Chinese takeaway

The sun is rising, and Lei Mei is still asleep on top of me.

Like this, she looks almost harmless. Adorable, even. If only she kept this face for the other twenty hours of the day. Then again, I'd probably miss the glare.

Either way, she's earned the rest. Last night must have drained her, and I still have no idea where she learned to do half of that. I'll have to thank her properly. Preferably in a way that doesn't end with her looking at me like I'm an idiot.

"…Taji."

Her voice is husky and half-buried in my shirt.

"Morning, sunshine," I say, keeping it light. "Aren't you oversleeping today?"

She stretches, yawns loudly, and gives me a flat look. "After all the work I did for you, I think I deserve a longer sleep. Don't you agree?"

"Fair. You do. Feel free to keep resting."

"I can't. I need to be at the restaurant around noon to help my mother."

"Right. You still work there."

"It's my family's business." She says it like it's obvious. "You should come help out more. You'd get paid."

"Huh. Really?"

"Yes. It'll help when you have to leave. You won't have to depend on your parents."

I think about it for a second. She has a point. Considering everything that's going on, I doubt my parents would help much anyway.

"Yeah, that's a good point. I could use the money."

"We'll see when we get there. I'll tell my mother you're coming."

"Sure. Hey, want to take a shower?"

"I'd appreciate that."

"Go ahead. You know where everything is." I pause, just long enough to be obvious. "Can I join?"

"No."

She lets that sit for exactly one second.

"As much as I'd enjoy your company, I'll have to decline your kind offer. Maybe in the near future."

Maybe. In the near future. I'm not going to think about that. Definitely not.

"Ah. Okay. I'll grab you a towel."

"Thank you. And Taji?"

"Yeah? What is it?"

She leans in until her lips are almost touching my ear.

"I love you."

Then she turns around and walks to the bathroom, casual as anything, like she just told me the time.

My brain shuts down. Fully. I stand there with my arms half-raised, staring at the spot where she was, until I hear the shower start and remember that I was supposed to be getting a towel.

She does this every single time. No warning, no build-up, just a quiet little attack on my heart, and then she walks away like nothing happened.

I splash some cold water on my face. It doesn't help.

Nonetheless, we have work to do. Money doesn't make itself, and if I'm really going to China, I'll need plenty saved up.

The doctor said my leg is only partly broken, so with the cast and one crutch I can still get around. Walking is the painful part. Anything with a seat is fine.

* * *

It takes us a while to get to the restaurant, since I'm hobbling along on my crutch, and it's already packed when we arrive. The air is thick with the smell of garlic and hot oil, the wok is roaring in the kitchen, and every table is full. It's still before noon, and it's already like this.

"Hey, glad you came early, Lei Mei, Aguni! Get over here and help me out!" Mrs Lei shouts from the kitchen, barely audible over the noise.

Lei Mei nods without a word and disappears to get changed.

"No problem, Mrs Lei!" I call back, trying to follow.

A hand catches my arm before I get far.

"Aguni, can you deliver some food today?"

"Oh… You do deliveries now?"

"Yes. We started this week, and it's been a huge success, but our driver can't keep up anymore. Your leg is only partly broken, isn't it? You can't carry plates, but sitting on a scooter is easier on it than walking around on a crutch."

She has a point. It also beats standing around in this cramped kitchen getting in everyone's way.

"Yeah, okay. I understand. I can help."

"Thank you, Aguni. You're a star. The scooter is just outside. Here's the address and the order."

"No problem, Mrs Lei. I'll get on it."

Order in hand and the address already on Moogle Maps, I lower myself onto the scooter, cast sticking out to one side, and go. The map says twenty-five minutes. I can probably do it in fifteen.

I wasn't expecting this, but I like it. The rain has finally cleared, the air is mild and smells like wet pavement, and the sun is warm enough that last night's chill feels like a bad joke. For the first time in a long while, nothing is chasing me. Riding is far easier on my leg than walking. After everything we've been dealing with, I really needed this.

The address turns out to be a quiet residential street. The house sits just past a black van parked at the curb, windows tinted, engine off. A man opens the door just a crack, takes the bag, and hands me a thick fold of cash without looking at the amount.

"Keep it," he says, and shuts the door.

"…Thanks?"

A generous tip is a generous tip. Weird, but I'm not going to complain. I tuck the money in my pocket and get back on the scooter.

* * *

On the way back, I take the same road I used earlier. Halfway down it, there's a barrier across the street.

Roadworks, probably. I shrug, turn onto the next street, and keep going.

Another barrier.

"Huh. Again?"

Still not worth worrying about. This city is always digging something up. I let Moogle Maps recalculate and follow the little blue line down a side road.

There are barriers here too. This time I actually look at them. No workers, no machinery, no signs explaining anything. Just cones and orange barriers on a road that was open twenty minutes ago.

"…Okay. That's weird."

Another turn. Another blue line. Another road that's just barely too closed to pass. At the next intersection I stop and look properly at the cones. They're not scattered randomly. They're lined up neatly, every one of them leaving exactly one gap open.

Forward, and only forward.

"What the hell?"

Something in my chest tightens, quietly. I tell myself it's nothing. It's daytime, and there are roadworks. This isn't a movie.

Still, I keep riding. What else can I do?

The buildings change as I go. The houses give way to fences, then to warehouses with faded signs and shutters pulled all the way down. The streets get emptier. No cars, no people, no noise except my own tires on the asphalt. Even the wind has gone quiet.

My phone buzzes. The map has frozen. The blue line is gone, and the screen just spins.

I pull over and dial Lei Mei. She picks up on the second ring.

"Where are you?"

No hello. Of course.

"Hey. Delivery's done, but I'm going to be late. The roads are blocked, all of them. I keep getting sent down these empty streets, and now my map's stopped working."

"Blocked."

"Yeah. Roadworks, I guess, but there's nobody here. It's kind of weird."

There's a short silence on the line.

"Where exactly are you?"

"Some warehouse area. Hang on, I'll check the street sign—"

"Taji."

Her voice is different. It's still flat, but there's something sharper underneath it.

"Don't go any further. Turn around."

"I would, but the road behind me is—"

I glance over my shoulder and stop.

The cones behind me have been moved. They're across the road now, sealing off the way I came.

Somewhere behind the warehouses, an engine starts.

It's low and slow, and it's getting closer.

"Taji? Why did you stop talking?"

"…Lei Mei."

The van rounds the corner. Black, tinted windows, no plates.

Run, my brain says. My cast disagrees.

"Lei Mei, I think I—"

The side door slides open before it has even stopped.

My hand loosens on the phone. It falls, hits the asphalt, and skids across the ground, her voice still coming out of it, small and sharp and getting louder.

"Taji! Answer me! Taji!"

Then something covers my mouth, and the world goes dark.

The screen on the ground blinks once.

Call Ended.