Ensnared

by I N Foggarty

  “Had a Doc look at you did they?” he sighed in contempt. The recent IV mark on her hand verification of the sellers claim. However, it seemed whatever treatment the girl had been given had only provided a temporary respite. The inflamed wound on her shoulder, almost in the same spot as the old knife one, must have been seriously infected. He pondered a moment.

  The ginger-haired girl was now accounted for it seemed… but this one. With red hair and fire in her belly. Her future was in flux. A drop of melted ice water escaped the napkin and rolled slowly down her temple onto her face and down her cheek. Almost like a tear.

  Softly, gently, he stroked a finger down the path it had travelled across her warm skin. “Well, what shall we do with you?” he asked with a slight sigh.

  ~End of Part two~

  Epilogue: Ripples

  Behind the closed doors of a modest hotel suite, the Emissary stood before the window and stared down upon the quaint town. He’d walked the streets the previous night and found their modest activity rather charming. A far cry from the hive that had been New York. Averting his gaze from a young couple waiting at a crosswalk he turned back to face the room. Opposite the bed, a small flat screen television displayed yet another take on the day’s events. Reaching for the remote he turned it off. The local news would not tell him anything he had not known several hours ago. From his jacket pocket he removed his cell phone and for a moment turned it around in his hands. It never ceased to amaze him how much technology could be crammed inside a small plastic enclosure. Bringing up the keypad he carefully dialled the number.

  “Hello, Sir,” a female voice on the other end answered.

  The Emissary tutted in a mild manner, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

  “Sorry, Sir,” the woman apologised hastily. “Umm… The black pawn is forced forward.”

  “The white bishop captures the black pawn.” He allowed a light chuckle to follow his words. “Do you have an update for me?”

  “Yes, Sir. Your hunch it seems turned out to be correct.”

  For a moment a spark lit up behind the Emissary’s eyes, but it quickly vanished. The validation of his theory from earlier that afternoon was only one small step to rectifying a larger problem. “How did you prove it?”

  “The plate numbers of the two vehicles involved in the incident matched two of three that were recorded by a speed camera only a few miles from where it occurred. We did a search and the third vehicle eventually showed up at a private airfield…”

  The woman’s voice trailed off as the Emissary disengaged from the conversation for a moment and wandered into the bathroom. If there was anything to be gained from the details he would extract it later. “Is the target still alive?” he questioned, his voice betraying the slightest note of concern.

  “Unconfirmed,” the woman replied.

  “And the Client?” The Emissary asked before she had a chance to tell him that they were still trying to ascertain such information.

  “They have returned to Chicago.”

  “Good. I am sure some feathers will be ruffled now that the cat is amongst the pigeons once more. Update me when you have any new information of importance.”

  “Rodger that,” was all she said before he pulled the phone away from his ear and hung up.

  Looking directly into the mirror the Emissary allowed himself the slightest of smiles. Over the years he had learned that hollow, like most things in life, was a subjective term. And like the current state of affairs, he preferred to think of his face as having the potential for improvement, rather than being a gateway into a cavernous void. Filling the sink with water, he watched the surface settle. With great care, he twisted the tap slightly and allowed a single drop to escape. Down through the air it fell, it’s fragile shape contorting as it tried desperately to remain whole. When it impacted the still surface it burst into countless fragments. The Emissary smirked as he watched the ripples spread out towards the edge of the wide sink. That single drop, so inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, had been the cause of so much disturbance on the water surface. Much like current events… and those that had gone before. He could only wonder just how far the ripples would travel this time and what chaos would be left in their wake. For the water droplet had only just burst.

  Now our eyes are shut. The road in front of us never more uncertain.

  Perhaps my part of this tale is over.

  Or maybe it has only just begun.

  Does it really matter?

  The only certainty is that the threads of life will continue to weave their will, entangling any who happen to be ensnared by their twisted tendrils.