Escort the Lesser Grail

Friday, September 23, 2011.

6:03 PM.

Fuyuki Shinto International Airport lay bathed in amber beneath the dusk, the edges of the clouds still retaining a final halo of rose-gold light.

The red warning light atop the control tower flickered on and off against the darkening skyline, its rhythm somewhat overlapping with the pace of breathing.

The concrete pillars of the P2 parking lot cast intersecting shadows beneath the overhead lights as a black sedan slowly pulled into an empty space.

The tires made a faint sound against the ground, then everything fell silent. The moment the engine shut off, the driver's-side door quietly opened.