Chapter 6

• Gala buried himself beneath the thick blanket, trembling, his breath coming in frantic, uneven bursts. He was still shaken. Every detail of what had just happened looped in his mind with terrifying clarity.
• Why him? Why did he have to be the one to go through this?
• He wanted to scream, to curse the universe, but he was just—too tired.
• It started with curiosity.
• Despite his fear, Gala had crept toward the strange voice. The golden glow that had flooded the alley was dimming now, shrinking until it seemed to be hiding behind a stack of discarded cardboard boxes. Gala hesitated for only a second before carefully peeling the boxes away, the sharp rustle of skittering rats and cockroaches barely slowing him down. Something about it—about that voice—drew him in.
• And then he saw it.
• “A… dice?” he whispered, stunned.
• There, nestled in the filth, was a large die—about the size of his fist—glowing faintly orange, the same shade he’d seen moments ago. And… it talked?
• Gala knelt, lifting the strange object with cautious fingers. The die was black, with multicolored pipes decorating each face. Its glow was fading fast, and he instinctively wiped it clean with the frayed sleeve of his old work shirt.
• And then it moved.
• The die suddenly cracked open, splitting at the seams—not because Gala had done anything, he was sure of that. He hadn’t even pressed it. He was just cleaning it. Gently. Carefully.
• Then the halves floated upward, separating midair as if possessed.
• Gala screamed. He stumbled back, crashing into a pile of trash with a loud clatter.
• “Sir, please don’t be afraid.”
• But that… that was nothing compared to what happened next.
• Out of the soft white light spilling from the now-hovering die, a woman appeared. Or rather—a projection of a woman. Her long hair floated around her shoulders, and her eyes… cold, piercing, unreadable.
• She looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. A hologram. But it was too detailed. Too real.
• Gala was terrifying. Beyond terrified.
• “Don’t come any closer!” he shouted, shaking. His voice cracked, breaking beneath the weight of panic. The die floated closer anyway, drifting gently toward him like it had a mind of its own.
• “I said stay away! Whoever—whatever you are!”
• “Sir…”
• This isn’t happening.
• Gala scrambled to his feet. His knees nearly gave out, wobbling under him. He’d never—never—experienced anything like this. This wasn’t just strange. It was… impossible.
• “Sir, please don’t be afraid. My name is Dice.”
• He didn’t care what her name was. Or that she sounded polite. Or that she had some eerily calm presence. None of it mattered. This wasn’t normal. Nothing about this night was normal.
• Without any other thought, he jumped on his bike. The handlebars were bent. The front wheel wobbled. The tire was completely flat.
• He didn’t care.
• He pedaled anyway, lurching forward as best he could, choosing the only option for his instincts screamed at him: Go home.
• Maybe it was just exhaustion. Hunger. A really bad day snowballing into one massive hallucination. Yes. That had to be it. He hadn’t eaten properly in days. It was starting to mess his head.
• But then…
• “Sir,” the voice called after him once more. “You are the Last Horratio. You cannot escape your fate.”
• Gala pedaled faster, panic surging through his veins like a second heartbeat. His wheels skidded dangerously over scattered plastic trash, nearly toppling him more than once. Horns blared all around as drivers slammed their brakes, yelling curses when he cut across lanes without warning.
• But Gala couldn’t stop. He wouldn’t stop.
• His hands were shaking so hard the handlebars wobbled beneath him. His legs trembled with every push. He didn’t even register the voices calling his name as he stormed into the flat building, not even Mr. Richard’s sharp bark from the stairwell.
• He just kept going.
• Straight to his room. Straight to his bed. Straight under the covers.
• Wrapped in a thick blanket like a child afraid of monsters, Gala tried to slow his breathing. But his chest rose and fell like he’d just outrun a beast. His thoughts spun in a frantic loop.
• What the hell was that?