Death Note: The Next Kira

Chapter 75 (PART SIX): Getting Nearer to N

FEBRUARY 24, 2006

TOKYO, JAPAN

AT 6:10 PM

                                                                                NEAR (NATE RIVER)

I was still rushing through downtown hoping that I could find a forest or any area that led to the woods. Unfortunately, Tokyo was just too big. I knew that I couldn't give up, I had to keep going. I had to die from the current Kira or else, they'll kill me. That's when I knew that my only option was to go inside. I went inside a Holiday Inn with hopes that I could be able to hide out there until...who knows when? Hopefully, the current Kira would get tired of looking for me so I could return to the hotel and find out what happened to Lidner. After pondering on whether I should go back, I made up my mind. I saw what happened to her. She was attacked by a masked man who hooked her by the hair. Even though I feared for my life, I was more scared of losing Lidner. Knowing that she was in danger, I had to save her. I ran out of the building and held my hand out for the bus. "Hey! Wait!" I called out. 

I watched as the bus stopped right by me and the doors opened. "Where are you headed?" the bus driver asked. "Holiday Inn by Spaceland," I answered. "It's only ten minutes from here." The bus driver signaled me to come on the bus. "Hop on," he told me. I rushed onto the bus and sat beside this girl who wore an oversized grey hoodie. Once I sat down, the bus went off. 

MEANWHILE...

                                                                     LIDNER (HALLE BULLOOK) 

I lay there in the bed still handcuffed and taped-gagged. I had no idea how I was going to get out of this okay. I called out for help through the tape, even though I knew that no one could hear me. I had to get out of this situation fast. Near's life depended on it. 

AT 6:12 PM

                                                                            NEAR (NATE RIVER)

I sat there as I patiently waited for the bus to get to the Holiday Inn by Spaceland. "Hey," I heard the girl next to me say. I turned and looked at her. "I'm sorry, but were you talking to me?" I asked. The girl nodded. "Yes," she answered. "Oh," I let out. "Hi." "You look familiar," the girl said to me. I made a confused look on my face. "I'm sorry, but have I seen you before?" I asked. The girl shook her head. "No," she answered. "But I think I've seen you before." I didn't know how to respond to that because I'd never seen the girl before. "Do you know Marie Monroe?" the girl asked. "Yes," I answered. "She's my friend." "Mine too," the girl told me. "Marie's a total sweetheart for a Neapolitan girl." "Hmm?" I asked. "What is that supposed to mean?" "You know," the girl answered. "Her mom's white and her father's Hispanic." I looked at the girl with a straight face. "Neapolitan ice cream is supposed to be made of three flavors," I informed the girl. "Chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. And also, race is different than ice cream flavors." The girl slowly nodded. "Oh," she let out. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be racist against the hero who saved us all from being killed in a building minutes before it fell to the ground. I'm guessing you met her not long before the school collapsed." 

"I met her on the same day that the school fell," I corrected the girl. "I saw her taking a nap at her desk. The next thing I knew was that one of the teachers rudely woke her up and she started acting insane. She knew everything that was going to happen in the classroom and fell onto my Jenga blocks tower. I asked her if she was okay, but that's when she got up screaming at everyone to get out of the building and that it was going to collapse. Mr. Mikami and the principal tried to calm her down, but she ran out of the classroom. Mr. Mikami told everyone to get out of their seats and follow him. Seconds later, I got up and followed them. Not long after that, we heard a fire alarm and it was discovered that Marie set it off so that everyone could get out of the school. Thankfully, her behavior was enough to evacuate more than half of the school before the building finally collapsed. I'm sure that you all know that those who were in the building when it collapsed were taken to the hospital and nobody expected them to survive. Luckily, before the Misa Misa Legacy Party this year, everyone in the hospital instantly made a full recovery. Everyone except for the Principal. I haven't heard anything about him. Have you?"