The Sprinter

Chapter 4

The distant moonlight glinted dangerously off the blades that dangled by her side. The assassin lifted them up, out of the way. Darkness swarmed around her and she paused, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the light.

The sound of muffled, wet footsteps echoed down the alleyway as she crept through the slums. She turned left, making her way through the maze of slums in a dreamlike state; her mind was elsewhere. With that girl.

She was strange. Few refused help when offered but, she supposed, fewer still had the naivety to trust anyone. With creatures like these on her tail - it was fair to assume that the young girl was not naive.

She had a distinctly unmemorable face. Clear, fair skin, and deep blue eyes. Rather short, approximately seventeen years old, with shoulder length mousy brown hair. The assassin had kept a mental note of the girl’s features - she was quite unremarkable in appearance, but it seemed her mundanity ended there.

The assassin had been following those creatures for days, just as they had been following the girl. They were dangerous - skilled and clever like no opponent she’d ever faced. That the girl had evaded them for so long… It was hard to believe.

It didn’t matter. Whatever her method, she wouldn’t last much longer. While the young girl had been clever to refuse her offer, it was only wit within idiocy. She could have protected her, if only she hadn’t run.

The creatures were also intriguing, not least in their incredible abilities. In her time of following them, she had found no possible motive for them to attack the girl. It was curious. As far as the assassin knew, the girl held little value or importance. But perhaps she was wrong.

She stopped as the walls on either side of her fell back, and she emerged from the slums. The assassin smiled, and tipped her head back sharply. Her hood fell back, exposing her pale skin to the cold, biting wind. She smiled up at the stars, merely distant glimmers through the clouds, relishing the feel of the wind whipping across her face, free and wild. She was always busy, and her line of work was harsh and unrewarding, so she made sure to make the most of small moments like these. They made her feel alive. She wondered if the young girl took time to appreciate them, and wondered if she would have learned to, had she come with her.

She sighed, and ducked her head, the hood once more concealing her features. It didn’t matter now, and useless contemplation helped no-one. Besides, she still had one more job to do.

And so, hood up and cloaked all in black, the assassin stalked onwards, and disappeared into the night.

                              ****