Pursuit pt.2

A Story by Cairne

Days later, I arrive in front of a hotel, exhausted but triumphant. I had seen a sign welcoming people into the state hours ago. I push open the doors, and head to the clerk at the counter, and book one room for the night. I immediately head up to my room. As I enter, I can see a set of bedclothes laid out for me upon the bed. I am grateful for the fact I will not have to sleep in my currently incredibly dirty clothes. I'm still marveling at the fact that I had not been mugged, or caught in gang crossfire. I head to the bathroom to wash up and change.

I exit the bathroom, my spirits completely restored, and settle into bed while turning on the television. I look up to the ceiling, the feeling of triumph still dominant. I will tell the senators in this state tomorrow, and I could head back to my home. My attention turns to the television, and an hour later I begin to feel drowsy when I hear a scream from the hallway.

I sit up, and a feeling of dread begins to make itself known as I hear many footsteps in the hallway. Then, the door of my room slams into the wall as a group of armed men force it open. As this happens, I leap out of bed. The men enter the room, and my brain seems to be running at hyper speed, attempting to figure out how to escape. But my body is acting on instinct as I dash over before any of them can react and punch one of the men in the face as hard as I can. The man collapses from the force of the blow, and I wheel around, bringing one of the other men's head down on my knee, then twist around and slam my fist of into the back of another's neck. The men fall unconscious as the other had. Taking my chance, I dash out the open door.

The remaining men pursue me as I run up from floor to floor. The other hotel residents hear the commotion and come out of their rooms grumbling, but they are shocked when they see me running in my pajamas, with a small group of pistoled men following behind. I might have laughed at their faces, if it wasn't for my rather dangerous situation.

I open a door and run up the staircase it beholds. As I hit the last stair, I expect to be on another floor, but I find myself on the roof of the building. I run to the edge of the roof, trying to find another means of escape but there is none. As I search, the men step out onto the roof as. I begin to panic, not knowing what to do, when my eyes set on the roof of a nearby building.

The question forms in my head: "Dare I?". I know it is the only means of escape there is, but I can't help but look down at the ground below. I look to the roof again, and I'm debating furiously with myself. Failure will likely result in death, and I don't know the intentions of my pursuers. They might just want to capture me, see what I know. But abruptly, a reckless desire to jump within me, and along with it comes a certainty that capture will result in death. Fear replaced by self-preservation, I sprint toward the edge.

As my foot lands hardly an inch from the ledge, I jump, and I feel like a bird as I soar through the air. Unbelievably, I hit the roof of the other building. But my knee takes the landing. I suck in air as the pain hits me, and roll. My leg feels heavily bruised, but the pain is not enough to keep me from running. I spot a ladder attached to the building, convenient for my situation. I dash to it, and descend.

A grin spreads on my face as I realize I have escaped, but then I hear a shrill sound that makes me want to clap my hands over my ears. Footsteps sound behind me, and two more men make an appearance. A quick intake of breath, and I start race away. However, I'm starting to feel the effects of exhaustion. I run into a grocery store to hide and rest, if even for a moment.

I run into the produce section and take cover under a stand bearing apples and oranges. I hear the doors open, and a clerk scream, presumably seeing the mens' firearms. I could hear their footsteps, coming closer and closer...

I poke my head out of my hiding place, and peek over the stand to see the men closer than I thought. I scan my surroundings for an escape route, or a weapon of some sort. The fruit in front of me catches my eye. I grimace, knowing full well this could be a horrible mistake on my part, but I grab an orange and hurl it at one of their faces.

I know instantly it's effective, for the man begins to yell and run blindly as the juices seep into his eyes. Taking another chance, I seize an apple and fling it as hard as I can toward the other's head. It hits right on target, and the man collapses in pain. I glance to the wood sign that displays the prices of the fruit, and press my weight on it, snapping off the post. I take the board and walk over to the still yelling man, and beat his head with it until he collapses, bleeding and unconscious. I do the same to the other, drop the sign, and scurry out the emergency exit.

I eventually arrive in a deserted lot, and collapse from fatigue.

I clutch my heavily bruised leg, the pain making a true appearance. I'm panting like a dog. As I try to regain my breath, my brain pieces together a childlike puzzle. I'm still being pursued, even in another state. They, somehow, still found me, even after those long hours of running and evasion. Only two ideas make sense: that I'm now a nationally wanted criminal, or...but no. My mind refuses to accept the alternative. I drag mtself into the darkest corner of the lot, and stare into the darkness, twitching at imaginary movement.

Eventually, I doze. But I never truly fall asleep.