Three burly men step out from the shadows, the alleyway is blocked off by them. A bald man with a notch in his brow throws open his hands in a wide arch. “Heyyy, looks like the kid lived! Boss missed the shot and gave us a call~”

A taller man with glasses shining in the rain steps forward, knife in hand, “Looks like we can finish de job this time, shouldn’t have letya jump, girly.”

“C’mere baby, let daddy get in there, have a good look at how much you can take.”

I physically want to throw up. The last guy begins unbuckling his belt. Oh, no, no, no, not today, not fucking today. “I HAVE A GUN!” I yell at the top of my lungs, my voice is a mixed war cry and a wail of desperation.

I do not, in fact, have a gun. It’s the lighter I’m holding up, concealed in my sleeve with the aid of the horrible flickering street lamp.

I don’t even have a knife. I have a notebook, med-kit, a smooth pebble in my left pocket, and a hunch that I will probably die trying to protect this girl. But it’s all I have and I will protect her with all I’ve got.

“Damn, sweet cheeks got a gun! Lemme see it baby, is it bigger than mine?” The man snaps his belt, water splashing through the dirt. I feel a sharp object placed into my palm from behind. Ray grips my shoulder. It’s a shard of glass.

“Well sweet cheeks? Is It bigger?” He unzips his trousers. I take the chance. Flinging the shard directly at his ‘gun’, I make a run for it with Ray holding on tightly.

“Hyaahhaaann! Aaaahh!!!”

I think that means I got him? Who knew her suicide device would come in handy?

“Billy! It’s bleedin’!”

“Aaagh! Aaaaarrgh! Ugg God! Aagh!”

“You won’t be getting’ away that easily!”

Some otherworldly adrenaline must be pumping through my veins. I run as fast as this body can. Come what may, twigs, thorny bushes, mud, stones, soul wisps, I will make it out of here. I feel something wet in my palm. I cannot tell if it’s blood from holding the glass shard, or the blood from Ray. I hear her make a noise.

They’re catching up.

A strong gust of wind whips up my hair and my eyes fall on the soul trail once again. A bright golden wisp tangled with something else. A whizz of blue flashes past me and into the sky. The rain is especially heavy further ahead, it flies right into the centre of the storm.

Follow me!

“That bird!” Ray shouts into my ear. “I know it!”

The footsteps of our pursuers are getting closer, a knife barely scrapes past my leg. We’re extremely lucky. In the distance, on the road to a fruit market in the way of our destination, I see that oh-so-familiar blonde-haired bugger who disappeared early in the night, running towards us frantically with the most concern I’ve ever seen him show.

“Sika, run!”

“Yin, dude, what in the world–”

“Run that way you idiot!”

“Oh!” He darts forward, soul wisps speeding behind us, toppling over a cart of fruits, buying us some space. I hear someone trip headfirst into one of the watermelons. Then a banana flies right into my head.

“Girly, you can’t escape!”

“Dude, you won’t believe this,” Sika huffs, charging alongside, “But I found a graveyard!”

“For what joy?!” I scream as Ray flings a fruit behind me.

“Ow! Bitch got me eye!”

“Ugh wait–Bleghggh–!”

“Dude, what the fuck did you land yourself in?”

“It’s all because of you, you idiot!”

“Mr Yin, look!” Ray’s voice drifts past the wind as the road widens to a clearing, revealing the stormy sky, thunder and lightning crackling above what looks to be a desecrated graveyard. The azure bird flies into the clouds, flashes of it illuminate spots behind them like lightening. We charge into the field, the storm sends icy rain into my eyes, blurring my vision. For a moment I see the bird crash into the sky, almost like the–

“The sky’s a ritual.”