The knife was small.
Kai found that insulting.
If he was about to get stabbed, the universe could at least have provided something dramatic. A sword, maybe. Some ancient dagger covered in symbols. Anything that looked important enough to ruin his life.
Instead, the folding knife in the stranger's hand looked like it had been bought beside chewing gum at a petrol station.
Kai knew that didn't make it less dangerous.
"Run," he said.
The woman was still on her knees behind the man, coughing hard enough to make her whole body shake. One hand pressed against the bruising skin around her throat.
The attacker stepped toward Kai.
Kai raised the rusted metal bar.
His hands were shaking.
He wished they weren't.
Movies never seemed to include that part.
"I told you to walk away," the man said.
"Yeah."
Kai swallowed.
"I've never been great with instructions."
The man moved.
Fast.
Kai swung.
He expected the bar to connect with the man's shoulder.
Instead, it struck the brick wall with a metallic crack that sent pain shooting through both wrists.
"Shit—"
Silver flashed.
Kai jerked backward.
The blade sliced through his jacket.
He felt the tug of fabric against his stomach.
No pain.
He looked down.
No blood.
Too close.
The attacker came again.
Kai didn't swing this time. He shoved the bar forward with both hands.
It caught the man high in the chest.
Not enough to hurt him badly, but enough to knock him backward.
Kai followed.
He swung again.
The bar clipped the man's forearm.
The knife dropped.
It bounced once against the pavement.
Kai stared at it.
The attacker stared at it.
For one beautiful, stupid second, Kai thought he'd actually done it.
Then a fist hit him in the jaw.
His vision flashed white.
Kai crashed shoulder-first into the wall.
His teeth cut the inside of his cheek. Blood filled his mouth almost immediately, warm and metallic.
Before he could recover, the man grabbed his jacket and drove a knee into his stomach.
Kai folded.
All the air left him.
Another hit landed near his ear.
The alley tipped sideways.
His knees struck wet pavement.
Somewhere behind him, a voice came from his phone.
"Sir? Can you hear me?"
The emergency operator.
Kai had forgotten she was still there.
The attacker kicked the phone.
It disappeared beneath a bin.
Kai planted one hand on the pavement and tried to stand.
His arm shook.
"Nope."
His body had apparently decided that standing was no longer part of the plan.
Behind the attacker, the woman finally got to her feet.
She stumbled toward the street.
"Help!"
The man turned.
"Somebody help me!"
Kai saw him move after her.
He didn't think.
He grabbed the man's ankle.
The attacker nearly fell.
"What the fuck?"
Kai wrapped both arms around his leg.
It wasn't heroic.
It wasn't clever.
He was lying in dirty rainwater with blood dripping from his mouth, hugging a stranger's ankle because it was the only thing he could reach.
"Go!" Kai shouted.
The woman ran.
The attacker tried pulling free.
"Let go."
Kai tightened his grip.
"Strong argument."
A heel slammed into his ribs.
Pain tore through his side.
His fingers loosened.
The man kicked him again.
Something cracked.
This time Kai screamed.
His body curled instinctively, but he caught the man's trouser leg before he could move away.
Another kick caught Kai's shoulder.
Then one struck his face.
His nose broke.
He knew because he heard it.
That was unpleasant.
Kai rolled onto his back.
For a few seconds, he couldn't tell which way the alley went.
The buildings blurred.
Rainwater touched his cheek.
His nose was pouring blood down the side of his face.
The attacker stood over him.
"You should've minded your own business."
Kai coughed.
His ribs objected.
He probably should have.
The sensible thing had been to wait for police.
The sensible thing had been to stay inside the café.
The sensible thing had been to finish his coffee, collect his bag and be home by seven.
Asha would've complained that he was late.
He would've stolen something from the pan while she wasn't looking.
She would've noticed.
She always noticed.
Kai looked toward the mouth of the alley.
The woman was gone.
Good.
At least that part had worked.
Sirens sounded somewhere nearby.
Faint at first.
Then louder.
The attacker heard them.
He glanced toward the street.
Kai let his head fall back against the pavement.
"That's probably for you."
The man looked down at him.
Kai managed a bloody smile.
"Five stars for response time."
The man didn't smile.
He looked toward the street again.
Then at the knife lying several feet away.
Kai's smile disappeared.
"No."
The man walked over and picked it up.
Kai tried to push himself backward.
His left arm barely cooperated.
His ribs screamed every time he breathed.
The attacker returned.
"Wait."
Kai hated how frightened he sounded.
The knife came down.
The first stab didn't hurt the way he expected.
There was pressure.
A strange, hard push beneath his ribs.
Kai's breath caught.
Then the blade came out.
Heat followed.
He stared at the man.
For a moment, neither of them seemed to understand what had happened.
Then Kai looked down.
Blood spread through his shirt.
A lot of it.
"Oh."
The second stab hurt.
Kai screamed.
The attacker pulled away.
Sirens were much louder now.
He looked toward the alley entrance and ran.
Just like that.
No final words.
No reason.
One moment he was there.
The next, Kai was alone.
He pressed both hands against his side.
Blood pushed between his fingers.
"No, no, no."
He'd seen people get stabbed in movies.
They usually pressed a hand to the wound and kept going.
Apparently movies had neglected several details.
It hurt to breathe.
It hurt not to breathe.
His hands wouldn't stop shaking.
The sky above the alley was blue.
That annoyed him.
It felt like the weather should've had the decency to acknowledge what was happening.
Kai tried to sit up.
He made it halfway before his body gave out.
His head struck the pavement.
"Okay."
His voice sounded thin.
"Bad idea."
Footsteps came running.
The woman.
She had returned.
Kai wanted to ask why.
Then he saw two other people behind her and understood.
"Oh my God."
She dropped beside him.
The bruises around her throat were already darkening.
"You're bleeding."
Kai looked at his hands.
"Yeah."
Not his best response.
"What do I do?"
"Pressure."
At least he thought that was right.
She pressed both hands against his side.
Pain ripped through him.
Kai shouted.
"Sorry! I'm sorry!"
"No, that's—"
He sucked in a breath.
"Probably right."
Someone nearby was speaking to emergency services.
The woman kept her hands against him.
"Stay awake."
"Wasn't planning on sleeping."
"You're going to be okay."
Kai looked at her.
She was crying.
He wanted to believe her.
He really did.
Then he noticed how much blood had reached the gutter.
His stomach dropped.
He thought of home.
Not anything important.
That was the strange part.
The leaking bathroom tap.
Laundry covering his chair.
The half-finished coffee inside the café.
His bag still sitting beside the Naruto volume.
Pasta at seven.
His phone.
"Phone."
The woman leaned closer.
"What?"
"My phone."
She looked around.
"Under the bin."
Someone retrieved it.
The screen had cracked badly, but it still lit when the woman placed it in his hand.
Kai blinked until the words stopped doubling.
Three missed calls.
Asha.
A message beneath them.
If you make me eat this pasta alone, I'll haunt you before you're dead.
Kai laughed.
It immediately became a cough.
Pain stabbed through his ribs.
"Idiot," he whispered.
He pressed her name.
The call barely rang.
"Finally."
Asha sounded annoyed.
Normal.
Beautifully, painfully normal.
"Where are you? The pasta is turning into glue."
Kai closed his eyes.
For one second, he let himself imagine he was walking home.
He'd open the door.
Asha would complain.
He'd blame public transport.
She'd point out that he hadn't taken public transport.
He'd find another excuse.
Instead, there was blood beneath him.
"Ash."
Silence.
Just one word.
That was all it took.
"Kai?"
He heard movement.
A chair scraping.
"What's wrong?"
Kai looked at the woman pressing against his side.
"Nothing."
Asha went quiet.
Kai almost smiled.
Terrible lie.
Even by his standards.
"Kai."
"I'm okay."
"Don't."
Her voice changed.
"Don't do that."
He swallowed.
"Do what?"
"Lie to me."
Footsteps thundered into the alley.
Paramedics.
The woman moved aside as they dropped beside him.
Questions came immediately.
Name.
Age.
Where was he stabbed?
Could he breathe?
Kai barely heard them.
Asha was still talking.
"Where are you?"
"It's fine."
"Kai, where are you?"
He heard her crying now.
That hurt more than anything else.
"Someone needed help."
"What happened?"
"She's okay."
"I don't care about her!"
Kai flinched.
Asha immediately broke.
"No—I didn't mean—Kai, please. Where are you?"
"Harlow Street."
A paramedic cut through his shirt.
Another pressed something against the wound.
Kai yelled.
Asha heard.
"Oh my God."
"I'm okay."
"STOP SAYING THAT!"
Kai closed his eyes.
Right.
Fair request.
"Ash."
"What?"
He didn't know what he'd meant to say.
Something important, probably.
He should've had something.
A speech.
Advice.
Passwords.
Where the insurance documents were.
Something an older brother was supposed to leave behind.
All he could think about was the pasta.
"I'm sorry I'm late."
Asha made a sound that nearly broke him.
"You're not late."
Kai opened his eyes.
"What?"
"You're not late. I'll wait."
His throat tightened.
"Asha—"
"I'll wait, okay? Just come home."
The paramedic reached for the phone.
"We need to move."
Kai tightened his fingers around it.
"Ash?"
"I'm here."
"Stay there."
"What?"
"Don't come alone."
"Kai—"
"Call Auntie Lena."
He didn't want Asha walking into another hospital alone.
Not again.
"Promise me."
"I promise. Just—"
The paramedic gently took the phone.
"I have him," she told Asha. "We're taking your brother to St. Anne's Hospital."
St. Anne's.
Of course.
Kai almost laughed.
The same hospital.
The same fluorescent corridors.
The same careful voices.
The universe could be incredibly lazy when it wanted to hurt someone.
They lifted him onto the stretcher.
The alley disappeared above him.
Then sky.
Then the inside of an ambulance.
Everything became noise.
Plastic packaging tearing.
Metal clicking.
A mask over his face.
Someone cutting away more of his clothes.
"Pressure's dropping."
"Kai, stay with me."
He tried.
The ceiling moved strangely.
His body felt very far away.
"Can you hear me?"
Kai blinked.
A paramedic leaned over him.
"What?"
"Stay awake."
"Trying."
"Good. Keep talking to me."
"About what?"
"Anything."
Kai thought.
"My sister made pasta."
The paramedic nodded as though this was extremely important.
"What kind?"
"No idea."
"Do you like pasta?"
"She burns it."
"Then you better get home and complain."
Kai smiled beneath the oxygen mask.
"Yeah."
He'd do that.
Go home.
Complain about dinner.
Fix the tap.
Maybe sleep for twelve hours.
Asha would probably stand in his doorway afterward just to make sure he was breathing.
The thought felt good.
He held onto it.
Then his chest hurt.
Not the stab wounds.
Something deeper.
The monitor beside him changed.
Voices sharpened.
"Kai?"
He tried to answer.
His mouth wouldn't cooperate.
"Kai, stay with me."
He was tired.
God, he was tired.
Not just from today.
From months of alarms.
Flour sacks.
Warehouse lights.
Delivery shifts.
Bills.
Four-hour nights.
Pretending coffee counted as breakfast.
He had kept telling himself he'd sleep later.
After tuition.
After the mortgage.
After things got easier.
Later had never arrived.
His eyes closed.
Asha's voice remained somewhere in his memory.
I'll wait.
Kai tried to open his eyes.
He really did.
The monitor screamed.
Hands moved over him.
Someone said his name.
Then louder.
"Kai!"
He thought about the kitchen.
Mum's curry.
Dad's radio.
Asha glaring at him over a carton of milk.
For one impossible moment, he was there again.
Nothing had happened yet.
Everyone was alive.
He wanted to stay.
The memory slipped away.
His heart stopped before the ambulance reached St. Anne's.
And this time, there was no one left for Kai to save.