The Sun Will Come Out (WayV)

The Shadow in the Alley

(PLEASE READ: Dialogue is in Chinese. I know I said in the author's note that most dialogue will be in Korean, but I've decided to change that. If any other language is used, I will let you know at the beginning of the chapter. For now, please assume that dialogue is in Chinese. Thank you, and I apologize for the inconvenience.)

Everything happened so fast. 

"Run!" 

Meixing and Tungmei sprinted, sharply turning the corners and trying to escape the campus while the fire was being handled. Tungmei followed closely behind, panting heavily. They heard a loud crash behind them, followed by blood-curdling shrieks. Meixing gasped, turning back. She watched in horror as the business building came crashing down, the sound of screams echoing off the walls. 

"Shit," Tungmei breathed. She grabbed Meixing's wrist and turned the corner, hiding in an alley. Meixing and Tungmei ducked, kneeling next to a dumpster. 

"Are the Aliums here?" Meixing whispered, grabbing Tungmei's arm tightly. She shuddered. 

"I don't think they're here anymore. But I think we all know why that fire started. Those damn Aliums," Tungmei hissed. Meixing and Tungmei peered around the corner, eyeing the fire. It was dying down, but still deadly. 

Tungmei drummed her fingers against the brick wall, waiting for her friends. She saw Liwei, Weijian, Manaka, and Fangsu running as fast as they could down the sidewalk. Tungmei put her hands out and pulled them into the alleyway. 

Liwei stumbled but caught her balance in time. "Wait, why are we here?" she asked. Fangsu was catching her breath, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Weijian was covered in soot and Manaka's clothes were dirty, stained with black. 

"We need to get out of here, but we have to be careful. We don't know if the Aliums are still here." Tungmei scanned the sidewalks, swarming with panicked witches. 

The worst was yet to come. 

The sound of a bullet filled the air, startling everyone. Tungmei looked up, staring at the dark sky. What a turn of events. 

Liwei looked around in a frenzy, suddenly shooting up. "Okay, this is really bad. They're definitely here, but we need to get out right now. Otherwise, they'll find us. We need to get off campus as soon as possible." She walked out of the alleyway, checking her surroundings. The others got up to go. 

Just as Tungmei was about to follow, she saw some movement from the corner of her eyes. She turned for a minute, scanning the alley. It was dark, but not dark enough to the point nothing was visible. She thought she saw a shadow at the very end. Tungmei blinked a couple of times to see if it was just her imagination, but it was all real. She saw the figure coming closer, the long shadow moving along the wall. 

Tungmei swallowed hard. She found herself unable to move. She backed up as much as she could. Just as she turned, she ran straight into Meixing, eliciting a scream. 

"Woah, it's okay," Meixing soothed, holding Tungmei's arms. She was sweating, her eyes wide, her breath shaky and uneven. Meixing gave her a reassuring smile. "Tung, I know this is scary, but it's okay. We're gonna get out of this alive, alright?" 

Tungmei gulped before nodding, deciding to keep her mouth shut. She let herself get tugged away by Meixing. When she quickly snapped her head around to see the shadow, she was greeted by nothing. 

The shadow had disappeared. 

Meixing and Tungmei finally reached their friends, waiting at Eximia's entrance gate. Weijian held onto Manaka, her eyes constantly darting to look up at the sky. Ash was still falling covering the ground like snow. They could hear distant screams and more gunshots. 

Death was approaching.

Tungmei's mind raced with thoughts of the shadow in the alley, the way it lurked. She wondered who that shadow belonged to, whose silhouette had walked across the brick walls. 

When she finally escaped and returned to reality, she saw Fangsu, alarm all over her face. "You alright?" she asked. She mentally facepalmed at her question. Fangsu hadn't taken notice, though, for she was clutching her head tightly, her lips parted. 

"Where's Lihua?"