NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: THE CHASE
Emmy sat in class, head down, fingers lightly tapping against his desk. His worn-out headset rested around his neck, a lifeline he hadn't used yet today. The whispers and muffled laughter of his classmates had become background noise—something he had learned to endure. But today, there was a weight in his chest that made it harder to breathe. The picture.
This morning, the changes had been undeniable. The colors had shifted—vivid greens where there had once been dull grays, the sky in the painting flickering between stormy and blood-red. He had tried everything—covering it, tearing it down, smashing it. The damn thing wouldn't break, wouldn't even budge. And when he turned his back, he swore it had moved.
His heartbeat still hadn't settled since then.
"Hey, orphan," a voice sneered beside him. Emmy didn't look up.
A hand slammed against his desk. "The hell you looking at the table for? Got something interesting there?"
Jake.
Emmy's hands clenched under the desk, nails digging into his palm. He inhaled through his nose. Don't react. Don't react.
Jake leaned in, voice lower but sharper. "You look worse than usual. Guess sleeping in a rat's nest does that."
More laughter. The same routine. But something about Jake's voice—something deeper—itched at the back of Emmy's mind. His stomach turned, but he kept his face blank.
Tyler and Dule were watching from their seats, tense, but they knew stepping in now would only make things worse.
Jake smirked, then straightened, clapping Emmy's shoulder hard enough to make him jolt. "See you after school."
Emmy knew exactly what that meant
The moment the final bell rang, Emmy moved fast. He threw his bag over his shoulder and slipped through the hallways, avoiding eye contact, heading straight for the back exit. He wasn't waiting for Tyler or Dule. If he left with them, Jake would just drag them into this.
The air outside was thick, humid, pressing against his skin. His heart pounded, but he forced himself to walk, not run. Not yet.
Then he heard it.
Footsteps. Too many of them.
He shot a glance over his shoulder—Jake, flanked by at least seven others, moving like hunters who had already cornered their prey.
His stomach clenched.
Run.
He took off.
The headset around his neck flickered to life on its own.
"The plug come back around…"
The beat slammed into his ears. His breath hitched, but he didn't have time to think about it. He darted between buildings, pushing his legs harder. The school gate was too far. He needed another way out—fast.
Shouts rang behind him. A bottle whizzed past his head, shattering against the ground. Laughter.
"Where you going, orphan?!"
He cut right—through an alley beside the gym. He knew this school better than them. If he could just—
Something crashed into his shoulder. He stumbled, barely catching himself, then bolted again.
He reached the fence at the back of the school and vaulted over it.
Landed hard. Rolled. Kept running.
His lungs burned. His muscles screamed. But the song in his ears pushed him forward.
"Fast, fast, all my life goin' fast…"
The pavement blurred beneath him as he tore down the street. The city lights faded behind him.
The forest loomed ahead.
---
Into the Dark
He didn't stop. Not until the trees swallowed him whole.
His breath came in ragged gasps. His heartbeat thundered in his skull.
The rain had started, but there was no wind. No silence. Only the sounds. Wolves howling in the distance. The sharp cries of birds. The rustling of unseen creatures in the undergrowth.
And behind him—they were still coming.
Something was wrong.
Jake shouldn't have been this fast. Shouldn't have had this much endurance. The others should've fallen behind by now. But they hadn't.
It felt like something was pushing them forward.
A new song kicked in.
"Doom, doom, doom…"
Emmy's legs burned, but adrenaline kept him moving. He dodged between trees, jumping over fallen logs, barely ducking under a low-hanging branch. He knew this forest. He had played here as a kid. He could use it.
Shouts echoed through the trees. Closer.
A rock struck his arm—hard. Pain shot through him, but he gritted his teeth and kept running.
"Slow the fuck down!" someone yelled.
They were getting frustrated. Desperate. That was good. That meant they were getting reckless.
Emmy risked a glance back. Jake was leading the charge. His face was twisted in something between fury and hunger.
Another bottle flew past. Emmy ducked—
Then it happened.
His foot hit something.
A shape.
Dark. Wrong.
His nightmare surged back.
Blood. Whispers. Shadows curling at the edges of his vision.
He gasped—lost his rhythm—stumbled—
And that was all it took.
A weight slammed into his back.
The world flipped. His body hit the ground—hard. His vision blurred.
Mud filled his mouth. Hands grabbed his arms, his legs—pressing him down.
Laughter.
Mocking. Serious. Furious.
He thrashed. Bucked. Kicked. But they had him.
Jake knelt beside him, panting but grinning. He wasn't even winded.
Emmy's mind raced.
How? How is he still this strong?
Jake leaned in. His breath was hot against Emmy's ear.
"The world isn't always about what you see, hear, and think. It is beyond your comprehension."
A chill ran down Emmy's spine.
His hands clenched into fists. His body trembled—not with fear, but rage.
He glared up at Jake.
And then, through gritted teeth—"Bastard. I curse you to your last generation."
Jake just laughed.
And then—
Blackness.