The Girl Behind The Bullets

N I N E

I had barely been walking twenty minutes when I felt the phone vibrate deep in my pocket. I pulled it out and I was notified I had received a text from Charlie.

'So, you're The Black Swan then, or do you prefer Sophia because you put down both as your contact' Charlie texts me, he's right I put down both as I wasn't sure which he preferred.

'I prefer Sophia but keep that to yourself' I text back and send.

'Deal, so I tracked your friend' Charlie spikes my interest and i quickly change direction to the nearest most secluded bench I can see.

'Good, where is he?' I reply eager to know.

'He left the rooftop and quickly dropped down to ground level. He kept to the backstreets and alleys but I was able to track him. He's staying at an average hotel in the city, he tried to stay hidden using backways but I'm good at what I do so I tracked him to the hotel' Charlie replies very quickly.

'What hotel?' I say standing to my feet and prepping myself to move.

'The River Lily' He replies.

'Okay I'm heading there now. Did he bring the sniper rifle with him?' I text back as I start to walk in the direction of the hotel.

'Wait, why are you going after the person who wants to kill you? That seems a little silly in my opinion. Erm, yeah he put the rifle in a bag and brought if with him to the hotel' Charlie questions understandably.

'Because I want to know more about this guy' I reply honestly.

'Well I can help you there a little bit, ever heard of the name Ficter?' I read the text and nearly stop in my tracks.

'Unfortunately yes, a terrorist organisation based in the Middle East. I've had multiple run in with them' I reply, small flashbacks come into my mind, flashbacks of certain people.

'Good, so I ran this guys face through numerous face recognition databases not really expecting to get a hit considering the poor quality of the picture. But I did, a name kept coming up with an old picture of the hitman' Charlie sends one text and I await the next.

'The Huntsman, that's the name he goes by. There's nothing else about him and I don't how how Ficter fits in to all this but it does someway' Charlie explains and this time I pause my steps. The Huntsman, now I have a name to the face.

'Ficter are bad news but I'll deal with them later, The Huntsman is first on the list. Keep trying all databases Including the military, navy and Airforce of all the big military's in the world and get back to me' I reply my demands and continue on my way.

'Okay, stay safe' Charlie finishes the conversation. He's the second person who has said that to me in my life including X. I make a mental note to not get too reliant on Charlie and begin my journey to the hotel where my killer probably lies in wait for me.

- - -

The expected English weather soon makes an appearance as the heavens open and it releases all its trillions of little raindrops across the city. People rush by, with and without umbrellas perched over their heads as they dash for cover. The cars make a deliberate decision to slow down to avoid splashing people who wish to remain as dry as possible on the sidewalk. I however am in the lower percentage of people who have an umbrella curtesy of a local pound shop. The simple yet effective tool will keep me dry while others feel the rains cold touch upon their skin.
While those people who push past are thinking of how they will get home in the rain, I'm thinking of a slightly more dangerous thought. I'm wondering how I'm going to deal with this guy who calls himself The Huntsman. Numerous other aspects are coming into play as I make a small physiological profile of my man. He's prone to violent outbursts most of the time without a reason. He's sadistic and ruthless but very effective and shows no mercy to his victims. Probably had an abusive childhood, alcoholic parents is the norm among professional killers unfortunately. Then there's the main reason why I feel like I'm not going to die today, the reason why he didn't kill me at the salad bar. It's the same reason I would have for not killing someone.