Train Of Thought: Delayed

Once Were Close

Minor action and she'd blown her cover, all that time spent getting to the perfect place, learning the language, getter her back story sorted, working her way up the ranks, so many years, so much time for a simple action to blow everything. But then she wasn't expected to last this long anyway.

She raced towards the nearest wooden doors which, with just her luck, were not the ones that lead to the exit but to the balcony which hung off the cliff face. Bursting through the door she didn't even check to see if she was being chased. The aggressive rattling that followed after she barricaded the door answered that question for her. She cursed under her breath as she watched the broom handle start the groan and splinter under the stress, she scanned for a way of escape. Time was ticking. Her eyes drawn to the balcony's edge she would be unwise to dismiss. She approached the edge never one to be afraid of heights, just of the fall. She half smirked to herself, "how ironic" she thought. Peering over the edge the water below was a dark, chilling mass teasing her with an evil smile as it waited for her to greet it.

Her breath caught. This was the way out, she could never just surrender to them. The outcome would be far worse, surely, especially after all she's done. Climbing on top of the cold stone and concrete banister, could she really do this? She stood fixated on the gloss surface below and exhaled shakily. She wiped her sweaty palms on her evening gown. She spread her arms out to her sides showing off her full arm span, which was not even that magnificent or remotely spectacular.

As she stood like a bird waiting for the wind to sweep her away, take away her choice and spare her from her hesitance as she was still not convinced.

What was funny was the so many other different dangerous situations she'd been in. Gunfights, knife fights, fistfights, high speed chases through a minefield and a Mexican standoff. Yet the one silly thing that was finally going to bring an end to her antics was the way she had ordered a round of drinks. Stupid Germans, stupid waiter, stupid fingers. How was she supposed to know they use different fingers to show the number 3 in Europe?

The clatter of the door and grunts of a quarrel could faintly be heard over the pounding of her heart and whistle of the breeze in her ears, adrenaline building in her veins. It coursed its way around her body. She'd made up her mind.

She took a deep breath, and everything seemed to slow. Time stilled for the moment, her heart and the commotion going on behind her quietened. She closed her eyes and the world tilted backwards sending her tipping forward, the wind seeming to come to life and roared loudly in her face.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted." She thought to herself. Just as her shoes lost friction on the banister, a pair of arms began to secure themselves protectively around her abdomen pulling her back from the edge to safety.

Her eyes snapped open, body tensed as she subconsciously scrambled to try to free herself and balance back on top of the banister. Panic kicked in as she tried to free herself from the stranger's grip. That was when she slipped, tumbling over the edge toward the still smirking dark mass below. The stranger's grip was quick though, skilfully readjusting to catch her forearm as she fell and reached back toward the ledge.

The pop of a joint. Cry of pain. There she was dangling 200 metres up from her possible death, a possible dislocated shoulder and the only thing preventing her from moving any closer towards her death was the grip of an unknown figure.

She gritted her teeth against the pain and squinted through the tears that had welled up in her eyes, trying to make out who this saviour was but their face was cloaked by shadows. "Now what?" She thought.

Seeming to hang there for a lifetime, doubt started to enter her mind. What if it was them? What if they had caught her? For some reason, she hadn't thought of this when she first caught. For some reason, she believed that this stranger's intentions were friendly but now not so much.