Leo

• Jeremy Blewitt, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2017

I was running through the streets trying to find him. That punk was gonna get it! Does he think I’m dumb? It’s 1798. We were jumping buildings and swinging on signs. Finally, after at least 30 minutes of running he stopped. He was cornered by a chimney on a resident’s home. He had nowhere to go. I slowly took out my knife. Being a paid assassin has its perks. The panic in his eyes was visible. He jolted straight past my left side. My knife got him in the stomach though. He was going to be slowing down any time now. He jumped off the building and to my surprise straight onto a horse. He had gotten away again.
“YOU LET HIM GET AWAY AGAIN!” My boss was fuming. This was not the first time this had happened. He was the legendary Zachariah Ballio and he did not like to be disappointed. “Leonardo, I have full faith in you but this can’t be happening!” I looked him in the eye. He looked like an arrogant man. He didn’t have faith in me. He just wanted to take credit for whatever I did. If I tried to back out of working for him, he’d kill me. But if I killed him I would be a fugitive. The legendary Zachariah Ballio would be dead. The people would be devastated. But I am an assassin. “Zach, you had a good run.” I pull out my knife ready to strike. He pulls out his. We stare at each other for a bit. “Why won’t you just let me go Zach?” “Now Leonardo, you know I can’t let you do that.” I knew it. I was right. He was never gonna let me go.
I strike and lunge at him, my knife blazing. He fell to the ground as my knife connected with his heart. I had won. But now I had to run. I jumped straight out the window onto the beach. I ran back up to the streets and tried to blend in. People had already found that he was dead. I had to run. I saw a clump of guards looking at me suspiciously. I had my knife ready. Suddenly a horse picks me up onto it. It was the man from earlier. “Hey, don’t thank me. We’ll roam the streets together.” I was speechless. Who was this guy? “Who are you?” He takes off his hood. I recognise that face anywhere. “ZACHARIAH?!”
I was speechless. “Why’d you stab me Leo? I raised you.” “You weren’t gonna let me go.” “Why would I let you go? You’re like a son to me.” He still looked arrogant. But that was on the outside. I looked closer. He was soft kind. He was a nice man who didn’t want fame. He just wanted to be loved.
The guard’s horses came galloping. “Zachariah, you are under arrest.” He charged at me. Zach sacrificed himself in front of me. “I love you Leo.”