Chapter 1

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Alarm bells blared angrily in the distance, panic and outrage clear in the air behind them. Two figures ran across rooftops, away from the clamour both carrying a duffel bag over one shoulder. The distance between them and the building they had just escaped from was great, and the sounds should have been dissipating into the atmosphere, but Stephanie could still hear the panic directly, loudly in her ear. She raced onwards with vigour, her short curled auburn hair bobbing on her shoulders at the same rate as the racing heart in her chest. Stephanie's entire body was tense, the duffle bag swinging wildly at her side, and her arm pinning her cane tightly to her side, her sweaty hand clasping its golden ball in a death grip.

Her partner, Alan, on the other hand, was whooping and cheering as they made their escape. He held not a care in the world as the duo jumped from rooftop to rooftop across the skyline. In reality, the plan had gone wrong; not that Stephanie would tell him that.

'It was supposed to be quick, quiet, no one was to supposed to know for hours,' Stephanie thought, 'Why is it so loud? Why? Why? Why? Loud! Loud! Lo-'

Stephanie shook her head, her head throbbing as she jumped over the gap between two rooftops, 'Gotta think, gotta think, gotta-'

Behind Stephanie, a loud thud complemented by a panicked cry rung through the air. She turned swiftly on her heel and froze, her throat tight and dry. Three men were pinning Alan to the ground. Alan was struggling to keep them off of him. Stephannie felt her eyes start to water and the world seemed to shake until she steeled herself. Then a spotlight turned on above the building Alan was on, and Stephanie's resolve and the world just collapsed as her heart leapt into her throat. Her unsteady gaze settled on Alan a final attempt at stability as her vision crumbled around her and all feeling left her aside from her trembling.

Alan pushed one of his attackers off of him, freeing one of his arms and he threw it out towards Stephanie in desperation.

"Steph!" He called, his voice beginning to break. Fear, hope and trust were shining in his eyes. Steph inhaled sharply, the distance between the rooftop seemed to grow and grow until Stephanie could no longer think she could make the jump. So, she ran.

A blood-curdling scream followed her forever into the distance.

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