An Assassin's Pursuit

Favors

   "Wake up."

My eyes opened slowly. The old man that I had tried to save in that alley, was standing over me. My vision was blurry but I knew it was him. My stomach felt tight. I clenched my teeth and put my hand over my stomach. I yelp in pain. I lift my hand to look at it, and there it was, coated in red.

"Don't touch it girl," the geezer spoke.

His voice had a croaky tone. He handed me a towel from a table, close by a broken window.

''W-what is this!" I scream staring intensely at my hand.

"You don't remember? You were foolish and got shot,"

He looked annoyed even though I remembered that I had put MY life on the line to protect him.

"FOOLISH!?" I bellowed out in anger and confusion.

I sat up quickly and instantly regretted it.

"AH!" I yelped.

"Stop moving!"

He lifts my blood soaked school shirt up and checks the bandage. "Time for a new one." He sighs and proceeds to a tray on the table, next to the bed I was currently suffering on.

"You're lucky Karin [ca-rin] could get the bullets out," he said tearing the paper coat off the bandage.

"Y-you're a jerk," I said feeling drowsy.

"Well, if that were true I wouldn't have saved you." he chuckled.

"M-my stomach----" I said unable to finish my sentence.

I stared painfully at the ceiling my vision still blurry.

"That's what happens when you get shot. You're just lucky your spinal cord didn't shatter. 2 bullets. That's lethal," he said tearing the blood soaked bandage from my stomach.

My stomach had been stitched, that's why it felt tight. He cleaned the wound lightly and put the new bandage on. The wound ached more than you can imagine. I watched carefully, yelping every time I was touched.

"You're annoying, you know that?" the old man glared ruthlessly.

"T-then w-why help m-me," I said, pretending like his words weren't demeaning.

"Because I need you," he said and lifted his head to glance at me.

"For?" I glared suspiciously.

"Focus on recovering now."

______________________________________________________

                     ~One Week Later~

I hear the basement door unlocking.

"Are you letting me out?!" I get up and quickly limp to the door.

The old man chuckled while walking through the door. I stood there.

"Do you really think I'm going to let you go? I saved your life so now you owe me yours." he said setting a soda on the table next to my bed.

"What now?" I groan.

He tosses a news paper article on the bed I slept on.

"Great, you can read. What do you even need an assassin f— never mind just don't answer that. Look, I need to get home to my family soooo thanks for everything but adios."

I limp over to the door but guilt stops me. I stood in the doorway contemplating whether to turn back. I turned around and groaned.

"I...guess the least I could do is hear you out."