his men following close behind.

“Well, then, about this body . . .” Dr. Tsurugi said, rubbing his eyelid. “Should
we bring it to the morgue, or back to the hospital? Personally, I’d love a chance
to dissect it. He didn’t have any family, correct?”

The mayor nodded.

“Then we’ll bring it back to the hospital for the time being. We can’t discount the
possibility this is some sort of illness.”

On orders from the mayor, two of the townsfolk were selected and, one at each end
of a stretcher, they loaded the body onto the back of the hospital motorcycle parked
nearby.

“Well, then, I’ll be running on ahead.”

The young physician departed, leaving only the growl of an engine in his wake. That
left only D and the mayor. A forceful wind gusted around the two of them. Perhaps
it was a gale that blew from the light into darkness. Or maybe it was something else.

“What is it?” the mayor said succinctly. “You think it could be an illness?”

D didn’t answer him. This was probably the first time he’d found a corpse that’d been
drained of blood but didn’t have a mark on it. “I don’t know for sure. We need Dr.
Tsurugi to hurry with that analysis. Depending on how this plays out, it may become
necessary for him to come up with a vaccine. If that’s the case, he will need to do
it quickly.”

“Then you do think it’s a disease after all . . . ” Beads of greasy sweat blossomed
across the mayor’s brow.

-

Sitting in a block of sunlight spearing through her window, the girl pondered the
fate that lay ahead of her. She couldn’t speak or hear. Dr. Tsurugi had given her
the truth quite plainly. And she felt like she’d plunged straight into hell. She would
be forced to live in a world stripped of all sound, where she couldn’t convey a single
thought unless she had a pen in her hand. The physician had tried to console her by
saying that she wouldn’t be left with any scars from the radiation poisoning, but
what would that matter?

How old am I, again?
The girl tried doing the math once more.
Seventeen
. At that age, her whole life was still ahead of her. And it’d all been wiped out.
When she’d first found out what’d happened, she couldn’t think of anything at all.
She just wanted to die. And then
he
had come. The beautiful face of the man they said had saved her was lodged in her
brain. Entirely too gorgeous and completely noncommittal.
He saved me
, the girl thought, obsessed with the notion.
Oh, I hope he comes to see me again. Just one more time
.

A number of sounds passed right by the girl. The footsteps of the physician and nurse
as they went down the corridor. The creaking of the gurney bearing what looked to
be a dead body. A voice filled with revulsion. Sounds from things like the generator
and an electric saw passed right through the thin walls, stirring the girl’s hair.
Perhaps you could say she was lucky not to have to hear any of that.

So, what happens next?
This thought alone continued to occupy the girl’s mind. Before she knew it, the light
outside her window had taken an azure tint. She had no idea whether the doctor and
nurse were in the next room or not. Once the light was gone, she’d be separated from
them by an eternal gulf.

Just then, she saw a figure reflected in the door across from her. As she watched,
something like a black stain appeared in one part of the glass, soon spreading across
its entirety like a flower opening its petals in a time-lapse film. Before the girl’s
very eyes, the stain quickly became a black mass of sorts, its contours shifting faintly
as it approached her bed. The girl inched back in spite of herself. She was just about
to press the emergency call button when a black hand deftly reached over and snatched
it away.

Well, can you understand what I’m saying?

Piercing thoughts crept into her head. The girl’s eyes went wide with astonishment.

Don’t be so surprised.
It’s called telepathy. With it, a person can make their thoughts understood without
ever speaking. Even a young lady with no voice. Would you care to try it?

The girl nodded. She moved her head so vigorously it almost looked like some sort
of exercise.

Okay, I’ll show you how to do it. But in return, there’s something I want to ask you.
Will you answer me?

The girl nodded. As her eyes gazed at the unsettling black mass, they seemed to cling
to it for dear life.

I understand certain experiments were conducted at your house
. The voice rang through her head, and it was accompanied by a delightful stimulation.
The secret of that research is hidden somewhere in your house. Tell me where. No,
you don’t need to say it. Think it.

The girl shut her eyes. Gathering up all she remembered of the life they’d once lived,
she began searching for some concrete example of the experiments her father had undertaken.
Coming away empty-handed, the girl conveyed that result.

That can’t be!
The shadowy figure’s thoughts were like flames.
Your father was involved in forbidden experiments. And only he was able to make them
succeed. Answer me. You must remember!

The question burned in the girl’s brain like molten steel. Her whole body trembling,
she collapsed on the bed. At that moment, the door opened. The shadowy figure seemed
to look that way.

“What the hell are you?” Dr. Tsurugi shouted, his words spreading across the room
like a wildfire.

The shadow turned to face the physician without making a sound. Perhaps it was his
youth, or maybe he was just reckless, but the physician spread his arms wide and tried
to grab hold of the shadowy figure. His hands sank into the intruder’s form. Not just
that—the shadow actually passed right through the physician’s body. Molecular intangibility
was at work.

“Hey,” Dr. Tsurugi shouted as he raced to Lori’s side, though he had no idea what
was going on. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Managing to follow the movement of his lips, Lori nodded in reply.

Noticing the pale blue phosphorescence of his own limbs, the physician pulled back
in surprise. That was the aftereffect of the molecular intangibility. “Looks like
I’ll have to take something for radiation, too,” the physician said absentmindedly,
smiling at Lori.

But in her mind, the shadow’s thoughts still pulsed.
You can use telepathy, too
, the shadow had said.

-

The body of the deceased citizen was to be buried in the town’s cemetery. According
to the autopsy, death had resulted from massive and rapid loss of blood—that was all
they could tell. The corpse had been checked from the top of its head to the tips
of its toes, but, aside from a few minor abrasions, there wasn’t any sign of the fateful
wound. As they carried the coffin with the man’s corpse to the cemetery, everyone
thought the same thing.
When the sun goes down, he’s gonna get up.
After the undertaker’s secondhand robots had finished digging the hole, the corpse
was laid to rest. The soil was shoveled back in, and the undertaker—who doubled as
a reverend—intoned several words of prayer. And with that, the man was firmly laid
to rest with the past.

Soon after, the sun went down. Not a single person remained around this desolate patch
of earth, but then a woman of about thirty came with a hurried gait. She was the wife
of the man who ran the general store. But there was something strange about the way
she walked. It looked like she was being called forward, and didn’t care for it one
bit. As the woman moved forward, she threw her head back, dug her heels in, and was
tugged along.