Chapter 1: The Escape

160 8 65
                                    

(Play music here)

Mob's scrawny legs ached as he ran through the long and winded trail that traveled throughout the forest. A thick blanket of darkness covered every inch of the forest, making it difficult to see through. Mob stumbled on a nearby tree root and tumbled onto the dusty and rocky trail below him, scraping his knee.

"Hey, we know you're out there!" An angry voice shouted.

His eyes widening in panic, Mob scrambled to his feet and pressed his back against the closest tree he could spot. He could feel his heart pounding hard deep within his chest and he wondered how long it would take before it completely burst out. Clinging to the tree's rough bark with his fingernails, he willed himself to remain still. They'd catch him if he made even the slightest movement. These men were trained.

He froze when the men's footsteps were within hearing range. They were approaching fast and Mob was trapped. There was nowhere he could go.

"I won't say this again, kid," the leading henchmen warned. Mob could hear the man cocking his gun, preparing himself to shoot his runaway target. "You'd better surrender yourself or I won't hesitate to shoot you."

The leading man took another step forward, and those waiting for an order from him followed close behind. Mob didn't move an inch away from his safety guard. Together, they all stood by in silence, wondering who would take the next action. Mob began to scheme up a plan to hopefully make it out alive. The chances were slim, but he had to at least try something. He couldn't keep living his life trapped inside an inescapable prison. After taking some time to think about his options, he decided that the only possible choice was to run, even if that meant he got shot in the process. He took a deep breath as quietly as possible, then took a cautious step forward, which startled the men into holding their guns up in shooting position.

"What'll your final answer be, kid?" The leading man demanded as Mob took more steps. He was preparing himself to run as fast as his little legs would carry him.

"See ya later," Mob answered simply. He took this as an opportunity to run, leaving the men in a temporary state of confusion.

For a moment, Mob felt like he had outrun the men and had a sudden rush of relief hit him. That didn't last long, however.

A loud firing noise could be heard from behind Mob and, before long, a sharp pain coming from his right calf seized his growing hope and tossed it aside as he collapsed onto the trail once again. There was a gunshot wound inside his leg now. Mob could feel his warm blood trickling down the sides of his leg and he fought an urge to cry out in pain. The sounds of the men's threatening voices were enough to get him scrambling to his feet again. His legs were burning and he let out painful grunts as he struggled to increase his speed. He was starting to slow down and his eyelids grew heavy.

Maybe I should give up, Mob thought. It's pointless to keep going with a bad leg injury.

When you reach the outside of the building, keep running. Do you understand? You cannot look back or even give up. Just keep running!

Mob's eyes widened as he remembered the last words his friend had said to him before his daring escape. He had to do what he had been told to do or else his friend would never forgive him. All that hard work of developing a thorough escape plan would've been done for nothing if he gave up now.

He had to keep going. He just had to.

This snapped Mob out of his trance. He forced himself to ignore the pain in his leg as he did his best to run steadier and quicker. Little by little, he soon outran the men as they got lost in the darkness that surrounded the forest. Mob suddenly felt grateful for the night sky. The further he ran the less he worried about his injury. Reaching the city his friend had talked about was his first priority at that moment. He ran and ran and ran until he spotted a distant light through the trees that surrounded the edge of the forest. He was getting closer! A small, hopeful smile flickered on his dirtied face and he was encouraged to increase his speed a little more just until he reached the city limits.

Fugitive [Shigeo Kageyama x Reader]Where stories live. Discover now