Click, thud, thud, click…

The eerie echoes seemed to be the only noise in the city. Even the sound of two pairs of running footsteps was drown out by the unending and steady pace of their pursuer.
“Miles, we can’t run from him forever!” whispered one of the chased. Her long, bleach-blonde hair disheveled and blown about as they frantically avoided being caught.
Miles said nothing. He knew how true those words were, he understood completely that running would only get them so far. He also knew that underneath his black leather trench coat waited a means of self-defense. He was also painfully aware of how futile that attempt would be.

Click, thud, thud, click…

No matter how fast they ran, it always sounded as those that unnerving clicking was just behind them, slowly taking each turn they do.
“In here, Sarah,” Miles exhaled, pulling her by the wrist down a small alley and into an opened window.
Whatever this building was by day, tonight it was shelter. Or, should a single mistake be made, it would be their tomb.

Click, thud, thud, click…

The sound past right by the alley, and continued on. Gradually the clicking faded into the distance, and several minutes of complete silence took its place.
“I think he’s gone,” Miles whispered, daring to break the silence.
“Yeah… I think you’re right,” Sarah agreed, clutching his arm tightly.
“There’s a good chance he’ll be back. He knows he lost track of us around here. I need to get you out of here safely, Sarah.”
“But Miles, what if he’s still out there now? It isn’t safe yet,” said Sarah in her meek voice. Miles couldn’t help but feel her quivering. “What if… What if this is the end?”
“The end?” Miles turned to face Sarah, putting his free hand on her shoulder and looking her straight in the eye. “Sarah, after all we’ve been through? We’ve faced off against him before and survived, we’ve traveled across oceans, trained ourselves in forgotten arts, rode through the desert, saved each other’s lives more times than I can count… We’ve survived too many times to stop now.”
As trying as it was, Miles forced himself to smile. Sarah returned his gaze with a hesitant smile of her own. The only thing important to Miles now was to get her out of this unharmed. She has always been so vulnerable, so scared, but she’s never left his side, and he owes her for that. He leaned in and kissed her.

Click, thud, thud, click…

It started again; so suddenly both Miles and Sarah jumped with surprise. And it was close. Both of them backed up against the wall opposite their entrance, the opened window. Sarah cowered behind Miles, who had withdrawn a small knife attached to the end of a long chain; his own invention.
It was only a moment before they could see his face through the window. His long, wickedly brown hair flowing behind him in the night breeze, his goatee tied, his mouth curling into a sinister grin. But his eyes were the only thing you could concentrate on. Pale, green eyes that pierced straight through you, nothing but pure hatred visible within them. Miles kept a steady glare directly into the face of his pursuer, he didn’t even notice that he had crossed the barrier of the wall somehow, and was standing in the same room as them.
“Shyal…” Miles said slowly, trying to show as little of the fear inside him as possible. He made sure he had Sarah covered. Miles was prepared to die to save her, and it seemed likely it would come to that.
“Heh, heh, heh…”  Shyal’s voice was crackling with malice. His long, deep brown trench coat was revealed now, sleeves almost covering his elongated hands. One of which perched atop a beautiful wooden cane.

Click, thud, thud, click…

Shyal took two steps closer to them. The distance was minimal, and within any moment a fight to the death could begin.
“I’ll make you a deal, Shyal…” It was hard for Miles to speak, his throat dry and his mind racing. “Take me. Do as you will with me, but spare Sarah. She has nothing to do with this,” Miles pleaded.
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Miles…” Shyal placed extra emphasis on Miles’ name, as if saying it was some sort of joke to him.
Before Miles could respond, before he even could react, he heard the sound of steel and felt a blade against his neck. But Shyal had not moved; he just stood there with that horrid smirk on his face, soaking in satisfaction from his imminent doom.

“Sorry, Miles,” said Sarah over his shoulder.
He completely froze, both mind and body, unable to process what had just happened.
“Sarah?”
“Heh, heh, heh…” Shyal’s enjoyment at this agony was sickening.
“But why, Sarah? Why would you side with him? What happened?”
“’What happened?’ Nothing happened, Miles,” Sarah’s voice was different somehow; still hers, but colder, each word feeling as sharp and icy to his ears as the steel to his skin. “I haven’t changed sides, I’ve always been on this side, you just never knew it.”
As if Sarah’s words opened a floodgate, realizations overcame Miles. All of the things they had been through, those happy memories and shared pains… All of them were fake, it was all leading up to this grand betrayel. It now made sense why Shyal always knew his every move. Sarah had never left his side, she knew everything he did. And he thought he owed her for that.
“Right, father?”
“That is correct, daughter,” said Shyal, a hungry predator preparing to make the kill.
The last thing Miles heard was the unsheathing of metal from its hiding place. But the blade concealed within Shyal’s cane did not kill him; by the time it reached him, Sarah’s betrayal had already ended his life.