The flashing lights painted the street blue and red. The sirens wailing as a car screeched to a halt outside 13 Onitetsu Street. Moments later a squad of officers poured out, followed by some paramedics.
Akira stood there in the doorway. His eyes still red, his hands trembling but otherwise emotionless. A uniformed officer approached him.
"Mr. Shibaura?" the officer said softly. "I'm Detective Harada. We're here to help."
Akira nodded without speaking. He felt detached, like he wasn't himself, but rather watching himself from an outside perspective.
"Can you tell me exactly what happened when you arrived home?" Harada asked pulling out a small notebook.
Akira's voice cracked as he spoke. "I came back from work late... and they were lying there ... dead."
Harada pressed him with questions even further. "Did you see or hear anything unusual?"
Akira shook his head. "The fridge light was off but that's about it."
Harada's eyes didn't waver. "Did you see anyone before you came in?"
Akira shook his head. "No. The street was also quiet. Too quiet."
Harada exchanged a glance with his partner. "And neighbours? Did anyone see or hear anything?"
Akira shook his head again. "There were also no signs of forced entry. Doors locked. Windows intact not a single shard of broken glass."
Harada jotted down in his notebook before flipping pages and writing again.
The officers spent hours canvassing the neighborhood, knocking on doors, checking for any CCTV footage. A few residents claimed they'd heard nothing unusual, while others said they saw a suspicious black car speeding away earlier in the evening, but no one could provide a clear description.
The case progress had already reached a plateau with no significant breakthrough to be made.
An officer called out, "Forensics are ready to start."
Akira watched the camera flashes light up the room in intervals, each burst illuminating what he wished he could forget. Like twisted lightning strikes exposing a crime only he was cursed to relive forever.
"Do you have any idea who would want to hurt them?" Harada pressed gently.
"No. No enemies. Nothing."
The police found no immediate suspects. No fingerprints aside from the family's.
Akira sat alone in the living room, the weight of silence suffocating him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a stubborn seed of doubt took root.
The house immediately felt colder. Akira was even shivering.
Back at the station, detectives pored over reports and evidence. The crime scene yielded little: no fingerprints other than the family's, no murder weapon, no eyewitnesses. The forensic analysis showed no signs of forced entry or robbery.
Days passed with no new updates. The bodies were taken away leaving Akira alone at his house. The feeling of dread and despair intertwined hit harder now like a brutal stab in his heart. The shortness of breath did not relieve his pain whatsoever.
"Fuck...fuck..fuck." He muttered while breathing in deeply. "Why can't they hurry up with this investigation."
His phone buzzed in his pockets. He took it out and looked at the caller ID.
Detective Harada.
He was hoping for some good news as he pressed the accept button.
"We're sorry, Mr. Shibaura, but we have no new leads," Harada said, his voice tired. "No signs of break-in, no witnesses, no motive. We're treating this as an unsolved homicide for now."
Akira's fists clenched, his knuckles turning into a pale white as his nails dug into his palm.
"So this is it... No Justice?"
Harada sighed on the other end. "We're doing everything we can, but without new leads, this investigation is going nowhere."
Akira cut the call without further words needing to be said.
He sat there still, not a single muscle moved. His face motionless and blank.
His mind focused on the only detail that was retrieved by this investigation. "That black car… it couldn't have just vanished."
He zoned out. His mind reeling on all the details, but something was amiss. "No forced entry. No evidence."
He slammed his fist against his chest. "Why me? What did I do? Why must I endure this? Why alone?"
He finally got up and walked to his sister's room. Now empty.
He stared at the untouched room. "You didn't even get a chance to grow up." He muttered.
Then he walked to his mother's room which was neat but lifeless. "You just wanted the best of us after that deadbeat bastard of a father left."
He dragged himself to the couch she bled out on. "You always hated that couch... turns out it hated you too."
He stumbled to his room and his eyes stayed fixated on his messy bed. "You just wanted some sleep one night and discovered something that may keep you awake for eternity."
"This is my life now I guess." He sighed. "I miss the old ones. I miss my sister, even if she was annoying. My mom never got to know my gratitude for her." He squeezed a plush he snatched from his sister's room tightly. "Damn it. I wish I could relive and resolve all my mistakes."
Akira closed the door and searched into his bag. He then got out a bottle and poured out a single pill into his palm.
"Sorry mom... I just need a way to cope." He said before popping one into his mouth.
He then lied down on his bed waiting for the effects to hit.