“Men, what troubles you have now will be nothing compared to what is about to come,” proclaimed Commander Tojo to the soldiers.
***


It was a dawn of November in Asaka, Japan, the military base of Japan in World War II. The skies were filled with clouds of dusty grey, as if a majestic force from above was signaling undesired fate for these fellow soldiers. Gloom and despair withered through the air as discord grew among the young men. Spectating the military base, all that was visible from one’s naked eye was a forest of towering mahogany trees, which sheltered the military base from foreign invaders. All members of the army would gather in the Meeting Hall when training was not in session.
Jeremy Sui, the only courageous member of the Japanese Army, walked through the lush, green forests of Akasaka in search of Jason. He soon found his fellow soldier sitting alone beside a mahogany tree. “Jason, what’s troubling you?” questioned Jeremy, courteously. His eyes gleamed with compassion as his slick black hair blew in the wind. “I’ve been living with you for long enough to realize that something’s wrong. Now tell me, what’s the matter?” Jason looked down at the ground aimlessly, and no words seemed to come out of his trembling mouth. “C’mon, we’re soldiers out here. All we have is each other. We have to work together. Each and every one of us. We all have each others’ back, and today is not the day I’m going to leave someone behind. But I can’t help you if you don’t let me.” He stared into Jason’s mysterious eyes, only to be dismayed by no response, not even a simple head nod. They stood apathetically in the cold for a few minutes, which seemed like hours to them as they waited in the uncomfortable silence.
Eventually, Jeremy walked back to the military base, frustration overcoming his emotions. Exhausted from the walk back, he approached the gathering hall where many soldiers sat chatting amongst themselves. “How’d it go, Jay? Anything new?” asked Takashi, the fervent soldier. He displayed himself in a macho manner, as if he cared more for his exceptional muscles rather than his wit. Jason smirked. “Nope, he’s still hiding under that shell of his. Not a single word. I swear one day I’ll get it out of him, even if I have to do it the hard way,” Takashi remarked. “That just goes to show you how crazy that man is. One day, he’s the man everyone looks up to, and the next day you have no idea who the hell he is. You can’t trust him.” Jeremy could not withhold his untamable feelings, and soon burst out in anger. “Look, I know he hasn’t been acting himself lately. But I’m not going to let it go. We’re a family; we have to look out for each other. One day, you’re going to walk on that battlefield and wonder who has your back, but no one will be there. Then you’ll realize what you did wrong.”
Takashi, stunned, thought to himself for a moment. Then he responded, “Look, I’m sorry. You know I didn’t mean it. But all of us here know that something is going on with him. He may be stirring up some trouble, and I don’t want a part of it. None of us do. We don’t need another war between ourselves. If you’re smart enough, you’ll agree with me and mind your own business.” Jeremy looked at each of his fellow soldiers sitting in the room. His former hopes were staggered by the disbelief of everyone in the room. “He’s probably just having some troubles. It’ll fade,” he said, with doubt gleaming in his eyes.
Days passed, and everything remained fairly usual until the day when all havoc broke loose.
***

The Military Commander addressed all of the soldiers assembled in the meeting hall. “Attention men! As you all know, paranormal activity has arisen in our territory. Lives have been lost without a trace; thirty of our men have been put on their death beds. We don’t believe any human could have accomplished such a drastic amount of murders in one night. If any of you have information, please let me know as soon as possible. The best thing for you all to do is to be cautious and stay on your feet. Be calm, men. Panicking will do you no good. I advise you to all to look out for each other, for one man is not safe by himself. Do not take this lightly. This is a serious matter and must be put to an end. One cannot win a war without the foundation of men upon which our ship is built.”
Everyone headed back to the military headquarters, where the soldiers conversed among each other. Takashi remarked in a slightly rhetorical manner, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Everyone nodded their heads harmoniously, as if it were planned beforehand. “Well, looks like it’s unanimous. Jay, you know what you have to do.” And so Jeremy, acting as theirs spokesperson, addressed Military Commander Tojo. “Sir, we have brainstormed and come to a conclusion that our military guard, Jason Kuramoto, may have some knowledge of these paranormal circumstances. He’s the watch guard of our territory, so he must’ve witnessed something. He has also been acting abnormally from his usual self.” Commander examined his facial expression and sought anything hinting to disloyalty, but no sign was found. “Very well, soldier. Thank you for your consideration. Now back to work. We have a lot of training lying ahead for all of you.”
***
Military Commander Tojo, the elderly man of wisdom and knowledge, was the father of all Japanese soldiers. When he had heard of Jason’s troubles, he searched for Jason and spoke with him. He wished to bring all of his troubles to a cease.
“Finally, I have found you! Are you aware of what’s been going on these past few days?”
“Yes, sir.”
Do you happen to know anything about what’s going on?”
No response followed.
“Kuramoto, as your leader I am responsible for you and all that happens to you. I will not let anything unpleasant happen to you. Each and every soldier i have adopted as my own. You can trust me. I won’t hold anything against you. As you can see, I am an old man. But my wisdom has only strengthened throughout the years. I’ve been living here long enough to have gone through every type of problem that’s around. I can help you.”
“With all do respect, sir, you cannot. Every day, I sit in the forest, thinking to myself. Something inside me can’t seem to move on. My emotions, they have gone out of control. I cannot sustain myself. I feel as if I’m becoming a madman. My sanity has left long ago, and my mind cannot contemplate what I have seen. I cannot seem to rid myself of these inhumane acts that I have seen. But I must not tell a soul, for whomever acknowledges the fact may be next. “
“And why would you say that?”
“Because I’m the murderer.”