I strode out of my office building and into the busy streets, shoes quickly dampened by the heavy rain. I was soaked within seconds. A gust of wind blew my direction, my jacket fluttering in the strong wind. It was raining hail the size of baseballs, raindrops tore into the center of Hong Kong. A mass of moving bodies crowded around me, trapping me. As I looked up into the dark night, raindrops pelted my face, drowning it in salty tasting water. Skyscrapers and neon lights of different colors stared dully back at me, unmoving. Peering into the crowd, I found a back alley; 50TH Sze Street, my usual way of escaping the crowds and going back home. Pulling my coat closer around me, I walked towards it.
As I stepped into the alleyway, I felt as though something was wrong. With a shake of my head, I dismissed the thought. In a dark alleyway where no one was walking, anybody would feel as though something awry was going on. With assured determination, I walked on. A few ten meters ahead I could already spot out the glow of the main street – a few more steps from that point on would take me to my cozy apartment. Abruptly, shadows glided here and there. At first I thought it was a illusion or the aftermath of busy nights at work, but when something started oozing out of the sewers, I knew something wrong was going on. Unable to believe my eyes, I darted forward; the only thought I was able to come up with was how to get out of here. Behind my running figure, weird shapes and shadows started to emerge. Something was definitely wrong! After what seemed like forever, I escaped the alley and panted heavily, sweat dropping from my palms. I screamed for help.
People looked at me as though I was crazy. I probably was crazy. A trio of kids decided that it would be fun to point and laugh at me. I glanced behind me, and was sure that I hadn’t gone mad. More than ten of the tenacious tentacles were slithering forward, intent on eating me. I ran...