Resistance (Dark Realm Series) by Mason Patricia

Author:Mason, Patricia [Mason, Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-01-30T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four

"Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack."

Sun Tzu, The Art of War

After a few stumbling steps, I made rapid strides to the spot where the dark figure had disappeared. With care I poked my head over the side to take a quick glance down, half expecting the figure to be hovering just below the roofline and ready to attack. Instead, I observed him careening down the steps of a fire escape, the metal jangling under his heavy footfalls.

"Stop," I yelled and then castigated myself for the stupid futility of such a command.

I hoisted myself over the roof's edge and climbed down. But with his head start, the dark figure had already descended about two thirds of the way, so I fired a shot. The bullet missed him and ricocheted off the cobbles below. He stopped and glanced up. I could have sworn on my dog-eared copy of The Art of War that the bastard grinned at me before leaping two at a time down the remaining few steps. Once at the bottom, he turned right and dashed off.

Realizing he'd soon be lost without drastic action, I stopped at the next landing between flights, shoved the pistol into my waistband and scrambled over the metal rail. With my butt leaning there for a few seconds, I gulped in a last lung full of air before leaping the remaining distance to the ground.

The impact on the cobbles sent a jolt through my legs and flung me forward. Falling into a roll saved my head from impact but my shoulders took the brunt of the bruising force. As I turned end over end the gun came loose, fell from my pants and skittered away. The pistol came to rest at the same time I did but it was well out of my reach. For a moment I lay collecting myself, my cheek resting in a gooey substance with the consistency of troll snot.

When the dark figure stopped, whirled, and stood staring at me for a moment, I didn't know whether to be happy or not. At least he wasn't getting away, right? But then he began to stalk, in a haughty swagger, back in my direction and I settled on not happy. Not at all happy. He'd be on me in a moment's time if I didn't do something quickly.

Pulling myself upright, I spotted the gun and then scrambled towards it.

I took my eyes off him for only a second as I reached down, but it was enough. With unnatural quickness he pounced, hitting me like a runaway carriage and taking me down. For a moment I lay squashed on the ground before I managed to shove and wriggle my way from under him.

The male had at least six inches of height and one hundred pounds of muscle on me but I was quicker and could use leverage. At least that was what I told myself as we grappled with one another in the dirty street. What bollocks.

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