100 Systems Invasion

20. Parallel Log

When they stupidly went to open the modified van’s trunk – while ignoring the disgusting remains of the bulldozed infectores on the road and tires – Wade could only consent with a loud groan and flailing arms.

“Right. He’s practically a braindead zombie.” Seth closed the trunk again.

“Completely forgot about that.” Amy agreed, pinching her nose. “It’s useless anyway. We still have to kill people.”

“Infectores. Not people.”

“Oh, so it matters to you now? Didn’t you easily make a man explode into bits and blood?”

Seth gritted his teeth, “It’s not me. Victor exploded by himself, I just sat opposite him.”

“You know him?”

“My professor in uni. But the one who died came from the future.”

Amy guffawed, “There you go, let your creativity flow.” However, after his silence and humorless face, she faltered. “Wait, you’re serious?”

“We got this nonsensical System and ridiculous invasion where your cousin now drools at human brains. Appearing from the future and then spontaneously self-explode ten minutes later is not really that far fetch, does it?”

“Well, now that you say it out loud …”

Seth motioned them to return to the car, and Amy drove it. “Let’s find someplace first to camp before we go hunting preys. I also need to look around the System for more usable things.”

“Yeah. And while you’re at it, see what you can find about her.”

“Her?”

She nodded, “Our kind benefactor from the store, Himeyaka Izuka. I know she recognized you even when you didn’t.”

“Maybe I’m that famous.”

“Yes, for murdering your own professor in  a café, now the whole state is looking for you in the mids of this Zombieland live action.” Amy flawlessly reminded before she continued. “But it’s not that. She didn’t look at you as a murderer.”

“That’s for the defense.”

“I feel like she knows you really well. Maybe she’s your childhood friend?”

“And I got mysterious amnesia I don’t know about?”

Amy huffed, “Memory loss is not that uncommon. I know someone who got it.”

“That’s not the point,” he rebuked, “But let’s see if the System know anything about her. I think we got three hundreds or so people with that name.”

In no time, the System displayed his intended search. 

[Show 301 records for Himeyaka Izuka.]

Thankfully, it also featured a filter, and there weren’t that much Asian with the same name in New York state.

[Show 3 records for Himeyaka Izuka.]

Then, their jaws dropped.

[Himeyaka Izuka

Age: 89

May Go by: Izuka Himeyaka

Used to Live in: Amherst, NY

Related to: Himeyaka Daichi]

[View Full Report?]

[Himeyaka Jane Izuka

Age: 2

Address: Sapporo, JP – Brooklyn, NY

Relatives: Himeyaka Rei – Chloe Jane Fisher – Alexander John Fisher]

[View Full Report?]

[Himeyaka Izuka

Age: 75

Address: Rochester, NY – Cleveland, OH

Relatives: Himeyaka Hana – Himeyaka Akutsu]

[View Full Report?]

Seth reloaded the page and once again entered the name in the search bar. He also filtered the hundreds of findings, but the result was the same. Only three people remained, one deceased, and the other was either too young or too old.

“It’s useless,” he grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose as he told Amy of the findings.

“She lied about her name?”

“Probably.”

“Huh. Suspicious, don’t you think?”

Seth hummed, didn’t reply to her clearly. However, he filed that in his brain. ‘Himeyaka Izuka’ became another thing he needed to solve.

‘Just who the hell is she?’

___

In a busy airport, an Asian woman stood in a queue, waiting for baggage and security check. A long beep resounded in the busy area when she stepped through the metal detection.

“Ah, sorry, I forgot something,” she said as the airport security closed on her with a narrowed gaze. She took a device from her back pocket, giving it to the officer. “It’s my parallel log. Like an electronic journal, you know?”

“Parallel log?” The airport security repeated, turning the square, phone-like device in his hand. It resembled a small pad, but a single short antenna on top was pretty strange. “Where did you get this?”

“Ah, my boss got it for me. Sadly, it’s not out in the market yet. Maybe next year? Or the years after, I’m not really sure when it’ll go public though.” The Asian girl fixed her eyeglasses, smiling sweetly.

The bearded security frowned but fiddled with the device while she went through the metal detector. However, his eyes lingered on it, suspicious showed. “Mind if I take a look?”

It sounded like a question, but she knew that it was not one. If she refused, he could take her to further search her person, and that was a no, no. She might be late for her flight, and her plan get jeopardized. “This is nothing important.”

“Cool, then you don’t mind, right? Unlock it and I’ll give it back to you after you got your things.”

The Asian girl sighed but did as told. She returned the device to the security guard, expecting a dismissive gesture. Instead, the security guy scrolled down the page.

She knew what was written there – her entire thoughts reeled back in discomfort.

[Log Entry 1: 03/07/2020]

Holy shit!

Someone is interested in my crap.

I never thought it would happen, but it did. They took a glance at the stuff I posted online and found a short story I made when I was thirteen to be pretty good. They got me an exclusive contract, and I have to make it into a novel.

Ah, they also got me this diary, or parallel log, as they call it. I’m supposed to write here every month on the same date I signed my exclusive contract, this March 7th. My editor said it’s supposed to help me ‘document my life’ and see how things change throughout the time I work on my story.

But enough about that. Between my day job and writing my big plot and first draft each night, I don’t really have enough time to spare for this. And I’m not skipping dinner when I have to figure out how to get my lazy, snarky Seth into working with Wade the infectore.

Talk to you next month!

Ah, the name’s Himeyaka Izuka, in case I got my memory erased. Somehow.