Penitent’s square was surrounded. The pedestrian street was blocked by five men in tacky clothes. And at the end of the passage leading to Talbot avenue sat the black Mercedes.

The tire squealed fiercely in the silent night until they stopped completely. 

The silence was deafening, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Aiko’s vision narrowed down and she could hear her heartbeat drummed in her temples. She had forgotten all about the rude customer earlier and her pretended diarrhoea, her injured passenger and the frenzy chase.

“This is bad”

This only thought occupied her whole mind and echoed through her every tensed muscles.

“They are bad” 

Maybe there was a way out of this. Maybe they could talk themselves out of it. Maybe there weren’t so dangerous, sure they looked like gangsters from a cheap movie, but what kind of prejudice was that? And maybe the man she took on her motorcycle did them wrong. When you think about it, he did threaten her to take her bike. 

But no rational thinking can reason with basic primal instinct. Deep down, she knew, she felt, that those men were dangerous. A fleeting sparkle took her back to reality. 

- Damn it… her voice cracked weakly

Knives. While she was debating with herself, the men on foot started to approach them, pulling out knives. Aiko took a deep breath. She didn’t want to do that. She didn’t want to take that path. But more importantly, she absolutely didn’t want to die.

- Hey you ! She shouted recovering a bit of her confidence, you ! Mister ! Hey ! Wake up god Damn it ! 

- Ak… mumbled the man behind her.

- What ?

- Akira, he finally articulated difficulty 

- Right, Akira, Damn you ! You will own me so much after that, okay? So don’t die and hold on to me as tight as you can ! 

- Right…

- No tighter! Come on ! Hurry up !

Noticing that something was happening, the men from the Mercedes joined the party and started to run toward them. Aiko warmed up the engine a few times and when the thugs were upon them she realised a perfect 180° turn, burning her jeans on the pavement. She heard the men cough and exclaim in surprise while she straightened her vehicle and without wavering one bit she went straight for the stairs. 

The Penitent’s square was famous for its abrupt staircase, that people used to climb in order to find forgiveness for their sins. Hence the name of the square. Once you had climb the “thousand of stairs” you could drink at the fountain on the square and it was said that you were then absolved of your transgressions. It was quite a touristic sight, and a few public figures, like politicians or celebrities who were caught in scandals, went through the thousand stairs in order to regain the public’s sympathy. 

“Nonsense!” Aiko thought as they were going down the stairs at full speed. 

The motorcycle and its occupants were jolting at the rhythm of the steps. Every time her butt hit the saddle she could feel the pain going up to her spine. Afraid that she would bite her tongue, she tightly kept her mouth closed, her tensed jaw aching. 

Behind her, the man named Akira was in worse shape. The repetitive shocks squeeze moans of tremendous pain out of him. He was desperately trying to keep his hold on Aiko, but his strengths were living him. 

The steps were so worn-out that they were eroded and slippery, the bike was gradually loosing its balance, and every time, Aiko had to use all her strength to rectify their trajectory. 

She suddenly stood up to put some weight on the back.

- Hold on ! 

Akira held on. 

Aiko tensed. At the middle of the staircase there was a small alley that lead to a maze like district, like they used to built back in the days.

10 more steps.

5 more steps.

4.

3.

2… She brutally rotated the handlebar to the right. The bike slid a bit but finally obeyed her commands, loosing its crate in the interminable stairs.