Bad Temptations

The Chase Is On

Everything could go wrong. I almost fall off the horse. I wake up hungry, and Alex says he has to pee again.

Alex thankfully wakes me up when we arrive in the small town, only a few miles from my friend's estate.

I decide while Alex is going pee, I was going to shop for food. The day is almost over and we are both pretty hungry.

I walk into town with a simple back robe and the hood covering half of my face. I keep a wicker basket and the small sack of coins on my body, careful not to draw unnecessary attention to myself.

I walk in the crowds, careful not to bump into anyone. I finally make it to the first table full of vegetables and fruits and start picking out things and paying. This process repeated until I was almost done and ready to leave when I hear a yell come from a small distance away.

"Please! Please! I don't have it! I don't have the money! Please don't hurt me!" I'm shocked to see a man dangling by his neck, his feet barely touching the ground. A taller, burlier man with tattoos and a short haircut, is holding him up by his collar. There are gasps in the crowd and everyone backs away, forming an intentional circle around the poor guy and ruffian. Not even moments later more men surround the men, but with knives.

At first, I think they're here to help, but when they don't do anything and I see the hungry glint in their eyes, I realize that they are there to aid the bigger man.

"I don't care what you say. You owe us money and I don't care how I'm getting it." They fit holding the man up spits in his face.

"Please, I'll get you the money just... not here." He says meekly, flicking his eyes towards the shocked crowd.

The bigger man raises his eyebrows and grins toward his other friends.

"No, I think right here is the best place to do this, don't you think boys?" A small chorus of deep voices makes gruff responces noises, raising their knives, reflecting the almost setting sun rays.

All of a sudden, a flash of silver is seen and the man being held up by the bigger man is dropped.

"Ah! What the h-"

"Run!" A familiar voice rings out. I see Alex trying to hide behind a group of people, and I can tell he was the one who threw the knife.

Dispute his words, no one moved. Not even the man laying on the ground. I decide to come to the rescue.

I quickly weave between people and I grab the man's arm and continue running.

"Come on! We need to go!" Using Alex's distraction, I and the unknown man escape and I pull him around buildings.

It took a few moments, but soon I heard heavy boots chasing after us. That only fueled me to go faster.

I run towards an Ally I saw on the way in here and I think it leads to the outside of town. I don't think the men saw my face so I should be fine to go back to look for Alex.

The man, I'm not so sure about. Speaking of him, he's a skinny tall guy so he is stumbling along because of the height difference. I'm still gripping his arm so my height compared to his was drastic.

I round a sharp curve and out of the corner of my eye, I can see the burly men hot on our trails.

I take another turn and drag the man I am pulling around through an open doorway. An old, sunbleached cloth being used as a curtain flutters behind us as we hide behind a counter. The thunderous footsteps quickly run past us and I let out a breath of relief when I don't hear them anymore. Then I quickly take another deep breath in because running is not for me.

"Thank you so-" The man barely gets out before I shush him.

"They might still be around..." I say in a hushed voice. I look around suspiciously, half expecting a man to pop out and demonstrate how not to use a knife, on us.

After a few more moments of complete silence, I slowly rise out of my hiding spot and peek my head out of the window. When I see no one, I motion for the man to follow me, and I make my way out the door.

We creep down the way we came, knowing that the men would most likely not turn around and come back unless they thought they needed to. We start off in a slight jog, trying to create more space between the men and us.

"Thank you for saving me. If it weren't for you, I would probably be dead right about now." I only nod my head. I didn't want to reveal the huffiness in my voice, a consequence of not working out as much as I needed to.

"I didn't get your name?" I glance at the man trying to see me from under my hood, which, surprisingly didn't fall off during the chase.

"You don't need it."

He's silent after that.

When we get back into town, the crowd had dispersed and there was no sign that anything happened whatsoever. I pull my hood up more to cover more of my face and begin walking the corners of the market once again.

I glace to where Alex was last and see a large stick placed up against a building. I figure it was Alex and start walking down the narrow ally. These things are like mazes, I'm still surprised that I made it out of the chase alive.

I turn the corner to see another hooded figure, facing the wall so I could only see their back. I hesitantly reach my hand up and gently touch their shoulder. Immediately I am face-to-face with a silver blade.