Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 538

With that, Cata pulled on her teal gliders (shoes that enable the user to jump far distances and land stably, powered by Ki energy mined from the planet’s core- an illegal fuel that has been outlawed by most countries.) and threw on a hot pink windbreaker as she ran out of the dark room. “DRONE!” yelled Cata from the hallway. An engine thrummed as the tablet was picked up by a drone, following Cata out of the small apartment crammed with necessities and what was hsaped like a crooked wing underneath a cloth. The drone followed Cata over the creaky stairs, and onto the empty rooftop. There were no stars, but the lights of the bustling city were more than enough, better even. With pinks and blues flashing all around. Neon shop signs, steaming engines, glowing banners, it was beautiful. For a city completely shunned by the rest of the Great Bay Area and swarming with outlaws, this was amazing, better than the capital, even! Cata gazed down the at least 40 feet drop from where she was and grinned. This girl is crazy! She looked back at the drone, “Since I’m feeling generous today, here’s the gliding lesson you asked for.” and with that, she jumped. Light blue streaks of light shone in the dark as she jumped- no, glided across the building. The arc of light disappearing as fast as it appeared as she landed softly against the concrete of the next rooftop. “I’m going to go to the city centre! The festival’s almost starting!” She shouted against the howling wind, exitment spilling from her sparkling eyes. Cata’s footsteps thudded against the ground as she glided from one building to another, down rails and over balconies, creating a series of lightning arcs, it was like watching a shooting star, only one with a wild laugh and a head of flames tied up in a bun. “I’ve still have some time, I’ll get the thing for our project. And don’t worry, I’ll try not to get caught this time,” she winked at the drone and took off, jumping up- [blank.unrocovered footage] 2330 {GMT+8) . 31-12-2022 15 minutes later and this girl is still running. Without breaking a sweat, Cata leapt down a building tucking into a roll just before she hit the ground, what was this ‘thing’? She was going in the opposite direction of the festival, toward the slums. Cata’s gliders squelched as she stepped onto the muddy road, all around were people, begging for Ki Powder and trying to claw at her gliders when they saw the familiar glow. Cata shook her head lightly and continued on. Rule 1: don’t associate with the Ki addicts. She went deeper and deeper until the only sound that could be heard was the moaning of the sick and dying. A shiver went down her spine as she cringed and stepped into what looked like an abandoned building, wooden planks rotting and dried up bloodstains littering the door, a sign that says “Ki” barely hanging onto the railing. Rule 2: don’t associate with the Ki dealers. Cata mumbled a curse under her breath as she crept in, careful to not step on the squeaky parts of the stairs and slipped into another room with a click from a hairpin. The room was brightly lit with a metal box sitting in the middle of the room. A musty scent pricked Cata’s nose as she opened it, revealing a glowing orb.