Skye – Friday, 10:47pm.

On the outside, it was just another same-old day at work. But in the inside, Skye was restless and uneasy.

The encounter from last night had been riding on his mind so much that he'd almost forgotten about the Sunday deadline to give those loan sharks a suitable payment for their borrowed money. The realization quickly amplified his stress, leaving him dizzy with even more things to worry about.

Just breathe. Breathe, Skye... the monster hasn't shown up yet. It's probably moved on. And Ray said he was going to scout the area too. Plus, with today's paycheck... I can give those sharks what they want. Although, the idea of simply walking into the money-now shop didn't sit well with him after the threat he received earlier in the week. How he was going to manage that was a problem for future Skye.

The reassurances he told himself were only a temporary respite. Each time his stresses wormed their way back into his head, the queasy feeling rushed back and the cycle continued.

The bakery was empty, as was usual for that time of night. Skye was almost thankful that nobody would have to see him in his current state.

He'd managed to finish his chores just minutes earlier, so he pulled out his phone and messaged Ray.

“Hey, are you around Velvet right now? I'm almost off but I haven't seen the creepy guy yet,” he typed.

Ray said earlier via instant messaging that he was scouting the area, but Skye wasn't sure if that meant he was going to be returning later or not. And as the minutes passed without a response from Ray, he became more and more unsure if he even had any protection at all.

Before finishing his closing duties, he walked to the front of the lounge and peered outside the glass door, checking down the street for any signs of suspicious – or gigantic – people. Of course, there was nothing to be seen.

Right... of course they wouldn't be so obvious. Skye sighed.

Walking back to the main countertop, he opened the glass compartment containing all the baked goods, and slipped a small handful of pepperoni rolls into a plastic bag. He'd helped make them earlier in the shift, and they both looked and smelled delicious.

He just hoped he'd make it home with them.

Skye peeked into the office where he'd turn off the lights and activate the alarm. It was the point of no return – he'd have to leave once the alarm was set. His fears made him hesitate, but he ultimately managed to pull through and finish his closing duties.

Still no reply from Ray.

He let out a deep breath and left the bakery, pepperoni rolls in hand, checking both ways for anything creepy. Nothing out of the usual so far.

Instead of walking down the sidewalk next to the bakery – next to the alleys where he'd encountered the monster yesterday – he jaywalked across the empty road and hopped onto the opposite sidewalk, where he not only had a clear view of the gaps between each building next to the bakery, but there weren't nearly as many crevices for something spooky to pop out at him.

The street ended in the other direction, so he inevitably had to pass by the dreaded alleyway.

Thus, he cautiously walked home, listening for any strange sounds beyond his footsteps and the rustling plastic bag in his hand. It was the second lane past the bakery where the monster took his food last night; he continued walking, but as that alley came into view, he discreetly peered over to see if it was there.

Skye's heart almost stopped. It was there.

Casually standing against the wall in the same spot as before was that giant, strange person.

Before Skye had a chance to turn back and find an alternate route, it looked straight at him from across the street.

“Hello again!” it said.

Skye peered at it through the corner of his eye. The creature wore the same toothy grin as before.

He resisted the urge to stop, or turn around, or shout, or anything that would betray his fear. Fighting against the adrenaline coursing through his body, Skye kept walking forward at the same pace, pretending as if he hadn't heard the creature at all.

“I'm very hungry,” it sang, this time with a peculiar cockney accent.

Every second felt like an hour. Every step was heavy and arduous. But he kept walking, and the monstrous figure spoke no further, nor could Skye hear it moving.

He was almost out of eyesight. He didn't dare look back to see if it caught on to his ploy – not until he was certain he was clear of that alley.

Anticipation started welling up in him. He was almost clear. He could run and escape. His plan worked.

“Kyeh-heh-heh,” the monster cackled in the distance.

Skye looked back.

He was past the creature's alley, and it hadn't come out to chase him.

He bolted into a frantic sprint, adrenaline pushing him far faster than he thought he was capable. The street lights blurred together and the cold wind rushed past him – none of it mattered; his only goal was to get away. He didn't even stop at 67-40, still fearful that he might've upset the monster by giving it the cold shoulder.

Where the fuck is Ray when I need him?! The thought fled his mind as fast as he'd conjured it. The ultraloop station wasn't far, and he didn't plan on stopping until he made it there. His legs were sore and his lungs ached, but he couldn't risk stopping. Not now.

A few minutes later, he was racing down the stairs of the subway, narrowly avoiding tripping on the steps, until he made it to the station.

Skye doubled over on one of the benches. A few other people waiting for the same shuttle shot him some curious glances, but nothing more. However, their presence was the last thing on his mind.

In. Out. In. Out. His chest burned and his legs felt as if they were about to fall off. In. Out. In. Out.

He hadn't even bothered to check behind him as he was running. No big monster had rushed down the stairs in hot pursuit, so he assumed he was in the clear.

He wiped his forehead, sweat glistening on his hand, and he shut his eyes, focusing solely on breathing. The pain in his chest slowly faded as the minutes passed, and he was finally able to catch a few long, deep breaths. Still no monster.

The ultraloop arrived not too long later. He hobbled on board after the others had entered single-file, flopping down in a seat near the door.

Once again, he'd survived. But this time, it was far less relieving; how he was going to live with a monster stalking his workplace was a problem he had no ready solution to. Calling his boss was the first option he thought up, but it was just after 11pm. That would have to wait until tomorrow morning.

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Home was always a genuine relief. A shower helped clear his mind, and his room was a sanctuary where he could put the world behind him, at least for a handful of hours. Live in the moment, he often told himself with varying degrees of enthusiasm. This time, it wasn't particularly enthusiastic.

Ray still hadn't replied to his messages, and Cassandra had gone to bed, leaving him alone to his thoughts. Not necessarily a bad thing, though, as his secret project was a great way for him to occupy his time before bed.

“The Mystery of Madeakelor,” he liked to call it, imagining he was the star of some movie where he was a cool tech-hacker-dude. He hadn't received any further messages from the enigmatic madeakelor, so he prepared to continue his work on the device that would hopefully identify the signal covering the Miyatama region. He was certain the two must have been related.

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Skye pulled up a chair and looked over his work desk.

...Tap tap tap.

He froze for a moment, immediately losing focus on his project. That sound was coming from the window just to the left of his desk. The curtain was drawn, blocking out any view of the outside.

He had no idea who it could've been. Was it Ray, perhaps? Worse yet... one of the loan sharks?

He didn't want to humour the third guess that came into his head.

Tap tap tap. Just a bit louder this time. It was a sharp but gentle noise – not too aggressive, just enough to get someone's attention.

There's no way it's a coincidence someone's tapping on MY window after all that's happening. Opening the curtain was the last thing he wanted to do, but if it was someone who meant him harm, he could just keep the window locked. That's what he told himself, at least.

“Hello?” he asked the window.

No reply.

Skye hesitated, but he stood up and pushed his chair back, slowly walking over to the window. He reached for the curtain, pulling it back just an inch so he could see outside.

An enormous white face stared inside at him, with two black crosses for eyes, and a smile containing far too many teeth.

“FUCK!” Skye yelled, staggering backwards as he flung the curtain away, catching himself on the chair to avoid falling on his rear.

“Kyeh-heh-heh-hah!” the monster laughed without restraint, now clearly in view. “I was right! You really are fun,” it continued in the same silly accent as before.

It knows where I fucking live! Did it follow me?! Shit!

“I'm still hungry, human,” it said with a commanding tone.

Skye looked over to his desk, where he had an open box of granola bars sitting by his work station. That was all he had at the ready. Without hesitation, he snatched it off the desk.

“L-look, I'll give you these, just go away, okay?! Please!” he practically sobbed as he stepped forward, still clear of the window.

“Just give me something to EAT, human.” Its playful, cockney voice turned into a sharp growl. “Or maybe I'll have to come in there.”

“N-no no, that's okay!” Skye stammered, working up the courage to walk a few feet forward to hand the monster his snacks. “This is all the food I have,” he lied, “so... just please don't come back again, okay...?”

Skye walked up to the window and slowly slid it open, just enough to slide the box through.

The monster snarled. In one quick motion, it grabbed the window, slammed it open, and reached for the box.

But it didn't grab the box. It grabbed Skye's arm.

It yanked Skye up and out of the window so fast as to send an excruciating, searing pain through his body from his shoulder as the creature lifted him high up into the air outside.

Skye screamed as loud as his lungs would allow, both in terror and pain.

The monster looked up at him with that same terrible grin as before. “You think that tiny morsel will fill my stomach?! Kyeh-heh-heh. No, I think I need something more.”

Beyond intense throbs of pain and panicked hyperventilating, Skye looked down at the monster's face. As it finished speaking, it opened its mouth far wider than Skye would have thought possible, revealing several rows of pointed, yellow teeth, and a discoloured tongue that snaked out of its mouth.

“NO!!” Skye yelped. “Please, no! Don't eat me! Oh my god, please don't eat me!” he pleaded.

BANG. A piercing sound filled the air – a gunshot. BANG, BANG.

The creature unleashed a fell roar as it staggered forward, carelessly dropping Skye in the process. He plummeted towards the ground, unable to brace his fall as his body slammed into the cold cement below, back first.

Another surge of pain shot through his head, and he could hardly hear anything – his ears were suddenly ringing far too loud. His whole body ached and throbbed.

“Help,” he whined. “Help...”

Two more gunshots cracked through the air, just loud enough to hear over the ringing. With great effort, he turned his head to the side, looking over at what was happening.

The monster was nowhere to be seen – it'd fled, presumably – and Ray was standing just in sight with a pistol in his hand, pointing it down the road.

Ray stood frozen in place for a few seconds before lowering his gun and turning to face Skye.

He couldn't tell if Ray was saying anything – he barely moved his mouth when he spoke, and Skye could still hardly hear.

“...Hey!” Ray shouted just loud enough get through the ringing.

“I can't hear you,” Skye mouthed, unsure if the words were coming out. “Help... it hurts...”

Ray reached into his pocket, pulled out a phone, held it up to the side of his head. “Don't fuckin' move... could be fucked up,” he spoke before running out of Skye's vision.

Skye laid his head down on the concrete, only then realizing how cold the ground was.

He just hoped Ray was calling an ambulance.

A handful of seconds later, Ray emerged back into view with a blanket in hand. He crouched down beside Skye.

“–You hear me?” Ray said.

“Hey,” Skye spoke, still unsure if he actually was talking or not.

Ray brought the blanket over and lifted gently lifted Skye's head up, placing part of the blanket underneath it. He draped the remainder over Skye's body.

Ray leaned down right next to Skye's ear. “Ambulance is coming. Hang tight.”

The words lent Skye a moment of relief, but the throbbing quickly eliminated it. The ringing had subsided just a touch, but his hearing was still heavily impaired.

Ray sat down beside him.

“Am I bleeding?” Skye asked, just barely able to hear his own voice.

“Yeh.”

“Oh no... where from...?”

“Your head, I think.”

“Am I gonna die...?”

“Fuck no.”

Skye limply reached up and touched his face with his left hand, retracting it when he touched liquid. It wasn't blood, rather, it looked like water.

He only then became aware that he'd been crying since the incident.

“Probably banged your head,” Ray explained. “Head injuries bleed a lot. But you'll be fine.”

“Painkillers...?” Skye whimpered.

Ray shook his head. “Got none... sorry bud.”

“Skye!” a distant voice called out. Young, female – he quickly identified it as his younger sister Cassandra.

“Fuck... Ray... don't let her see me like this...”

“Too late, bud.”

A shadow fell over his face. Skye leaned up to see his younger sister standing above him, looking utterly terrified. “Skye, what's wrong? Are you hurt?”

“U-uh... hey...” Skye mumbled.

“Need me to help with this?” Ray asked in a rare moment of compassion.

“Please, yes...”

“Yo, miss,” Ray began talking to Cassandra. “Skye got hurt and he needs to go to the hospital. Gonna stay with him 'til they get here, and I'll come watch over you after.”

“...Who are you? Do you know him?” she asked, tears welling in her eyes as she looked between Ray and Skye.

“Yeah, he's a good friend,” Skye said. “You can trust him, okay? I'll be all right.”

“C'mon. Go inside,” Ray told her, standing up to walk along with her.

Cassandra was hesitant, but ended up going along with Ray. A door shut not too far off in the distance, and then Ray returned not long afterwards.

“When you go back inside,” Skye began, “close my window.”

“Yeh. Sorry 'bout the mess. Climbed into your window to get the blanket.”

A mess in his room and a bad laundry day were the least of Skye's concerns.

Ray sat down beside Skye again, and a few minutes later, approaching sirens filled the air, and flashing lights could be seen around the street corner. An ambulance drove into view, parked roughly a dozen metres away, and out came two paramedics ready to help – one man, and a four-armed robot.

“Hello, are you Ray?” the man asked.

“Yeh. The guy's right here.”

“Okay. Do you know what happened?”

As Ray talked with the male EMT, the mechanical paramedic approached Skye.

“Can you hear me?” the robot asked.

“Um... yeah.”

“Can you move?”

“...I don't know.” He moved his legs around gently – the least painful area on his body – quickly proving that, yes, he could move. “Yeah.”

“Are you in any pain?”

“Yes... head... right shoulder... hip... bleeding from my head.”

The robot leaned over and delicately checked Skye's head, before pulling out a strip of gauze from their satchel. “I'm going to lift your head and place this on the bleeding area, okay?”

“Mhmm,” Skye answered.

They did just that, applying pressure against the back of his head. “Can you tell me your name?”

“Skye... Devereaux.”

“Okay, and what year is it?”

“...2342.”

The medic continued asking him questions and performing some brief field tests: Do you know where you are? Lower Miyatama, just outside my home. What day of the week is it? Friday. The questions were simple, but they slowly began blurring together in his head, as if he was a spectator watching himself run on autopilot.

“How did you hit your head?” the medic asked.

Skye hesitated before answering. How was he supposed to explain that he was attacked by a monster?

“I fell,” he said. “I got lifted up... and dropped.”

Aside from the last question, being able to answer the paramedic's questions accurately enough gave Skye a small dose of relief; perhaps his injuries were less serious than he thought.

“I'm going to shine a light into your eye, okay?” The robot did just that, one in each eye for several seconds.

“Are they working?” Skye asked.

“...They seem to be, yes, but you may have a mild concussion.” The robot shifted position to Skye's other side, looking at his shoulder. “I'm going to apply gentle pressure to some locations,” the robot continued, the rest of its speech trailing off as Skye struggled to focus on its speech.

“Yeah,” Skye replied.

A poke on his lower arm. “Any pain?”

“No.”

Another poke. Then on his upper arm, and elbow. Pain? No. Pain? No.

Then the medic touched his shoulder and it screamed out in searing pain.

“Pain, pain!” Skye called out.

“Okay. And here?”

Skye winced. “Yes... not as bad.”

“Okay. Your shoulder may be broken or dislocated. We're going to take you to the hospital, okay Skye?”

“Okay...”

The medic met up with the other EMT talking to Ray, and they walked over to the back of the ambulance before bringing a stretcher over to Skye.

They placed it on the ground beside him and carefully lifted him up, prompting another jolt of pain as his body was inevitably jostled.

“I'll come see you,” Ray said, standing just beside him. “Hang in there. You'll make it.”

“Thanks...”

The medics lifted him up and brought him into the back of the ambulance – he squinted from the sudden change to the brightly lit interior of the vehicle. The robot sat down beside him.

“Am I going to live?” Skye whined, trying to control his breathing as he attempted to squirm into a less painful position.

“Oh, yes,” the bot said, taking on a a very optimistic tone. “I've seen far worse.”

That was all he needed to hear to stifle most of his fears.

The other medic shut the ambulance's rear doors, and a handful of seconds later, he entered the driver's seat and the ambulance started moving.

Skye made a mental note to never open his window again.