Brenner slowly trailed the man down the road. His footsteps hardly made any noise on the cobblestones underfoot. The moon hid behind the dark clouds among the thousands of stars, announcing that everyone should be asleep and cosy in their bed.  Not in the icy bite of the midnight wind. Brenner hesitantly looked around and, when he saw no one, he quickened his space. The man in front of him, in the middle of the road, was clothed in a rich flowing robe, yellow and purple lining the cloth. Paranoid, Brenner checked around himself once more, then swiftly pulled out a knife, moved closer, then grabbed the man and wrapped his gloved hand around the richly clothed man’s mouth. There was a soft rustle during the struggle before Brenner dragged him quickly into a quiet alley, off to the side. The rich man’s muffled protests could be heard softly through his glove. Slowly the depths of the shadows engulfed them and only, when the man’s struggles ended, did Brenner remove his hand.

Brenner never thought he would ever resort to robbery. He had always lived abiding closely to the law. But the lord of his estate had shut down the village bakery and with that job in which he had only just been scraping by. Now he had been going hungry for days. He didn’t even have the expertise to apply for any other job. And life was getting hard.

“Who do you think you are?” demanded the man. “I am Garron, the third most powerful man in the local lord’s estate!” Brenner pushed his knife closer to the man’s back. It’s not my choice, he thought, and if he is as rich as he seems then he can spare some money for the poor. “I don’t need much. Just enough to get back on my feet,” Brenner whispered hesitantly. “Please sir, I have a wife and two children, a business to run and a grain mill to…,”

“Quiet,” hissed Brenner, he would rather the man continued to get angry, even shout, not beg for his life. He hesitated again when he thought of what he was doing. Garron jumped on the hesitation like a bird of prey. “One of my carts were robbed yesterday and my business has been struggling lately. I really can’t afford to give you anything.” Brenner’s hands became slick on the leather hilt of his knife and cold sweat dripped down the back of his neck. The hilt of the knife felt foreign in his hand, and the blade was as heavy as lead. “Please?” Garron choked of the word. Brenner doubted he could steal from this man, and that doubt passed over to Garron. “Guards! Robbery! Help!” Suddenly Garrons call was echoing across the alleyway walls. “Quiet!” demanded Brenner. The moon seemed to peek out around the clouds, looking on toward the commotion.

Quickly Brenner replaced his gloved hand over Garrons mouth. Brenner’s hand began to shake, and his heart thumped like a drum. But it was too late. The metallic clanking of boots on the cobblestones could be heard. The flicker of torches could be seen in the distance. Brenner knew the way out. He could kill the man, escape, and get away with the money. But he couldn’t kill an innocent man, this could have been him, just a week ago. The footsteps began to get louder. Fear began to grip Brenner with its cold hands, and past fear, was desperation. In a panic, Brenner slid his knife into Garron’s back. The man became limp in his arms. Warm liquid seeped over his glove and down his arm. The metallic smell of blood made Brenner sick down to the bone. He searched Garron’s body and drew out a pouch, inside was the soft tinkle of coin. Brenner with a weight on his shoulders and regret fresh in his mind, dashed out of the alleyway and ran as far away as he could. His stomach heaved as bile rose in his throat. He couldn’t believe what he had done. The moon hid behind the clouds, but this time it seemed to be hiding from him.

Okay, I have been away from writing for a long time but I have returned. With a short story coming from my english assignment. I hope its good although I haven't really proof read it. As always, (And hopefully more often than 6 months) thank you and goodbye!