Coffee tastes like shit when it's cold.
Vex drank it anyway. Two bucks. That's what he paid three hours ago.
Wasn't gonna waste it.
The store was dead. Just him. Fluorescent lights buzzing. One of them kept
flickering. Been doing that for weeks. Manager kept saying he'd fix it.
Sure he would.
11:47 PM.
Thirteen minutes.
Then he could lock up, walk home, maybe get five hours sleep before his
next shift. If he was lucky. Ashward at midnight wasn't exactly safe but
whatever. Done it a hundred times.
Door opened. Bell chimed.
Guy walked in. Leather jacket. Boots. Moved weird though. Like he was
too aware of everything. Eyes scanning.
They nodded at each other. Customer service bullshit. Guy went to the back.
Vex looked at his phone. Seven texts from Kairo. Memes. Stupid ones. He
ignored them.
Mom texted: "Working late. Leftovers in fridge. Love you."
He typed back. "Ok."
She wouldn't see it till morning anyway.
That light kept flickering. On. Off. On. Off.
Annoying.
"Hey."
Leather jacket was back. Energy drink and cigarettes on the counter.
"That it?"
"Yeah."
Vex scanned them. "Twelve forty."
Guy handed him a twenty. Vex gave him change. Done. Transaction over.
Except the guy didn't leave.
"You Vex?"
Vex's hand stopped. He looked up. Actually looked this time.
Brown eyes. Scar cutting through the left eyebrow. Standing relaxed but...
not. Ready. Fighter.
Shit.
"Depends."
"On?"
"Why you asking."
The guy smiled. Wasn't friendly. "Got a message."
"Not interested."
"Wasn't asking." He leaned on the counter. "Raze wants to see you."
Cold feeling. Stomach dropped.
Everyone knew that name. Raze Kaine. Crimson Fangs. The gang running
Ashward. Protection money. Disappeared people. All that.
"Don't know him."
"Sure." Guy grabbed his stuff. "Tomorrow. Eight PM. The Hollows.
Warehouse on Fifth."
"What if I don't—"
"We'll find you." He was already at the door. "Won't be as nice next time."
Bell chimed. Gone.
Vex stood there. Store felt too quiet now. Even with that fucking light
flickering.
Phone buzzed. Kairo again: "Yo you alive? boring"
Vex stared at it. Didn't answer. His hand went under the counter. Baseball
bat. Been there two months. Never used it.
Never needed to.
Yet.
11:52 PM.
Eight minutes left.
Locked the door at midnight. Exactly. Company policy or whatever.
Outside was empty. Street lights every twenty feet. Dark between them.
City didn't give a shit about Ashward's lighting.
Why would they?
Vex started walking. Hands in pockets. Head down, eyes up. Always.
Two years doing this walk. Knew which alleys to avoid. Which corners had
lookouts. Which shortcuts weren't worth it.
Passed the laundromat. Closed. Dark.
Pawn shop with bars on the windows.
Apartment building with the broken door that never got fixed.
Fifteen minutes to home.
Someone laughed somewhere. Vex didn't look. Kept moving.
Car passed. Music stupid loud. Bass shook his chest. Turned a corner. Gone.
Quiet again.
Phone rang.
Kairo.
"Yeah?"
"Finally! Thought you died."
"Working."
"Past midnight's illegal or something."
"Off now. Walking."
"Want a ride? I'm at the club but—"
"I'm good."
"Sure? It's late."
"Do this every night, Kairo."
"Yeah but..." Music in the background. Club noise. "You sound weird.
Something happen?"
The guy. The message. Raze.
"Nah. Tired."
"Liar." Pause. "We still good for tomorrow?"
Tomorrow. Right. Arcade in Midhaven. Senna was coming. Maybe Tobi.
"Yeah."
"Cool. Text when you're home. So I know you didn't get stabbed."
"Comforting."
"I try. Later."
He hung up.
Vex kept walking. Ten minutes now.
Tomorrow. 8 PM. The Hollows. Fifth Street.
Should tell someone. Kairo would know what to do. Or Senna. She grew up
around this stuff.
But tell them what? Gang leader wants to meet me and I don't know why?
Because he didn't. Vex kept his head down. Worked. Went to community
college when he could pay for it. Didn't start shit.
So why was shit starting with him?
His building showed up. Five floors. Brick. Half the windows had AC units
hanging out. Other half had curtains that stayed closed.
Third floor. 3C. Him, mom, sister Lira when she wasn't at work or school.
Took the stairs. Elevator broke a month ago. Landlord said he'd fix it.
Like the light at the store.
Third floor hallway smelled like fish. Someone cooked it wrong.
Unlocked 3C. Inside. Locked it.
Dark except one lamp. Mom always left it on.
Dropped his keys. Kicked off shoes. Fridge.
Leftover rice and chicken. Two days old. Kimchi that was probably mom's.
Orange juice, half empty.
Grabbed the rice. Didn't heat it. Ate it standing there with just the fridge
light.
Cold rice sucked. But it was food.
Phone buzzed.
Kairo: "home yet or dead"
"Home. Not dead."
"boring. sleep loser"
Almost smiled.
Almost.
Finished eating. Sink. His room.
Small room. Bed barely fit. Desk. Poster on the wall - action movie Lira got
him three birthdays ago. Didn't even like it that much. But she was happy
giving it. So it stayed.
Sat on the bed. Phone in hand.
Could ignore it. Not show up. What then? Guy said they'd find him. Be less
nice.
What's that mean? Beat him? Trash the store? Go after mom? Lira?
That cold thing came back. Heavier.
Mom working two jobs. Barely sleeping. Keeping them alive after dad died
five years back. Didn't need this.
Lira. Sixteen. Smart kid. Good grades. Could get into college. Didn't need
this either.
Lay back. Ceiling. Water stain in the corner. Never figured out what shape it
was.
Tomorrow. 8 PM.
Could go. See what Raze wants. Maybe nothing. Maybe a mistake.
Or maybe the start of something bad.
Closed his eyes. That store light kept flashing behind his eyelids. On. Off.
On. Off.
Guy's scar. How he moved. Fighter.
Vex been in three fights. Lost all of them. Bad.
Wasn't a fighter. Wasn't strong. Wasn't shit really.
Just nineteen. Working at a store. Helping family. Trying to survive.
But surviving in Ashward meant different things.
And tomorrow he'd find out what it meant for him.
Eyes open. Grabbed phone. Texted Kairo: "you free tomorrow night?"
Reply instant. Guy never slept.
"depends. fun or stupid?"
"Maybe both."
"now ur talking. whats up"
Could tell him. Right now. Get help.
But what if that put Kairo in danger?
Deleted what he typed.
"nvm. arcade tomorrow afternoon yeah?"
"ur being weird. but sure. 2?"
"yeah"
"cool. fr sleep. u sound dead"
"yeah"
Put the phone down. Lay there. Didn't sleep.
Outside, Ashward kept being Ashward. Existing between legal and not.
Safe and dangerous. Living and dying.
Vex lived here his whole life. Knew how it worked.
But tomorrow those rules might change.
Tomorrow, 8 PM, The Hollows, warehouse on Fifth, he'd meet Raze Kaine.
And whatever came after...
He'd deal.
Like always.
One day.
One problem.
One step into the dark.