chase

  “Shit! Shit! Fuck!” He hissed under his breath as he ran, each word separated by the sound of his own ragged breathing. He could hear frantic footsteps behind him— Her footsteps. They were heavy, hard against the concrete as she tried to keep up with him. She was just as desperate as he was, determined to catch up. All of this depended on just how far they were willing to go and how long they could run. 

    She could run a lot longer, a lot faster. 

    He was relying on nothing but luck. 

    He rounded a corner sharply, hoping to throw her off. He staggered slightly, the suddenness of the motion nearly dragging him down. He caught himself, barely reacting. Don’t show weakness. He knew it didn’t matter, though. She had seen him slip up. He wasn’t even sure where he was going anymore. It was late, so the sidewalks were empty and the city barren. The only sign of life was the glimmering windows of distant buildings. It was a blessing and a curse— On one hand, there was no one to trip over or bump into, but on the other, there was no one to help. 

    He quickly glanced over his shoulder in search of his pursuer. She had fallen a little further back, almost as if she was deliberately slowing herself down. It struck him as odd, but he shrugged it off. Whatever. As long as there was enough distance between them, he would be fine. 

    He turned another corner. Before he made it far, someone dashed out of a narrow alleyway. He tried to skid to a halt, but he didn’t react fast enough. He only caught a flash of white before they slammed into him, tackling him to the ground. 

    It was her. 

    He stared up at her for a moment as she held him down. He panicked, desperately trying to push her off. She tightened her grip on his shoulders, her eyes narrowing. No matter how hard he struggled, how desperate he was, they both knew she had won. 

    “This would’ve been a lot easier if you hadn’t run.” She spoke, pausing to take a long breath. She still seemed to be on high alert, but her mannerisms were relaxed in a way, like she wasn’t worried about the possibility of him slipping away again. They both knew she had already won. 

    He didn’t respond, glancing around in hopes of finding something or someone that could be of any use at all. 

    “Пешт.” She grumbled. “You wasted my time.” 

    She didn’t wait for his response this time, letting go of him and standing up. He quickly scrambled to his feet and tried to run. Before he could even take a single step, she grabbed his arm and yanked him back. 

    “Fool. Did you really think I would just let you go? You think I’m stupid?” She snorted before roughly pulling him closer. “Come on.” 

    He resisted, refusing to move. 

    “How much is she paying you, huh?” He asked, glaring up at her. “Is it enough to justify all this, or are you selling yourself short?” 

    He knew he wouldn’t gain much from bringing up payment. He had no idea who she was or what she was like, but people like her didn’t tend to care about details. They took what they could get, without much room for bargaining. 

    She stared back at him. “That is none of your business. Just so we’re clear, I have no problems doing whatever I need to get the information I came here for.” She slipped her knife out from under her belt with her free hand and held it up, an unspoken threat. The blade caught a sliver of light, reflecting it onto her pale skin. “No one needs to justify anything. Now move.” 

    The shift in her tone made him shudder. He had been trying to deny the inevitable, turning a blind eye to reality in favor of pretending like she wouldn’t do anything. Part of him wanted to keep fighting, while the other had already accepted his fate.

    She was going to kill him. 

    When she tugged on his arm again, he followed without even thinking. 

    She led him to a long, narrow alleyway. It was dark and dingy, empty aside from a few soggy cardboard boxes and stray trash cans. She grabbed him and shoved him against one of the tall brick walls enclosing the space, holding her knife inches away from his throat. 

    “If you don’t answer my questions, I’ll kill you.” She spoke calmly. 

    He closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall. How the fuck did he end up here? 

    “Where is Vivian?” She broke the silence mere moments later, watching him expectantly. 

    He opened his eyes, confused. Vivian? He stared at her blankly. How was he supposed to answer that when he had no idea who this ‘Vivian’ person was? 

    “I-I don’t know who that is.” He stammered. 

    “Don’t lie to me.” She snapped, pressing the blade against his skin. “Do I need to repeat myself?” 

    “I swear I have no idea. I swear on my life. I have no fucking idea who that is.” He pleaded, stumbling over his words. 

    She watched him panic before sighing exasperatedly and backing away. “Vivian Brooks. You know exactly who that is. Don’t test my patience.” 

    He tensed up. 

    He did know exactly who that was. He had spent all this time trying to distance himself from her, and yet, here he was about to get killed because of her. He had basically just risked his life all because she had been too self conscious to reveal her real name. 

    “I-I haven’t seen or spoken to her in months. How the hell am I supposed to know where she is?” He finally answered, silently praying to any and every god that would listen that she would believe him. 

    She glared at him suspiciously before relenting. 

    “Fine.” She replied curtly. “You knew I was looking for you, and you knew why. How?” 

    “I knew someone was looking for me because it was pretty obvious from the beginning. You’re not as good at being discreet as you think you are.” The comment slipped out before he could rethink it. 

    She didn’t respond to the insult, simply shooting him an icy glare. “Someone told you.” 

    “No one told me.” He argued. 

    “I’m not buying that.” Her tone was edged with a hint of frustration. 

    “I don’t know what you want me to say. No one told me.” He insisted. 

    “If you continue lying, I will kill you.” She threatened once again. 

    “You’re going to either way.” He muttered, somewhat hoping she couldn’t hear. 

    “I’m doing you a favor, you ungrateful rat.” She hissed, the comment seeming to irritate her even further. “You’re lucky you’re not bleeding out on the ground as we speak. Answer me honestly.” She demanded through gritted teeth.  

    “Alright, fine. There was someone. A woman. I don’t know her name.” He gave in, averting his gaze. 

    She cursed quietly under her breath. “как и ожидалось.” 

    “You don’t know her name, but you’ve spoken to her?” She questioned. 

    “Not exactly. We didn’t speak directly.” He mumbled quietly. 

    She shoved him, earning a quiet wince. “Speak clearly. I don’t have time for your shit.” 

     “What did this woman look like?” 

    “I didn’t see her face. I remember she was wearing a long coat. She was pretty tall, too. That’s all I can recall.” 

    She appeared to be deep in thought, considering his words, trying to recall a figure that matched his description. In truth, he had been lying the entire time. She seemed pretty stuck on the idea that someone had told him, so he made something up to get her to lay off. Luckily, it was working. 

    While she was distracted, he saw an opportunity to run. He let her stand there, completely unaware, for a few more seconds before kicking her leg as hard as he could manage. Caught off guard, she staggered back slightly. He tore away from the wall, making a break for the source of the dull light filtering into the alleyway. 

    “ебать!” She cursed loudly, chasing after him. She slowed to a stop once she reached the end of the alleyway, leaning against the wall. 

    She couldn’t see him anymore, as he had assumedly slipped into another alleyway and disappeared. 

    She let him go.