Young Writers Society

• Flaming Embers

Chapter 1

I’m knocked to the ground, black dots blurring my vision as my head hits the hard, cement floor. I struggle to get back up on my feet, when a sharp pain shoots up my spine. I see the attacker charge towards me, his hand holding a sharp dagger as he aims it towards my heart. At the last second, I duck down, dodging the dagger as it lodges itself in the brick wall behind me. A look of fury takes over his face, as I stand up.

I scan the warehouse for nearby exits and possible getaways and I notice bricks jutting out every few feet on the wall behind me. I turn around just a second too late as a sharp spasm shoots through my elbow. I wince in pain as I begin scaling the wall, as quick as a spider crawling up its web. I leap up to the first foothold, stretching my arms up as I reach for the next brick. I am about half way up, when the bricks around me are being pelted with bullets, as my opponent struggles to hit me twice. I spot a large, steady beam that stretches across this enormous warehouse. Suddenly I hear a clanking sound as he throws the weapon to the floor in frustration, and prepares himself to scale the wall after me. I swing myself up to the beam, like a monkey as it swings itself across a vine. I shimmy my way across until I am flat against the beam. In a desperate attempt to reach the next handhold, he flings himself to the right, missing completely, and falls back to the ground. He yelps in pain as I hear a cracking sound, and his left arm goes limp. He reaches for his gun, just a few feet away, as I shower the area around him with bullets. He grabs the gun in haste, but not before I shoot him in the center of his forehead, a look of shock in his eyes as he goes limp and falls to the ground, a pool of blood surrounding his head.I turn away in disgust, and examine the wound on my elbow. Torn flesh hangs around the wound, the bullet lodged deep in the joint, blood dripping down my arm.

A sudden noise in the silence of the warehouse distracts me from the pain as I reload my gun and search the warehouse for another threat. I brush my hair out of my eyes and take aim at a hooded figure lurking in the shadows. He cries out just as I am about to fire. He reveals himself, stepping underneath the swinging light, his hands held up, and weapon thrown to the ground. A look of relief floods my face, but disappears as quickly as it arrived. The hint of a smile is on his face, filling me with discomfort. I leap back into the shadows, shooting at the lights ahead of me as I race across the beam, masking me in a blanket of darkness and providing a clean getaway. I run across the beam, as silent as can be. 

I spot a sturdy metal frame not too far away from me, and I leap towards it, barely making the jump. My hands claw at the frame in panic as I start to slip off. I struggle to pull myself up, but the pain in my elbow is too much for me. I curse in frustration, as I fall towards the ground. I brace myself for the fall, but to my surprise I land softly. I open one eye, confused, as I hear a faint chuckle. I struggle against his grip, wincing in pain as I fall to the ground landing on my elbow. Strong, sturdy arms pull me up so I’m standing, his flashlight flicking on revealing his smooth, tanned face.

“Hey Amber.” He says cheerfully despite all that has happened tonight. I snarl in irritation as he laughs quietly to himself as if this is some funny joke,

“What are you doing here? I told you to leave me alone!” I yelled in anger, “I had it under control!’

“So you call severely injuring yourself under control?” Peter mocks, “Because as great as you think you are, you handled that horribly.” He explains casually while playfully tossing the flashlight between his hands as I roll my eyes.

“Yeah, rub it in why don’t you?” I say in annoyance as I struggle to find my way out of the warehouse.

We come to a dead-end, and I picture him smirking behind me,

“Don’t. Say. Anything.”

“I wasn’t going to,” he says holding his hands up in defence.

A smile creeps up on my face, and is soon mirrored in his.

“What happened to your arm?” he asks in concern, the smile quickly fades away and is replaced by a look of worry.

“Oh nothing, just a minor bullet wound.” I say. Although I try to shrug it off, I notice the wound feels as if its pulsating, like a small heart living inside my arm. The pain starts to worsen, and I can no longer pretend it doesn’t hurt. I crouch down beside a large wooden crate and rip a long piece of cloth off the hem of my shirt. I tie it carefully around the wound, my nimble fingers working fast to tie a knot against the flesh, in attempt to slow down the bleeding.

“How did you get that” Peter asks nodding towards the wound,

“What do you think Einstein?” I laugh at his expense even though he is completely serious.

“Ok, let’s just get you out of here,” he chuckles to himself, “This time I’ll lead.”

I pull the collar of my trench coat up, masking my face as we walk through the alley-way, the moonlight casting shadows across this silent town. The stars twinkle over the houses of sleeping families, drifted off to a world full of dreams, while I crouch behind a large garbage- tip, relief flooding through me. The mesmerizing lights of Los Angeles slowly start to turn off. I allow myself to close my eyes, even just for a second and listen to the soft caw of a black crow, and relax. I can hear the faint sound of waves gently lapping the shore, creating a calm feeling, softly lulling me to sleep. I feel as if the weight of today has been lifted off my shoulders, even just for a brief moment.

“What a lovely place to fall asleep…” he laughs, “Right beside a garbage tip.”

“Just shut up and enjoy the silence.” I murmur, as I fall asleep.

I drift in and out of a fitful and restless sleep, the nightmares of my past coming back to haunt me. The calmness and comfort I felt moments ago completely disappeared.