Absolution Black Posted November 9, 2011 Report Share Posted November 9, 2011 (edited) London, 1881 She ran through the streets clutching the young boy’s hand, virtually dragging him along in her haste to reach the docks. The streets of London were almost deserted at this time of the evening, save for a few ladies of the night and their patrons. A hazy mist rolled between the buildings making visibility poor, and she stumbled several times in her long dress, cursing each time. She furtively glanced back to see if her pursuer had closed the gap, but saw no-one. Maybe he had been swallowed up and lost in the foggy air? She didn’t see the woman until it was too late, careening into her and knocking her from her feet. They fell into the street and she temporarily let go of the young boy’s hand. Ignoring the prostitute’s curses, she picked herself up and looked hurriedly around. To her relief the youngster stood nearby, just staring at her blankly as if in a trance. She stepped past the flailing hand of the other woman and took the child’s hand into hers once more. Then she saw him. The silhouette appeared down the street in the mist, an outline of a man in a long jacket that flowed behind him as he walked towards the group. She snatched the child out of its bewilderment and began to run once more, knowing only a few streets stood between them and the docks….where she would be safe. She had paid for passage on a boat to the continent, for her and the boy, and it would be leaving in less than an hour. Once she reached the docks there would be plenty of other people around, and he wouldn’t dare try anything then. As she ran she began to hear the sounds of the men working the ships and smell the stale and filthy water of the river. She could feel her lungs bursting from the effort of running for so long, but determination kept her going. She could see the lights on the masts of the large sailing vessels, swinging from the rise and fall of the river, casting a welcoming orange glow into the mist. She jumped as a shadowy figure dropped from a nearby rooftop, rolling to its feet in the street before her. How had he got ahead of her? It shouldn’t have been possible. But she knew what this man was capable of, what he could do, and deep down she knew she was finished, her flight had been in vain. She stopped running, gasping to catch her breath, still tightly holding onto the young boy’s hand. The figure began to walk towards her in the gloom, until his features became visible in the streetlights. He had long jet black hair that was damp from the mist, clinging to his face in small strands. He was tall, taller than most men and although he wore a long leather duster she knew his physique was toned to perfection…the perfect specimen of a man in his prime. She knew this because the man in front of her, the man walking towards her holding the pistol by his side, was her husband. “Emmeline, you know this is madness…Just leave the boy with me and walk away” She felt the softness of the voice drag pleasant memories back into her thoughts, of a time when things were better, life was happier. She shook the scattering images away, placing herself between the boy and her husband. “Please” she screamed, “ Please just leave us alone. Let us go, Let us go!” She saw him flinch slightly; maybe a pang of guilt over what he was going to do? Or a flinch in case someone had heard her yells and came to investigate. “You know I can’t. This was the deal we made all those years ago. You chose this path and now you must respect it” He lifted the gun higher as he approached, now standing little more than twenty feet away. His face was hard, unemotional. She had seen this face many times over the last ten years, the face of a killer, the face of a man who no longer let emotion control him or cloud his judgement. The face of an assassin. She slumped, beaten. “So this is what it comes to. I’ve given you ten years, family, and you end it like this. In a filthy back street in this godforsaken hole of a town. I didn’t realise I meant so little to you” “The boy please, Emmeline” He held out his free hand, gesturing for the youngster to come forward. “He has a name Joshua, he’s your son for god’s sake! At least acknowledge that” She thought she saw a waver of emotion flash across the man’s face, but in an instant it was gone….she knew that this was the end, and felt a tear fall down her cheek. She bent down to hug the boy by her side and kissed his forehead, hardly bearing to look at the frightened eyes looking up at her. She stood then, and pushed the boy towards her husband. As the child walked slowly towards his father she dabbed at her eyes with a cloth. “Why Joshua?” she sobbed softly, “Why him. You have Absolution….why do you need Jericho too?” The man pulled the boy in close to his side and whispered in his ear. The youngster moved back down the street to a man who appeared out of a doorway. An older man she recognised: Abernathy, she recalled. She remembered he was a kind man, a man that would look out for her sons after she was gone. Joshua turned to face her once more and raised the pistol. “Because they tell me to Emmeline. You know that. Now close your eyes” She took a deep breath, and slowly closed her eyes. There was the crack of a pistol and her body slumped to the cobbles. Edited December 28, 2011 by Absolution Black Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamHammer Posted November 9, 2011 Report Share Posted November 9, 2011 Good stuff. More please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absolution Black Posted November 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2011 Good stuff. More please! heh, its taken me this long to write this one.... but hopefully the bug is back and gaps will be filled! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edonil Posted November 9, 2011 Report Share Posted November 9, 2011 Very impressive! I think I see some elements of a new style evolution in there. Very, very nice. I'm going to look forward to reading this one. Joshua seems like a complicated personality already. (thumbs up) Keep on writing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elril Posted November 9, 2011 Report Share Posted November 9, 2011 Good as always AB. Don't know if it was intended as a twist, but I was certain the little boy was your namesake, not his brother. Well Done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absolution Black Posted November 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 (edited) Very impressive! I think I see some elements of a new style evolution in there. Very, very nice. I'm going to look forward to reading this one. Joshua seems like a complicated personality already. (thumbs up) Keep on writing! Well, the stories i'm writing now are more of a backstory, filling in character gaps, trying to let readers know why certain characters are like they were in the original stories. So, although I will touch on Joshua again, it might be a while.....Knoffler is up next! And yes, i think the style did evolve in this tale..I seem to be a lot darker now, trying to get more depth too. Don't know if it works... Good as always AB. Don't know if it was intended as a twist, but I was certain the little boy was your namesake, not his brother. Well Done. It was intended to be a twist..because if you have read all the original stories, we didn't know Absolution had a brother...so what has happened to him? Maybe we'll find out..... Edited November 10, 2011 by Absolution Black Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucklemonkey Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 Excellent suspense and atmosphere as usual. Looking forwad to the rest of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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