A Short Story

The Chase

*Huff* how long *huff* has it been? It seems like I've been running for hours until I find myself bent over, resting my hands on my knees, in this long, winding hallway where earlier it was an alley. The hallway could have been one of those roller coaster tunnels you find at amusement parks, but the walls were damp, water leaking from the cieling although the hallway did carry the faint smell of freshly painted walls. Or was it gasoline? Exhausted, all sights and sounds and smells seemed like a blur of emotions. All that seemed real now was the wave of relief I felt as my lungs greedily inhaled oxygen. Like a fish out of water, I was drowning.
Well, at least now it seems I've lost my attackers so at least I could lean against the wall for a bit, so at least i could think and soon I remembered why I was here. Everything came back to mind with exaggerated swiftness and clarity, yet the images came so fast they blurred together, and I found it hard to focus on any one event in particular. But I did know why I was here. I pushed, they pushed back. I ran, they chased. I spoke, but they didn't seem to listen or care for that matter. They never do. And I knew that, soon, I would cave in like I'd seen topple around me. One, by one, by one.
A new sound stepped forward from the hysteria, footsteps violently shoving water out of their cozy puddles, no doubt due to the leaky cieling. Or was it gasoline? I sat cross legged floor, staring at the lit end of my final cigarette, as the inferno crept across the damp floorboards, and up my back.