The Vanishing Truth

I didn't stop running. Not until my lungs burned and my legs threatened to collapse beneath me. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew one thing—I had to get away. From what? I wasn't even sure anymore.

The city looked familiar, yet something felt wrong. The buildings loomed taller, the lights flickered oddly, and the air carried a faint static hum, like an old television struggling to hold a signal. Every few steps, I glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see that figure again.

But I was alone.

Or at least, I thought I was.

I ducked into another alley, pressing my back against the cold brick wall. My fingers trembled as I checked my phone. No new messages. Whoever had sent those warnings wasn't reaching out again. Either they thought I had already taken the advice, or… they couldn't anymore.

The thought made my stomach twist.

I scrolled back to the last message.

Unknown Number: Run.

I hadn't seen them—the ones supposedly looking for me. But just because I hadn't seen them didn't mean they weren't there.

A part of me wanted to believe this was paranoia, but the fear in my chest wouldn't fade. And then there was that moment—the strange flicker, like reality itself had stuttered. That wasn't a dream.

Something was happening. And I was somehow caught in the middle of it.

A rustling noise snapped me out of my thoughts.

Footsteps.

Not casual ones. Not the uneven gait of a drunk stumbling home or the hurried steps of someone running late. These were different. Measured. Intentional.

I pressed myself tighter against the alley wall, slowing my breathing. A shadow stretched across the pavement at the alley's entrance. A tall figure passed by, their silhouette briefly outlined by the dim streetlights. I couldn't make out their face, but they were moving too deliberately.

They were searching.

For something.

For someone.

For me.

I stayed completely still. My fingers hovered over my phone, ready to call for help—but who would I even call? The police? And tell them what? That reality was breaking? That people I couldn't describe were hunting me?

No.

I had to figure this out myself.

The figure paused at the alley's entrance. My chest tightened.

Then, after a few agonizing seconds, they moved on.

I exhaled shakily. But I wasn't safe. Not yet.

I took out my wallet and counted the cash. Barely enough for a train ticket. I couldn't use my card—if someone was tracking me, that would be a dead giveaway.

Cash it was.

I needed to reach the train station without being seen. But as I stepped out of the alley, the world flickered again.

It was barely a second—a blink, a skipped frame in a video. But I felt it.

The buildings flickered. The streetlights dimmed. The cars on the road seemed to pause before continuing, as if something had interrupted their movement.

Then, at the end of the street, I saw them.

Three figures. Dressed in dark coats, faces obscured by shadows. Standing perfectly still, as if they had been there all along.

Watching me.

A sharp coldness shot through my spine. I forced myself to act normal, to walk instead of run. Running would only confirm I was the person they were looking for.

But the moment I stepped forward, they did too.

A test. They were waiting to see if I'd react. If I ran, they'd chase me.

I had no choice. I kept walking, pretending I hadn't noticed them, even as my pulse pounded against my skull. My feet carried me toward the train station, every muscle ready to bolt the second I had an opening.

The street curved ahead. If I could make it around the corner before they reached me, I might have a chance.

Five more steps.

Four.

Three.

Two—

The world flickered.

And suddenly, they weren't ahead of me anymore.

They were behind me.

A whisper slithered into my ear.

"You can't leave."

I spun around, my heart in my throat—

But there was no one there.

The street was empty. The figures had vanished.

I stumbled backward, barely able to breathe. My mind raced. What was happening? How had they moved so fast?

And worse… why couldn't anyone else see them?

I turned back toward the train station and forced my legs to move. If I didn't get out of this city now, I might never get the chance.

Reality was shifting.

And I was trapped inside it.