ON THE RUN

The rain poured down on Blackridge City like it was trying to wash the citys sins.. It never worked. Ethan Carter stood under a neon sign in the Hollows district his collar turned up against the rain. He watched the alley across the street water streaming off his baseball cap. At thirty-one he still moved like a Marine. Quiet and on the lookout.

Blackridge City wasn't a place you fell in love with. It was a city that swallowed you whole. There were glass and steel buildings in the Financial Core but in the Hollows there was decay everywhere. Corrupt cops, politicians who took bribes and businessmen with blood on their hands than killers. Ethan had spent eight years on the force trying to make a difference. Tonight he was close to something

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out. Typed back to Lucas: Not yet. The guys late.

Lucas Hayes had been his partner for four years. They had been through shootouts and investigations together. Lucas was the talker while Ethan was the one who never let go once he started investigating. They balanced each other out.

Ethan focused on the alley again. He had received a tip about a meeting between Senator Damian Blackwood and someone from the underworld. Blackwood was different from the others. He had been making speeches about stopping corruption in the citys contracting deals. Ethan had been digging into the thing for months. Millions of dollars in suspicious wire transfers linked to Victor Kane, the kingpin of Blackridges underworld.

Ethans breath fogged up in the air. He had turned down bribes before. It had cost him.. He slept at night and that was worth more than any amount of money.

A black SUV pulled into the alley. Two men stepped out. One was in a coat and the other was huge. The big guy scanned the area while the suited man checked his watch.

Ethans pulse quickened. He raised his camera. Zoomed in. The suited man turned out to be Senator Damian Blackwood. What was he doing here without security?

Before Ethan could take a picture another car showed up. A man in a hoodie got out. Approached Blackwood. They. Then the hooded man handed Blackwood a small flash drive.

Ethans instincts screamed. This wasn't a meeting. This was something

Then a gunshot cracked through the night. The senator jerked backward. A red stain spread across his white shirt. The hooded man fired again. Blackwood collapsed. The bodyguard reached for his gun. Took two rounds to the chest and fell.

Ethan drew his pistol. Shouted, "Police! Drop it!"

The shooter spun around. For a second their eyes met. Then the man ran, disappearing into the backstreets.

Ethan chased him his boots splashing through the water. "Stop! Police!"

The chase was brutal. The shooter knew the Hollows better than cops. He jumped over a fence. Ethan followed, his muscles burning.

They burst onto a street and horns blared as cars swerved. Ethan gained ground his lungs on fire. He was twenty yards away when the shooter ducked into a warehouse. Ethan followed his gun raised.

Inside the warehouse smelled of rust and decay. Rain drummed on the metal roof. Ethan swept the area his flashlight on his pistol cutting through the darkness.

"Come out! It's over!"

A shadow moved to his left. Ethan turned. That's when pain exploded in the back of his head and everything went dark.

When Ethan woke up he was in pain. There were flashing lights everywhere. He was on his knees in the warehouse surrounded by police officers. Blood trickled down the back of his neck.

"What the hell is this?" he growled.

Commissioner Richard Sullivan stood before him his face like carved granite. Behind him Lucas Hayes watched with an expression.

"Detective Ethan Carter " Sullivan intoned, "you are under arrest for the murder of Senator Damian Blackwood."

Ethan laughed. A disbelieving sound. "This is a joke right? I was chasing the shooter. Lucas was -"

"Save it " Sullivan snapped. "We have eyewitness testimony. Your gun was used in the killing."

Ethans mind reeled. His gun? He had drawn it during the chase. He hadn't fired. Had he?

Lucas stepped forward his voice low. "I'm sorry partner. I saw you pull the trigger. I had no choice but to report it."

The betrayal hit Ethan hard. He lunged forward. Strong hands held him back. "You son of a bitch! You set me up!"

"Take him away " Sullivan ordered.

As they dragged Ethan toward the police cruiser the rain continued to fall. Sirens wailed in the distance and news helicopters circled overhead.

Ethan Carter, the one cop in Blackridge who wouldn't bend was now the citys wanted man.

Three Years Later

Blackridge State Penitentiary

The prison yard was a hell under a gray sky. Ethan moved through the weight-lifting area with confidence. Three years had hardened him. Face, sharper eyes and scars across his knuckles. He had kept his head down. Refused to join any gang. That had made him enemies. It had also earned him respect from the lifers.

Today felt different. There was tension in the air like static before a storm. Whispers in the mess hall. Extra guards on the walls.

Ethan was finishing a set of pull-ups when his cellmate, Rico sidled up. "Word is theres gonna be a shake-up today, Carter. Something big. You might wanna stay in your cell."

Ethan dropped to the ground wiping sweat from his brow. "When have I ever done that?"

Rico shrugged. "Suit yourself. Just saying. The guards are nervous."

The riot started during afternoon count. It began with a shout near the basketball courts. Exploded like a match to gasoline. Inmates surged forward overwhelming the guards. Shanks appeared out of nowhere. Fires were lit in trash cans. The yard descended into chaos.

Ethan stayed low at first watching. This wasn't random. Someone had planned it.

A group of inmates charged his position. Gang members who had been gunning for him for months. Ethan moved like lightning years of training and prison-honed instincts taking over. He disarmed the first with an elbow dropped the second with a knee to the gut.

Alarms blared. Tear gas canisters arced through the air.

In the confusion a side gate near the loading docks stood momentarily unguarded. A guard lay unconscious beside it.

Ethan didn't hesitate. He stripped the uniform quickly. Pulled it over his prison grays. It was a fit but it would do. He moved through the smoke and screaming his heart pounding.

Freedom smelled like rain and diesel.

He slipped through the gate and into the service road beyond. A delivery truck idled nearby. The driver was nowhere in sight. Probably fled when the riot began.

Ethan climbed into the cab hot-wired it. Pulled away just as more sirens filled the air.

In the rearview mirror Blackridge State Penitentiary burned against the skyline.

He was out.

The entire city. Hell, the entire country. Would soon be hunting him.

Ethan ditched the truck in a park, on the edge of the Hollows and continued on foot moving through back alleys he still knew by heart. His mind raced. Three years inside had given him time to think about that night. The pieces didn't fit. Lucass betrayal. The planted evidence. Blackwoods murder right when he was about to expose something

He needed proof. Allies. A place to start.

His first stop was a bit of a risk. It was something he had to do. A small house on the edge of town where his sister, Emily still lived. She worked as a pathologist at the citys medical examiners office. If anyone could help him get access to files it was Emily.

It was dark by the time he got to the neighborhood. He went around to the back. Knocked softly on the kitchen door in a special pattern they used when they were kids.

The door opened a bit. Emilys face showed up. She looked pale and shocked. She quickly pulled him inside. Locked the door behind him.

"Ethan… oh my God you're really free " she said, hugging him tightly. Then she stepped back. Looked him up and down. "You look terrible."

"Feel like it too " he said with a smile. "Emily I didn't do it. You know that."

"I never thought you did " she said, her voice steady.. Her hands were shaking as she poured him a glass of water. "But the evidence... It seemed strong. Someone must have gone to a lot of trouble."

Ethan leaned against the counter. "I need your help. Can you find anything on the Blackwood autopsy? Any inconsistencies or anything unusual?"

Emily hesitated. "They're watching me Ethan. They have been since the trial.. I have kept some copies. Not official ones. There were some things in the ballistics report. The angle of the shots didn't match where you were standing that night."

Before she could say more headlights shone through the windows. Multiple cars.

"Dammit " Ethan muttered. He went to the window. Looked out. Police cars.. A man he knew getting out of one of the other cars. Logan Pierce, a famous bounty hunter who always caught his targets.

"They're already here " Emily whispered. "Go. Out the basement window. I'll try to distract them."

Ethan squeezed her hand. "I'll contact you when its safe. Stay careful."

He slipped downstairs his heart racing. Dropped out the narrow window into the alley behind the house. Shouts echoed from the front as the police broke in.

Ethan ran into the night the city lights blurring around him. He was free. He knew the police were closing in.

As he disappeared into the streets of Blackridge one thought kept going through his mind:

This wasn't about clearing his name anymore.

This was, about taking down a corrupt system.

He was just getting started.