Ten yards away from the van, the shadow stopped in silence.
From behind it came the faint sound of a car door opening and closing. As it turned around to see, the garage echoed with the blast of an engine revving.
“…”
At the end of its turn, the shadow caught sight of a bright red convertible speeding toward it. The car accelerated with surprising speed, and the shadow had no time to dart behind a pillar for safety.
After a moment of hesitation, it decided to run in the opposite direction of the approaching car. It was hoping to draw the car along and leap to the side at the last moment, but the terrified thug was using every ounce of his concentration and did not fall for it. The instant the shadow’s foot turned to push it sideways, he yanked the wheel.
✦ ✦ ✦
The sound of collision.
The shadow flew hideously through the air.
And crashed in a heap atop the concrete.
“Yeaaaaah! In your face! Ha-ha-haaa! In your ugly face, dammit!” the thug crowed, savoring the sensation of the shock that shuddered through the vehicle. He quickly braked and leaped out of the driver’s seat before the car had even come to a stop, then raced for his victim, metal pipe in hand, when—
“?!”
He noticed a black blob rolling on the ground, much closer than the prone figure of the shadow.
There was no mistaking that distinct design—it was the full-faced helmet the shadow had been wearing just moments ago. But what shocked him was not the helmet…but the body of the shadow upon which it had been resting.
“The…the head…”
There was nothing atop the body where the shadow’s head should be.
Did it come off in the crash?! No way can’t be murder I didn’t self-defense
but no why hang on wait hang on
It was the latest shock in a long series. His brain was at a critical mass of confusion.
And because of that, he failed to notice that the body, now headless, had not shed a single drop of blood.
<The guy riding the black motorcycle—has no head.>
✦ ✦ ✦
The thug hesitantly approached the headless body…
When without warning, the shadow leaped to its feet, still without a head.
<He can totally move around without it.>
<Well, good night!>
—KANRA HAS LEFT THE CHAT—
✦ ✦ ✦
“Aaaahhh!!”
This sudden horrifying sight did not inflict fear on the thug as much as simple shock.
✦ ✦ ✦
A trick? A suit? A robot?
A costume party? A hologram?
A dream? An illusion? A hallucination? A fake?
✦ ✦ ✦
Various words floated through his mind, popping like bubbles before his brain could grasp them.
The true shock was that it had been hit by a car yet was standing without any sign of harm whatsoever—but there was not enough conscious wit left in the thug’s mind to dedicate to this fact.
As it had before, the black mist began to seep out of the shadow’s back, taking shape as that gigantic scythe.
His shock shifting once again into fear, the thug began to let out a scream of terror and desperation. At the very moment his throat let the first bit of breath through, it was split by a sudden, sharp shock.
Every shred of his senses went black.
<Private Mode> {Um, Setton. I wanted to check something with you.}
<Private Mode> [Sure thing.]
<Private Mode> [What is it? Something you don’t want others to see?]
<Private Mode> {Is it just me, or is Kanra a little… corny?}
<Private Mode> [I’d say more than just a little.]
<Private Mode> {You said it, not me (lol). But he was the one who invited me to this chat room, so… }
<Private Mode> [Same with me. He does get carried away, but that’s part of his charm.]
<Private Mode> {Plus, he seems to know many things we don’t.}
<Private Mode> [I don’t know how much of it is true, though. Oh, but I can say one thing.]
<Private Mode> [About that Black Rider who prowls around the town.]
<Private Mode> [You’re probably better off not getting involved.]
<Private Mode> [Well, g’night.]
—SETTON HAS LEFT THE CHAT—
<Private Mode> {Huh?}
<Private Mode> {Whoa, Setton left. Well, good night.}
<Private Mode> {Whatever.}
—TAROU TANAKA HAS LEFT THE CHAT—
✦ ✦ ✦
The headless rider quietly picked up the helmet and stuck it atop its dark neck. A faint shadow bled out of the collar of the suit, then melded into the bottom of the helmet, fusing it together.
Eventually, as though nothing had ever happened, the headless rider turned and silently strode toward the van.
✦ ✦ ✦
Back at the entrance to the parking garage, having completed its business, the headless rider silently left the scene. Several men were lying in the street, but there was no sign that anyone else had passed by. If they had, they’d pretended not to see.
The pitch-black motorcycle waiting in the shadows sprang to life, welcoming its master home. The engine, which had worked soundlessly as it rode the streets, now roared without a key in the ignition.
The headless rider stroked the tank of the engine, like petting a beloved steed. The engine purred and hushed, satisfied, and the rider swung into the seat.
And the black mass, without so much as a headlight, carried its headless master away.
Beneath a starless sky.
Soundlessly melting into the darkness…