The city doesn't wait, and neither does it forgive. Tonight, something in me awakens.
Rain hammered the city. Sharp, stabbing sheets that made neon lights bleed into puddles on cracked asphalt. I pressed my back against a lamppost, hoodie soaked through, heart thudding like a drum. Invisible? Impossible.
I glanced down at my hands. Nothing unusual. Just two pale… trembling hands. Trembling! I hated it. People see that, they think weakness. But I'm not weak—not now.
And yet… my stomach flipped. Something was wrong.
Then it happened.
A flicker. Not in the world, but in my mind. A step, a sound, a laugh—but it hadn't happened yet. Impossible.
I rubbed my eyes. The street remained empty. Neon signs reflected in puddles. But my mind replayed the scene—forward this time—like I remembered tomorrow instead of yesterday.
And then I saw him.
A man, long strides, coat flapping. My gut screamed at me to duck. I did.
He passed, oblivious—or maybe not. My pulse spiked. My fingers shook. Something… inside me… reacted. A faint hum, insistent, crawling along my skull. I didn't understand it. Couldn't explain it. But it warned me.
I sank to the curb, rain soaking through my hoodie. My mind scrambled. What just happened?
I wanted to run. Part of me screamed to hide. But curiosity—stupid, relentless curiosity—won.
I focused. Pushed my mind forward, just one second.
A scream. It hadn't been shouted yet. Someone else. Not me.
The hum in my head flared. Warning? Suggestion? I had no words for it—not yet.
Rain still fell. Neon still bled colors. Something had shifted. I wasn't the same.
And the city… it was watching.
I didn't know how long I ran. Seconds? Minutes? The hum pulsed, nudging, guiding. I wasn't just a scared kid in the rain anymore—I was something else. Something different.
I ducked into an abandoned building. Broken windows, peeling paint, damp rot thick in the air. Perfect hiding place. Not safe.
I crouched, knees to chest, and tried to think. Two men had been chasing me. No masks. No hesitation. Too precise. My chest tightened. Something about them… wrong. Some part of me—the hum—warned me. Maybe… maybe they were like me.
I had no idea what that meant. No idea at all. But it didn't feel good.
Footsteps upstairs. Slow. Calculated. Pulse jumped. The hum flared—suggesting a path: left, over debris, fire escape.
The first figure appeared. Tall. Black coat. Half-mask. Movement deliberate. Not human? Definitely… something.
"You have it," the figure said. Smooth, bored. "You can feel it, don't you?"
I froze. Feel it? My brain scrambled. The hum in my skull throbbed. I had no idea what it meant. "I… I don't know what you mean," I muttered.
Low, unsettling laugh. "Something in you reacts. The world bends… for you. You can't hide. Not from us."
My chest tightened. The world bends… for me? I swallowed. The hum pulsed faster, warning me. Warning me to move.
I tried to stand. One second. Step. Another second. Step. My body moved before my mind could fully catch up. Reflex? Instinct? The hum seemed to push me.
Another group appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Shadows with faces I couldn't see. The hum whispered to me: danger. They're after it. After you.
I had one choice. One. Fight and die—or jump, trust the warning, hope it was right.
I jumped.
Rain. Neon. Concrete. Hit the ground. Rolled. Sprint. Shouts behind me. Footsteps. The city echoed their pursuit.
I dodged a fallen sign. My shoulder scraped against metal, sparks flying, rain mixing with blood. Didn't have time to think. Couldn't. The hum guided me, pushing me, telling me where to move.
I spotted a narrow alley. Slip through there, maybe lose them. My legs burned, lungs screaming. One step… two…
They were faster than me. Too fast. One of them grabbed the edge of the building, vaulting down in a single, impossible motion.
I slammed into a dumpster, spun, and kicked over a pile of crates. They tumbled, clattering loud in the alley. Enough to slow them. Maybe.
The hum thrummed, louder than ever. Not now. Not yet. Trust me.
I bolted through another doorway. Inside, darkness swallowed me, but the hum lit the path in my mind. I could see it—tiny flashes, faint images of the next second. Step over a broken pipe. Turn left before the floor collapses.
They weren't far behind. Footsteps echoed. Voices murmured. One of them laughed. Cold. Amused.
I skidded across a slick floor, almost falling. Something burned in my head. My hands… tingling, alive. The hum was stronger than ever.
I ran. Through shattered rooms, over debris, leaping onto a fire escape. The city stretched below me in neon chaos, rain washing everything into a blur.
And the hum… laughed.
Welcome to the game.