My legs burned, my lungs screamed, but I kept running. The cloaked figure weaved between crates and rusted gates, always just out of reach. I skidded around a corner, nearly tripping over a trash bin, and cursed under my breath.
"Please! Give me back that phone!" I shouted, gasping for air. "It's important to me!"
The figure stopped, turning slowly, cloak flaring. Pale eyes glinted from beneath the hood. "Important?" he said, voice low and mocking. "Why should I? It's not like you can't afford another one. I haven't eaten in two days."
"I'm sorry," I said, shaking. "But I swear, it's important. You don't understand—please, just give it back."
He laughed, a dry, harsh sound that bounced off the alley walls. Then I noticed it—the glint of metal in his hand. A knife. My stomach dropped.
"Wait…this…there's no need for that," I stammered, taking a cautious step back.
"There's always a need for violence with you Yerwas," he said, stepping closer, pressing the blade against my chest. "Since you all derive joy in watching us suffer. Hand over all your money."
"What? No!" I blurted, backing against a stack of crates.
"You're alone, in an alleyway," he said, circling me like a predator. "Perhaps you're not from here, but everyone knows Kulums run free in these streets. I'm not the only one. So hand over your money—and all that food you're carrying too. Then I'll give you the phone."
I hesitated, desperation clawing at me. "I…please…that money isn't much. It's just for my ride home."
He grinned, sharp and cruel. "Your ride? Ha! Your money, your food…all gone. And don't forget, I haven't eaten in two days. Lucky for me, you carry it all yourself, Yerwa."
I swallowed hard, fumbling with my bag. "I…here…take it. Just…please, the phone." My hands shook as I pulled out the bills I had saved and the small bundle of food.
He snatched them in a blink, holding the knife loosely now, but the threat never leaving his eyes. "Pathetic," he spat, flipping through the cash. "You think pleading and crying would work? You think I care about what's important to you? No. All I care about is survival, and today…today, I survive off you."
I clutched at the air where my food had been, feeling my heart sink. "I…this isn't fair. I just need the phone!"
He tucked the bills and food under his arm, grinning, and took a step back. "Now…time to vanish."
He darted past me, twisting the phone under his arm. My stomach dropped. "No! Stop!"
Then sirens screamed in the distance. The Kulum froze for a split second, glancing over his shoulder. "Shit—"
A police flashlight cut through the alley, illuminating him, and he cursed, dropping the phone instinctively. "You—"
He bolted in the opposite direction, melting into the shadows before the police could reach him.
I dropped to my knees, gasping, heart hammering. My hands shook as I picked up the phone, relief flooding me. Then I heard a soft voice behind me.
"Are you okay?"
I turned. A young woman stood there, smiling, her eyes warm and steady. Something about her presence made my heart race uncontrollably. I barely noticed the sharp sting on my side.
"Wait…my rib…" I muttered, but the world seemed to tilt.
The woman's eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth. "You've been stabbed " she screamed, her voice echoing off the alley walls.
My pulse thundered, the adrenaline still coursing through me. I hadn't even noticed the small cut on my ribcage until now, but the sight of her concern made everything sharper, more urgent.
For a moment, the city noise, the alleys, the chase—it all blurred. All I could feel was the phone in my hand, the cut on my side, and the sudden, inexplicable pounding of my heart as I stared at her.