LOGINNO PLACE TO HIDEEthan had never run that fast in his life. It was hurting his lungs and legs, but he kept running, even though his body screamed for him to stop. From behind, there were steps hitting the pavement."Faster!" Thomas shouted."I'M TRYING!"Blake caught Ethan by the arm and pulled him around the corner as another gunshot rang out. BANG! Ethan jumped. "Jesus!""Keep moving!" Blake shouted.They were running between the two old buildings, stepping on the puddles forming in cracks of the pavement. Gina was following them close behind. "Where are we going?" she shouted.Thomas looked behind him. "I don't know!""You brought us here!""I KNOW!"Another shot rang out behind them. Thomas instantly ducked. "Fuck!"They reached the end of the alleyway and stopped there. There was a chain-link fence blocking their path. Ethan stared at it. "You've got to be kidding me."Gina turned around. Steps were getting louder behind them. "They are catching up with us."Blake climbed on the
THE OLD TRAIN STATIONIt seemed like a place not worth being at after midnight. Cracked road and broken streetlamps led to the abandoned station, which was completely engulfed by rusted railroad tracks going into the darkness. The vegetation swallowed the pavement around the station.Gina carefully drove her car near the abandoned station."This place is creepy," Blake muttered.Ethan glanced through the window. "Can't disagree with you on that."Gina parked in the parking area and switched off the engine. The sudden silence sounded heavier than the car noise. Nobody moved for some time. Then Gina turned to her friends. "None of us leave the car alone."Blake nodded. Ethan took out his mobile. 11:31. The message was delivered. They were here."Hello?" Ethan shouted through the window. His voice got lost in the darkness. Nobody answered.Blake directed his gaze toward the abandoned building. "Maybe whoever sent these messages is not here."All of a sudden some metallic noise echoed ins
BEFORE MIDNIGHTNeither of them moved for several seconds. The message was still on Ethan's phone.YOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT.Underneath it was another message.AFTER THAT, THE COMMISSIONER GETS EVERYTHING.Blake looked slowly at Ethan. "What exactly do they have?""I don't know.""You said you believe they have the whole video.""I said I believe."Gina walked towards them and held out her hand. "Let me see." Ethan gave her the phone. She read both messages twice and handed the phone back. "Whoever that person is, he doesn't want to see Aaron and Jake arrested."Blake frowned. "Then what does he want?"Leverage. Gina glanced at the window. "He wants something from them."Ethan couldn't think fast enough. "What could they possibly want?"Gina remained silent. But then Blake's expression changed. "The drugs."Ethan looked at him. "What?""Aaron's drugs." Blake stepped forward. "If somebody stole them, maybe this is the reason why this has all happened."Ethan recalled Jake's words. They
THE PERSON BEHIND THE CAMERAThomas' eyes never left the screen in front of him. For a few seconds, he couldn't breathe. It was a grainy video captured by some camera. There was a hooded person standing under the flickering light outside the drugstore. And on his neck was hanging the silver chain — that same chain that he wore almost every day during the last two years."That's..." the officer next to Commissioner Hawthorne started."Yes, I know." Hawthorne leaned over closer to the screen. The image wasn't clear — the face of the person was barely recognizable beneath his hood, and from this angle he couldn't be sure who it was. But the chain was clear. And he recognized it. Just not on Thomas. On somebody else."Play the footage one more time."The officer hesitated. "But sir, we've already viewed it three times.""Well, view it the fourth time."The images started rolling backwards. There was the drugstore. There was Aaron and Jake entering it through the rear. Several minutes pass
THE SECOND CAMERAThere was no sound in the room anymore. Ethan was looking at Blake and still kept his hand hidden below the table's edge. They failed to notice the blinking red dot in the corner — it blinked once, blinked twice, then disappeared.Finally, Blake let go a heavy sigh. "So, what do we do?"Ethan shrugged. "I don't know.""That's comforting.""I know."Blake smiled a little. Suddenly, his phone started vibrating. He pulled it out and read the message from Aaron.COME HOME. NOW.His smile vanished."What?"Ethan noticed right away. "Is that Aaron?"Blake nodded. "He wants me to return home.""Any reason why?""Probably."Ethan got up from the chair. "Then I'm coming with you."Blake looked at him. "You sure?""No." Ethan quickly grabbed his backpack. "But I'm still coming."Blake smiled wryly. "Are you insane?""Probably."They left the classroom together. They did not notice the security camera above the hallway.---Across the city, Aaron threw the photograph on the t
A DEBT THAT NEVER ENDSJake pushed himself off the floor with a loud groan as one hand cupped over his nose. Blood streamed between the cracks, dripping down his wrist onto the kitchen tiles. “Fucking hell," he cursed, stumbling forward and crashing into the cupboard. His head throbbed from the punch and his vision blurred, distorting whatever stood before him. Aaron walked toward him, fists already clenching again. But before he could take another swing Nathan dropped between them and shoved Aaron back. "That's enough, man!” he barked. "Fucking hell, Aaron, I think you broke the bastard's nose.”Aaron grimaced, glaring past him to Jake. Grunting irritatedly, he flexes the wrist he'd punched Jake with before turning away. "Tch,” he hissed, shaking his head. "Fucking idiot's not worth breaking my hand over." Grabbing one of the dining chairs, he walked across the kitchen and dropped into it. Jake stayed where he was for another moment, the taste of iron settling in his mouth as he
THE HOUSE DOWN THE STREET 2The name hit Ethan like a brick and he found himself choking on his own breath. His head snapped up instantly to Tom standing a few feet away. “…Huh?” was all that slipped past his lips as his eyes widened. Tom just shrugged again like it was nothing. "He met me after
LEFTOVERSThe class buzzed with almost instantly. The moment Dr. Keller said they should pick their partners, the sound of chairs scraping across the floor echoed across the room as students began turning toward “Calm down," Dr. Keller shouted over the noise, slamming his palm against the desk. “G
UNDER THE BLEACHERSThe heavy grunts of the footballers practicing echoed across the field as Ethan dropped down on the grass beneath the bleachers. He spread his notebook across his laps, flipping through the pages as he sipped his soda. The metal beams above him rattled occasionally whenever some
THE HOUSE DOWN THE STREETThe glass door slid shut behind Ethan as he stepped into Tom's lawn. Thin sprinklers scattered lazily across the grass sent arcs of water glistening in the late afternoon sunlight, and the air held a faint smell of wet grass and mud. Somewhere over one of the fences, a dog







