Osaze woke up to the smell of antiseptic and the sound of machines beeping.
Hospital. Again.
He opened his eyes slowly, his vision adjusting to the harsh white light overhead. The ceiling tiles were the same. The walls were the same. Everything was the same.
Except him.
He sat up carefully, his body feeling... different. Not weak. Not tired. Just *different*. Like something inside him had shifted, rewired itself while he slept.
He looked down at his hands. They looked normal. But when he flexed them, he felt strength there that hadn't been there before. A coiled energy just beneath the skin.
The door opened.
A nurse stepped in, smiling. "Good morning. How are you feeling?"
"Fine," Osaze said automatically.
"Good. The doctor will be in soon to check on you. You've been through a lot."
She left.
Osaze swung his legs off the bed, stood. His body responded smoothly. No pain. No tightness in his chest. No irregular heartbeat.
*That's not normal.*
He walked to the door, opened it, stepped into the hallway.
And stopped.
There was a man standing near the nurses' station.
Old. Thin. Wearing clothes that looked decades out of style. He was staring at the wall, his expression blank.
Osaze frowned. *Who leaves a patient standing in the hallway like that?*
He walked over. "Hey. Are you okay? Do you need help?"
The man didn't respond.
Osaze reached out to touch his shoulder—
His hand passed through.
Osaze jerked back, his heart pounding.
The man didn't move. Didn't blink. Just kept staring at the wall.
*What the—*
"Excuse me?" A nurse walked past him, not even glancing at the old man. She went straight to the desk, picked up a tablet, and walked away.
Osaze stared at her. Then back at the man.
"Can you see him?" Osaze asked another nurse passing by.
She looked at him, confused. "See who?"
"The man. Right there. Standing—"
She followed his gaze. Saw nothing. Looked back at him with concern. "Sir, are you feeling alright? Maybe you should sit down."
Osaze's chest tightened.
*I'm seeing things. I'm hallucinating. I hit my head. I—*
He turned away, walking faster now. More figures appeared—people standing in corners, sitting on benches, walking through walls. All of them translucent. All of them silent.
Osaze started running.
---
He burst through the hospital's front doors, into the open air.
The city stretched out before him—towers of steel and glass, antigrav vehicles humming overhead, holographic billboards flickering with advertisements.
And scattered among the living were *them*.
The dead.
Ghosts. Spirits. Whatever they were.
They walked through crowds, unnoticed. They stood on street corners, staring at nothing. They drifted through walls like smoke.
Osaze backed away, his breathing shallow.
*This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't—*
He turned and ran.
---
His body moved faster than it ever had before.
He sprinted down the street, weaving between pedestrians, his legs pumping with a strength and speed that felt *wrong*. His lungs didn't burn. His chest didn't tighten. He just *ran*.
And he couldn't stop.
He turned a corner too fast, tried to slow down—
And slammed into a wall.
**CRACK.**
Pain exploded through his shoulder. His arm bent at an unnatural angle. He screamed, stumbling back, clutching his arm.
*Broken. It's broken. I need to—*
And then he felt it.
A sharp, pulling sensation. Like something inside him was *moving*.
He looked down at his arm.
The bone shifted. Snapped back into place with a wet, grinding sound.
The pain vanished.
Osaze stared at his arm, his mind blank.
*What the hell is happening to me?*
He kept running.
---
He didn't know where he was going. Didn't care. He just needed to *move*.
His feet pounded against the pavement. His body cut through the city like a blade. He crashed into a street vendor's cart, scattering food across the ground. The vendor shouted after him, but Osaze was already gone.
He ran until his legs gave out.
He collapsed in an alley, gasping, his back against the wall.
And then he heard it.
A voice.
Small. Annoyed. Very, very close.
"I am RIGHT HERE. Did nobody teach you ANYTHING?"
Osaze's head snapped up.
Sitting in front of him, on a pile of trash, was a leopard cub.
Tiny. House-cat-sized. White fur with red spots. Golden eyes.
It stared at him with an expression that could only be described as *exasperated*.
Osaze blinked. "What the—"
"Oh great," the cub said, its voice dripping with sarcasm. "You're one of THOSE. The clueless kind."
Osaze scrambled back, his heart pounding. "You're not real. I'm hallucinating. I hit my head. I—"
"You're an idiot, that's what you are."
"Shut up. Just... shut up. You're not real."
The cub tilted its head. "Not real? You're seeing dead people, your bones are snapping back into place, and you're running faster than a street racer. But sure. *I'm* the part that doesn't make sense."
Osaze shook his head, pressing his palms against his eyes. "No. No. This isn't real. You're just stress. Or blood loss. Or—"
"I'm your BLOODLINE, you dense—"
"SHUT UP!"
The cub stopped. Stared at him.
Then sighed.
"Fine. Ignore me. See how that works out for you."
Osaze lowered his hands, glaring at the cub. "You're not real."
"Keep telling yourself that."
Osaze stood, turned, and walked away.
The cub followed.
---
Osaze didn't know how long he walked. Minutes. Hours. Time felt slippery, unreal.
Eventually, he heard voices.
Familiar voices.
"Osaze!"
He turned.
Kemi was running toward him, her wolf-cut hair wild, her expression a mix of relief and fury. Damian was behind her, moving slower but with the same intensity.
Kemi grabbed him by the shoulders. "What the hell happened?! Why did you run?!"
Osaze opened his mouth. Closed it. Didn't know what to say.
"I... I don't know. Something happened. I saw things. People who weren't there. And then I ran, and I couldn't stop, and—"
Damian stepped closer, studying him carefully. "Are you hurt?"
Osaze looked down at his hands. No injuries. No pain.
"No. I should be, but... I'm not."
Damian and Kemi exchanged a glance.
Kemi's voice softened. "Let's get you home. You need rest."
Osaze nodded, too tired to argue.
---
They walked together through the city. Osaze, Kemi, Damian.
And the tiny leopard cub, padding along behind them, invisible to everyone but Osaze.
The cub looked at Damian, its golden eyes narrowing.
"Whoa," it said. "That guy looks like he's about to die. Like, REALLY die. Does he know? Should I tell him?"
Osaze muttered under his breath. "Shut up."
Kemi glanced at him. "What?"
"Nothing. Just... tired."
The cub turned its attention to Kemi, studying her.
"Ohhh, is SHE your girlfriend? Nice. She's got that 'I could kill you' energy. I like her."
Osaze clenched his jaw. "Shut. Up."
The cub grinned. "What? I'm just saying, you look like you're dying. Like, literally. How long you got? A year? Two? You should probably tell her before you, you know, drop dead."
"SHUT UP!"
Kemi and Damian stopped. Stared at him.
Kemi's voice was careful. "Osaze... are you okay?"
Osaze forced a smile. "Yeah. Fine. Just... in my head. Sorry."
Damian gave him a long, knowing look. "Maybe you should take your meds when we get there."
Osaze nodded weakly.
The cub muttered, "Meds won't help, but sure. Let's pretend."
---
They arrived at Kemi's house.
Her mother opened the door, her face lighting up when she saw Osaze.
"My child! You're finally back! Come, come, sit down. You look good! They must have fed you well where you were."
She pulled him inside, guiding him to the table. Food appeared—jollof rice, fried plantains, chicken, salad. More than Osaze could ever eat.
He sat down, still dazed.
The cub jumped onto the table, sniffing the food.
"Ooh, jollof rice. Nice. Can you even taste it anymore, or is everything just... numb?"
Osaze ignored it, picking up his fork.
Kemi sat across from him, watching him carefully. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
The cub looked at her. "She doesn't believe you."
Osaze ate in silence.
---
**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.**
Kemi's mother frowned, walking to the door.
She opened it.
Two people stood there. A man and a woman. Both in police uniforms. Both holding badges.
The man spoke first. "Good evening, ma'am. I'm Detective Chidi Okafor. This is Sergeant Amara Nkosi. We're looking for Osaze Evbuomwan. We need to bring him in for questioning."
Kemi's mother's expression hardened. "Questioning? For what?"
The woman—Sergeant Amara—stepped forward. "Assault. He put a student in the hospital. We need to speak with him."
Damian appeared behind Kemi's mother, his voice calm but firm. "Stone has assaulted dozens of people. This is the first time anyone's fought back."
Detective Chidi's expression didn't change. "That's not how the law works."
Kemi's mother crossed her arms. "He just came back from the hospital. He's exhausted. He needs rest."
Amara's tone sharpened. "Ma'am, with all due respect, we're not asking. We're bringing him in."
Kemi stood, stepping between them. Her eyes were sharp. Her posture ready.
"Back off," she said quietly. "Or you'll have to deal with me too. And trust me, you don't want that."
Amara smirked. "That a threat?"
"It's a promise."
Tension crackled in the air.
Detective Chidi raised a hand. "We don't want trouble. We just need to talk to him."
Damian stepped forward. "Then we're coming with him. For his safety."
Chidi considered this. Then nodded. "Fine. You can come. But he's coming with us. Now."
Kemi's mother looked at Osaze, worry etched into her face.
Osaze stood, his voice tired but resigned. "It's okay. I'll go. Let's just get this over with."
---
They stepped outside.
The two police officers led Osaze to their patrol car. Damian, Kemi, and Kemi's mother stayed behind, watching.
Damian pulled out his comm-link. "I'll call a lawyer. We'll follow right behind you."
Kemi nodded, her jaw tight.
Osaze climbed into the back of the patrol car. The door closed with a heavy thunk.
And sitting beside him, invisible to everyone else, was the tiny leopard cub.
It looked at him, grinning.
"Oh, this is gonna be FUN. Interrogation room. Cops. You, trying to explain why you can see dead people. Yeah, this won't go badly at ALL."
Osaze closed his eyes. "Shut up."
The car pulled away.
---
*The blood had chosen him.*
*And now, the city wanted answers.*