Cursed Truths: Blood of a Guardian by M. J. Harper

Author:M. J. Harper [Harper, M. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Eschaton 7
Published: 2021-06-14T22:00:00+00:00

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NEW TERRITORIES, HONG KONG

June 07, 2029

Julie stepped from the elevator and glanced at the signs to identify her next direction. Hoisting her rucksack onto her shoulder, she set off for the coach station, dragging her luggage case behind her.

“Hey, Julie,” a voice called out as she crossed the airport. “Wait for me.”

Julie turned and scanned the crowd, spotting Alex heading her way. Her mouth spread into a smile that slowly faded as she spotted a man in a red shirt. He was loitering in the food court while she spoke to Alex.

“Where are you going?” Alex asked as he caught up to her.

The man in red kept walking.

“Bus,” she replied, gesturing in the direction of the coach station. “It takes longer, but it’s the cheapest option. A taxi to Tsuen Wan is almost twenty times that.”

“How much quicker is it?”

“Taxi’s half the time,” said Julie as she adjusted the weight of her rucksack on her shoulder. “Not including waiting around.”

“That settles it. If you’re giving me a place to sleep, I’m paying to get us there quicker.”

“Really? Thanks,” said Julie, glancing toward the coach station before setting off in the direction of the taxi ranks. “I admit, I wasn’t looking forward to the bus ride.”

They walked in silence, Julie casting furtive glances over her shoulder, until they got outside. Joining the queue for a taxi, Julie turned to Alex to disguise her search of the area.

“You didn’t answer my question,” she asked.

The man in red was back and loitering by the airport door.

“What question?”

“What brings you to Hong Kong?”

There was another man, six spaces behind them in the queue, that Julie saw loitering in the food court.

“Family,” Alex replied as Julie swung her head back to face him. “I’m here to meet my mom.”

“Cool,” Julie said distractedly. “Don’t look now, but I think that guy in the red is following me. He was loitering in the food court until I went to the coach station. He walked by me when you called. Now he’s here.”

“Maybe he didn’t want to wait for a bus either,” Alex replied as he shuffled forward to stand alongside Julie.

“And what about the guy six spaces back? He was in the food court too.”

Alex turned to check his luggage, surreptitiously picking out the men Julie identified.

“What about him?” Alex asked as he straightened back up and faced the front of the queue again, edging closer to Julie. “We’ll be out on the road before he gets a cab.”

Julie shook her head and smiled. “I’m sorry. Being in a strange land always puts me on edge. I start imagining everyone is watching me.”

“I thought you said you lived in Hong Kong,” Alex said, turning to Julie with a puzzled expression.

“No,” Julie said, handing the attendant a slip of paper with some Chinese writing on it as they reached the front of the line. “I said I had a spare room you could sleep in. The apartment belongs to a friend. I use it whenever I’m passing through Hong Kong.

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