Villains of the Apocalypse by James Harden

he had a black belt in just about every martial art I'd ever heard of. I think it was because his father was a real traditionalist and insisted that Kenji become proficient in all aspects of Japanese culture including the martial arts. As a result Kenji used to teach me all kinds of cool stuff like Karate and Jujitsu. They had a huge basement underneath their house that looked like an old Japanese training hall. I swear it was like stepping back in time to feudal Japan.
    They even had a small shooting range where they would practice firing the bow and arrow and even guns. I asked Kenji once why they had a shooting range in their basement and if it was even legal. He told me he wasn’t sure if it was legal but the reason they had built one was because the bow and arrow was a big part of Samurai culture. And the rifle was just a new and improved version of that. The principles were the same. The breathing, the concentration. It was like an active form of meditation if you did it right.
    He even taught me how to shoot a gun. I wasn’t strong enough to use the bow and arrow properly but I was a decent shot with the rifle. His father didn’t approve of me at all. But Kenji would always convince him to let me stay. I think he would tell his father that teaching me helped him remember all the stuff that he had been taught over the years. His father would always reluctantly agree.
    The best part about learning all this stuff and hanging out with Kenji was that it helped me take my mind of the possibility that my father was never coming home. It really was like an active form of meditation.
    The more we hung out, the more I started to fall for Kenji. I didn’t think I could ever get close to another person after I’d been hurt so badly. But Kenji was just so amazing.
    And then he left. He just vanished.
    Shortly after that, my mother and I moved out to Australia to start a new life. She told me it would be good for us both, that it would be an adventure. I knew it was painful for her as well.
    Now my old life was coming back to haunt me, opening old wounds, digging up long buried feelings.
    I picked myself up off the floor and wiped the tears off my face. I walked into my room and unfolded the origami horse. Sure enough there was a note written inside.
    Dear Rebecca,
    I’m sorry for what I did. I know you don't trust me anymore but you must believe me when I say everyone is in danger right now. I will come for you.
    -Kenji
    Chapter 4
     
    Five minutes later, Jack arrived to pick me up. He tried talking to me on the drive to Maria’s house but I was miles away.
    “Are you all right?” he asked.
    “Huh?”
    “Are you all right? You’re pretty quiet over there, Bec.”
     
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    Copyright © 2012 by James Harden
     
    This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events locales or organisations is entirely coincidental.
     
    All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the author.