Better Eight Than Never

Chapter 16: From bad to worse

Toda read that last message over again and felt all the ink drain from his face. Jill was being followed? Oh no. Promptly abandoning the granola bars, he ran for the front door. "I'm heading out Mom!" He called, running down the hall before he had a chance to hear her reply. He began to text Jill frantically.

T: OK

T: sta clam

T: can u call em?

J: Y would I call thems

J: ogh yoyu meant you

J: hahaha whta if he heearss me?!

T: pretend ur tlaking 2 ur mom ro somehting

T: u can stl answr yes.no if u Ned to

T: or I cold cal u

T: mghti be mro nattul tat wa

T: were r uudhhrrhd at?

Toda pulled the door to the stairs open and descended two at a time, sometimes mistepping and taking three steps. He wished he'd had the forethought to grab his Splattershot Jr. but it was too late now. He checked his texts again once he was in the lobby, sprinting for the front doors.

J: csnt reedg th#

J: call me

Toda called Jill, hearts pounding. After a few seconds, she answered.

"Hi mom~!" She said, voice strained.

"Okay, where are you at? Are you at the mall?" He asked, running through the park at full tilt.

"I'm fine." She said, trying her best to act like a normal conversation. "But I'm going to be a little late!"

Okay, so she wasn't there yet... Could he even get to her in time? "Do you have an ink weapon with you?" He asked.

"Yes. Course, I think there's gonna be more than enough sweets for the both of us." Jill replied.

"Wha–" Toda started, then realized that Jill was trying to say that her pursuer was armed as well. "Oh! Okay, um... um... crud, I'm just getting to the station I don't know if I can make it in time."

"Ha, yeah, It's the next stop!" She said, a pained tone in her voice.

Toda struggled with his wallet and the phone, trying to get out a train pass. "Stay on the train!" He said. "Is there any security you could–"

"T-Toda he's staring at me!" Jill squeaked. "He knows I know...!"

"Um... Um, okay, okay, don't panic..." He said. His phone beeped in his ear and he glanced at it just long enough to see that he'd just gotten two texts from Simon. "Hold on Simon..." He muttered, swiping his card and rushing through the turnstile in his haste to get to the platform.

"Simon?" Jill asked. "What's going on with Simon? Actually on second thought, unless they're being eaten alive, c-can Simon wait until this is done?"

"Yeah, yeah yeah." He replied quickly. The train pulled up and he pushed through the exiting crowd to board, standing as close to the doors as he could without blocking them. "Okay, I'm on the train." He said, gripping the hand rail tightly. "Um, um... What does he look like?"

"U-Um..." She paused. "He's wearing a Squid nordic? He has the goggles down so I can't see his eyes. He's wearing a blue inkline t-shirt, and his skin's a light brown, covered in muscles and scars...! T-Toda, I think he's one of them...!"