The Search...

Rushing out of the area, Rebecca came to a shanty town.There were makeshift homes made of asbestos sheets, a few trailers parked in the narrow alleyways and homeless people puffing smokes in the morning.They seemed to notice her at first but clearly showed a lack of interest.She needed a payphone and some money to get away.First, she took her cellphone out of her bag, took out the sim card, batteries and threw them in a drain. Next she threw the phone in a garbage can.She looked around for a payphone in the little shops that dotted an alley of the shanty town.Finally, after a long time of searching she found one.She took out her wallet and found some coins.She remembered Danny's number.He was a toxicologist from Ukraine who was freelancing in Russia.She dialed his number, got his machine.
There were sounds of men running behind her...Rebecca kept the phone down and went deeper inside the alley.The children playing outside their huts stopped to look.She tried to go as fast as she could, but her foot slowed her down.After plodding for fifteen minutes through narrow alleyways, she finally came to a side street.The traffic hadn't started yet.She saw a taxi and hauled it down.
'Take me to the airport' , she told the driver.Settling herself in the back,Rebecca opened her wallet.She did not have much money left and using her credit card or ATM was not an option.She decided she would try to call Danny from the airport and alert him too.She probably would have to take the train or the bus and go hiding in the countryside , she thought, but no concrete plans were yet forming in her clouded, tired mind.
Meanwhile, Vladimir was fuming.The girl had indeed gotten away.His phone rang.The call that he dreaded but knew was unavoidable...it had finally come.
"How are we?"...a commanding voice said on the other side.It was Maya, Azov's personal assistant. She sounded angry, just like Vladimir imagined Mr. Azov to be right now.
"We will find her, she won't be gone for long, we will trace her, just give me a few hours", she kept the phone aside for a while and said something.Vladimir knew who it was.He hoped for a favourable reaction.
Maya came back on the line, "You have three hours.Finish the job".He heard the phone bang on the other side.
He looked around. The place was a sea of huts with people who had not seen a decent meal in ages.It was full of narrow lanes and dark corners.She could be anywhere.This was going to be difficult than he earlier thought......

On the run...2

She landed with a mild thud, which she hoped the men had not heard.Her ankle had sprained.Looking up she thought she saw someone peeking from the terrace.A chill ran down her spine, she slid slowly under the ledge, hoping they would not see her.She opened her little handbag and took a much needed swig of water . It was cold, but she could feel the beads of sweat trickle down her brow.She tried to stand by taking the support of the wall.She had to be out of here real quick.If she just found the right way out, she could easily make her way out unnoticed out of this abandoned industrial complex that was her home for about three weeks since the unfortunate discovery.

The men on the terrace were frustrated and angry.Their leader Vladimir, a former KGB agent now working for Azov Enterprises as a security head, was fuming.The girl had escaped from right under his nose.On getting the tip from one of his field operatives, he had set out to find Rebecca with five of his best men. She had to be terminated if he wanted to keep his reputation and his job.Mr. Azov was a generous employer and equally vicious as well.
The heir of a small mining and oil business, he had turned around the company and made it into a billion dollar business empire with interests from Siberia to Alaska and some newly acquired interests in the Australian iron ore business.One of the biggest employers in the remotest places of the country, politicians had made millions by ignoring what he wanted them to.

All this would change if that young stubborn exchange student from America decided to have her way.

On the run

Rebecca ran onto the terrace.She saw the maze of pipes.The people following her were closeby. She could here the light thumps of the footsteps on the concrete stairs.She hurried her pace running through the pipes,avoiding hurdles and jumping and ducking under the water tanks.She turned to see how close they had come.Just then her foot got stuck in some metal knob and she lost her balance landing on her hands .Gathering herself quickly, she hid behind a wall.She checked her forehead for any cuts.There were none, but she was sure to have bruised her cheek or her forehead with the impact.

It had been three months since she had been on the run.Getting to know the secrets of the evil Society was not exactly her plan, but while researching for her college project she just happened to stumble on them.The problem was when 'they' realised that she knew.She peeped a little, saw two men with guns drawn out, looking under the tanks.A third man was instructing someone on his walkie talkie.Rebecca had to leave the building before they surrounded all the exits.Their black coats and leather gloves reminded her of the dead Kings from Lord of the Rings.Only here no ring held the power nor was there any Gandalf to save her.She was on her own.

The men were approaching fast.She had to think quick.Looking around, she saw an old metal ladder, it went right down to the landing on the building's first floor.Hauling herself over the edge, she planted her left foot on the top step.With a prayer on her lips, wishing that her little rusted saviour wouldn't give away or creak she settled her right leg on it and began her descent.She dared not look below.The men were directly above from where she was climbing down.She realised that she had to hurry.Sliding down the last five six steps, she balanced herself on the landing.

Rebecca looked around, the ladder taking her down was broken.She had no option but to jump.It was cold.She was already hurt....