A Chase for a Chase (Flash Fiction)

It was for the last ten minutes that I had been running through the filthy streets of Sta. Cruz Manila in the middle of a shivering cold night. I am not running late for my night shift nor am I catching up on something. Even through the dimly lit streets and uneven stone cold pavements, my whole body continued springing in a fast gait. The blinking lights coming from the nearby disco bars and street lamps are like prisms blocking my vision. Screw all the other criminal minds creeping into the suburbs and street corners; danger is all around us.

As I take a left turn in a dark corner of an abandoned movie house, I saw the hooded figure stopped in his tracks. He craned his neck toward where I was standing. I shifted my position and hid among the heap of garbage bags. I was still in the middle of catching my breath when he started off again. He vaulted across the pile of metal bars blocking the narrow tunnel in fine precision. I tried copying all his motions and I was finally close enough on catching up on him. I heard the sound of my heart pounding wildly against my chest and the slap of our chasing footsteps against the damp walkway. I knew this mad chase is coming to a final end.

“Hey, stop right there!” I yelled.

But he never stopped. He continued running and even faster this time. He turned in a deserted harbor and I followed him right inside. The echoes of our footsteps mingled with his sudden burst of eerie laughter.  It was a kind of laughter that made my skin prickle and run away from all of these. And yet, as we reached the end of the barricade, I was caught off guard by what he did next. He swiftly doubled back in his tracks and made a run towards me. As I stare at him in amazement, I saw relief flashed across his face.

“They lost track. We’re safe now.” he breathes.

And I smiled.