39 - Catch me if you can;))

"Hey, little one!" She says nothing. She's standing in front of me, staring at her shoes. She starts running. I look around, people are watching. I run after her. She's fast! It's a terrible crowd. We're pushing through, she's ahead, I'm behind her. Suddenly, she shouts, "Hey, stop him!" Two guys glance at her, then look at me. I know what's coming. I turn around. I run. They're behind me. To the footbridge, up, quickly... I glance back - there they are. And the girl? I can't catch her now... A third one! In front of me... No... He's caught me... I try to break free - I can't. "Hey, let go, man!" Nothing. The other two run up. "What are you doing here?" they say. "And what am I doing here..."

I hum. They: "Oooh, what are you doing here..." We start singing. The four of us... "There are things that no one can deny, and why bother..." The guy who was holding me begins to loosen his grip, he's feeling it. He steps forward, he's the leader. From the center of the walkway, he sings to the crowd, "Everyone's already said what they knew, they've listened to me well three times..." Still singing, I stealthily walk away. I run off the walkway. Phew... I'm done with those guys - they're singing the entire repertoire.

What about the girl? She's gone. No chance. I walk slowly, glancing towards the subway... "Here it is, damn it!" She runs down to the station. Now I'm running too... Stairs. "Hey, Little One, wait!" I shout, but she pays no attention. I run down, jump through the turnstiles. A policeman. Ouch... He saw I was ticketless. "Stop, boy!" Boy... heh... I jump onto the platform. There's a girl - she gets into the front carriage. Beep... No time - I jump into the last one. We set off. I can't do anything - I wait. I look at the people. People are looking at me. Station. I stick my head out. The girl gets off and scurries upstairs. I jump out and follow her. Up the stairs. She takes one step at a time, but quickly, I jump three - maybe I'll catch up with her. We run through the station. I'm getting closer, I can almost catch her. I reach out, and just as I'm about to grab her by the collar, she swerves! I've hit something. I'm lying there. I don't know what's happening. I open my eyes. "Oh shit..." In front of me is a guy in a leather jacket. What a guy! A giant! He grabs my shirt and lifts me up. With one hand! I'm cooked... He pulls my face to his. "You vile son of a bitch..." "Stasiu, leave that man alone!" What? I look up. Some woman, even bigger than him, probably his wife. He's let go of me—that's the most important thing. I get up from the ground, straighten my shirt, and walk away. I walk faster and faster... I run. I jump out of the metro station. I turn around. I search. There she is! Getting on the bus! A few hops to the stop. It'll be gone soon... I'm almost there. The driver closes the door. I run up, bang on the window. Nothing—he drives away. I see her, smiling at me through the rear window. Oh, you wild beast, you won't make it that easy... I watch the bus go to the intersection. Psss... Another one arrives. Different number, but whatever. I get on. Some old lady is also on her way. "Driver, can I get on the gas?" "Sure, Son, that's what I was made for!" She closes the door - the grandmother waves her cane - she didn't get it. We set off. We have an Ikarus, they have some old man. "For the 508, Mr. Driver!" "Yes, sir!" We're going pretty fast. I can see them now. Red! We're not even slowing down, let alone stopping! Cars are crashing all around. I hear horns and shouts. The driver remains unfazed. And that's good. The girl and her bus are getting closer. "We have to stop them somehow, Mr. Driver." "It's happening, Son!" We overtake them. I see the girl - her expression has fallen. I glance at the people

on the bus, I'd completely forgotten about them. Green with fear... We're already in front of that bus. Another intersection. We go straight ahead, they go straight ahead. But the driver doesn't disappoint. He grabs the handbrake and turns the steering wheel sharply.

To the right. A screech. The bus spun perpendicular to the direction of travel. My head hits the window. I fall. I don't know what's happening again. A terrible noise. Someone bumps into me. I touch my head, feeling warm blood. Suddenly, everything stopped. I open my eyes. The bus is lying on its side. The windows are shattered. I glance into the driver's cabin. I think he's bruised a bit. He looks into my eyes and smiles. Strange. I stand up, everything hurts, but I don't think I've broken anything. Blood from the cut on my head is running down my ear. I reach for the emergency door release. They're now at the top. They open, and I use all the tubes around me to get out. I look around. Outside the bus, it's an even bigger mess than inside. People are running. I hear sirens. The important thing is that the girl's bus has stopped. It's now wedged against a lamppost. I walk toward it slowly. I lean against the bodywork and peer inside through the shattered window. Where's the girl? I climb in through the window. I walk through the entire bus, trying not to step on people lying on the floor. She's gone. The back door is open—she must have left. I stop on the sidewalk. I look up. Next to me is a skyscraper. I don't know which one—some unbranded one. That's where she went. I go through the revolving doors and stand

in the lobby. I see her. She's walking to the elevator, limping slightly on her right leg. She's noticed me! She's speeding up. I follow her. I can't run. She gets on the elevator. It goes to the top floor. I call another elevator. I'm going to the top floor too. There's a mirror in the elevator. Even covered in blood, I look beautiful! I'm there. I exit the elevator. The girl at the end of the hall is hitting the padlock on the roof door with a fire extinguisher. That she still has that much strength! I walk toward her... Why is she even running? She smashed the padlock to smithereens! She opened the door and jumped onto the stairs. And I follow her... She goes to the roof. And I'm behind her... It's terribly windy on this roof. I'm approaching her. She's retreating. Step by step... She looks back, sees she's almost at the edge. I see it too. "Stop." She doesn't react. There's nowhere left to retreat. I'm a meter away from her. I don't move. She glances back. She spreads her arms and falls backward, as if there were a bed there. But there's no bed! She starts falling. I jump forward and manage to catch her leg. Phew... I glance at the sole of my shoe. "Ha! I didn't say 39!" I let go.