Every rose has its thorn.

Chapter Twelve: The escape.

February 4th

The brute glared at me from across the rooftop, his hair plastered to his scalp with rain and his clothes splattered with his own blood.

"End of the road you little shit." He goaded, stepping forwards. I retreated in kind, watching my feet carefully but never taking my eye off him.

"What makes you think that?" I asked curiously. "How do you know i'm not about to perform some daring escape act?"

"Because you're on the edge of a four story building, with nowhere to go but down. As cocky as you are, I doubt even you would try something as stupid as jumping down there." He answered. There was a small silence before he spoke again. "Now, get over here and let me do my job." He snarled, extracting a small knife from his hoodie pocket. I looked backward, surveying the terrifying drop, before looking back to him.

"Fine, you win. I'm fucked either way I guess." I said despondently, moving away from the edge and towards my assailant. I paced myself, counting my steps and watching the distance between us as I drew closer to him. His expression twisted into a triumphant smirk as I stopped, just inches away from him.

"I'll tell Anna you put up a fight. That way, when you're bleeding to death in the alleyway, you'll at least retain some dignity." He spat mockingly. A bead of sweat cascaded down my forehead as the knife gleamed and glinted in the deathly pale moonlight.

"Goodnight." He whispered darkly. The blade lashed upwards, but I had already begun to evade. With just a minimal lean to the left, the razor edge of the knife went hurtling past me making no contact at all. I swung my fist around and slammed it forcefully into his jaw before he could recover, knocking him off balance and causing him to tumble and land clumsily on the moss-covered roof. I took my opportunity without hesitation, sprinting back along the adjoining rooftops that I had traversed only minutes ago. There was the sound of tiles shattering and dropping, and I glanced back to see the boy in pursuit of me. The distraction was enough to make me temporarily lose track of my surroundings, and the breath was torn from my lungs as I ran directly into a solid stone chimney. I gasped for air, drinking it in with haste and ignoring the malicious laughter that came from not too far behind me. I took a second to regain my bearings in the night's darkness, then bolted again. My injury had cost me - he had gained a considerable distance, and was practically withing range to tackle me to the floor.

"I'll catch you, you little shit." He roared. I spun suddenly on the spot, whipping my foot out at his leg. He buckled instantly, and I carried on running. The kick seemed to do very little in the way of stopping him; he was back on his feet in a matter of seconds, now ever more furious than before. Thoughhe was limping slightly, he was still managing to run at incredible speed, and I knew he'd be on me before long. I darted across another roof, and a burst of burning orange hit me as the nearest streetlight came into view. I recognised it immediately and cursed as I slowed to a stop at the edge of the roof.

Trapped again.

I peered downwards to see if there were any ledges to hang from, but to no avail. The ladders lay on the earth below, having evidently been knocked over by my attacker in a bid to halt my escape. He slowed down as he closed in, drawing the knife from his pocket once again. I stepped backwards, knocking a pebble off the rooftop. It fell silently, with little more than a weak click as it hit the cold, unwelcoming concrete.

"You know what?" He began, stepping closer. "I'll give you a choice. You can either jump off here and kill yourself, or I can stab you and let the blood drain from your pathetic body. Aren't I nice?" He finished, grinning a horrible battered grin. I looked behind me again, desperate to find anything that would aid my escape, before something caught my attention. A small, wooden shed stood a few feet from the building. It's height was hard to judge from the angle I was stood at, but I knew it wouldn't be much higher than seven foot or so. I cursed myself for not paying more attention on the way up, then turned back to the boy and moved away from the edge.