Emrys's pale and lanky body stirred in the small bed. He groggily reached out to grab the worm out bedsheets to cover himself up. He wanted to continue his sleep, it was Friday and he didn't have to work today, it was his day off.
"Meow!"
"Meow!"
He groaned, the sound of meowing was right next to his ear. It was his fat lazy black and white cat Betsy.
"G-Goodmoring Betsy.." he sat up and began to stretch his lean body. He ate as much as he could, as much as he could afford but he could never add any weight, working as much as he did burned the food down faster.
Betsy jumped into his lap and curled up in his arms as he cradled the cat and scratched behind its ear. It purred and curled deeper.
"Oi!" Someone called from outside the front door.
"Get your skinny ass out here and gimme my rent,suckers!"
It was the landlord again, the bastard just didn't know when to come, it was too early for this and it wasn't like they were owing him that much.
His father's head peaked into his room and they shared a knowing look. Emrys sighed, somehow, the landlord was a bit wary of him no matter what.
With a groan,he got out of bed and grabbed a worn out shirt from the plastic chair beside his bed.
"I'll go talk to him, I'll handle it." He said, moving animatedly past his father who nodded quietly.
He walked out towards the front door, having a fit putting the shirt on.
Emrys opened the front door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The early sun did little to warm the narrow hallway.
"Oi! You hear me? Rent!" The landlord's voice cut across the stairwell, rough and oily like cheap soap. He leaned against the railing, arms crossed over his fat stomach.
"I'm coming," Emrys muttered, pulling the door fully open. Betsy slipped through his legs and padded down the hall, tail high.
The landlord's gaze flicked to the cat and then back to Emrys. "That thing's yours?"
"Yeah," Emrys said flatly,he didn't have the energy for chatter this early.
"Good thing I like animals,better than your skinny rent-owning ass." He sneered, but there was a faint hesitation. The way he looked at Emrys was cautious, like he remembered something from before.
Emrys shoved his hands in his pockets. "Here's the rent." He held out a small stack of crumpled bills.
The landlord snatched it with a frown "You call this enough? You've been skimping, boy."
"That's all I got," Emrys said evenly,no fear, no apology,just the truth.
"You better hope it is. Don't test me, runt." The man spat to the side. Betsy hissed and arched her back.
Emrys said nothing,he turned and walked back inside, ignoring the landlord's muttered curses. The door closed, muffling the man's shouting, leaving only the quiet clatter of the old apartment and the faint hum of the street outside.
His father was in the kitchen, hands wrapped around a mug but he didn't look up. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Emrys said, dropping onto the edge of the worn out sofa. He scratched behind Betsy's ears and watched her purr, feeling the slow burn of irritation fade into something quieter.
Breakfast was quick,a small piece of bread, some leftover porridge. They didn't talk much, because neither of them had the energy for words beyond the necessary.
His father was getting weaker from the constant grind, from the cold apartments, from cheap food that didn't nourish them. Emrys could see it in the way he coughed sometimes, the way his hands shook.
By late morning, he was out the door again. Today was his day off from the coffee shop, but not from survival. He needed supplies, medicine, anything to make the week easier. The streets were already busy, vendors shouting over each other, the smell of frying oil and wet asphalt heavy in the air.
Betsy trailed behind, weaving between the legs of the pedestrians like she owned the alley and Emrys kept his hand ready to scoop her up.
He turned a corner and froze. A puddle reflected movement…someone watching him from the shadows. His stomach tightened, the hair on his arms rising. But it was gone when he blinked, only the ripple of water left behind. He shook his head,the city liked to play tricks like that.
He passed a closed bakery, its sign swinging lazily. Trash blew down the alley, and somewhere far off, a siren wailed. The city was always restless,never letting you rest.
Then, he noticed the faint glint of something in the streetlight ahead..just a movement, a moving shadow. He slowed with Betsy twitching in his arms. The air felt heavier, tighter, though no one else was near.
A voice called out from behind him. "Hey, kid. Watch yourself in these alleys."
He turned and found a policeman with a uniform dirty and patched, leaning against the wall. His eyes were serious, scanning the streets around them.
"I'm not lost," Emrys said quietly.
"You shouldn't be wandering here alone," the man said,his voice lowered. "Bodies have been found,horrible ones. People's bodies torn apart…The alley's no place for a kid today."
Emrys nodded and said nothing more,his hands tightening around Betsy.
The policeman gave a brief nod, then left and Emrys watched until he disappeared into the corner of the street. Something about the way he left made Emrys's stomach twist.
He continued down the alley, stepping cautiously. Shadows between buildings seemed deeper, thicker and something about the quiet pressed in on him. He didn't see it, didn't hear it but Betsy hissed sharply, her fur standing.
From the corner, two cloaked figures slipped out from the darker alleyways. A massive shape fell behind them, moving like smoke but heavier and darker. Not a beast he couldn't have recognized, not human, just a thing that belonged to the night.
They spoke in a low, alien tongue
'Zha'kor velith maun'ra.'
Emrys didn't hear it,he didn't see it but the alley seemed to watch him anyway and Betsy's hiss broke the silence of the alley again.
He shook his head and moved on, clutching her tight. The city swallowed the shadows but the eerie feeling lingered at the back of his neck