Over The Fence - Kuroo Tetsurō

1 | The Picket Gate

 
     A sigh escaped my lips upon entering the last train home. With a paper bag of groceries in one hand, I balanced my way to an empty seat with my free arm.

     As I rummaged for my phone from my jean pocket, a surge of shivers shot through my spine. I felt as if I was being watched. A rising sense of panic filled me as my hair stood on the back of my neck.

     Hunches and vibes stood a on a large pedestal of my life. I couldn't say that I'm some shaman or clairvoyant, but the perception of coming under the gaze of heavy scrutiny was quite a feat. As far as I could remember, my actions have been gravely influenced by family's superstition. This instinctively caused me to crane my neck to check the train. I remember my dad telling me stories about the eerie-- an imp that lurked in the shadows and feasted on human flesh. As much as it does sound like a mere folklore, one can never be too careful.

     To my relief, everything seemed normal. Looking around had gave me a clear picture of the vicinity. There were only a few people inside the train and slim to none appeared to be shady.

     In front of me, a sleeping convenient store employee had taken advantage of the transportation's spaciousness and occupied an entire row of seats. Across sat a family of three wayward children with their haggard mother shushing an infant from crying. From behind me, sat three men in black business suits with tired looks on their faces.

     "Everything's fine. No eerie or mystical creature of sorts-- nothing." I mumbled to myself several times before I became truly reassured. If anyone were to see me now they will most probably think I was mentally unstable.

     Once I had finally convinced myself on the lack of danger, I switched my phone on and saw a message from Mum. It was sent ten wasted minutes ago while I was tending to my paranoia. Tapping the messaging app, I read and replied.

From: Okaasan [10:49 PM]
'Are you home yet?'

To: Okaasan [11:01 PM]
'No, not yet. I'm on a train. I had to buy groceries.'

From: Okaasan [11:09 PM]
'Okay. Stay safe. I'll visit you soon. I love you!'

To: Okaasan [11:12 PM]
'I'll look forward to it, Okaasan. Love you too :)'

     Before I knew it, I saw the station nearing. I clicked the gadget off and stood up to hold the ceiling bars.

     Readying to leave the moment the doors open, I felt a strong punch knocking me back to the seats and my phone was forcefully ripped from my grasp. My brownbag fell and some of the tuna cans from inside rolled on the floor.

     Has my luck become that bad today?

     My eyes were threatening to cry from the stinging pain so I wasn't able to get a good look at the thief. My voice hollered out, still dazed by the blow. "Stop him! He's got my phone."

     My yell created a slight disruption inside the transportation as the men in suits quickly reacted to my call. From the floor, I saw the men surrounding the purloiner. They looked as if they were ready to pounce on him at any second. Just then, the train came to an abrupt halt and opened its doors. The sudden stop made everybody off balanced. Thus, creating an easy exit for the thief as he continued running to the station's exit. Various noises came off the mouths of the other passengers on the train.

     As I was starting to come to my senses, I rushed towards the train doors only to be closed on. The son of a gun had gotten away with my phone. It would've helped if he was less layered. Unfortunately for me, the only description available was: a lanky guy in a slightly battered hoodie. Good luck asking the police for help with that much information.