Asleep in Nara (Short Story Series, Pt. 4)

Note: This is a continuation of the short story series about Sebastian, an American abroad and in over his head in Nara, Japan. I anticipate this story being at least five parts long, although it may go as far as eight. We’ll see what new ideas pop into my head along the way.

You can find the previous chapters here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3

Sebastian awoke just in time to hear Jael fleeing. He caught a flash of her retreating figure and heard the door slam behind her. Sebastian clambered to his feet, stumbling and falling back onto his hands and knees repeatedly as he gripped the backs of the plastic chairs and tried to push himself up. Cursing, he finally gave up on the chairs and lifted himself up.

His head swam, and he tumbled side to side. His ears were ringing. The all-white room felt too bright, like it was burning his eyes. He felt the overwhelming urge to rush back outside into the fresh air so he could promptly vomit. Despite his love of the art of American football, Sebastian was completely unfamiliar with the symptoms of a concussion. Even as he dashed outside and threw up against the side of the building, it still never dawned on him that his brain had been concussed.

When he finished vomiting, Sebastian stood up and looked around. He swiped the back of his hand over his lips and then immediately regretted it. He wiped the spittle on the bottom of his jeans, checking his surroundings to make sure no one was around to notice.

In the distance, just as she slipped around the corner of a building, Sebastian spotted Jael. She had been standing there, gawking at him. He felt an uncontrollable rage well up inside him--not because she had thrown him around like a ragdoll, but because she had stood around to stare and judge him in his defeat. Through his confusion and haziness, Sebastian plodded forward, intent on catching her and teaching her a lesson, although he hadn’t even the faintest idea of what such a lesson might entail.

Sebastian reached the corner of the building Jael had disappeared around just in time to see her crossing the street. He followed, not even bothering to look for traffic. Fortunately for him, there was none at that late hour.

With each step of his pursuit, his lack of a plan crystallized in his mind until he was certain of nothing except his mounting rage. Jael took even more out-of-the-way back roads this time. She weaved in and out of neighborhoods and alleyways. Sebastian couldn’t make any sense of her movements, and he eventually stopped even trying. The only conviction he had left was to pursue and catch.

Jael, meanwhile, had Sebastian right where she wanted him. She hadn’t intended to throw him quite so hard in the funeral home, but once his head cracked on the floor so hard, the damage had been done. She had to wait for him to regain consciousness, and that had cost her precious time. She had little choice, however. Sebastian was far from the ideal option, but his appearance had been convenient. Yes, he would do in a pinch.

Jael hadn’t been certain that Sebastian would pursue her, but she had followed her instincts, hoping he would be pissed enough or curious enough or both. She was a student of human psychology and had made an art out of marking the most desperate man in a crowded room. Sometimes Jael found a desperate woman, instead, but those plans usually fizzled out. Women could be hooked, sure, but they tended not to be as enchanted by what came after.

The hook was always easy enough. It was all the same every time: Jael dealt in the realm of fantasy. In that regard, hooking Sebastian had been lamentably simple. A bitter American drinking alone in a Japanese bar, completely unfamiliar with local customs, sporting a misshapen eye socket indicative of a history of violence and denial of his own vulnerability and limitations? Was there a more manipulable prey?

Sensing that she was beginning to lose him, Jael slowed her pace. She stopped weaving in and out of alleys. She had piqued his interest. The bargain may as well have already been struck. Only formalities were left now. The item she had retrieved from the coffin, gripped firmly now in her right hand, felt warm to the touch. It was a familiar warmth; she hated it, hated its constant pull on her soul.

Jael set a course for Nara Park. As Sebastian gained ground on her, she picked up the pace again. She could hear his exasperated grunts as he struggled to keep up. Jael grinned. She could keep this pace for as long as needed. Sebastian, to his credit, had more endurance than she had anticipated. She hadn’t been sure they would actually make it into the park at first. But that endurance would prove useful, too.

Jael crossed the last street, hopped a ditch, and sprinted into Nara Park. Not too much farther and they would be beyond the usual walking paths. She ran toward the woods, startling several small groups of grazing deer. The darkness of tall trees closed in around her. She smiled and again slowed her pace, toying with the idea of letting Sebastian catch up.

A light breeze rolled through. A chill sunk in the air. Jael looked down at the hungry blade in her right hand. It was a fine night for murder.

***[The photo is my own, taken along the entryway to Wakamiya Shrine in Nara Park]