Curious

Get Away Cars

"He loved you, it doesn't make sense to kill him." A voice said.

I turned around to see a man in a mask. This tells me a few things:
1.) He knows what I did.
2.) He knows what he is going to do.
3.) What ever he's going to do is probably illegal.
I'm not in a good position. I'll check for exits around the tall city buildings, meanwhile, I'll find a way converse with him. Hopefully that will keep him from feeling the need to rush me.
"Who are you?"
I take a deep breath, the rain splatters on my shoulders. I'm exhausted but I begin examining the area around me. It seems like they knew to corner me. Two tall city buildings towered around them, one was an apartment, the other was a business. I guess it's my own fault that I'm in this situation, I wasn't even paying attention to where I was walking. I've reached a dead end with no alleys. There's an older looking apartment made of bricks opposite to the business. I quickly recognize a fire escape low enough to the ground and close enough to a garbage can that I can jump to reach the first bar. I don't stare at it to avoid bringing it to their attention.

"A man in a mask, isn't it obvious?" He says, holding his arms up to his sides as he walks forward into a ominously glowing street light.

Heh.. funny guy, huh? I chuckle a little, and then move forward as well to challenge him, "well I don't suppose you'll tell me more about yourself? Of course I mean all of the personal details! Like your name, favorite movie, and your social security number!" I can't help myself from investing in sarcasm it's an attribute of mine when I'm in a foul mood. The masked man remains silent. He lowers his hands and rests them in his trench coat pockets.

he's tall, with a strong build, like someone who's in the military, or on a professional athletic team. He's wearing black gloves, with a mask and hood. Maybe he is an assassin. What ever he is doing, he's probably good at it.

His silence tells me that he's either very fond of me, or sick of my stalling for time.

"Tell me your objective." I say bluntly.

"First, tell me yours." He replies.

My objective...?
"Empathy." I reply, nothing else comes to mind.

He remains still in front of me, his hands in his pockets. He is calm, but his presence is like a warning.

This man is dangerous, luckily, he doesn't see me as a threat.

"I want to understand why people do the things that they do." I feel myself grip onto a sense of panic, a feeling that I've been feeling often lately. 

He has no face, yet he stares into my soul.

There's 3 different ways that I can exit, through him, up, or into the sewer.

I don't see myself being able to get past him, and I don't see myself being able to get into the gutter fast enough. The ladder is the closest to me, and the farthest from him.

But what happens when I get up there?

"I told you my objective, however, I'm still curious as to what yours is."

In fact, I'm really not all that interested in this question, there's not to many thing that a masked man would want from a murderer.

Probably revenge. I'm truly sorry if I offended you, sir, however, my personal preference is to avoid your vengeance.

"My objective is to retrieve you."

He's just a pawn then, he's probably being paid, he has no motive to catch me. However, that doesn't match my original picture of this man. The first words he said to me regarded the man who "loved me".

Who would have known about that?

"Hm, no I don't think that works with my schedule. I have things to do and places to be! I am in fact, a very busy person."

"I'm sure you have a lot on your hands with two girls borrowing your house, your boss going missing at your 'volunteer job', and not to mention the 'detective' work with that sick friend of yours." His tone mocks me, "I mean honestly, how could you let a pedophile and suspect of sex trafficking go? You let him off the hook then push an innocent man off a bridge. I find you quite unorthodox, even exceptionally unreasonable. yet...I also find you intriguing " he finishes. Maybe saying more then he intended.

Hmm... I was preparing myself to leave, but this man knows exactly who I am, and how to find me. Running away isn't going to work. I can't think of anyone that I personally know who knows about all of those things.

He brings me out of my thoughts when I notice him shift his weight forward, it was light and slow-He didn't want me to see it.

He is about to go on the offensive.

I don't have a choice; I have to try going up. I make the mad dash for a fire escape; he doesn't hesitate to follow. I jump onto a trash can and grab the bottom of a ladder. It starts to collapse but I'm on it and climbing faster then I knew I could.

I feel the ladder shake as he jumps on below me. It seems like I got a decent head start.

I am seemingly successful in staying ahead during my climb. However, halfway up, the questions begin to rush me again.

Why is he here?
Who is he?
How does he know?
Where will I go?
Will the girls be okay?
Does the fact that he's chasing me up here mean that he knows that this is a way out?

I keep climbing, the thoughts overwhelm my mind, and before I know it, I'm already on the tenth floor,

I look around the rooftop, other buildings still tower over me despite already being five stories up. I run to the other side of the roof and I spot a door.

I can't help but beam at the thought that I am by far the luckiest person alive in this moment. I run to the door, and hop the guard rails to get in, before I enter the apartment, I turn around to see the masked man standing at the ladder's ledge.
I take a few deep breathes in, if I go down these stairs I might not be able to track him. He may decide to go back down the ladder and block the entrance.

That's fine, let him try.

I start to step back into the room, watching to see what he chooses.

He chose to go back down the ladder to try blocking my exit.

Got it.

I run down the stairwell, swinging around the railings, skipping steps.
I found myself on the first floor, I exit the stairs to the right, and run down a corridor. I decide to go for the back of the building and avoid the entrance. I stop in front of room 13.

Lucky number?

I try the door knob, to my delight, it's open. My apologies, to room 13's occupiers. I walk in and close the door, I hear shaky breathing from a bedroom, but there's no time for that. 
I spot the first window behind a moldy looking couch. I unlock the window and open it. I duck and begin stepping onto the window Sill when I suddenly I hear a click behind me. 

"What the fuck are you doing in my house?" An angry man says.
I slowly turn around.
"I apologize for the inconvenience, I really do only plan on borrowing your window as an exit from this apartment complex. "

The man raises a brow, he has a gun raised with one hand, he'd surely miss or hurt himself if he was compelled to shoot.

"Who the hell talks like that? You telling me that you're trying to leave?" he says nodding his head at me.

"Well unless pistols are the equivalent to welcoming gifts I'd assume that you don't want me to stay. I'll have you know that I've left your things untouched, I'm sure someone like you would understand the term getaway. That is currently what is currently happening, I'm escaping a very angry masked man who's objectives are less then desirable!"

In his attempt to follow along with my words, he let down his guard with a raised eyebrow. I take notice of this immediately and use it as my chance to jump out the window and run. There were gun shots behind me, however, as I suspected, none of them hit.

Surely that noise would draw the masked man's attention. I need to find a place to stay for the night, and a phone to call the girls.