Bounty of Freedom

Chapter 1: Normal Day at the Office

A wind blew through the city of Marseilles, slicing through the silence. The peaceful night's bliss was ruptured by the sudden change of direction in the weather.

It was a crisp autumn evening, despite it being very gray and dreary. No one was walking the streets. The trees were full of fiery red and orange leaves and ripe, non-edible berries.

A man ran down the street,  pursued by two others, who in return were trying to gain on him with quick succession.  The two men who were chasing the other person were Travis Allmon and Derek Caradine. They were known as two of the best bounty hunters France had to offer and with good reason. In their seven years of partnership, they had successfully caught nearly 175 fugitives of the law and racked up tens of thousands of pounds as rewards. 

"He's not letting up, Derek!" Travis screamed at Derek. 

"He may be fast, but we're quicker!" Derek screamed back.

What both compared in skill, they lacked in physical appearance and personal style. Travis was of average height, had cropped midnight blue hair and brooding brown eyes. He wore all black leather that was also adorned with spikes and studs. Derek was taller than Travis and had short light brown hair and bright blue eyes. He wore a gray sweatshirt, jeans, and black running shoes. They each had two guns at their hips and two pairs of handcuffs. 

Travis ran faster than Derek, eventually catching up to the fugitive and tackling him, getting him into a headlock, his bicep pressing into his windpipe. The fugitive struggled as Travis increased the pressure of the hold, his grip like a boa constrictor. He clawed at Travis's wrists, trying to breathe, but Travis didn't seem to let go. 

Finally, the fugitive turned the tables on the submitter and rolled so that Travis flew and landed flat on his back. The much taller and larger man put his foot on Travis's chest and stepped down roughly. Travis groaned in pain as he began to cough. Derek came out of nowhere, body-slamming the fugitive and pinning him down. Travis immediately sat up and starting to cough violently, his hand over his chest. Derek handcuffed the fugitive, hauling him to his feet. 

Travis slowly got up after his coughing fit, spitting. Derek began to lead the handcuffed man to the metropolitan police station. 

"At least we got the guy, right Caradine?" Travis asked, holding his ribs. 

"Yeah, we did." 

When they arrived at the police station, they walked through the door, flashing their IDs. The security guard at the front desk let them in, Derek ushering in the handcuffed criminal. Everyone in the other room looked up and began whispering to each other. 

"They got another one."

"That's like what, nineteen this month?" 

Travis glared at the employees, telling them to keep their comments to themselves with a look. They all went silent as Derek brought the criminal into the chief's office. 

"Chief, we caught another one," Derek declared, forcing the man to sit down. 

The chief looked up, his dark brown eyes looking into Derek's. Travis shuddered, running his hand through his dark blue hair. The chief opened up a drawer and pulled out two white envelopes. He slapped them down in front of Derek, who gladly took them. 

"You both met your quota this week," the chief proclaimed. "You both may go. Take a weekend off." 

"Merci, Monsieur," Derek replied as he walked out, Travis behind him. 

When they left the station and were a long distance away, both men ducked into an alley and took an envelope. They opened them up and looked inside. 

"Oh my God," Travis whispered, covering his mouth. 

"Wow," Derek replied. 

"Ten thousand pounds," Travis said, slowly taking out the money. "This is enough for a few months of rent." 

"Yeah," Derek said, sealing the envelope. "Let's go home. It's almost eight." 

Travis nodded, stuffing the envelope inside his jacket. They both set off for home.