Early Morning Run
The early-morning silence in the cobblestone street was broken by yelling, dogs barking and running feet. If one were to wake up and look out the window, they would see two individuals being pursued by what could only be described as at least half the squadron of this town's police.
The two in question were dressed quite differently. While one wore somewhat dark colors with very bright designs and patterns, the other wore black, with small amounts of purple. Only the latter wore a mask: the other had their hood pulled up and was holding it on with one hand.
"It'll be fun, he said! It'll be quick he said! There wont be any crushers around, he said! I swear, when we make it back, he is next on the list!" The hooded girl complained as she ran.
The other turned her head slightly to look at her companion, only the toes of her bare feet hitting the ground. "He didn't say crushers, he said cops."
"What's the difference?!"
"None, really. And besides, I would say this is kinda fun."
"Shut it, Third Eye. How come you didn't see these guys?!"
"How the hell should I know? I can't know where every damn cop is hiding! For all I know there's something stopping me from knowing. I have no idea how it works, same as you!"
"Yeah, well, more than ten seconds of warning is nice, ya know. I hate finishing a kill in that little time."
"You're sick, Razorback. How you can stand screams, let alone enjoy them, is beyond me." Third Eye shuttered. "It hurts."
Razorback stuck her tongue out slightly, then grabbed a lamp post with her free hand, using it to help swing around the corner. Her friend ended up turning too late and was forced to jump up and run across the top of a dumpster, before jumping back off to resume her place.
"Fuck, you know what? Let's find a hostage. Keep your eyes open, Third Eye."
"At least you're not making that stupid joke anymore."
"After what you did last time? Highly unlikely. It took me a while to find a good kettle, you know."
"I don't care about your tea, Razorback. Besides, there's your hostage." The masked female pointed at an illuminated, second-floor window in the apartment building, where a girl sat with her back to the glass. Just beneath it was the landing for the fire escape staircase.
Razorback screeched to a stop, doubling back to stop just under the ladder, which was several feet out of reach. As she did, she crouched down, weaving her fingers together. Third Eye planted a foot on her friend's hands, as Razorback pushed up, propelling Third Eye higher. Wrapping her fingers around the bars of the emergency ladder, she pulled her self up. Hooking her feet and legs in securely, she leaned back and reached down, grasping Razorback's outstretched hand and pulling her up. The two scrambled up to just in front of the window. With a nod to her colleague, Razorback leaned back and brought her leg up. Hitting the glass pane dead in the center, her foot smashed through, some sharp pieces biting through her clothes and into her skin. The girl at the desk screamed and scrambled away, scared at the sudden shattering of glass.
"Grab her." Razorback snapped, ripping strips off the curtains, tying them around her leg as make-shift bandages.
"You didn't have to say anything, you know."
"I don't care, Third Eye." She replied, mimicking part of her companion's earlier remark.
The mask-wearer rolled her head back slightly, to indicate annoyance. Pulling the unknown girl up by her shirt, she grabbed both of her arms and pinned them behind her back, shoving her forwards. Careful not to step on glass shards, Third Eye turned her around to face the window.
"So, what's the plan? Classic hostage or what?" Razorback asked, finishing tying off the strips of fabric around her lower calf.
Third Eye shrugged a shoulder, pushing the girl forwards."Sure, why not?"
Razorback pulled her hood back up. "Don't even think of talking, your people skills are shit."
"And yours aren't, little miss-torture-everyone-I-meet?"
"Better than yours. Get her on the fire escape."
"Geez, you don't have to be so damn bossy." Third Eye grumbled, forcing the girl out the window and on the small landing of the fire escape. The police below watched each move carefully, trying to make sure the two don't kill the unknown girl. Third Eye violently pushed her down, pinning her against the railing. Pressing her elbow into the girl's neck, she snaked a free hand under her hoodie, she withdrew a slim, black pistol and cocked it.
Razorback looks puzzled at this acquirement of her companion's.
"When'd you get a gun?"
Third Eye shrugged. "Eh, I think a few months ago? Just before I got back from my last out-of-state job."
"More to the point, how?"
"I stole it."
"Of course you did..." Razorback sighed.
"Look, just because you'd rather take someone's wallet and use their cash to buy new stuff doesn't mean a slightly used thing isn't a bad thing."
"What about that kettle you brought back last year?"
"That was one time, Razorback. ONE. Can you just drop it?"
"No."
"Fuck you." Third Eye mumbled under her breath, making sure she didn't hear it. After pinning the girl down once more with her right hand, she pressed the muzzle of the pistol flush to the captive's head.
"What are you doing?" Razorback hissed. "Never mind, I can work with this."
She slammed her hands down on the railing, glaring at the police below.
"You want us dead and you want her alive, yes? Well guess what? You can't have both! Pick one!" She roared the last part.
"Wow, that was some damn good people skills there, Razorback."
"Fuck off, like you could do better."
"Watch me." Third Eye swung her gun up to eye level, pointing into the small cluster of police officers. Without a warning, she squeezed a shot off, which zoomed past the head of at least one of the officers.
"Tick tock, tick tock. Make your choice or the next bullet finds its way into her cranial cavity." Third Eye said, her voice light and carrying well to their ears. One would almost say she was amused by the whole ordeal.
After a couple more minutes, the two hostage-takers had had enough. After a glance to one other, and a nod, the girl was thrown into the police who had remained. The others had gone off to either get someone to help talk them out of it, or get better guns.
Taken aback by the sudden weight of a fully-grown human being thrown into them, the officers had the hands full for several minutes trying to organize themselves, get some paramedics in and make sure the girl was okay.
As they were doing this, Third Eye and Razorback had clambered up to the roof of the apartment building, a five-story complex. Running across the roof, they jumped across to the next one, trying to place as much distance between the law enforcement and themselves.
After a while of roof-running, the edge of the forest was close, so another fire escape ladder had to be located. Scrambling down, they ran into the woods, dodging branches, both the ones on the ground and still attached to the trees. (Razorback still got hit several times nonetheless.)
Running into a small clearing, they dropped to the ground, out of breath and breathing rapidly, trying to regain the air in their lungs.
"Well that was fun." Third Eye commented.
"No it wasn't and I am never accepting a job from him again."
"Hey, lesson learned, right?"
"Right. And I'm gonna kill him."
"Have fun with that."
"I plan to."