Kai didn't sleep
Didn't eat
He wasn't sure he needed to anymore
No one could see him
Touch him
Hear him
But the whisper
That whisper from the clouds
It knew his name
He returned the next night
Same ledge
Same glow
Wind cold
Sky quiet
Until it wasn't
A word rose through the air
Cracked and raw
"Kai"
Not a memory
Not a dream
A voice
Alive
He stepped closer
The sky pulsed
Then it happened
A flicker
A shimmer in the clouds
And a hand
Reached out
Grey skin
No fingernails
Wrist covered in broken countdown numbers
Then more voices
Not screaming
Not angry
Begging
"Remember us"
"Help"
"We're still here"
Kai stumbled back
Heart racing
Not erased
Not dead
They were trapped
And whatever held them
Was alive
Watching
Feeding