One Step Ahead

Chapter 1

Franklin had been called many things before but none of them seemed to fit in his opinion. He was not crazy, psycho or a sociopath by any means. He was just a man doing the only job he seemed to be good at.

The hotel room he sat in was bare and smelled of smoke but it was the only one in the area that didn't draw attention from cars on the road. Franklin paid cash for the room and fortunately the clerk seemed too busy watching Jeopardy to care what his customer looked like. One night was all Franklin needed here for food, rest and planning his next move.

He needed to stay one step ahead of the people tracking him down. This is especially hard when you don't know who you are running from or why. After a long day traveling by foot in the woods a hot shower was first on the list of things to do. He needed to concentrate and his mind was racing in too many directions.

As he waited on the water to warm up he looked at himself in the dirty and cracked mirror. His black hair was in desperate need of a cut. He couldn't remember the last time it looked this unkempt. His icy blue eyes looked tired and his scar covered body slouched in a way that showed his exhaustion. Franklin had been doing this job for 15 years but he couldn't recall a time when he felt so tired.

As Franklin stepped into the hot water his muscles started to relax and the stress of the day washed down the drain. Franklin was not used to being on this side of the table. He was not accustomed to gauging someone else's move and trying to stay ahead. He researched, followed and took out his target and was done. No connection and no remorse. As the hot water ran over his shoulders Franklin stared at the diamond pattern of the shower tile and decided he needed to find a car.

As he dried off with the beige colored towel a plan started to come together in his mind. He pulled on a pair of grey sweatpants and reached for a grey t shirt from his black duffel bag. He pushed the orange chair from the corner in front of the door and grabbed a pillow and blanket off the bed.