Land of the Setting Sun
5/26/2007 - Investigative Journalism
I shook my head, if he wanted to go hunt after the old man, that was his prerogative. Instead we watched as he went, Itaki's oldest friend, out into the night like a madman to find him. Even Aubrey stayed behind, realizing the futility of it. As he wrenched open the metal door to the outside, the guards begged him not to leave, but he wasted no time disappearing from view. The door slammed shut, and our group huddled tighter still, as two of our number awaited an unknown fate in the town of Miyazaki.
The hours that passed before sunrise were tense with the idea of regret. I considered fleeing into the night several times, however, Dr. Blythe's steady hand on my shoulder grounded me to reality. When the first rays of the new morning pierced the ceiling of the warehouse, we were out in the rubble, searching and yelling. Neither Itaki or Ogasawara could be found, neither at the ship, or around the warehouse. Even following Ogasawara's footsteps, which seemed to lead towards the ship, completely disappeared about halfway there. I hardly even spent any time taking photos, fully invested in searching for our team. It wasn't until midday that we returned to the shelter, defeated.
The way I saw it, there were only a few possibilities. Either Itaki had really left on his own, the crew had done something to him, or these new scavengers had grabbed him. Dr. Blythe seemed to be in agreement.
“The only thing that keeps me thinking is how someone could’ve possibly moved Itaki without anyone noticing. Honestly, I think he left on his own.” he concluded.
I wasn’t quite as sure as he was, but he made a good point. My primary suspect was the new scavengers, who’d we just met the day before. They could move rather stealthily from what I had seen, but they had no motivation.
“Occam’s razor?” came Qara’s voice from behind, “I don’t see a whole lot wrong with the explanation we were given. Itaki’s desperate to get home.”
“That still doesn’t explain Ogasawara’s footprints fading off randomly.” I added.
“You saw how windy it was last night, good chance something just wiped them away. After going back to the boat, he probably just headed north after Itaki.”
I felt a mounting pressure, as the prospect of someone else disappearing the next night began to wear on my mind. What would I do if Dr. Blythe disappeared next? Was I just being paranoid? I slumped against the wall, exhausted, the fatigue in my muscles finally setting in from our entire journey. I could question the scavengers, but who knows how they’d react at such an accusation, especially after already explaining themselves; I’d come off as a crazy person. On the flip side, I couldn’t imagine the crew kidnapping Itaki, for any reason, except maybe as revenge for Captain Li Qiang.
I shook my head, if he wanted to go hunt after the old man, that was his prerogative. Instead we watched as he went, Itaki's oldest friend, out into the night like a madman to find him. Even Aubrey stayed behind, realizing the futility of it. As he wrenched open the metal door to the outside, the guards begged him not to leave, but he wasted no time disappearing from view. The door slammed shut, and our group huddled tighter still, as two of our number awaited an unknown fate in the town of Miyazaki.
The hours that passed before sunrise were tense with the idea of regret. I considered fleeing into the night several times, however, Dr. Blythe's steady hand on my shoulder grounded me to reality. When the first rays of the new morning pierced the ceiling of the warehouse, we were out in the rubble, searching and yelling. Neither Itaki or Ogasawara could be found, neither at the ship, or around the warehouse. Even following Ogasawara's footsteps, which seemed to lead towards the ship, completely disappeared about halfway there. I hardly even spent any time taking photos, fully invested in searching for our team. It wasn't until midday that we returned to the shelter, defeated.
The way I saw it, there were only a few possibilities. Either Itaki had really left on his own, the crew had done something to him, or these new scavengers had grabbed him. Dr. Blythe seemed to be in agreement.
“The only thing that keeps me thinking is how someone could’ve possibly moved Itaki without anyone noticing. Honestly, I think he left on his own.” he concluded.
I wasn’t quite as sure as he was, but he made a good point. My primary suspect was the new scavengers, who’d we just met the day before. They could move rather stealthily from what I had seen, but they had no motivation.
“Occam’s razor?” came Qara’s voice from behind, “I don’t see a whole lot wrong with the explanation we were given. Itaki’s desperate to get home.”
“That still doesn’t explain Ogasawara’s footprints fading off randomly.” I added.
“You saw how windy it was last night, good chance something just wiped them away. After going back to the boat, he probably just headed north after Itaki.”
I felt a mounting pressure, as the prospect of someone else disappearing the next night began to wear on my mind. What would I do if Dr. Blythe disappeared next? Was I just being paranoid? I slumped against the wall, exhausted, the fatigue in my muscles finally setting in from our entire journey. I could question the scavengers, but who knows how they’d react at such an accusation, especially after already explaining themselves; I’d come off as a crazy person. On the flip side, I couldn’t imagine the crew kidnapping Itaki, for any reason, except maybe as revenge for Captain Li Qiang.