Prologue

~~Alex's POV~~

I ran. I ran as fast as I could over the vines, roots, rocks, and anything else that seemed to want to bring me closer to death, a death that I did not want.

I could hear the footsteps pounding behind me.

I could hear the clink of their guns as they awaited to be fired.

I could hear my breathing, harsh with desperation. A desperation to live past this moment.

I could feel myself getting weaker. The days of being starved and beaten were catching up with me during a time when they were not welcome. My feet slowed unwillingly as my energy started to leave me. My brain was desperately telling my feet to keep moving, but they would not listen, whether it was of their own will or not.

The people, or guards I should say, that I was running from wanted nothing else, but to see me dead. They wanted to see my bloodied and broken body thrown on the ground before them. They wanted to see my lifeless eyes staring unseeingly in front of me. And even though I valued my life, I could say that I did not blame them. How could I after what I did to them.

A shot rang out behind me. In slow motion, I saw the bullet slam into the tree just inches in front of my face, destroying the wood that had done them no harm. This stimulated my feet to actually listen to my brain, which I was very thankful for.

My speed increased, my breathing increased, and my heart pounded bruisingly against my ribs as new adrenaline pumped through my veins. The jungle seemed to close it; it seemed to grow darker with every step and every breath. The jungle seemed to radiate death, death that was seemingly getting closer to me.

The next bullet I never heard leave the barrel, but I did feel it slam into my body. The pain that came was so excruciating. My muscle spasmed harshly as realization of what just happened registered. I fell to the ground clutching my thigh. I tried to get back to my feet, to continue running to safety, but I fell back down to the ground in agony. My body seemed to have enough and it could continue no longer.

The guards came closer as I began crawling across the jungle floor. I was not able to go very far, because the first guard had reached me and had kicked me across the chest. Others arrived swiftly, joining in on the fun. They kicked, hit, and butted me with their guns at any spot that they could get to.

All of a sudden it all stopped. I gently rolled onto my side so that I could see what had caused the beating to stop. A man in his forties approached me and knelt down carefully. He smiled at me like a father smiles at his son. I was taken aback. I wondered who this man was. All of my thoughts disappeared as the smile vanished from his face. He punched me hard in the face with the angry sneer that was now plastered on his face. The guards laughed as I owlishly tried to blink away the stars that it caused.

He gestured for someone to come forward that I could not see. They conversed in low tones that I could not make out. What I could see though was the needle that glinted in the light given off by the guards' flashlights. My eyes widened as I was pieced with the needle and injected with an unknown substance.

My eyes grew heavy and my mind became clouded. The last thing I heard just before I was pulled into the darkness of unconsciousness was, “Nighty Night Rider.”

A/N: This is my first Alex Rider fanfiction. I really do not need to be writing this, but Alex just interests me so, and I have lost interest in my other fanfictions that I have started. My interests are just jumping around, but I plan on finishing this story as quickly as I can, because I have so many ideas for this story.

Please Review

I would love to hear your views on this story. Criticism is welcome only if it is constructive...flames just aren't that nice :.