i was running. i thought it was safe. i thought i can get away with it..i was blanked. i can't think. my body ached as if my limbs were torn apart, as if i was running forever. dub dub, dub dub. i could even hear my own heartbeat. i was sweating, my pores visible and opened as if it could suck all the air in the world.

"hey! watch where you're going, a**!", the chinese hawker yelled at me when i bumped into him. how the hell was he there. i fell down. he fell down. the cups he held in his hands flew in the opposite direction. "i...i...", speechless. i got up and sped again.

it was a dark, cold night. the traffic, as always, hectic. horns blared. red. yellow. green. go! the bikes at the front of the traffic came full throttle. they came speeding towards me. i can almost imagine the moment of impact when someone pulled me backwards, off the road. "shit! are you f-ing crazy? are you okay?" she said. "you almost got killed!". i looked at her. she was horrified. so were others around. i looked at my left. then, my right. good, less people at the left, and i ran towards it. "yeah, sure. You're welcome!", said the girl who saved my life.

i can't feel my legs anymore. i can't do this anymore. i stopped, in the middle of a dark, filthy lane. i tried to catch my breath, but it seemed so difficult. my hands were trembling. and then i saw him. the person i was running away from. he was coming for me.

"what do you want? get away from me!!", i shouted in the clear, moonless night. it was a starless night. it was suddenly a very quiet night. "the time's up. you're done here", the man whispered between his teeth, but the words were clear. he moved a step closer. terribly frightened, i ran away, towards the end of the lane, which led to..

BOOM!!!!!!!!! something hit me. i flew sideways, hit the pavement head first...and suddenly my vision blurred..

... "sir...are you okay..?" "..can somebody call the ambulance!?" "oh my god, who is that...?". many unfamiliar voices. the first voice would probably be the driver who hit me. "it's gonna be okay..i'm sorry..it's gonna be fine", he told me. only that i was not okay. my whole life flashed before my eyes. i saw my childhood, my family...my love..my...whole life. and i felt so cold. then the man i was running from walked slowly to me.. "so this is it, huh? i'm dying now?" i said to him. he stopped. and he walked closer just so i could see his face..beneath the neon signboard. oh. he was faceless. "you'd die anyway, tonight".