Lost and Found (Jirose)

Drive

The ginger-haired man wasn't merely jogging or running.

He was galloping.

He tore through the crowd thronging out of shops, pushing pedestrians out of the way violently as he zipped along the pavement.

He zig-zagged around fire hydrants, street stalls and street poles, pumping his fists like pistons.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" he cried in distress, his hair flying behind him. "MOVE PEOPLE!"

His lungs burned but he couldn't give in right now.

He had taken the subway but paranoia overwhelmed him and he resolved to run for it as soon as he reached the outer suburbs of their district.

He could move faster and hide quicker if need be that way.

People stared, wondering if he was a mugger running away from the scene and some even tried reaching out to grab him, adding to his frustration.

He shook them off, eluding their grasp as he ran for his life, shouting to warn people of his approach.

Now and then he glanced behind him but so far, there was nobody tailing him.

He came to a pedestrian crossing and after a quick glance, practically threw himself into the road.

He never saw the car coming until he heard the screeching of brakes. His eyes almost popped in his head as he turned to face the vehicle hurtling towards him.

In that moment, Time seemed to slow down. He tripped in his haste and plunged to the ground, watching the car's inexorable approach.

He closed his eyes just before impact. This was the end.

Lisa I'm so sorry...

He hit the ground face-first with a thump, letting out a moan as shock waves of pain jolted his body.

Dimly, he heard a door slam.

"You ran over him?!"

"No! I'm positive!"

"Well fat lot of good being positive is gonna be if you bulldozed over him!"

"Unnie I said I didn't!"

"This is just fantastic! On top of running late, now you ran over a guy!"

"I swear I braked! He must have tripped!"

The ginger-haired man winced at the loud voices, realising he was still very much alive.

His hands were scraped but he was miraculously still breathing and otherwise untouched. Looking up, he saw the car's chassis looming over him.

It must have missed hitting him by a fraction.

The two agitated voices sounded female and distinctly familiar.

Wait....he knew this dent on the bumper, his car had one in the same place.

Was this...his car?

Then the driver must definitely be--

"Hobi?"

His heart seized up with terror: the last person he wanted to face in the world right now was gazing down at him with those mesmerising, doe eyes.

Beautiful.

Even in this crazy situation, he couldn't help admiring the way the early morning light touched her eyes, turning the hazel hues into honey tones.