Chapter 23 Escape the men
>>Clio
The narrow streets of the city stretched out before me. My breath came in ragged bursts as the rain fell down.
The clatter of pursuing footsteps echoed behind me and I knew I couldn't afford to slow down for even a moment.
GOD! I did not think this would turn out so bad so fast! As I darted around corners, my surroundings became hazy. The city seemed to compress, the narrow alleys and towering buildings closing in around me. My senses were heightened as the adrenaline rushed through my veins.
“Hey!!!” I heard a voice behind me but I was so focused on running away I didn’t know who it came from, “Stop!!”
Why the hell do people tell you to stop!?? I mean why would I stop!?!?!
“We can talk through this!!”
Like hell we can!!!
The rain got stronger and all the turns through the alleyways led me through a maze of city stairs, the steps rising in uneven patterns that required split-second decisions. My muscles screamed with exertion as I leaped up one flight after another, my breath now coming in desperate gasps. The sound of my own heartbeat pounded in my ears as I kept going.
OH! GOD! OH, GOD!!! OH, GOD!!
The rain soaked everything, turning the stairs into a slippery battleground. I could feel a determined presence closing in on me, and I felt scared.
GOD NO!
I tried my best to hurry down the weirdly made stairs when one of them finally caught up to me. He crashed his body into mine, and the world spun as I lost my footing.
“HUH!!??”
With a startled gasp, I stumbled forward with a loud scream that got muffled by the thunder rumbling in the sky. My arms flailed for balance, but the rain-slicked surface offered no mercy. I fell, landing hard on the unforgiving steps, my breath knocked out of me while the rough ground tore my clothes a little from the top.
Pain radiated through my body, while the man on top of me tried to grab me. I fought to regain control, my palms scraping against the wet stone as I attempted to push myself up and push him away.
But he was already upon me, his fingers closing around my wrist with an iron grip. His eyes bore into mine, a mix of determination and something else, something that I couldn't quite decipher in the midst of the chaos.
It was Zhou-Lin and the moment I caught sight of him I stopped breathing. My eyes darted around and I couldn’t see Matthew.
“Looking for your target?” The rain drenched us both, “We split ways halfway.” He smirked at me and he breathed heavily with malice laced in his voice, “You're done for, little miss.”
I fought against his hold, using every ounce of strength to wrench my wrist free. The slick surface worked against me, making it difficult to break his grasp. The rain pelted my face, blurring my vision, and making everything hard.
My torn clothes snagged on the uneven steps as I struggled, the fabric pulling at my skin as I writhed against his grip. The only good thing about the rain was that it was on both of us and I was highly determined not to get caught.
“Fuck you,” I glared at him, “You murderer.” His expressions got darker at my words but I managed to twist my body, using my legs to push against the wet stone. His hold on my wrist faltered as he lost balance and fell off of me, and I seized the opportunity to break free. I scrambled a few steps upwards with my heart racing.
But like the villain he was, he came after me, grabbing me again as I tried to go down and we got entangled in a physical tussle over there.
I screamed at the top of my lungs, “Leave me alone!!!” I tried to attack him.
“Shut it!!!” He tried to put me under his grip but I wouldn’t let him. His hands were roaming everywhere, looking for an opening but I was acting like a crazy lady, throwing my arms and legs everywhere to avoid him. The tussle made us both slip and fall further down the stairs. We rolled on the rough wet uneven surface, even colliding with each other where he tried to grab me but I slapped his arm away.
Right when we fell to the linear surface my elbow collided with his nose, causing the damage I did not do on purpose but was exactly what I needed.
As we both slammed on the ground, a loud groan left his mouth while I scrambled to get up. One split-second glance was all I did while I ran ahead again, ignoring all the cuts and scrapes I got. And in the split-second view, I saw his hand go for his nose while it bled.
I may have damaged it with my elbow attack but that was good. I got to run away while he focused on that injury.
And I didn’t stop running, not even when I couldn’t hear anything behind me but I did slow down when all I could hear was myself, breathing like a dog in heat.
OH, My GOD….
I felt my lungs burn.
I think I’m going to die… I was thirty and my legs were going to give in at any moment. The pain had started to kick in as well and my brain wasn’t processing things properly.
Oh, Lord…
I even felt dizzy. But right then, when I wanted to sit down and take a rest, I heard thundering footsteps racing towards me and my heart did a violent flip. I glanced over my shoulder in a hurry and saw someone running towards me with insane speed, his figure visible in the distance. I gritted my teeth at the sight.
SHIT!!!!
Then pushed my body beyond its limits and ran once again.
The chase continued, even though it wasn’t possible for me to continue it. My legs burned, and my lungs ached, but I refused to give in. I had too much to lose, especially because I wanted to gain a lot. I pushed myself to the brink, drawing strength from the adrenaline-fueled determination that surged within me. My eyes watered even more, mixing with the rainwater flowing down my cheeks.
WHY!? Why is this happening to me?!? Because I got involved with a mafia case?!?! This is too cruel!!
My surroundings became a blur as I focused solely on the path ahead. The sound of his footsteps reverberated behind me, scaring me beyond belief. I felt devastated and I wanted to start crying.
How did I get stuck in a situation like this?!? This is not the kind of ‘two men are after me’ situation that I want!!
But I kept running and just as I came out of the alleyway I noticed the city's canals. Just one glance and I knew I had to run straight. My heart raced as I reached the edge of the canal, my breaths coming in desperate gasps. The heavy rain was filling up the water and causing violent ripples in it. It made me stop at the edge because my brain had to double-think about going into that.
If I jumped I could drown. No, I would most likely drown, I barely knew how to swim.
But the sound of his pursuit was dangerously close, and it didn’t allow me to think much. I glanced back at the man after me and this time I could see who it was,
Matthew Merikh
“Cherelle.” He noticed where I was standing, “Don’t do it!!” I frowned when I looked at him. Somehow it looked like he was approaching me with inhumane speed and the sight of that sent shivers down my spine. It was terrifying, it made me think if I had started hallucinating because of the exhaustion but that didn’t make it any less scary and without a second thought, I leaped off the ledge letting myself fall to certain doom.
It was this or getting caught.
The shock of the cold water enveloped me, stealing my breath for a moment. I fought my way to the surface, gasping for air as I struggled to keep my head above the water surface but the storm was making it very difficult.
Yet I didn’t fail to catch the sound of another splashing into the canal which told me he had followed.
>>Rameen
“You can’t go out,” My mother stopped me,
“I can,” I protested, “And I will!”
“It’s a weekday and you want to stay out partying?!?” She glared at me, “Absolutely not!” She pointed out the window, “There’s a storm out there, why do you want to go out!”
“I’d like to see how you stop me!” I yelled at her, “I’m a teen, all my friends want to enjoy the rain so why can’t I?”
“Why?” My mom’s eyes got darker with anger, “Why do you always do this to me?” She glared at me, “Why can’t you just listen to me?!?”
“Why would I listen to a weird ass person like you!!!” I yelled back at her and she came to block the front door.
“Try leaving,” She said, “And it won’t end well.” She threatened me.
I backed away, “I wish you weren’t my mom.” My words made her eyes go wide and her expression went from angry to disappointed.
I turned around and ran towards the back door.
She didn’t follow me or tried to stop me.