Ally?

3 Person Pov

Thomas stumbled out of the warehouse, the recent encounter still etched into his thoughts.

The creature—its jagged teeth and unnatural form—flashed through his mind every time he blinked.

He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to shake off the adrenaline that made his hands tremble.

Beside him, Chen walked in silence, his steps steady, almost too calm for the chaos they'd just left behind.

Thomas broke the quiet, forcing a shaky laugh that felt hollow even to him.

"You know, people usually appreciate when a hero swoops in to save the day. I think that makes you one of them, right?"

Chen glanced at him sideways, the shadows of the alley cutting sharp lines across his face.

He didn't respond immediately, and Thomas felt his pulse quicken with each passing second of silence.

Finally, Chen's lips twisted into a grim smile.

"You think I'm a hero, huh?"

Thomas shrugged, trying to keep his tone light.

"Well, you saved my life back there. Showed up just in time, took down that... thing with fire, no less. That's hero material if I've ever seen it."

Chen stopped walking, turning fully to face Thomas.

For a moment, all the weariness and shadows in his eyes seemed to vanish, replaced by a hard, assessing look.

It made Thomas feel like a bug under a microscope. "Let's get something straight," Chen said, his voice low, barely more than a growl.

"I'm no hero."

"Never claimed to be."

"I did what I had to, same as you would if you had any other choice."

Thomas swallowed, suddenly very aware of the distance between them.

His mind raced, sifting through the uncertainty that clung to Chen like a second skin.

He wasn't sure why, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the man than he was letting on.

Maybe it was the way he spoke, or the cold, controlled way he'd faced down the creature.

Thomas tried to keep his voice steady, pushing the unease down. "Still... the fire thing. That's not exactly normal, is it? How does that work?"

Chen let out a breath, one that seemed to carry the weight of years.

He raised a hand, and a small flame sprang to life in his palm, dancing across his fingers.

It flickered like a candle, casting a warm glow that lit up the alley around them.

"It's not something I can explain. It just... is. I don't remember when I first learned I could do it. It's been a part of me for as long as I can remember."

Thomas stared at the flame, its light playing over Chen's features.

He tried to hide the tension in his own voice, the edge of suspicion that gnawed at him.

"So you've just always been able to conjure fire out of thin air? No training, no... guidance?"

Chen's lips twitched into a humorless smile, and he let the flame vanish with a flick of his wrist.

"If there was a school for people like me, I must've missed the memo."

"No, I just... figured it out, bit by bit."

" And when those things started showing up, I decided it was time to put it to use."

Thomas felt a shiver crawl up his spine.

He crossed his arms, trying to appear casual even as his mind raced with questions.

"And those things—what are they?."

Chen shook his head slowly, turning his gaze skyward as if the answer might be written in the night.

"I don't know much more than you do, kid."

"But I've seen enough of them to make a guess."

"They're not from here—wherever 'here' is to them. Maybe they're from another planet, another dimension... Hell, maybe they're nightmares that slipped out of someone's head."

Thomas clenched his jaw, frustration bubbling up inside him.

It felt like Chen was talking in circles, dropping hints without ever really saying anything.

He forced a thin smile, trying to keep the edge out of his voice.

"Well, whatever they are, it's good to know someone like you is out here, keeping people safe."

Chen's expression softened for a moment, but there was something distant in his eyes, something that made Thomas wonder if he was thinking of a past he didn't want to talk about.

"It's not about keeping people safe, kid. It's about keeping myself alive."

Thomas bit back the urge to press further.

He had a dozen questions clawing at the back of his mind, but he couldn't shake the feeling that pushing too hard might backfire.

Instead, he offered Chen a nod, forcing a note of gratitude into his tone. "Well, either way, thanks. You didn't have to help me back there. Not many people would've stepped in like you did."

Chen studied him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he turned away, his shoulders slumping slightly as if the weight of the night was finally catching up with him.

"Just stay out of trouble, Thomas. You don't want to know what's out there."

With that, Chen disappeared into the shadows, leaving Thomas alone in the deserted alley.

The sound of his footsteps faded into the night, and Thomas stood there for a moment, letting the quiet settle over him.

He breathed in the cool night air, feeling a chill settle in his bones despite the warmth of the lingering embers.

The walk back to his apartment felt surreal, the world around him painted in shades of grey and uncertainty.

His thoughts spun in endless circles—questions about Chen, about the creature, about the flame that had swallowed it whole.

But more than anything, the nagging fear persisted, gnawing at him like a splinter he couldn't dislodge.

When he finally reached his building, he paused outside the door, glancing back at the empty street.

For a moment, he half expected to see another creature lurking in the shadows, or Chen reappearing with some cryptic warning.

But there was nothing—just the empty city, the distant hum of cars on the highway, and the echo of his own footsteps.

Thomas let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and slipped inside, locking the door behind him.

The familiarity of his small, cluttered apartment was a comfort, even if the events of the night made it feel strangely out of place.

He kicked off his shoes, dropping his jacket onto the back of a chair, and made his way to the bed, his mind still racing.

He lay down, staring up at the ceiling, replaying the conversation with Chen in his head.

He couldn't help but wonder if he'd made a mistake in letting the man walk away without more answers.

But as his body sank into the mattress, the exhaustion of the night finally began to catch up with him, pulling him toward the edges of sleep.

His eyelids fluttered shut, and he let out a slow breath, willing himself to relax. But just as the darkness began to close in around him, a sound cut through the quiet—a faint, rhythmic ticking, soft but unmistakable.

*Tick*

*Tick*

*Tick*

Thomas's eyes snapped open, his heart leaping into his throat. He sat up, glancing around the room, but there was nothing there.

Just the shadows, the silence, and the sound that seemed to echo through the walls.

*Tick*

*Tick*

*Tick*

He strained to listen, his breath catching in his chest, but the source of the sound remained elusive.

It was like a clock, but deeper, more insistent—like something was counting down, each tick reverberating in the pit of his stomach.

*Tick*

*Tick*

*Tick*

And then, just as suddenly as it had started, the sound vanished, leaving only the silence and the pounding of his own heartbeat.

Thomas lay back down slowly, trying to convince himself that it had been a trick of his imagination.

But even as sleep crept back in, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming—something he wasn't ready for.

And somewhere in the darkness, the ticking continued, counting down to a moment he couldn't yet understand.