Brave the Dark

1: Bennett

Bennett stumbled through the alley, checking behind him as he ran. Unfortunately for him, his pursuers were still hot on his trail. He really should've thought twice before trying to con this pair, but wealthy businessmen from uptown were too tempting to ignore.

Luckily for him, businessmen from uptown didn't know the streets like he did. They hadn't grown up in the back alleys and abandoned buildings in the slums of the city's outskirts.

Bennett turned a corner, almost crashing into the wall as he sped down the street. The few people hanging out on the streets gave him disdainful looks as he tripped over one makeshift shelter or another.

"Sorry!" He called over his shoulder as he made another turn, spotting the building he was looking for. The back door was left open a crack, and Bennett flung it open and burst into the dark, empty room beyond. He slowed down, counting his steps as he made his way through the room.

The building was abandoned far enough downtown that all of its power had already been cut off, but Bennett had been through enough times to know exactly where his desired location was.

He practically flew up the stone steps to the second floor, where light shone through a large crack in the wall. He paused momentarily to catch his breath, listening for the sound of footsteps.

To his relief, the only sound he could make out (besides some annoyed shouts from the alleys) was his own heartbeat. Bennett sighed, leaning against a stable portion of the wall as he tried to calm his racing heart.

That was a little too close for comfort, even for him. He wasn't used to uptown folks who could see through his cons - though, their general distaste for the outskirts probably didn't help him out.

Bennett pushed himself away from the steady wall and headed toward the crack. A thick wooden board was placed in the gap in the wall, crossing the alley beneath and leading into another crumbled building.

Bennett placed a foot on the boards and scanned the alley beneath him. He couldn't see the businessmen - had they already given up? He carefully balanced himself as he put all his weight on the board.

He'd barely made another step when he heard someone shout from the alley, "Up there!"

Damn.

Apparently, the businessmen had not given up. Bennett did his best to ignore the shouts as he edged across the board, trying to keep his balance. Halfway there, he felt the board move. He glanced down and saw one of the men beneath him, using some sort of stick to poke at the board.

Well. That wasn't good.

Bennett took a deep breath, trying to keep steady as the board shifted beneath him. He glanced below. The ground wasn't that far down, but it would put him right in the hands of those businessmen. Yeah, he'd rather not deal with that.

He glanced at the open window ahead of him, where the end of the board was resting. Bennett hesitated a moment before beginning to move again, heading toward the window faster than before.

The board shifted again, and Bennett glanced back. Somehow, the second businessman had reached the second floor of the abandoned building and was reaching for the board. That really wasn't good.

After a moment of hesitation, he breathed deep and without thinking, pushed himself forward, reaching out for the edge of the window. His fingers grasped the windowsill just as the man behind him pushed the board down.

It dropped, and Bennett fell with it, his hands barely managing to cling to the window sill as the rest of his body crashed into the wall, the board clattering against the ground beneath. Bennett scrambled for purchase, finally finding a small hold for his foot. He hauled himself up and over the windowsill, crashing to the floor inside.