I could’ve let him leave, let him continue on his merry way so that he could go on to cause more death, more loss of innocent lives.
That was what some would say, but I thought not.
I wove through the crowded city streets, darting around wagons and horses, ducking beneath a stack of long wooden boards that a pair of men were hauling across the road. Several feet ahead, I could see the bald head of the killer I sought, shoving his way through the crowd and leaving a trail of falling, cursing people in his wake.
Under normal circumstances, I would’ve stopped to help them up and asked if they were all right. But I couldn’t afford to stop now, so instead I dashed past them, hot on my prey’s tail.
He glanced over his shoulder, and we locked eyes. His sweat-covered face paled, and he picked up the pace as he ducked into a nearby alleyway.
As if that would save him from what we both knew came next.
I followed after him, grabbing onto a nearby lamp post and using it and my momentum to swing into the passage, changing direction without losing speed. My boots hit the gravel, and I kept right on running. Ahead, the killer was just turning a corner, heading left at the intersection at the back of the alley.
Upon seeing his direction, however, I didn’t bother following in his tracks completely, instead heading right.
I’d made it my job to know about all the hidden places in this city, and I knew that both paths led to the same place—just that this one got there much sooner.
I sprinted through the alley until I reached the end, where it opened up into one of the less prestigious neighborhoods. A quick jog over to another passage—the one my quarry was sure to come out of—was all it took to get into position. I pushed my back up against the wall of one of the buildings, out of sight of anyone in the alley, and drew my sword.
Then I waited, listening for the sound of footsteps.
I hesitated only a few seconds after I began to hear them before I leapt out, already stabbng my blade out before me.
It jabbed the killer hard in the chest, sinking easily into his heart. His expression was one of dumb shock before he fell to the cobblestones.
I’d done my job.
Thank you for reading! I wrote this story as part of the Storytelling Collective’s Flash Fiction February 2023 challenge, so a huge thanks to them for inspiring me to give it a shot.
