Myers didn't stop walking until the eastern sky began to pale.
The city remained asleep.
Only the rain kept moving.
Kenji had lost count of how many streets they had crossed.
Every few minutes Myers would glance over his shoulder.
Sometimes he'd stop completely.
Listen.
Then change direction.
"You think someone's following us?"
"I know they are."
Kenji looked behind him.
The street was empty.
"No one."
"They're better than that."
Another turn.
Another alley.
Another abandoned storefront.
Finally Myers stopped beneath an old pedestrian bridge.
The concrete overhead hid them from the road.
For the first time that night…
He exhaled.
"They'll lose us for a while."
"For a while?"
"They always catch up."
Kenji leaned against the bridge railing.
His legs were beginning to ache.
"Myers."
"What?"
"What happened the first time?"
Silence.
"The phone."
"You said you've thrown away eight of them."
Myers stared at the flowing river beneath the bridge.
"The first one rang…"
"…the night I died."
Kenji froze.
"You died?"
Myers laughed.
A dry laugh.
"I thought everyone did."
He looked at Kenji.
"Didn't you?"
Neither man spoke.
Across the city…
Kenji's mother finally unlocked the wooden box.
Her hands trembled.
Not because she feared what was inside.
Because she already knew.
The lid creaked open.
Inside…
No jewelry.
No letters.
No money.
Only a worn hospital identification badge.
The photograph had faded almost beyond recognition.
Yet one thing remained perfectly clear.
Project ECHO
Research Division.
Employee Number 014.
She closed her eyes.
"I told them to burn this…"
Beneath the badge rested a folded piece of paper.
Yellowed with age.
Its edges were stained with dried blood.
She unfolded it carefully.
One sentence.
Written in handwriting she recognized instantly.
If you're reading this…
…he remembered before we were ready.
Her breathing stopped.
No signature.
It didn't need one.
She knew who had written it.
Deep beneath the city…
The old man reached for another chess piece.
Before his fingers touched the board…
A crack echoed through the chamber.
He frowned.
The sound hadn't come from the walls.
It came from above.
One of the candles reignited on its own.
Blue.
Not orange.
The young woman stepped backward.
"Master…"
He slowly stood.
"No."
His expression darkened.
"He opened it."
The room fell silent.
"Then…"
"…we're already too late."
Outside…
A black cat crossed an empty intersection.
Halfway across the road…
It stopped.
Its ears twitched.
Someone else was walking.
Not toward the city.
Away from it.
The cat watched a lone figure disappear into the rain.
Long coat.
Hands in his pockets.
No umbrella.
No footprints.
Only one sentence drifted behind him.
"So…"
"…you finally opened the box."
Then he vanished into the mist.
Kenji looked up suddenly.
"What is it?"
Myers asked.
Kenji frowned.
"I don't know."
For the briefest moment…
He felt as though someone had just spoken his name.
Not in front of him.
Not behind him.
But somewhere…
Between memory…
…and tomorrow.