The Assassin (3)

A tense short story/ prologue for my O-level English coursework about paranoia. This is my final draft so please rate and comment :) Enjoy!

 

The Assassin

 

The city lights are blinding. The loud drones of angry drivers and nightclub music fill my head and in the distance, I hear sirens. As I walk, I gag at the smell of car fumes mixed with the vinegar air coming from the local chippy. Waves of people push past me on the street, seemingly without a destination, but I know that he is still after me.

 

The air is hot and misty with cigarette smoke and warmth flooding from the restaurants on either side of me. Sweat trickles down my forehead and I hear my heart thumping in my ears. I quickly turn my head to catch a glimpse of the shady figure under the dim street lamp. My heart jolts and I start to run. I steal another look, but this time he is lost in the sea of pedestrians. As I face onward once more, I gasp as I realize that the crowd has stopped as the light turns red. My breath puffs in short quick gasps as I try turn again to find the ever elusive shadow. A small whimper escapes me as I see him in the midst of the crowd - much closer than I thought. In a blind panic, I push through the tide of people. My eyes flicker looking for a safe place to hide and then I see the dark opening of a corner alleyway across the road.

 

As I dash across the busy expressway, the cars screech to a halt and I hear enraged drivers yelling abuse after me. But I don’t look back at them, I just keep running. Holding my breath I race across the last lane, but I break as two brilliant white lights come charging towards me. For a split second, all the air is pushed out of me and I am slammed into the ground. My head smacks against the concrete road and my blood splatters across my face. Intense pain floods into every limb: I feel like I’m on fire. I pause for a moment in shock, hearing the clink of the car door as the driver steps out. Fighting for breath, I try to pick myself up. I can’t let him catch me. Before she can reach me I stagger too my feet and attempt to run again. I hear her muffled voice as she calls after me and the monstrous anger of horns from traffic behind her. My head throbs and my vision is hazy. All I see are smeared city lights and the alluring calmness of the alley entrance.

 

The alley is dark and still. The cool night breeze is soothing to my aching face. As I slow down to catch my breath, a lone plastic shopping bag flutters toward me. The moonlight reflects itself off the murky puddles and the smell of rotting garbage fills the air. Licking my dry lips I taste the blood gushing from my nose. I wipe my face with the back of my jacket sleeve, leaving a large red stain. But I don’t care about my jacket, because I know I’m running for my life. It is too risky to stay still, so I carry on walking. I strain my eyes to see past the gloom for an exit. The only sounds now are my wet footsteps that echo off the never ending brick walls, and the wind as it whooshes down my path. Graffiti is scribbled on each side – curse words and haunting faces warning me away. It somehow makes me more uneasy, as if I were trespassing. I now had second thoughts about the alley being a safe place to hide…

 

I jump. There is a flinch in the shadows; a stray cat scurries across from behind a dumpster and into its den. I sigh with relief and see my breath fog before me. I try telling myself to calm down; but still I cannot shake the feeling he has followed me here. I peer round the den, and see two luminous yellow eyes glaring back at me, telling me I should leave. I keep on walking. The ominous midnight shadows bear down on me like giants. I hear the pitter-patter as it begins to rain - and footsteps, but not my own. I stand still. The butterflies in my stomach turn to hornets. I slowly twist my head around, but see nothing but darkness behind me. I think I hear the faint sound of breathing… or is my mind playing tricks on me? Feeling sick, I begin to run. The rain pours down harder. I hear the distant patter as my stalker chases after me. Numb with fear, I start to sprint, faster and faster into the dark gloom of the alley, the rain slapping pitilessly against my face.

 

But I run to a dead end. As I fight against the padlock on the metal gate, I hear the soft footsteps of the Assassin. I dare to peek over my shoulder, and see the shady man looming out of the darkness, and the silver twinkle of his gun. Panic stricken, I fight harder against the padlock, but I already know it's over. My heart hammers rapidly in my ears. I try to scream but no sound escapes my saw throat. I clutch onto the wire of the gate carving slices on my palm. He steps closer; I tremble as I feel his hot, steamy breath on the back of my neck. I stand motionless like a dear caught in headlights, too petrified to turn to see my killers face, just waiting for the click of his trigger. I squeeze my eyes shut, shedding a single tear as I feel the harsh jab of his gun into my back. “Are these your keys?”

 

Author's Note

Ignore spelling blah blah blah....

Reviews

[A.Kalashy]

Good plot, the story is indeed interesting.
the atmosphere and the tension is well illustrated.
The only problem i find in your writing is that you
use "I" in too many sentences. I do too when i write
First person but i think it kills a mood a bit and makes
the reader to be aware he is reading a story.
Overall great idea and good writing, just need a bit of
improvement to make it brilliant in my opinion.
Looking forward to read more of your work.
Ashkan