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Great Writing - Home > Crime > Illusions CH1, CH2, CH3 (draft)
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Crime and Thriller
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| Illusions CH1, CH2, CH3 (draft) | |
| By matt665 | ||||
| 24 August 2007 | ||||
 Chapter 1 -- "A Gun, an Awakening and a Pretty Brunette." Click … Click … Click, the noise fading away into the distance. Dimly aware of my surroundings I seem to be in a dark alley way. As I look up I realise that I’m slumped on the ground with my back to a wall, why I have no idea I try to think of the last thing I can remember before this moment but nothing comes to mind. “What the …..” I say as my eyes lock on to the dark metallic gun maybe no more then a foot away. I reach for it but a cold sharp pain arches through my body I look down and discover that I’m sitting in a pool of blood, correction a pool of my own blood, I’d been shot. A siren sounds in the distance as my life flashes before my eyes, all those things I had meant to do, all those regrets…… Lights flash, and a million voices can be heard in the distance, loud then quieter, this goes on for an eternity or two, then silence. My eyes snap open focusing on a light over head. I move my neck to get my bearings to find myself in hospital bed. I can’t see much else as the blue curtains are drawn round the bed isolating me from the rest of the room. Questions come to my mind like why am I still alive? Whoever had tried to kill me must know that they didn’t succeed so why didn’t they finish the job? And who had I pissed off that they had tried to put me in an early grave? Wrong question it should be, who had I pissed off that had the resources and will to put me in an early grave? My thoughts go back to the shooting yet all I can remember is waking up slumped on the floor with that pistol no more then a foot away from me. So why was I still alive? Of course they knew I would come after them … that must be it they want me to come after them. Probably to seal their reputation as this towns number one killer. Well I shouldn’t keep them waiting. I try to get up out of the bed but the pain in my shoulder and stomach is enough to force me back down again. I have to get out of here and go to ground until I can find whoever did this, just then the curtain slides round and a nurse walks through, a pretty brunette about 5.7’ around my age maybe 32 – 33. She comes close to check on my life signs and whatever else nurses do. She turns to look at me when I catch my reflection in those pale brown eyes of hers, wasn’t a pretty sight I looked pale and weak no doubt because of the blood loss. The sight of her brings back memories to when I was younger to the first woman I had ever fallen in love with. It had been perfect for a time but was never meant to last, it had left a scar that had directed my life ever since. She smiled, I must have been staring. “It’s nice to see you are finally awake” she says, “How long have I been out?” I ask, “Oh about a month, since you were first brought in” “A month?” I said hardly comprehending why the hit-men had waited all this time to finish me. Maybe the contract had been cancelled or perhaps it had been a cock up? But it didn’t change anything if I didn’t strike back then I would lose everything I had worked for in this town. “Yep” she said nodding her head “A whole month, the doctors were wondering if you were ever going to wake up. But I knew you would I don’t think you are someone to just give up” her sweet voice interrupting my train of thought. “What’s your name?” “Trudy” she held out her hand “It’s nice to finally talk to you Mr O’Riley” I take her hand, quickly thinking what alias I was currently using… Marcus O’Riley, yeah that sounds right. “Pleasure to meet you Trudy though please call me Marcus”. She smiles again “I have to get back to work… Marcus” “Yeah sorry for keeping you, can you get a doctor for me I have to get out of here” “If you are sure?” she asks inquisitively, with concern on her face. “Yeah I’m sure” I say whilst trying not to show the pain that’s caused by me just attempting to sit up. “Ok then”, with that she turns and walks away. After she goes I check myself over. It looks like I was shot twice once in the shoulder just really a glancing wound the second was more serious in the stomach. Though the fact that I’m still alive suggests that the bullet didn’t hit anything but flesh, I would live. Chapter 2 -- A Taxi ride and a close call I manage to sit myself up into a some what comfortable position as I hear the footsteps of what I presume to be the doctor coming over to me. The curtains move aside once again this time revealing a small man around about 5.5’ in his sixties perhaps? “Hello Mr …..” the doctor quickly glances to the chart “O’Riley, glad to see you are finally awake. How do you feel?” “I’m fine, I’d like to sign out as soon as possible” The doctor cynically smiles at me and says “I’m really not sure if that’s wise, and the police would like to speak to you about what happened to you. You sustained a hit to the head during the… incident. Can you remember anything about what happened?” No doubt he’s already called the cops and I really could do without them getting involved. “No, the first thing I remember is coming too in the alley. I’ll stay then at least until the police have arrived.” I put on my most reassuring smile, it seems to work. Hell I have to get out of here before the cops turn up. Even if I can’t remember anything of what happened they would still ask too many questions, questions I couldn’t afford to answer. “Good, well Mr O’Riley I’m happy to say that your wounds are healing nicely though you may be left with some pain in your shoulder for sometime yet, unfortunately it may even be permanent but only time will tell. As for the memory loss well, suffice to say it’s too early to tell whether or not your memory will return. We suspected there might be some memory loss, you must have hit your head after the… incident” With that the doctor left looking through another chart as he went off to another patient. Time to go, now where did they put my clothes? To the right are a set of cheap looking old faded white drawers. I open the top one to find my brown leather wallet I take it out and have a look through it, credit card, debit card, a few forms of identification and about £500 in cash seems like everything is there. I close the draw and open the second one to see the remains of a stylish black suit, jackpot my clothes. Well they have to be mine considering the bullet holes and the fact that my designer shirt looks like nothing but a giant blood stain. I gently yet quickly put my clothes on, well as quick as I can for a man who has just woken out of a coma and still as two bullet holes in him. I check the third draw just in case I have forgotten anything, nothing there. Where are my keys then? I pat down my jacket pockets and find them in my inside pocket. I get up wincing in pain from the movement and move the curtains aside and see the doctor with another patient while he’s distracted I make my move. I carry on down the ward following the exit signs. The exit comes into sight unfortunately so do the police two of them one in uniform the other in plain clothes. I keep going towards the exit and them, doing anything else would look suspicious and just draw more attention to me. I button my black jacket together to try and cover up the blood stains and walk straight by them. I don’t risk a glance back and keep going to the exit. Finally I get out, its cold my breath can be seen in the air and it looks like its trying to snow. I take a moment to centre myself and think of what to do. I set of to a taxi stand just opposite the hospital and wait for a taxi. I wasn’t waiting long until a taxi pulled up. As I was going to the taxi door I saw my pale reflection in the window. I was a mess my suit was ruined and my usually short hair had grown longer and turned into complete disarray. My green eyes seemed somewhat hollow now. I closed them and took a moment, when I opened them again my face had hardened over, after all this was no time for weakness. I get into the taxi and spot the police running out of the hospital looking for me as the taxi pulls away. “Hi, take me to Edge Street” “No probs” the taxi sets off “So what have you been up to? You look like shit” Great it’s a 15 minute journey and I’m going to have to listen to this dick talking all the way. “What can I say was at a party and it got a little out of hand” “Looks like it got a lot out of hand to me” The next 15 minutes are a blur as I switch off and nod and say yes and no at all the right times to all the facts and questions the taxi driver spews forth at me during the journey. Finally I arrive and pay the driver his money. I live on the 6th floor of these supposed luxury apartments. I open the door and get in the lift, it doesn’t take too long till I reach the sixth floor. I go to my door and open it. There’s a few letters looks mostly like bills on the floor, gently bending down I pick them up then move on into the living room making sure I lock the door on the way in. I look through the letters and go into the kitchen to get a drink. I open one of the cupboards and bring out a glass then move to the sink and fill it up with cold water. Moving back into the living room with my drink I stop off at a little cupboard and get the pain killers. I take a couple and have a sip of water. It will take time for them to take effect so I sit down on the couch and start opening my mail. The first two turn out to be advertisements one for a loan the other for a credit card. The third letter is a bank statement under my alias name Marcus O’Riley, £9800 balance will have to top that back up to £20k again. The final letter turns out to be yet another advertisement I drop them on the small glass coffee table in front of me and try to switch off from the world. Chapter 3 – A surprise encounter It doesn’t work. There is just too much on my mind right now to relax. I was in bad shape the coma had taken a lot out of me. Muscle had been striped away and my skin was a pasty white. It would probably be a while before I would be fit enough to get back into my line of work. My thoughts go back over the events that had transpired and yet my mind still draws a blank of the actual event. Just waking up in that alleyway defenceless and yet still alive. Before I know it the last few hours of daylight had passed with me still trying to futilely remember what had happened. All I had achieved was frustrating myself by continually running into this brick wall that seemed to be isolating those memories. Finally, with a sigh, I give up. I need a drink something stronger then I have in the flat. It had been a while since I had used this alias name or lived in this flat so I decide to go to a little bar not to far from here. First things first I go in to the bathroom and turn the shower on. As I wait for the shower to warm up I gradually and carefully remove my clothes. Stepping into the shower the warm water washes away the confusion and troubles that seem to make up my life. While also cleaning the up my newly acquired wounds. Well new to me although the shooting was almost a month ago to me it was just yesterday. I switch the shower off and get dried wincing as I attempt to dry my wounds. Once I am dry I go into my bedroom to get changed. I decide to dress casually and put on some jeans a shirt and jacket on as well as some trainers. I catch my new paler complexion and how my clothes appear baggier on me. ‘I guess I’m ready’ I think to myself. As I walk out of the door from my bedroom I realise that I had forgotten something. I stop and go to my wooden bed side cabinet draw I open it and pull out a dark metallic 9mm pistol and a black holster, I put the holster on and secure the gun. ‘Now I’m ready.’ I step out of the apartment in to a little corridor that connects the 2 apartments on this floor to a flight of steps and elevator that goes all the way through the building. I decide to take the elevator and press the metal button to take me to the ground floor. As I step outside the coldness of the night becomes apparent, making me shiver. I decide to walk to the little bar that I am off to despite the coldness that encompasses me tonight I need the exercise and its only Five minutes or so away. It doesn’t take long to get to the bar. It’s a small place and has seen better days but if all you are after is a drink then it is exactly what you want. I order a drink my hand barely touches the glass before I see her. Not sure how I had missed her on the way in, but she was impossible to miss now with her staring straight at me… the nurse. A moment or two passes just staring at each other. ‘How did she find me? What she going to do? After all I did run off from those police, she must suspect something. Is she is on it all?’ The thoughts of conspiracy after conspiracy stop the moment she gets up and walks towards me. “Hello again Mr O’Riley” she says to me. “Umm … hi again Trudy. Please call me Marcus.” I say trying to hide the shock from my face and putting on a smile. “I’ll call you Marcus if you explain why you’re here when you should be resting and more importantly why you left the hospital without signing out? You do know the police wanted to question you don’t you?” “Yes I do know the police want to talk to me and I’m sure they will come to get a statement sooner or later, but I really didn’t want to talk to them just after waking up out of a coma. As for the drink, I think I need one after the day I have had. We both laugh at that and I get to see her smile, she really is beautiful. “Maybe you do, and I guess im not your nurse anymore.” “No your not and that’s about the only thing I regret about leaving the hospital” I say with a half smile. She stares into my eyes and I can’t help but think that there is something else she wants to say. Just then she turns and see another woman calling her over. “I’m sorry I have to go” “Of course, it was a pleasure and a surprise to meet you again” “Here’s my number” I stare at her even more surprised. She caries on “In case you have any problems or concerns about your health” I take the little piece of paper with her number on and she turns and goes to her friend. I watch them leave together and wonder what the odds were of us meeting like this. I get up and leave the bar with my glass still full on the bar, no longer feeling the need to get drunk, or feeling the frustration of not knowing my attacker. For the moment I just think of Trudy and whether or not we will meet again. After a few minutes walking back to my apartment I reach the main entrance, I walk up to the bin just off to the side of the path way. I pull out the piece of paper with Trudy’s number on it and go to put it in the bin. ‘It’s the sensible choice, she stumbled into me on my first day out of hospital. I should go to ground change my alias move and never think of Trudy again. Yes that’s what I should do but at the same time part of me already knows that I’m not going to choose the sensible choice not today. I put the piece of paper back in my pocket and head home. My mind made up I am going to be Marcus O’Riley for a little bit longer. Copyright © 2006-07 Matthew Stretton. All Rights Reserved. ------------------- **These aren't final versions just drafts, im working on another story at the moment so this has been put on the back burner till i have some free time to write up all my notes etc...
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and NOT winning!) a competition a while back where you had to write "in the style of" a particular writer. I chose to imitate Ed McBain, and my effort was similar in style to this - I sincerely HOPE you take that as the compliment it's intended to be!! 
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