The Lightning Strike

I finished off making my PB & J sandwich and sat down at the small and scrubbed wooden table that served as my dining area. While I chewed, I watched the wall in front of me, without seeing it.. This was an old apartment. I had rented it a year ago, when I had first come to this place and decided to base my work in Japan, because it was such a concentrated area for my line of study. And it had the perfect place to use my alibi.

Tohl University.

Everyone there was terrified of me of course, and they had reason to be. After all, isn't having a blind, yet perfectly adept seventeen year-old girl walking around campus kind of creepy?
But, I have to admit, being avoided constantly is kind of lonely, but I'll get used to it.

It's not my fault Humans are weird like that.

I glanced down in surprise as I noticed that I had eaten half of the sandwich already. It's not as if I could actually see the sandwich, or anything else for that matter, but I still looked around like a normal person, just so I could feel better about my blindness. I placed it down on a napkin and walked over to the window. It was about 6:30, and people were walking around outside, aimlessly or purposely, unaware that they were in immediate danger. They couldn't see the shadows. I could feel them though, watching, waiting. Watching, waiting.

I shook my head, sending stray bits of brown hair in a frenzy. I remembered being told what I looked like by my Nurse once. I was fourteen.
She said that even though I was blind, my foggy-green eyes still sparkled when I was happy. I am barely ever happy these days.
She told me that I had long brown hair that was straight, yet almost completely untameable; she described it as many layers of thick, spikes and strands of glossy hair. My tallness was surprising to her, as most of my father's family was short, not including my father himself. Back then, my mother dressed me. Nowadays, without her, I stick to an old, red school uniform without the tie and button-up shirt. Instead I chose a white, round-necked t-shirt that exposes all of my neck and then my collar bone; a red school jersey over that; a short, red-plaid skirt, and a pair of pink converses. Not that I knew that - not really. I had to get someone to tell me what they were when I was buying them. I have the same clothes in my drawers. That's all I have. Besides some diamond studs and a red-stoned pendant, I have nothing. That's it.

I sighed and made my way over to my large, moth-bitten couch and sat down. I crossed my legs and turned on the T.V. It was the news channel. I felt my way along the buttons, working out the number fo Comedy Central. But, before I could continue spelling it out, the News reporter actually said something interesting for once.

"Last night in the West Tokyo Benedentary, now Kikora Hayama, originally sentenced to fifteen years for armed robbery, is reported to have died of a sudden heart-attack at the age of 32. This is just the most recent death in a growing number of deadly cases involving inmates lying on the floor dead of heartattacks..."

I frowned. I had heard about this. This wasn't good either. I know that criminals are bad and all, but killing them is just wrong. This must be Kira, killing them all.
Kira is a person who has been killing these criminals. Obviously they think that they're passing 'righteous' judgement, but I say otherwise. Whoever it is, they must be crazy to think what they're doing good.

"We'd like to apologize for the interruption as of now we're bring you a live worldwide broadcast from Interprise ICPO."

I began listening intently, straining my ears. This was important.

"We now take you live to the ICPO."

A man came on the screen. He was obviously the head of the ICPO, or else he wouldn't be the one talking.

"I'm head of international police task force which includes all member nations. I am Lind L. Tailor, other wise known as L."

I gasped. He was L?! He couldn't possibly be could he?

"Criminals around the world are being murdered by a serial killer. I consider this crime to be the most atrocious act of murder in history. I will not rest until the persons or persons responcible are brought to justice. Kira, I will hunt you down; I will find you.
Kira, I've got a pretty good idea what your motivation might be, and I can guess what you hope achive. However, what you're doing, is evil."

I waited. They waited. Anticipation was growing in everyone's guts. L was waiting for Kira's response. And I had a gut-wrenching feeling that he was going to get it.

L. I could almost guess what he was thinking.
He thought Kira was probably astonishing and dumb-struck, watching this right now. He thought he had won.

But I knew better.

Suddenly, there was a choaking sound on screen and a thump. I swallowed, my worthless eyes wide.
"He's dead!" cried a woman.
Lind L. Tailor had just been killed. By Kira.

I was shocked. I didn't realize he could kill that quickly.
There was a 'dinging' noise from the T.V. speaker.

A voice that sound just as shocked and incredulous as I was began to speak through a voice transmitter that made it sound as though it was electronic.

"Uh, I had to test this just in case, but I-I did think it would actually happen.
Kira, it seems you can kill people without having to be there in person. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't just witnessed it."

There was a pause. I was frozen, staring where I knew the screen should be.

"Listen, to me Kira. If you did indeed kill Lind L. Tailor, the man you just saw die on television, I should tell you that he was an inmate, who's execution was scheduled for today.
That was not me."

I gasped for the second time that night. So Tailor was just a fake! L was still alive!

"The police arrested him in absolute secrecy, so you wouldn't have heard about him on T.V. or through the internet. It appears that not even you have access to information about these types of criminals."

Then voice began to become fiercer and more determined.

"But I assure you, L is real. I do exist. Now, try to kill me! What's wrong? C'mon right now! Kill me! What's taking you? What's wrong? C'mon, kill me! Can't do it?!"

I grinned. I liked this guy. Verryyy condesending! Perfect! Kira was probably really pissed off by then.

"Well, Kira, it seems you can't kill me after all.
So there are some people you can't kill. You've given me a useful hint!
Let me return the favor. I'll tell you something that I think you'll find interesting. Although this is announced as a world-wide broadcast, the truth is, we are only broadcasting in the Kanto region of Japan. I had planned to broadcast this message around the world until we found you, but it looks like that won't be necessary. I now know where you are."

'Geez, he's smart, isn't he?' I thought.

The police treated your first killing as an unrelated incident, but in naturality the first of your victims was a suspect in Shinjuko.
Of all the criminals that have recently died of heartattacks, this one's was by far the least serious. Furthermore, his crime was only ever reported inside Japan. I used that information to deduce this much: You are in Japan, and your first victim was little more than an expiriment, which means you havn't been killing for very long. We decided to broadcast in Kanto first because of this large population, and luckily, we found you.
To be completely honest with you, I never expected that things would go this well, but, it won't be too long now before I am able to sentence you to death."

"Naturally, I am very interested to know how you're able to commit these murders without ebing present, but I don't mind waiting a little bit longer. You can answer all my questions when I, uh, catch you. Let's meet again soon, Kira."

Then all there was white sound. Suddenly it clicked back on to the normal channel as if nothing had happened. I just sat where I was.
I knew who I was voting for.
I laughed and punched my fist into the air.

"Yes!"