The Fugitive | Teen Ink

The Fugitive

April 30, 2008
By Anonymous

Head down, the lone figure darted into the alleyway, breathing heavily. Thick smoke from the city’s abundant factories filled the air like a heavy morning mist on the lake, causing the man to cough violently. Exhausted, Justin collapsed against the wall of a housing complex. He had a gaunt, thin face, a deeply scarred nose. Above him, the rickety buildings reached for the clouds, with clotheslines stretched out between them. Slums had grown more and more prevalent since the new government established itself, 12 years back, in 2030. Through the thin plywood walls, the man could discern the arguments of several inhabitants. Loud screams of anger reverberated through the alleyway, and several seconds later, Justin heard a gunshot, then a scream, and then two more, as the pistol continued belching flame.

Now the sounds of sirens in distance filled the afternoon air, and the man in the alley knew he had to run. Politzika had chased Justin for the past five years, thanks to his many crimes. Panting, the fugitive sprinted down one end of the alleyway, only to see several men guarding the exit. With the sight of the wanted man, they dashed after him. Justin scurried into the door of one of the buildings and rushed up the steps, loudspeakers blaring to the neighborhood that a wanted man had hidden in their midst. Heart pounding and brain racing, Justin raced up the rickety wooden stairs of the building. Doors slammed all around him, children screaming in terror as the speakers blared their message of danger. Behind him, Justin could hear men tearing up the steps. If I go on the roof, the snipers will hit me. Frantically, Justin searched for somewhere to hide. His trembling fingers gripped the gun in his pocket. Suddenly, a door opened in the narrow hallway, and a man urgently beckoned Justin to come in.

Justin looked around at the room. Trash, clothes, and equipment littered the floor. Why would this man risk his neck to save me? Immediately, the man answered Justin’s subconscious question. “I’ll hide you for $30,000 dollars,” the man rasped. “Fork it over quick.” Such a small sum surprised Justin. He quickly gave the man three bills. “Is this stuff counterfeit?” the man queried.

“No. Hold it up to the light.”

Satisfied, the man hustled Justin over to a closet. He closed the door and locked it.
“I’ll let you out when they pass,” he hissed.

Time seemed to stand still. Justin’s heart still pounded, his brain still racing. How did the politzika find me so quickly? Outside the closet door, a fist pounded on the door to the apartment. Justin heard voices outside the door. His protector adamantly advocated to the officers that he had neither seen nor heard anything of this fugitive. Several minutes crawled by, and then, to Justin’s great relief, a latch outside turned. “You can come out now,” the man whispered in his door. Slowly, Justin turned the knob and opened the door, only to find five of the politzika pointing guns at his head.

Smirking widely, a man Justin had seen before led the group, the same man who had witnessed Justin’s crimes, and the man who had led the chase of Justin for the past five years, Nikolai Parsall. Parsall handed the owner of the apartment a roll a bills. “50 grand for the tip-off,” he muttered, “and another 50 for the capture.”

“Liar!” the traitor spat. “You promised a hundred a piece!”

“You are lucky to get anything at all, fool,” Nikolai snarled. He pointed at Justin, and the other officers threw Justin against the wall. Nikolai ordered his compatriots to leave the scene, and then turned his attention to Justin. “So you thought you could escape, huh?” Parsall growled. “If you had not interfered, everything would have been just fine.”

Trembling, Justin mustered up all his courage. “I did the right thing,” he asserted in a clear and unfaltering voice. “You dogs were about to kill her.”

“Dogs?” Nikolai’s eyebrows rose quizzically. “We are all animals, Justin. The one difference between us and dogs is our intelligence. That girl was a menace to civilization. Her death was necessary. ” He paused for a moment. “Our laws are simple. There are only two rules. She broke one of them. You broke the other. Obey the Politzika.”

“But…but…”Justin stammered. “Murder is always wrong…it…” His voice trailed off, as Nikolai shook his head disapprovingly.

“Nonsense. Right and wrong do not exist, Justin.” Nikolai spoke in a disapproving purr. “There is only power. Those in power decide right and wrong. Not you.”

It took incredible courage, yet Justin somehow managed to reply. My last words, he thought. “But you in power are not all-powerful, Nikolai Parsall. You know that. God possesses far more power than you. He decides right and wrong.” Silence fell on the room.

“And now, you have broken every law on the books.” Nikolai did not hesitate. Justin saw him reach for his pistol. He saw Nikolai pull the trigger. Then Justin heard a scream, as Nikolai Parsall fell to the ground, killed instantly by the backfiring of his gun. Justin, still shaking, stared at the lifeless body. Killed by divine justice.


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This article has 42 comments.


boklenhle GOLD said...
on Apr. 27 2011 at 6:29 pm
boklenhle GOLD, North Platte, Nebraska
16 articles 0 photos 40 comments

Favorite Quote:
Our scars tell us where we have been, but do not have to dictate where we are going.

Wow! This is a great story! I think you should tell us a little more about what happened before. This would make a great book! Keep writing!!! (:

Bridgette17 said...
on Mar. 15 2011 at 9:13 am
I loved the introduction it got me hooked on the first sentence.

on Feb. 20 2011 at 2:27 pm
MidnightFire PLATINUM, Lincoln, Illinois
40 articles 6 photos 239 comments

Favorite Quote:
'Dream as if you will live forever, live as if you'll die tomorrow.'
for my sister: 'when life gives me lemons ... i eat them'
'do not be afraid, be faithful'
'God is not safe, but He's good'

amazingly awesome :) you've got to add on im dying to here what happened before and what happens after this

Skylight said...
on Jan. 29 2011 at 11:21 am
Skylight, Hurst, Texas
0 articles 0 photos 47 comments
Awesome story! Very discriptive! I loved it. :)

tahir GOLD said...
on Jan. 7 2011 at 3:15 pm
tahir GOLD, El Cerrito, California
17 articles 0 photos 25 comments

Favorite Quote:
"the beggar can be the king as the king is the beggar"

i looooovvvvveeeeeddddddd it 

Pounce said...
on Dec. 16 2010 at 1:34 pm
Pounce, Omaha, Nebraska
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts."






-Winston Churchill

I really like it. Debates about right/wrong always make great stories! You should write a prequel, I'm curious to know what happened before! Otherwise very well written! The development of the character was really good.

on Nov. 30 2010 at 8:14 pm
I think you should write something like a foreshadowing to the story that tells what happened beforehand. Otherwise, great story!

LASwan SILVER said...
on Sep. 19 2010 at 4:42 pm
LASwan SILVER, Yukon, Oklahoma
5 articles 0 photos 55 comments

Favorite Quote:
Don't worry about the world endng today. It's already tomorrow in Australia.
-Charles Schultz

Great story! There's definitely potential for expansion, and you should do it. Check out my works, please?

on Aug. 12 2010 at 5:24 pm
blueandorange GOLD, Jeffersonville, Indiana
14 articles 0 photos 63 comments
Very Nice!  Gripping!

inspir3d GOLD said...
on Aug. 6 2010 at 8:23 pm
inspir3d GOLD, Norcross, Georgia
11 articles 2 photos 73 comments

Favorite Quote:
We're all just looking for attention, to be discovered overnight. We're all frustrated by the popular ones that claim the limelight before they fall to pieces. So many of us are stuck under the radar--what makes me different? You decide!

I love this. Very gripping!! you should totally make this into a book. i couldn't stop reading it.

I know it's annoying when people advertise their own work (sorry!) but this really is pretty similar to my story The Choice. I think fans of your work might like it, so check it out? Thanks!


on Aug. 1 2010 at 9:56 pm
FootStepscryloud BRONZE, Elkridge, Maryland
1 article 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
Speak with the Heart.

Nice story. You can definately make it broader and write a book if you wanted to.

on Jun. 29 2010 at 9:39 am
ilovepolkadots, Joplin, Missouri
0 articles 0 photos 15 comments
This story is awesome!

CARMENITA said...
on Jun. 23 2010 at 2:14 pm
CARMENITA, Walnut Creek, California
0 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Make way for the heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through..." said by George and Fred Weasley in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Awesome! write some more, what happens next?

Miara GOLD said...
on Jun. 23 2010 at 12:37 pm
Miara GOLD, Ottumwa, Iowa
16 articles 0 photos 30 comments

Favorite Quote:
Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate.
Dying is a day worth living for.
The problem with being the last of anything is by and by there be none left.

I loved it!  The description was great, it really makes it like you were watching a movie in your head.

on May. 15 2010 at 11:32 am
she-is-a-witch, Towson, Maryland
0 articles 0 photos 33 comments
This is great!!!

on May. 9 2010 at 4:11 pm
Imaginedangerous PLATINUM, Riverton, Utah
31 articles 0 photos 402 comments
It's very descriptive. I liked how you brought religion into it, too- a topic occasionally ignored and sometimes not seen in a positive way. Good job.

on Mar. 30 2010 at 9:17 pm
ChangedForever, WW, New Jersey
0 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, you must be the one to write it.
-Toni Morrison

this is really well done, Luke. you did a great job building suspense, and the ending was AMAZING. i absolutely loved it. :)

on Dec. 29 2009 at 6:31 pm
CanYouSeeTheCrazy PLATINUM, Cle Elum, Washington
21 articles 0 photos 125 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I know why everyone in this world is so desperate to find love."
"Oh yeah? Why then?"
"Because, it's the closest thing we have to magic."

good story! keep writing! i like it. i'm interested now, and itching to hear more.

on Dec. 7 2009 at 6:23 pm
Arluanna PLATINUM, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
31 articles 2 photos 99 comments

Favorite Quote:
“Mwahahahahaha! Now you are mine, Lesley-Bird, finally, at last, in my... oh, drat, forgot it had wings...”

-Phil, the youngest Kalins Uzin

Wow! Loved the story, Luke. I wish you'd explored Justin a little more, though.

lexi<3 GOLD said...
on Nov. 21 2009 at 5:59 pm
lexi<3 GOLD, Spaulding, South Dakota
15 articles 7 photos 43 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.

i enjoyed this piece. it sortof kept the tension, but also let everyone in. great job!