€ – Horror

“Ah- little one!” Hakuba cried, dashing forward to grasp the young child’s arm, yanking them back from the street corner. At first the action seemed reckless – overprotective, even. There was traffic, yes, but nothing terribly amiss. It was only when he stepped back, Yori tightly in his arms, that the accident happened. Speeding through the intersection, crashing into oncoming traffic, sending another car careening into one other, skipping the curb and ending up right where Yori had just been standing.
The detective panted, heart beating fast as he surveyed the damage in front of him, not daring to let go.
How had he known that the accident was about to occur? He had no answer. Others on the street stared at him and he glanced about, eyes wide, panicked. What he saw all around him were numbers. Floating above people’s heads, covering their faces, tattooed on their arms, all counting down. Ticking time bombs, each one of them.
Except for this child. That time had stopped. There had been 5 seconds left.
He swallowed hard.
“S-sorry, little boy… I… ah…"