The Contract
Isn’t it weird how when you know that you’re going to fall and you know you’re going to have an injury, time slows down? Time seems to slow down just so that you can watch yourself get bashed. It’s the same way with fighting.
I watch time slow down as the fist plummets towards my face. I watch it slowly make its way right at my head, a direct hit. I think that I should probably duck. My knees bend sharply and time speeds up again. My attacker’s legs look very inviting towards my kick and I decide they should meet. I sweep him off his feet and follow up with a stab towards his neck with my solid fingertips. He chokes and I leap away from him.
I observe my surroundings. The arena is filled with people but they are rushing away from us quickly. The football match continues below and the fight doesn’t deter the screaming of the crowds. As a Manchester United player scores the stadium roars with yells and cheers. I jump over the seats and run along the walkway. I jump above another set of chairs and continue to do this until I am far from my pursuer who is clumsily coming after me. I dive towards the metal support beams and climb up to the open roof. Pulling myself onto the roof, I slide down the slanted roof onto the flatter roofing near the edges. I spin to see the man pulling himself onto the metal floor, his face purple from breathing hard with the impact to his throat. I turn and jump over beams without breaking speed. I sprint to the edge of the roof and dive.
I flip my body forward and roll and my body hits the roof of the entrance hall. The momentum from the roll carries my body forward and I continue to run. I move towards the side of the hall and jump to the support beams and slide down with my feet and hands on the ridge of the steel frame. I hear a thump and a groan from my pursuer which shows that he’s stilI run towards the underground and leap down the steps and roll again to break my fall. I continue forward and slide under the metal restraining bar and continue on to the trains. I find the nearest one with doors that are nearly closing and dive through the closing, nearly amputating my legs.
I pull myself to my feet and breath heavily with relief as I see the man come out of the tunnel. I wave at him smiling as the train moves away and he runs towards it but gives up, realizing the impossibility of catching me. I pull my backpack off and hold it tightly to my body as I sit down. I pull myself to my feet at the first stop and rush out. I have to jump over the restraining bars again but don’t attract attention from the police.
I made my way out of the underground and moved through the streets of Bironac. I found the train station and took a train to France. I traveled by train to Paris and found myself at the glass doors of Le Grand Hotel. I entered through the automatic doors and asked for the presidential suite. The Frenchman eyed my dirt caked jeans and jacket and cocked an eyebrow suspiciously.
“Sir, are you sure you afford this?” he asked with a light French accent.
I gave him the credit card given to me,
“Positive.”
He checked my credit card on his computer and his eyebrows flew. He gathered himself and gave me my credit card and key with a smile,
“Welcome to Le Grand hotel Mr. Price. Please enjoy your stay.”
“Thank you.” I say accepting the cards.
The white marble glimmered and flowed past me as I found the elevators. Sitting in my room I felt myself drift off into a sleep, still wearing my jacket and shoes. A bang at my door rips me out of my sleep. I grab my jacket and run to the open door.
“Stop!” a shotgun blast impacted the wall next to the window I was running out of. I jumped over the balcony’s rail and swung under the one holding an elderly man who was obviously a tourist. I landed next to the rail and jumped over it but hung on. A burst of bullets whizzing past my head sped my movements considerably. I dropped from my position and grabbed onto the one below me. A man holding a guitar saw me from inside and stated almost comically,
“Bonjour.”
I waved and jumped to the balcony to my right and pulled myself to a standing position on the rail. I ran over the rails and eventually found a column-like structure in the wall and slid down to the grassy roof of the main building. A hatch leading into the kitchen was left open so I jumped in and closed the trapdoor behind me. The chefs stared at me in confusion. I looked around the room thinking about how I could explain this.
I grabbed the nearest spoon and dipped it in the soup and sipped it lightly. I swirled around in my mouth and smiled with a thumbs up. The chefs laughed and I continued on, smiling lightly to myself. I raced from the kitchen, hearing the sound of pots banging and knives clashing as I raced from the room. I raced through the lobby and ran through the doors and took a taxi.
I was still breathing heavily as the taxi stopped at the train station. I tossed the amount of cash I thought was correct into the front seat and jumped down the stairs into the station and sat on a bench, thinking of what to do. Suddenly the phone rang from the inside of my bag. I pulled it out and listened.
“Mr. Price, it is good to hear from you again. I suspect you are having a good time in Le Grand?”
“Not exactly.”
“I was joking. I need you to come to Austria. There is a contact that is going to take the package there since your old contact died in Bironac. You are going to be using a ski lift as a disguise. You’ll come and wait until he gives you a tap on the hand from behind. You will board the lift as if you don’t know each other and exchange the bag. Is that clear?”
“Yes sir.”
He hung up and I bought a ticket to Austria and slept on the train. I woke in the town that had the slope the contact was meeting me at. I dress up in my cold weather clothing and bring my snowboard and boots. I ride towards the first lift I see and wait in the back of the line. When the tap comes I close my hand. I move forward and the two of us sit in the lift to the run.
“I heard about Bironac and Paris. Not light fights?”
“Let’s just exchange the package.” I say plainly and hand him the bag.
He does not take and I hold it back again.
“There are some people following me. We need you to live no matter what. Good luck.” He says and hands me a pistol in exchange for the bag. I take the pistol and push it into my snow pants silently. We should have brought the bar down. A snip sound from behind us caused me to pull myself into a position where they couldn’t shoot me because of the back. The contact fell to the ground loosely and landed with a thud. The bag sprawled by his side.
The lift was near its end and I wait until the impacts stop. Suddenly I hear a rustle below me and look over the back and see my contact skiing away in a zigzag. I smile lightly at my success. The bag is under his right arm and I am so surprised I don’t pay enough attention to the bullet firing at my right eye.
Morals
My bruised hands sit lightly in my pockets, fingering a shiny metal tube, still warm from its use. My eyes stare straight ahead, moving at a steady stride. I feel a burst of joy as I leave the road and I whistle a joyful tune as I walk. I run a hand through my short black hair and smile lightly. As I pull my hand away I stop.
My entire body is shivering but 30-degree weather is not the cause. I stop giggling and tuck my hand in my pockets and speed up my pace. The dark asphalt thuds beneath my feet. An orange glow spreads from somewhere to my left. Is everyone right? No, he deserved it. Every fiber of my being twists in confusion. What am I? This was right wasn’t it?
My vision blurred as the baton impacted my skull and I stared into the dark eyes of the man. Violent eyes like mine. I held my forearms up as the hard metal impacted my body, shaking the bone like a scratch of fingernails against chalk. I pull myself away but the impacts continue. I pull myself away but the impacts continue. I swing my arm randomly and it slams into the ear of my attacker.
I jump to my feet and begin to run but a stab into my shoulder blade makes me stumble. I scream in pain but continue to run, clutching my bleeding shoulder. Another piercing pain strikes through my shin and the bone shatters. I start to limp away again but a final stab to the side of my neck causes my breath to stop. My eyes blur and I collapse against the road and feel my life fall from my body and I laugh lightly at the cop standing above me. I look right into his eye and say to him, giggling blood.
“Ha.”
Fountain
My throat burns and strains as I try to close it, choking and coughing. Water won’t stop coming, I can’t gulp a breath of air before it’s drowned again by gallons of water, not from my surroundings but from me. I’m drowning myself.
Secrets
“Nathan I must inform you…”
“I broke our golden rule,” interrupted Nathan
“What?” said Jacob rising in volume.
“I know, I know what you’re thinking, I know I shouldn’t have but Fox News is…”
“Fox? Seriously? Everyone knows they’re crazy but this is too far. Are you so much better than the other guys?”
“I know but… I used yours…”
“What? Why… oh… about that… he,” chuckled Jacob nervously.
“Mine isn’t working, you wouldn’t know anything about that would you?”
“Well… that’s actually why I came…”
“Who did it?”
“Archimedes.”
“Your stupid dove?”
“He somehow found his way inside and ate the wiring.”
“And that’s why my computer is a pile of ash.”
“Well it wasn’t all his fault… I kind of…”
“You blew up my computer?”
“You destroyed Fox News’ website!”
“I didn’t destroy it…”
“Oh really? Well what did you do?”
“I helped them.”
“Wait that’s our golden rule? I thought it was cracking!”
“Well I may have… for the…”
Elementary Young Writers 