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Chapter 9 – Shadows in the Rain

The night was rain and nothing else.

No light. No stars. No mercy.

The streets were empty—but every window was alive.

Binoculars glinted behind curtains. Eyeballs glued to silhouettes. Whispers passed from room to room like ghosts.

They were watching for me.

I pulled my hood lower, my collar higher. Became just another nameless neighbor out for a late walk.

Eyes on the ground. Steps measured. Breaths silent.

After a few blocks, the heat faded. The eyes blinked away. And I reached the metro station.

I bought a four-stop ticket to Mo’s district.

Slipped into a seat in the back corner of the train.

And just… thought.

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Thinking...

What was I walking into?

What if Mo wasn’t home?

What if he was?

What if I was wrong?

No—no, I wasn’t wrong.

That article. Those kids. The glow in his pocket. His words. His eyes.

He crossed the line, and I let him.

Maybe if I’d shot his leg. Or told the cops. Or gone public.

But I didn’t.

I let him live.

And now… I had to clean up the mess I didn’t make.

Because no one else would.

Not the police.

Not the school.

Just me.

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The train stopped.

I stepped out into the wet air, pulled the trench coat tighter, and walked.

But instead of going up to his apartment—

I went down.

Basement level. Concrete walls. The smell of mold and metal. Rows of storage units long abandoned.

At the far end—one door.

Different.

Heavily locked.

Five chains. Five keys. No handle.

But I had my own solution.

I unstrapped the ladder from my back.

Raised it.

Took three steps back.

> Boom.

I ran straight into the door, ramming it full-force with the weight of the ladder.

> Crash.

Chains broke.

Locks snapped.

And the door opened.

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What I saw behind it froze my soul.

The two missing kids.

Chained up.

Hanging from the ceiling.

The boy—seven years old—his arms trembling, the sockets beginning to pull under his weight.

The girl—silent. Pale. Her eyes wide, but still holding on.

Alive.

But not okay.

I couldn’t think.

I couldn’t cry.

I had to act.

My heart screamed: Go after Mo.

But my body moved to them.

I smashed the chains. Broke them free.

The boy collapsed into my arms, barely conscious.

I hoisted him onto my shoulders.

Lifted the girl into my arms.

And ran.

---

Just as I reached the top floor—

Mo appeared.

Coming down.

His eyes met mine.

Time stopped.

Then I ran faster.

Bolted through the doors.

Rain pounding.

Legs burning.

Heart racing.

No time for fear.

No time for war.

Only time for saving lives.

---

I reached the metro.

Threw bills at the kiosk.

> “Three tickets. Three stops.”

The machine clattered. I grabbed the passes and dragged them through.

Boarded.

Set the kids gently on the seats. One to each side.

I stood.

Fists clenched. Watching every door. Every reflection.

Ready for anything.

---

The train stopped.

I didn’t wait.

I grabbed them both again and ran straight to the hospital.

Lights. Nurses. Sirens.

And—of course—

Cops.

They hesitated.

Confused.

The prime suspect—carrying the victims.

Their instincts clashed with their orders.

But I knew the truth: they couldn’t let me go.

So I made the choice for them.

I placed the kids gently on the bench.

> “They’re safe,” I said.

And I ran.

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Yells.

Footsteps.

Sirens rising.

I ran into the nearest building.

A crowded mall.

Packed. Loud. Perfect.

I sprinted through shops and escalators. Dodged carts. Slipped between shoppers.

Then—

My move.

Right as I collided with a thick crowd by a fountain, I shrugged off the trench coat and dropped it between them.

Didn’t look back.

Didn’t break stride.

I vanished into the crowd and slipped out the back exit.

The cops were gone.

The eyes were off.

And I—

I was free.

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Before I went home, I passed a small grocery store.

Bought a bag of marshmallows.

Soft. Sweet. Normal.

It didn’t make sense.

But in a world where I was a fugitive and Mo was a monster…

…it was something.

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