"Have you heard?" His father frantically stirred the eggs in the bowl.
"Heard what?" Emrys didn't look up at his old man, he just set down the brown paper bag containing the drugs he'd bought.
He took out something from his pocket and set it down on the table beside the paper bag. It was fried meat, he'd made enough from picking up scraps and delivering recycles to the warehouse today and had bought the meat on his way back.
"The police academy is recruiting,maybe you should give it a try."
He could hear it clearly over the sizzling sound of the eggs frying in the oil.
He didn't say anything, letting a few minutes of silence pass. Betsy broke the silence and the sizzling of added tomatoes into the pan of frying eggs made Betsy hiss and this reminded Emrys of the alleyway incident earlier today.
He stared out the window at the darkness, he hadn't returned too late today and thought it should be just past 8 pm at the hour.
"The pharmacy said to take two in the morning and two at night,after each meal." He finally said,still looking out at the darkness.
"What about the police academy, are you going to give it a try?" His father hoped that he would, even if he only had a high school certificate, he could at least get a low rank with a decent pay.
It would make their lives a bit better in this slum. Recently,a lot had been happening. There was something wrong with the weather, it had rained a lot this week, the angry kind of rain that poured down at any time.
Emrys sat with Betsy on his lap, staring at the storm outside. The rain had not let up,it drummed relentlessly against the thin windowpanes, echoing through the apartment.
He could hear the faint shuffle of his father's movements in the kitchen, the clinking of utensils as he washed the pan and wiped the counters.
"The academy…" his father's voice broke the quiet. "It's not just a job..You'd have discipline,protection…a chance to do something with your life. Not just scraping by day after day in this place."
Emrys' hand absently scratched behind Betsy's ears. He didn't respond,his eyes were fixed on the blur of rain streaming down the glass. His father cleared his throat, hesitating before continuing.
"You work so hard, son. Every day, every hour and what does it get us? Barely enough to eat, barely enough to pay rent. But the academy… even a low rank would mean security. A steady wage,health coverage. The city wouldn't feel so… dangerous for us,for you."
He paused, glancing toward Emrys. "I just want you to be safe. I don't want this life to crush you before you even get a chance."
Emrys finally looked up, meeting his father's tired eyes. The man's face was pale,lined with stress and the subtle toll of illness and exhaustion. He had never complained, never asked for anything, but every day it showed in the way he moved, in the rasp of his breath after the smallest exertion.
"I know," Emrys said quietly. His voice was barely above the storm's roar. "I know what it could mean."
His father leaned back against the counter, folding his arms. "You could get out of this slum. Live somewhere decent,maybe even… make something of yourself. You've got brains, discipline… enough to get you in. You could be someone."
Emrys' jaw tightened. He didn't want to argue, didn't want to admit that part of him… wanted it,wanted a life where the walls of this apartment weren't closing in, where rain didn't always mean flooding, and where people didn't disappear in the alleys. But he also didn't trust anyone or anything that promised safety,not in this city, not in the police academy.
"I'll think about it," he said, turning his gaze back to the storm. His tone was flat, neutral, but inside, his mind churned with a lot of things.
"You don't have to make a decision right now," his father said. "Just… keep it in mind. You could do it. I know you could."
Emrys didn't reply, The thought of standing in uniform, being judged, being ordered around, made his stomach tighten. But he knew the practical side of it…steady pay, a safer path, maybe even a chance to protect the people he cared about. Especially his father.
Betsy mewed softly, nudging him again. He stroked her fur absently, thinking of the city outside. It was dangerous, yes..but also full of opportunities for someone who could survive its streets, who could see the cracks others didn't. He had survived worse than this, worse than the rain and flooding, worse than the alleyway's lurking shadows. He had survived the day the thugs had come to the store, taking every coin, breaking what little they had and he had survived it without losing himself completely.
The dream from the previous night lingered at the edges of his mind…the crawling body, the shadows, the voice urging him to fight. It made the thought of the police academy even more complicated.
Was it a chance for safety or a trap? Was it a way to gain power… or just a place to be consumed by things far worse than the streets?
"I just… I just don't know," he murmured to himself.
His father's voice softened. "Son… you've got potential,i've seen it. You've got strength most don't notice, even if you don't see it in yourself yet. The police academy could bring it out,give you a chance to live instead of just survive."
Emrys said nothing, letting the words hang in the room with the hiss of Betsy curling her tail around his arm and the relentless rain outside. The promise of the academy lingered like a distant glow through the storm…a chance, yes, but also a weight he wasn't sure he was ready to bear.
Night deepened outside, the rain still pouring. Emrys finally pushed Betsy off his lap and rose to move toward the narrow bed. His mind replayed the conversation, twisting it with memories of past hardships. He remembered the alley, the shadows, the quiet terror of the dismembered body he had imagined in his nightmare. His father's hope, his encouragement, felt almost foreign in comparison.
Lying down, he tried to push thoughts away, but sleep didn't come to him easily. His mind dragged him into the dream again, this time sharper and more clear.
He was in the academy again and the hallway stretched impossibly long, fluorescent lights flickering overhead. Officers barked orders he didn't understand,their voices sharp and accusing. He moved forward,his heart hammering and unsure if he was obeying or just floating through a memory.
Then the scene shifted and he was back in the alley from his nightmare, but it felt worse and more real. The body lay before him, twisted, broken..but alive, crawling toward him with jerking movements that made his heart loud in his ears.
The rain slicked pavement gleamed with blood, the air heavy with the metallic tang of decay.
Emrys wanted to scream,wanted to run but his body refused. He could feel the cold pressing against him,the same oppressive weight from before.
The voice returned, low and commanding "Fight."
He flinched,his mind spinning. The body jerked closer, limbs writhing unnaturally, shadow stretching from its form like liquid darkness. Betsy's hiss echoed through the nightmare, but louder, sharper, wrong..her eyes glowing, bigger than life.
And then, just as it lunged at him…
He woke gasping, sheets twisted in his hands, Betsy leaping from the bed with a startled hiss. The storm outside had not relented, rain slamming against the thin windows. Emrys lay back,his heart still racing, a shiver crawling along his spine. The police academy, the promise of safety and stability..it felt so close, yet impossibly far.
He stared at the ceiling, eyes wide in the dim light. His father was nowhere to be seen, probably asleep on the small couch in the living area.
Emrys's mind churned, half-awake, caught between the nightmare and reality. The city outside hummed with life and danger, indifferent and vast, and somewhere deep inside, he knew that whether he liked it or not… the police academy was a choice he would have to face soon.
Betsy hissed softly,her tail flicking. Emrys exhaled, running a hand through his hair. The rain hammered on and the night stretched long and endless, as if the city itself was holding on and waiting for him to make a decision.