MY RIDER SYSTEM

08. Flat 204

‎Kael ran as fast as he could through the rain. His shoes splashed through puddles, and his heart pounded so hard it hurt. Behind him, the creatures screeched, getting closer.

‎He turned sharply into a narrow alley. The smell of trash and wet metal filled the air, but having lived all his life in such filth, Kael thought nothing of it. He crouched behind a broken trash bin, trying to stay quiet.

‎One of the creatures stopped at the alley entrance. Its head twitched from side to side, like it was sniffing for him. It looked like it suspected it's prey was near.

‎’Think, Kael. Think.’

His heart pounded as he scanned the alley for a way out. That was when he spotted a crushed soda can lying in the mud. Without thinking, he grabbed it. He waited for his moment, then tossed it down the opposite end of the alley. ‎The can clattered loudly.

The creature’s head turned toward the noise. Then, with a shriek, it lunged that way.

Kael didn't waste the opportunity. He ran in the opposite direction as fast as he could, splashing through puddles.

‎He ran between parked cars, moving low and using every bit of cover he could find. A sharp growl behind him made him freeze. One of them had caught his scent. He could hear it sniffing, making its way slowly towards him.

“Shit…”

‎Kael dove under a fallen truck. The ground was muddy, and oil dripped near his head. He pressed a hand over his mouth to muffle his breathing as the creature's claws clicked just inches away.

‎'Don’t move. Don’t even so much as breathe.' he told himself.

‎After a few tense seconds, the sound faded. Kael exhaled shakily, waiting a few more seconds before crawling out the other side. The street looked clear.

Eventually, the adrenaline in Kael's body had lessened, and he was feeling incredibly weak after the rush. His hands and legs were shaking, and he knew he couldn't run much farther.

That’s when he spotted a tall apartment block up ahead. A single window shone with their lights on. It looked almost like an invitation.

“Shelter,” Kael whispered, forcing his legs forward.

The closer he got, the stranger it looked. He saw shopping carts piled high on each other like barricades, forming a ramp toward the entrance.

“What’s with all the trolleys in this place?” Kael muttered, panting as he climbed over them. “Everywhere I go…”

But the creatures hadn’t stopped chasing. The screams behind him grew louder. They were still following his trail.

He pushed harder, stumbling through the dark hallway. His head swam from blood loss, his hand pressing hard on the wound at his side. Every step up the staircase sent pain like a knife twisting through him, but he kept moving.

‘Just survive,’ he thought. ‘Just a little more.’

His eyes shot down to his blood-slick hand. ‘So that’s how they’re tracking me…’ he realized, breathing heavily.

They could smell him.

Like fleas to shit, the screams behind him got closer. Kael gritted his teeth and pushed himself to keep going.

He staggered up another flight of stairs — then screamed. He didn't know why he did that. He had seen so many horrors by now, what's one more.

At the top of the stairs, a figure stood cloaked in black and their face hidden behind a white porcelain mask.

For a moment, Kael thought he was hallucinating again but the figure raised a gloved hand as if to halt his words and stepped aside.

“Down the corridor,” the masked person said with a commanding voice. “Flat 204. Move.”

Kael hesitated only a second before nodding. “Thank you,” he panted. “Thank you…”

He stumbled past the masked figure then through the hallway, nearly falling as he ran. “Two-zero-four… two-zero-four…” he muttered, his eyes moving from one door to the next until he found it — 204, faintly marked above a cracked wooden door.

Behind him, the masked figure took out a Disc. It shone even in the dim light, looking almost identical to the one Tucker had, only of a lighter colour.

Kael squinted, too dizzy to think straight.

He knocked frantically on the door, glancing back just in time to see the figure slap the Disc somewhere into a gauntlet.

Then came the word he couldn't have misheard—

“Henshin.”

A flash of light filled the hallway. Kael threw up an arm to shield his eyes — and before he could do any more, hands grabbed him from inside, dragging him in just before the door slammed shut.

Outside, chaos broke out.

There were roars, screeches, and the sound of metal hitting against flesh.

Then everything went quiet.

Inside, the room was small and messy. Blinking Christmas lights hung above, playing a soft, cheerful tune. For a moment, it felt like Kael had stepped into another world.

Then he heard a soft ‘click’ behind him. And when he turned, his eyes widened.

A woman stood there. She was short and strong for her age, her silver hair tied into a tight neat bun. Her face looked calm, almost gentle.

Except for the shotgun she aimed perfectly between his eyes.

“Don’t move,” she said firmly.