Escape - 1

< Machine Translation Version >

High beam

  I've been working late again today. I hurriedly walked to the parking lot and opened the door of my beloved Silvia to go home early. It was the end of September, and the temperature in the car was comfortable for my tired body. It was a place where I could relax alone. I felt very comfortable in my long-sleeved polo shirt. I ruminate on the day's issues. Why was it not working? Why did the data that should have been connected disappear? No, the data shouldn't have disappeared. It must be hiding somewhere. But I can't think of anything in the database or the process. At least I thought I could handle it today.

  Takeshi is a system development engineer. He is currently in the final testing phase of the system that his team has created. As the team leader, Takeshi wants to make sure that the test is completed on schedule without any problems. However, problems keep occurring day after day. He spent many days blaming himself.

  In order to support an environment that fosters healthy employees, the office hours are set until ten o'clock at night. After that time, the lights and air conditioners are turned off and it becomes pitch black. Employees are forced to leave the office by ten o'clock at night. However, the test did not go well and there were some problems. As the person in charge, they would like to stay a little longer to pursue the matter, but a strong guard comes to patrol the premises and kick them out. Takeshi usually commutes to work by train, but if he is going to be home late, he takes the Silvia to work so that he doesn't have to worry about the train. If he was in Tokyo, he could take the train home in plenty of time, but this is a research institute built on a small hill in the middle of nowhere. There is a special shuttle bus service to the nearest station, but Takeshi doesn't like crowded buses. So he occasionally commutes to work in his Silvia. Recently, he has been doing so almost every day.

  No matter how many times he checked the issues, he still could not come up with a solution. He couldn't think of any reason why the data would be lost. He had no choice but to leave that day. He inserted the ignition key into the Silvia and turned it. A pleasant engine sound echoed through the air. Hearing this sound, Takeshi felt relieved. In the dim light of the parking lot, he turned on the halogen headlights and put them on high beam. It was his usual route to work. He figured he would be able to get home without any problems.

  The road we usually take is a winding road over the mountains. The left side of the roadway was covered with ditches under construction. The road that curved to the right toward the tunnel was also under construction. Just as Takeshi was approaching the tunnel, he saw an oncoming car coming through the tunnel towards us. He thought it was unusual at this time of the day, but he felt a little uncomfortable with the car. It was a right curve from here. He intuitively felt that the high beams coming towards him were not good. He was going to pull over to the left and stop, but he couldn't do so because of the construction of the ditch. He had no choice but to pull over and stop at that spot.

  The oncoming car, which he had expected to pass him by, came straight at his car with its high beams pointed at him. It looked like it was trying to turn the wheel, but it was going too fast. Takeshi's car was already stopped, so there was no way to escape. As he watched the high beams, he couldn't make the turn and came straight at him. Just as Takeshi shouted out, there was a dull thud. The driver's window shattered and shards of the window glass rained down on Takeshi's body like a shower. The oncoming car drove straight into him and hit the driver's door at a sharp angle. It was a curve, so a right angle collision was avoided, but the impact was strong. The wheels of Takeshi's car nearly fell into the gutter.

  Takeshi momentarily checked the rearview mirror on the right side. He could see the red tail lights of the car he had just hit moving away from him. He knew that if he didn't get a hold of it now, he would end up crying himself to sleep.Takeshi made a u-turn and started a pursuit of the car with the shattered driver's window still in place.

  The car that hit him the moment he made the U-turn was out of sight. But the road he was on was a straight road, and he didn't hesitate to accelerate. After about three kilometers, he caught up with the car that had hit him, and quickly passed it. As he passed, he could see that the blinker on the right side of the car was broken. There was no doubt. As Takeshi passed the car, he could see that the blinker on the right side of the car was broken. "That's the car !” Takeshi said as he slammed on the brakes three times in front of the car, flashed the tail lights, turned the steering wheel to the left and pulled the side brake at the same time. The car had no choice but to stop as its path was blocked. But the driver did not come out.

  Takeshi got out of his car and walked, step by step and without fail, towards the hateful car that had hit the Silvia. As he approached, avoiding the front of the car and escaping the glare of the car that had stopped with its high beams on, he recognized the type of car. It was a Mercedes Benz. For a moment, the thought crossed Takeshi's mind that he might be in trouble. But there was no turning back now. The door of his precious Silvia was dented and the window glass was shattered. It would be a pity for Silvia if I didn't let her get back on her feet.

  Takeshi goes around to the right side of the Mercedes Benz, double-checking that the front right blinker is broken, and knock on the side window glass. No answer. He knocks again. Still no answer. Takeshi looked in.

"There's no one in the car. That's ridiculous."

☆　☆　☆

日本語版(原作)は、kindleで販売中です。
The original (Japanese) is on sale at Amazon kindle

逃走

#小説 #逃走 #機械翻訳 #Escape