Death Wish

Act I - On The Run

Shortness of breath, clothes are wet and dirty, racing heartbeat, and the coldness of the weather. The sound of falling rain is accompanied by a rumble of roaring thunder. The noise of honking cars in traffic, running under the rain of despondency. Noh Jin Suk was running for his life.

“Watch where you're going!”, shouted the man who almost hit Noh Jin Suk. The driver honk his horn several times as Noh Jin Suk was leaning from the hood of his car trying to catch his breath. Noh Jin Suk gazed at the driver with a hidden tiger deep in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to shout, I am very sorry sir! You can do anything you want with my car!”, the driver was intimidated and apologizes because of the unsettling aura that Noh Jin Suk gave.

Noh Jin Suk looked away and stared at the cloudy sky as he feels the raindrops on his face. He closed his eyes and breathes slowly. The air is cold and lonely, his lungs are getting soaked with chilled air, he was freezing inside his frigid wet clothes. He sat down on the hood of the car and rest both his palms on it. He looked at the far distance of the traffic and saw men in a suit holding bats and metal bars running to get him.

“NO JIN SUK! YOU BASTARD! YOU CAN’T RUN AWAY FROM US!”, shouts one of the men who were chasing him.

He stood up and continued running from the gaps of cars inside the heavy traffic. He was wise for running into a traffic jam so they won’t chase him with speeding cars. The heavy rain actually helps him escape far away from them. The sound and sight of the pursuers were hindered by the loudness of the rain and thunder. The foggy night impedes their pursuit for Noh Jin Suk and loses sight of him.

“Where did that bastard go!?, the head of the pursuers and its lackeys looked around for signs of Noh Jin Suk, they were catching their breaths. The water vapor in their breaths condenses into lots of tiny droplets of liquid water and ice turning into a cloud of air that disappears immediately after. “Where is that motherfxcker!?.

They couldn’t see any of Noh Jin Suk, he was completely gone, “We are FXCKED! Boss is going to kill us if we don’t bring him back!”, the head’s voice was cracking up him because of the cold air. “Split up and find him! We must find that bastard at any cost!”, an edict by the head of the group.

The group split up hoping to find Noh Jin Suk. They ran in different directions and search every area as possible, they find no signs of him.

The rain slowed down its pouring session until the rain was out of supply to drop some droplets. All that is left is the chilly winds and the bright lights of the cars in the night.

They group themselves again, “There’s no way that fxcker can get away that far! I know he is hiding somewhere near! He wouldn’t get out of this traffic easily!”, the head insisted.

“Sir”, one of his lackeys spoke. “What is it!?”, he asked with a high tone in his voice as if he was annoyed and had enough.

The lackey couldn’t help but gulp before he can give his answer, “Maybe he jump off from the bridge?”, the lackey said with his eyes widening. The head smacked him on the head, “Are you an i***t!? He will freeze to death if he does so!”, he scolded the lackey who is rubbing his head after a hit from the head.

He walks to the railings beside the bridge and leaned on it then looks at the dark big river“ Noh Jin Suk isn’t that dumb to take that risk, I know him”, he took out a cigarette pack and took one piece to lit it up.

He sips and blows the smoke as the cold air vaporizes along with it. “What are we going to do now sir?”, asked one of his men. He sips again and blows, “It’s obvious, we are going back with empty hands since we lose sight of Jin Suk”, he said and continued smoking. “But, sir -”, the head silence the lackey by raising his right hand with his back at them, “It’s fine, I can take the blame, you will be fine”, he assured his men. “No, we can’t do th-”, he raised his hand again. “I said it will be fine”, he took the last smoke and throw the unfinished cigarette on the river. He turned around and walks near one of his lackeys then taps his shoulder, “Trust me”, he assured them, yet the lackeys couldn’t help but be bothered. “Let’s go”.

“Sir!-”, one of the men keep insisting. “Shut up and move!”, the head warned them and his men couldn’t help but let it stay like this.

The group who were pursuing Noh Jin Suk is finally gone. Coming back from the trace of their target, Noh Jin Suk was sitting on the bars under the bridge with his arms and legs supporting his body so he won’t fall on a cold river. Cold winds were trying to make Noh Jin Suk give up but the heat of the adrenaline is making the cold ineffective at that moment.

He couldn’t hear their voices anymore, therefore he confirmed that they’re already gone. He sighed in relief, “Achooo!”, he sneezed. He finally felt the chills of the cold wind. He carefully steps on the bar to return to the top of the bridge.

He made it back safely and sat beside the bridge and then leaned on the railing. He movies his cold wet coat and puts it aside then loses his necktie. He slowly breathe because of the cold weather and looked and closed his eyes for a moment. He drops his head hanging, he was already at his limit. The cold, the chase, the betrayal, and the terrible things that happened were already enough to wear him out. He slowly lifts his head and c***s it on the right side. He looks at passing cars blankly. He was at his limit, there’s no energy left to make his body move. He was like a puppet with no strings attached to him. He tried to stay conscious, but his mind and body couldn’t take it anymore. He drops unconscious on the cold surface of the bridge.

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[End of Act I - On The Run]

[Next - A Coward]