# Short story for english class



## Beepem (Jul 17, 2006)

figured id post it, i liked it....due tomorrow. lol i wonder if anyone will actually read it

The wind howled by the alleyway as leaves rustled and drifted by. Waiting for a cab, James cautiously stood under a streetlight watching his surroundings closely. A shady looking man was walking on the opposite side of the street looking straight ahead almost like he was trying to act normal, when clearly something was wrong. As the man continued on, he began to briskly paced, ran and then sprinted. After running for only a few moments, he passed the alley and was pulled in by gloved hands. The man did not yell and James just stood and watched, paralyzed with fear. A shot rang out. James began to run. He would run anywhere; just not there. As he ran across a street, he was struck by a police car as it came to a stop at the intersection. Undamaged by the slow moving vehicle, he continued his dash, stopping several blocks away. He spent the night on the street inside another alley. Meanwhile, the police officer was writing down what had happened and reported what James had looked like. When he awoke, he could see police lines and yellow tape in the distance. He began to remember the night before. There was a gun shot, he ran, and then a cruiser hit him. He walked towards the yellow and tape and began to ask the people watching what had happened. They told him that a member of the Los Angeles mafia had been murdered the previous night by an armed assassin. The description of the man who did it fit James very well when he was told what the murderer looked like. Someone yelled out that James looked like the man described. He quickly looked down and began to run away, but a police officer began to yell and run towards James. He took off again like the night before, weaving in and out of buildings and intersections. The traffic was too heavy at this time of day for the police to use a vehicle and James had been too fast on his feet. They did not know who he was however. He was no one but the alleged murderer of a mobster, wanted by the police and the mafia. If the mafia found him, he would be killed on the spot, and if the police found him, the mafia would most likely find him somehow anyway and kill him. Thinking about his few options, he hid in his apartment. This would buy him time while he thought of a plan.
James had no one he could call for help that could get to him before his pursuers. Moving slowly, he got off the floor and just barely stuck his head up above the windowsill and peered out. The streets were teaming with police officers. He knew that some people were mafia members, he just didn’t know who. They had the element of surprise. Had one of them seen him run into the apartment? He knew that he needed to stay positive and calm. James decided he would need to be ready to run if they were to get to his apartment. His only choice was to go out his window and walk along the 6 inch cliff connecting the windows. James had always been afraid of heights and being 9 stories off the ground wouldn’t help him escape. 
The escape plan began to formulate in his head. The window would be open so he could quickly get out. When he stepped out, the ledge for the 10th story would be 8’ above him, just enough for him to hold on to. He would walk off to his right and go around the corner. Ms. Carter’s apartment would be 3 apartments in. She liked to try to get birds to come to her ledge so she could feed them. Her window should be open. He can kick in the screen to her apartment. Once inside he would make sure the mafia had started chasing him. He would lock the window in his new location and run to his own apartment and lock the window. That will slow them down for sure. 
James could hear voices. They were angry and had hate in them. As soon as he heard the door knob turn, he bolted out his window. The curtains blowing in the September zephyrs signaled to the mafia men that he had gone out the window. As he rounded the corner, he saw three men getting out onto the ledge to chase him. He looked down to the ground in fear and almost slipped his footing on the concrete strip. Realized the men were catching up, he quickened his pace and rounded the corner better than he had hoped to.
As according to plan, Ms. Carter’s window was open and he stepped inside. Thankful to be on more than 6” of ground, he closed the window, locked it and caught his breath has he walked over to his apartment. If he ran, people would realize something going on. Once inside he closed and locked the window. He could hear faint yelling from police officers on megaphones telling the men to get down. They kept moving, rounding the corner and realized that James was gone. Looking back around the corner they saw the window had been closed. Stranded, they stood helplessly hanging on for life.
James got to the nearest staircase and ran up stairs, skipping 3 at a time. Flight after flight he kept going. Once he reached the top he pushed open the door and looked was blinded by the light of the sun. With his eyes adjusting he looked around him. To his left was a building only a few feet from the edge of the apartment building. He took a small jump for a bit of confidence and sprinted his fast towards the perimeter. Once he reached the edge he took a leap of faith over the alleyway. He looked down and could see policemen searching for him. One of them was looking up and the windows and James thought he had been seen. He was reassured by a yell from the officer. 
Stumbling onto the roof of the next building, he checked for doors leading up to the roof. There was one door leading down. His only escape, and the Police’s only way of getting to him. There was no escape anymore. He could see police running into the building. He turned around and jumped back onto the other building. He ran into the apartment building and turned a corner onto the next flight of stairs. 
All he saw was a glove and a gun before everything went black.


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## slightlymad (May 25, 2006)

Very nice work an A+ in my book.


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