The Assassin
Oh, she is fun, I thought as I watched Simone’s shadow race through the trees a few feet ahead of me. Even in her dress, she maintained a steady, quick speed. Her bun fell from the ruckus of the car accident, and her long braids swung with every move.
I ran a few beats slower than usual to admire the view. It’s been so long since I’ve had a target run from me. I almost forgot how thrilling the chase could be.
Simone disappeared in the shadows in front of me.
I slowed down even more. Since she was out of sight, I needed to rely on my other senses to find her. Closing my eyes, I listened to the crack of the other twigs. Surprisingly it was oddly quiet.
“Agent,” I sang as I continued through the path. I glanced around the tree for signs of her presence. These leaves and twigs must be hell on her bare feet. She wasn’t getting far with leaving a tiny blood trail behind.
A smile tugged at my lips as I finally spotted a tiny hint of fresh blood on a leaf to the right of me. I immediately changed the course of my path and made the turn.
Under the moonlight, I saw more tiny bits of fresh blood on the twigs and leaves on the ground. The blobs were getting bigger and more noticeable the farther I walked.
I almost frowned at the increasing amount. For any other hunter, wounded prey was a good thing. It meant victory was near. But, I wasn’t ready to be through with her just yet.
As I passed yet another patch, I heard a twig crack to the left of my rear. Instantly, I turned around, ready to strike.
Before I could even lift my fist, something hard and rough collided with my cheek. The unexpected impact blurred my vision.
Between the fuzzy view, I made out a shadow, shorter than me, with a large, thick object in their hands. They swung it like a baseball bat at my head again.
I ducked, prepared for the attack this time. I reached for the object as it flew over my head.
She stepped back before I could grab it. She swung her makeshift bat again, aiming lower to hit me in the ribs.
As it collided with my bones, I grabbed hold of it and felt the familiar texture of bark under my fingers. I tugged the bat forward, flinging her towards me.
She crashed into my body with an “umph.”
Using the close proximity to my advantage, I wrapped my leg around hers and knocked her foot out from under her. As she lost her balance, I pushed against the stick and swung her onto the ground.
Grinning, I went down with her and pressed the wood down against her neck. “A branch? Really?” I asked.
Glaring at me, she pushed back on the wood, her strength battling mine to keep the stick off of her throat. Her legs wrapped around my waist, and she used all her strength to flip us over.
Now on top, she pushed harder against the branch, forcing it against my neck.
I chuckled at the sneer on her lips. The wild glint in her eyes made her look like she really wanted to kill me. I almost stopped resisting to see if she’d really do it.
She yanked the branch out of my hands, held it high over her head and smacked me right in the face with it.
The blow, stronger than I expected, sent stars twirling around my eyes.
Free from my grasp, Simone stood and took off into the darkness again.
I shook off the dizziness and ran after her.
I wanted her to take another shot at me.
I wanted to see what other tricks she had up her sleeve.
Resourcefulness and resilience didn’t come easy to everyone.
Yet, here she was throwing it around like it was nothing.
If only she wasn’t a fucking fed. She could’ve been of great use to me.
Another branch collided with my face mid-step, breaking my thoughts and stride. I flew backwards from the impact and landed flat on my back.
The branch came down again, clocking me straight in the chest. “You. Mother. Fucking. Asshole. Fuck. You. Bastard!” She yelled, hitting me with every word. With the last word, she swung the branch and hit me right in the face.
That one didn’t just blur my vision - it turned all the lights out. And by the time they came back on, Simone was long gone.