Men Without A Conscience
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The next day, I was woken by the sound of someone knocking on my door. It took me a moment to realize that it wasn’t just any knock; this time there were voices as well—three men’s voices in fact, and they sounded angry or frightened.
They’d been shouting for quite some time now, but their words had become muffled over the years. Finally, one voice broke through: “Open up! We need to talk!”
I opened the door with a sigh. The three men looked at each other before speaking again. One said, “You’re not going anywhere.” Then he pulled out his gun and pointed it straight at my chest. He seemed like an ordinary guy who could be found almost anywhere in Japan today: tall, thin, wearing glasses, dressed casually.
His hair was cut short, and he wore no makeup whatsoever. But when you saw him point a gun at your face…
“What do you want?” I asked calmly. My heart pounded so hard that I thought it might burst right then and there. This man actually wanted to kill me? And yet here we were having a conversation about what exactly he planned to do once I died. What kind of world did this make possible?
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he turned around and shouted into the hallway behind us, “We’ll take her back to our place!”
Two more men came running down the hall toward us carrying something large wrapped in cloth. As soon as they reached the doorway, they dropped whatever it was onto the floor and grabbed hold of my arms. I struggled against them, but only managed to get myself tied up.
Once they finished tying me up, the first man picked up the object on the ground and walked back inside with it. When he returned, he held a small wooden box, which he set gently beside me.
After that, all four men began talking among themselves. Their voices became louder and more excited as they spoke. It reminded me of how people used to shout during karaoke sessions when I was young. At times, the words would come together in such a way that they sounded like music.
Finally, one of the men said, “Okay, let’s go,” and started walking away from me. Two others followed closely behind. The last man stayed where he was standing, staring directly at me. After a few moments of silence, he finally spoke again.
“Are you sure you don’t have anything else to say?” he asked quietly.
“No, I’m sorry,” I answered.
“Goodbye, then.”
With those final words, he left too. I heard the front door close softly. No sooner had I begun to relax than I felt another hand grab my arm. Someone was trying to pull me outside. I tried to resist, but it was no use. Before long, I found myself being dragged along the street.
All I could see ahead of me were houses and streets lined with trees. There weren’t many cars on the road either. In fact, I hadn’t seen a single car since leaving my apartment building. Eventually, I realized that these must have been the residential areas surrounding my own neighborhood.
I couldn’t imagine why anyone would bother dragging me off somewhere without a vehicle.
As we continued moving forward, I noticed that the area around us gradually changed. Where there had previously been rows upon rows of identical-looking houses, there were now low buildings made of brick. Most likely they were schools or hospitals.
I wondered if this meant that we’d arrived at the hospital where I worked. Or perhaps it was the school where I taught English lessons every week. If that were the case, maybe I should’ve stopped resisting and simply allowed myself to be taken wherever they wanted. But even though I knew that, deep down, I still refused to give up.
“Hey, wait a minute!” I yelled after several minutes of struggling. “Where are you taking me?!”
My captor ignored me completely. He kept walking until we passed between two buildings. From there, he led me deeper into a narrow alleyway. The walls on both sides rose high above my head. There were no windows, and the air smelled stale.
I could hear nothing but the sound of my footsteps and the rattle of my ropes. For some reason, I started feeling very afraid. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t.
Suddenly, I heard a loud noise coming from somewhere nearby. It sounded like a gunshot. I froze in shock. Had someone shot me?! Did that mean that I was dead already? I was terrified, and I felt like I was about to cry. But instead, I suddenly remembered something.
When I was little, my father told me about a story called “The Monkey’s Paw.” It was about a man named Mr. Chappell who bought a monkey paw from a traveling salesman. The next day, his house burned down. A month later, his wife died in childbirth.
Six months after that, he himself died of a stroke. According to my dad, the moral of the story was that buying things from strangers is never a good idea. That was probably why I’d always avoided doing so in the past.
But for some reason, I just couldn’t stop thinking about that old story while I was lying there tied up. Was it because I was scared, or did I really want to believe that I wasn’t going to die? Either way, I decided to try asking the person holding me what had happened.
“What…happened?” I repeated.
I waited for an answer, but none came. Then I thought I saw a shadow pass by overhead. Maybe it was just my imagination. Still, I decided to ask again.
“Did somebody shoot me?”
Still no reply. I looked up, but I couldn’t see anything through the darkness. My heart pounded loudly against my chest. What if I was actually dead? Would I know right away, or would it take a while before I realized it? Could I feel the pain first, or would death be accompanied by a sense of peace? I didn’t know the answers to any of those questions. But I definitely needed to find out.
I took a deep breath and tried shouting once more. This time, I managed to get my voice to carry over the din of my pounding heart.
“Please! Somebody help me!”
There was no response whatsoever. I began to panic. I struggled harder against my bonds, but to no avail. I couldn’t break free. And yet, somehow, I remained calm. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to escape on my own, but I also believed that I could survive whatever was happening to me. At least, I hoped I would.
After a moment, I heard a familiar voice calling my name. I turned toward the source of the sound and saw a young woman standing not far from me. She was wearing a white lab coat and carrying a large bag. Her hair was short, and her skin was pale.
Yet she seemed perfectly healthy. As soon as I spotted her, I let go of all hope and relaxed my body. I didn’t care anymore whether I lived or died. After all, I figured that if I was going to meet God face-to-face, I might as well do it in a place that reminded me of home.
“Who are you?” I asked.
She glanced back at me with a puzzled expression.
“Are you okay?”
It was then that I noticed that the girl had a gun pointed straight at my forehead.
***
“You’re awake,” said the doctor.
For some reason, she was sitting across from me in a small room. It was dark outside, and the only light in the entire space was coming from a single candle burning on a table beside our chairs. I sat up slowly and looked around.
A bed stood in one corner, and a desk and chair were set up near the door. In addition, there was another cot along the wall opposite us. On top of that, a few bookshelves lined the other side of the room. They contained various medical textbooks and reference materials.
“Why am I here?” I asked.
“To make sure you don’t wake up again,” replied the doctor. “And to figure out how much you remember.”
“How can I forget everything that happened yesterday morning?”
“That’s exactly what I’m trying to determine.”
“Yesterday morning?”
“Yes. You’ve been unconscious ever since your car crashed into that tree. I wanted to keep you under observation until we got to the bottom of this mystery, but you kept waking up every hour or two. So I brought you back here.”
“My car…”
I closed my eyes and pictured the scene from earlier that day. The last thing I remembered was driving to school. I pulled onto the road, and then—
“Wait a minute. Why am I still wearing my uniform?”
“Because you haven’t changed clothes since I found you.”
“But I was wearing my pajamas when I left the house.”
“We washed them,” answered the doctor.
“Washed them?!”
I stared at her blankly.
“Sorry. I meant that they were taken off of you and cleaned.”
“Oh. Right.”
“Anyway, I have some bad news for you,” continued the doctor. “Your parents aren’t alive anymore.”
I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. My knees buckled beneath me. Before I could fall down, however, the doctor caught me.
“Calm yourself. We’ll talk about this later. For now, try to relax and rest. There’s nothing else you can do anyway.”
The doctor helped me lie back down on the bed and covered me with a blanket. Next, she walked over to a cabinet and removed a bottle filled with water. She handed it to me.
“Drink this.”
As I drank, I studied the doctor. She appeared to be in her late twenties. Her long black hair fell past her shoulders, and she wore glasses. She was quite pretty, but something about her made her look older than most girls of her age. Maybe it was because she always seemed so serious. Or maybe it was simply due to the fact that she worked in a hospital.
Whatever the case may have been, the doctor was clearly very intelligent. Even though she’d just told me that my parents had passed away, I sensed no sadness in her tone or demeanor. Instead, I detected a hint of pity.
“So what happened after I hit that tree?” I asked.
“Well…the police arrived first. Then I called an ambulance.”
“An ambulance? But why did you call for one?”
“I thought you might be hurt badly enough to need immediate medical attention.”
“What makes you think that?”
“A lot of people die in car accidents. That means there’s a good chance you might suffer internal injuries. Plus, I know that your parents were killed instantly by the impact. If you hadn’t woken up yet, I would’ve assumed you were dead too.”
“Thanks,” I muttered.
“Don’t mention it.”
“Then where is my sister?”
“She’s fine. She stayed behind at the crash site to help clean up.”
“Clean up?”
The doctor nodded.
“When the paramedics showed up, they realized that you weren’t seriously injured and decided to take you directly to the nearest hospital. Your sister followed right behind them.”
“Where’s the closest hospital?”
“About three miles west of here.”
“Three miles?! Are you kidding me?”
“No. It takes fifteen minutes to drive there.”
“Fifteen whole minutes!”
“That’s not all. Once you get to the hospital, you’ll probably want to see a doctor as soon as possible. And even if you didn’t, you’ll still need to fill out paperwork before they let you leave.”
“Filling out forms! What kind of hospital is this?!”
“It isn’t a normal hospital. This is a private clinic run by our family. As such, it has its own rules and regulations.”
“You mean you’re running a secret hospital?!”
“Not exactly. More like a hidden facility.”
“Hidden?”
“Yeah. Our father established this place years ago. He used his connections to gain access to some top-secret government facilities. Then he set up shop inside them.”
“Wow. Sounds cool.”
“He also hired doctors who specialized in treating patients suffering from various mental disorders.”
“Mental disorders?”
“Like schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety.”
“Schizophrenia? Depression?”
“They specialize in those kinds of cases.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Just curious. Do you have any symptoms of these conditions?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t.”
“Good. In that case, you should be able to go home tomorrow.”
“Home? Where’s my house?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that information either. You’ll have to find that out for yourself.”
“Huh?”
“If we give you directions, you won’t be able to return to your old life. Not unless you figure out how to escape this facility.”
“Escape? How can I possibly—”
Before I could finish speaking, the door opened. A young man entered the room. He looked to be around twenty years old, with short brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard. His eyes were blue, and his face was handsomely chiseled. Despite being dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt, he exuded an aura of authority.
“Hello, everyone,” said the newcomer. “My name is Dr. Ryoji Kataoka. I’m the director of this facility.”
His voice sounded somewhat familiar. However, I couldn’t remember ever meeting him before. Judging by the way he spoke, however, it wasn’t hard to imagine that he must have been a famous actor or politician. The only problem was that I couldn’t recall seeing anyone who fit that description on TV recently.
“Please sit down, Mr. Ueno,” added the doctor.
Dr. Kataoka took a seat across from me.
“How do you feel today?” he asked.
“Fine, thanks.”
“Excellent. Now then…”
The doctor turned toward the window and gazed outside. For several seconds, he remained silent. Finally, he started talking again.
“Mr. Ueno, I believe you already know about the circumstances surrounding your arrival here.”
“Yes.”
“But I suppose I should start from the beginning anyway.”
He paused briefly once more.
“Your mother and father died in a traffic accident last night. They were both killed instantly when their vehicle collided with another driver.”
“I heard.”
“As far as I’m aware, you suffered no serious injuries from the collision itself. However, your parents’ deaths left you traumatized. You went into shock after the incident, which resulted in severe memory loss. To make matters worse, a few hours later, you experienced a seizure while sitting in your living room. Fortunately, you woke up shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, you had lost most of your memories prior to that point.”
“So…what happened next?”
“Shortly afterward, you began having violent nightmares. At first, you thought they were just dreams. But over time, you came to realize that they actually felt real.”
“What does ‘real’ mean, exactly?”
“In other words, you became convinced that what you saw during the nightmare was something that really occurred in reality. That’s why you called 911.”
“Right.”
“Afterward, you collapsed and stopped breathing. We were forced to administer emergency medical treatment. When you regained consciousness, you told us everything you remembered up until that point. Specifically, you mentioned the names of your parents, your school, and your workplace.
After hearing those details, we concluded that you’d likely suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. It would seem that your condition worsened significantly following the death of your parents.”
“That makes sense.”
“We decided to treat you at this facility instead of sending you back to your hometown. Since you’ve recovered enough to leave your bed, I think it’s safe to assume that you’re ready to go home now.”
“Really?”
“Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to go anywhere alone. If you attempt to flee, there will be consequences. And if you try to contact someone in the outside world without permission, we’ll take steps against them as well. Understand?”
“Understood.”
“Very good.”
Dr. Kataoka stood up and walked over to the window. He stared out at the scenery for a moment, then returned to his chair.
“Now, let’s talk about the reason you ended up here in the first place. As I understand it, you used to work for a company named Yodogiri Pharmaceuticals.”
“Yodogiri Pharmaceuticals?”
“That’s right. You worked under the supervision of Dr. Shunsuke Yamashita.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right.”
“Did you know him personally?”
“No, not particularly.”
“Then why did you join the company?”
“Well, my mom was sick. She needed a liver transplant, so I applied to work at Yodogiri Pharmaceuticals because they offered a generous salary package. Once I got hired, I found myself enjoying the job quite a bit. My coworkers were all nice people too.”
“And where was your office located?”
“It was in the research department.”
“Research? What kind of research?”
“Mostly drug development.”
“Drug development?”
“Yep.”
“What kinds of drugs were developed?”
“All sorts. There were some experimental treatments for cancer patients, but also stuff like painkillers, antihistamines, and sleeping pills. Basically, anything that can help people live longer.”
“How many employees did the company employ?”
“About two hundred.”
“Was your boss a woman?”
“Yes.”
“Her name?”
“Kazuko Hoshino.”
“Okay, thank you very much, Mr. Ueno. Everything you said is accurate. Do you have any questions?”
“Not really.”
“Good. Then please get dressed. Your belongings are waiting for you in the wardrobe closet. I’ll show you how to use the shower facilities as soon as possible.”
***
A few minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom wearing a fresh set of clothes. The doctor showed me the way to the kitchen area.
“Here’s a menu card,” he explained. “You may order whatever you want from the cafeteria. Just bring the food tray to the nurses’ station on the second floor.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh, one more thing. Please don’t tell anyone else that you remember who you are or where you come from. Doing so could put you in danger.”
“Gotcha.”
The doctor gave me an odd look before leaving the room.
I sat down at the table and looked through the menu card. Apparently, lunch was already being served. So I ordered a plate with rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and vegetables.
Once I finished eating, I took a nap.
When I awoke, the sun was setting.
I washed my face and brushed my teeth. I changed into a different outfit and headed downstairs to the nurse’s station.
There, I met another young man who seemed to be around my age.
He was tall and slender, with short brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a white lab coat and had a warm smile on his face.
“Hello, welcome to our facility! How do you feel today?”
“I’m okay.”
“Great!”
“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“Of course not.”
“Why am I here?”
“To recover from your illness, of course.”
“But I didn’t actually have any symptoms when I arrived. In fact, I felt fine until yesterday morning.”
“Ah, yes. That’s true. We only discovered your condition after you came to us.”
“So what happened?”
“Your body was weakened by radiation poisoning. It wasn’t immediately apparent, but you were suffering from severe malnutrition.”
“Radiation poisoning?”
“That’s right. You probably received the exposure during your time working at Yodogiri Pharmaceuticals.”
“Huh… I guess that explains it.”
“You must have been exposed to radioactive materials while performing your duties. This caused your cells to mutate. They began producing abnormal proteins which led to organ failure.”
“So I was poisoned?”
“In a manner of speaking. But that doesn’t explain everything. Why did you end up here?”
“My memory is fuzzy, but I think I might’ve tried to escape. Is that right?”
“Yes, exactly! And since you’re still recovering from your illness, we decided to keep you under observation.”
“Is there anything wrong with me?”
“Nothing major, no. However, you will need to take medication for the rest of your life.”
“Medication?”
“For example, this pill here contains vitamin B12.”
“Wait, wait, hold on a minute. Are you saying that I’m going to be taking vitamins forever?”
“We’d prefer it if you took them every day. If you forget once in a while, though, that’s alright.”
“Alright…”
After telling me these things, the young man handed me a small bag containing various types of medicine.
“These are all prescription-only medicines,” he told me. “They should help prevent further complications. Take one each night before bedtime.”
“Thanks.”
“If you ever have any problems, just let us know. Oh, and make sure you eat properly too. Our cafeteria has plenty of nutritious meals available.”
“Understood.”
“Well then, I’ll leave you to it. Have a good evening.”
The End