Surveillance Issues
The hidden man tucked the envelope back into his jacket, leaving Alex with the photo. He stood up and brushed imaginary dust from his shoulders, as he prepared to go he turned to the crippled boy that lay on the bed.
"Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be there watching. If you ever try to inform anyone of your mission, or us, I will call in on this" He showed Alex a small walkie-talkie, concealed in his jacket pocket, "and you friend will be dog meat, got it?" Alex nodded slowly, pure anger was written across his face. "Oh, and one more thing, if Alan Blunt is still breathing at this time in seven days, Jack Starbright will be killed." The mans face broke into an evil smirk, "But, oh no, we won't stop there, you know your friend? Sabina Pleasure? We've been watching her, she's in a hotel around the corner, waiting for your recovery; it would be horrible if she were to accidentally fall out of a window. And her father, be a shame if he died…"
"Screw you," Alex murmured. The man that now stood beside the door smiled. He gave Alex a small wave of the hand and exited the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Alex looked at the photo that was still held in his hands, he began to shake with rage. He scrunched the photograph into a small ball and threw it across the room; it landed by a small television in the corner and rolled under it.
Alex lay there for a few minutes, contemplating his next move. On one hand, killing Alan Blunt would be great, but then I'd be going down to their level. I could tell Alan… no… if I did that they'll kill Jack…. Shit… what do I do?
He chucked back the sheets that covered him and he felt a chill sweep over his body. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and he felt his feet touch the cold tiled floors. He spotted his clothes in a neat pile across the room, he stood up and he almost fell. He stumbled across the room towards his clothes, he reached them and his legs gave way, he came crashing down to the floor. He pushed himself up into sitting position. He reached forward and closed his hands around the jacket, it was covered in some sort of crust, Alex pulled it towards him and lifted it up, he was mildly surprised to see it was stained with dry blood. He slipped the medical robe over his head, he pulled the jeans up his legs and put the jacket on. It wasn't much, but if he left the building in his white dressing gown, they'd have him committed.
He pushed himself up to standing position once again and hobbled to the door. He slipped his hand around the handle and pressed it down, a small click told him the door could be opened. He pushed it, yet it didn't want to open. Damn it. It was locked from the other side.
He walked to the window and slid it open; he poked his head out and sighed. There were at least 20 stories down to the ground. He looked to the right and he saw a ledge, the ledge led along the building to the corner, the next building along was about 20 metres from the ledge. If he could get to the end of the ledge he could jump to the next building. Alex took his head out from the window and looked around the room, looking for anything else that could be used to get down from the building… nothing.
Alex turned and approached the window; he climbed onto the ledge and leaned out. The strong winds blew his hair and his clothes fluttered. He needed a way to get from the window to the ledge; it was way too far to jump, yet the only thing that separated the jump were a few abandoned ladders, judging by the rust they must have been used as fire-escapes. He balanced on the balls of his feet and tensed his legs, he waited for the wind to momentarily stop… then he flung himself forward. He reached out with his hands and he snatched at the metal rung of the ladder. He used the swing from the first jump and let go of the ladder, he flew through the air and he felt himself land on the ledge. He stumbled forward and fell to his knees. He crawled forward until he reached the end of the ledge, he heard a tear and he looked back, his jacket had become snared on a hook. He tried to pull it free but it only came more stuck. He took the jacket off, exposing his chest; he then stood up and stepped back a few spaces. He took a deep breath and prepared to go. Alex sprinted forward and jumped, his arms flailing wildly, the wind whipping at his face.
Time seemed to slow down, the horns below blared and their dull tone filled the silence. Alex looked down and a terrible fear overwhelmed him. He pictured himself falling down into the traffic. Alex crashed into the building and time returned to normal. He gripped the building with his fingers and hoisted himself up. He collapsed onto the roof, breathing heavily.
The man with the hidden identity watched Alex through a small telescope. He smiled at Alex's courage, the boy need to be commended; maybe they would let Jack live if he killed Blunt…