At a Gunpoint

Prague, Czech Republic

Patricia walked through the gardens of Prague Castle. She was "alone". The view was stunning and beautiful. The sun was already setting. Tight black pants, fur coat of the same color, dark turtleneck. A captain's cap on her head and her hair flew loose in the wind.

But someone was watching her. At least this time she knew about it. She headed straight down the hill. She peeked into the bushes to the right; saw Marek. He was hiding there. She smiled, her gaze also met the major's eyes and finally she continued on her way.

At the bottom of the hill, she ran into Helichova Street and then turned left through Karmelitska Street until she came to Malostranska Square. Patricia behaved very confidently. The old church was beautiful. She stopped for a moment opposite the gate. She really enjoyed the wonderful surroundings.

She could already see the Charles Bridge as she glanced down the street. After a short break, she ran straight into the subway. Standing on the escalator, she turned slightly to see if her pursuer was still following her.

Of course, he was standing there. She smiled to herself again. The bait was cast, the fish was approaching. The catch-up plan worked perfectly. Finally! She calmly and comfortably entered the train and peripherally checked where it was. He was in! That was fantastic.

She just sat down for a moment during the ride and left the subway at the Old Town platform. She ran up the stairs straight to the square. She even dined quietly right next to the Orloi. Well, why not enjoy yourself?

She was sitting across from the fairytale church admiring it while munching on her meal. The night was much nicer for this city than the day. Orloi could be heard every hour. When it was getting late, she got up, paid for dinner, stopped for a while under the clock. She straightened her black fur coat, took one last look behind the church, and finally turned her back towards it and walked down the street.

It could have been around eleven in the evening. Almost no one was seen on the street anymore, just Patricia and her stalker. She turned back and saw someone jump around the corner of the building. Patricia tried to pretend she didn't see anyone and continued on.

She ran under the tower of the Charles Bridge and felt the cool breeze coming from the river. Long hair sailed with it. The moon was shining softly from behind smaller clouds that sometimes obscured it. The bridge looked beautiful and mysterious in that darkness and emptiness. The silent stone guardians of the bridge stood in their places and stared at her.

For a moment, a bad feeling took hold of Patricia and she was shaken. She knew he was close, even though she hadn't turned around for a while. She kept the same walking pace. The footsteps behind her began to quicken. Around the middle of the bridge, she turned and faced her pursuer. He stood two meters away from her.

She whisked her head from side to side like a dog trying to understand something. He was again dressed in black with a balaclava and a hood on his head. "I knew you would look for me. I was waiting for you. What will you do now? The game of cat and mouse is over. I got you!” She pulled out a gun from her holster at the stalker. The gun was aimed straight at him.

He began laughing hysterically. It sounded like the laughter of a mentally disturbed individual. He took a step forward. Patricia asked. She was completely serious. If he took even one step towards her, she would open fire on him.

"Who told you that you are the winner? It doesn't matter how many weapons you carry. I'll snatch you and then you'll be mine.” It sounded seriously weird. She was the one with the better shuffle of cards. She still stood there motionless, pointing the gun at him; she just smiled and didn't believe a word that came out of his mouth.

"I know you won't start shooting at me. You're not capable of that, are you?” He was about to take another step forward but stopped in the middle when Patricia spoke. "How can you know with such certainty that I won't open fire as soon as you lift a finger? Do you know me well? I do not think so."

She appeared to be calm and that upset the killer. He felt as if he had lost his advantage and power over her. He decided. He took three steps forward directly towards her. She fired at him once. His shoulder just jumped back. He paused for a second and then continued.

She couldn't believe it and opened fire and started backing up. All the bullets hit the target straight and he was still on his feet and even getting closer. He then jumped on top of her and knocked the gun out of her hands. During the struggle, he accidentally hit her and she fell to the ground.

He reached for her to stop thrashing about so much, so he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. She couldn't breathe, just stared at him. “I knew I'd get you. You see, I was right!" A victorious smile appeared on his lips, but Patricia, even though she couldn't answer him at that moment, smiled too, albeit with difficulty.

The attacker found his grip too tight and relaxed. Now she retorted through her teeth. “Who said you're the winner?” She pulled the tracking device from her pocket to eye level of both of them and pressed a button. In a few seconds, police cars rushed to both ends of the bridge, and in a short while the helicopter appeared above them.

It was a trap. He had nowhere to escape. At first, he looked confused. But that didn't last long, and he turned back into a cold, arrogant, calculating killer. He pushed her to the ground and looked around for his escape options. He ran to the other end where there were steps to a small island next to the bridge. It was one of the escape options.

But the cops saw it and anticipated it and headed straight for them. He stopped and saw Patricia running straight at him. He didn't have much of a choice. He grabbed her in his arms in a moment, her cap fell to the ground, and he held a knife to her throat, which he pulled from the back pocket of his trousers.

He backed with her to the edge of the bridge. The police did not move. Patricia was in danger. Everyone was aiming their gun at him. Snipers were also waiting on the tower of the bridge. The red dot slowly approached from his chest, across his face to his forehead. Patricia suspected that he was quiet only because he was calculating his situation.

He began to murmur softly. "Don't forget what I'm going to tell you now. It doesn't matter what happens now, I'll find you and you'll be mine!" After those words, he pushed Patricia to the front of him and then jumped onto the stone railing.

He briefly turned his head towards them. Patricia squealed and jumped to him just as he jumped off the bridge. But she still managed to catch his jacket and his hand. She held him for a moment, to her surprise he clasped her hand in his, but he was too heavy for her.

After a few seconds, he slipped from her and fell into the icy stream. Patricia bent over with her hand reaching for him and almost fell over as well. One of the police officers managed to catch her and pull her back to her feet. They both stared into the darkness of the water.

All the police officers present, began to search for him in the cold waters of the Vltava River. They even rented a speedboat and the helicopter searched for him as well. No matter how long and diligently they combed the surface of the river, they could not find his body or any sign of his existence. The current was too strong for him to survive.