Number One Target
Prologue
Climbing the stairs up to my condo, I couldn’t help but curse the fact that the elevator was out of order yet again. Not that I couldn’t use the exercise, but once you hit the 10th floor, you just wanted to stop and roll back down the stairs. I knew that on the 12th floor, there was a lounge with a bar area for drinks and I could certainly use some ice water before I continued to my apartment which was so conveniently located on the 25th floor.
I had just pushed open the door to step onto the floor when I heard a noise. What was that? It was something like I never heard before. I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for, but I hesitated before I stepped into the dimly lit area. The door was just staring to slowly close behind me when I heard that noise again. This time there was a scream that accompanied it and the sound of footsteps. The slam from the steel door shutting rang out and I decided that the only thing I wanted to do was run the rest of the way up to my floor and lock myself in my condo. I didn’t have a good feeling about this and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as a shiver coarsed through my body.
Just as I was turning to open the door, I seen him. A man was running towards me, gun in hand and was looking over his shoulder. Quickly as I could and quietly as possible, I pushed the door and was just about to slip through it when our eyes met. He raised his gun and fired, the bullet hitting off the steel door as I managed to duck down and move behind it in those split seconds. Adrenaline fueling my needs, I ran up the stairs taking them two at a time.
Was he following me? A slam of a door told me he was and I stopped running for a moment to listen. He couldn’t have known if I was going up or down, I slipped off my high heeled shoes and started to slowly climb the stairs listening for anything that would signal that he was coming my way.
I just started up the next flight when I lost my balance and grabbed onto the hand rail, something caught my eye and I saw him again. He was leaning over the rail and looking up; the sound of running feet pounded in my head as I ran faster than I ever had in my life. Finally reaching my floor, I ever so quietly opened the door and closed it behind me. As soon as the door was shut, I ran down the hall and around the corner to my unit. I didn’t know where my keys were and I knew it was only a matter of time before he came through that door.
I had just pushed open the door to step onto the floor when I heard a noise. What was that? It was something like I never heard before. I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for, but I hesitated before I stepped into the dimly lit area. The door was just staring to slowly close behind me when I heard that noise again. This time there was a scream that accompanied it and the sound of footsteps. The slam from the steel door shutting rang out and I decided that the only thing I wanted to do was run the rest of the way up to my floor and lock myself in my condo. I didn’t have a good feeling about this and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as a shiver coarsed through my body.
Just as I was turning to open the door, I seen him. A man was running towards me, gun in hand and was looking over his shoulder. Quickly as I could and quietly as possible, I pushed the door and was just about to slip through it when our eyes met. He raised his gun and fired, the bullet hitting off the steel door as I managed to duck down and move behind it in those split seconds. Adrenaline fueling my needs, I ran up the stairs taking them two at a time.
Was he following me? A slam of a door told me he was and I stopped running for a moment to listen. He couldn’t have known if I was going up or down, I slipped off my high heeled shoes and started to slowly climb the stairs listening for anything that would signal that he was coming my way.
I just started up the next flight when I lost my balance and grabbed onto the hand rail, something caught my eye and I saw him again. He was leaning over the rail and looking up; the sound of running feet pounded in my head as I ran faster than I ever had in my life. Finally reaching my floor, I ever so quietly opened the door and closed it behind me. As soon as the door was shut, I ran down the hall and around the corner to my unit. I didn’t know where my keys were and I knew it was only a matter of time before he came through that door.