Finally, Natalie spoke softly, her voice closer now: “You don’t have to stay awake all night. I’ll take first watch.”

  He shook his head. “I couldn’t sleep if I tried.”

  Natalie sighed. She came to stand beside him, shoulder to shoulder, both of them framed in the dim window light.

  Natalie broke the silence. “When this is over… what do you think will happen?”

  Kazou looked down at his hands, the faint tremor still in them. “I don’t know,” he said. “But if there’s even one person who can walk away from this alive and still smile… maybe that’s enough.”

  She nodded slowly, her expression softening, almost sad.

  And as the night deepened outside, with the hum of the river beyond the window, Kazou stayed by the glass—his reflection faint and spectral—watching the road, watching the dark, waiting for the world to find him again.

  ***

  Kazou stirred first, half-conscious at the faint flickering of light cutting through the blinds. For a second, he thought it was lightning—until the colors resolved into alternating flashes of blue and red, crawling along the faded motel wallpaper like veins.

  His heart seized.

  Police.

  He sat up, breath catching in his throat, his body already in motion before his thoughts could catch up. The chair creaked beneath him as he stood, eyes darting toward the window. Outside, the parking lot shimmered in those dreadful, rhythmic pulses.

  “...No,” he whispered. “No, no, no—how the hell did they find us!?"

  He turned sharply toward the bed. Natalie was curled up under the blanket, her breathing slow, calm, oblivious. Beside her, Hannah’s hair was a tangled halo over her pillow, her face serene in sleep.

  Kazou rushed to them, shaking Natalie’s shoulder first. “Natalie. Natalie—wake up!”

  She stirred with a soft sound, disoriented. “Mm… Kazou?”

  “Get up,” he hissed, voice low but sharp. “Now. We have to go.”

  Her eyes opened slowly, confusion flashing to alarm as the blue light washed across the room again. She sat up quickly, clutching the blanket to her chest. “What—what’s happening?”

  Hannah groaned, blinking awake, rubbing her eyes. “It’s still dark… Kuroda?”

  Kazou moved to the window, peeking between the blinds with trembling fingers. He caught sight of it—two police cars, parked diagonally across the lot, lights cutting through the fog. Officers were already stepping out, flashlights slicing the air.

  “They’re here,” Kazou said under his breath, his tone steady but strained—he knew the world had caught up to him again. “They found us.”

  "Wait, what?!" Natalie’s face drained of color. “How—how could they—”

  “I don’t know,” Kazou cut in, already grabbing his jacket from the chair and motioning for them. “But we can’t stay here. Get your things—quietly. Don’t turn on the lights.”

  The air felt suddenly thick. Hannah sat up, fully awake now, fear blooming in her chest as she glanced toward the door. “Who is here, Kuroda?! Do you think they’re for us?”

  “Yes,” Kazou said simply. His tone left no room for comfort.

  Natalie stood, trembling slightly as she began pulling her shoes on. “Kuroda… what if we can’t make it out? There’s only one exit—”

  He turned to her, his expression calm, determined—the kind of calm born from desperation. “Then we’ll make one.”

  He crossed the room to the window, eyes narrowing. “We can’t use the front. That's where they are gonna come to. The back’s our only chance.”

  Natalie glanced toward the bathroom window. “It’s small…”

  “Small’s better than locked up,” Kazou said, already scanning for what they could move—what they could break if needed.

  The distant murmur of radio chatter leaked in from outside, muffled by the walls. The officers were close now—too close.

  Hannah’s voice trembled. “Kuroda… are we criminals?”

  He stopped, halfway through, grabbing his bag. Then, slowly, he turned toward her. His face softened, shadows rippling over his expression.

  “No, Hannah. Not tonight,” he said. “Tonight, we’re survivors.”

  The next knock—heavy, booming, authoritative—rattled the motel door.

  “Police! Open up!”

  Natalie flinched. Hannah froze.

  Kazou clenched his jaw. “Window. Now.”

  Kazou’s pulse hammered in his ears. The pounding at the door grew louder—three sharp, violent knocks that made the walls tremble.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Police! Open up!”

  “Shit—shit—” he muttered, scanning the dimly lit room for anything heavy. His gaze caught the bedside lamp, its cord twisted and dust-coated. He yanked it free with a savage tug, the bulb still faintly glowing as he swung it toward the small window at the back of the room.

  The first hit cracked the glass. The second sent a spiderweb of fractures spreading like veins. The third—

  CRASH!

  Shards fell outward into the night, scattering against the damp concrete below. Cold air rushed in, biting at his face.

  “Go!” Kazou barked. “Hurry, before they circle around!”

  Natalie was already moving, heart racing, trying to get little Hannah to her feet. But as they approached the opening, Hannah’s breath hitched. She looked down. Her face went pale.

  “There’s—there’s no balcony!” Hannah cried. “Kuroda, there’s nothing—it's just the drop!”

  Kazou leaned out, eyes narrowing. The window opened to the motel’s backside—an alleyway two stories down, dark and intimidating. The fall wasn’t deadly, but it wasn’t fully safe either.

  He turned back, hearing boots outside the door. “We don’t have time!” he hissed. “They’ll come around any second!”

  Natalie hesitated at the window, her trembling hands gripping the sill. “Kuroda, it’s too high—”

  He met her eyes, calm but fierce. “Do you trust me?”

  Her lips parted. “Yes.”

  “Then jump.”

  He didn’t shout it—he commanded it, low and resolute, as the sound of keys jingling and muffled voices filled the outdoor hallway.

  Natalie’s breath shook. Then she climbed up, hands on the sill, turned once to look at Hannah. “I’ll go first,” she said softly.

  “Wait—!” Hannah reached for her, but Natalie was already pushing herself through the frame. She dropped into the night with a muffled thud and a cry, rolling as she hit the ground below.

  “Hannah, now!” Kazou urged, tossing his jacket out after Natalie. “Go!”

  Hannah’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m scared!”

  “I know,” Kazou said, his voice steady even as the door’s handle rattled. “But you have to trust me, alright? I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

  There was a silence—a fragile heartbeat of hesitation—then she climbed up and leapt.

  Her scream tore through the night, ending with a sharp, heavy impact below, but she was okay. She had hit the bushes nearby, Natalie.

  “Go! They’re trying to escape!” someone shouted from the outdoor hallway. "Enter the room!"

  Kazou turned once toward the door—the lock gave way with a metallic snap. A Lock pick... Then he swung his legs through the broken window and jumped, landing hard on the concrete pavement parking lot below. Completely missing the bushes.

  Pain flared in his knee, but he didn’t stop. He pulled Natalie up, then grabbed Hannah’s arm.

  “Come on,” he whispered harshly, glancing up. Flashlights were already spilling through the broken glass. “Run.”

  They sprinted down the abandoned countryside alley, shadows cutting through blue and red light as the officers’ shouts echoed behind them—ghostlike, furious, closing in.

  They tore through the night—bare feet slapping against wet pavement, their socks almost completely torn up, lungs burning, motel lights fading behind them in a blur of blue and red. The night air had turned into a mist, thin but relentless, soaking through their clothes as they ran.

  “Faster!” Kazou barked, glancing over his shoulder. Two squad cars screeched into the lot, doors flying open. The sound of shouts and radios tore through the silence. “They’ve got dogs—move!”

  "PUPPY!" Hannah exclaimed happily, attempting to turn around before Natalie shoved her forward toward Kazou.

  "No, No, Hannah! Not 'puppy'!" Natalie’s voice cracked as she yelled, “Oh no! We need a car! Anything! We’ll never make it to Wroc?aw on foot!”

  Kazou’s hand tightened around Hannah’s wrist—she was lagging, stumbling on the uneven ground. Without hesitation, he swept her up into his arms. Her breath hitched, face buried against his shoulder.

  “Kuroda—But the puppy—!” Hannah whined.

  “Hold on,” he gritted out, feet pounding harder. “Don’t look back.”

  They cut through a row of parked trucks behind the alley, their dark shadows running along in the bright headlights. A bullet of light swept past—a flashlight beam.

  “There!” a voice shouted. “Behind the diner!”

  Kazou ducked low, heart hammering. He slipped behind a dumpster, pressing Hannah close, motioning for silence. Natalie crouched beside him, trembling, a light drizzle dripping from her hair. The sound of boots echoed nearby. Radios buzzed.

  He waited. One beat. Two. Three.

  Then he pointed down a narrow service road that led out toward the main highway. “That way,” he whispered. “If we can reach the next intersection, we’ll find a car.”

  "No! We're not htichhiking again!" Natalie growled.

  "No we aren't. We are going to find something atleast. A bus, an abandoned car, anything!"

  Natalie nodded, her eyes wide and terrified—but she followed.

  They bolted again, cutting through mud and broken asphalt. Kazou’s breath came ragged, his jacket flaring behind him like a shadow. He heard the patrol dogs bark somewhere far off—and then the tires of the police cars spinning.

  “There!” Natalie shouted, pointing ahead. A delivery van sat idling by a roadside diner, its driver nowhere in sight, probably inside. "That diner is closed. Nobody is nearby."

  “Perfect,” Kazou muttered, lowering Hannah gently to the ground. “Stay low.”

  Thre three sprinted forward, Kazou crouched beside the van door. It was locked. He grimaced.

  Natalie’s hands shook. “Can you hotwire it?”

  Kazou shot her a dry glance. “Do I look like a car thief?” Then he tugged at the handle again, scanning the interior. A wrench lay in the passenger seat.

  "I thought that scientists were problem solvers! You must be able to get this car running." Natalie teased.

  "I told you before, I'm no longer a scientist." Kazou replied sternly.

  “Maybe you should—” Natalie began.

  Suddenly, Kazou shattered the driver-side window with a single, sharp elbow strike. The glass collapsed inward with a crack. He climbed in, popped the panel beneath the wheel, and twisted the wires with practiced precision.

  The engine coughed. Then roared.

  Natalie and Hannah stared at him, speechless.

  "That's our scientist!" Natalie cheered.

  "Yeah! Yeah!" Hannah giggled.

  Kazou leaned out the window, rain dripping off his long hair. “Get in!”

  They scrambled in just as the lights behind them grew closer—headlights bouncing through the mist. The wail of sirens surged.

  “Seatbelts!” Kazou shouted, slamming the gearstick forward. The van lurched into motion, wheels spinning over the slick asphalt as they shot out of the diner lot and onto the highway.

  Blue and red filled the mirrors.

  “Faster!” Natalie screamed.

  “I’m trying!”

  The van fishtailed, engine groaning. Kazou’s knuckles went white on the wheel. A bullet pinged off the back bumper. Hannah screamed.

  “Stay down!” he ordered. “Don’t look!”

  "How did they know it was us in the car?!" Natalie cried.

  "They must have saw us." Kazou replied.

  They sped through the rain, trees blurring past, sirens fading and growing as the chase wound deeper into the countryside, on an aproximate but unobvious path to Wroclaw. The world became sound and motion—the hum of the road, the hiss of the rain, the rhythmic thud of Kazou’s heartbeat.

  Natalie grabbed the dashboard, panting. “Where are we even going?”

  Kazou’s eyes narrowed on the dark horizon. “Wroc?aw,” he said. “No matter what. Once we loose these cops, we make it there by dawn. I have to stop Casimir!"

  The sirens were still behind them—but fading.

  Natalie looked at him, wide-eyed and shaking, but something about his calm steadiness—his scientist-like control even in chaos—anchored her. She could almost believe they’d make it.

  And beside her, Hannah clung to Kazou’s jacket, whispering through tears, “You saved us…”

  Kazou didn’t answer. His gaze stayed on the endless, dark road ahead—where Wroc?aw waited, and somewhere in the distance, so did Casimir.