The air was warm, the way summer nights always are: Warm, but not quite hot.

  Nicolas glanced around cautiously, half-expecting there to be some sort of evil creature waiting for him, but the night was still, and quiet.

  He then carefully, and quietly, stepped out onto the upstairs balcony.

  Beyond the guardrails that bordered the walkway, Nicolas could see the city.

  It felt oddly quiet for a city.

  There were still lights everywhere, but it was like the whole world had fallen asleep; like the entire human race was playing a strange round of the quiet game.

  Are they hiding from the kako?

  He turned toward the stairs, being careful not to make too much noise. Once he made it to the bottom, he stepped away from the hotel, placing his feet onto the empty parking lot.

  Another light breeze blew across his face.

  Summer wind was always the best wind: Winter breezes burned his nose and eyes with coldness, and spring and autumn wind always came when he didn’t expect it, leaving a not-so-relaxing chill moving across his arms.

  But summer wind was perfect.

  Nicolas continued until he made it to the side of the parking lot, where he cut through the overgrown grass.

  Then, the weeds below him turned into asphalt, and he found himself walking beside the backside of some building. Graffiti spelling what Nicolas thought said ‘Reven Dnal’ had been painted in all black letters, although Nicolas had no idea what that would mean. Still, he made a mental note of it, in case he found himself lost.

  He decided it’d be a good idea to create landmarks every so often, so if he got lost, he’d still be able to get back when he decided to return to the hotel.

  You mean if you go back, Nicolas’ inner voice said. Though, he didn’t know where the thought had come from. Of course I’m going back. I don’t plan to run away in a horror version of Seattle.

  Are you sure, Nicolas?

  That time, the voice kind of creeped him out. It was still his internal voice, not a real sound; but the way the thoughts seemed to just come out of nowhere, and the way his mind seemed to call him by name; it was a little creepy.

  He continued along the sidewalk, his echoless footsteps sounding louder than they should’ve in the silent city.

  The skyscrapers here weren't like Portland’s buildings. These seemed to actually touch the sky, towering over him and making him feel oddly claustrophobic. Like he had shrunk, and was now just an ant, trapped in a sidewalk crack.

  The thought of being so small terrified him, and in that moment, Nicolas wished he could get away from the giant buildings that made Earth feel like it had grown three times its normal size.

  He was nothing but a single, lonely atom, trapped in the early, beta testing stages of lonely boy simulator. He didn’t even hear any police sirens, no cars honking their horns or dogs barking. It was like the world had gone to sleep with the lights still turned on.

  Nicolas turned right, crossing the crosswalk and making another mental note, this one of a rusty fire hydrant that had been vandalized some time ago with a large amount of yellow paint; another landmark he would use to find his way back.

  But he had no intentions of going back yet. For now, he was on his own.

  That was the thing about being lonely; Nicolas didn’t have to worry about being judged for doing what he wanted, and he didn't have to worry about his dad yelling at him for it.

  Now, he had no one, meaning no one could stop him from doing what he wanted.

  He passed a building with a bright, neon sign with the outline of someone holding what looked like either a bowl or coffee cup. Trees grew in between the street and the sidewalk; not very big trees, but still, Nicolas thought they looked nice.

  He turned right, crossing a crosswalk before turning left to cross another crosswalk. Then, he turned right again, heading down Pine Street. He decided that remembering street names would also help him keep from getting lost.

  In a sudden instant, the air around him changed from warm, summer air, to a familiar, ice-cold wind.

  And then, he found the source of the coldness.

  Nicolas ducked into the first hiding place he could find, which happened to be down an alley in between two buildings, praying that the creature lurking in the night hadn’t seen him.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The moon overhead reflected blue along the dark city, casting ominous shadows across the path. A small cat with dark colored fur hissed as Nicolas ran, disappearing into the shadows as if it was never there.

  It was then that Nicolas noticed the door: And as it turns out, sometimes fear can make people make stupid decisions.

  Rather than continuing through the alley, and into the other street, Nicolas instead pressed himself against the door, grabbed a hold of the knob, and turned it.

  And it opened.

  It was completely unlocked, and it opened.

  Nicolas didn’t have time to be surprised, because any second now, the kako would see him, and then, he’d be trapped.

  Nicolas closed the door behind him, surrounding himself in darkness. The tent of blue moon light had been quenched, and now Nicolas’ eyes strained for any possible light. He stayed at the door, pulling it closed as though he could prevent the kako from opening it.

  He held his breath, only letting out slow, quiet exhales and inhales.

  His lungs began to burn with a longing to breathe normally again, but Nicolas ignored the pain, his heart pounding in his chest like a hammer. He didn’t want to risk making a single noise.

  Finally, after a few intense, nerve-wracking minutes of silence, he let out a slow, but stable breath.

  Taking a few steps away from the door, Nicolas reached into his pocket, pulling out his dying phone, before pressing the power button.

  The screen lit up, filling his vision with an obnoxious light as he swiped down to reveal the rows of icons, including Wi-Fi, sound, and Airplane mode. Nicolas tapped the flashlight, and the room behind the phone snapped into view as the light came on.

  He pressed the power button again, then moved the light around to investigate the room.

  The floor was gray—the walls, a different shade of gray. A layer of dust coated everything, and the only item Nicolas could recognize as something, was an old, faded yellow and red plastic horse, like some kind of vintage version of those horse and spring things playgrounds had. Only, this one looked old and forgotten. The paint had faded with sunlight, flaking off the plastic like it had mange. Nicolas guessed it maybe went to an old merry-go-round or something, but he wasn’t sure.

  The horse was leaning against a pile of other things, but none of them interested him. In fact, most of them didn’t look like anything at all. Metal pipes, a large metal sign reading The Carrot Farm, and a bent bicycle wheel. The dust and cobwebs made the place look almost haunted.

  Nicolas stepped forward, exploring more of the strange room; when suddenly, a high-pitched noise broke the silence as Nicolas kicked a small screw that had been almost completely invisible in the darkness. Now, it shimmered like a star made of silver as it rolled clumsily along the gray floor, the flashlight reflecting off the metal as it hit a cardboard box and stopped.

  And then, there was another sound: A loud, high-pitched crash, sounding like a glass bottle hitting the ground, shattering into a million pieces.

  Nicolas ducked down, pressing the phone to his stomach to block out the light. His heart returned to panic mode, beating so fast and hard that he worried that whatever made the sound could hear it pounding.

  He wasn’t alone in the room.

  The light, faint sounds that were getting closer, were undeniably footsteps.

  They’re here for me!

  Nicolas didn’t have to keep his breaths quiet, because his lungs had locked up now. His body felt like ice; like he had just been thrown into the Arctic Ocean.

  Then, it whispered his name: In a quiet, barely audible voice.

  “Nicolas.” It was so quiet that if it were anything besides his name, then he probably wouldn’t have understood it. He stood crouched on the floor, frozen with his eyes locked onto the area where the sound came from, goosebumps rising all along his arms.

  “Nicolas?” The voice whispered again, this time louder. “It’s me, Ryan!”

  If it really was a kako, then he probably thought Nicolas was the stupidest human alive; because as soon as Ryan gave his name, Nicolas stood up, uncovering the light.

  Sure enough, Ryan was in the shadows, just beyond the lights' reach.

  “What are you doing here?!” Nicolas took a step toward Ryan, his dark shirt and black hair hiding him within the darkness so that the only visible parts of him were the skull on his shirt, his slightly pale face and arms, and the red tips of hair that covered one eye. “I thought you were a monster!”

  “Sorry,” Ryan replied, looking away. “It’s just… I noticed you leaving the hotel room, and I didn’t want you to be alone.”

  Nicolas took a step forward, grabbed Ryan, and hugged him.

  The coldness on Ryan's clothes made Nicolas realize how hot his own skin was; like the fear itself had raised his body temperature.

  He released Ryan, slightly embarrassed. He wasn’t fully sure why he had hugged him. He wasn’t the type of person to hug people, especially not people he’d only just recently met.

  Ryan didn’t seem to mind the sudden embrace though. Nicolas pointed the light onto the ground so it wouldn’t hurt their eyes, making it almost impossible to see Ryan's face, besides the streak of red hair dye.

  “So, where are you going?” Ryan asked, his voice sounding calm, but also a bit worried.

  “Just… wanted to get outside,” Nicolas replied. “I couldn’t stay locked in that hotel room any longer.

  “Yeah, I get that. It’s like living underground or something,” Ryan agreed, placing his hands on his hips. “So,” he added after another one of those long silences that seem to last forever, “where do you want to go?”

  “You’re coming with me?”

  “Of course,” Ryan replied. “I didn’t follow you all the way out here and almost get caught by the kako just to scare you and leave you on your own,” Ryan laughed, before grabbing Nicolas’ hand.

  Nicolas wanted to say something, anything, but his mind seemed to forget every word in the English language.

  Ryan’s hand was touching his, and their fingers were locked together, making Nicolas' chest feel funny. Talking to people was never easy for him, but now, it was like he was having the worst case of a cute boy awkwardness syndrome that he’d ever had. His train of thought had hit a traffic jam, all trying to leave Nicolas’ mouth at once, but none of them did.

  His hand is so soft…

  “Are you alright?” Ryan asked at last.

  “Y-yeah. Sorry… I’m just a little panicked I guess.”

  “It’s okay,” Ryan replied. Then, he stepped deeper into the darkness, pulling Nicolas through the shadows by the hand.

  And Nicolas followed him, though neither of them knew where they were going.