CHAPTER 1 : RUN
994 Words
The night was quiet.
Too quiet for a city that never truly slept.
Lily tightened her grip on the small paper bag in her hand and walked faster.
Inside were painkillers the only thing that could ease her elder sister's suffering tonight.
If she didn't get home quickly, her sister would be crying again.
She increased her pace .Streetlights flickered above her like tired eyes refusing to stay open.
Then...
She heard it. A low sound.
Not loud enough to clearly understand... but enough to feel wrong.
Her steps slowed. It came from the parking area beside an old building. The building was dark and half hidden.
Something about it made her stomach tighten.
She shouldn't look.She knew she shouldn't. But she did anyways. She allowed curiosity get the best out of her .
And the moment she did, her body went cold.
Three men stood in the shadows. And one man was on the ground.
Pinned and barely moving. One could see that life was slowly seeping out of him .
Her breath stopped in her throat.
The man standing above him didn't look angry.
He didn't look rushed. He looked calm.
Too calm.
Like human pain was something normal to him.
Her fingers trembled slightly around the bag.
Her mind refused to process what she was seeing.
Is he... hurting him?
Why is nobody stopping this?
A sick feeling crawled up her chest.
She took a small step backward without realizing it.
Her heel scraped lightly against the ground hitting a can that was lying nearby and it made a faint sound.
And instantly the calm man tilted his head
Just slightly, but enough
His voice came next. Low, controlled and dangerous.
"Hey."
Everything in her froze, she suddenly didn't know how to breath again.
The men behind him shifted immediately.
Like they were waiting for his command.
Like they were trained to respond to nothing but his voice.
One of them slowly reached for something at his waist.
Another straightened his posture.
Not panic but preparation. If care isn't taken she would surely be joining her ancestors.
Her heartbeat slammed against her ribs.
She didn't understand why... but her body suddenly screamed at her to leave.
Then he spoke again. Still not fully facing her.
Just enough to acknowledge her existence.
"If you know what's good for you..."
A pause.
The air itself felt heavier.
Then
"Run."
Her mind lagged behind her body.
For a second, she didn't move. She just stood her as if her feet were gummed to the ground
She continued staring at the scene in front of her, too stunned to move .
"Are they acting a movie here? " She wondered because this can't be real
"But there is not a single sight of production team nearby " Her subconscious whispered
What is happening...?
Are these people... human?
Her thoughts scattered as her eyes briefly flicked to the man on the ground again.
He wasn't even struggling anymore.
That silence scared her more than the violence.
Behind the man's words, something clicked.
The entourage moved.
Not slowly but instantly, almost like flash.
Weapons came out immediately, not fully raised yet but ready.
The message was very clear. One more second...
And she would disappear.
Her breath hitched and her legs finally reacted.
But before she could fully turn his voice came again , this time around more sharper than a knife.
It was like a final warning, cold and deliberate.
"Before I count from zero to one."
That was it.
Something inside her snapped. She turned and ran not daring to think again.She didn't look back, didn't breathe properly.
The world blurred around her as her footsteps hit the ground faster and faster.
The bag nearly slipped from her hand, but she didn't stop.
Her heart pounded so hard it hurt.
Only when she reached her street did she finally slow down.
She slammed the door shut behind her and pressed her back against it.
Her chest rose and fell violently. Her hands were shaking.
Her mind was not calming down.
Because she had just seen something she could never unsee.
And worse , she had been noticed by him .
Her mother's voice jolted her back .
"What took you so long Lily ?" Her mother half yelled , looking at her with disgust.
She tried to steady her breathing as she spoke up. " I saw something, I think we need to call the pol..." She was interrupted by her mom.
"Where is the medicine? Her mom asked eyeing her up
Her head went blank at first, she took a look at her hand and there was indeed no bag of medicine with her anymore.
Did she lost it while running ?
But she had made sure she clutched it to her self earlier .
How...just how ?
" I...I will..che..check outs.." She stammered has she talked, her heart sank . How could she lost the medicine. Why did she even decided to check the parking area in the first place. Curiosity kills the cat ,and tonight she was really the cat because right now she is dead.
"If you don't find the medicine, don't bother entering this house " Her mom yelled and stormed away.
Lily didn't need to be told before she dashed outside back . She searched frantically for the medicine and luck finally dawned on her. The bag of medicine was lying in the floor . She checked the content in it , thankfully everything was intact.
She heaved a sigh of relief,picked it up and then a thought came to her mind.
What if the man she saw was around her presently?.
Immediately, she ran as if someone was chasing her. Today was indeed a marathon day for her.
She got inside and locked the door. Her mom just glanced at her, yanked the bag of medicine away from her and walked towards the direction of her sick sister.
- Writer
