Eight

I stayed on the ground as people walked past, around and over me. They didn't think twice about a teenage boy lying on the floor, just that he was an ungrateful punk. My phone in my hand buzzed with a text message. I sighed and looked at my screen.

Mr. Pratt: Kaito, I want you to follow my instructions. Go to the map and check the time for the next train. If it's going to come in the next 30 minutes, take it. If not, I want you to catch a cab to the front of the Shibuya Station.

After that message, my phone buzzed again, signalling another one.

Mr. Pratt: Don't worry about the cost for the cab. All you have to do is scan your phone on the screen that will be on the back of the drivers seat. Once you do that, the bill will get to me. Tell me if you're going to catch a cab so that we can meet you in front of the station.

I sent a quick okay and sat up. I looked around and saw a map posted on a far wall. With another sigh, I heaved myself from the floor and walked over to it. The time intervals between the trains were 45 minutes.

Guess I won't be taking the train. I sent a text to Mr. Pratt to tell him that I would have to get a cab. He replied immediately, telling me that they would all wait at the front once the train was at Shibuya Station.

With a nod of encouragement, I went up the stairs and scanned my phone at Tue gate to let me out. On the street, people we're busy with their lives, talking on their cells, pulling children along and yelling at one another. It was almost like New York, only there weren't any street robberies.

As I took a step closer to the street to find a cab, something heavy plowed into me, or rather, someone.

The person and I fell to the ground very ungracefully. My head smacked against the cement, causing my face to scrunch up in pain. I felt a head hit my shoulder and the person above me grunted from the dull force.

"Ow, d****t." The person said in pure Japanese. I groaned and opened my eyes to see a guy near my age with black, wild hair and dark brown eyes. His olive skin was pale and his light pink lips were covered in the red shade of his blood that was starting to leak from his nose.

I gently pushed him off of me and sat up, touching the sore spot on the back of my head tentatively. He quickly stood up, looked around and exhaled deeply relief. He fixed his trench coat over his body and dusted off his jeans, which were torn in a few places.

Satisfied that I wasn't bleeding to death, I picked myself up and dusted off my clothes. I bent over, retrieved my cell phone and put it in my back pocket.

"Hey, sorry about that man." I looked at the guy when he spoke. On a closer look, he seemed to have suffered more then a bleeding nose. His lip was busted in two places and there were cuts and bruises all across his face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I replied. "But you don't look so good. You should go to a clinic and get those cuts checked out." He shook his head and waved the suggestion away with his hand.

"No, I'm fine." he said, panting heavily and looking all around him. I looked everywhere he was looking and didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Are you...running from someone?" I asked.

"What," he looked at me as if just noticing I was standing there. "Oh uh...yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Are they around?" I asked, trying to keep him focused. "If they are, we could go to the police and point them out. Or we can go and give a description."

"Oh no, that won't be necessary." He replied. I stared at him in pure confusion before nodding my head slowly.

"Okay well...I have to go now." I put my hand out and waved down a cab. "I hope you stay safe." I opened the door and climbed in but before I could shut it, the guy dove in right after. I watched in shock as he shut the door and kept looking out the window.

"What are you doing?" I asked. As far as I was concerned this guy was a nut and I wanted to get as far away from him as possible.

"Where are you headed?" He asked without looking at me. I stared at him silently before glancing at the cab driver. He averted his eyes from the rear view mirror and continued to tap his finger on the steering wheel.

"Hey," I tapped his shoulder until I got his attention. He looked at me with a frown. "You can't just hop into a cab with a stranger. What do you want?"

"Okay look," he put his hands up, telling me to wait before I said anything. "Yes, I'm running from someone and I need to get away as fast as poss-"

SMACK!

I jumped as a huge, rough hand slapped the glass window behind me. I turned to see four men, dressed in black sweaters and jeans. One was holding a bat while the other three carried chains, knives and God knows what else.

"GET OUT OF THAT CAB RIGHT NOW, YOU LITTLE S**T!" The man who smacked the glass yelled. My heart raced and skipped violently when he smacked the glass again. The cab driver turned around and began yelling at us, telling us we could either get out or give him directions.

I scrambled for my phone and scanned the back of it across the screen that was placed on the drivers head rest.

"Shibuya station!" I said. With a jerk, the driver pressed his foot on the pedal and we propelled forward into traffic. The thugs abused the cab until they couldn't keep up with it anymore.

"You're only taking me 30 minutes away!?" The guy said with panic. I looked at him incredulously, wondering if he really did just lose his mind.

"I shouldn't be taking you anywhere!" I shouted. "I don't even know you!"

"Now that's just hurtful." He replied, leaning back and crossing his arms.

"Hurtful?" What the hell did this guy think this was? An instant friendship after helping him escape from possible murderers? "What the hell are you talking about hurtful?! Who were those guys?! And why were they after you?!"

"They're just a group of guys who jack peoples' money." He shrugged his shoulders.

"And you couldn't give it to them?" I said, sounding out the most obvious action. The guy chuckled and looked back out the window.

"They want more then my money." He muttered. "They may come after you now too."

At that, I stared at him as if he grew two heads. My blood boiled. I had finally had enough of this guy.

"Pull over." I said. The guy and the driver both looked at me as if I were crazy.

"E-excuse me?" The driver stuttered.

"Pull over, right now!" I yelled. The driver did as I said and pulled the cab to the sidewalk. I leaned over and opened the guys door. "Get out."

"What?" he said before I pushed him out. He fell onto the concrete and I closed and locked the door before he could get back in. Just as he was scrambling into a standing position, I told the driver to pull away.

"Hey, you a*****e! Wait!" He yelled after the cab, running to try and catch up. I ignored him and told the driver to speed up. He obeyed and just like that, the guy was left behind.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply as my guilt began to chew at me. But even if I had wanted to, I couldn't go back for him.

He was too far behind.