Kenny saw the leer of triumph on the face of the oni in the driver’s seat change to befuddlement as Kiyomi eased off the throttle for a split second, leaned forward, then hit the power and snapped her arms back.
The front of the bike lifted in a perfect wheelie and Kiyomi veered left, bringing the wheel down with a thump on the back of a yellow taxi. Before Kenny could object, she opened up the throttle again and the motorbike lurched over the stationary vehicle, nosed down over the bonnet and on to the boot of a Toyota sedan in front. Kenny felt his stomach heave up into his chest and drop down again while he clung on to Kiyomi.
The oni watched the motorcycle ride up and down over the row of waiting cars, passing round the back of the van.
‘NOOO! You come back – now!’ it roared, shaking both fists.
With a final burst of speed, the motorbike leapt off the roof of a Honda estate and touched down on asphalt, streaking it with black rubber. Ignoring the shouts of angry drivers, Kiyomi continued down the centre line, leaving the oni behind.
BEEP! Kenny whipped his head round at the sound of smashing metal and tinkling glass. Behind him and closing fast, the delivery van was tearing down the road on the wrong side. The few cars heading north swerved on to the wide pavement and screeched to a stop, out of its way.
The oni behind the steering wheel grinned and stomped the accelerator to the floor.
‘Kiyomi!’ Kenny shouted.
Kiyomi’s eyes flicked to the handlebar mirrors. ‘I can’t outrun him, or we’ll miss our turning,’ she said. ‘You slow him down.’
‘Me?’ Kenny said. ‘How?’
‘In the pannier on your right. Grab the tetsubishi spikes and throw them on the road.’
Kenny reached into the box. ‘Ow! I just stabbed my thumb. Forget it. I’ve got a better idea.’
Kenny peered ahead, ignoring the van, which was now barely three metres behind. The drill tower of a fire station flashed by on the right and a four-way junction lay ahead.
‘Get as close as you can to the kerb,’ Kenny said, as Kusanagi materialised into his hand.
The van’s front bumper was closing on the motorbike’s rear wheel. ‘Me crush you like bag,’ the oni bellowed through the open window.
‘It’s “bug”, you dope, as in “crush you like a bug”,’ Kenny said. ‘Oh, never mind.’ He lashed out with the sword, slicing through the bulk of a roadside telegraph pole. The concrete column wavered for a moment, before it fell, ripping loose thick black electrical cables, which whiplashed through the air.
The oni caught a glimpse of movement in its wing mirror before the pole smashed on to the top of the cab, amid a shower of sparks. Lightning crackled round the van, which rolled to a stop.
‘Nice shot,’ said Kiyomi.
‘Not really,’ Kenny said. ‘I wanted it to drop in front of him, like a road block.’
The bike hurtled over the slim ribbon of the Nogawa River, and Kiyomi turned right on to a side road which ran past scrubby farmland and small industrial units.
‘I don’t see them ahead,’ Kenny said. ‘Have we lost th– Look out!’
The second delivery van charged out of a builder’s yard on the left and barrelled straight at them. Kiyomi yanked the handlebars sharply to the right, skidding the bike through a gap in the safety rail which lined the road and on to the narrow pavement. Kenny held his breath as Kiyomi slalomed her way past dustbins, telegraph poles, vending machines and pedestrians, all obstructing the pavement.
The delivery van roared alongside the bike, separated only by the railing. ‘Hah! Me catch you!’ barked the oni driving.
‘Red light ahead,’ Kenny warned, his voice rising, as they approached a T-junction.
‘I’m not blind,’ Kiyomi said through gritted teeth. ‘You might want to close your eyes, though.’
Traffic in front moved in both directions. The motorbike shot off the pavement, blasted through the pedestrian crossing, slipped between two cars and swung a wide left, hugging the centre line once more. The rear tyre skipped sideways with a VIP-VIP-VIP sound. Kenny looked back and scowled; the light had turned green at the last moment and the van was still in pursuit.
Kiyomi crossed the orange line and powered down the opposite lane. It was free of cars and Kenny saw workers ahead clearing the ditch which ran alongside the road. The van followed, zipping past the commuter cars on the left.
‘He’s gaining on us,’ Kenny said.
‘That’s because I’m letting him,’ Kiyomi said, whizzing past red plastic cones lining the kerb.
And then Kenny saw why their lane was clear: a large bulldozer was trundling towards them, holding up traffic and blocking the lane.
Kiyomi opened the throttle and ripped towards it.
‘No! You’re not . . .’ Kenny started.
‘Yes, I am,’ Kiyomi replied. ‘Hold tight.’
Workmen scattered at the sight of the accelerating vehicles; two dived head first into the ditch, and one abandoned the wheelbarrow he was pushing up a plank on a large mound of earth, grabbing his hard hat instead and ducking.
Kiyomi took one last glance in her mirrors, to see that the oni was right behind, and adjusted her course by a fraction. The bike hit the plank, shot upwards and soared high into the air.
Kenny wanted to scream but he was holding his breath too tightly. He saw the bulldozer pass beneath in a yellow blur and braced himself for the landing. The bike jolted down on the centre line and Kenny flinched at the impact, shutting his eyes for a moment. It felt like a giant had just kicked him up the backside. The motorcycle skidded and wobbled before Kiyomi brought it back under control.
Behind them, the oni wasn’t so lucky. The van smashed into the front scoop of the bulldozer, flipped upwards and somersaulted over the line of cars – right towards Kenny and Kiyomi.
‘Down!’ Kiyomi slammed her arm across Kenny’s chest, throwing him off the bike, and dived after him. The van crashed into the tarmac, missing them by centimetres, and clattered end over end.
Kenny grinned up at Kiyomi, who was lying on top of him. ‘You know, if you wanted a kiss, you could’ve just asked me,’ he said.
‘Ugh,’ was the reply. Kiyomi sprang to her feet and yanked the motorbike upright. She shot Kenny a look. ‘Are you going to lie there all day?’
Kenny stood up, aching all over. ‘I thought you were tracking the van. Now it’s trashed, how are we going to find them?’
‘I put the tracker on the telescope when I landed on it. That’s what we’re after. These guys are just slowing us down.’
‘Ohhh. So where is it?’
Kiyomi
