Trapped

The only thing I knew about the person chasing me that, if they caught up to me, I would be dead in a second.

I ran as fast as I could, my feet pounding on the old, wooden floorboards of the old manor. I ducked and dodged every way I could, along endless passages and inter-connected rooms that had no end but I could still hear him or her behind me, still trying to stay close.

I knew it was night outside. It must have been near midnight.
I had to survive until the morning. I didn’t quite know how the dawn would save me, I just knew it would.

All the time I ran, I prayed that the gun that he carried didn’t work.

Then I was in a sitting room, filled with white sheets, covering furniture that had stood here for many years before I even existed. I had time to register several old armchairs, a table and what looked like a chest of drawers in the corner.
The footsteps came close to the door, then faded again.

I had escaped unnoticed, it seemed.

Then the footsteps came back slowly, almost methodical in their approach. He was coming back to check.
I had seconds to hide somewhere.

There was nowhere I could hide quickly except…

It was a stupid risk to take, but I didn’t have any other real options. I hid behind the door and waited for the inevitable. Maybe if I could surprise him, but that was risy, dangerous even…
The door swung open and stopped short of my body. I heard the footsteps, soft yet audible , as they entered the room carefully. I could hear the man breathing heavily as he came into the room. He seemed to stop for a moment.
Then, there was a whoosh and the flapping of cloth.
He was searching the room.

I knew that, if I didn’t move soon, he would eventually find me. It was a dangerous stunt to pull, but staying where I was would be worse.

I had to go now, while he was pre-occupied.  
I peeked round the door. He was bending under the table, looking for me.

I made the run.
I was through the door and skidding towards one end of the hall as my pursuer turned quickly and noticed my escape. I ran for the door at the end of the hall and was through it when I heard a bang and a bullet smashed into the door frame.

I just ran this way and that way, trying to lose him, but he was always behind me.

Then I was in a small, indoor garden area. A ruined fountain stood in the middle of an overgrown area, paving stones and former garden beds choked with grass and weeds in equal measure. Above me, the sky held twinkling stars and a bright moon in a clear sky, casting a sliver light on the ground while casting deep, black shadows.
The only way in or out was the door I’d come through.

No way out.
My pursuer was right behind me and I was trapped.

I went for the fountain and hid behind it just as he came to the door.

For a moment, there was barely a sound except our breathing after the chase. The moonlight shone like a searchlight over us both.
I could feel his presence just beyond the protection of the fountain, blocking the door and with it, my escape.

I peeped over the fountain, just a quick look at what he was doing.

I heard a click. Instinct took over and reacted before any rational thought could get off the ground. I ducked quickly as a bullet whistled overhead, glancing off the fountain’s stone protection before it buried itself in the wall behind me.

We were locked in an impossible position. I didn’t know whether he had more ammo and I couldn’t see without a close and careful look. He couldn’t move from his position because I could slip away and head for the door. He did have a gun, but I could still dodge his bullets and run again.
In fact, if he was close enough, I could jump him and knock the gun away.

So we stayed where we were, in silence and suspense. Neither side was willing to give in and break the deadlock.
I felt my legs go numb from inactivity as I quietly willed the dawn to come.

But the dawn was still some hours away and only the wind whistling in the empty building disturbed the peace.