บท 13: - The Devil Within Me
Jade turned down a nearby alley, the sounds of battle disappearing behind him. His footsteps echoed off the walls as he ran. The further into the alley he went, the darker it became, until he couldn't even see his own hands.
He heard footsteps just behind him, pursuing. Jade turned down a second alley. The footsteps were closer now. He ran faster.
Until he smacked into a brick wall.
Jade tumbled backward, falling into one of the people chasing him.
They pushed him back against the wall.
Jade still couldn't see, but he could sense them, closing around him.
"You're done kid. Give up. There's nowhere left to run," said a voice.
Jade reached in his pocket, quietly retrieving the butterfly knife Hyunji had given him.
'Hopefully tonight you won't have to use it,' Hyunji had said.
Jade whirled open the knife. He began to sweat as his heart raced. There was no way out, unless he got around his attackers. Either way, he had to fight.
Someone closed in on him. A fist hit his face, knocking him to the ground. They were next to him now, Jade knew. Reaching out, he jabbed the air with the knife. It made contact, and he heard a shriek.
Pulling the knife out, he ran forward. Maybe he had created a hole so he could escape? Then what? He would need to keep running. Hyunji wouldn't help him now.
Jade tripped and fell to the ground. Someone had stuck their leg out. Rolling on the asphalt, he lost grip of his knife. "Dammit," he whispered, feeling around for the knife. But he couldn't see. How could they?
"Where do you think you're running off to, punk?" Someone's boot made contact with his face, knocking Jade back down. Blood began to trickle from his nose as pain coursed through his face.
He scrambled to his feet. "Stay away!" Energy began to flow through his body, growing until Jade felt like he would explode.
A wave of dark energy traveled across the alley, pushing Jade's attackers backward.
A ray of light from the moon broke through the clouds, illuminating the alleyway.
"Stop, don't come closer, we'll walk away! Please!" Said one of the men. The others began to groan in pain.
Jade stepped forward, backing all three hunters against a wall.
"We're sorry. We're sorry!!" They screeched.
As he took another step and the men screamed louder, their skin began to shrivel, unraveling itself from their bones. Starting from the fingers, it worked its way up to their faces, until the skin and flesh had melted off their skeletons.
"AGHHHHH!!!" They screamed in unison. One last dying scream.
Jade closed his eyes, continuing to walk toward them, leaving behind a trail of darkness. The darkness crawled and grasped at the surrounding area, spreading like a sickness.
He stopped just a foot from the hunters. Their screams fell silent, their skeletons crumbling to dust on the ground.
Jade felt the energy dissipating. He started to lose his balance, until he collapsed to the ground.
He laid there for a moment, listening to his surroundings. At first, the footsteps were distant. Then they got closer. Jade turned over, trying to push himself up. Another bounty hunter?
A pair of boots stopped in front of him. A drop of blood hit the asphalt. They were injured? He looked up.
"You dying?" Hyunji asked, reaching out a bloody hand.
"I think so," Jade said, groaning as she pulled him to his feet. "You don't look too good yourself."
"I'm fine. I'm going home. Are you going to be alright by yourself?"
Jade felt a sense of panic arising. "Um…I…I'm not sure."
Hyunji sighed. "Fine. You can stay at my place, just for the night. But only because it's my fault those hunters attacked you." She looked around. "Where did they go? I thought there were at least three after you."
Jade looked at the ground. "I killed them."
"With what? This?" Hyunji asked, reaching down to grab the butterfly knife he had dropped.
"No...something else. I'm not too sure," Jade said nervously.
Hyunji frowned. "Powers? I've noticed a…a power I've had recently. I can slow my enemies down at my own will. It doesn't make sense to me either." She glanced behind them, as if she heard a noise. "Come on, let's get moving. We can figure it out later."
"Where's your house?" Jade asked as they limped out of the alley.
"It's an apartment," Hyunji replied. "Toward the outside of the city. We're gonna need to catch a cab."
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