This technology was unprecedented in open areas. The man glanced over, spotting her as she watched. She would see him speak lowly into a bluetooth, before slamming the window shut, staring at her with chilling eyes and closing the curtain. She would still have the feeling of being watched, though, like prey out in the open.
She inhaled sharply, glancing over her shoulder before using the railing as a jumping-off point, launching herself at a nearby rooftop and taking off, sprinting along the tiles and pushing herself to move as fast as she could.
She would hear something behind her, like a bullet ricochet, a puff a smoke from concrete that was destroyed go up into the air. Her best bet would be getting somewhere more enclosed, or far away from where she was.
Her breath hitched in her chest and she leaped down from the rooftops, sliding down a drainpipe and landing on the road, sprinting into the crowds of people passing by.
She would feel someone grab her, almost knocking her down. It was a hooded assailant, nearly black eyes peering out. "Stop running," he said in a low, commanding whisper as people continued to move around them.
She glanced up in surprise, her shoulders trembling and her instincts screaming at her. "I'm a little busy," she replied sharply, trying to pull away from him.
His grip tightened, his gaze sharpened. "Stop. They can't see us. You'll be spotted if you start running again."
She paused, squinting at him as she tried to make him out a little clearer. "What are you talking about?" she asked in a low whisper, looking over her shoulder. "Who are you?"
It was a man with a sharp gaze, dark eyes, and hair black hair that was a bit light, almost to the point of being a deep gray. "It doesn't matter who I am. They know what you look like," he said, his voice flat and rather serious. He pulled off his jacket and gave it to her, revealing his plain black t-shirt. "Put this on and follow me. If you try to run I won't hesitate to stop you."
He stood up and began walking casually with the crowd, obviously expecting her to follow. "Something you weren't supposed to. You definitely weren't supposed to. How much do you know?"
She hesitated, slipping on the jacket before following. "Uh... not... I mean, not much? That was..." She faltered before shaking her head. "I thought I saw that one guy. Tutlier, right? I thought I saw something... am I going crazy?"
He frowned, sighing. "No. What were doing? Why did you look in?" He squinted back at her. "Are you a part of something?"
She laughed, but then seemed to realize he was serious. "Am I a part of something? Of course not. I was just running. I had a long day and I wanted to see the fireworks."
He raised an eyebrow at her with a frown. "They will probably be looking for you.. Is it possible to stay out of your house for a bit?"
She seemed bewildered, staring at him with furrowed brows. “Not... go home? What are you talking about? How can they know where I live? I don’t...” She exhaled sharply, trying to calm herself. “Is this a prank or something?”
He looked ahead again wordlessly, silent before speaking. "Of course they would know. They have unlimited access. Money is all it takes and that is what they have."
“This isn’t funny,” she told him sharply. “Did my parents put you up to this? It isn’t going to work.” She relaxed, having settled on a solution that made sense. “How much did they pay you to execute this whole thing?”
He looked at her with an annoyed expression. "You think this is a joke? Fine. Go home, then. Risk your life. It's just another loss."
“This isn’t a joke,” she said sharply. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I get that you think this is some funny gig, but it’s really annoying.”
