FicStorm's The Chase

Chapter One

DAY ONE

It all began with a murder...

04:48

…By the time you see this I’d be dead…

The words flew into the screen as she typed furiously on her laptop. There was no time. They were coming for her and she knew it. She stole a glance at the taskbar to check the time; it was only a few more hours before sunrise. She had lived through the night and that was a miracle.

She was frightened like never before. She had no idea that she was sitting on the edge of her chair. The only thing that mattered was to finish what she was doing before they found her. That way, she was sure she won’t be dying for nothing. She had spent the past three days hiding, dodging and doing everything she could to stay alive. She was even surprised that she had lasted this long for she knew her assailants were experts, they moved in the shadows; incognito. You only saw them if they wanted to be seen but she had once lived with an expert and for that reason she knew a lot. She knew how to spot them and how to shake them off her tail. It sounded easy. Right now, she was tired of running; it was time to do something else. Something she should have done a long time ago. She cross checked the short mail she had typed. It was perfect. Simply coded but only one person in the world would have a slight idea of how to crack it and that was the person she was sending it to. She only hoped the person won’t take too long to do that. There was nothing to worry about if the message was intercepted and got into the wrong hands but for extra measure she made sure the mail bounced through a thousand servers and then she erased it from her mailbox. There was only one thing left to do. She had a software on her laptop that once installed would activate a Black Shoe Virus-her own design-on her system and crash it down totally beyond salvation.

After she started the installation, she relaxed on her seat, cracked her knuckles and watched as the installation took place. It was only going to take a moment. She dared to take in a deep breath and that was when her door burst open. Her head turned sharply to the door with such force that it looked like it might snap off. She could make out the silhouette of a young man at the door. She knew it was time. The software installed successfully and the virus began to do its work.

The stranger walked into the house slowly and she saw him pull out something from his pocket that took the shape of a knife. Her heart paused for a split second.

Few minutes later, she was covered in a pool of her own blood.

Dr. Sarah Boyle, aged 47, an expert in cybernetics and a computer scientist was dead.

***

05:18

Richard rushed into his house and locked the door behind him. He leaned into it for a few seconds and shut his eyes tight. He was panting heavily and needed to calm down so he could think but there was no time for that. The sound of sirens jolted him into action. He cursed under his breath as he removed the backpack he carried and threw it on the dining table along with the bloodied knife he was holding. He unzipped the bag and peeked inside. There was a lot of money inside and a framed picture. The girl in the picture was smiling at him but he was sure she won't be smiling when he found her. He could bet his life on that.

Richard left the knife on the table beside the bag and hurried to the bathroom where he opened the tap for hot water and washed his hands and face until the blood smeared on it was all gone. He still looked horrible with all the blood on his cloth. In fact he looked like he had just been to a slaughterhouse. He hurried over to his bedroom and changed his clothes. He carried some fresh clothes too as he didn’t know how long he would be gone, and then he wrapped the gory ones into a ball and rushed with them to the parlor-He didn't notice the one that fell-where he stashed them into backpack. He was about to lift the bag when the knife on the table caught his eye. He quickly turned the bag over to empty its contents on the table, after which he restored the contents shoving the knife in first, then the money followed by the fresh set of clothes. The bloodstained clothes came in last, but the framed picture went before that. There was still enough space to add extra clothes but he didn't see the need so he zipped the bag, backed it and ran for the door. He opened it however so slightly and peeped outside. The police vehicles were visibly parked a few houses away from his with the blue and red lights splashing colors here and there in the early hours of the morning. Richard closed the door back and put the backpack on the floor, unzipped it and pulled out a windbreaker which he wore immediately and pulled the hood over his head. Then he carried the backpack once more and walked out of the house closing the door behind him.

With his hands tucked in his pockets, he walked in the opposite direction of the crime scene expecting to be called back. He heaved a sigh of relief when he turned the next bend and didn't hear anything.