Run Like You Mean It
Ezra didn't just run—he bolted.
The street blurred as his feet pounded against the cracked stone. The city remained eerily silent, except for the echoing footsteps behind him.
They weren't fast.
Not sprinting.
But they were gaining.
Ezra's instincts screamed at him to not look back.
But of course, being the genius he was—he did anyway.
And immediately regretted it.
A figure strode through the fog.
Tall. Wrong. Faceless.
Its body twisted slightly with each step , as if it wasn't fully bound by normal movement. Like it was adjusting to reality rather than existing in it.
Ezra's throat went dry.
"Nope. Nope. Absolutely not."
His legs burned, but he pushed harder.
Buildings blurred past him— but they weren't the same anymore.
Their angles were warping , stretching taller, their windows widening further like eyes watching him flee.
Ezra cursed under his breath. "Great. The city is alive. I hate that."
The hunger stirred in his chest.
Not violently.
Just… aware.
Like it was watching too.
Ezra grit his teeth. He didn't trust it. Didn't trust what it had done back in the underground chamber.
But right now?
His options were running out.
Up ahead, the street split into two paths.
One led into a narrow alleyway , where shadows clung to the walls like ink.
The other opened into a grand archway , leading to a bridge that stretched into the mist.
Ezra didn't like either.
The alley? Too easy to get trapped.
The bridge? Too open.
But behind him—
The thing was still following.
Not running. Not even hurrying.
Just walking.
Patient.
Like it already knew he wouldn't escape.
Ezra's pulse pounded in his ears.
Alley or bridge?
Both options sucked.
But one of them sucked slightly less.
Ezra clenched his jaw.
And took the bridge.
The moment his foot hit the stone, something shifted.
Not physically.
Not even in a way he could describe.
Just a sensation.
Like he had stepped into something's territory.
Ezra didn't stop.
The mist ahead was thick , curling around the bridge like it had a mind of its own. He had no idea what was on the other side.
Hell, for all he knew, there wasn't another side.
But stopping meant death.
Or worse.
The footsteps behind him finally stopped.
Ezra risked one last glance over his shoulde
And nearly stumbled.
The figure had stopped at the edge of the bridge.
Just standing there.
Watching.
It didn't follow.
Didn't move.
Just… waited.
Ezra's skin crawled. Why?
Was it bound to the city?
Was it choosing not to follow?
Or—
A thought clicked into place.
"Did I just run straight into something worse?"
The mist ahead swirled.
Ezra's jaw tightened.
Too late now.
He kept running.
Straight into whatever nightmare waited on the other side.